Luo Li sat stunned in his arms, watching as the man removed his leather gloves and loosened his own tie.
Luo Li had no idea what method the man had used, but the clamor from outside had completely vanished. Only the faint rumble of thunder and pattering rain remained, leaving their surroundings in an eerily profound silence.
The man quickly tended to his wound. He tied a neat knot around Luo Li’s injured little foot with the black tie, then carefully slipped the small leather shoe back on.
Luo Li grew even more tense. His calf went rigid, and even after the shoe was on, he didn’t dare lower his leg.
The man in the military uniform had a face Luo Li recognized.
From newspapers, posters, and those old photographs…
Yet seeing the man in person was entirely different.
No wonder no one believed this man could be tangled in any scandal.
His features were far too stern and imposing. Anyone who looked at that face would only picture a ruthless dictator devoted to militarism, not some skirt-chasing libertine.
Agamemnon.
The fallen officer, the vanished dean, his… foster father, standing right before him.
Agamemnon finished buckling his shoelaces and set Luo Li down on a nearby chair.
He bent at the waist, stroking Luo Li’s rain-soaked locks before gently ruffling his hair.
Those deep dark-green eyes held emotions that Luo Li couldn’t comprehend.
His knuckles brushed over Luo Li’s pocket, drawing out the golden key he’d been protecting so carefully. With a press of his palm, a prompt chimed.
【Item “Top Floor Gate Key” has been stored.】
The man slipped his gloves back on and turned to leave.
“W-Wait—”
It was only then that Luo Li realized he had no idea how to address him.
Where was he going? Wasn’t he the Leader Boss?
There were so many things he wanted to ask…
But the deep shadows of the corridor offered only darkness.
The man’s figure was nowhere to be seen.
~~~
Fu Shiyue crouched beside the sink, his fingertip gliding over the damp countertop.
The disgusting traces were gone, but a lingering fragrance still wafted from the surface.
It was thick and sweet, like the nectar from a fresh flower’s core—the unique scent belonging to that little beauty.
No doubt, he’d been laid out on this very sink. Someone had pinched his soft cheeks, gazing at him with obsessive eyes while spinning filthy fantasies in their head.
Fu Shiyue watched his Illness Value for Delusional Disorder skyrocket. He couldn’t stop himself from picturing everything that had happened in this bathroom.
What kind of tricks had that pure, innocent boy used to make Wado desperate to protect him…?
Had Wado glimpsed the view beneath that pure white cotton fabric?
Or had they even tried something more depraved?
No. No way.
Luo Li was his boyfriend. He wouldn’t do something like that.
Fu Shiyue rose slowly and gripped the nearby rifle.
But as he turned, the cold muzzle of a gun pressed against the back of his head.
“Don’t move.”
Ling Yu’s voice came from behind him. Fu Shiyue glanced sideways and saw Lu Yanyan, bound tightly with ropes, her face etched with terror.
He was stunned for only a split second before recovering. “So you’re turning on your teammate?”
“I’m not interested in killing you all. I just want to clear the game.”
Ling Yu tossed over an exquisite gift box. “The Top Floor Key was supposed to be inside this, but it’s empty now. Luo Li took it.”
“I know how you feel about him—you’d never take the key from his hands. And that dog Kang Xun? Forget it; he’s already Luo Li’s prisoner. Which means you two are nothing but obstacles in my way to clearing.”
Fu Shiyue let out a cold laugh. “What about this Lu Yanyan, then? She counts as an obstacle too?”
Ling Yu ripped the tape off Lu Yanyan’s mouth.
The girl—clearly under some horrific threat—had dazed eyes as she stammered, “Y-Yes… The fake mark was my doing… I admit it…”
“You used her to make the fake mark and lure Luo Li to your clinic. Since she’s your willing accomplice, there’s no reason to keep her around.”
Ling Yu resealed her mouth.
“Fu Shiyue, hand over your gun. You have no escape.”
Fu Shiyue narrowed his eyes.
“You’re that desperate to clear, huh?”
“Hmph. Sticking around here is a one-way ticket to death. Only by getting out alive can I claim everything I want.”
He had no patience for more banter. Ling Yu moved decisively, snatching the rifle from Fu Shiyue’s grasp.
Then he produced more rope and bound him to one of the room’s pillars.
Fu Shiyue spotted a flash of light from Ling Yu’s fingertips. With a click, an exact duplicate of his own clothes materialized and dropped into Ling Yu’s hand.
“You’re copying my clothes…”
Fu Shiyue’s expression shifted abruptly. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Ling Yu had already donned the doctor’s white coat—even the black short-sleeved shirt underneath matched Fu Shiyue’s exactly. With the mask in place, his original appearance was nearly indistinguishable.
The man spoke leisurely. “You’re Luo Li’s boyfriend, at least—or so you think. What I don’t get is how you could be this stupid…”
He glanced at the name badge on the coat. “When he was tied up in the Little Black Room, you didn’t do a damn thing. You just let him go.”
If it had been Ling Yu, he never would have made such a blunder.
He certainly wouldn’t have given Luo Li the chance—or the strength—to escape, only for him to end up in Wado’s clutches.
Ling Yu inspected the rifle while swiftly assessing the current situation in his mind.
They’d split up: Andrei was hunting clues about the top floor, Kang Xun had gone to retrieve Luo Li, and he and Fu Shiyue were pursuing Wado.
But Wado had vanished, and there was no word from Kang Xun or Andrei.
Ling Yu activated his communicator, intending to reach out to the others, when he noticed a message from Andrei.
“Wado’s in the Psychiatry Ward.”
His eyes narrowed. Ling Yu secured Fu Shiyue and Lu Yanyan, rifle in hand, and headed for the Psychiatry Department.
~~~
Luo Li’s feet still ached, but he limped his way back to the ward anyway.
Unfortunately, his memory wasn’t great, and the layout near the lobby was too convoluted. He couldn’t locate Room 201 at all and could only wander in anxious circles.
Just then, from a dim corner up ahead, the crack of gunshots rang out.
~~~
Kang Xun gripped his rifle tightly. He fired off several rounds, but every bullet vanished into the void.
The thick black fog was like spilled oil, searing the skin on contact with a fiery sting. His ammo was running low, so Kang Xun gritted his teeth and drew his dagger from his belt.
The blade gleamed coldly as he thrust it fiercely at the swirling mass of fog.
The black fog evaded the strike. In that motion, it revealed the figure hidden within.
The face of the dead Meng Hu appeared without warning. Kang Xun’s heart jolted in shock, and the dagger’s tip veered just half an inch off course, piercing the space beside Wado’s heart.
A low, muffled wail echoed from the fog. The enraged monster reared up a sharp spike and lunged for Kang Xun’s chest.
The young man dodged in the nick of time, but the spike tore through his shoulder. Blood poured out in a gush.
Kang Xun clung to his dagger and stabbed at Wado again. This time, the black fog contracted violently, shrinking into a thin black line that fled into the distance.
“Don’t run!”
Kang Xun pressed a hand to his wound as he gave chase, but the fog was too swift. By the time he’d crossed several corridors, it had disappeared completely.
All that remained was a Black Rabbit Plushie lying on a bench.
He approached the bench slowly. His fingers tightened around the dagger’s hilt, its tip trained on the plushie.
At that moment, a familiar petite figure dashed out from the shadows and snatched the plushie into a tight embrace.
Kang Xun stared in disbelief. “Luo Li?”
Luo Li clutched the long-lost rabbit plushie, eyeing Kang Xun warily. When he spotted the bloodstained dagger in Kang Xun’s hand, his heart clenched. Forgetting his fear, he demanded, “Did you kill Wado?”
His eyes glistened with moisture, his voice quivering as if on the verge of tears.
Kang Xun nearly laughed in exasperation. That was a Boss they needed the whole team to take down—did Luo Li think he could solo it?
And how could Luo Li not see the fresh wounds all over him?
Irritation bubbled up inside.
Kang Xun snorted. “Yeah, I killed it. Stabbed it good, several—”
Before he could finish, choked sobs came from across from him.
Luo Li buried his small face against the back of the plushie rabbit, glaring at Kang Xun with tear-filled eyes.
Kang Xun’s temples throbbed. He wiped the blood from his hand and cupped Luo Li’s cheeks.
“Come on, baby, my little ancestor—you’re crying again?”
He was utterly helpless against this little one. “Fine, I was messing with you. It didn’t die. No clue where it slunk off to.”
But Luo Li kept glaring at him with red-rimmed eyes, clearly skeptical.
After all, Kang Xun had tricked him before, handing that photo over to the other players.
And Luo Li held grudges.
“…It was just a photo,” Kang Xun said, recalling the incident himself. “Ling Yu and the others had their suspicions about you from the start. If I hadn’t shown it then, they’d have found another way.”
He’d rather hand over the clue outright than watch Luo Li get cornered and humiliated.
Luo Li slowly lifted his curled lashes, the corners of his eyes tinged red.
“But earlier, you said cross-dressing was disgusting. The others must think the same…”
Fuck.
Kang Xun blurted out, “That was me talking shit—how are you still hung up on it?”
If anything, it wasn’t disgusting… it was thrilling.
His gaze drifted involuntarily back to Luo Li.
He had just been caught in the rain. The water had soaked straight through his clothes, nearly revealing the soft, snow-white lines of the body beneath. His stockings were drenched beyond saving, torn in several places to expose his soft, tender skin.
The sight was even more tantalizing. Kang Xun felt like he was on the verge of a nosebleed.
The boy stomped his foot. “Anyway, don’t even think about crossing me. And from now on… I don’t want to see you again.”
Kang Xun’s hand shot out, grabbing his wrist. “Are you heading to the top floor?”
Luo Li said nothing, leaving Kang Xun even more baffled.
“Are you seriously still planning to lock up that foster father of yours and force yourself on him?”
“He’s so old—just a sack of bones. What’s the point in forcing anything?”
Dean Agamemnon couldn’t be more than thirty-something, but Luo Li insisted on putting it that way. “Don’t you think it’d be more fun to imprison someone else instead?”
Luo Li lifted his watery eyes in disbelief.
The cool guy standing before him had his hands shoved in his pockets. He arched a brow. “You might as well lock me up. I’m younger than him. Got more stamina, too.”
Just the thought of being shut away by this little beauty, night after night at his mercy—it sent a thrill straight through Kang Xun. He sure as hell wasn’t the ungrateful sort like that old man.
Luo Li: ……
“No,” he refused, blunt and absolute.
