Suddenly, a loud blast of the suona pierced the air, ringing out once again.
And this time, it was right outside the door.
Bo Shuo, who had been leaning against the room's door, suddenly raised his head.
Through the paper-laminated window, he saw a vague, scarlet blur outside the main gate.
The scarlet sedan chair had already landed at the entrance, and the eye-doting paper dolls made tiny, chattering noises before puncturing the paper window, their cinnabar lips pressing tightly against the tear.
They opened and closed, as if saying, I see you.
The people in the other rooms naturally noticed this scene; their complexions turned slightly pale, and they pulled their doors shut tightly.
"Back to the room!"
Bo Shuo made a prompt decision, letting Sang Yu enter the room before slamming the door shut with a snap.
"We triggered a rule." Sang Yu stood with a tense expression, leaning against the room's door to listen to the movement outside.
With a violent vibration, the main gate was struck as if by a giant boulder, and the entire wooden house shook—once, twice, thrice.
The wooden door could not withstand the heavy blows, emitting a final, mournful groan before being completely breached.
The Ghost Bride had entered!
007 was providing live broadcasting to Bo Shuo.
The paper dolls carried the sedan chair to a room, which happened to be an examinee's room.
Then they broke through the door, and within a mere few seconds, a splash of fresh blood seeped out from inside.
(Examinee ID q28978 Zhang Yi and b2751 Lu Yiji are dead.)
The Proctoring System's cold broadcast tone rang out.
Then the sedan chair was carried toward a second room, with barely two seconds passing between them.
(Examinee ID f2715 Zheng Chenggong and s1827 Ning Hua are dead.)
And the sedan chair was lifted once more; right now, the room they were occupying was its target.
No! They could no longer sit idly by and wait for death.
Bo Shuo quickly considered what rule he had violated.
007 jumped to the side and shouted loudly, "Put out the candle quickly."
Recalling the rules in her mind, Sang Yu thought of this as well, but before she could voice it, the room plunged into dimness.
The half-burned red candle on the table was extinguished.
It was Mr. Bo!
Bo Shuo moved very swiftly; with almost zero hesitation, he arrived at the candlestick, one hand rapidly drawing a box of matches from the drawer while the other hand pulled out a white candle.
Rip, sparks flew, and it was ignited.
The candlelight flickered as he slowly pulled back his hand holding the match.
Thud.
The sedan chair outside stopped, then made a sharp turn and headed toward the next room.
The commotion echoed throughout the night, and by the time it finally ceased completely, dawn was approaching.
As the morning sunlight scattered across the area, bird songs faintly echoed nearby, and the snow outside had gradually grown lighter.
The surviving personnel emerged from their rooms one after another.
Fortunately, many people reacted in time and blew out the red candles indoors, thus managing to survive.
After a night of fermentation combined with some accounts from the tattooed man, the NPCs who had originally been out of the loop also began to understand the current situation.
Yet even knowing, they still felt somewhat afraid of Bo Shuo.
As the main gate opened and closed, shadows fell across the ground, and the young man stepping out from the doorway practically captured everyone's gaze.
The long-haired girl, who already harbored a psychological shadow regarding Bo Shuo, involuntarily shrank back.
The young man clearly had not slept well; faint dark circles lingered under his eyes, and his surrounding air pressure was so cold it gave people a start, leaving no Low-Rank Examinee daring to step forward and provoke him.
Xi Guici, sitting in a front-row seat, smiled and greeted Bo Shuo, "Good morning, Mr. Bo."
Bo Shuo looked at the man's energetic state and, comparing it to his own half-dead condition, began to doubt life for a moment.
Wait, did Xi Guici not need to sleep? Knowing him from Sang Yu's accounts, he was apparently out roaming around in the dead of night.
"Mr. Bo." Another greeting rang out, this time coming from Sang Yu.
Sang Yu quickly pulled out a stool for Bo Shuo, then revealed the item placed on the table into Bo Shuo's line of sight.
It was the red string mentioned in the rules.
Now the people present held somewhat subtle thoughts; following the latest task issued by the Proctoring System, they could not avoid attending the wedding banquet.
So, should this red string be worn or not?
After yesterday's death of the tall man, coupled with that small slip of paper they had found, even the most foolish person should have realized that the rules contained errors.
"I think you should know something." The examinee sitting at the very edge slammed a hand heavily onto the table, pressing Xi Guici for answers. "You walked right out yesterday without the slightest hesitation."
He sneered, "I hardly think that was a gamble."
Xi Guici, confronted on the spot, did not diminish his smile, asking with a soft tone, "Is that so?"
Just as everyone thought he was going to deny it, he admitted to it right on the spot.
"I do indeed know some of the rules."
"If you knew, why didn't you say anything?!" the examinee demanded angrily, pointing an accusing finger. "Do you have any idea how many people you've gotten killed?"
Xi Guici suddenly gave a light chuckle. "I don't like people pointing at me when they speak."
As the words fell, an unexpected thread severed the pointing hand entirely at the root, and fresh blood splattered.
The examinee who had raised the challenge burst into a miserable scream, writhing and rolling desperately on the ground in agony.
Meanwhile, the culprit sat securely in his seat, leisurely adjusting his glasses, his raven-dark eyelashes drooping slightly to appear exceptionally gentle and innocent.
He was simply a lunatic.
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