Han Shitao looked at Li Ke.
After all, out of everyone there, he seemed the most reliable and quick-witted.
"Li Ke, where do you think the key might be hidden?"
Li Ke's eye twitched. How was he supposed to know? "Finding things like this takes keen observation and deductive skills. I'm not good at that."
The group discussed it for quite a while.
Xu Rou said, "We can't wait any longer. In a few dozen minutes, that Pig Head Man will come out on patrol."
The group immediately headed for the stairs.
They didn't notice Bai Zuo casually sitting down in a chair and watching them leave.
The unlit stairwell was pitch-black. Fear of the unknown and the darkness made the group hesitate.
Li Ke took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and shone it into the stairwell. It remained pitch-black, as if something inside were swallowing all the light that entered.
"Looks like we have no choice but to go down."
Li Ke looked at Qiang Ge. "If too many of us go down, it'll be hard to avoid trouble if something happens. You're so strong, Qiang Ge, and you must be fast, too. Sorry for the trouble, but could you go down and take a look?"
Qiang Ge's face showed his displeasure. Why should he risk his neck while the rest of them stayed behind and reaped the benefits?
Li Ke could tell what Qiang Ge was thinking at a glance, so he hurriedly said, "The hint we got didn't mention any monsters in the stairwell, which means it's safe in there. If you're scared, I'll go instead."
Qiang Ge realized that if he refused, he'd look like a coward.
Besides, the hint really hadn't said the stairwell was dangerous, so he plucked up his courage and charged into the darkness.
A moment later, he ran back up. "There's nothing down there, but an iron door is locked across the stairs to the next floor."
Li Ke said, "Looks like we need to find a key to open the door."
Xu Rou asked, "Do we have to find a key on every floor to get through?"
Du Jiashi said, "Sounds a bit like one of those little level-clearing games."
Hua Zi joked, "Can you make it to the hundredth floor if you're a real man?"
Everyone laughed, easing the tension that had been building.
They returned to the corridor, and Li Ke began to think. Where could the key be hidden?
They'd searched everywhere they could think of. The only place left was the cafeteria. Could the key be there...?
Bai Zuo watched the group rush past, then hurry back the other way.
Li Ke had been leading everyone, and they still hadn't found the key. The others hadn't said anything, but they were more or less starting to grumble.
Li Ke was sweating profusely. He'd just risked going to the cafeteria.
The Pig Head Man was still in the kitchen, chopping meat.
He'd cautiously led everyone through a thorough search of the cafeteria, but they still hadn't found the key.
Two hours were almost up. The Pig Head Man was about to come out and patrol, and Li Ke didn't want to face a monster like that.
Qiang Ge had never been a patient man. The longer they went without finding the key, the more he resented Li Ke's leadership.
"Li Ke, are you any good at this or not? If we still can't find the key, are you going to stop that Pig Head Man yourself?"
Qiang Ge cursed under his breath. As time went on, the fear in his eyes grew, and he became increasingly irritable.
He'd only gone along with Li Ke earlier because Li Ke was smart and might be able to lead them through the dungeon.
The higher the floor, the easier the keys were supposed to be to find. But so much time had passed, and Li Ke couldn't even find the easiest key. That showed he wasn't capable.
If Li Ke wasn't capable, why should Qiang Ge listen to him?
Li Ke was sweating cold. "Well... maybe we missed somewhere. If we go back and search again..."
Hua Zi cut him off, too. "We've only got ten minutes left. There's no time to search again. What are we supposed to do if that Pig Head Man comes out of the kitchen? We can't beat it!"
Qiang Ge grabbed Li Ke by the collar. "Damn it, if you don't find that key, I'll throw you to the Pig Head Man. That'll buy us another two hours!"
Fear showed on Li Ke's face. He looked to the others for help.
But when they saw his gaze, they all turned away.
Clearly, none of them intended to stop Qiang Ge.
With only ten minutes left, there was no way they could find the key to the twenty-fifth floor. If they wanted to survive, they'd have to sacrifice someone.
Realizing what they were planning, Li Ke burst into curses. "You can't do this! You're murdering me! You sons of bitches!"
Li Ke tried to fight back, but Qiang Ge punched him in the face.
Li Ke fell to the ground.
Bai Zuo seemed to hear the commotion outside and curiously poked his head out. "Are you all fighting?"
Qiang Ge shouted impatiently, "What are you looking at? Keep staring and I'll—"
Bai Zuo cut him off with a cheerful smile. "Oh, right. I think I found the key, but I can't get it down. I was just about to ask you for help!"
The group fell silent.
Xu Rou asked eagerly, "You found the key? Where is it?"
Qiang Ge rubbed his fingers. The anger on his face subsided, but he wasn't embarrassed in the slightest. So what if he'd shown his true colors? Li Ke might work out regularly, but it was all just show from the gym. Qiang Ge had knocked him down with a single punch.
He probably wouldn't dare say a thing.
Li Ke kept his head down and said nothing.
Qiang Ge and Hua Zi followed Bai Zuo into the private dining room. "Where's the key?"
It was the same private room they'd entered at the very beginning, the one with food on the table.
Bai Zuo tilted his head slightly. "Isn't it right above you?"
Qiang Ge and Hua Zi both looked up.
A light shone from the middle of the ceiling. Inside its lampshade was a dark silhouette shaped like a key.
Qiang Ge brought over two chairs and stacked them. Hua Zi held them steady while Qiang Ge reached inside the opened lampshade and found a key.
The others wore complicated expressions.
They hadn't expected the key to be in such an obvious place—so obvious that anyone could spot it just by looking up.
No wonder the hint said keys on higher floors were easier to find.
Qiang Ge didn't care about any of that. As soon as he got the key, he ran straight for the stairwell.
At the iron door, he stuck the key in the lock and turned it. The door swung open.
The group rushed down in delight.
Li Ke walked at the very back with his head down. Every now and then, he looked up at Qiang Ge, his gaze full of malice.
The keys to the twenty-fifth and twenty-fourth floors were easy to find, too.
They didn't spend much time searching, and soon they reached the twenty-third floor.
Just as they were about to look for the key to this floor,
they heard heavy footsteps coming from the stairwell.
Qiang Ge's face changed. "Oh no, the Pig Head Man's coming down!"
Everyone panicked. "How did it get down here?"
"Didn't we close the door?"
"Quick! We have to hide!"
They hurriedly searched for somewhere to hide.
The Pig Head Man's footsteps were heavy. It patrolled the corridor, holding a blood-dripping Fleshing Knife. A ring of keys jingled at its waist as it walked.
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