Tearing Off the Mask, Darkness Under the Lamp

Han Shitao looked at Li Ke.

After all, among so many people, he seemed the most reliable and had the sharpest mind.

"Li Ke, where do you think the key is hidden?"

Li Ke's eyes twitched. How was he supposed to know? "This kind of searching requires keen observation and reasoning skills. I'm not good at it."

The group talked for a while.

Xu Rou said, "We can't wait any longer. In a few dozen minutes, that Pig Head Man will come out to patrol."

The group immediately headed for the stairs.

They didn't notice Bai Zuo casually sitting down on a chair, watching them leave.

The stairwell, unlit by any light, was pitch black. Fear of the unknown and the darkness made the group hesitate.

Li Ke pulled out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and shone it into the stairwell. It remained dark, as if something inside was devouring all the light that came in.

"Looks like we have to go down."

Li Ke looked at Qiang Ge. "If too many of us go down and something happens, it'll be hard to dodge. Qiang Ge, you're so strong and fast, right? Could you trouble yourself to go down and take a look?"

Qiang Ge's face showed displeasure. Why should he take the risk while the others hid behind him and reaped the benefits?

Li Ke knew what Qiang Ge was thinking at a glance and quickly said, "The hints we got didn't mention any monsters in the stairwell, so it should be safe. If you're scared, Qiang Ge, I'll go instead."

Qiang Ge heard that. If he refused, wouldn't it make him look like a coward?

Plus, the hints really hadn't said the stairwell was dangerous. So he steeled his nerves and charged into the dark stairwell.

After a moment, he ran back up. "There's nothing down there, but the stairs to the next floor are locked by an iron door."

Li Ke said, "Looks like we need to find the key to open that iron door."

Xu Rou asked, "Do we have to find a key for every floor to pass?"

Du Jiashi said, "Sounds like one of those checkpoint mini-games."

Hua Zi joked, "A real man goes down a hundred floors?"

Everyone laughed, breaking the tense atmosphere.

The group returned to the hallway. Li Ke started thinking—where could the key be hidden?

They'd searched everywhere they could, except the cafeteria. Could it be... there?

Bai Zuo watched the group rush over and then rush back.

Li Ke had been leading everyone, so since they still couldn't find the key, the others, though they didn't say it, were starting to hold some resentment.

Li Ke was sweating all over his head. He'd just risked going to the cafeteria.

The Pig Head Man was still chopping meat in the kitchen.

He carefully led the others to turn the cafeteria upside down, but still didn't find the key.

Seeing that the two-hour mark was almost up and the Pig Head Man would come out to patrol, he didn't want to face that monster.

Qiang Ge wasn't a patient man to begin with. Not finding the key for so long made him dissatisfied with Li Ke's leadership.

"Li Ke, can you even do this? If we still can't find the key, are you going to block that Pig Head Man?"

Qiang Ge cursed and grumbled. As time passed, the fear in his eyes grew heavier, and he became more irritable.

His earlier obedience was only because he saw Li Ke as a smart guy who might lead them through the dungeon.

Normally, the higher the floor, the easier the key was to find. But now, after so long, Li Ke couldn't even find the easiest key, which meant he wasn't capable.

Since Li Ke had no ability, why should Qiang Ge listen to him?

Li Ke broke out in a cold sweat. "Well... maybe there's a place we missed. If we go back and search again..."

Hua Zi cut him off. "There's only ten minutes left. Not enough time to search again. If that Pig Head Man comes out of the kitchen, how are we supposed to fight him?"

Qiang Ge grabbed Li Ke by the collar. "Damn it, if you don't find the key, I'll throw you to that Pig Head Man. That way we'll get another two hours!"

Fear showed on Li Ke's face. He looked at the others pleadingly.

But when they met his gaze, they all looked away.

Clearly, they had no intention of stopping Qiang Ge.

With only ten minutes left, there was no way to find the key to the 25th floor. If they wanted to survive, someone had to be sacrificed.

Seeing their intent, Li Ke started cursing loudly. "You can't do this! This is murder! Fuck your mothers!"

Li Ke tried to resist, 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. "Fighting?"

Qiang Ge roared impatiently, "What are you looking at? Look again and I'll..."

Bai Zuo interrupted him, grinning. "Oh, right, I think I found the key. But I can't get it down. I was just about to ask you guys for help!"

Everyone went silent.

Xu Rou pressed eagerly: "You found the key? Where?"

Qiang Ge rubbed his fingers, the anger on his face fading somewhat, but he showed no trace of embarrassment. If the mask was torn, so be it—Li Ke might work out often, but it was all gym muscle, fake stuff, and he'd still gone down with one punch.

He doubted Li Ke would dare say anything.

Li Ke kept his head down, saying nothing.

Qiang Ge and Hua Zi followed Bai Zuo into the private room. "Where's the key?"

This was the same room they'd entered earlier, 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.

There, in the center of the ceiling, a lamp glowed, and inside the lampshade was the dark silhouette of a key.

Qiang Ge stacked two chairs on top of each other, Hua Zi steadying them, and fished a key out from the open lampshade.

The others' expressions were complicated.

Who would have thought the key would be in such an obvious place—so obvious you'd spot it just by looking up.

No wonder the hint said the higher the floor, the easier the key was to find.

Qiang Ge didn't care about any of that. Key in hand, he immediately ran for the stairwell.

At the iron door, he shoved the key into the lock and turned. The door swung open with a click.

The crowd surged down in delight.

Li Ke walked at the very back, head low, occasionally lifting his gaze to shoot Qiang Ge a look full of venom.

The keys on floors 25 and 24 were just as easy to find.

They didn't waste much time and soon reached floor 23.

Just as they were about to search for that floor's key—

Heavy footsteps echoed from the stairwell.

Qiang Ge's face changed. "Shit, that Pig Head Man is coming down!"

Panic spread. "How did it get down?"

"Didn't we close the door?"

"Quick! Hide!"

Everyone scrambled to find cover.

The Pig Head Man's steps were heavy. It carried a blood-dripping meat cleaver, patrolling the hallway, a ring of keys at its waist jangling with every stride.

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