During dinner in the evening, everyone gathered in a private room. The program team had basically all arrived. Besides the three special guests for Escape Room: Decode, there were also three regular members, all of whom were seniors in the entertainment circle's variety shows.

Teacher Min took the lead and poured a few glasses of juice, then clinked glasses with Xi Nian and the others. Around forty years old, he had a gentle and amiable smile. “Tomorrow's show will be recorded in the suburbs. It's everyone's first time playing, so don't be afraid. I'll lead you all. But remember to read the game rules when you get back, so you don't get 'out' for no reason.”

Teacher Min was considered the soul of the team, a captain-like figure. He was mature, steady, and meticulous. In most of the past episodes, they only succeeded in passing the stages under his leadership. He was also very supportive of his juniors and had a very good reputation in the circle.

Xi Nian and Bai Yicheng both nodded in agreement. Only Qiao Zhi sat to the side without a word. She seemed a bit tired, her eyes drooping as if she were half-asleep. Her big, wavy curls were casually tied up, a completely different look from her glamorous appearance online.

Another veteran member, Wang Yao, started in comedy and later transitioned to variety shows. Most of the show's comedic moments revolved around him, earning him the nickname Country Lad Wang from netizens. Seeing Qiao Zhi's silence, he snapped his fingers and said in a Tianjin accent, “Hey, I thought I'd get to ask the goddess for an autograph, but look at this, she's fallen asleep.”

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but laugh. Qiao Zhi also came to her senses. The only female team member, Kong Xi, was sitting beside her and laughingly smoothed things over, “After such a long flight, Qiao Zhi must be tired. You should ask for an autograph tomorrow.”

Wang Yao: “Heh! Now you're on a united front.”

In his previous life, Xi Nian knew Qiao Zhi, and they could barely be called friends. He vaguely remembered that around this time, Qiao Zhi's agency seemed to be forcing her to break up with her non-celebrity boyfriend, and the situation between both sides was very tense. So he just picked up food for himself and ate without interjecting.

Bai Yicheng, on the other hand, was keen on making friends. He initiated a conversation for a bit, and the two barely managed to become acquaintances. He wasn't a bad person, his personality was just too straightforward. After dinner, he lowered his voice and said, “I heard tomorrow's script has a two-person team segment. How about we team up then?”

His underlying meaning was obvious: he didn't want to get involved with Qiao Zhi. Everyone who goes on a variety show wants to perform well. The show's stages were already difficult enough, and to bring along a woman who would hold them back—just the thought was enough to make one's scalp tingle.

More importantly, any male star who got involved with Qiao Zhi would invariably be swept up in a scandal. A rising star like Bai Yicheng wouldn't be caught dead associated with her.

Xi Nian didn't agree immediately. Firstly, because he and Qiao Zhi were friends in his past life, after all. Secondly, he felt that Bai Yicheng's behavior was no different from ostracizing someone. “Let's just follow the program team's arrangements. Maybe Teacher Min and the other two seniors will each take one of us.”

Bai Yicheng thought about it and agreed, saying nothing more. Anyway, as long as it wasn't with Qiao Zhi, anyone else was fine.

Xi Nian was quietly planning for tomorrow's recording. Just as the fans had said today, Teacher Min was the most steady and reliable one; it would be best to follow him when necessary. As for Wang Yao, he was as slippery as an eel, the best at tricking people, and couldn't be trusted. Kong Xi was a rare, highly educated and highly intelligent female star in the entertainment circle, a proper brainiac. Most of the clues for clearing the game would depend on her to unlock.

Although Xi Nian didn't plan to show off in the game, he couldn't let himself be screwed over. At the very least, he had to survive until the end and walk out, to slap his fans in the face.

Mm, his own fans' faces.

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone had eaten and drunk their fill. They all said their goodbyes and returned to their rooms. Xi Nian had also inevitably been made to drink a few glasses, but luckily, the alcohol content wasn't high. After returning to his room and pushing the door open, he found Lu Xingzhe standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, fiddling with a camera as if he were shooting something.

Xi Nian reached out to unbutton his shirt and walked up behind him, his voice low and tinged with drunkenness, “What are you shooting?”

Lu Xingzhe snapped out of it and showed him the camera. “Taking some nightscapes. They're quite pretty.”

The hotel they were staying at was a landmark building in C City, located in the city center. From here, one could overlook a vast nightscape. Lu Xingzhe hadn't touched a camera in a while, so his hands were inevitably itching to.

Xi Nian nodded and told him to continue shooting, then fell onto the bed to rest. Seeing this, Lu Xingzhe fondly caressed the camera, put it down reluctantly, and quietly lay down beside Xi Nian. He lay on top of him and sniffed like a small animal, “You've been drinking?”

Xi Nian, half-drunk and half-awake, closed his eyes. His five long fingers landed on the top of his head and then ruffled his hair. “Why aren't you playing with your precious camera?”

Lu Xingzhe glanced at him and teased him with a half-smile. “You're the big treasure, it's the little treasure. Keeping you company is more important.”

Hearing this, Xi Nian pinched his chin. He wanted to correct something, but was too lazy to bother, so he let go and forced himself to get up and go to the bathroom for a shower.

Because they had to record the show tomorrow, neither of them did anything. After the lights went out, Xi Nian closed his eyes. Remembering that the person beside him was afraid of the dark, he reached out and pulled him into his arms. “Sleep.”

Lu Xingzhe curled up in his arms with only his head sticking out. Hearing his words, he quietly kicked the blanket, but Xi Nian held it down, and he finally stopped moving.

Early the next morning, makeup artists came to do their styling. For two big guys like Xi Nian and Bai Yicheng, there wasn't much to do. But Qiao Zhi, with her makeup and hair, dawdled for a long time before coming out. She was even wearing high heels, as if she were going shopping.

Bai Yicheng frowned directly.

Xi Nian knew she was following the "love-to-hate" route, deliberately creating points of criticism to generate buzz. But playing an escape room in high heels wasn't just a matter of getting flamed or not; if something went wrong, she could fall and die and go see God.

Xi Nian glanced at her. “We're playing a game today, are you really planning to run in high heels?”

Hearing this, Qiao Zhi was taken aback. Probably feeling a bit stupid herself, she clattered back to change into a pair of sneakers. Only then did everyone get in the car and set off. Xi Nian wasn't familiar with C City and didn't really know the route. When they finally arrived at their destination, the surroundings were desolate and uninhabited. There was only a school that seemed to have been abandoned for a long time. It felt like they had arrived at a horror movie set.

Qiao Zhi seemed to really dislike Bai Yicheng. She walked right around him to talk to Xi Nian, rubbing her arms in fear. “Do you think the program team will dump our bodies in the wilderness?”

Xi Nian said, “You're not worth much. What's the benefit of killing you?”

Qiao Zhi was stunned: “…”

Fuck him. She thought Xi Nian was a sweetheart, but it turned out he was a sharp-tongued guy.

I thought this was a gentle haven, but it turns out to be a poison manufacturer?!

Teacher Min and the others arrived ten minutes late. They heard this exchange as soon as they got out of the car and couldn't help but laugh out loud. Wang Yao was overjoyed and went up to pat Xi Nian's shoulder. “You'd better be careful when we go inside. When a woman gets vicious, we can't handle it.”

Xi Nian hadn't thought that much about it. He was just telling the truth.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, the program team, following the usual rules, used a scanner to check them from head to toe. Metal objects and mobile phones were not allowed inside. Qiao Zhi had originally dressed up meticulously, but her necklace, earrings, and rings were all taken away, leaving her with a foul expression.

Before the game started, each guest held a black blindfold. The director stood at the front with a megaphone, explaining the rules: “This episode of Escape Room: Decode is the school-themed The Ivory Tower. Before the game begins, please put on your blindfolds and enter the escape room under the guidance of the staff. All rules and plotlines must be triggered by yourselves.”

Before coming, Xi Nian had specially watched all the past episodes, so he knew this was standard procedure. Teacher Min and Wang Yao protected the new members in the middle, one in front and one behind. To avoid getting lost, they all put their hands on each other's shoulders and walked inside, guided by the staff.

In the pitch-black environment, a person's senses are infinitely magnified. Xi Nian followed the person in front of him. The air was filled with the metallic scent of rust, and the ground was piled with fallen leaves that shouldn't have been there this season, crunching underfoot.

In a daze, an iron door was opened, making a piercing creak. They weaved and wound their way through, finally stopping in an enclosed space. With a click, the staff left, and the door was closed.

A staticky broadcast sound came from overhead: “Please remove your blindfolds, guests.”

For some reason, Xi Nian thought of the System's hanging ghost. He reached up and took off his blindfold. His vision was filled with dim red light. Looking around, he saw that they were in a classroom. Dust-covered desks and chairs were placed to the side, and the blackboard was covered in chalk writing, as if a teacher had just been lecturing here a second ago.

On a nearby wall, there were large, shocking bloodstains.

A school was supposed to be a place of innocence. However, thinking of 'The Ivory Tower' the director had mentioned earlier and comparing it with the scene before them, everyone felt an inexplicable sense of strangeness.

Just as the guests were getting accustomed to their surroundings, a cold voice suddenly sounded in their earpieces: “There is a container of lots on desk number three. Players, please draw lots and form teams of two.”

Teacher Min had probably gotten a heads-up, so he wasn't surprised, just frowning slightly. They had three veteran members and three new members. If each veteran was paired with a newcomer, that would be great, but he was worried that two newcomers would be grouped together, which would undoubtedly increase the difficulty.

The light here was dim, making one feel as if something was lurking in the shadows. Xi Nian, however, didn't feel afraid. He walked to desk number three and saw a container of lots on it, with exactly six sticks, no more, no less. Beside it was a fifth-grade math book with a torn cover. When he opened it, the name 'Wang Jia'an' was scrawled crookedly on the title page.

Xi Nian turned around and handed the container to the others. “Draw.”

“…”

Teacher Min hadn't expected him to be so calm. He was stunned for a moment before reacting and saying to the others, “Let's start drawing lots then. I'm not sure if the program team has set a time limit, so it's better to be quick. It's not safe to stay in one place for too long.”

Qiao Zhi was scared out of her wits. “Why isn't it safe?”

Kong Xi, also a woman, explained, “Because something might come to get you.”

As for what that "something" was, that was hard to say. Her calm voice echoed in the silent classroom, making one feel inexplicably creeped out.

Wang Yao was eager to try and was the first to draw a lot. The bottom was marked with the number 3. Xi Nian and the others followed suit, each drawing one.

Teacher Min said helplessly, “I'm also number 3.”

In other words, he and Wang Yao were a team, which meant two newcomers would be paired together.

Xi Nian was number 2. He didn't really care who he was teamed with, just inconspicuously observed his surroundings. His gaze rested for a few seconds on a problem on the blackboard that was half-written, its answer not yet calculated.

Kong Xi was number 1. When she revealed her lot, Bai Yicheng visibly sighed in relief. “Teacher Kong, I'm number 1 too.”

Then, only Qiao Zhi was left. She glanced at Xi Nian, the lot in her hand clearly showing a 2. “Looks like we're a team.”

Xi Nian sighed. “Alright, I'm number two as well.”

Qiao Zhi had a strange feeling. “Is it just my imagination, or do you seem a little reluctant?”

Xi Nian corrected her, “It's not your imagination.”

He really was reluctant.

Qiao Zhi: “…”

Damn it, that really stings, man!!

The groups were unknowingly divided into three teams. Kong Xi discovered three hidden doors in the dark corners of the classroom, labeled 1, 2, and 3 respectively. Connecting this to the numbers on their lots, she said to everyone, “We probably have to enter different rooms. Let's just go according to our numbers. Little Bai and I will take door number one, Xi Nian and Qiao Zhi will take door number two, and Teacher Min and Santu will take number three.”

No one objected. Before leaving, Bai Yicheng gave Xi Nian a somewhat sympathetic look and said in a grave voice, “Take care.”

Team Two would very likely become the first guest team in the show's history to be eliminated.

Seeing them all gone, Xi Nian reached out and pushed open door number two. A silent corridor came into view, with different rooms on both sides, resembling classrooms from their school days. Qiao Zhi was scared stiff, trembling as she followed behind Xi Nian. “I'm scared.”

Xi Nian: “I'm not.”

Qiao Zhi: “…”

End of conversation.

Each escape room theme had a main storyline, but it needed to be triggered randomly. The director, watching the team that entered door number two through the monitor, found Xi Nian's group somewhat interesting and instructed his assistant, “I didn't expect them to run into it. Start the main storyline.”

And so, as Xi Nian was walking along just fine, the lights overhead suddenly dimmed. Immediately after, a heart-wrenching scream echoed in his ears, accompanied by the sound of a sharp object tearing through fabric and piercing flesh. The broadcast crackled to life, but it was reading a news report from many years ago.

“On X month, X day, around 8 a.m., an assault occurred at Sheng'an Elementary School in Changping City. An assailant armed with a knife broke into the campus and attacked people, resulting in 8 deaths and 16 injuries. Police preliminarily estimate that he has a history of mental illness…”

The cold narration stopped there, then the tone became bizarre and eerie. “…A mental patient with a sharp blade is roaming the campus. Please rescue the real survivor. Don't let him catch you… Don't let him catch you…”

The broadcast ended with one last word.

“He.”

A set of footsteps, approaching from a distance, sounded from behind, accompanied by a man's morbid chuckle. The door to room 2 suddenly began to bang loudly, as if about to fall off its hinges.

It's here…

Xi Nian never expected their luck to be this good, to run straight into an NPC. He reacted by turning and bolting. Qiao Zhi's legs went weak with fright, and she fell to her knees with a thud, clinging to Xi Nian's thigh and refusing to let go, crying from fear. “Wooo, don't go, don't go, I'm scared! If you go, take me with you, I'm begging you, big boss!!”

She held on so tightly that Xi Nian ended up dragging her along the ground for some distance. What a miserable sight. Meanwhile, the banging from behind the door grew louder, and the lock was already shaking loose.

Xi Nian forcibly pried Qiao Zhi's hands off and pulled her up from the ground. “I'll run first, you cover the rear!”

Qiao Zhi's face was a picture of shock: “?!!”

Dude, are you even human?!

There was a reason they could be friends in their past life. The principle of 'let my friend die, not me' was on full display with them. When Qiao Zhi saw Xi Nian disappear in the blink of an eye, she was so furious that tears welled up. She immediately scrambled to her feet and chased after him at a full sprint. “Xi Nian, fuck you! Are you even a man?!”

'She should ask Lu Xingzhe that question,' Xi Nian thought. Lu Xingzhe knew best whether he was a man or not.

The sound of urgent footsteps echoed down the corridor. It had started with two people, but at some point, it had quietly become three. As Xi Nian ran, he rapidly tried the locked doors on either side to see if any would open. As he rounded a corner, he caught a glimpse of a man in a blue and white patient uniform, covered in blood, chasing after Qiao Zhi. The dagger in his hand glinted coldly, dripping with liquid.

The man wore a sick smile, his face so smeared with blood that his features were unrecognizable. “I've found you…”

He raised the knife in his right hand, and tucked under his left arm was a human head.

Qiao Zhi was scared out of her mind: “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!”

Classroom number four was just around the corner. When Xi Nian tentatively pushed the door, it unexpectedly creaked open. He was about to duck inside to hide, but a dark shadow suddenly rushed past him from the corner of his eye, knocking him aside.

Literally knocked him aside…

In a life-or-death moment, Qiao Zhi had unleashed astonishing speed. “Get out of my way, you old hag! Don't block the path!”

With that, she rushed into the classroom first and slammed the door shut behind her. Seeing the mental patient catching up, Xi Nian simply opened a window and vaulted through it, then swiftly closed it.

With a dull thud, the mental patient slammed into the window the next second. He stared at Xi Nian with a sinister gaze, smearing blood all over the glass. He tapped on the window with his dagger, his voice sharp and deranged, mixed with a low laugh. “Come out, come out, I see you…”

He slammed against the glass with force, making the whole window shake. Up close, you could see that half his face was rotten, and his pitch-black eyes were twisted and crazed as he stared at them. “If you don't come out, I'll come in and find you…”

Xi Nian was panting from the run. Hearing this, he pressed his index finger to his lips in a hushing gesture. “Shh—”

He said, “Don't make a sound. You look too scary.”

Qiao Zhi was leaning against the door, too tired to speak, but she nodded frantically in agreement.

The mental patient: “…”

The entire program team watched their backstabbing antics on the monitor, laughing until they were out of breath. The director said, “I didn't expect them to find classroom four again. Start the second branch of the storyline.”

The classroom was originally dark. Just as Xi Nian was taking a moment to recover his strength, instead of the broadcast, a noisy conversation started.

“…Students, please turn your books to page seventy-six… Today we will be learning…”

“…Wang Jia'an… why are you daydreaming… Come up and answer this question…”

“…Teacher… I… I can't…”

The dull thud of a teaching stick hitting a body came in bursts, accompanied by the female teacher's stern scolding. “Everyone else can do it, only you can't. You must solve it! Otherwise, you can't go home today!”

Amid the sound of a child's crying, the broadcast suddenly cut off. Then, the light in front of the teacher's desk flickered and lit up with a faint glow, revealing a small figure wearing a school uniform and a red scarf. It was clearly a student. Only then did Xi Nian realize there was a child in the classroom.

Qiao Zhi was already scared, and now she jumped right next to Xi Nian. “Where did this little brat come from!”

The child, who had his back to them, slowly turned around. His face was pale and bloodless, and his eyes were pitch-black like a ghost doll's. He was holding half a piece of chalk. “Can you help me solve the problem?”

The sound of a child's sobbing suddenly filled the classroom, one burst after another, making one's scalp tingle.

Qiao Zhi was scouted for acting in high school and never even finished her studies. How would she know how to solve a math problem? She shook her head, crying, “No, no, I can't!”

Xi Nian didn't move. He looked at the little boy and asked, “Who are you?”

The little boy said stiffly, “I am Wang Jia'an from Class Three, fifth grade.”

Xi Nian asked again, “Are you a survivor?”

Qiao Zhi hid behind him. “Is that even a question? Of course he's a survivor. Hey, little brat, hurry up and come with us. We'll save you.”

The little boy shook his head and stubbornly held out the chalk. The sound of crying continued all around them. “This problem is too hard. Can you help me solve it?”

Xi Nian looked at the empty blackboard, then took the chalk. “Where is the problem?”

The little boy just cried, making one's heart race. “The problem is on the blackboard.”

No matter what Xi Nian asked, he just repeated that same line over and over. Qiao Zhi suddenly remembered the blackboard in the first room they entered. There was something written on it, but she hadn't memorized it. Her face looked constipated as she said to Xi Nian, “It's over. We might have to go back and copy the problem from the first room.”

But the mental patient outside was still wandering the corridor and hadn't left.

Xi Nian nodded in agreement. He then walked up to the podium and wrote a problem on the blackboard with the chalk. He turned his head to the little boy. “Is this the problem?”

The little boy nodded.

Qiao Zhi was shocked. “Holy shit, when did you memorize that?!”

The program team wouldn't write something for no reason. Xi Nian was meticulous. When he entered the first classroom, he noticed the problem on the blackboard didn't look like random graffiti, so he memorized it.

It was a good thing he memorized it. Otherwise, if they had to go back now, they would definitely be hacked to death by the mental patient outside.

Qiao Zhi really, really wanted to leave this godforsaken place. “Kid, I've written out the problem for you. Can you come with us now?”

The little boy shook his head, still with that monotonous line, accompanied by sobs. “This problem is so hard. Can you help me solve it?”

The mental patient wandering in the corridor seemed to have received some kind of command and suddenly started ramming the door again. The banging sounds made one's heart clench. Qiao Zhi was in a panic and urged Xi Nian, “Hurry up and solve it for him, quick, quick, quick!”

'This woman Qiao Zhi really has no back pain from just standing there,' Xi Nian thought. He held the chalk and thought hard about the problem. It turned out to be a classic geometry problem. After a moment of silence, he turned to the little boy. “…Are the problems you do in fifth grade this hard now?”

The little boy: “…”

Listening from the side, Qiao Zhi's heart sank. What did that mean? He couldn't solve it?

The force of the mental patient's banging grew stronger, and the door began to shake. The little boy finally changed his line, his voice eerie. “As long as you solve the problem, I can go with you.”

His school uniform collar was stained with mottled blood, and the red scarf was tied tightly around his neck.

Qiao Zhi viciously rolled up her sleeves. “Let's just carry him out.”

Xi Nian stared at the problem, quickly scribbling a draft on the side with the chalk while asking, “Do you know what you look like right now?”

Qiao Zhi was stunned. “What do I look like?”

Xi Nian: “A ferocious kidnapper.”

Qiao Zhi froze for a second, then pounded the wall in anger. “Ferocious? I'm ferocious?! Look at the one outside the door, okay! He's the ferocious one!”

Just as she finished speaking, Xi Nian had already calculated the answer. He wrote a 6 after the equal sign and turned to the little boy. “The answer is six.”

The little boy suddenly started clapping with a smile. “You got it right, you got it right! Hurry and take me away, take me away.”

Qiao Zhi's face was one of complete shock. Meanwhile, Xi Nian's gaze inadvertently swept past the window, only to see the mental patient smiling at them through the glass, a human head in his arms. Even with the bloodstains obscuring his face, his features were vaguely familiar.

In that instant, something flashed through Xi Nian's mind, too fast to catch. He looked slowly at the little boy, only to see the bloodstains on his collar, his neck completely hidden by the red scarf.

The hint the broadcast had given them began to echo in his mind again.

“…Please rescue the real survivor…”

“…the real survivor…”

The real one—!

With a snap, Xi Nian broke the chalk in his hand. He backed away inconspicuously towards the door and asked the little boy, “If I hadn't solved the problem, you wouldn't have come with us?”

The little boy nodded, clapping and smiling. “But you've already solved the problem! Hurry and take me away, take me away.”

But Xi Nian said, “You should just stay here!”

After saying that, while the mental patient was violently ramming the back door, he took a step forward and kicked open the front door, then hissed at Qiao Zhi, “Run!”