Although he had already heard an almost certain conclusion from Ji Heng, Su Er still stubbornly looked out into the distance with the telescope.
With the answer key in hand, many previous confusions suddenly became clear—for instance, that tiny red dot beside the shadow, nearly small enough to be overlooked, now bloomed into a vivid rose in his eyes.
Su Er rested a hand on his forehead. “I’ve got a bad feeling we’re going to be caught.”
Ji Heng didn’t react strongly. “As long as we don’t suffer a loss.”
“Hmm?”
Ji Heng said, “At least the host probably won’t think losing two ghost cameramen is a big deal.”
Compared to a ‘spur-of-the-moment trip,’ the former is much easier to accept.
Su Er was convinced and clapped his hands lightly. “Makes sense.”
Even so, deep down, he still hoped to make it to shore. He wanted to see what kind of city that was in the distance—what lived inside... people or ghosts?
In this chase, the silhouette in the sea was becoming clearer. Su Er muttered, “Should call him the Rose Commando.”
He’d never seen anyone swim like that!
Before long, Ji Heng said something surprisingly unexpected: “If he actually catches up, try not to anger him.”
Su Er raised his eyebrows... backing down?
Ji Heng chuckled. “He didn’t teleport straight to the boat to conserve energy.”
This little boat on the endless sea was like a grain of sand. It must have taken Mister Rose great effort to find them, and no small cost in energy.
As for who the remaining energy was for—there was only one obvious answer.
Su Er pondered. “You’ve thought this through.”
The boat was moving at top speed, but the dark figure was rapidly closing the gap.
Su Er gave up any last shred of wishful thinking and stopped hoping to make it ashore. He walked quickly to the bow of the boat. Even if they could only glimpse a corner of the city, it would be worth it.
The city looked like a miniature world, growing larger before them as the boat sped forward.
“There are probably humans living there,” Su Er said, eyes glued to the telescope. “I see chimneys.”
He’d never heard of a ghost needing a smoke exhaust system.
In the distance stood a tall, towering building, as straight as an arrow aimed at the sky. There was a faint slogan written on it.
Leaning out too far, Ji Heng worried he might fall and tugged at him.
After a great effort, Su Er could just barely make out the characters ‘no,’ ‘marriage,’ and ‘is,’ with the last partly covered by nearby buildings. The last visible piece looked like the top half of the word ‘sin.’
Su Er frowned. “‘Not marrying is a sin’? What kind of nonsense is that?”
Though many of the dungeons had twisted and distorted worldviews, few were this bizarre.
Looking back at Ji Heng, Su Er said, “No wonder they chose a dating reality show.”
It seemed to be a marriage-centric world. Single players were selected to be set up, and everything suddenly felt disturbingly ‘logical.’
Ji Heng asked, “Disappointed?”
Su Er nodded. He had imagined that perhaps monsters and ghosts lurked across the sea, watching as players slaughtered one another—that once they landed, it would be either death or freedom.
Instead, it was just another distorted world, still unable to answer the questions he had long carried.
But Ji Heng looked unusually serious. Su Er had never seen him wear that expression before and asked quickly, “What did you notice?”
Ji Heng said, “A very bad guess. Let’s talk after we leave the instance.”
Su Er wanted to remind him not to jinx things, but Ji Heng, guessing his thoughts, shook his head. “Speculation without evidence is misleading.”
After a pause, he added, “Your thinking is too imaginative. Don’t let me influence it too easily.”
Just as Su Er was about to speak, he suddenly saw a face on the surface of the water. Due to the waves, the originally handsome features were distorted, and the man was facing him head-on, like a pale floating corpse.
That rose, dull in the daylight, now bloomed in the sea—proof of his identity.
A hand slowly rose and gripped the side of the boat. Given the boat's speed, anyone else would’ve had their organs shattered by the impact. But Mister Rose didn’t even flinch, like a boneless creature moving in slow motion, slipping onto the boat.
Their eyes met. Su Er couldn’t afford to look guilty, so he forced himself to stay calm. “Pure water births the rose…”
But under the other man’s chilling gaze, he couldn’t finish the line of poetry.
Time to back down when it's time to back down.
Su Er took half a step back, letting Ji Heng step forward to handle the awkward encounter.
“The boatmen?” Mister Rose asked. His fury was so intense it obscured his expression, though his mouth still held the trace of a smile.
Ji Heng replied seriously, “Went home to visit family.”
Mister Rose maintained that half-smile. “Funny. I didn’t know they had relatives.”
Ji Heng answered, “Their relative is the cameraman.”
Then he added that the cameraman had also gone to the Happy Home.
While they spoke, the boat continued forward. As expected, Mister Rose didn’t press too hard about the cameramen and said coldly, “Turn back.”
Ji Heng slowly and casually turned the wheel.
Su Er took one last look through the telescope at the city now seemingly within reach. This time, he could clearly see huge marriage and dating billboards in the distance.
Unexpectedly, on the way back, Su Er could sense that Mister Rose’s hostility wasn’t aimed at him. Instead, he looked at Ji Heng with a gaze so deep and wary it felt like staring down a formidable enemy.
Just when Su Er thought this eerie silence would last until they landed, Mister Rose suddenly smiled. A purple card appeared in his palm. After three seconds of eye contact, Ji Heng accepted it.
Su Er leaned in for a look—it seemed familiar. “This is…”
Mister Rose replied, “An admission ticket to hell.”
Su Er was shocked. “But isn’t that the pass to ‘Falsify’?”
Mister Rose’s eyes changed; he suddenly turned his head. “You’ve seen it?”
Su Er nodded and told the truth: “I traded for one with Gou Baopu at the welfare zone.”
Mister Rose seemed to relax considerably in an instant. “As long as you know you’re courting death.”
By the time they returned to the island, it was already dusk. The sunlight seemed to have lost its warmth, casting a golden hue over the entire world.
Mister Rose issued a warning directly: “You’re not allowed to leave the island without permission under any excuse.”
His tone was very light—so light that some words required careful listening to make out—but the warning was loud and clear to anyone.
It was clear he truly didn’t want to see them again. Having said his harsh piece, Mister Rose left first.
Su Er and Ji Heng exchanged a glance. Su Er spoke first: “Could someone have already found the altar?”
Ji Heng shook his head. “Very unlikely.”
It was only the second day. How could a game be completed so easily?
Ji Heng didn’t seem inclined to return to the villa and instead headed directly into the dense forest.
Su Er went along with him, and midway they ran into Man Jiangshan and Lu Quanqiu, who were on their way back.
Man Jiangshan was the more easy-going of the two and greeted them proactively. “Didn’t see you guys come back for lunch.”
Su Er: “Went surfing at the beach.”
“……” Taking it as a joke, Man Jiangshan said, “We searched around the forest a bit. Didn’t find anything.”
Su Er nodded, saying he still wanted to take another look.
Man Jiangshan smiled and watched them leave, then frowned once they were out of earshot. “I still feel like something’s off.”
Lu Quanqiu replied, “Ji Heng is unlikely to be the Love Killer. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have shared intel with me.”
Man Jiangshan sighed. “Hopefully.”
In any case, she couldn’t understand how big Su Er’s heart was—to insist on sticking together with a teammate he suspected might be the killer.
As it turned out, not only was Su Er bold, he was wild. Along the way, he pulled the little figurine out of his pocket and threatened it: “Do you know where the altar is?”
As he spoke, he deliberately picked up a twig and snapped it in half, acting as though he’d twist the little guy’s neck if it didn’t talk.
The figurine didn’t respond. Its indifference wasn’t an act—it was simply its nature.
Ji Heng: “Try asking another way.”
Su Er had a realization: “Take us to the place with the heaviest yin energy nearby.”
The figurine remained motionless.
Su Er feigned coolness: “Fine, I won’t twist your neck. I’ll disfigure you instead.”
The little figure sluggishly raised an arm, seemingly trying to protect its face—but that was all. It had no intention of answering the question.
Su Er was helpless. He looked at Ji Heng and shrugged. “Just like me. Not moved by force or persuasion.”
“You’re moved by persuasion.” Ji Heng extended a hand. Su Er placed the figurine in it, letting him try.
Ji Heng’s tone was gentle. “I’ll give you a new face later. Your current nose isn’t defined enough, and your eyes could be bigger.”
Halfway through the sentence, the little figure began to react. Its neck slowly turned, some dirt crumbling off, and it faced another direction.
Ji Heng: “Follow it.”
They wandered through the forest for a long while, nearly until nightfall, only to return to where they started.
Su Er stopped and looked around. “Are we trapped in a looping path, or is it just messing with us?”
Ji Heng stared at the little figurine. The thing twisted its neck again, facing another direction. After a pause, he sighed. “There’s another possibility. It’s just too weak.”
This shell couldn’t bear much yin energy. The figurine couldn’t compare to ordinary ghosts at all.
By now, the sky was fully dark. The night forest carried an invisible menace, like a bottomless cave. To be safe, Su Er suggested heading back.
Ji Heng didn’t object.
That evening, the judges cooked again. The meal was slightly more diverse than the previous day, including sashimi and cold seaweed salad.
Having spent the day with the blonde girl, Qu Qingming had somehow survived. His weariness was unmistakable. He ate just a few bites before going upstairs to rest.
Ji Heng was the second to rise. Su Er’s eyes flashed with thought, and he actually followed him into the guest room.
“Just remembered something…”
As the door closed, Su Er leaned against it and said seriously, “I once tried absorbing the host’s energy. It’s different from a ghost’s.”
Ji Heng thought it was necessary to warn him not to absorb things recklessly in public.
Su Er continued, “It’s like yin energy, but it also has a completely different life force.” He hesitated, then tested the waters: “Actually, I have a bold idea…”
Ji Heng gestured for him to say it all at once.
Su Er pulled out the figurine. “Have Mister Rose give it a little ‘nourishment.’”
“We sneak it out at night. Whether it works or not depends on luck.”
Ji Heng shook his head slightly. “The risk of getting caught is very high.”
Su Er pointed to the rose near the figurine’s ear. “The kid’s just born. Going to find its mother when hungry is totally normal.”
Ji Heng closed his eyes and rubbed his brow.
Su Er pressed on with his main point: “Even if we get exposed, there’s no proof it was us.”
After a moment, Ji Heng opened his eyes again, turned around, poured himself a glass of water, and studied Su Er carefully. “I remember saying: sustainable development.”
Zhou Linjun had already been drained down to bones and dust. Now it was Mister Rose’s turn?
Su Er spread his hands. “But if it works, I might be able to raise an army of 100,000 ghost soldiers.”
Ji Heng chuckled. “An army of 100,000? Do you know how many hosts it would take to feed them all?”
Su Er, on the other hand, looked perfectly serious. “That’s why I’ve always said—hosts will eventually become hot commodities.”
In short supply, at that.
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