In the dead of night, under a moonless sky, Hailin International School lay in complete darkness, as if its power had been severed.
Twenty minutes passed, and shadowy figures moved through the campus, eerily silent, as though they had all agreed beforehand not to make a sound.
Listening closely, the quiet of the night was broken by the metallic scrape of chains coming from the right staircase of the first teaching building.
A man walking nearby turned his head toward the sound, gripping a bloodstained axe in his hand, and slowly made his way toward the corner beneath the first-floor staircase.
As he drew closer, the rattling of the chains grew clearer. When he stepped into the corner, he saw a chain dangling in midair—but before he could react, a blade slashed his wrist. The axe fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
"Don’t kill him yet."
A voice came from the darkness.
"Got it."
A red-haired woman bent down to pick up the axe, then swung it down with a sickening thwack into the man’s knee.
His legs buckled, forcing him to his knees. Confused, he stared into the shadows as a pair of slender, pale hands looped the chain around his neck and fastened the lock with a sharp click.
"Hey! Did you just lock it? Can we even get it off now?"
The girl tugged on the loose end of the chain to make sure it was secure, then said casually, "Just chop his head off. Problem solved."
"Tsk… so twisted. I love it!"
"Alright, do it now. Don’t draw attention."
"Understood!"
The red-haired woman raised the axe, her eyes gleaming with excitement. With one swift motion, the blade came down—blood sprayed across her pristine white dress.
"Wow! That was amazing!" Xu Junyue sighed, licking the blood from the corner of her lips. "No wonder my dad said killing is addictive. The way blood splatters feels like standing in the rain."
A severed head rolled across the floor, and the headless body crumpled to the ground.
"Take it easy. We’ve got a heart patient here," Tong Yang reminded her.
Xu Junyue scoffed. "Him? I bet if we exploded right now, he wouldn’t even blink."
"Forty-nine targets remaining."
A broadcast echoed above them.
Tong Yang and Xu Junyue exchanged glances.
"Did we do it?"
"But how do they know the target’s dead?"
Tong Yang pointed to a faint red glow on the wall. "There are about six cameras in this area. Live coverage, full angles."
"Really?" Xu Junyue muttered, stepping closer to inspect the nearly imperceptible light in the darkness. She smirked at the camera. "Parallel worlds? Disgusting. Just wait—we’ll slaughter every last one of you someday."
Tong Yang removed the chain from the dead man’s neck. The lock was unusual—once fastened, it was nearly impossible to undo. But if you severed the head and slipped the chain free, it came off easily.
"Let’s go. Find the next one."
"You two go ahead," Ye Huai said flatly. "I’ll stay here."
Even with his strong nerves, he couldn’t risk intense physical activity. If he ran into another attacker, fighting back wasn’t an option. Hiding was safer.
Tong Yang nodded. "Suit yourself."
Xu Junyue waved impatiently. "Come on, let’s go! Forget this weakling. Time for some real fun!"
Ye Huai’s hiding spot was a cramped, pitch-black dead end under the stairs. Unless someone was deliberately lured there, no one would stumble upon it.
"Forty-eight targets remaining."
As the two stepped out of the stairwell, the broadcast updated.
Xu Junyue hoisted the axe onto her shoulder and pouted. "I was hoping we’d sweep the whole game."
Tong Yang shot her a look. "Then let’s lure them out."
"How?"
Tong Yang draped the chain around her neck, leaving the lock undone. "I’ll run. You chase me. Look for stragglers."
"Can I actually chop you?"
"Try it."
Xu Junyue grinned. "Kidding. I kinda like freaks like you."
Tong Yang rolled her eyes. "You’re the freak here."
"Me? Really?"
Ignoring her, Tong Yang sprinted up to the second floor, the chain clinking around her neck.
Xu Junyue hesitated, then bolted after her.
The clatter of chains and rapid footsteps echoed through the hallway, catching the attention of several figures lingering on the second floor.
The "target" with the chain dashed frantically down the corridor before ducking into a classroom.
A man who had been aimlessly searching the balcony immediately followed. Behind him, a woman wielding an axe slammed the door shut, barring the other pursuers from entering.
Those locked outside hammered on the door and windows with their weapons. The axe-wielding woman yanked the curtains closed. "Relax. Your turn’s coming."
Tong Yang drove a knife into the palm of the man who had chased them in, pinning him to a desk, then slipped the chain around his neck.
"Xu Junyue, your turn."
Xu Junyue blinked. "You’re not doing it?"
"Better to concentrate the points on one person."
"Got it."
With a clean swing, she decapitated the man.
"Careful. Don’t damage the chain."
"I know."
"Forty-seven targets remaining."
"Next."
They retrieved the chain, ready to repeat the process—but then, fighting erupted on the balcony.
Tong Yang grabbed Xu Junyue and peeked through the curtains just as a child’s arm thumped against the window, smearing blood and flesh across the glass.
"Mom… Mom…"
"Mom, save me…"
A little girl was pinned to the ground as an old man raised a hoe and hacked off her limbs, relishing every brutal strike. Only after severing all four did he flip the hoe and crush her face with the blunt end.
The girl’s whimpers ceased, her body mangled beyond recognition.
Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the hallway, another woman gripped a small child, methodically cutting his face apart with scissors. Blood oozed from the gashes, but no screams escaped—just silent, suffocated agony.
Xu Junyue frowned. "Why are kids part of this game?"
Tong Yang lowered her gaze. "For us, it’s just a life-or-death game. For them… this is daily life."
"All parallel worlds are like this?"
"Probably not for the elite few at the top."
"If we can cross into their world, why can’t they enter ours?"
"They already have."
"Really?" Xu Junyue looked skeptical. "Dr. Wu said they’re only doing this because resources are scarce. If they all moved to our world, wouldn’t that solve everything?"
Tong Yang sighed. "Then soon enough, we’d end up just like them."
Silence fell outside. They opened the door and left the classroom.
At this moment, the second-floor corridor was already littered with several corpses, though most were children with weaker combat abilities.
In such circumstances, the victims would naturally seek hiding spots early on. To avoid having the lowest score, some would inevitably target children—though among them were also those who simply reveled in slaughter, taking pleasure in slowly severing a child's limbs before finally ending their lives.
Tong Yang suddenly realized that what "Tong Yang" had described as their terror wasn’t due to their overwhelming weapons, but rather the fact that, after enduring such an environment for so long, the people here had grown accustomed to killing, even come to love it—numb to death, numb to life.
When they entered the real world, it wasn’t just to seize resources or replace their counterparts from another world. No, they relished the fear their prey exuded in the face of death.
After all, in the parallel world, fear was an exceedingly rare commodity.
"Someone’s there."
After dispatching several attackers using similar methods, Xu Junyue pointed toward the dimly lit entrance of the women’s restroom.
Amid the faint trickle of running water, the muffled sobs of a child could be heard.
Moonlight spilled through the window, illuminating the floor where a short-haired boy crouched beneath a sink, facing the wall as quiet whimpers escaped him.
"You’re in the wrong place—this is the women’s restroom," Xu Junyue remarked.
Tong Yang thought this woman had a knack for missing the point. She scanned the area, confirming that aside from the boy, no one else was present.
"I’m waiting for Mom…" the boy sniffled.
"I’ve been waiting here so long… but she never came out."
Xu Junyue replied offhandedly, "Your mom abandoned you."
Tong Yang: "…"
This woman’s brain was definitely wired wrong.
"Big sister… my mom’s inside… can you check for me…?"
"Do I look like the helpful type?"
Tong Yang listened to their back-and-forth, a headache brewing. She stepped toward the stalls and saw that a pipe must have burst—the floor was flooded, murky water tinged with streaks of blood, leaving no clean space to step.
"Mom… I want my mom…"
The boy’s cries grew louder, grating on the nerves.
Xu Junyue dug a finger in her ear before gesturing at Tong Yang. "Fine, fine. She’s your mom now."
"I’m your mom," Tong Yang shot back with an eye roll.
"My mom died young. You planning to die soon too?"
"Mom?" The boy seemed oblivious to their bickering, slowly turning his head to reveal tear-streaked cheeks, sniffling pitifully.
Given prior experiences, Tong Yang half-expected the back of his head to appear again—but no, it was just a round-faced little boy, flushed red from crying, eyes swollen and pleading.
"Mom… hug…" The boy stretched out his tiny hands toward Tong Yang, staring up at her with watery eyes as tears rolled down like transparent beads.
"Mom… I’m so scared…"
"Aww, poor thing!" Xu Junyue cooed as if teasing a dog, then glanced at Tong Yang, who stood cold as an assassin. "Where’s your maternal instinct? This adorable little thing is calling for you!"
"Then you hug him," Tong Yang sneered. "Let’s see how motherly you are."
Not only was the situation unnerving, but this kid wasn’t half as cute as Tong Le back home.
When Tong Le was little and cried at night after being moved to his own bed, whimpering for her, Tong Yang hadn’t caved even once.
If she could resist her own brother’s pleas, some random, suspicious-looking brat stood no chance.
Xu Junyue sighed dramatically. "I was hoping to see your soft side for once."
Tong Yang gave her a mocking look but didn’t engage.
"What now?" Xu Junyue asked, serious again.
Tong Yang drew a finger across her throat—simple and clear.
Xu Junyue nodded in agreement. "Well, murder’s legal here anyway. I kinda wanna do what that old man did—chop his legs off first… No, wait, maybe rip out his tongue so he can’t scream or run. Then slice his fingers off one by one. His eyes are pretty, though. We could pluck them out, turn them into amber necklaces—souvenirs for our first trip to the parallel world."
She grew more animated as she spoke. "What do you think?"
Tong Yang was silent for a long moment before asking, "Got any connections in the underworld?"
"My mom and uncle. Probably rotting in the eighteenth level, though."
"Tell them to hang tight. Their good fortune’s coming."
Xu Junyue blinked. "Huh?"
"The King of Hell’s retiring tomorrow. You’re up next."
"Sweet! First order of business—gift my mom and uncle a century-long maggot reincarnation package."
Tong Yang couldn’t help but ask, "What’d they do to you?"
Xu Junyue tapped her blind right eye. "This. Their handiwork."
"Your sister too?"
"Yep. But we never got along anyway. She’d whine about how unfair it was that I only lost one eye, and Dad wouldn’t even let me talk back—didn’t want to upset her." She shrugged. "After she disappeared, Dad assumed I lied out of jealousy. Total nutjob. Even when I told him the truth, he didn’t believe me."
"His suspicion wasn’t unfounded."
"Hey! I’m confiding in you as a friend—don’t side with him!"
While they bickered, the boy under the sink finally snapped. With a jar in hand, he lunged at them.
"Sulfuric acid," Xu Junyue identified the scent in the air.
Tong Yang flicked her chain outward, knocking the jar from the boy’s grip. A shriek followed as the acid splashed onto his foot.
She looped the chain around his neck and shot Xu Junyue a look. The latter understood instantly—without hesitation, she delivered a clean, fatal strike.
"Damn, didn’t swing hard enough. Didn’t fully decapitate him."
The boy’s head dangled by a strip of flesh, blood soaking Xu Junyue’s once-white dress like a macabre dye. She hiked up her skirt, retrieving a fruit knife tucked into the lining, then began meticulously sawing through the remaining tissue.
"Which eyeball do you want?" Xu Junyue asked, cradling the boy’s head.
Tong Yang shot her a disgusted look. "Pass."
"Fine. I don’t want it either."
"Twenty-nine victims left."
The two had eliminated nine attackers this way, earning 900 points. But others might have higher scores—killing 90 attackers also yielded 900 points, not to mention the twelve unrelated victim deaths.
They moved on, hunting for new targets.
Tong Yang was strong and ruthless, though lacking in technique. Xu Junyue, on the other hand, was strong, ruthless, skilled, and precise—basically the perfect enforcer, if not for her occasional lapses in judgment.
After a while, Xu Junyue had over a dozen kills under her belt, drenched in blood, while Tong Yang directed operations like it was nothing, delegating the dirty work without a second thought.
Xu Junyue didn’t complain—she carried out the tasks with unsettling enthusiasm.
When only ten victims remained, they returned to the staircase where they’d started.
Peering down, Xu Junyue called out, "Tong Yang, looks like your sugar daddy’s bit the dust."
Tong Yang froze. "Gone?"
"Right. Vanished."
Tong Yang stepped inside and saw only a headless corpse at the foot of the stairs. Ye Huai was clearly no longer there.
"What now?" Xu Junyue asked.
Tong Yang replied, "There are no signs of a struggle. If he left on his own, he must have had a plan."
If Ye Huai had the misfortune of dying here, then after finding Ye Wen, they’d have to make sure he convinced his parents to pay up first. Ye Tianlin valued him so much—surely he wouldn’t refuse to hand over ten million.
"Speaking of which, aren’t you going to cut me in after this is done?"
Tong Yang shot her a sidelong glance. It did make sense—Xu Junyue had helped quite a bit, even though Tong Yang could’ve handled things alone.
"Fine. Five hundred for you."
Xu Junyue nodded. "That’ll do."
"How much is the sugar daddy paying you?"
"Ten million."
Xu Junyue gasped. "How much?!"
"Ten million?! And you’re only giving me five hundred?!"
"You jumped in halfway. Be grateful you’re getting anything at all. Besides, half of that has to go to someone else."
"Damn! Well, five hundred for four hours of work… I’ll take it. Next time there’s a money-making opportunity like this, bring me along, okay?"
Tong Yang thought for a moment. Xu Junyue had already been to the parallel world, was better in a fight, and seemed to be a local from the capital—she knew the area well. If they ran into similar situations in the future, having her around might not be a bad idea.
"Deal. But the startup fee is a thousand."
Xu Junyue stared at her in disbelief. "So you’re saying not only do I not get paid today, but I owe you five hundred?"
Tong Yang said matter-of-factly, "You need to think long-term. Don’t get hung up on small profits. There’ll be plenty more chances like this."
Xu Junyue snorted. "Tong Yang, you’re a business genius."
"Flattery will get you nowhere."
The two continued searching for their next target while keeping an eye out for Ye Huai.
That sickly guy had left despite knowing how dangerous this place was—he must’ve found some clue. Besides, with the parallel world’s Ye Tianlin here, it wasn’t likely anyone would die.
Walking down the hallway bathed in moonlight and blood, they didn’t see a single living soul.
Xu Junyue grumbled, "Where is everyone? They couldn’t have all been wiped out, could they?"
"Even if the survivors are hiding, where are the attackers? Why hasn’t anyone shown up since earlier?"
Tong Yang frowned. It didn’t make sense for everyone to be dead.
"Hello? Anyone?" Xu Junyue leaned against the wall, rhythmically tapping the window bars with her axe, the sharp clangs piercing the silent night.
"You two are something else."
After a long silence, Dr. Wu’s voice finally crackled through their earpieces again.
"Dr. Wu? You’re still alive."
"Where is everyone?"
Dr. Wu replied, "They’re all hiding."
"Why?"
Dr. Wu chuckled darkly. "Because of the mess you three made. They think the higher-ups sent a cleanup crew."
Tong Yang frowned. "What?"
"While you were exploiting glitches and killing indiscriminately, Ye Huai snuck into the surveillance room with a gun."
"He had a gun?"
"In the parallel world, firearms are exclusive to the upper class. These poor kids thought he was sent from above."
Tong Yang’s voice turned grave. "Who are you really?"
Dr. Wu’s background was too suspicious—he knew far too much about the parallel world.
Dr. Wu gave a low laugh. "Tong Yang, I told you, my identity doesn’t matter."
"What do you want?"
The earpiece fell silent for a few seconds before a soft scoff echoed through. "Tell me, why do some people live such meaningless lives?"
"None of your business."
"What’s the point of their existence? They’re just wasting Earth’s resources. If we eliminate the useless and replace them with the capable, resources could be balanced. Only the worthy would survive, and both the parallel world and the real world could restore order."
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Tong Yang sneered. "Whether the parallel world destroyed its own order actively or passively, what does that have to do with me? With the real world? Why should people you deem worthless be killed just to share resources?"
"Is this the purpose of your experiment? To turn me into your executioner? You’re not the real Dr. Wu—you’re from the parallel world."
No sane person in the real world would think like this.
Dr. Wu was definitely not from their world.
After an eerie pause, the voice returned. "What a shame. I thought we might see eye to eye. You don’t seem to like humanity much."
Tong Yang scoffed. "What does it matter whether I like them or not? Just because I don’t, they should die?"
Dr. Wu laughed but didn’t argue further.
"Well then, I hope the three of you enjoy your imminent victory. Maybe next time we meet, you’ll have come around."
With that, the earpiece went dead.
"Great! You scared him off. How are we supposed to get back now?" Xu Junyue groaned.
Tong Yang pulled out her earpiece and tossed it into a classroom. "The same way we got in."
The sky was beginning to lighten—dawn couldn’t be far off, which meant the game was nearing its end.
Learning Ye Huai’s whereabouts from Dr. Wu, the two headed straight for the surveillance room.
They encountered no one else along the way.
Earlier, Ye Huai had led them there during the day, so they found it quickly. The door was slightly ajar, a faint blue glow seeping out.
Tong Yang nudged it open with her knife. Several bodies lay scattered on the floor, each with a bullet hole in the forehead.
In front of a massive surveillance monitor, Ye Huai sat with his back to them, an earpiece and a silenced pistol resting on the desk.
Before the elevator game, Dr. Wu had explicitly warned against bringing any electronics or weapons. Yet Ye Huai had smuggled in a firearm—proof he’d never truly trusted Dr. Wu from the start.
Tong Yang kicked the door wide open, snatched the gun, and pressed it against Ye Huai’s temple. "What the hell do you know?"
Ye Huai didn’t seem surprised by their arrival. His eyes remained fixed on the monitor above, his expression unreadable even with a gun to his head.
"You didn’t take the safety off," he remarked.
"Ten million!" Xu Junyue rushed forward, shooting Tong Yang a meaningful look.
Tong Yang had no real intention of harming him. She tossed the gun back. "What’s really going on?"
Ye Huai said, "I'm not sure if the 749 Bureau truly exists, but Dr. Wu is definitely not a member of it."
"Huh? Why? His theory about mirages seems pretty mysterious to me," Xu Junyue replied.
"His explanations about mirages are all nonsense—utterly meaningless and just meant to sound profound."
Tong Yang followed his gaze to the surveillance monitor, which displayed real-time footage of every corner of the school. Even the restrooms were clearly visible, leaving almost no blind spots. Beside it was an automatically updated ranking of points, with Xu Junyue's name prominently sitting at the top.
The remaining people in the school were hiding in the kitchen and the sports equipment room. The time displayed at the bottom of the screen was 5:47, with only thirteen minutes left until the game ended.
"What are you thinking?" Tong Yang asked.
Given the current situation, Xu Junyue was ranked first in points. As long as they waited until the game concluded and successfully brought Ye Wen back to the real world, everything would be over.
Ye Huai's actions now seemed somewhat unnecessary.
After a moment of contemplation, Ye Huai said, "I'm a little curious—why did the parallel world turn out like this?"
Tong Yang glanced at him and asked, "Even if you knew, what difference would it make?"
"You're right. Knowing wouldn't change anything," Ye Huai agreed with a nod. "But since Dr. Wu could enter the real world and bring us to this parallel world, doesn’t that mean others could do the same?"
His words made it clear that he believed Dr. Wu was not from the real world.
"If there’s a parallel version of Ye Tianlin, then there must also be parallel versions of me and all of you. If they entered the real world and replaced us, how would the people around us tell the difference?"
"Look at them—first, they slaughtered each other for resources, and now they kill for pleasure. Sooner or later, the real world will end up just like this parallel world, with all resources concentrated in the upper class while the rest eliminate themselves through this kind of system."
After speaking, Ye Huai turned his head slightly to look at Tong Yang.
"Miss Tong, am I right?"
Tong Yang nodded approvingly. "You are."
Ye Huai pressed his lips together. The cold blue light from the surveillance monitor cast an eerie glow over his sickly pale skin.
"Parallel worlds exist in different spaces but at the same time, and most events should unfold similarly. But here, things have diverged drastically from the real world, leading to the collapse of global order and societal systems. Aside from a third world war, there’s only one plausible explanation—they were attacked by an external force. Namely, another parallel world."
"What do you mean? Can you explain it in simpler terms?" Xu Junyue frowned, looking utterly confused.
Tong Yang lowered her gaze. If Ye Huai had been healthy, Ye Wen wouldn’t even be a factor.
"Exactly. Because another parallel world replaced thirty percent of their society—mostly the upper-class elites—this is the result."
Ye Huai let his gaze drop. "Dr. Wu’s intention is to keep the useful people from both worlds and share the resources of a single world. In other words, the upper class of the parallel world wants to eliminate the lower-class ordinary people in the real world to prevent further resource shortages."
"Correct."
"The parallel world has already mastered the method to enter the real world. They’re only temporarily restrained for some reason, which is why there haven’t been major incidents yet," Tong Yang said.
"But they can still enter the real world—Dr. Wu is proof of that."
"Right."
"Then why did they take Ye Wen?"
Tong Yang paused. "Wasn’t it this world’s Ye Tianlin who took him?"
Ye Huai shook his head. "No. If he wanted to do something to Ye Wen, he wouldn’t have needed to bring him here."
Tong Yang’s expression darkened. "Then it’s hard to say."
"What’s hard to say? Are you two speaking in riddles? I can’t understand a word!"
"If Dr. Wu’s goal is to recruit us to help the parallel world implement their resource-sharing plan, then openly taking Ye Wen might be a way to draw the attention of the upper class."
Tong Yang nodded. "If they can take Ye Wen right under everyone’s noses, they can take others too. If they use this to negotiate with the upper class—eliminating the middle and lower classes to share Earth’s resources—it would only benefit the upper class. And the parallel world holds all the leverage."
"Mm. Even if we successfully rescue Ye Wen, the parallel world loses nothing. Their goal has already been achieved."
Xu Junyue’s eyes darted between the two, finally grasping some of it. "But wouldn’t our country notice? Then there’d be a war."
"We’re at a severe disadvantage. The parallel world’s structure has completely changed—it’s not just about decisions made by one country’s upper class. But the real world isn’t like that. If our country went to war with the parallel world, do you think other nations would help us, or wait for the outcome and cooperate with the parallel world to share resources?"
Ye Huai nodded. "Still, it’s too early to talk about this."
"What do you mean?" Tong Yang asked.
Ye Huai said, "Because of their different living conditions, the parallel world can’t be understood through normal logic. Between the two Ye Tianlins, which one do you think is from the parallel world?"
Tong Yang looked startled. "You mean…"
"My mother once told me that White Horse Group used to be just a mid-sized company, and Ye Tianlin wasn’t as extreme as he is now. But after I was born, critically ill and requiring expensive daily treatments to stay alive, White Horse Group nearly collapsed within a year. Then, one day, Ye Tianlin changed—he became violent, prone to outbursts. Yet, the company miraculously revived and became the multinational corporation it is today."
Ye Huai paused before asking, "What if, back then, they exchanged identities under some condition? Is that possible?"
Tong Yang nodded honestly. "It is."
If Ye Huai’s theory was correct, Ye Tianlin might have traded identities with "Ye Tianlin" in exchange for keeping him alive. That would explain why "Ye Tianlin" treated the two brothers so differently—because Ye Wen was his only biological son after the exchange. He disliked Ye Huai and Aunt Bai but had to provide medical care to keep Ye Huai alive.
"Perhaps Ye Tianlin is also part of the parallel world’s plan," Ye Huai said.
Tong Yang fell into thought. His words weren’t impossible. If "Ye Tianlin" remained in the real world unchecked, he might become a bridge between the parallel world and reality.
"Are you going to kill Ye Tianlin?"
"Yes."
Tong Yang pressed further. "How do you plan to do it?"
"The reason Ye Tianlin hates me isn’t just because I’m not his biological son. More importantly, I know he’s killed someone."
"Killed someone?"
Ye Huai moved the mouse and clicked on one of the surveillance feeds. A woman with a chain around her neck sat by the window of a fifth-floor classroom, one leg dangling in the air. Through the grainy monitor, her delicate features were still visible.
"She looks a lot like one of my old tutors," Ye Huai said calmly. "One day after class, I stood by the window watching her leave. Ye Tianlin lured her to the fountain under some pretext. Maybe he was overcome by lust and tried to force himself on her. The tutor was around your age—she slapped him when she fought back, so he pushed her into the water and drowned her."
Tong Yang’s expression darkened. No wonder Ye Huai had deliberately provoked Ye Tianlin that day, knowing he’d get beaten, and then personally escorted her out the next morning.
"Your father really deserves to die," Xu Junyue said matter-of-factly.
"I won’t deny that."
Ye Huai continued, "Later, the police questioned me. I told them everything I saw. But as you’d expect, the case was ruled as an accidental drowning. Ye Tianlin paid 200,000 in compensation."
Tong Yang stared at the numb face on the screen and suddenly understood what Ye Huai intended to do.
"Time’s up. The game is over."
"Xu Junyue, ranked first in points, please proceed to the academic office."
The surveillance room, broadcast room, and academic office were in separate locations. Even though Ye Huai had killed the people in the surveillance room, the game continued uninterrupted.
With the two of them accompanying her, they headed to the academic office.
The open door revealed nothing but darkness inside. Xu Junyue stepped forward, the faint light from outside barely outlining the room’s interior. A figure sat at the desk, shrouded in shadows.
On the sofa lay a child, seemingly deep in sleep.
If the parallel world had taken Ye Wen to draw the attention of the upper class, they wouldn’t harm him—at least not yet. He was probably just asleep.
Now, it was time to return to the real world.
If they could enter the parallel world using the elevator game method, they could use the same method to leave.
As the sky gradually brightened, they tried three times. Only on the last attempt did they finally return to reality.
By then, it was nearly 8:30 a.m., and daylight had fully broken.
Hailin International School remained empty, with no sign of Dr. Wu or his assistant.
In the thick morning fog, the three of them carried the unconscious Ye Wen out of the school.
Police officers stationed nearby quickly gathered around, and medical personnel took Ye Wen to check his vitals.
"Are you all okay? What took so long?" Police Officer Lin asked urgently.
Tong Yang lowered her lashes. "Dr. Wu, he…"
Police Officer Lin said, "Dr. Wu already left. He said there’s no such thing as a parallel world and told us to wait until you came out."
"What?" Tong Yang stared at him in shock. "He left? Alone?"
Police Officer Lin exchanged glances with the others. "Now that you mention it, his assistant was missing. What exactly happened in there?"
Instead of answering, Tong Yang asked, "How did you know he was from the 749 Bureau?"
Police Officer Lin shook his head. "I’m not sure. He was sent by higher-ups."
Tong Yang’s expression froze. Sent by higher-ups? Had he already made contact with them?
Or had he replaced the real Dr. Wu in this world?
"When did he leave?"
"Two hours ago."
Meanwhile, a figure sprinted frantically down the hallway connecting the fifth-floor cafeteria to the teaching building, his face twisted in terror, sweat pouring down his face.
"Help me!"
"There’s—there’s a ghost…!"
"Stay away! Don’t come any closer!"
"Ye Huai! Where’s your brother? If you lied to me, I swear I’ll make you pay… I swear…!"
A woman with an eerily blank expression advanced toward him, clutching a sharp weapon.
"Where is this? What is this place? Who are you? You’re supposed to be dead!"
His screams attracted more figures lurking in the darkness, slowly converging on him.
"Ye Tianlin… is that you? Why? Why…?"
"Help… someone help me…!"
"Stay back! Don’t come any closer! I’ll jump if you take another step!"
BANG!
A sudden loud noise came from the direction of the teaching building.
"What was that?" Police Officer Lin frowned.
"Sounds like someone jumped…"
"What?"
"Medics! Someone just jumped off the building!"
The crowd erupted into chaos as officers and medical staff rushed toward the teaching building.
Tong Yang turned to look at Ye Huai, but his eyes were unreadable, revealing nothing.
Xu Junyue, standing between them, asked in confusion, "Tong Yang, didn’t you say that if someone dies in the parallel world, their body stays there?"
Tong Yang kept her gaze fixed on Ye Huai. "That’s right. Which means if someone from the real world dies there, their body returns here after death."
Ye Huai remained calm. "Maybe I was wrong. He wasn’t from the parallel world after all."
"He hated me not because I wasn’t his child, but because I wasn’t healthy enough."
Tong Yang simply watched him in silence.
In that quiet standoff, Ye Huai seemed to grasp her meaning. "There’s only one Ye Tianlin in this world. And now, he’s dead."
In truth, after finding Ye Wen, they hadn’t returned to the real world immediately.
They had performed the "elevator game" three more times—the first two attempts without Tong Yang and Xu Junyue.
The first time, Ye Huai left the school and returned to reality to find Ye Tianlin.
The second time, he used Ye Wen as an excuse to lure Ye Tianlin into the parallel world before returning to the school.
The third time, they brought Ye Wen back to reality—leaving Ye Tianlin behind.
If he had been from the parallel world, he would have either been killed or found his own way back.
Tong Yang didn’t care about Ye Tianlin’s life. It wasn’t her concern.
Ye Huai’s answer was his way of assuring her: there would be no scenario where Ye Tianlin was replaced by his parallel-world counterpart.
That was enough.
But perhaps, from the very beginning, Ye Huai’s goal had always been to kill Ye Tianlin. Everything else—his explanations, his reasoning—had just been to secure Tong Yang and Xu Junyue’s cooperation.
"Miss Tong, there’s another possibility."
"What?"
"In the parallel world, all resources are concentrated among the upper class—including medical resources. And this isn’t a recent development. Sixteen years ago, Ye Tianlin in that world was just a small-time businessman. He probably didn’t have access to high-end medical care. To save his dying son, he struck a deal with the real Ye Tianlin: he’d provide insider knowledge to help Ye Tianlin grow his company, and in return, Ye Tianlin would keep his son alive."
Ye Huai pulled a silenced pistol from his jacket and released the safety.
"After today, the truth about my tutor’s death will come to light."
"The money will be transferred to you in two hours."
Pressing the gun to his temple, Ye Huai gazed into the distance, his expression eerily calm. Tong Yang couldn’t fathom what was going through his mind.
Was this a mutual destruction?
Or what he believed to be liberation?
"If I die, my body should return to the parallel world. If not, consider it repayment for Ye Tianlin’s life."
