Tong Yang realized that even after experiencing certain events, her understanding of parallel worlds was still far too limited.
She had assumed that within a given scope, only one timeline or moment could exist. But the current situation proved things weren’t that simple.
"Forget it, let’s just go take a look. It’s right outside the door—shouldn’t be a big deal."
"It’s been so long since she came out, it is a bit strange."
"Come on, let’s go. We can’t keep playing if Tong Yang’s missing."
"You’re all going? Then I’m coming too!"
...
Tong Yang heard the sound of chairs being pushed back, even sensing their footsteps passing by her.
"Chu Shiyu?" she called tentatively, but received no response.
This suggested she was trapped alone in a parallel world, yet could still hear their voices—meaning the distance between them must be extremely close.
Had parallel worlds already advanced to this extent?
Tong Yang walked into the lounge area, hoping to find some clue that might serve as a gateway between spaces. The "elevator game" Dr. Wu had used to bring them into the parallel world no longer worked. Perhaps different methods existed—different triggers at different times and locations.
But no matter what, there had to be similarities.
"Tong Yang? What are you doing here?"
A surprised voice suddenly came from behind her. Tong Yang stiffened, then turned around in disbelief.
Seven people, including Chu Shiyu and Xu Junyue, emerged from around the corner.
"You guys..."
Chu Shiyu said, "You never came out, so we went to check Toy Store 7-20. We searched everywhere but couldn’t find you."
Xu Junyue frowned. "When did you leave? We didn’t see you."
"Did you circle around from the other side?"
"That’s weird. We should’ve seen you."
Tong Yang lowered her gaze, fingers curling unconsciously into her palms. "You’ve already been to 7-20?"
"Yeah, we even combed through the whole place!"
She looked up, studying each of their faces carefully. For a moment, she wondered if these were their parallel-world counterparts. From the time she heard their voices leaving the lounge to when she entered it herself, and now their reappearance—less than half a minute could have passed.
If she had merely been in a different space from them, there was no way they could have made a round trip between 7-20 and the lounge in just thirty seconds.
So only two possibilities remained: First, they were lying. Second, the issue wasn’t space—it was time.
"Did any of you hear voices talking just now?"
This question was directed at the members of the gossip group in her mind.
[Huh? Right now? I think I heard someone speaking.]
[What’s wrong, Tong?]
[There was no sound earlier, but someone just called your name.]
"What’s going on?"
"Did something happen?"
"Did you hear voices?"
The others exchanged confused glances, clearly unaware of the situation.
Tong Yang fell silent. The gossip group hadn’t heard the earlier conversation—just like how only she could see their messages.
Because in 2024, only her timeline had gone awry, making her the sole person who could read the group’s updates.
Similarly, since only she had heard Chu Shiyu and the others speaking, it meant her timeline had diverged during that period.
Perhaps the error wasn’t in space, but in time.
"How long has it been since you left the lounge to look for me at 7-20?"
Noticing her grim expression, Tao Bai checked his watch. "About ten minutes."
"Ten minutes..." Tong Yang murmured.
Just moments ago, her personal timeline had skipped back ten minutes.
"Tong Yang, are you okay?" Chu Shiyu asked worriedly.
"I’m fine. Let’s keep playing."
"Have some water first."
They sat together around the circular table in the lounge. Accepting the bottled water Tao Bai handed her, Tong Yang thanked him.
The time discrepancy was precise—exactly ten minutes.
The intervals she’d experienced through death and deep unconsciousness to enter time loops had also been roughly ten minutes before the moment of death.
The first two loops took her back ten minutes before her own death. The third loop was ten minutes before Sun Ye’s death, the fourth before the deaths of everyone in Examination Hall 1209, and the remaining loops all returned her to ten minutes before the drowning of the elementary school test subjects.
If there was a common thread in these events, it was death.
But people died every minute around the world—why would she only return to ten minutes before their deaths?
Was there another shared factor besides death?
Yes.
In all previous loops, the victims—including Tong Yang herself—had been killed by people from parallel worlds.
In other words, the anchor point for her time loops was ten minutes before the death of someone recently killed by a parallel-world entity.
Was there a connection between the ten-minute loop intervals and the ten-minute time discrepancy she’d just experienced?
Beyond the similar duration and the separation of sound and visuals when entering parallel worlds, there were no obvious parallels.
But parallel worlds were supposed to alter space, not time. So why had a ten-minute discrepancy occurred?
Was it a coincidence? Or... a side effect of the time loops?
"Tong Yang, what’s your role?"
"Tong Yang?"
"Tong Yang!"
Snapping out of her thoughts, she blinked at He Jingjing. "What?"
"What’s your role?"
"Role?"
Chu Shiyu explained, "In scripted murder mystery games, everyone has a role, along with a script and timeline details."
"It’s normal if Tong Yang doesn’t know—it’s her first time playing."
"The script the NPC gave you at 7-20 earlier."
Tong Yang looked blank. "I didn’t get a script."
"No script? How?"
"Without a script, you don’t have a role. You can’t participate."
"I only found some clues. No one gave me a script or a role," she repeated.
"That’s strange. Did you go to the wrong place?"
"7-20. I didn’t. Hu Shuo came to find me midway."
"What?" Hu Shuo stiffened, eyes widening. "When did I go looking for you?"
Chu Shiyu and Xu Junyue both turned to stare at Tong Yang.
She held Hu Shuo’s gaze. "You never left the store?"
Hu Shuo rubbed his arms. "No! Stop joking around. Is this some hidden task?"
"Whoa... seriously?"
"This is straight out of a horror movie."
"Remember that variety show on Mango TV? Every episode had one player acting as the detective. Maybe Tong Yang’s role is the detective."
"Makes sense! No role means no motive or suspicion—so you must be the detective."
Watching their enthusiasm, Chu Shiyu whispered, "Is Hu Shuo suspicious?"
Xu Junyue leaned closer to the two of them. "Have we entered a parallel world again? Should we just kill Hu Shuo first and figure it out later?"
Tong Yang shot Xu Junyue a sidelong glance. "Do you really want your dad to drag you off to prison for a few years?"
Chu Shiyu chimed in, "If he's really human, you might end up facing execution."
Xu Junyue pouted. "Then let's find a chance to interrogate him harshly later."
Tong Yang shook her head slightly. "No need."
"If he left the shop on his own at some point, there’d be no reason for him to lie. Maybe the person back then wasn’t him. The problem isn’t him right now—it’s the 'Hu Shuo' who appeared at that time."
"I get it."
"Understood."
Chu Shiyu was almost certainly not a parallel-world replacement. While Xu Junyue wasn’t entirely above suspicion, the real issue at the moment was the "Hu Shuo" who had appeared earlier. It was possible he had replaced the real Hu Shuo.
Even so, there were still inconsistencies. In the end, including Tong Yang herself, only seven bodies had been found.
"Be careful. It’s best to find weapons to defend yourselves," Tong Yang reminded the two.
"Hey! What are you three whispering about over there?"
"What’s going on with you two? The discussion hasn’t even started, and you’re already trying to bribe the detective?"
"No, the victim hasn’t even appeared yet. What’s there to discuss?"
"Good point! We haven’t even found the crime scene!"
...
"Ah!"
Before the chatter could die down, a scream rang out in the distance.
"It’s happening!"
"Let’s go check it out!"
The others were excited, eager to see what was going on.
Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu lingered at the back of the group. She lowered her voice and asked, "What happened earlier?"
Tong Yang knew she was referring to the ten-minute time discrepancy.
"Nothing serious. Focus on what’s in front of us first," Tong Yang replied without elaborating.
She hadn’t figured out the cause herself yet. Telling the others would only add unnecessary confusion.
Following the sound, the group arrived at Shop 7-33—a ballet studio. A dim yellow light glowed at the entrance, and the scream had come from behind the door to the right of the reception desk.
"Someone’s dead! Someone’s dead!"
A cleaning lady in a janitorial uniform rushed out in a panic.
"Help! Someone’s dead!"
Tao Bai stopped her. "Ma’am, what happened?"
The cleaning lady stammered, "I don’t know! I just went in to clean, and then… oh, just go look for yourselves!"
With that, she hurried past them and left.
Tong Yang watched her go—down the hallway in the opposite direction. She was probably just an NPC.
"Should we go in?"
"Let’s go."
The group hesitantly pushed forward through the door, revealing a corridor lined with rooms on both sides.
Every three meters, dim yellow lights cast an eerie glow, heightening the unsettling atmosphere.
A puddle of water stained the floor, with a damp mop lying beside it.
The nearest room had its door open, though the lights inside were off. The hallway’s illumination spilled into the doorway, creating a bright patch.
Zhou Jingyun, at the front of the group, cautiously approached and peeked inside.
Where the light reached, a bloodstained skirt hem lay on the floor.
"There’s a body here," Zhou Jingyun announced, feigning composure.
The others crowded the doorway, blocking the light—equal parts terrified and curious.
Tong Yang didn’t rush forward. Instead, she checked the sign on the door: Dressing Room.
"There’s a light here. Try turning it on."
"Whoa! It works!"
With the dressing room now lit, the group could finally see inside.
A girl in a white dress, her hair disheveled, lay face-down on the floor. From the exposed skin, she appeared to be in her teens—around Tong Yang’s age.
A wound in her abdomen seeped blood, slowly spreading beneath her. The incident must have happened recently.
"Look! She seems real!"
"Seriously, her skin looks so lifelike."
"The owner went all out—even the ‘corpse’ is played by a real actor."
"Wait, wouldn’t she laugh and ruin the scene?"
"She’s probably a professional."
...
"Let’s check the scene for obvious clues first."
The dressing room was about the size of two bedrooms, with most of the lockers secured. The group scattered, searching for anything out of place.
Tong Yang was the last to enter. Staring at the girl’s bleeding body, she crouched and pressed two fingers to the girl’s wrist. In middle school, their history teacher had taught them that a pulse mirrored the heartbeat.
After a moment of silence, Tong Yang’s expression darkened. The girl had no pulse.
A full-length mirror hung on the wall in front of the body. Through the reflection, Tong Yang examined the corpse—aside from the bleeding wound, there were no other injuries.
"Xu Junyue, help me flip her over."
"Coming!"
Together, they turned the body onto its back. The dress clung to the girl’s thighs, riding up slightly with the movement.
Tong Yang motioned for Chu Shiyu to adjust the skirt properly.
Once the body was laid flat, Tong Yang brushed the hair away from the girl’s face, revealing delicate features.
Pale from blood loss, her eyes remained shut.
"She’s dead?" Chu Shiyu asked.
"Yeah."
Tong Yang checked the girl’s face and scalp—no wounds there. She then grabbed a thin garment from a locker and draped it over the girl’s head.
The fatal stab in her abdomen was deep—a single, lethal strike.
Her nails were neatly trimmed, her fingers slender and smooth, with no signs of struggle.
Kneeling before the mirror, Tong Yang studied the reflection of the body.
According to the rules of the murder mystery game, the killer was among the eight players. If this were just an immersive horror experience, the players wouldn’t actually kill anyone, and the girl wouldn’t be truly dead.
But here, the girl had been murdered. The killer had to be among them—and that person might be the one replaced by the parallel world.
Who could it be? Hu Shuo?
Had the parallel-world Hu Shuo killed her?
If the killer was the parallel-world Hu Shuo, then none of them had been replaced—because there were two Hu Shuos. But then why had the police only found seven bodies?
The news report had stated that Tong Yang, as the sole survivor, told the police all seven had died before she herself succumbed to blood loss. So if the killer was the parallel-world Hu Shuo, there should still be eight bodies—the real Hu Shuo would have died with them.
The only explanation for seven bodies was that one of them had already been replaced, and their corpse had returned to the parallel world upon death.
Because in the end, all eight of them—including Tong Yang—had died.
That meant the real killer wasn’t the parallel-world Hu Shuo. It was someone among the eight of them.
Whoever killed this girl was the one replaced by the parallel world.
"I found a bloody knife!"
"Here are some class schedules."
"You guys—"
"Whoa, why’d you cover the NPC girl’s face? She’s just an actor, not actually dead."
Tong Yang examined the blood-stained dagger they had found and said calmly, "Just assume she's still alive."
"Don't say things like that... it's terrifying!"
"Tong Yang, do you usually like playing pranks? You were like this earlier when drawing the number cards too."
Tong Yang replied, "I don’t usually joke around."
"Then it can’t be that she’s actually dead, right...?"
Tong Yang glanced at He Jingjing and crooked a finger at her. "You know how to check a pulse, right?"
"Yeah, I do."
Tong Yang lifted the deceased’s arm. "Then you try."
"Alright, I’ll give it a shot."
He Jingjing pressed her fingers against the wrist, feeling for a pulse. One second, two seconds, three seconds... As time passed, her expression shifted from curiosity to sheer horror.
"She really doesn’t have a pulse!"
"Jingjing, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?"
"I don’t know! Jingjing (Sister), you try!"
He Jingjing (Sister) checked the pulse, her brow furrowing deeply. "There really isn’t one."
"Are you guys doing it right? Let me try!" Hu Shuo rolled up his sleeves, eager to give it a go.
Tong Yang placed the girl’s hand back down. "Just assume she’s alive. I don’t want you too scared to move."
"Who do you think you’re looking down on?!" Ignoring the warning, Hu Shuo insisted on checking himself.
After a long moment, his face turned ghostly pale as he looked at Tao Bai and Zhou Jingyun, his voice trembling. "She’s really dead..."
Tao Bai frowned. "Tong Yang was right. The escape room owner must be involved. That hand in the box earlier was probably real too."
Hu Shuo abruptly let go of the girl’s hand, frantically rubbing his own against his clothes, his legs visibly weak with fear. "Wh-what do we do now?"
Zhou Jingyun said, "We can’t leave, and we can’t call the police. Our only option is to finish the game and find the exit before alerting the authorities."
"Are we in danger?"
"I’m scared... What if we get killed too...?"
He Jingjing (Sister) reasoned, "If the owner just wanted to lure us in to kill us, he wouldn’t have spent nearly a year designing this escape room setup. Didn’t Hu Shuo say he’s an enthusiast himself? Even if he wants us dead, it’d have to be through the game."
Tao Bai nodded. "That makes sense. Most escape room fans follow the rules strictly. If we clear the game, we might make it out alive."
"But if we escape, we’d definitely call the police. Wouldn’t that get the owner arrested? Why would he let us leave?"
"Even if we don’t make it out, the police would eventually catch him. So whether we survive or not doesn’t really matter to him."
Tong Yang listened to their heated discussion without offering any input.
In her view, they were already in a parallel world. Whether these NPCs were real people or not, whether the owner had committed murder or what role he played—she had no idea. But to uncover the killer, identify who had been replaced in this alternate reality, and escape, they’d have to complete the game.
Since their current reasoning aligned with hers, Tong Yang saw no need to elaborate further.
Zhou Jingyun said, "Since we have to finish the game, let’s not overthink it. Let’s go back and review the plot and timelines."
"Let’s go, let’s go! Hurry up!"
"Just thinking about sharing a room with a corpse gives me goosebumps!"
The group returned from Studio 7-33 to the lounge area.
Tong Yang was the only one without a designated role. She sat at the head of the round table while the others took seats on either side of her.
"Let’s start by stating our identities and timelines after entering the mall. Chu Shiyu, you’re Player One, so you go first."
Chu Shiyu nodded. "Alright."
"I work at a coffee shop near Xili Mall. After my shift ended, I was supposed to meet my boyfriend for a movie on the eighth floor. But since we had forty minutes before the showtime, we decided to browse around the seventh floor."
"What time did your shift end?"
"5:30 PM."
"And when was the movie?"
"8:40 PM."
"So you finished work at 5:30, had forty minutes before the movie, but didn’t arrive on the seventh floor until 8:00 PM?"
"Yes."
"What were you doing for those two and a half hours in between?"
Since they were committed to finishing the game, they had to play by the rules. Chu Shiyu smiled faintly. "Private matters."
"Did you know the deceased?"
"No."
"Okay. Player Two, your turn."
Zhou Jingyun frowned. "Sorry, let me think for a second."
He flipped open the notebook on his seat and, after a brief pause, said, "I’m Shiyu’s boyfriend. I arrived at Xili Mall around 5:00 PM to wait for her. After 5:30, we were together the whole time."
"So you alibi each other?"
"Yes."
"Can you share what you were doing during those two and a half hours before entering the mall?"
"No comment."
"Did you know the deceased?"
"No."
"Player Three, your identity and timeline."
Tao Bai nodded. "I’m just a customer. There’s a men’s clothing store on this floor. I’m meeting my girlfriend’s parents tomorrow, so I came to buy some outfits."
"What time did you arrive at the mall?"
"4:00 PM."
"You spent from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM just buying two outfits?"
Tao Bai replied, "Yes. I also had dinner."
"Alone?"
"Yes."
"Did you know the deceased?"
"No."
"Player Four..."
"Player Four doesn’t have a role."
Tong Yang didn’t argue—she truly had no assigned identity. Based on their accounts, the events in the toy store had no connection to their storyline.
"Player Five."
Player Five was the younger twin sister, He Jingjing (Sister).
"I work at the mall’s beauty salon. My shift runs from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM."
"Were you at the salon the whole time after clocking in?"
"Yes."
"Did you know the deceased?"
"No."
"Player Six."
"Me, me!" Xu Junyue eagerly raised her hand. "I’m the receptionist at the ballet studio. My shift is from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM."
"Did you know the deceased?"
"Yes! She was a student at our studio."
"What was her name?"
"Tan Wanqi. She was our hardest-working student—almost always the last one to leave the practice room."
"How well did you know her?"
"I’ve only worked there for less than a month. We weren’t close—just exchanged greetings when she left at night."
"Okay. Player Seven."
Player Seven was the elder twin, He Jingjing.
"I’m just a regular customer, here to watch a movie alone."
"The same one as Players One and Two?"
"Yes, the 8:40 PM show. But I got here too early, so I wandered around the floors."
"What time did you arrive at Xili Mall?"
"7:40 PM. I think I saw the deceased on the first floor."
"You saw her?"
He Jingjing nodded, "I was waiting for the elevator on the first floor when she took it down and left."
"I didn’t stay on the seventh floor for long before she came back up carrying two cups of coffee."
Tong Yang asked, "Xu Junyue, what time did Tan Wanqi arrive at the studio?"
Xu Junyue replied, "At 7:58, but when she came in, she only had one cup of coffee, which she gave to me."
"Tan Wanqi must have entered Xili Mall before coming to the studio. She went out to buy two coffees in between, probably meeting a friend inside the mall. Before heading to the studio, she delivered one of the coffees to them."
"No rush, we’ll gather more evidence later."
"Number eight."
Hu Shuo said, "I’m the security guard on the seventh floor of the mall. I started patrolling at 7:30, and around 7:50, I heard a man and a woman arguing. The man even knocked over a cup of coffee."
"Did you see what they looked like?"
Hu Shuo shook his head. "The man was extremely agitated. I didn’t dare look."
"So, Tan Wanqi bought two coffees—one for that man and one for the studio receptionist. After arguing with him and spilling one cup, she went straight to the studio."
"That’s probably how it happened."
[The man she argued with seems highly suspicious.]
[I think the receptionist is fishy too. Why would Tan Wanqi give coffee to someone she barely knows?]
[Maybe she was in a bad mood after the fight and just gave it away?]
[From my experience watching mystery shows, the most obvious suspect early on is usually not the culprit.]
[Plus, we don’t even know who the man she argued with is.]
"Players, begin the first round of evidence collection."
"You may search all lit-up rooms."
The lights in the rest area suddenly went out, while several other shops along the circular hallway illuminated.
"Men’s clothing store, beauty salon, ballet studio, and the trash bin near the seventh-floor railing."
"Let’s split into pairs to search for clues. Try to separate the three guys," He Jingjing suggested.
"I’ll go with Tong Yang," Xu Junyue said, walking over to her. She pointed at the others. "Zhou Jingyun, you and Chu Shiyu take the men’s clothing store. Jingjing (Sister) and Hu Shuo, check near the trash bin. Jingjing and Tao Bai, head to the beauty salon. We’ll take the ballet studio."
"Got it. Everyone, stay safe. If anything happens, make noise to alert the rest."
"Okay."
"Junyue, Tong Yang, be careful, you two."
[Such a kind-hearted girl.]
[Isn’t Xu Junyue the one who fought alongside Tong Yang in Parallel World?]
[Lol, their duo is easily the safest here.]
After splitting up, Tong Yang and Xu Junyue arrived at the ballet studio.
"Come here!" Xu Junyue stood behind the counter, waving her over.
"What?" Tong Yang eyed her suspiciously.
"Ta-da!" Xu Junyue opened a cabinet and pulled out several butterfly knives. "7-26 is a weapons shop. I grabbed these earlier—should be enough."
Tong Yang took one and twirled it in her hand. "Not bad."
"You know how to use a butterfly knife?"
"No, but I understand the mechanics."
"Impressive! Typical genius."
Tong Yang shot her a sidelong glance, closed the knife, and tucked it into her waistband.
"Let’s go. See if we can find any clues."
She took a few steps toward the small door beside the counter but stopped when she realized Xu Junyue wasn’t following. Turning back, she saw Xu Junyue leaning against the counter, staring at her with an unreadable expression, twirling the butterfly knife expertly in her right hand.
Tong Yang narrowed her eyes slightly. "What?"
Xu Junyue smirked and suddenly gripped the knife.
Tong Yang swiftly drew her own, flicking it open just as Xu Junyue lunged at her.
Xu Junyue had professional training, her movements far more polished than Tong Yang’s. She handled the butterfly knife with ease—initially holding the blade forward, then flipping one handle mid-motion to angle it downward.
"Rip—"
Caught off guard, the blade sliced through the fabric at Tong Yang’s right shoulder, barely grazing her skin.
Tong Yang struck Xu Junyue’s elbow, twisted her arm back, and forced her to the ground—but Xu Junyue yanked her down too.
Though Tong Yang lacked brute strength, her reflexes were sharp. She raised the knife toward Xu Junyue’s throat.
"Tch—"
The blade nicked skin, drawing a sharp inhale from Xu Junyue, who retaliated by slashing at Tong Yang’s abdomen.
Tong Yang dodged, but the knife still tore through her clothes, exposing a strip of pale skin.
Seizing the moment, Tong Yang clamped down on Xu Junyue’s wrist, digging her fingers into the bone. Xu Junyue yelped, and the knife clattered to the floor.
"Wait!"
Pinned beneath her, Xu Junyue suddenly called for a stop.
Tong Yang kept one hand locked on her wrist, the other still gripping the knife, staring coldly at her.
Both were breathing heavily.
"Tong Yang, you have abs!" Xu Junyue exclaimed excitedly, even daring to poke her stomach.
Tong Yang stared at her blankly before muttering, "Psycho."
Then she released Xu Junyue and stood up.
[Abs? Let me touch!]
[Ahhh, sis, you have abs?! I wanna feel!]
[Since I can’t touch a guy’s six-pack, can’t I at least touch yours?]
[I hope the time dilation speeds up—I wanna crash into your arms when we meet.]
[Me too…]
[If you’re a guy, no way!]
[Men aren’t allowed!!]
[Stay away from my sis, men!]
Xu Junyue admired the torn fabric at Tong Yang’s waist. "You’re supposed to be a bookworm. How do you have such killer abs? Unbelievable."
"Piss off." Tong Yang ripped off the dangling cloth, turning it into a full crop top.
"I have abs too, see? Though not as nice as yours."
Tong Yang shot her a frosty glare.
Xu Junyue grinned shamelessly as she got up. "Don’t be mad. I was just testing you."
"I know. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have held back."
Xu Junyue’s first slash at her shoulder could’ve drawn blood, but she’d pulled back at the last second. Neither had fought seriously after that.
"Come on, don’t sulk. When we went looking for you earlier, we never saw you leave the toy store—you just appeared in the rest area out of nowhere. Super suspicious, right? I thought you’d been killed and replaced by someone from Parallel World."
Tong Yang gave her a wry smile. "Honestly? I thought the same about you."
Xu Junyue feigned shock. "Ah! No wonder you reacted so fast, coming at me with the knife. You’ve been doubting me this whole time?"
Tong Yang countered, "Aren’t you suspicious?"
Xu Junyue pondered for a second, then nodded. "Fair point."
"That's more like it."
"Shall we shake hands and make up now?" Xu Junyue extended her hand mid-air, though it looked less like a handshake and more like she was challenging Tong Yang to an arm wrestle.
Tong Yang grasped her suspended hand. "Fine."
Xu Junyue had likely taken the initiative to pair up with her because she suspected Tong Yang had been replaced by someone from a parallel world. After all, among the eight players, Tong Yang was the only one without an identity and had suddenly appeared in the rest area—highly suspicious by any measure.
If it weren’t Tong Yang herself, even she would’ve found the situation dubious.
But then again, Chu Shiyu had trusted her completely, never once doubting her. Then again, back at Nameless Slope, Chu Shiyu hadn’t doubted her either.
"Tong Yang, are you sure you didn’t get an identity in 7-20?"
"Yeah."
"Did you see any NPCs?"
"I’m not sure if they were NPCs, but I think I stumbled upon a murder scene. It had nothing to do with your identities or scripts."
Xu Junyue nodded. "Then it was probably someone from a parallel world."
"Can’t say for sure."
Tong Yang hesitated for a moment before asking, "Has your friend always been like this?"
"Yeah, I’ve known them for years."
"Hmm."
Tong Yang walked behind the counter to search for clues. The desk held a computer and some scribbled notes.
"What’s wrong?" Xu Junyue asked.
"Nothing." Tong Yang bent down for a closer look, muttering, "I suspect someone among them has already been replaced by a parallel-world counterpart."
Xu Junyue gaped. "What did you just say?"
Without looking up, Tong Yang replied, "Just a suspicion. No proof, and no idea who it might be."
After a brief pause, she added, "And the people dragged into this parallel world might not just be limited to us eight players. Some NPCs could be involved too. Don’t act rashly against them, or after we clear this, you’ll have to turn yourself in."
Xu Junyue nodded, though she only half-understood. "So, the hand in the box and the body in the changing room—they might be from the parallel world?"
"Hard to say. Can’t rule out the possibility they exist in reality too."
"But earlier, you said you saw Hu Shuo midway..."
"Yeah, but he himself doesn’t know there’s already another version of him from a parallel world here."
"So he’s the one who got replaced?" Xu Junyue sounded shocked.
"He’s not dead yet. By ‘replaced,’ I mean completely taking over someone’s identity. Still, we should be careful around Hu Shuo."
"Jingjing isn’t in danger, is she?" Xu Junyue frowned.
"The two Hu Shuos probably won’t appear at the same time. Being paired with him is the safest option."
"That’s a relief."
Beneath the computer screen were sticky notes with formulas for computer use and work schedules, including a note: The front desk must ensure all students have left before locking up for the day.
"Why are you just standing there? Go search for clues inside," Tong Yang shot her a glance.
"Got it." Xu Junyue turned and walked through a small side door.
After their earlier exchange, Xu Junyue was mostly cleared of suspicion—but better safe than sorry. What if she was the one who killed the girl? So Tong Yang took charge of searching the counter area, Xu Junyue’s workspace, and sent her away.
Aside from the sticky notes, the desk held student records.
Tong Yang skimmed through them and found Tan Wanqi’s file.
Tan Wanqi was seventeen and had studied ballet for three years.
What puzzled Tong Yang was how the document looked like it had been crumpled into a ball and then smoothed back out, covered in creases.
She turned on the computer and found it logged into a social media account.
The pinned message displayed a conversation:
"This damn job is driving me nuts. Every day, someone decides to shower right when I’m about to leave."
"And this stupid company keeps delaying paychecks. Unbelievable. Just unbelievable."
The account had no other notable information.
Tong Yang opened the drawers. Most contained receipts, a few POS machines, and a jumble of keys—though nothing nearby seemed to be locked.
Under the counter was another cabinet. Inside, she found a stack of pay stubs.
The most recent one showed the studio’s teachers earning an average of 30,000, while support staff like cleaners and front desk workers made around 5,000. Xu Junyue’s salary was the lowest—just over 3,000, with a note: Compensation for lost customer items: 2,000 deducted from salary.
"Two thousand docked?" Tong Yang frowned. Working an entire month only to lose half your pay in one go.
"Search time is over. All players, return to the rest area."
The announcement crackled over the speakers.
Tong Yang gathered the documents she could take and headed back with Xu Junyue.
By the time they arrived, the others were already seated.
"Now that everyone’s here, let’s begin presenting evidence."
Chu Shiyu and Zhou Jingyun had investigated the men’s clothing store—where Tao Bai was last seen before the incident.
"We found a recording of the staff’s conversation at the store."
The voice recorder clicked on. After a faint static hum, a dialogue played:
"That customer’s got issues. Dude was acting super aggressive."
"I heard him in the fitting room, threatening someone over the phone—saying he’d track them down and make them pay."
"He’s been wandering this floor for hours without buying anything. Like he was waiting for someone."
"Should we call the cops?"
"But he hasn’t actually done anything..."
"Look at the clothes he changed out of!"
"Why’s his jacket covered in coffee...?"
The recording cut off abruptly.
All eyes turned to Tao Bai.
He lifted his gaze, offering a harmless smile.
But since it wasn’t discussion time yet, no one interrupted.
"We also found a coffee-stained men’s jacket in the fitting room. Inside the pocket was a letter and some photos of a girl."
Chu Shiyu placed the photos on the table. "You’ve probably guessed—the girl in the pictures is the victim, Tan Wanqi."
"Ew! She’s just a kid! Barely legal! And you seemed so proper—turns out you’re a creep!"
Tao Bai sighed. "It’s not what you think."
"Then what is it?"
"The evidence is right here! Spill it!"
"You said you came to the mall to buy clothes for meeting your girlfriend’s parents. But your relationship with Tan Wanqi looks shady."
"How old is Tan Wanqi? There’s no way she’d take you home to meet her family!"
Tao Bai’s gaze swept over the group before he exhaled. "Maybe you’re right."
"Ugh! Disgusting pervert!"
