“Si Mayue is angry because the siren in the illusion took on the appearance of Yan Hao to deceive her.”

Si Nan spoke with great enthusiasm, “Think about it, they’ve only known each other for a day or two. What kind of deception could make Si Mayue completely lower her guard and have an eye gouged out without even realizing it?”

Yu Sen glanced at him, puzzled, “What are you trying to say?”

“Tsk! I think there’s a good chance Si Mayue was attracted to that pure and kind teacher, and her infatuation clouded her judgment, making her easy prey in the illusion,” Si Nan said.

“I do think that Yan Hao is quite gentle. When I passed by earlier, I saw him getting beaten and scratched by Si Mayue, yet he didn’t fight back,” Luo Yu said.

“Beaten and scratched? It wasn’t even him who gouged out her eye, so why blame him?” Yu Sen said, lying back on the pillow, rubbing his dizzy temples. “It’s really unfortunate. I think Si Mayue never truly intended to help him in the first place, so she got what she deserved.”

He was still feeling some lingering dizziness and discomfort, and as he closed his eyes to rest, he suddenly heard Si Xuanyang’s faint voice in his ear, “Stop wasting your energy on wild guesses.”

Then, out of nowhere, a familiar hand slid down his thigh under the blanket, moving slowly downward.

Yu Sen mentally cursed and snapped his eyes open, but didn’t dare make a sound.

Is it really going to be this intense and exciting!?

However, when he opened his eyes, he saw that Si Xuanyang’s head had already burrowed under the blanket, and the hand on his leg was gradually moving down to his ankle, making him flinch.

He glanced at Si Nan, whose face was written with ‘shock,’ and couldn’t figure out what Si Xuanyang was thinking at this moment. It was enough to leave his jaw hanging.

Acting on a whim like this, completely disregarding the situation?

“Yang, Yang, Yang… Mr. Si! What are you doing!?” Yu Sen propped up his upper body, a little worried. “Why are you so impatient? Si Nan and Luo Yu are still here!”

Si Xuanyang’s messy head emerged from the blanket, giving him a strange and speechless look, “Can’t you think of something serious for once?”

The hand hidden under the blanket tightened its grip on Yu Sen’s ankle and lifted it slightly.

“Stop!” Yu Sen’s face instantly turned horrified, “I’m seriously telling you to stop! Don’t pull!”

Yu Sen awkwardly glanced up, meeting Si Nan’s gaze. The latter hesitated, wanting to drag Luo Yu out of the room, but the barely concealed excitement on his face revealed that he was eager to stay and watch the drama unfold.

“This is so embarrassing… Are they trying to kill me from shame?” The blush on Yu Sen’s ears slowly spread to his cheeks.

“What are you even thinking?” Si Xuanyang chuckled, kissing him lightly on the cheek. “I just wanted to massage the Taichong acupoint for you. This point is on the top of the foot, and massaging it helps alleviate discomfort when you’re feeling lightheaded. A doctor taught me that.”

He paused, giving Yu Sen a meaningful look before slowly continuing, “Why are the scenes in your head always so inappropriate when you look at me? Could it be that… you’re thinking about it so much?”

“…You jerk! That’s so shameless,” Yu Sen covered his flushed face with his arm, collapsing weakly onto the pillow. “It’s clearly your actions that were ambiguous, making people imagine things on purpose!”

How did he end up being the one with ill intentions! So infuriating!

“Oh——!”

“…Oh my foot!”

His heel was grasped in warm hands, massaging the acupoint with just the right amount of pressure, sending a tingling sensation through him. Yu Sen bit his lip, unable to say anything out of anger.

The thousands of thoughts swirling in his mind gradually condensed into a single theme—having a boyfriend is really nice.

…

As Si Xuanyang continued massaging him, he asked Si Nan, “By the way, how are they planning to get the key from the person in the next room?”

Si Nan was puzzled by the question, “How to get it? Just… take it with their hands, of course. Si Mayue has been crying and insisting on completing the task quickly to go back to the real world and treat her eye. So, she just sent Yan Hao to get the key.”

“What? She just sent Yan Hao to get the key? Has he already gotten it?” Si Xuanyang’s massaging movements paused for two seconds.

“Is… is there something wrong with that?” Si Nan was startled by his shocked tone, not understanding the situation.

Yu Sen felt a bit of soreness around the acupoint on his foot, so he reached out and pulled Si Xuanyang’s hand, “That’s enough, stop. I’m feeling better.”

Only then did Si Xuanyang release his foot and help Yu Sen sit up and put on his clothes, still puzzled, “I thought these special dropped items had specific restrictions. Strangers or people who aren’t part of the group shouldn’t be able to use someone else’s items. That’s why last time in the theater, when our mirror broke, I didn’t go to the room of the person who died to take their mirror.”

He pulled Yu Sen’s zipper up to the top, hesitating uncertainly, “Could I have been wrong? Are there any reminder posts about this on the forums?”

“Didn’t notice,” Yu Sen frowned slightly, then asked Si Nan, “Where are they?”

“After getting the key, Si Mayue went directly to the warehouse to open the door. She’s in a hurry to find clues and even urged me to bring our key over quickly!”

Yu Sen felt something was off, exchanging a glance with Si Xuanyang, “Let’s go check it out.”

…

After quickly getting ready, Yu Sen was led out of the room with an arm around his shoulders. Living on a ship, there was still a bit of swaying, and with his head still spinning, he leaned on Si Xuanyang while walking, who helped support most of his weight.

They didn’t delay along the way, skipping even meals, but they still arrived late.

When they reached the warehouse door, apart from the one-eyed Si Mayue and two other familiar men, Yan Hao was nowhere to be seen.

At this moment, a large pool of bright red blood was spread across the wooden floor in front of the warehouse. Soaked in the blood was a gray casual outfit, lying limp in the pool, without any trace of a body or bones inside.

Si Nan recognized the clothes and shoes as the ones Yan Hao was wearing that morning, his face changing dramatically as he shouted angrily, “Where is Yan Hao?”

Si Mayue, her empty eye socket a bloody hole, her remaining eye filled with a sinister malice, coldly sneered, “As you can see, messing with someone else’s stuff has cost him everything.”

“You——!”

Yu Sen held back the enraged Si Nan, his gaze darkening as he stared at Si Mayue, “Did you know in advance what would happen if he used the key to open the door?”

Si Mayue brushed back a strand of hair from her temple, the blind eye eerie and sinister, her lips curling into a careless, chilling smile.

“Not only I knew, quite a few people actually did. But what could be done? That’s just how the tasks in this place are. This door is ridiculously designed, requiring so many locks to be opened! Since no one else was willing to be the bad guy, I had to step up and be ruthless! Otherwise, if we missed a crucial clue, the whole ship would fail the task, and we’d all end up dying in this damned place together!”