Chapter 23: The Henchmen Begin Their Move

[I know, I know! That box was made of wooden slats with gaps between them. One gap was slightly wider, which let the key fall out!]

[So, is that how the box was solved? @HappySignalOfficial]

[That couldn't be the solution! I looked at the gap; the key would have to be vertical to fall through, and that was probably the only gap in the whole box that would allow the key to pass through entirely. It was a low-probability event!]

[Wow! It really was just Wanwan's good luck! The official account just posted the correct solution—you have to solve the riddle to get the key out of the box!]

While the audience was chatting, Jiang Yunyao finished reading the search process Lin Wanwan had posted. She pondered for a moment, placed the small box on the floor, took out a hammer, and prepared to strike.

Xie Yixing's eyes widened. "Where did you get a hammer?!"

Interrupted, Jiang Yunyao pointed behind the door. "I just picked it up over there!"

Xie Yixing looked amazed. "Isn't this hammer a hidden item?! Quickly, try it and see if you can break the box open!"

However, before Jiang Yunyao could hammer the box, the production team's broadcast echoed throughout the castle.

"Minion Jiang Yue, out!"

"Jiang Yunyao and Xie Yixing attempted to destroy the key; half of their health points have been deducted!"

"Attention: Each guest has only one health point. If it reaches zero, the guest will be considered devoured!"

Jiang Yunyao and Xie Yixing: "???"

Every broadcast announcement played three times before stopping. Soon after, both of their phones began to vibrate as they received a barrage of group messages.

Castle Master's Sister (Wen Xiao): "I obtained an opportunity to eliminate someone. Based on the evidence provided by Xiaonuo, I have eliminated the minion Jiang Yue."

Castle Master's Son (Lu Mucheng): "@Castle Master's Daughter (Jiang Yunyao) @Castle Master's Son-in-law (Xie Yixing), what are you two doing?"

Castle Master's Brother (Liu Tingpeng): "Are Jiang and Xie minions too? From the very beginning, it was Jiang who spoke up for those two guys!"

Castle Master's Brother (Liu Tingpeng): "If they aren't minions, why would they try to destroy the key?!"

Castle Master's Daughter-in-law (Lin Wanwan): "A-Yao was just asking in the group about how to get the key; she probably just wanted to obtain it through other means, right?"

Castle Master's Son (Lu Mucheng): "Do not attempt to obtain the key through other unofficial methods!"

Staff members took the hammer away from Jiang Yunyao. She felt very regretful that she hadn't managed to act sooner. She posted a photo of the box in the group, along with a picture of the staff member walking away with the hammer, acting as a roundabout explanation for why they had been penalized.

[Hahahahaha, Jiang and Xie tried to skip the puzzle-solving step and got a warning from the production team!]

[Thank goodness for that warning, otherwise I was really worried these two would try to hammer the lock on the main gate too!]

[The production team just cut to a shot of the director, and his face was so dark! It cracked me up!]

[Director: Who the hell put that hammer there! Stand up right now!!!]

[I think it's a bit unfair. The hammer wasn't placed there by Jiang or Xie, and there was no rule saying it couldn't be used to solve the puzzle. Why deduct their health points?]

[To the person above, you have a point. Maybe the production team considered that, which is why they only deducted half their health instead of all of it.]

[Let me put in a word for the production team: they punished them because doing that would destroy the key, not simply because it was a violent solution!]

[Aren't you all surprised? This game actually allows for the elimination of minions! It wasn't said at the beginning that it could be played this way!]

[No, no, no, what surprises me is that the minions are sacrificing their own teammates! What kind of play is this???]

[That's pretty easy to understand, right? Someone from another camp was there, and there was clear evidence. If she had shielded her teammate, wouldn't she have exposed herself?]

After reporting in the group, Jiang and Xie headed to the first-floor kitchen. Having learned their lesson, they were well-behaved this time. Jiang Yunyao carefully asked the staff members, and only after confirming that heating a smart lock with fire wasn't a violation did she feel safe to proceed.

They obtained the red key and opened the second lock.

Jiang and Xie's search area remained on the second floor. The second room they searched was the master bedroom—the Castle Master's room. As before, one guarded the door while the other rummaged through the room.

Jiang Yunyao found a small robot under the bed. Seeing a switch on it, she turned it on, just to see what would happen. Immediately, the robot awkwardly swung its arms and emitted a mechanical voice:

"The little boat sails toward the distance; my heart yearns for you. The red postage stamp accompanies my longing, reaching your shore to become the only bond between you and me."

After listening, Xie Yixing recalled common gaming tropes and said to Jiang Yunyao: "This poem is likely revealing some information. The solution should be nearby. Check if there are any other clues on the robot."

Jiang Yunyao agreed. She picked up the robot to examine it and finally found a string of numbers on the bottom. "It says 1312510. This might be related to those lines!"

Xie Yixing muttered, "Seven numbers, but only five sentences. The numbers should probably be divided..."

Jiang Yunyao nodded, pacing back and forth in the room as she analyzed. "Assuming the numbers are written in order, the number '1' might mean it's time to move to the next sentence! And '0' usually represents something non-existent. Either '0' is a distractor, or it's meant to be paired with the '1' before it to make '10'!"

"Following this logic, we divide the remaining five digits: 13 and 125!"

Xie Yixing tilted his head in thought. "Now we have three sets of numbers, but the poem has five lines, so these numbers need to be divided further!"

"Right!" Jiang Yunyao snapped her fingers. "Open the chat box on your phone, write down the possibilities I mention, and we'll try them one by one!"

Some of the audience in the livestream were already bewildered.

[Can I say that aside from the poem, I didn't understand anything else?]

[To the person above, you're not alone! I didn't understand either!]

[Help! Is there a genius who can explain this? My brain feels like mush!]

[Hmm... this is actually considered a relatively simple puzzle. Maybe people just don't play these kinds of games often, so they aren't used to it.]

[Master, please enlighten us!]

[For those who didn't understand, hurry to the production team's official account—they've posted a walkthrough!]

While everyone was checking the walkthrough, Jiang and Xie had already solved the puzzle.

Xie Yixing read the line aloud: "Beware of the red button."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the production team's broadcast rang out:

"Lin Wanwan, out!"

There was no "Minion" prefix before her name, meaning Lin Wanwan's identity was normal—she was their teammate! In other words, the minions had begun their move!

Jiang Yunyao and Xie Yixing exchanged a glance, both feeling their scalps tingle and goosebumps rise.

Jiang Yunyao reacted faster. Amidst the broadcast, she involuntarily raised her voice and shouted at him, "Quickly send that sentence! Post it in the group! Hurry!"

If that sentence was an important clue, then they had to alert as many people as they could!

Xie Yixing frantically copied and pasted. The moment he clicked the send button, he felt sweat on his hands. And at that very moment, the production team's broadcast sounded once more:

"Lu Mucheng, out!"