The next second, Bai Li’s hand could no longer advance even an inch. A strong force restrained him from behind, halting all movement. He strained to look back, catching sight of the person holding him back. Li Duo growled, stretching his arms wide as he pressed down on Bai Li’s shoulder. “No infighting!” he commanded.

With that, he stepped forward, positioning himself firmly between the two of them.

Fang Chen hadn’t moved at all during the exchange, not even blinking. Leaning slightly against the wall, his lips parted as he mouthed silently to Bai Li: “Thank him—you dodged a bullet.”

Li Duo’s martial arts training brought a natural authority, his sturdy presence calming the tension that had been moments from erupting. In front of him, Bai Li looked as fragile as a ruffled chick. Anyone with an ounce of common sense wouldn’t dream of challenging him.

Bai Li’s face betrayed a mix of fear and frustration. After a moment’s hesitation, he reluctantly turned away.

Fang Chen noticed that everyone who had arrived held onto a faint glimmer of hope. They all clung to the notion that the next person through the door might announce that this was all just some elaborate prank. But the greater their hope, the harsher the despair.

Fortunately, that despair didn’t seem to touch Fang Chen in the slightest. He possessed a natural bluntness, an unusual blend of wariness toward his surroundings and resistance to overwhelming stress. His adaptability was impressive. In simple terms, his threshold for panic was incredibly high and steady.

Being inexplicably pulled into another world was something he could relate to all too well; it even felt familiar.

A faint spark of excitement lit his thoughts, and armed with years of web novel knowledge, Fang Chen took a deep breath and called out confidently.

“System!”

A clear and hearty voice suddenly broke the hall’s uneasy silence.

“What the?!”

Meng Qiyan, who had been standing nearby, jumped, startled, and the others looked equally shocked. Could it be? This guy had seemed so calm—had he finally lost it under the stress?

For a moment, awkwardness hung in the air, and Fang Chen shrugged. Well, so much for a simple transmigration.

But in the next second—

“I’m here.”

A low voice sounded from the window.

Turning around, Fang Chen’s gaze met a pair of dark, penetrating eyes. In that instant, his entire field of vision was filled by an almost flawless face. The figure outside braced himself against the window, effortlessly leaping over the sill and into the room, bringing a chilly draft and the faint scent of aged wood and sandalwood with him.

The man scanned the room with a gentle smile before his gaze finally settled on Fang Chen. He extended a long, slender hand. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Yan Xuan, in the same situation as all of you.”

Fang Chen shook his hand without a hint of emotion, though his internal alert level had spiked.

The man before him was tall and lean, with silver hair tied loosely in a ponytail, exuding a relaxed aura. Just looking at him was oddly reassuring. But in the moment he’d broken through the window, an unconscious intensity and ruthless energy radiated from him—something Fang Chen had never encountered before.

His friendliness seemed to be just a surface mask.

Yan Xuan… Fang Chen mentally repeated the name.

Lu Wanting was the first to react, staring at the window in disbelief. “You call this the same? The rest of us came in through the front door.”

“Because I arrived here first,” Yan Xuan replied, brushing some dust from his sleeve. “I got bored on my own, so I went out for a walk.”

There was a collective sharp intake of breath. This man was delivering horrific news in the calmest possible tone.

“You checked out the entire place… including…?” Meng Qiyan forced a stiff smile, pointing upward to the upper floors.

“Yes. The second floor of this house is filled with guest rooms. Each room is identical, and there are exactly nine—one for each of us here. The third floor is a small attic, but the door’s locked, so we can’t access it just yet.” The man shared his findings without hesitation.

Something about his refined manners and relaxed demeanor made it hard to look away.

Meng Qiyan felt a chill as she glanced at the darkened staircase. She swallowed and gave him a shaky thumbs-up. Liu Mang, on the other hand, looked at him with admiration.

Just then, the already-flickering light in the hall flashed a few more times before finally dimming out completely. As darkness enveloped them, exclamations of surprise rippled through the room.

Then, a voice echoed in everyone’s mind—

“I watch you through the window. I gave everything to you. Why did you abandon me?”

The voice was genderless, emotionless, almost ancient, and sent a shiver down their spines.

“Who’s there? Who said that?”

“I heard it too.”

“Shh.” A voice hissed in the darkness. Liu Mang’s casual tone drifted over. “This is the theme of the game.”

As the room fell into chaotic whispers—

“Bang!” The main door was abruptly flung open, and a man carrying a lantern stepped inside, smiling as he bowed.

“The fog outside is thick tonight, and the bridge is broken. Please feel free to stay here for the time being.” He wore simple clothes and a straw hat, looking both rustic and diligent, though his skin seemed to glisten strangely. His cuffs and pant legs were awkwardly rolled up, as if the clothes didn’t quite fit.

A forced smile—that was Fang Chen’s first impression of the man.

“Who… who are you, and where are we?” The couple clung to each other, drawing closer in fear.

“I’m a carpenter. This is my yard, and you are my guests.” The man’s tone was warm and polite, as if he were genuinely hosting them.

If the situation hadn’t been so unsettling, he might have seemed like a helpful host.

“When can we leave?” Li Duo asked, his face grim, his beard twitching with each word.

“When the fog clears, you’ll be able to go.”

“When exactly will that be? Give me a straight answer!”

The lantern flickered, casting light and shadow over the man’s smiling face.

“The second floor is full of guest rooms. While waiting for the fog to clear, feel free to stay as you like. But, of course, there’s no such thing as a free stay. I’m in need of good-quality wood. It’s late tonight, so I’ll ask everyone to join me at eight in the morning to chop firewood.”

The carpenter spoke slowly and rhythmically, his voice almost mechanical.

“So, you’re the mastermind behind all this?” Bai Li finally saw someone who seemed to know what was happening. He took a quick step forward, grabbed the man’s collar, and lifted him off the ground.

“If I can’t make it back to work today, I’ll fight you to the end!” Though Bai Li had seemed timid, just the mention of his job gave him a surge of courage. He might have been impulsive, but his reaction was real. After all, while modern life had abolished slavery, it had created its own brand of corporate warriors.

The carpenter’s head tilted to the right from the force before slowly straightening, his mouth still twisted in a wide grin. Fang Chen’s sharp ears picked up a faint “click-click” as the man’s neck adjusted.

Veins bulged on Bai Li’s forehead as he hissed through clenched teeth, his hands shaking as he held the man. “Speak, d*mn it! Are you mute?!”

As his anger rose, the clicking sound grew faster, like the ticking of a countdown.