With his newfound ability secured, Lin Yu allowed himself a sliver of relief—but remained vigilant.

Yes, an identity-verification power was devastating in a game like this.

As Chen Zhuo said, rallying around him would give the humans an easy win.

Which meant one thing:

He'd painted a target on his back.

The wolves would come for him at the first opportunity—unless he clung to the group like a lifeline.

But the game wouldn't allow that.

"BEEP—BEEP—"

A shrill alarm erupted from the ceiling.

Lin Yu's gaze snapped upward. "Second floor," he noted.

Chen Zhuo paled. "Is this the wolves attacking?!"

"No." Yu Longguo's voice cut through the panic. "Remember the letter? The castle has a schedule. Fail the tasks, and the traps activate."

"That's still DEATH!" Chen Zhuo yelped, whirling toward the wall near the entrance. A schedule was pinned there, plain as day.

The group crowded around it.

DAILY TASKS (DAY 1):

• Repair generator (2F Engineering Room) | ETA: 10min | Timer: 15:49...

• Refuel equipment (3F Machinery Room) | ETA: 3min | Timer: 17:22...

• Clean library (1F) | ETA: 15min | Timer: 21:06...

Dozens more entries scrolled down, each with a ticking countdown.

No one knew how the castle would punish failures—but no one wanted to find out.

"This many tasks?! I didn't even work this hard when I was alive!" Bao Liu spat.

Lin Yu's mind raced.

The tasks were too many, too scattered.

Sticking together would doom them all.

The solution? Split up.

And that was the game's countermeasure—forcing the humans to separate.

After quick calculations, Lin Yu spoke:

"Two groups. Three and four people. With route optimization... we might finish in time."

Lin Yu was still mentally optimizing their routes when Bao Liu abruptly declared:

"Screw planning—I'm tackling the generator repair!" He turned to leave.

Most of the group seemed ready to follow suit.

Lin Yu's brow furrowed. "Wait. You can't just go alone."

Bao Liu spun back, snarling. "The hell I can't! Those timers are ticking—you want us all dead?!"

"Think," Lin Yu countered calmly. "Splitting completely gives the wolves free kills. We must group up."

Chen Zhuo nodded frantically. "Yeah! Lone wolves get eaten—literally!"

Bao Liu hesitated, but Yu Longguo cut in:

"Pairs, then. Seven of us means three groups of two... and one solo."

Lin Yu opened his mouth to object—

"I know the risk," Yu Longguo barreled on. "If a human pairs with a wolf, it's dangerous. But remember: if someone dies, their partner becomes the prime suspect."

"So staying together is the safety net."

Before anyone could argue, he pressed: "Time's wasting. We do pairs."

Xia Yue bit her lip. "But seven people means someone has to go—"

"I'll solo," Yu Longguo stated. "My Soldier ability can handle a wolf, weapon or not."

Chen Zhuo brightened. "Makes sense! Brother Yu's built for this!"

The group murmured agreement—even Lin Yu stayed silent.

But something gnawed at him.

Yu Longguo's logic sounded solid: pairing accelerated identity confirmation, a classic strategy.

Yet—

Smaller groups meant higher human casualties.

This wasn't just winning. It was gambling lives to out the wolves.

And why was no one questioning it?

Before he could voice his doubts, a tug at his sleeve.

Xia Yue stood close, her voice barely audible:

"Detective... pair with me?"