Everything started to make sense.
The children died on the second floor and turned into little ghosts, wandering the mansion.
But there was a fierce Buddha in the mansion, and they feared it—just as they feared Mr. Du, who controlled the fierce Buddha.
Mr. Du often appeared on the second floor, performing surgeries and cleaning up after them. He also frequented the room on the third floor with the keys, since it was his meeting room, where his money tree grew roots and thrived.
So, the little ghosts dared not roam in those places. They would hide in rooms that didn't have keys.
If anyone violated the rules and walked from the third floor to the fourth, their restraints would loosen, and they would follow that person to the fourth floor and devour them.
If anyone opened the picture frame on the first floor, the control of the fierce Buddha over them would weaken, and they could appear on the first floor.
As for the night, they would only appear on the fourth floor, under the control of the fierce Buddha—more precisely, Mr. Du—serving as guides for the "Four Corners Game."
Xie Mingchi suddenly understood. "So, even if we go to the rooms on the second floor, we'll only find a bloody operating table. If we go to those rooms without keys, we might just be devoured by the little ghosts, right?"
Wan Wuqiu gave him an appreciative gesture. "Smart."
The two fell into silence for a while, giving the others time to react.
Soon, Xiao Xiao figured it out. "I get your point now…" she said, her face becoming complicated as she looked at Wan Wuqiu. "So, this is your first time in the Puppet World?"
Wan Wuqiu answered nonchalantly, "Of course not."
"Not?" Chu You was also surprised, looking at Xie Mingchi. "Then you…"
Xie Mingchi clarified, "This is my first time."
The words felt a bit off. At the odd looks from the group, he coughed lightly. "I mean, this is my first time in the Puppet World."
Xiao Xiao's gaze shifted between the two, her brow furrowed. "Aren't you supposed to be in the relationship between a ghost puppet and a puppeteer?"
Xie Mingchi hesitated, but Wan Wuqiu was straightforward. "No, we're both puppeteers."
With that, Xie Mingchi had no choice but to add, "Yes," pulling over the nearby He Qi. "This is my ghost puppet."
Xiao Xiao and Chu You exchanged glances, sensing the confusion in each other's eyes. Xiao Xiao's gaze became probing. "I remember you both introduced yourselves as partners before."
Wan Wuqiu smiled. "I did a little trick to make Mr. Du think I'm his ghost puppet."
Xiao Xiao immediately stared at him like he was a fool and silently distanced herself by two meters.
This guy must be insane, thinking he could accompany someone to their death.
"Ahem…" Xie Mingchi cleared his throat to break the uncomfortable silence. "This is not important. Let's get back to the matter at hand."
Now that they had a basic understanding of the mansion's layout, the most important task was to find Mr. Du's soul thread.
Xiao Xiao nodded. "Chu You and I eliminated a few more locations last night, and combined with what you just said, we've narrowed it down to a few options."
"The office on the second floor, the shrine with the fierce Buddha, and the picture frame on the first floor," Chu You paused. "But we can't be sure, so we need you to verify it with us."
In the process of finding the soul thread, at least two people needed to act together. If one of them was really correct, it could attract Mr. Du's attention, and the other four might not have a chance to react.
So, they needed to be very clear about their roles—knowing when to step in to help after a certain amount of time with no movement.
Xie Mingchi's mind started to race.
The moment he stepped into the mansion, he had seen a scene—this was likely Mr. Du's operating room, which was also one of the other rooms on the second floor, a microcosm of the Puppet World itself:
Blood, shackles, cruelty.
The first night, they played the Four Corners Game, and Mr. Du had successfully obtained the organ of the youngest boy, completing the game smoothly.
The next day, Mr. Du noticed He Qi, whom he had overlooked the previous night, and thought he had made a mistake by missing someone younger. But Xie Mingchi had quickly deflected the attention.
That day, they checked the second-floor office, which was actually a victim's archive room.
Apart from some everyday items on Mr. Du's desk, what had been there? A computer, and some antique decorations:
A golden qilin, a lotus lamp, and a black obsidian box.
These were items typically placed by people who held some sort of belief.
Xie Mingchi had opened the obsidian box and found a string of bodhi beads inside, similar to the ones Mr. Du wore on his wrist. These looked more refined, almost as if they had been carefully protected.
Wait a minute.
Carefully protected?
This was Mr. Du's Puppet World, where everything was under his control. Why would he go to such lengths to protect this bead string? What was he afraid of?
The only thing that could threaten his existence was the soul thread… an outsider puppeteer.
Mr. Du valued money above all but also valued his life just as much.
Only by protecting his soul thread could he continue to scheme and profit from this utopia.
Xie Mingchi seemed to have grasped an important point and grabbed Wan Wuqiu's arm. "I've got it! We don't need to verify it at the same time. I know where Mr. Du hid the soul thread!"
Everyone spoke in unison: "Where?"
"His office's obsidian box has a string of bodhi beads," Xie Mingchi explained. "Buddhists often wear them, and he's extremely protective of anyone entering the second and third-floor rooms. Aside from hiding his secret, he must be protecting that bead string."
"Are you saying the soul thread is the string attached to the bodhi beads?" Xiao Xiao thought for a moment. "It's possible. This Puppet World isn't too complex, it's on the simpler side, so the location of the soul thread shouldn't be too hard to find."
Xie Mingchi let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, his first Puppet World was a simple one. Otherwise, he might not even have a chance to cry out if he died.
In fact, he had suspected those three places from the start.
But they had already thoroughly examined the picture frame on the first floor, and apart from releasing the little ghosts, there was nothing special.
As for the shrine with the fierce Buddha, aside from the Buddha statue, there was only an incense burner.
Although Mr. Du used the fierce Buddha, that didn't mean he wasn't afraid of its power. Hiding his lifeline next to the fierce Buddha didn't seem like the safest option.
So, that left his office.
But the office was simple in design, and the only thing suspicious were the decorations on the desk.
Was the Puppet World really this simple…? They had only stayed here for two nights.
Xie Mingchi felt a little unsure and tentatively asked Wan Wuqiu, "What do you think?"
Wan Wuqiu thought for a moment and then looked at him. "I think you already have a well-rounded plan."
Xie Mingchi was stunned. This person had seen through his thoughts again, and it made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable or not, he said, "If everyone agrees with my idea, then let me offer a plan."
"The bead string is just a guess, and I'm not completely sure the soul thread is there. So we can't have everyone go at once."
When the others nodded, Xie Mingchi continued, "We'll split into three teams. One team will go to the office to find the soul thread, another will release the little ghosts—ideally, we can sever their chains, let them fight Mr. Du, and the last team will block Mr. Du in the dining room while he's praying to the fierce Buddha."
Severing the chains of the little ghosts would give them a chance to exact their revenge. It would also buy them time. If their guess about the soul thread was wrong, they could go to other places and search.
Blocking Mr. Du with the fierce Buddha would not only lock down his position but also prevent him from using the fierce Buddha against them.
Xie Mingchi started observing the expressions of those around him. Wan Wuqiu was always stoic, and sometimes even when he smiled, it was impossible to read his thoughts, so he put that aside for now.
He Qi would definitely support him unconditionally, no need to say more.
Shen Fianian was casual; he'd go along with whatever the others said. He didn't seem afraid of death, so he'd agree to anything.
Then, there was Xiao Xiao and Chu You. Every time, Xiao Xiao made decisions, and Chu You executed them
From the looks of it, Xiao Xiao was the puppeteer.
Xiao Xiao seemed to be thinking deeply now, so Xie Mingchi patiently waited for her opinion.
After a long pause, Xiao Xiao looked up. "I can accept your plan, but I'll decide on the team distribution."
Xie Mingchi let out a breath of relief and immediately agreed, "Okay."
Xiao Xiao wasn't polite. "You and your ghost puppet will go to the office to find the soul thread," she said, looking at Xie Mingchi, "Chu You and I will sever the chains, and the other two will block Mr. Du."
She hadn't trusted Wan Wuqiu at first, but since learning that he had been in the Puppet World multiple times, she felt his strength couldn't be weak.
After all, there weren't many people who could remain so calm in a Puppet World. Either they were foolish, or they were big shots.
Dealing with Mr. Du and the fierce Buddha wasn't easy, and letting him go might buy them some time…
Xiao Xiao's plan seemed solid, and Xie Mingchi nodded in agreement. But at that moment, Wan Wuqiu spoke up, "I'll go with him to find the soul thread."
He meant he'd go with Xie Mingchi, and he said "find the soul thread" instead of just going to the office.
Xiao Xiao understood his intention.
They were still guessing where the soul thread was, and there was still a possibility they could be wrong. With him working with the newcomer, he could help if needed.
Since they were already in alliance, Xiao Xiao didn't argue, but she still raised a concern. "Are you sure they can keep Mr. Du and the fierce Buddha occupied?"
One was He Qi, a scaredy-cat student.
The other was Shen Fianian, who seemed so careless he could probably end up making a deal with Mr. Du.
Xiao Xiao was skeptical.
"They can," Wan Wuqiu explained. "Although He Qi is timid, isn't Mr. Du's main target children? Let He Qi bait him, and I think it'll work."
He Qi: "???"
He looked at his brother, but his brother only gave him the "your fate ends here" look and gave up trying to save him.
In an instant, He Qi felt like he wouldn't make it out alive.
"As for Shen Fianian…" Wan Wuqiu carefully chose his words, "He doesn't look reliable, and in fact… he really isn't that reliable." He cleared his throat. "But he'll do for filling the numbers."
Xiao Xiao glanced at Shen Fianian with pity. "Alright, it's settled."
Mr. Du would go to pray around lunchtime, and there was still some time before then. Everyone went back to their rooms to rest.
Xie Mingchi held back for a long time but couldn't resist asking, "Why did she arrange for me to find the soul thread?"
He was just a rookie with limited abilities.
And wasn't the person who found the soul thread supposed to gain extra life? Why did Xiao Xiao give up on that opportunity?
Wan Wuqiu thought for a moment. "Probably because the person who finds the soul thread has to confront Mr. Du. If they get it wrong, Mr. Du would erase them immediately."
Xie Mingchi: "…"
Damn, why didn't you say that earlier?
No wonder Xiao Xiao was so generous—she was waiting for him to serve as cannon fodder!
Wan Wuqiu added, "If the soul thread is found incorrectly, the guardian ghost puppets will only kill the person who went to verify it with Mr. Du. The rest will still be alive, but the conditions for death will be more lenient."
That made things even worse.
Xie Mingchi instantly felt the pressure mounting.