Ye Pingjun told No. 11 the part of the Count’s rules that Mo Bai had seen, “The Count will visit one player every night. Before that, he will make all the maids and butlers withdraw. Only after confirming that there isn't a single person left in the corridor would he come out of his room.

During the time he visits a player at night, he wouldn’t go to any other room. We could use that chance to leave our own rooms and explore the castle at night.”

The information Ye Pingjun gave was entirely true. Truth was always the easiest to believe, so No. 11 quickly accepted it.

The two deliberately walked slowly, remaining at the very back of the group, stalling for time before returning to their rooms so they could exchange information.

No. 11 really wanted to go to No. 4’s room to steal Ironhide Skin, and he also wanted to do something to No. 4. He wanted to cut apart and shatter that porcelain-doll-like girl, watching her break into pieces until she was no longer recognizable.

The Count visiting guests at night was a perfect opportunity.

But No. 11 wasn’t stupid. He remembered what No. 4 had done to No. 1 and No. 2 at dinner. He felt that the Count would definitely visit No. 4’s room tonight. Wouldn’t he be walking right into a trap?

He needed to get into No. 4’s room before the Count arrived, knock No. 4 out, and take her away.

That way, when the Count enters No. 4’s room, he would find it empty. Since the Count couldn’t enter anyone else’s room for the rest of the night, No. 11 and No. 4 would have the entire night together.

He just needed the right timing.

Seeing that everyone was about to reach their own rooms, No. 11 quickly said, “The rooms' soundproofing is good. How would I know when the maids and butlers leave, or when the Count comes? What if I open the door and the Count happens to be walking by? Wouldn’t he enter my room right away? Your intel isn’t accurate, so I can’t tell you the strategy to clear the instance.”

“I knew you’d try to go back on your word and freeload off my information,” Ye Pingjun said. “The only reason I told you this is that I have a way to confirm the timing because of my ability. It's 'Peeping,' (窥视-kuīshì), which allows me to see through walls. Today at 3:10 p.m., I saw No. 9 panic and run away on the second floor while you chased right behind her, didn’t you?”

This was the scene their trio had seen using the Prying Lenses, but Ye Pingjun claimed it was his own ability.

Because the time Ye Pingjun mentioned matched exactly when No. 11 had been chasing No. 9, No. 11 believed him.

Ye Pingjun continued, “I can keep an eye on the maids’ and butlers’ movements. Once the maids leave, I’ll go knock on your door. Then you can leave your room. But if you want me to knock on time, you have to tell me the clues for clearing the instance.”

No. 11 thought for a moment, then said, “I had a deduction-type player help me calculate the instance's strategy. He calculated based on the background info the system provided and determined that the Count didn’t want to sponsor players. He just wants a living toy. He plans to pick the best living toy among us.

He tortures us and kills players under various excuses, but in reality, he's just eliminating toys he doesn't like. But the Count’s ultimate goal is still to get a toy. Once the number of players drops below 50%, he wouldn’t kill anyone anymore and would focus on selecting his toy.

The conclusion was: first, help the Count reduce the number of players below 50%, then help him choose a living toy. The remaining people could clear the instance.”

Ye Pingjun said, “When only five people are left, everyone has a one-in-five chance of being chosen. How are you sure that you wouldn’t be picked?”

No. 11 said, “Are you stupid? Just leave an ornamental group member. No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 are clearly ornamental types. Monsters, in instances, always love ornamental types. The Count would definitely choose someone from their group first.”

“But if No. 4 hadn’t exposed No. 1 and No. 2, the Count would’ve killed someone else tonight. How could you guarantee he wouldn’t pick you?” Ye Pingjun asked again.

No. 11 said, “Because… we’re already at our room doors. The maids are already glaring at us. I’ll tell you after you give me the signal tonight.”

Living in Room 10, Ye Pingjun acted helplessly, “You’re really a swindler! Fine, tonight I’ll knock to remind you. At that time, you must tell me everything!”

Back in his room, No. 11 lay comfortably on the bed, waiting for No. 10’s signal.

He had no intention of cooperating with anyone, and he never planned to let No. 10 live.

Tonight, after he takes away No. 4, he would hide in No. 10’s room and kill him while the Count enters Room 4.

That way, only six players would remain after tonight.

Tomorrow, he would kill another one. At that time, the number of players would fall to a safe threshold, and once the death rate requirement was met, the instance would undergo new changes.

After that, he would tie up No. 5 or No. 6 and offer them to the Count as a sacrifice, allowing him to clear the instance perfectly.

After leaving the instance, he absolutely planned to report this matter to Asura Path and have the entire organization hunt down Mo Xiangyou! That bastard who dared sell him fake intel!

Before entering the instance, he had spent 20,000 points buying intel, only to get scammed out of a fortune. Later, to obtain the final card, Nightingale’s Song, he bid against someone else and raised the price of a worthless 1,000-point card all the way up to 20,000 points.

He felt spending 20,000 points on such an overpriced card was a waste, so he stopped bidding and let the other party have it.

The reason No. 11 was willing to give up Nightingale’s Song was that their organization had a deduction master.

They could use the background info provided by the system at the start of the instance, along with death rate and player count, to deduce parts of the instance's process. It was very expensive, but the results were absolutely accurate, just not complete.

In the deduction master’s words, deduction wasn’t prophecy. Their ability was calculation and summarization.

An instance was like a math problem. Based on early information, deduction masters could calculate some results or summarize formulas for clearing the dungeon.

They deduced the instance itself, but couldn’t calculate variables.

Players were the variables within the instance.

Some instances became bizarre due to eccentric players, leading the deduction master’s calculated results to diverge completely from reality.

The deduction master of Asura Path could hardly tolerate this. He hated variable players who ruined his calculations. That was why he joined Asura Path: to hunt down players he considered variables in the instance.

To request the deduction master’s help, one not only had to pay points but also agree to the master’s conditions. To kill players in the instance and control all variables.

No. 11 already enjoyed killing. He liked watching weak people beg for their lives, only to fall into despair in the end. He enjoyed that process immensely.

So, he and the deduction master hit it off immediately. The deduction master waived half his fee. The original 50,000-point deduction cost was reduced to 25,000 points, but in return, No. 11 had to kill more than five players. For each one he failed to kill, he had to pay an extra 5,000 points afterward.

So far, No. 11 had only killed No. 9. Including No. 4 and No. 10, plus No. 5, whom he planned to sacrifice to the Count, he was still missing one more target.

At that moment, No. 11's expression turned lewd as he thought of No. 6’s gorgeous face, seductive aura, and full curves.

No. 6 was also a great target. Bullying her, humiliating her, and then killing her at the end. Perfect! No. 11 felt delighted at the thought.

He lay on his bed fantasizing about all the pleasures he would soon enjoy. Just like that, time passed until 12:30 a.m., when someone knocked on his door.

Three knocks: dong dong dong.

No. 11 hurriedly opened the door and saw No. 10 standing outside.

He checked the corridor. As expected, no maids or butlers were present.

“I can really go out?” No. 11 asked.

“Of course. Look, I’m standing right here, aren’t I?” No. 10 said. “Before the Count arrives, I plan to check out the basement. Maybe I’ll find an item card. Hurry up and tell me the info.”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow at breakfast,” No. 11 said shamelessly.

“You—!” No. 10 gritted his teeth, but time was tight, and he couldn’t afford to fight with No. 11 now. He growled, “If you don’t tell me tomorrow morning, I’ll kill you.”

After saying that, No. 10 ran off down the hallway and disappeared.

Seeing that No. 10 could truly move freely, No. 11 felt relieved and rushed toward Room No. 4.

“No. 10 really thinks he’ll live until tomorrow morning?” No. 11 sneered inwardly.

Once he tied up No. 4, he wouldn’t go back to his room. He planned to go straight to No. 10’s room and hide, waiting to kill No. 10 the moment he returned unprepared.

Standing at No. 4’s door, No. 11 didn’t knock. Instead, his body liquefied into a puddle and slowly flowed through the gap beneath the door.

Liquefaction (液体化 - yètǐhuà) was No. 11’s ability, and the reason he became a night assassin.

This ability allowed him to hide anywhere, which was also why he dared to kill players so boldly.

Once inside, No. 11 saw No. 4 sitting in a wheelchair, completely wrapped in Ironhide Skin with her head drooping.

Something felt wrong. He walked closer and discovered that No. 4’s body had already been severed into two pieces. All the blood had been drained, her clothes were gone, and she had died in an extremely eerie way.

This death reminded No. 11 of No. 12’s corpse.

No. 12 had also been split into two without bleeding.

Had the Count already come to No. 4’s room and killed her? Did No. 10 knock too late?

No. 11 immediately felt No. 10 had tricked him. Maybe No. 10 realized how desperately he wanted the Ironhide Skin and also saw that the Count intended to kill No. 4. Therefore, No. 10 deliberately knocked later, hoping No. 11 would run right into the Count’s night visit!

Luckily, he was fortunate enough that by the time he arrived, the Count had already killed No. 4 and left.

No. 11 quickly picked up the Ironhide Skin from No. 4’s body, and when her bisected torso fell to the ground, he couldn’t help feeling a bit regretful.

Such a beautiful girl dying like this, and even her face had been scratched up... what a pity.

Time was short, so No. 11 had no time to inspect the corpse. He grabbed the Ironhide Skin and left, heading straight into No. 10’s room to hide.

He already planned to kill No. 10, and knowing that No. 10 tried to trick him, he definitely wouldn’t hold back!

No. 11 liquefied again, sticking himself flat onto the wall, quietly waiting for No. 10 to return.

Soon, the door opened. Someone entered and said with a smile, “My beautiful little girl, I’ve come to take back what belongs to me. You wore the Ironhide Skin today just to provoke me, didn’t you? Did you think hiding in Room 10 would stop me from finding you? I’ve already memorized your scent. You can’t escape.”

No. 11: “Huh?”

Under the moonlight, he saw that the person who entered wasn’t No. 10’s ordinary-looking face, but No. 6!

No. 6 also spotted No. 11 stuck to the wall. She tilted her head, confused, and said coldly, “What are you? Where’s my little cutie?”

No. 11 also wanted to ask. Why was she coming to Room 10 in the middle of the night?

At that moment, the window suddenly darkened as if a shadow passed over it.

The window opened on its own, a cold wind blew in, and a person floated weightlessly into the room. It was the Count.

He said, “Don’t think switching rooms can save you. I remember the scent of the Ironhide Skin on your body perfectly.”

No. 6 looked at the Count coldly, “Are you here to steal my prey?”

The Count replied, “Phantom Butterfly, this is my castle. Everything here belongs to me. You’re the outsider.”

No. 11 felt the terrifying aura of two A-rank monsters at once. He pressed himself flat against the wall, not daring to move, afraid even his breathing might provoke them.

But neither A-rank monster intended to let him go. After briefly staring at each other, both turned to look at No. 11 and said chillingly, “And what are you supposed to be?”

No. 11: “……”

He wasn’t a thing! Please let him go!

Late that night, No. 11’s muffled screams were unheard behind the thick door.

Meanwhile, Mo Bai was lying inside No. 7 Ding Xun’s room. The two took turns wearing the Prying Lenses to check the situation outside.

Ding Xun put the glasses down and shook her head. “It’s too far. I could only see Phantom Butterfly walking toward Room 10. I couldn’t see what was happening inside.”

“That’s enough,” Mo Bai said. “While No. 11 is stalling Phantom Butterfly, kill No. 1 and No. 2!”

Ding Xun opened the door and rushed toward Rooms 1 and 2 at full speed.

As she passed Room 5, she lightly knocked on the door. Ye Pingjun peeked out from inside and accepted the Corrosive Claw that Ding Xun handed him. He equipped the item card and the two moved together toward No. 1 and No. 2’s rooms.