Chapter 455: Breaking the Glass

Only one person can emerge victorious……

Does that mean she has to settle the score with Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji, who is sitting in the private booth?

At that moment, Qing Qing even felt a bit of regret.

If it were as usual, casually finding someone to form a team and participate in this deadly Instance, she would… never have ended up in this situation.

The fleeting thought of regret was quickly strangled by her.

In the Instance, any weakness is tantamount to seeking death.

Qing Qing's gaze turned sharp and icy once again.

She gripped the dagger tightly, her body slowly straightened from being pressed against the glass, creating a little distance, yet she remained directly in front of the booth—a position where she could advance to attack or retreat to defend, and could observe the entire scene at any moment.

Cheng Shuili understood that this meant the other party no longer trusted her.

But in Cheng Shuili's view, the other's action was not only understandable, it was completely reasonable.

The rule was now crystal clear: a death countdown every ten minutes, with only one victor.

This meant that from now on, every remaining person, aside from oneself, had become an opponent who must eliminate each other.

Those four obviously realized this as well.

After a brief stupor, panic quickly turned into suspicion and ruthlessness.

They no longer clung together; instead, they distanced themselves from each other, warily scanning the others, gripping their weapons tighter, pointing not just at the darkness but also at their companions nearby.

"Ten… ten minutes…" the short-haired female player's voice trembled; unaware of why, she asked, "What… what should we do now?"

"What else can we do?" a relatively burly male player gritted his teeth and answered, his eyes fierce as he swept the other three, "The rules say, one dies each time the lights go out! When the time comes and the lights darken, who knows whose turn it will be? Rather than wait for death, ……"

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was obvious.

Better yet, before the lights go out, strike first to eliminate a competitor!

If one could eliminate everyone else before the first lights-out, then one would undoubtedly be the victor.

The atmosphere instantly became tense and ready to explode.

The air between the four seemed to solidify, each breath reeking of gunpowder.

Qing Qing watched coldly from the sidelines, quickly calculating in her mind.

These four are nothing to fear; let alone their current mutual suspicion, even if they united, they would pose no threat to her.

To her, the only real threats were the Instance's randomly selected victim ten minutes later, and… Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji behind her in the booth!

Qing Qing pondered, glancing back out of the corner of her eye; the booth's one-way glass reflected only her own silhouette, revealing nothing of Wu Ya's movements.

No movement is a good thing!

This shows Wu Ya currently has no intention to act; she can seize this opportunity to thoroughly investigate this rule of the Instance!

How exactly is the certain death of one person chosen? And how does that death occur?

Is it the same as before the opening?

The moment this thought arose, Qing Qing's gaze shot like a sword toward the Gray Puppet still standing in place.

Unlike before, it did not look at any of the remaining six players; instead, it lowered its head, as if intently staring at the blood-drawn circle on the ground.

What does this mean?

While Qing Qing was pondering, a calm voice came from behind her: "Go take a look at that circle."

It was Cheng Shuili's voice.

Her voice came through the glass, still calm and unruffled, as if she hadn't noticed that rule at all.

Qing Qing felt a faint chill in her heart.

In this moment of mutual suspicion, when a deadly battle could erupt at any second, why did Wu Ya not only show her no hostility, but instead give her a hint?

Could it be that Wu Ya doesn't want to survive?

That thought had barely surfaced when Qing Qing pressed it down.

The strangeness of this idea was no less than Wu Ya suddenly confessing her love to her!

So… Wu Ya saying that must either be a trap, or she has discovered something Qing Qing overlooked, and that thing might benefit both sides, at least for now.

She did not act immediately, her eyes locked on the Gray Puppet with its bowed head and the Blood Ring beneath its feet.

The puppet's posture is indeed strange, and it is certain that it is absolutely focused on that blood-drawn circle.

Previously, the chosen person was the one the puppet stared at, but now the puppet looks at no one—does this mean…… the next victim hasn't been selected yet?

Or perhaps the Blood Ring itself is the key?

Time waits for no one; the countdown silently elapses.

"Go take a look?" the burly male player obviously also heard Cheng Shuili's words; he snorted, full of suspicion and malice, "Who knows if it's a trap? That woman in the booth has been hiding all along, and now she's suddenly being so kind?"

The short-haired female and the other two also showed hesitant expressions; nobody dared to act rashly.

Qing Qing, however, made a decision in an instant. She trusted her judgment, and also believed that a player of Wu Ya's caliber would not, at this moment, ensnare her with such a lowly trick.

Having made up her mind, she did not rush to act; instead, she glanced at the burly male and said coldly, "If you're afraid of death, just shrink back—no one needs you to go."

The burly male's face darkened; he straightened his neck to retort, but after looking at the strange Blood Ring and puppet, he swallowed his words, only able to mutter to himself: "You ungrateful thing… I'm speaking up for you."

Qing Qing couldn't be bothered with his bluster; she turned the dagger in her hand, satisfied to see him shrink his neck, then turned and walked toward the Blood Ring before the puppet.

As she drew nearer, the sweet-bloody smell in the air grew thicker, like invisible tendrils that lightly brushed her skin, sending waves of chilling dread.

Qing Qing paused just before stepping into the circle, thought for a moment, then turned her head and shook it at Cheng Shuili in the booth.

The meaning was clear—she had seen nothing.

Cheng Shuili felt a bit disappointed; after realizing staying seated here was useless, she rose to her feet and stretched lightly.

Then a long sword suddenly appeared in her hand—narrow and long, dark in hue, with a faint cold gleam along the edge; it was Night Hunt!

Cheng Shuili lifted her eyes to look at Qing Qing standing far away, then glanced at the four huddled together on the other side, before returning her gaze to the one-way glass before her.

The moment to break the glass had finally arrived.

Cheng Shuili gripped Night Hunt, her wrist turned slightly, the blade traced a cold arc in the dim yellow light of the private room.

She didn't choose any fancy move, simply pointing the blade tip at the single-pane glass before her, then her wrist suddenly exerted force, thrusting forward!