"Ah...this is difficult." Number Three squatted down and rummaged through the cotton, trying to find something inside. The teddy bear's skin lay limply on the ground, and Number Four reached out and picked it up.

"Brother, there's nothing here." Number Four handed over the outer wrapper. "Put the cotton back in."

Bored after finding nothing, the group decided to stuff cotton into the cotton.

Xiao Cheng found something amusing here for once, and poked the teddy bear's uneven belly: "It's not stuffed evenly here."

Number One coldly pulled back the zipper, scoffing, "You really think you're here to do crafts?"

Then, until nearly midnight, the electronic screen remained silent, and they found no further clues.

"Ah, it's time to vote." At exactly twelve o'clock, Xiao Cheng reminded the others, looking at the electronic screen that had suddenly turned into a snowy display.

The image of the clown suddenly appeared on the screen.

He sat in a room, pretending to be deep in thought. Behind him were walls covered with surveillance cameras, and the images of seven people were displayed on screens of various sizes from all directions.

Beside the clown stood a huge turntable, divided into red and blue sections, the meaning of which was unknown.

Then the clown let out a strange laugh: "The exciting moment has arrived, my dear guests. Next—you are about to be greeted with!"

"First round of formal voting!"

"Is it a wolf, a sheep, or a traitor in sheep's clothing? Oh, although the wolf hasn't revealed himself yet, I can't wait to see your decision!"

"However, to make the game more interesting, I will mercifully give you one chance to choose. Leave it to the wheel of fate. If it lands on blue, you will have one opportunity to choose whether to abstain."

The clown raised his hand and forcefully flicked the edge of the spinning wheel. The red and blue colors spun rapidly, merging into a dull purple in the eyes of the crowd.

Then the spinning wheel slowed down, and the boundary between red and blue became clearer. The slender pointer wobbled and eventually landed in the blue area.

"Wow, congratulations!" the clown clapped exaggeratedly. "Now, guests, please begin your selections. This round... will you cast your precious abstention vote?"

The group exchanged glances.

"Abstain".

They said it almost in unison.

The clown let out a long, regretful sigh: "Ah, is that so? What a pity. Well then, I declare the first round of voting—"

"All participants abstained."

"But...do you think this is the end? Of course not!" He threw his head back and burst into unrestrained laughter.

"Twelve hours from now! That is, midnight tonight! I will reappear, and at that time... the poor little lambs will have to make a choice."

"Of course, according to the rules, I will also mercifully reveal the third clue."

"Secret #3: Someone doesn't need Little Bear anymore."

The clown's image disappeared, replaced by a third sentence written in bright red ink, with the words "not needed" emphasized in bold, making it particularly eye-catching.

"Hmm... how can this not be good news?" Xiao Cheng tilted her head. "At least we've delayed things for another twelve hours."

"The wolf didn't make a move this morning." Fang He seemed quite clear-headed. "He still has twelve hours left."

"We don't have much time left, and neither do the wolves." Xiao Cheng even had the mood to joke, "How about we guess who will be the first to be eliminated? After all, the third clue is pretty useless anyway."

Everyone fell silent.

The mute girl seemed tired, and pointed wearily upstairs, indicating that she wanted to go back to her room to rest.

"Without a lock, the room isn't exactly safe," Number Two reminded her.

The mute girl nodded her thanks for his kindness, then turned and went upstairs. Everyone watched her figure disappear into the stairwell.

The remaining people tacitly stayed in the hall, but as time ticked by, no new clues emerged.

"Go back and rest." At exactly six o'clock in the afternoon, Number One pressed his temples wearily. "The wolf hasn't made a move yet."

"Let's go get something to eat," Number Two said, looking at her with concern.

Number One did not refuse. The two greeted the others and then turned and left. The two brothers followed closely behind, leaving only Xiao Cheng and Fang He in the hall.

"Aren't you going back?" Xiao Cheng sat cross-legged on the ground, leaning back against the wall, looking quite content.

"Being alone in this situation is quite dangerous, you know that, right?"

"But if I were a wolf, you would be the one left alone."

"Hmm." Fang He tilted his head back half-heartedly, exposing his vulnerable neck to Xiao Cheng, and said in a lazy and tender tone, "Then eat me, Miss Wolf."

Xiao Cheng raised her head and squinted at Fang He's exposed vital points.

"The meat is too tough; I'm afraid it will break my teeth. It's better not to eat it."

"Ah, that's a pity." Fang He chuckled softly, lowering his eyes to meet Xiao Cheng's gaze. "Seriously speaking, do you think there will be any new clues for the rest of today?"

“Unless the wolf does the killing, it shouldn’t be possible.” Xiao Cheng shook his head. “But does it matter? In any case, the one who dies won’t be you, and it won’t be me.”

"Are you so confident that the mute girl will agree to your cooperation?"

“Since she’s not saying anything, I’ll just take it as her consent.” Xiao Cheng said matter-of-factly. “Besides, my suggestion is in her best interest, isn’t it? Number Five is already dead, so she has no other choice but to live.”

"No matter what identity token she gets, agreeing to cooperate with me will at least ensure she survives until the last day. As for what happens next..."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!