About a minute later, Yun Yao slowly raised her head.
“I’ve got it…” Her eyes widened as she carefully considered the feasibility of the entire plan. “This strategy could work… I have a way!”
“What way?” Chen Junnan asked.
“Well…” Yun Yao paused, then shook her head. “I—I can’t say.”
Chen Junnan suddenly understood and nodded with a smile. “Ah, I see! You’re absolutely right, superstar. That’s not a ‘scheme’ at all—it’s a fact that’s 100% guaranteed to happen.”
“Exactly!” Yun Yao agreed solemnly. “It *will* happen, so it’s not my plan. Everything will just be… an unexpected stroke of ‘good luck.'”
Chen Junnan pressed further. “What do I need to do… to make sure this ‘good luck’ arrives?”
“Hit him,” Yun Yao said. “Let that spiky iron ball drop as usual, and everything will fall into place.”
“Got it!”
Chen Junnan hung up the phone, then stepped onto a chair and leaped up to grab the massive moving chain hanging from the ceiling.
The rules never stated that participants couldn’t enter another participant’s room—nor did they say anything about the ceiling.
“I really am a genius.”
For the next two rounds, Yun Yao remained in her room, steadying her nerves and reinforcing her conviction.
What was meant to happen *would* happen… Yet beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
Though her “Luck” was strong, this “future” seemed almost impossibly difficult to manifest.
“It’ll happen… It *has* to happen…” Yun Yao kept reassuring herself.
By the thirty-third round, Chen Junnan had reached the ceiling above Di Snake’s room. Gripping the chain, he hung in midair, hidden in the shadows as he watched the old man’s screen. The moment Di Snake’s final answer for the round showed “Yes,” Chen Junnan would adjust his position and guide the iron ball to drop.
But to his surprise, the answer this time wasn’t “Yes”—it was “No.”
“What the…?” Chen Junnan hesitated briefly before realizing.
He’d gone too far earlier.
From everyone’s perspective, the iron ball was now an indiscriminate threat—if it fell, someone *would* die. So this time, no one dared choose “Yes.” Out of self-preservation, everyone except Yun Yao unanimously picked “No.”
“If you’re all just looking out for yourselves now… this is gonna get tricky for me.”
Chen Junnan felt his strategy had hit another snag. The six remaining players were no pushovers—how could he possibly unite them to all choose “Yes”?
Time was running dangerously short. With only fifteen rounds left, the iron ball would drop just five more times…
“Wait…”
A flash of insight struck him, and he suddenly grasped Yun Yao’s plan.
If her strategy aligned with what he suspected, their remaining window wasn’t fifteen rounds—it was nine.
The iron ball *had* to land in Di Snake’s room within the next three drops. That was the only way to guarantee his death.
“Dammit, dammit…” Chen Junnan broke into a nervous sweat on the ceiling. “Old Qi, I really wish I could call you for advice… How the hell do I make these people all listen to me?”
A few seconds later, an idea struck him.
“Wait—why should *I* be the one figuring this out?” A sly grin crept onto his face. “This plan… should be left to the smart ones!”
—
The girl in white sat in her room, deep in thought about what might happen next, when she heard faint knocking.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
The sound startled her, but she remained silent as she stood and walked to the door, listening carefully.
She pressed her ear against the door, but the knocking didn’t come from there—it echoed from above.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
Dragging a chair over, she climbed up and listened again. The sound was definitely coming from the ceiling.
Someone was up there?
What kind of lunatic…?
After a moment’s hesitation, she knocked back on the ceiling.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
“Hey!” A muffled voice called from above. “Mornin’! Can ya hear me?”
The girl frowned slightly. “Who are you?”
“Just a law-abidin’ participant here. Got a lil’ business proposal for ya.”
“Law-abiding…?” She glanced up, amused. “Go on.”
“Listen, I’m in a life-or-death gamble with this old geezer, and I’m kinda stuck… Might need your help to figure things out.”
The girl crossed her arms, a knowing smirk playing on her lips.
“Oh?” She chuckled. “So *you’re* the one betting against Di Snake? Right now, you seem scarier than him. What kind of creep lurks on a single girl’s ceiling?”
“Ha! You’re absolutely right!”
Chen Junnan sighed in mock frustration. “But I’m desperate, y’know? Had no choice but to camp out up here. But don’t worry—I’m a gentleman. Peepin’ ain’t my style.”
“How reassuring…” The girl smiled. “So, Mr. Ceiling-Dweller, what exactly do you want from me?”
“I need y’all to pick ‘Yes.'” Chen Junnan said. “I know you’re sharp. If you can convince the folks next to you to all choose ‘Yes’ next round, we win.”
“Doesn’t that only work for *you*?” the girl countered, still staring up. “If we pick ‘Yes,’ the iron ball could drop anywhere—except the ceiling. How does that help *us*?”
“Nah, nah.” Chen Junnan shook his head. “The ball ain’t random. I can control where it lands.”
“Oh…?” The girl’s mind raced as she processed his confidence. “I see… You’re the ‘Scapegoat,’ aren’t you?”
“Tch…” Chen Junnan groaned. “You and Old Qi are the two most annoyingly perceptive people in the whole damn ‘Endgame.’ How’d you guess so fast?”
Hearing his indirect confirmation, the girl grew even more suspicious.
“If you’re the ‘Scapegoat’… that means the iron ball’s been targeting *you* this whole time, right?” She analyzed his “Echo” ability. “So now you’re on *my* ceiling… to kill *me* instead?”
“Uh…” Chen Junnan realized the jig was up. “Look, I ain’t keen on hurtin’ a lady. But if I die now, things’ll get way worse. So, yeah—consider this a threat.”
“Is that so…?”
The girl glanced up again—blood was now seeping through the ceiling. This man was badly injured, bluffing for all he was worth.
Before Chen Junnan could add anything, his own right hand suddenly clamped around his throat, slamming him onto the ceiling.
Panicking, he tried to pry it off—but it was *his* hand, moving against his will.
The girl’s voice floated up from below, icy and amused. “What made you think… you could ever threaten *me*?”
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