“Ah…” Han Yimo’s eyes gradually filled with panic. “Aren’t those holes in the wall supposed to have harpoons?”
Hearing Han Yimo’s words, Qiao Jiajin decisively set down the tabletop and walked to the wall to peer into the holes.
What he saw shocked him.
“Dang it!” he shouted, stumbling back a few steps. “They *are* harpoons! The holes are full of harpoons that are *pulling back*!”
Chaos erupted as the group panicked, voices rising in alarm.
Yet Qi Xia remained silent, his expression complicated as he stared at Han Yimo.
“You already knew there were harpoons inside?” Qi Xia asked.
“No… I just happened to see them…” Han Yimo avoided eye contact, clearly lying.
“Then you also…” Qi Xia’s voice trailed off as he studied Han Yimo, swallowing the words he was about to say.
Han Yimo remembered too.
He was hiding it.
On another note, those who remembered past events seemed to have received cards from the “Sheep-Man.”
Since Qi Xia didn’t know the consequences of exposing one’s memories, he chose not to call him out.
“There’s no need to be afraid.” Qi Xia changed the subject, his tone serious as he lowered his voice. “This time, the harpoons won’t impale you.”
“But… Qi Xia…” Han Yimo seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
If Qi Xia guessed correctly, Han Yimo wanted to say, *”Last time, I was impaled.”*
“This time, we’ll adjust our positions. Stand between me and Officer Li.” Qi Xia glanced at the group. “If there are no gaps around you, the harpoons won’t have a reason to hit you.”
Han Yimo gave Qi Xia a grateful look before nodding dazedly.
Once everyone had calmed down, Qi Xia rearranged their formation.
He made sure every woman was flanked by men and placed Han Yimo in a protected position.
After all, Han Yimo was a “Reverberator”—keeping him alive was crucial.
“I also need to set up an emergency plan. Everyone, gather around,” Qi Xia instructed. “If someone’s tabletop becomes unstable later…”
Once he had finalized the strategy, Qi Xia had the group form a solid, unbreakable cone formation with their tabletops pressed together.
Inside the dark cone, everyone stood back-to-back, the blackness so thick they couldn’t see a thing.
Qi Xia could feel Han Yimo trembling beside him—this formation clearly didn’t ease his fear.
“Sorry…” Han Yimo whispered, aware he was drawing attention. “I’ve always had claustrophobia. I’ve been terrified of enclosed spaces and darkness since I was a kid.”
Hearing this, Qi Xia suddenly realized something.
Han Yimo had been impaled by harpoons inside a dark cone, and later, at dawn, he was pierced by a giant sword—also in pitch-black darkness.
Could this all be connected to his claustrophobia?
Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound erupted around the cone.
“They’re coming!”
At Qi Xia’s command, everyone braced themselves, pressing firmly against their tabletops.
His strategy seemed flawless—all they had to do was keep the cone stable.
The harpoons rained down like a storm, the impact sending painful shocks through their hands. But this time, the nine of them were prepared, and the cone held firm beyond belief.
**BANG!**
A deafening crash erupted in front of Xiao Ran—her tabletop was violently knocked askew.
A blinding streak of light pierced through the gap. Qi Xia’s heart sank. If a harpoon shot through that opening, it would undoubtedly kill Han Yimo, who stood behind Xiao Ran.
“Rotate!” Qi Xia barked.
The group obeyed, shifting their tabletops to the right.
The cone spun like a top in a storm, its slanted surface deflecting the harpoons while its rotation kept any from slipping through the gap.
After two full turns, Dr. Zhao steadied Xiao Ran’s tabletop.
“Stop!”
Qi Xia’s command brought the formation to a halt, the cone now firmly rooted like a bamboo shoot in the rain.
The clattering against the tabletops gradually faded—the harpoons were slowing down. Half a minute later, silence fell.
“Is it over?” someone whispered.
“Wait another minute,” Qi Xia said cautiously.
No one argued. Inside the stifling darkness, they waited in tense silence.
Finally, Qi Xia carefully lifted his tabletop.
Surveying the now-safe room, he patted Han Yimo’s shoulder. “See? We’ll be fine.”
Han Yimo, still trembling, nodded gratefully. “Is it really over? But I still feel like…”
The others lifted their tabletops—only to freeze in horror at the sight before them.
The two corpses on the floor were now riddled with harpoons, blood splattered everywhere like a scene from hell.
“Oh? What’s this?” Officer Li feigned surprise as he picked up a harpoon. “There’s something written on it.”
Qi Xia sighed inwardly—forcing Officer Li to act like this was truly a challenge.
While Officer Li led the group in examining the harpoons, Qi Xia checked on Han Yimo again. Though still frightened, he seemed better than before.
“Han Yimo, I told you we’d be fine this time.”
Han Yimo forced a weak smile. “Qi Xia, thank you… But for some reason, I still feel like those harpoons *had* to hit me.”
Before Qi Xia could respond, a faint metallic clinking echoed through the room.
Was there still a harpoon left?
Qiao Jiajin seemed to notice something too.
A rope was stretched taut, hovering mid-air across the center of the room.
“What the hell is this?” Qiao Jiajin examined the rope, noting that both ends disappeared into the wall holes—unlike the harpoon ropes on the ground.
Qi Xia frowned.
Why were both ends of the rope inside the holes?
Where was the harpoon?
Qiao Jiajin reached out and touched the rope—it vibrated slightly. “So weird…”
He tugged at it, and to his surprise, it began to slide out.
Qi Xia’s eyes widened in realization.
That wasn’t a rope *hanging* in mid-air—it was a harpoon that had misfired, lodging itself into another hole and trapping another harpoon inside.
“Qiao Jiajin, don’t touch it!”
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