"The good news is, we’ve figured out the motive of the {Earthly Branches}," Qi Xia remarked. "Doesn’t that mean we’ve also found their weakness?"

"Well..." Officer Li hesitated, shaking his head with a conflicted look. "If this contract is entirely genuine, then perhaps."

"What do you mean?"

Officer Li pointed at clauses five through ten on the contract and explained, "The contract states there are only four sections. That implies these clauses shouldn’t exist. Does that mean this contract has been tampered with?"

"It’s true," Qi Xia nodded, adding, "But it’s not particularly surprising, is it? You can conjure cigarettes out of thin air—so I wouldn’t be shocked if extra text appeared on a contract."

"Your capacity for acceptance is almost too strong," Officer Li sighed helplessly. "Why can’t I see it that way?"

"According to the contract, if {Mortal Goat} sees more than four clauses, it supposedly means they’ve lost their sanity," Qi Xia mused before continuing, "But clearly, we can also see more than four clauses. This has nothing to do with clarity of mind. It’s possible this is a trick {Celestial Dragon} is using to eliminate {Mortal Goat}."

"But {Mortal Goat} suspected something... which is why he didn’t destroy the contract and kept it on him instead?" Officer Li surmised.

Qi Xia turned around, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Officer Li, it seems your capacity for acceptance isn’t half bad either."

"Stop teasing me," Officer Li replied with a shake of his head. "I studied criminology—interrogation, investigation, examination, searches, evidence handling. None of those skills are very useful in a place like this."

"For now, let’s keep this contract matter between us," Qi Xia said, folding the document and slipping it into his pocket. "At least until we find another {Reverberatee} we can trust."

Officer Li nodded, choosing to bury the matter for now.

"Oh, right." He pulled out four {Dào} from his pocket. "Qi Xia, these are for you."

"For me?" Qi Xia didn’t reach out to take them, instead shaking his head. "Officer Li, we’re with {Passage to Heaven} now. They want us to risk our lives, so they should be the ones providing {Dào}. Keep these for emergencies."

"Then you should keep them for emergencies," Officer Li countered. "You’re much better at using {Dào}. In your hands, they multiply in value; in mine, they’d just go to waste."

"Hm..." Qi Xia thought for a moment before taking one {Dào}. "How about this: if I take them all, it’ll only stir up dissatisfaction among the team’s {master manipulators}. Last time, I gave you one, so I’ll take one back this time—let’s call it even."

Officer Li sighed in resignation, accepting the compromise. The two then turned and headed back to the school building. In this well-lit space, Qi Xia felt an odd sense of peace—the comfort of being among {people}.

From the distant road came faint creaks and insect chirps—evidence the {insects} were already out and about. Yet they instinctively avoided this area. It seemed the more people gathered in one place, the safer it became. If those insects truly plotted anything, {Passage to Heaven} could never have operated so openly for this long.

When they returned to the room, almost everyone was already asleep. Officer Li and Qi Xia exchanged a glance before lying down. Before long, snores filled the classroom.

Qi Xia quietly checked Han Yimo’s condition, then closed the classroom door. He grabbed a plastic lighter and propped it against the handle.

After finishing his preparations, he retreated to a corner, picked up a previously heated can of food, ate a few quick bites, then pulled over a chair and sat down.

Since arriving in this cursed place, this was the first time he felt he might get a decent night’s rest.

Caught between sleep and wakefulness, Qi Xia closed his eyes. After an uncertain time, a faint sound reached him, and Qi Xia quickly opened his eyes.

The lighter had fallen onto the cement floor—so soft a sound it could barely compete with the insects outside. But Qi Xia rarely allowed himself deep sleep; any small movement would rouse him.

The fire had long since gone out, and the room was pitch-black. Qi Xia took a few seconds to get a rough sense of his surroundings.

It seemed someone had opened the door and entered.

At first, Qi Xia thought it might be a teammate going to the bathroom. But if that were the case, the lighter would already have fallen earlier. Simply put, this was the first time the door had been opened tonight.

As he considered this, Qi Xia quickly counted the shadowy figures in the room, and his suspicion grew stronger. Apart from himself, eight people were lying down, and one was standing.

Who was the one standing?

Qi Xia sensed the situation turning dire. He checked his pockets—no weapons.

The dark figure crept toward one of the sleeping figures, bending ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ down to look at her. If Qi Xia recalled correctly, it was Lin Qin.

‘Could this person have ill intent?’ Qi Xia rose slowly, moving his feet with deliberate care.

The intruder had been careless; they never imagined someone had spent the night sitting upright, half-awake.

The figure reached out, gently stroked Lin Qin’s hair, then lowered their head to inhale her scent before turning toward another. Qi Xia paused, watching silently.

The figure moved to Han Yimo’s side, but this time only stood there quietly. As Qi Xia frowned in puzzlement, the shadow moved again—this time toward Officer Li. His steady snores showed no awareness of the danger nearby.

After a moment’s hesitation, the figure muttered "strange," barely audible, then resumed moving as if searching for something in the room.

Qi Xia trailed a few steps behind, careful to stay out of sight, mirroring the intruder’s movements.

The figure inspected the room, and Qi Xia shadowed him at a safe distance, always three to five steps away.

For Qi Xia, the behavior hadn’t yet escalated to the point of action. Even if he subdued the intruder, what reason could he give?

What if the figure was from {Passage to Heaven}, checking on how everyone was settling in?

Or if he claimed to have entered the wrong room—what then?

As the saying goes, {to catch a thief, catch him in the act}. Qi Xia could only stay alert, ready to act at the right moment.

After surveying the room, the figure scratched his chin, then extended his finger, counting the eight sleeping people.

Moments later, he froze.

Qi Xia’s brow furrowed—this was bad.

If the intruder knew the room’s occupants, he must have realized one was missing.

Qi Xia quickly turned toward the door.

At the same time, the shadow bolted. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Both rushed for the door almost simultaneously. Qi Xia knew he couldn’t shut it in time, so he reached out to grab the figure. But the shadow spun and dodged.

‘To choose escape immediately... at least they have some brains,’ Qi Xia thought, before shouting, "Stop!"

His shout echoed through the entire building.

If anyone woke, the intruder would have nowhere to hide.

The figure didn’t hesitate and sprinted down the hallway. Qi Xia was only three to five steps behind.

Just as he reached out, the shadow suddenly sprang forward.

Before Qi Xia could react, his foot caught on something, and he was thrown hard to the ground.

The figure had set a tripwire!

Seeing the intruder vanish at the corridor’s end, Qi Xia knew things had worsened. Ignoring the pain, he quickly turned back toward the classroom. By then, people were already stirring awake.

"Qi Xia, what happened?" Lin Qin asked, her voice edged with worry.

"Someone broke in!" Qi Xia shouted, yanking the classroom window open and leaping into the yard.

Qiao Jiajin, hearing this, furrowed his brow and quickly followed.