The girl Ning Wei had just rescued cast furtive glances at her.
Constrained by the presence of Sheng Kaiwei and his group, she couldn't approach Ning Wei to express her gratitude.
Yet, her eyes conveyed everything left unsaid.
Wu Qing remained hidden in the shadows, her presence making everyone more guarded.
Time passed swiftly. The frequency of the werewolf howls increased, indicating their impatience to break through the gates and feast.
The wolf cries sent shivers down their spines, jolting Sheng Kaiwei and his men awake.
Peering through the floor-to-ceiling windows, pairs of red eyes in the dense forest glowed like lanterns, sometimes gathering, sometimes scattering.
Bored, Ning Wei began counting the number of eyes visible through the glass.
Precisely nineteen.
This confirmed that within the castle, one of the guests was no longer entirely human.
Nineteen werewolves corresponded perfectly to nineteen guests. Based on Ning Wei's observations of the werewolves the previous day, their strength was formidable.
One-on-one, the humans held no advantage.
Fortunately, the safe house rule offered a respite, preventing the guests from being chased by werewolves all night.
Even knowing the werewolves couldn't enter until the appointed time, many still appeared visibly anxious.
Their nervousness manifested in subtle movements that revealed their innermost feelings.
For instance, upon hearing the wolf howls, one of Sheng Kaiwei's subordinates involuntarily glanced at Qingqing, whom they had labeled a ghost.
During the day, Ning Wei's group had scoured every seemingly safe area of the castle, preparing for any nighttime emergencies.
Eleven-thirty arrived as scheduled. Wu Qing emerged from the shadows, announcing to the guests, "The time has come. You have thirty minutes to choose your safe houses. Good luck tonight."
Wu Qing's final task of the day was always this perfunctory statement, delivered with a visible weariness in her eyes, as if she had repeated it countless times.
Her duty concluded, she retreated back into the shadows, vanishing from sight.
Seeing Wu Qing depart, Sheng Kaiwei strode directly to Ning Wei. "You took so many kitchen knives during the day. The werewolves will be here soon. Give us half of them. That's not an unreasonable request, is it?"
Ning Wei stared at him as if he were an imbecile. "What gives you the right to ask me that?"
Sheng Kaiwei sneered. "You heard Wu Qing. Taking things carries consequences. I haven't exposed you yet, so you should offer something willingly."
So, he had been harboring this grievance all this time.
"I know the knives are hidden under the sofa. You can choose first, and we'll take the rest. I've already compromised; you should show some sincerity." Time was short, and Sheng Kaiwei preferred to negotiate rather than argue, attempting to reason with Ning Wei.
However, Ning Wei was unmoved by his tactics and resolutely refused his audacious demand.
Enraged, Sheng Kaiwei resorted to threats. "If you don't hand them over today, I'll report you to Wu Qing. Everyone in your team took knives; no one can escape!"
Wu Qing was off duty. Ning Wei doubted she would reappear specifically for Sheng Kaiwei.
She shrugged, her expression conveying indifference.
Sheng Kaiwei clenched his fists, his knuckles white. If not for the rules, he would have already punched through this bitch's head.
The violent impulses within him were ignited, only to be suppressed by his strong willpower.
"On account of you being a woman, I won't hit you. We'll see," he spat, issuing a parting threat before leading his men upstairs to select their rooms.
As they ascended the stairs, Sheng Kaiwei's subordinates continued to rail against Ning Wei, spewing vulgar insults.
The girl Ning Wei had helped, lingering at the back, saw Sheng Kaiwei and his group disappear around the bend on the second floor before approaching Ning Wei.
"Thank you," she murmured softly.
"It's nothing. You have a wound tonight; the smell of blood might attract the werewolves. Be vigilant," Ning Wei advised, handing her a kitchen knife from beneath a blanket.
The girl was overwhelmed, waving her hands. "I'm not after the knife; I genuinely want to thank you."
Ning Wei pressed the knife into her hand. "If you want to thank me, then stay alive. If Sheng Kaiwei and his group have malicious intentions, find a way to tell me. Of course, no pressure; I know surviving is difficult enough."
Clutching the knife's handle, the girl's eyelashes trembled. She was deeply touched but didn't want to reveal her vulnerability to others, so she blinked furiously, trying to hold back her tears.
"Hurry back to your room; there isn't much time," Ning Wei urged her to go upstairs.
"My name is Lian Yun. Thank you!" The fact that she revealed her real name indicated she had gained Ning Wei's trust.
Unlike Qi Qi and Qing Qing in Sheng Kaiwei's group, whose names were clearly not their real ones.
Even concealing their basic names showed their extreme caution.
Having been abandoned by her teammates for the night, Lian Yun bypassed the second floor and went to the fourth.
Sheng Kaiwei's group still had eleven members. Qingqing, having been labeled a ghost, was relegated to the third floor.
Bai Yang moved slowly, hesitating as everyone else nervously entered their rooms.
Only when Ning Wei's group began to ascend did Bai Yang stealthily follow.
"The second floor is full. Qingqing went to the third, and the girl with the arm injury went to the fourth." Upon seeing Ning Wei's group, Bai Yang immediately relayed the information she had gathered.
She felt the need to constantly assert her presence, fearing Ning Wei's group might abandon her.
"Let's go to the fifth floor," Ning Wei said, simply preferring not to share a floor with unfamiliar individuals.
Her priority was ensuring the safety of her own teammates.
Ning Wei's current team was now equipped with one kitchen knife each.
As they reached the fifth floor, only five minutes remained until the werewolves' arrival, their figures already faintly visible.
Bai Yang looked at Ning Wei with inner turmoil. She wanted a kitchen knife, and she knew Ning Wei had two.
She had ascended too early and was unaware that Ning Wei had already given one away.
Ning Wei, sharp as ever, guessed Bai Yang's unspoken desire from her expression.
It wasn't so much her intelligence as Bai Yang's thoughts being plastered all over her face.
Before Bai Yang could voice her request, Ning Wei swiftly entered a room, preemptively blocking the words that were about to tumble out.