Ning Wei began her inspection from the second floor, unable to enter the rooms but analyzing the guests' deaths through traces on the floor and walls.
The second floor housed three people, which appeared to be the safest area as Ning Wei saw no bloodstains.
The third floor was occupied by their own team, so it didn't require checking.
The fourth floor, chosen by Sheng Kaiwei, was Ning Wei's main focus. She didn't know which floor Sheng Kaiwei was staying on, but the bloody footprints leading out from the doors of two adjacent rooms led her to believe two people had fallen victim.
One of them was undoubtedly Sheng Kaiwei, but she wondered who was in the adjacent room. Could it be Qi Qi, who might have fled outside?
Ning Wei had no answer and continued upward.
The fifth floor, according to Song Zhi, was uninhabited.
She reached the fifth floor and tried to open the rooms, but all were locked.
Squatting down to examine the corners carefully, she found nothing. It seemed no werewolves had visited this floor tonight.
Ning Wei didn't know which room Lian Yun was hiding in, so she decided to return to her own room.
As she reached her door, she sensed someone inside.
Gripping her steak knife, she hurried in and saw Lian Yun sitting on the sofa, facing the window.
Ning Wei had left the window open, but Lian Yun had closed it.
Ning Wei shut the door. Since Lian Yun had come to her, it meant she had something to say.
The room had only one sofa, so Ning Wei pulled back the covers and sat on the bed. She casually tossed the steak knife aside and looked towards the dense forest in the distance.
"Do you smell it?" Lian Yun asked.
"Smell what?"
Lian Yun took a deep breath, her face displaying a look of intoxication. "The smell of blood."
Ning Wei looked at her with displeasure and remained silent.
"I let Qing Qing go," Lian Yun said proactively.
"I know," Ning Wei replied softly.
"Aren't you going to ask me why?" Lian Yun sounded surprised. Ning Wei's reaction was too calm, making it difficult for her to continue.
Ning Wei shook her head. She wasn't interested in understanding everyone's inner world, even though she seemed to have free time.
But Lian Yun wouldn't let it go. Even though Ning Wei expressed disinterest, Lian Yun began to speak, recounting everything from stepping onto the bus, what happened at each stop, and how she narrowly escaped danger. She told it all to Ning Wei.
She hoped Ning Wei would understand how difficult her journey had been.
Although she had previously accepted her own death, a turning point had occurred, and she now had hope of survival!
This was something Lian Yun couldn't reveal, so she had to approach it from other angles. She didn't want to face Ning Wei's disappointed gaze.
Ning Wei patiently listened to her entire story before cutting to the chase, "You've said so much, what do you want to tell me? I know your life hasn't been easy, but no one on this bus has had an easy time."
"If I said I have a way for everyone to leave here alive, would you believe me?" Lian Yun couldn't hold back. For some reason, she felt an overwhelming urge to confide in Ning Wei.
Ning Wei raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself: Lian Yun is indeed hiding something from me!
"You let the werewolves kill at least three people tonight, right? Is that your way of ensuring everyone's safety? Who do you mean by 'everyone'?"
Faced with Ning Wei's barrage of questions, Lian Yun became flustered.
She couldn't say any more. Any further words would expose her.
"Also, during the day, you couldn't clearly explain what ghosts could do to guests, which is why you took the risk of being exposed to kill Sheng Kaiwei. Yet, after a short while, you seem to understand your identity exceptionally well?"
Ning Wei's questions became increasingly sharp and closer to the truth.
Lian Yun became restless, regretting coming to her in the first place.
Ning Wei continued, "Do you know who the first ghost is? Is that ghost teaching you how to act? Are you sure everything that ghost tells you is the truth?"
Lian Yun's face turned pale. She stared at Ning Wei, astonished that in just a few minutes, Ning Wei had focused on the most crucial part.
Ning Wei didn't expect Lian Yun to tell the truth. She shook her head in disappointment and pointed towards the door, "You can go. Pretend you never came tonight."
Lian Yun's lips trembled. She wanted to explain herself but didn't know where to start.
"It's not that I won't say, but the rules prevent me from speaking," was her final excuse to Ning Wei.
But Ning Wei wasn't easily appeased. She had told Lian Yun to leave, but Lian Yun didn't budge and intended to keep talking. Ning Wei wouldn't be so polite then.
"Even if you can't say it, you can nod or shake your head, right?"
Lian Yun nodded slightly, "I can try."
Seeing her willingness to cooperate, Ning Wei breathed a sigh of relief.
She had observed Lian Yun's changes today and was convinced there was someone orchestrating everything behind the scenes who hadn't revealed themselves. Lian Yun must have had contact with this person.
She needed to know who that person was. If it wasn't for them, there would be no need to hunt ghosts every day or fight werewolves every night.
"You've met the first ghost," Ning Wei dropped a bombshell.
Lian Yun nodded reluctantly.
"That ghost taught you many rules."
Lian Yun continued to nod.
"You said you have a way for everyone to leave here safely. Does that mean even if you are currently a ghost, there's a chance to leave the castle and board the bus?"
This was Lian Yun's secret, the one she had been trying to hide. When Ning Wei asked, she froze.
Her lack of reaction was the best answer. Ning Wei had already guessed it in her heart.
Lian Yun, belatedly realizing what was happening, didn't know whether to nod or shake her head, repeating only, "Believe me, I would never harm you."
From her words, it seemed that even if there was a way for everyone to leave safely, something else had to happen before then.
Since the word "harm" was mentioned, Ning Wei inferred that the current way for ghosts to harm guests was by opening doors for the werewolves at night.
After piecing together these clues, Ning Wei asked, "Is it that if everyone is turned into a ghost, and the castle is left with only one identity, then everyone can leave here safely?"
Lian Yun was stunned. All she wanted now was to escape.
Her carefully guarded secret had been revealed by Ning Wei.
No wonder Ning Wei's teammates were so supportive of her; she was a worthy captain!
Seeing Lian Yun's reaction, Ning Wei knew she had guessed correctly.
However, she personally didn't quite believe this theory; it felt like the reasoning was weak.