"We're back." 007's voice came from the hallway.

Their voices reached the room before they did.

Gu Mian and the others had no choice but to pause their conversation.

Although Li Yibai seemed eager to ask Yuan Qinghua what exactly was wrong with the ballot, he held his tongue as Yuan Qinghua and Guo Jimei had already reached the corridor.

The first to step into the classroom was 007. Holding her plastic bag, she looked at the huddled group of Gu Mian and the others and asked with a hint of perplexity, "What are you guys discussing?"

Li Yibai opened his mouth as if he wanted to share his recent observations with his childhood friend, only to close it again, "Nothing much."

By this time, Yuan Qinghua and Guo Jimei had reached the doorway. A considerable distance separated the two of them, and Yue Nu was also there.

Guo Jimei pulled Yue Nu close to her side, distancing her from Yuan Qinghua.

The four girls entered, each carrying two plastic bags. Gu Mian glanced into the bags; they were filled with food that didn't look particularly appetizing.

Yue Nu moved quickly. Upon entering, she first glanced at the clock hanging above the blackboard at the back of the classroom.

Even though the classroom was unused, there was still a clock hanging on the wall.

It was already ten past six.

She put her bag on the desk in front of Gu Mian, "In less than two hours, the second night will begin. We might get separated. While eating, let's continue the discussion..."

As she said this, she seemed to recall something and pulled out a few thumb-sized flashlights from her pocket, "Oh yes, we are likely to end up in pitch-black places tonight, so we bought a few flashlights from the campus supermarket. They didn't have any big ones, but these should do."

Yue Nu distributed the small flashlights to the others while speaking, then picked up a pair of disposable chopsticks and shoveled a few token mouthfuls of food into her mouth, "At the moment, there are still ten of us alive, three of whom are ghosts, and seven are ordinary people..."

So, among the eight people present, at least one was a ghost; if they were unlucky, all three could be in this room, intently watching her.

"Now, the item for revealing the ghost's identity has been randomly assigned to one of you seven—of course, it might still be in my hands..."

Gu Mian listened quietly to Yue Nu's speech.

He had a feeling that Yue Nu was intentionally courting disaster. Claiming to have found the item that reveals identities was one thing, but announcing it to everyone, as if afraid the ghosts wouldn't come after her, was another. Even though she supposedly randomized who received the item later, she now suddenly brings up the possibility that it's still in her possession. It was as if she had meticulously planned what she believed to be an unparalleled scheme, only to be unable to resist smugly blurting it out. He couldn't tell if it was an unintentional display of genuine feeling or a deliberately feigned air of foolishness...

As expected, Yue Nu's words drew everyone's attention.

Even Li Yibai, who had been busily eating, looked up at her.

Yue Nu paid no mind to the others' gazes and continued, "Tonight, the ghosts will certainly kill again. If we vote incorrectly in this round, we will fall into a very disadvantageous situation."

If the ghosts accurately killed an ordinary person tonight and another one was wrongfully voted out, only eight people would remain alive. Among them would be three ghosts, and with nearly half the group being ghosts, the situation would indeed be unfavorable for the ordinary people.

"So we must make use of tonight to find at least one ghost—at the very least, one. We might get separated again tonight, so if anyone finds a ghost, I hope you can try to notify the others as surreptitiously as possible. We cannot afford to vote out the wrong person again tonight."

Yue Nu frowned, "If I find the ghost, I will notify you. I will try my best to let you know who the ghost is..."

Gu Mian rubbed his chin.

As for how she would let them know, Yue Nu didn't explain.

Her voice continued, "If you're at a loss during tonight's voting process and haven't found any clues, vote for Zhang Pingfan. At least for now, he is the most suspicious..."

No one raised objections.

Time passed quickly.

The bell for evening self-study had rung several times, and the plastic bag in front of Li Yibai was empty. Darkness had now completely enveloped the school. There was no moon tonight, only the faint, dim glow of the streetlights.

The school was incredibly silent during evening self-study, except for the few minutes during breaks.

Gu Mian and the others hadn't requested leave when they skipped class, and it was uncertain whether a teacher was currently searching for the mysteriously missing students.

They had turned on the lights in this classroom long ago. Being on the top floor, no one questioned why an unused classroom had its lights on.

It was now seven fifty in the evening.

All of them sat huddled together, so close they were almost holding hands.

Li Yibai, now full, huddled closely to 007 and nervously asked, "If we get separated tonight, is there a chance we end up in last night's building again?"

It was possible. Maybe they'd even see Fatty again.

007 responded, "Anything is possible. We need to be prepared."

Guo Jimei still didn't trust Yuan Qinghua. She sat with Keke, as far away from Yuan Qinghua as possible. Whenever she looked at Yuan Qinghua, her expression was that of someone facing a formidable enemy.

It was all but certain that Guo Jimei would only vote for Yuan Qinghua. Most likely, she would cast her vote for Yuan Qinghua as soon as the voting began.

For once, Chu Changge refrained from voicing his opinion and just sat there in silence, prompting Gu Mian to glance at him a few times.

As eight o'clock drew near, an absolute silence fell over the classroom.

Only the ticking of the clock punctuated the silence.

All eyes were locked on the clock hanging above the blackboard, their gaze jumping with each movement of the second hand. Even their heartbeats seemed to gradually synchronize with the rhythm of the second hand.

And just as the second hand leaped towards the '12', indicating the approach of eight o'clock, Gu Mian felt the blackboard under the clock suddenly expand, instantly dominating his field of vision.

It took several seconds for him to realize that it wasn't the blackboard enlarging, but the surroundings growing darker.

No matter where he looked, all he could see was pitch-black darkness.

Without a doubt, as eight o'clock arrived, they were once again transported by the ghosts to some godforsaken place.