Chapter 5 Gemstone Appraisal - The Successive Eliminations

[Next, players will enter in order according to their numbers. Player No. 4, proceed to the treasury immediately, or you will face a game penalty.]

"What else happened? You still haven't said how you got hurt! Tell me what dangers are inside, tell me now!" Just as the game announcement finished, the young man who looked like a college student in the next cell, No. 4, shot forward like an arrow. He grabbed the iron bars separating their cells and shook them violently, so frantic he seemed ready to tear through them.

Even if No. 4 hadn't asked, Bai Xiao had planned to explain. Her leg was bleeding, everyone could see it. Without an explanation, these people wouldn't let it go easily.

"I cut my leg when I tried to run out as time was running out," she explained after a moment's thought.

Whether No. 4 believed her or not, he had no time for more questions. Lingering any longer risked a game penalty, possibly death on the spot. Soon, his figure vanished into the darkness.

No one paid further attention to No. 4, who had just entered. The rules were clear now: entry was by number order. This made those with upcoming numbers especially anxious, wishing Bai Xiao would recount every single detail from entry to exit.

"The verification method and other details will be announced by the game once you're inside. I've said all I need to say about the rest." Bai Xiao raised a hand to cut off their incessant questioning.

"How can you guarantee you haven't hidden anything, that you're not lying!" After No. 4 left, his cell stood empty. Across the vacant space, Bai Xiao's gaze met that of No. 6.

Once No. 6, the muscular man, posed his question, the scene fell utterly silent. Everyone not only stopped talking but froze their movements, their eyes collectively turning toward her.

The girl had long, jet-black hair. The meticulously styled big curls made it seem much thicker than average. Her skin was very fair, her cheeks slightly plump. Paired with those naturally smiling peach-blossom eyes, she appeared both pretty and docile. This was perhaps why she had been underestimated from the start. Everyone thought her fragile, as if she could be molded and manipulated without resistance.

Now, she wore a set of navy blue silk pajamas. One pant leg was torn and simply tied up, her calf covered in dried bloodstains. She should have looked utterly disheveled, yet for some reason, as the natural warmth faded from her eyes, her entire demeanor shifted.

Earlier, to avoid unnecessary trouble, she hadn't spoken much. But being too accommodating could invite contempt, which in turn brought more trouble. That was human nature.

Her eyebrows lifted almost imperceptibly. Her cold, fearless gaze swept over each person before finally settling on No. 6's face.

In that instant, No. 6 seemed to read a defiant malice in the girl's eyes. She was telling him she remembered the voting incident, and she wasn't as weak as he imagined. Sure enough, he heard her say:

"Why should I guarantee anything? Believe me or not, it's your choice."

Currently, separated by cell doors, they couldn't touch each other. In reality, they were strangers. Human flaws made some feel like the strong, thinking they could bully the weak. How laughable. They were all just pitiful creatures trapped here; no one was superior to anyone else.

"Ahhh!"

Right then, a scream came from the distance—the voice of No. 4, who had just entered!

"When I went in, did any of you hear anything?" Bai Xiao sought confirmation from the woman in yoga clothes in the cell to her right, No. 7.

"Nothing at all," No. 7 replied.

As expected, they couldn't hear. Since No. 4 entered, Bai Xiao had actually been listening carefully, distracted. The treasury was very close. When she was inside, the broadcast announcing the rules and the alarm when she left were both quite loud.

Logically, she knew that if the game chose to announce rules only after entry, those outside likely wouldn't be informed simultaneously. Otherwise, the voting and announcement of precious hints would lose their meaning.

But the physical distance between the two rooms was so short that, by common sense in human society, sound should carry. She wouldn't feel at ease without confirming.

This was a bit strange. If crucial information and noises couldn't be heard, why could that scream reach here?

Time ticked by. No. 4 never returned. Finally, the game broadcast's mechanical female voice began to announce:

[Player No. 5, proceed to the treasury immediately, or you will face a game penalty.]

No. 4 was dead! The same realization dawned on everyone.

No. 5 was the middle-aged woman in the blue dress. Already mentally strained from witnessing the Man in a Suit's death, the fact that No. 4 hadn't returned and had screamed like that, followed by hearing her own number called, was like Death himself whispering in her ear that it was her turn for the execution ground. She collapsed onto the floor in fright, her gaze landing squarely on the Man in a Suit's wide-open, unseeing eyes. She let out a piercing shriek, her psyche completely shattered.

Even as her cell door opened, she scrambled backward on the floor, shaking her head and screaming madly, "I won't go! I won't go!"

*Whoosh!*

For lingering too long, the steel fork materialized out of thin air again. It pierced straight through the woman's neck, pinning her to the back wall.

The others were now numb with terror. This was the penalty the game had spoken of.

[Player No. 6, proceed to the treasury immediately, or you will face a game penalty.]

The cell door slowly opened before No. 6. Without exaggeration, No. 6 felt his legs go weak. Forcing a deep breath, he had no choice but to step out. Passing Bai Xiao's cell, he clearly could no longer maintain the tough-guy persona he had constructed for himself.

Still, before leaving, he managed a defiant mutter: "If you've lied to me, you'll pay for it."

Bai Xiao couldn't be bothered to respond.

...

When he returned, the upper half of his shirt was soaked through with blood. A large hole had been pierced through his shoulder blade. The pain left him barely able to walk. It was sheer will to survive that drove him to drag himself back to his cell. Bai Xiao knew that after a round ended, the announcement demanded players return immediately, or they too would face a penalty.

"What on earth happened? How did you get so badly hurt?" those whose numbers hadn't been called yet asked anxiously.

The man lay weakly on the floor, struggling to speak. "There... there are traps."

After such a severe injury, walking that distance had accelerated his blood loss. Despite everyone's continued desperate questioning, he no longer had the strength to say more.

Seeing he couldn't provide further information, everyone immediately turned their eyes to Bai Xiao.

Bai Xiao knew what they meant. But she was also puzzled. What did No. 6 mean by 'traps'? She wasn't sure if they were things she hadn't triggered. But it was also possible the man had been wounded by the Fish-headed Monster's fork, only he hadn't seen the moving Fish-headed Monster on the stone pillar. Unable to be certain for now, she simply said, "I don't know what he means by traps."

After a moment's thought, she added, "The game hint said to stay quiet. If everyone goes in and doesn't make any noise, maybe they won't encounter danger."

The successive deaths and injuries made those entering the treasury afterward increasingly cautious, daring to do nothing at all. Some didn't even dare move around, staying in place to observe for ten minutes after entering, even giving up on randomly guessing a gem to verify.

Consequently, there were no further casualties. But aside from learning that red diamonds, blue sapphires, and emerald jade weren't real, no one provided any other valuable information.

Throughout the exchange, it became clear none of those present worked in the jewelry industry. No one had any knowledge of gemstone appraisal.

Things were consistently developing in an unfavorable direction.