As dusk fell, darkness enveloped the island, and all was quiet except for the sound of the waves carried by the wind. A white butterfly slipped through a crack in the bathroom window and quickly disappeared into the night.
Ren Yifei lay down wearing light gray pajamas and closed his eyes.
It's only 7 p.m., the nightlife hasn't even started yet, and he's already going to sleep?
Viewers before the live stream were extremely disappointed, as the live stream was running 24/7, and even if the contestants were talking in their sleep or grinding their teeth, it would all be filmed and recorded.
While the other contestants were explaining their reasons for choosing electrical engineering or talking about other things to boost their live stream viewership, he was asleep. He fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, his breathing becoming slow and even.
Ren Yifei's perspective shifted with the movement of the white butterfly. The little butterfly swaying in the wind resembled a leaf blown down by the wind, and the people patrolling in uniforms didn't even give it a second glance.
These people looked different from them; their skin was darker, their features were more Southeast Asian, and they even spoke in a language that Ren Yifei couldn't understand.
At this moment, his ominous feeling intensified.
He continued to observe and discovered that what these people were holding were not toys. Judging from the signs of use on the guns, it was clear that their owners were capable of using them.
White butterflies landed on the leaves, watching these people walk and talk while holding guns, then disappear into the night.
Judging from their gait, they don't seem to be regular soldiers, or perhaps regular soldiers turned mercenaries. What reputable variety show organizer would invite such a group of desperados?
He hadn't thought about it carefully before, assuming the island was still within the country's borders. But now that these people have appeared, it's likely not within the country's territory.
The white butterfly continued along the path Luffy had taken before. It flew for a long time, and just as everyone else was falling asleep, it finally reached the shore and saw the brightly lit cruise ship.
At this moment, the cruise ship was as quiet as a ghost in the night, and the warm-colored lights were like the glowing eyes of a monster in the dark.
It flew all the way, around the closed doors, and made several turns before finally arriving at the banquet hall on the cruise ship.
The piano and chairs that were originally in the banquet hall were gone, and the empty floor was filled with people—the fifty people who were eliminated in the first round. They were all alive, but their expressions were terrified.
Ren Yifei also discovered that several people who had been taken away during dinner, including those who collapsed after eating, were all alive and well.
"I misjudged, it's not cyanide poisoning?" Ren Yifei subconsciously doubted himself, but after looking around carefully, he found that the first player to fall on the other side was not there.
Yes, everyone is there, except for that one person.
Ren Yifei didn't remember everyone's faces, but he remembered the number of people. The first elimination round eliminated fifty people, and the second round eliminated seven people. Theoretically, there should have been fifty-seven contestants here, but in fact there were only fifty-six, except for the one opposite him.
He tried to recall, but because he was far away, he didn't notice the details of the other people falling down. He only knew that the player opposite him first had shortness of breath, then vomited, and his cheeks turned red.
If the first person who fell is still alive, why isn't he here?
If the first person to fall is already dead, why are the others still alive? Weren't the eliminated participants given the same medication? Why is this happening? What are their motives?
Unable to get an answer, Bai Die looked at these people again.
A group of masked mercenaries surrounded them. These tall and burly mercenaries were equipped with many weapons, some of which were pointed directly at the contestants in the center.
Two men who looked like mercenary leaders were sitting on a sofa chatting, smoking, drinking, and fiddling with their guns.
The white butterfly moved closer, but couldn't understand what they were saying.
It flapped its wings, about to leave, when one of the men's phones rang. He answered, "Hello, boss."
"How's it going on the ship?" A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone, slightly distorted, but still recognizable as the one who had spoken during their meal.
Ren Yifei froze on the white butterfly he was controlling, listening intently.
"No problem." The man took a drag of his cigarette. "That corpse has already been disposed of."
"I initially told you to keep these people calm, to let them eat, drink, and have fun, and to keep them on the ship for a month, and you said there was no problem." The voice was calm, not exactly accusatory, but it made the man on the phone feel awkward for two minutes.
"I'm sorry, boss, but I've got all these people under control. I guarantee that not a single word will get out, so please don't worry."
The person on the other end of the phone was silent for two seconds: "According to the rules, this month is a closed period. Whether you're selected or eliminated, you can't contact the outside world at will. I can keep things stable over there, but I can only hold out for a dozen days at most. After that, if the government notices, they'll notify these people's families. If they don't want them to die, they'll have to keep government troops away and pay a ransom."
"No problem. This island is located at the intersection of the waters of three countries, so no government can easily take action."
They exchanged a couple more words and then hung up. The middle-aged man continued smoking, puffing out clouds of smoke. Bai Die stood motionless in the smoke; the conversation had been quite revealing, even touching on the kidnapping incident.
These people invested so much money in this event just to kidnap people? There's no richest man's only son among them, so the return on investment is too low (he doesn't know that the organizers and the event manager are not the same people; this group is doing business with no investment).
Moreover, if the goal was to kidnap for money, there was really no need to kill, but now one person is already dead.
Ren Yifei waited in the banquet hall for quite a while, during which time the kidnapped contestants raised their hands to ask to go to the toilet.
He followed and found someone pointing a gun at him. There was no poison or anything like that; the entire process of using the toilet was done in a very humiliating way. There was no room for him to make any small movements.
This applies to both men and women.
"Back then, everyone was required to remove their jewelry, watches, glasses, and other items, right? To prevent them from contacting the outside world in any way," Ren Yifei thought to himself.
I went out today and got a lot of useful clues, but the whole incident is still shrouded in mystery. They are like insects trapped in a spider web, knowing that there is a monster coiled at the center, but unable to see its full form.
As the night deepened, Ren Yifei knew he would be too tired to sleep tomorrow if he didn't go to bed soon. He controlled the white butterfly to fly out onto the sea and then unilaterally cut off contact.
He turned his head slightly in his 'sleep' state, coughed twice, and then 'fell asleep' again.
He woke up around seven o'clock the next day, looking sleepy.
I had strange dreams all night, and I couldn't remember them when I woke up, which made me feel pretty bad first thing in the morning.
"Good morning, I didn't sleep well last night." He greeted the live streamer. "I dreamt that I was reborn back in the college entrance exam hall. Ugh, that's so unfriendly to underachievers."
As he spoke, he grabbed his clothes, went into the bathroom, and closed the door.
Ten minutes later, she came out looking like a glamorous young idol, with her hair styled and clothes changed.
Today he was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, long pants, and sneakers. It would look disastrous on someone else, but it looked fine on him; he's good-looking and can do whatever he wants.
Breakfast time was 7:30, and Ren Yifei arrived right on time. The chairs of the eliminated contestants from yesterday had also been moved away, and several seats at the long table were now empty, giving the remaining contestants more space to move around—even though they didn't need it.
He sat down and found a letter in front of him, the same one he had found in the room yesterday.
"Oh." He picked it up and looked at it, but didn't open it. He just weighed it in his hand and put it back.
The other contestants arrived earlier than Ren Yifei, and several of them still had dark circles under their eyes and were yawning, looking like they were sleep-deprived. He tried to cover it up by saying, "I'm not a good sleeper because I can't sleep in different beds."
"Me too, I'm not used to it."
They smiled dryly, and even the few self-proclaimed acting talents among the young actors and actresses couldn't find a natural reason to put on a show.
Only a small number of people seem as carefree as Ren Yifei; their eyes dart around, they often have a smile on their face, and they are particularly confident.
Ren Yifei thought of the athletes on the cruise ship; their movements were restricted, but they were safe for the time being.
He still didn't know why that contestant had to die yesterday, or what made him special. Was it because he had a grudge against the owner of that voice, or because of some other conflict of interest?
Are there any other people like this among the remaining forty-three?
"Good morning, everyone. It seems like none of you slept well last night. That's not good. Without enough energy, how can we solve the case we're about to face?"
The moment that voice rang out, some of the contestants felt a chill run down their spines. They still couldn't forget those contestants who had collapsed and whose fates were unknown the previous night.
"Ah, it seems everyone's spirits aren't very high. Alright, I won't waste any more time. Now, you can open the envelopes in front of you and receive your share of happiness for today. Wait a moment, perhaps you can wait until you've finished breakfast before opening them; it'll be better for your stomachs."
Hearing that malicious laugh, the contestants could all picture a sinister face.
Ren Yifei thought for a moment and decided to accept this friendly suggestion. He put down the envelope and waited for the food to be served.
But there are always some impatient guys. They had already opened the envelope. Ren Yifei saw that they had taken out a photo, and then his face began to contort. He covered his mouth and showed a disgusted expression.
Breakfast was served at this time, and the main dish was a plate of honey-roasted pork chops. Upon seeing the meat, the contestants experienced even more severe nausea and vomiting.
"How can anyone eat this?" One contestant stood up, seemingly unable to bear it and about to leave.
"I guess that photo shows the deceased in a particularly gruesome state," Ren Yifei said to the live stream device. "Curiosity may not kill the cat, but it can save you breakfast."
The others glared at him angrily: What time is it? Why is your mouth still so foul?
Ren Yifei calmly cut open a grilled pork chop: "Although that voice just said a lot of nonsense, there's one thing I agree with. If you don't sleep and eat properly, how can you ensure your body and brain are in their best condition?"
"I would regret it if I were eliminated due to health reasons."
The passengers on the cruise ship are safe for now, but that doesn't mean they'll be safe forever; they are currently in danger. At this point, even if eating makes them vomit, they must eat enough to maintain their strength—that's survival.
The contestants began to eat breakfast. The contestant who had stood up and opened the envelope sat back down. The only sounds on the long table were the sounds of taking food and swallowing.