"Huh...... Ha ......"

Isabel gasped for air, clinging to the wall and trying to move forward.

She couldn't remember how many times she had died, and she couldn't tell what layers of dreams she was in now.

It hurts so much......

Every time she died, she was punished severely.

At first, it was just a fever and weakness. Although painful and uncomfortable, it is indeed possible to investigate.

After being pushed down the stairs for the first time and falling to her death, she woke up to find herself tied up and sitting in the hall.

In addition to himself, there were six other people present. Some of them cursed loudly, while others did not say a word.

And a young man with tan hair and deep facial features found a violin out of nowhere, watching the storm in front of the window, playing the dissonant noise as he pleased.

Yes, the noise—at least by Isabel's standards, she played the violin better than that for three months.

Because it was not any piece at all, but it was improvised, but the performer lacked the basis of music theory for improvisation. The result is a torturous mess.

This also made her finally unable to bear it anymore and spoke out to stop it.

Lulu ...... Your Highness, is it? ”

The man turned back with a cold and arrogant attitude, and bowed respectfully to the people at the table.

His knuckles are distinct, and the bow in his hand is like a sword.

Even as the crowd cursed him louder and louder, he still turned a deaf ear.

"You go down first, I'll have to wait a little longer. But don't be afraid, I'll go down before the time is up. ”

He didn't introduce himself, but Lulu easily guessed his identity - her instincts convinced that it was Sherlock, not Merlin disguised as him.

"What should I do...... Can I help you? ”

"Dai Ya" in front of the table asked seriously: "I have investigated room 201 from the upper floor......"

As she spoke, she tried to ignore the swearing and bickering of the people around her, and told Sherlock everything she had seen.

Sherlock was a little surprised by Isabel's strength and initiative, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a rare smile of approval.

"When you go down, make sure who's dead on every floor. Then memorize these people. After finding the fox, tell him what you see, and then tell him my strategy. ”

Sherlock said calmly, "I chose to wait here. Looking at how many people will fall to my level, I finally knew that I should go down several levels in a row. I was confident that Merlin would not be able to fool me.

"Of course, I also have the possibility of failure. For example, there was a person above me who misjudged the number of layers and didn't come down until the end. Then I'll knock it out with him.

In short, those of them waiting at the bottom may see that there are more than two people who have not arrived, or they are all present. But it is impossible to see only one person who does not arrive.

"If that happens, there are two possibilities - because I have chosen a very safe strategy, Merlin will most likely disguise himself as me in order to counteract the situation I have constructed. If that's the case, then the missing person must be below my tier.

"Bring these words of mine to the fox, and he will understand."

After the detective finished speaking, he raised the muzzle of the gun and aimed it at Daiya, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

— and from this death, Isabel began to feel the pain.

The heat became more intense, and she began to vomit incessantly. The heart beats unusually violently, but it doesn't pump much blood because it doesn't fully relax and contract. Her body temperature continued to rise, and consciousness began to blur.

"Three dead," she repeated, "a woman, a monkey, an old man." ”

She was so weak that she didn't have the strength to pull the trigger.

Looking at the body of the vicious man on the ground, she searched for the gun that the other man was carrying.

Isabel fell to her knees and buried the muzzle of her gun deep in her throat. The small index fingers and middle fingers of the two hands are stacked together, and the trigger is pressed down with the weight of the body.

Bring yourself to the next level.

And from here, she was horrified to find out...... His skin cracked.

Her skin was pale and had tiny cracks. An ominous purple glow seeped from it, mixed with a slight gradient of pink.

The girl's silver bell-like laughter became clearer and clearer, as if ringing in her ears.

As her memories began to blur, Isabel began to muttered to herself over and over again, remembering everything she had seen.

"Merlin's Story...... Fairy Tale Book, Bear ...... Dead end ......"

She stumbled in search of the body, chanting in a dry, hoarse voice: "Negative floor, detective...... Either two people are absent, or all of them are in full ......"

"On the second floor, three people died...... Woman, monkey, old man. ”

"-Sister, let's play together?"

The girl's voice rang in her ears, interrupting Isabel's chanting.

"Don't make a noise!"

Isabel had a rare outburst.

But just shouting it made her head hurt even more. The pin-and-needle pain made her pause, covering her head and gasping for air.

- Now, there is no one to help yourself.

On the contrary, he still carries the hope of victory.

Looking at the corpses, Isabel had already guessed the rules of whereabouts.

Without his own intelligence, Ivas could fall into the wrong tier due to intelligence errors...... Sherlock could also die......

She was supposed to feel powerless.

She's always been like this anyway...... They are all protected behind them. She has never been in charge of something important on her own, and she has never carried the lives of others.

“…… Ha...... Ha ......"

She gasped quietly, the cracked lines on her skin as if she were breathing.

…… Speaking of which, is it about life?

Isabel's consciousness began to blur.

It's like a promotion ceremony...... It doesn't matter if you lose......

Just stop it. It's too painful. If you go any further, you might die of pain.

- Although she knows that no one will blame herself even if she fails.

But Isabel was still not reconciled. The green flames were reflected in Daiya's pupils like an illusion, and she seemed to have some strength and consciousness again.

The more she is on the verge of limiting, the more motivated Isabel becomes.

The more painful she was, the stronger she became.

Don't want to admit defeat yet-

"Merlin's Story...... Muppet Bear ...... Ha...... 201……”

Isabel leaned against the wall and moved, muttering in a low voice like a dream.

And at this moment, she saw a strange hallucination in front of her eyes.

A blonde girl threw the ball in her hand towards Isabel.

"Let's play ball, sister?"

She looked forward to it, and a voice with an ethereal echo sounded: "Let's play ball, right?" ”

Isabel subconsciously wanted to reach out and block the ball. Her body, which was already on the verge of the limit, was directly knocked down by the ball and fell to the ground.

The ball and the little girl dissipated directly into phantoms, but the touch of being hit by the ball was so real.

In her heart, the little girl's voice sounded again: "Sister...... Will it leave me? ”

The voice grew frightened.

She was so lonely and scared...... This made Isabel's heart soften.

She couldn't help crying, as if it was for herself, and as if it was for this girl.

But she cried for a while, then got up again, and silently wiped away her tears. Keep walking, towards darker places.

She passed by corpse after corpse. There are people who were alive before and are dead now; Some people die once and then a second time.

The consciousness in her mind had become blurred, and she had long forgotten that she was still in the promotion ceremony and in her dreams. The pain that grew clearer and clearer tormented her, making her experience so real at this moment. She even forgot that she was called Isabel at one point.

"Remember these people."

A cold and arrogant voice sounded: "You just bring these words of mine to the fox, and he will understand." ”

"He'll understand......"

Isabel muttered and repeated, the light reflected in her copper-coined pink-purple pupils.

Her skin was cracked extensively, and pink blood slowly bleed as she walked.

There were also some living people who met her on the way—and when they saw this little girl with a high fever, they would want to take her away.

But as they approached Isabel, their bodies became blurry and transparent.

They ran towards Isabel anxiously and distressedly, but became transparent before they could pick her up. And after Isabel passed over them and left, she stood up as if nothing had happened. It's like never seeing her.

Not just the living—even the world around her, occasionally becoming blurry and transparent.

She remembered each layer of corpses, but she couldn't remember how many floors she had descended. Her memory was still running, but she couldn't think anymore.

- At last, she saw the long table with the candle flame lit again. Saw the familiar detective, and the vicious man sitting in the chief.

It was like a painting, imprinted on her heart.

Isabel's tears fell in an instant.

Just one glance, her instincts told her that this man was Ivus.

“…… Aihua ......"

Isabel stumbled over and ran into his arms.

- Despite the exact appearance, this is by no means the man with the fierce face. That's what her eyes told her.

She couldn't remember calling him Fox, but instinct told her she couldn't say his name.

"Room 201 has Merlin's storybook and the Muppet Bear, and when he picks it up, he goes to a dead end......

"I met the detective on the basement floor, and he asked me to tell ...... you."

Isabel's voice became smooth: "The deceased are ......"

She recited the people she remembered, and spoke them in one breath. Everyone was quietly listening to the information she had brought.

- Her mission is accomplished.

(End of chapter)