There are a total of 10 digits, from 0 to 9.
There are 26 letters, from A to Z.
If repeated letters or digits are allowed, then a single-digit number has 10 possible options, a two-digit number has 100 options, and a three-digit number has 1,000 possible options! In a combination lock, 000 is also considered a valid code.
Trying to guess the correct code out of 1,000 possibilities is extremely difficult, though still more reasonable than buying a lottery ticket.
Now, let’s take a look at how many possibilities there are if the password is made up of letters.
A one-letter password has 26 possibilities, a two-letter password has 676 possibilities, and a three-letter password has a whopping 17,576 possibilities!
So, if the system isn’t just messing with you, there must be some hint for this combination lock on the third floor.
Maybe the code will appear at a certain stage of the game, or maybe the code has already been revealed and everyone just missed it.
Although everyone was curious, they couldn’t do anything about the lock, nor did they dare to fiddle with it carelessly, so they had no choice but to leave.
As for our Miss Hua Ru, her face was gloomy and she was clearly uncomfortable.
This time, every area of the An Shi Jie map could be entered—except for the third floor.
Yes, her obsessive-compulsive disorder was acting up again.
She stared at the lock so hard it was as if her eyes could shoot out laser beams filled with resentment.
She didn’t feel this kind of discomfort toward the main entrance on the first floor that couldn’t be opened; it was only this inaccessible third floor that made her feel so frustrated.
With nowhere else to go, everyone dispersed for now, agreeing to meet in the main hall at 5:00 p.m. for dinner.
No. 1, Zhou Wei, repeatedly reminded everyone not to touch the combination lock without permission.
Everyone returned to their own rooms, but Yelena still followed Hua Ru.
Not just No. 10—even those with weaker deductive abilities could sense something was off between these two.
“Can you stop following me?” Hua Ru finally couldn’t hold it in and said this, seeing Uncle No. 10 walking thoughtfully down the corridor, getting closer and closer to her. She lowered her voice and continued, “Even if we’re in the same QQ group, you don’t have to stick with me all the time!”
Of course, this was a lie, deliberately said for the benefit of those around them.
Even though her voice was intentionally lowered, quite a few people could still hear it.
To explain why No. 14 was sticking to her, she deliberately made up a story about them being in the same QQ group.
That would make their closeness seem reasonable.
She was just afraid Yelena wouldn’t get the hint, so Hua Ru gave her a look, signaling: Hurry back, whatever it is, we’ll talk tonight.
“I just want to talk to you.” Yelena looked aggrieved and even blinked, as if she was also trying to signal something.
Fine, she really was trying to signal—but who could understand what she meant? Was it something urgent?
“If it’s about what happened in the QQ group yesterday, just forget it. We’ll talk later.” Hua Ru made up another excuse.
Nothing special had happened in the QQ group yesterday.
She was worried Yelena wouldn’t understand her attempt to distance herself, so she kept giving her looks, this time a bit more fierce.
“But… I just wanted to ask, what should we do about… us…” She had the word “killer” on the tip of her tongue, ready to say it any moment. Clearly, she hadn’t understood Hua Ru’s intent at all.
Not far away, No. 7, Ragnar, and that Shamate couple were at the entrance studying the door’s soundproofing.
The guy was so worried about the situation here that he was even thinking about coming over to intervene, his right hand clenched tightly, veins showing faintly.
Hua Ru crouched down with a gentle smile, using Yelena’s body to block others’ view.
When only this little rascal could see her, Hua Ru’s face turned cold and sharp, her eyes hawk-like, her entire demeanor radiating menace.
“Get! Lost! Now!” She lowered her voice again, growling out the three words, one at a time, so only the two of them could hear.
Yelena was indeed startled, but quickly returned to normal and gave a meaningful smile, softly replying, “Okay.”
Hua Ru stood up, instantly reverting to her previous weak, shy self, as if that fierce side had only been an illusion.
Finally resolving this headache, she could finally return to her room in peace.
All the rooms were built on the outer side of the circular second-floor corridor, so the doors were curved, not the flat kind you usually see.
Also, the doors had no locks or keys on the outside and could be opened freely; only from the inside could they be locked.
After entering Room 9, she locked the door behind her. Only then did she feel a little more relaxed.
Acting for long periods was exhausting—she had to constantly be aware of her facial expressions and couldn’t let her thoughts show on her face by accident.
It was mentally draining, and only in this private space could she finally unwind.
She checked every corner of the room, even under the bed.
The room wasn’t very big, about 50 square meters, with just one main area and the bed in the corner.
No TV, no computer, no phone—none of the usual electronic entertainment.
There was a small bathroom that could be locked from inside, with only a toilet, a sink, and a mirror—no shower.
Only after confirming there was no one else in the room did she finally drop her act, sprawling out on the bed in a star shape, completely unconcerned about appearances.
Suddenly, she remembered the folding knife she had hidden when entering this An Shi Jie. She sat up, pulled open her shirt collar and bra, but of course, she couldn’t find the knife.
Could it have been confiscated by the system?
If so, why would the system confiscate it?
Was it considered a weapon?
Then what about No. 10 Liu Qingzhu’s lighter and cigarettes?
A lighter can be used as a weapon in some cases, right?
Cigarettes contain nicotine, and if you soak a lot of them in water for a while, the water can turn into poison!
Are those not considered weapons?
Or is there a difference between items bought with points and those from the real world? But that doesn’t make sense—if the lighter and cigarettes were bought with points, shouldn’t they have to be swapped for something else?
She quickly overturned her own theory. If you needed to swap items to use them, then you shouldn’t be able to wear your own clothes either.
Maybe… maybe the system has a whitelist for allowed items?
In any case, bringing the folding knife was just a test. It seemed figuring out the whitelist would take more time—hopefully, there’d be another chance to come in and experiment.
Recalling everything that had happened today, it really had been a rotten day.
First, she was sleeping soundly when someone kicked her door in.
Then she got called into the An Shi Jie, and landed a bunch of not-so-great teammates.
Of course, this was actually safer than the last Task World, so in a way, she was lucky.
The previous world was, as the name suggested, the Nine Lives World—out of nine people, only one could survive.
She’d mostly made it out alive by sheer luck. Thinking back now, she had to marvel at her good fortune.
This time’s Task World, as long as her teammates weren’t too stupid, gave her plenty of room to operate and wouldn’t leave her feeling so powerless.
Maybe because she’d relaxed, she suddenly felt the urge to poop.
She hadn’t eaten much these past few days after “making a person,” so this was her first time using the toilet here.
She was still cautious, though—before doing her business, she made sure to find some toilet paper, otherwise things could get ugly.
Thankfully, the An Shi Jie system hadn’t forgotten this detail; there was a single roll of toilet paper by the toilet, apparently the only one.
Pretty stingy—she wondered if the guys would be able to make it through so many days with just one roll.
Actually, the girls would probably burn through it even faster…
Especially someone as obsessive-compulsive as Hua Ru. She first tore off a piece of the toilet paper to wipe the seat clean, then finally sat down.
With a serious look, she crossed her arms over her chest.
Because women have two lumps of flesh in front, this pose wasn’t as comfortable as it was for men. Lost in thought, she didn’t notice the discomfort just yet.
Who was the cop, anyway?
No. 10, Infinite Monarch An Xue Wu? Possible.
Even though he acted like a killer, he wasn’t one. Maybe he was doing it on purpose, playing against type to hide his identity as a cop.
For now, she’d tag him as a suspect.
What about No. 3? No. 3, Qian Min, hadn’t done anything special yet, so it was hard to say. Skip for now.
No. 1, Zhou Wei? He was more likely.
The cop could investigate someone at night, probably to confirm a player’s identity. How did that work?
Did they have to ask questions like a traffic cop checking cars, or did they just have some special method to know a player’s faction?
Anyway, the cop should be able to figure out a player’s identity, but obviously couldn’t kill—would have to vote or act in self-defense to take out a killer. So, No. 1 Zhou Wei’s team gathering so many people was a bit suspicious, and he also had control over the conversation.
If he found out who the killer was, he could control the vote and get the killer out. So, No. 1 Zhou Wei was a likely candidate for the cop, but maybe he was just trying to protect himself by forming a big group.
After all, with more people, he could control the vote, making sure his allies wouldn’t vote for him—thus keeping himself safe.
Oh! Oh! Oh! Without realizing it, she was about to poop, cutting off her train of thought. She pushed with all her might and forced it out.
Ah, that felt good!
Still feeling something left in her belly, she began the slow process all over again, her mind drifting back into speculation about who the cop might be.