Old Lady Wang and her husband had been drugged and fallen asleep. They would inevitably need to use the outhouse in the middle of the night due to their physical discomfort.

According to the plan, Leon only needed to ensure the team members stayed in their rooms all night. In reality, he didn't even need to warn them - none would dare venture out to use the bathroom at night, especially after Derion's "disappearance" the previous night. Everyone would find ways to handle their biological needs within their rooms.

All Leon had to do was get a good night's sleep and stay alive until morning.

However... the night was far from peaceful.

Footsteps echoed through the corridor, sometimes near, sometimes far, started again.

When Leon awoke in his bed, through the circular glass window in the door, illuminated by the red lantern's glow, he saw a woman in red clothes with disheveled black hair standing at his door.

The newspaper he had used to cover the window had fallen off on its own.

Unlike the previous night, the woman wasn't wandering anymore. She stood perfectly still at the door, staring directly at Leon inside the room.

Beneath her messy black hair, he could faintly make out an eerie red lip.

This wasn't Chen Li.

Knowing the "revenge" plan in advance, Chen Li must be lying in wait at the outhouse. She couldn't possibly be on the second floor... The figure at the door had to be the evil spirit of this event.

A piercing screech cut through the silence as her nails raked across the door.

Sharp sounds broke the night's silence.

The woman was scratching the door's surface with her razor-sharp fingers.

Most people would have screamed in terror at this sight.

Even Leon, who had experienced death before, couldn't remain completely fearless. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead... his back already drenched in cold sweat.

However, his expression remained unchanged as he lay in bed, staring at the woman at the door... If she tried to break in, he would immediately deploy the tentacle ability from his [Faceless Head] to counter-attack.

Time passed second by second.

They maintained their staredown... gradually ignoring the scratching sound until the woman finally left.

Instantly, the overwhelming pressure and sense of danger that had engulfed his body vanished. His instincts told him the evil spirit wouldn't return tonight.

After sleeping for five solid hours, combined with this terrifying stimulation, Leon was now wide awake.

Staring at the ceiling, his brain habitually began to analyze the situation.

"A strong man like Derion disappeared without even making a sound when confronted by the spirit woman... She could wipe us all out in a single night if she wanted to.

Why doesn't she?

Is she just toying with us, waiting until the last moment to strike... or are there 'restrictions' in place?"

'Restrictions'

The moment this word crossed his mind, Leon sat up, pulled out the pen and notebook he had bought, and quickly started writing.

"I can't fully understand the purpose of the 'Destiny Space' yet. But broadly speaking, it's probably meant to 'screen' ordinary people, enhancing those who prove worthy, even granting supernatural abilities. The Destiny Space wouldn't present us with an impossible situation - there must be a way to survive... This would explain why the evil spirit can't simply kill us all at once. Since we're under 'restrictions' like 'only being able to move within a 500-meter radius of the manor' and 'not being able to share rooms at night'... Could the 'evil spirit' be under similar 'restrictions'? For example, maybe she can't forcibly enter our rooms? Or perhaps she can only target those whose 'fear level' reaches a certain threshold? Or she might be limited to killing only one person within a certain timeframe? Hmm... the existence of 'restrictions' seems highly likely."

In his previous life, Leon was accustomed to thinking through problems while lying in bed... The quiet night and comfortable mattress often helped him discover experimental approaches and problem angles he couldn't see in the laboratory.

"If we survive tonight, we'll be halfway through the event's time limit... In the remaining 36 hours, we must try to identify and verify these restrictions on the evil spirit. Once confirmed, our survival rate should increase significantly."

Leon remained in bed until dawn

...

However.

What Leon experienced also happened to the other team members.

Except for Murray, who remained relatively calm.

The others weren't nearly as composed during their staredowns with the evil spirit through their glass windows.

Of the two women, one screamed in the corner, while the other crouched trembling... The newsboy Herbert had a different reaction.

Usually able to suppress his fear, he now completely lost control and made an extremely irrational decision.

"No! A flimsy wooden door won't stop an evil spirit... I have to escape!"

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With trembling legs, Herbert grabbed his backpack, opened the window, and jumped down from the second floor... Thanks to his decent physical condition, he landed safely and pulled out his flashlight to survey his surroundings.

The moment Herbert jumped, the woman at the door stopped scratching, her lips curling into a slight smile.

...

"I need to find the Captain! He'll know what to do."

The newsboy wouldn't dare run aimlessly through the wilderness in the middle of the night... Murray was his only lifeline.

Hugging the manor's wall, Herbert carefully made his way to the front courtyard. His flashlight beam confirmed the woman was no longer at his door, and the second-floor corridor was empty.

He faintly heard what sounded like meat being chopped coming from the direction of the outhouse several dozen meters away.

In such a crisis, the brain easily makes random connections between pieces of information.

Herbert's mind concluded someone had already fallen victim at the outhouse. Using this opportunity, he attempted to rush upstairs to join the captain.

However...

As he reached the stairway corner, his body suddenly froze mid-step.

At the corner stood a woman, facing the wall.

The sight made Herbert's legs shake uncontrollably, his mind in chaos...

"He..."

Before he could finish the "help," ten mud-caked fingernails covered his face. An irresistible force dragged him back into one of the second-floor rooms.

...

When morning came...

As Chen Li and her brother Qing prepared breakfast and everyone gathered in the ground floor hall,

Qing served the noodles with fried eggs, smiling as he spoke:

"Did you four sleep well last night?

Old Lady Wang and her husband's van is fixed - they left an hour ago... If there's anything else you want to film, my sister and I will fully cooperate."

Qing's casual mention of 'four' sent a collective shiver through the remaining team members.

Half of the event's time limit had passed.

Their original six-person team had been reduced to four... and the second half would likely be even more dangerous.

During breakfast.

Leon again claimed he wasn't feeling well and took his fried egg noodles back to his room... In reality, he had work to do.

First, he needed to analyze Herbert's death.

Taking out paper and pen, placing them beside his noodle bowl, he began eating while recording and analyzing.

"Everyone experienced the evil spirit at their door last night.

The four of us who survived - some left their beds, but none left their rooms... However, Herbert's window was found wide open! Clearly, he panicked and chose to jump out, making himself a target for the spirit.

Restrictions!

My theory must be correct.

At least last night, the spirit seemed restricted from entering rooms... or perhaps limited to 'killing only one person,' which is why she specifically chose Herbert after he jumped.

But I can't be certain these 'restrictions' will remain constant.

Perhaps as the time limit decreases, the spirit's restrictions will gradually weaken.

At the current rate of casualties, we might be down to just two survivors by the event's end."

Leon recorded every detail and reasonable hypothesis he could think of, planning to verify these theories through future events.

But returning to his room served another purpose...

After the siblings succeeded last night, Leon received a system notification:

『Side Event [Choice] - Completed

Probability of obtaining a 'Destiny Card (Novice Level)' upon event completion increased by 10%.

Additionally, your intimacy with key character [Possessed Chen Li] has significantly increased, and relationship with key character [Qing] has slightly improved.』

Significantly increased!

This was the reward for Leon's initiative in approaching Chen Li yesterday and offering his assistance.

During breakfast. Leon secretly passed Chen Li a note, asking her to pretend feeling unwell and come upstairs for a private conversation.

"When facing life and death, a hastily assembled team of strangers can't be trusted... The only ones I can completely trust are the event characters."

About five minutes later, Chen Li also came upstairs with her noodle bowl.

"Come in..."

While closing the door, Leon deliberately covered the glass window with newspaper.

"Thank you."

In that moment, Chen Li - whose frightening appearance had made team members mistake her for being 'possessed by an evil spirit' - suddenly broke down crying when alone with Leon.

Years of pent-up hatred finally released.

"It's all over now."

Leon stepped forward to comfort Chen Li... attempting to maximize their 'intimacy' level further.

As for the murdered elderly couple, Leon felt nothing.

In his eyes, the Destiny Space was like a game environment, with its characters being NPCs... not real people. The various intimacy levels and plot settings further confirmed this view.

Just as Leon finished consoling her, another system message appeared:

『Intimacy increased, your relationship with event character [Possessed Chen Li] has risen to 'Close Friend' (Note: Intimacy can be further improved.)』

Chen Li gradually stopped sobbing and looked at Leon, "Thank you... If you need to continue filming, I'll play along."

"That's not necessary... Chen Li. Filming is trivial. I asked you to my room because there's something extremely important I need help with - from both you and your brother."

"What is it?"

Leon spoke with complete seriousness: "Something that concerns my survival, and only you can help me."

He wouldn't have dared reveal his situation if their relationship hadn't reached 'Close Friend' status.

After his explanation.

Chen Li, who had come upstairs with just a bowl of noodles, somehow produced a cleaver... giving the impression she could materialize one at will.

Instantly, a murderous aura spread through the room, even dropping the temperature by a few degrees.

This moment made Leon wonder - "Is Chen Li... human or ghost?"

"...I'll definitely help you!"

The moment Chen Li spoke these words.

A piercing ring resonated in his ears, followed by a deep voice in his head, distinctly different from the Destiny Space's notifications.

『Detected special life form with close connection to subject. Perfect containment possible if target willing.』

"Special life form!? I knew Miss Chen Li wasn't ordinary!"

Leon was shocked.

A golden opportunity lay before him - seizing it would deepen his understanding of the Pocket Prison while gaining a powerful ally.

This was crucial for physically weak Leon.

"Chen Li's character in the film was originally a village girl who fell into an abyss of revenge after her mother's death... She was even prepared for imprisonment or execution to achieve her revenge.

With her life's goal accomplished, she has few attachments to the world.

This is the perfect chance to contain her."

Hesitation leads to defeat.

Pocket Prison, activate!

The transfer completed instantly... though their situations differed dramatically.

Leon stood in the prison corridor while Chen Li appeared directly in the only cell!

What happened next shocked Leon.

The spotted tentacles lurking in the wall crevices, sensing an intruder, grew frantically.

They bound Chen Li's hands and feet... and one tentacle, ignoring her skull, penetrated the back of her head.

『Analyzing containment subject information...』

Due to the tentacle's invasion through her skull, Chen Li entered a strange state, her eyeballs rolling back and forth.

Seeing this, Leon's expression darkened... He had wanted Chen Li to choose willingly whether to follow him to a new world, not be forcibly contained like this.

"According to the system prompt, Chen Li should be willing... I hope this containment method won't harm her."

After about five minutes.

Information analysis complete - [Possessed Chen Li]

Containment Method: Perfect Containment (High intimacy, subject willing to accept containment ritual)

Category: Corrupted (While alive, extreme negative emotions nurtured corporeal 'malevolent energy,' combined with long-term residence in a yin-heavy area, leading to mild corruption.)

Combat Rating: E+

Advancement Path: Evil Refinement

Abilities:

①. "Corruption" - Permanent increase to all base attributes.

②. "Cleaver" - Origin Weapon.

"No wonder the system gave Chen Li the 'Possessed' prefix - she truly fell into darkness through hatred!"

When the analysis finished, the tentacles binding Chen Li automatically retracted into the walls.

Simultaneously, a barely noticeable dark mark appeared on her neck... requiring close inspection to see.

The mark depicted - 'a faceless human face surrounded by eight curved tentacles arranged in a regular pattern.'