Nan, his expression calm, walked directly to the door and knocked.

　　“You’ve arrived.” A middle-aged woman in an apron appeared, seemingly in the middle of cooking.

　　She smiled at the four figures outside. “Come in.”

　　Nan stepped inside, followed closely by Lin and Yao.

　　It was an old, somewhat dilapidated house, with three bedrooms and a living room—fairly spacious.

　　Though worn, the house was spotlessly clean, not a speck of dust even in the less-trafficked corners.

　　Lin made his way to the living room, drawn to the old television set that was emitting a cacophony of sounds from an animated program.

　　But it wasn’t the TV that truly captured his attention.

　　It was the three little girls sitting on the sofa, their eyes glued to the screen.

　　They were identical triplets.

　　 Not just their faces, but their clothes and hairstyles were exactly the same.

　　They barely acknowledged the arrival of the strangers, their gazes shifting momentarily before returning to the cartoon.

　　“These are my daughters,” the woman said. “Thank you for coming to their birthday in seven days.”

　　Having learned from his previous experience, Lin immediately latched onto the key information embedded within the woman’s words: seven days, birthday—this seemed to be the purpose of their arrival.

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　　Relief washed over Lin.

　　Attending a birthday party was definitely preferable to, say, building coffins.

　　Having delivered her piece, the woman excused herself to continue cooking, leaving them with a set of keys and informing them that the adjacent rooms were all available.

　　Nan pocketed the keys and instructed the others to wait upstairs, explaining that he needed to fetch the remaining newcomers from downstairs.

　　Lin and Yao nodded, watching as Nan re-entered the elevator.

　　“Is this your second time entering the ‘door’?” Yao inquired.

　　Lin nodded, his gaze fixed on the triplets.

　　He couldn’t help but recall the tale of the three sisters from the Fairchild Bird.

　　Noticing Lin’s distraction, Yao fell silent, turning her attention to the television program.

　　A few minutes later, Nan returned with the rest of the group, including, much to everyone’s surprise, the blood-soaked middle-aged man.

　　Whatever he had encountered in the black mist had left him visibly shaken, his eyes vacant and haunted.

　　The dried blood on his face had darkened to an unpleasant, almost black, hue.

　　“The objective has been revealed,” Nan announced. “We’re to stay here for seven days and attend the triplets’ birthday party.”

　　He pulled out the keys given to him by the woman. “We have four keys, one for each room. Choose amongst yourselves.”

　　“Can’t we stay together?” Xu, though no longer in tears, still trembled with fear. “We’d feel safer with more people.”

　　Nan simply glanced at her before making his way to the nearest room, key in hand.

　　With a click and a creak, the door swung open.

　　“What kind of room is this?” Xu gasped, taking in the sight beyond the threshold.

　　It wasn’t a normal room at all but a small, single cell, with only a door and a window.

　　 In the center sat a wooden bed.

　　 At a glance, it resembled nothing more than a meticulously crafted coffin.

　　“The rooms are too small to accommodate more than one person,” Nan stated. “We’ll have to split up.”

　　“I want to be with you,” Xu pleaded, raising her hand. “Big Sister, let me stay with you, I’m scared.”

　　Nan ignored her plea and instead turned to Lin, pointing at him. “You’re with me.”

　　“M-me?” Lin stammered.

　　“Yes,” Nan affirmed.

　　The others looked at Lin with envy…