The kitchen is to the left of the living room. There’s no natural gas here, only the most primitive firewood.

Adam Grant and Eric Bennett barely spoke on the way. It wasn’t until they reached the kitchen, after Adam Grant lowered his head and started the fire, that he finally said, “I don’t plan to tell them everything.”

“What do you mean?” Eric Bennett was taken aback.

Adam Grant glanced silently at the doorway, making sure no one was outside, then whispered, “I can’t be sure that everyone in our team is human.”

A chill ran down Eric Bennett’s back at those words.

“This kind of thing has happened before,” Adam Grant said. “The people we thought were teammates actually weren’t—they were those things.”

Eric Bennett said, “Then why do you trust me? What if I’m one of those things?”

Adam Grant looked at him. “You don’t seem like it.”

Eric Bennett: “……”

Adam Grant continued, “Besides, they really don’t act like people who’ve been through this kind of thing before. They’re all too panicked—even more than you.”

Eric Bennett felt a little embarrassed at the compliment. “Actually, I’m pretty scared too.”

Adam Grant gave a self-deprecating laugh at that. “You call that scared? The first night I entered through the door, I wet my pants three times.”

Eric Bennett thought of that terrifying woman from last night, glanced silently at his own crotch, and thought to himself that at least he’d managed to hold it in…

Adam Grant: “I suggest you also keep some clues to yourself. Don’t reveal everything.”

Eric Bennett nodded. “I understand. Thanks for the reminder. Can I ask how many times you’ve been in here?”

Adam Grant: “Six times.”

“Oh…” Eric Bennett tried to digest the information Adam Grant had given him—about the door, the team, and some hidden clues.

“There’s no use overthinking it. Just try to make it out alive.” Adam Grant gave another self-mocking laugh. “Though honestly, I don’t have much hope for this world.”

The fire in the stove was lit, making the water in the iron pot boil.

Eric Bennett found a basket of ingredients nearby—there were noodles, eggs, even some green vegetables. He put the noodles in, fried an egg, and soon the aroma of food filled the kitchen, dispelling the chilly fear. Adam Grant saw this and praised, “Nice cooking skills.”

“It’s nothing,” Eric Bennett smiled.

He cooked four bowls of noodles: for Adam Grant, Little Scott, Eric Bennett, and Grace Cooper. As for the others, Eric Bennett couldn’t worry about them.

Grace Cooper was hungry too. She held her bowl and started eating the noodles. Normally, people make some noise when eating noodles, but she finished the whole bowl in complete silence—not even a drop of soup left. After finishing, she didn’t say a word, just turned and looked at Eric Bennett with big, expectant eyes.

Eric Bennett felt uneasy under her intense gaze and said helplessly, “You’re still hungry?”

Grace Cooper: “I’m full.” As soon as she finished speaking, her stomach growled in agreement.

Eric Bennett: “…Go ahead and eat, I’ll make something else.”

Grace Cooper: “No, no, it’s fine.”

Eric Bennett: “Really?” He pretended to keep eating, but saw Grace Cooper’s eyes nearly pop out. She looked so cute that Eric Bennett couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, you eat. I’ve had enough.”

“Okay, okay.” This time Grace Cooper didn’t hold back.

With two bowls of noodles in their stomachs, the chill from being outside finally faded. Adam Grant ate while sharing with everyone the information they’d gotten from the old carpenter. Of course, he didn’t tell them everything—he kept the last clue about filling the well to himself.

“Could the key be inside the coffin?” There was still someone relatively calm in the group—a man named Brian Carter said, “Since the crucial clue is the coffin, I think that’s probably it…”

“Let’s hope so.” Adam Grant said, “I plan for us to go up the mountain tomorrow morning to cut trees. All the men will go, and the women can follow if they want. If you’re really afraid of the cold, just stay inside. But if something happens in the house, we won’t be able to help.”

After some discussion, everyone agreed to Adam Grant’s proposal. Although some thought it was too dangerous to go up the mountain in this weather, in this world, the most dangerous thing wasn’t the weather, but those unpredictable, ghostly things. Finishing the coffin and leaving as soon as possible was clearly the best plan.

With all the delays, it was getting dark again.

After nightfall, everyone washed up simply and, with no mood for anything else, went back to their rooms early. Eric Bennett asked why they couldn’t all stay together. Adam Grant said, “Because if we all gather together, we’ll all fall asleep at a fixed time.”

“What do you mean?” Eric Bennett was confused. “You mean, when the time comes, everyone will fall asleep?”

“Yeah,” Adam Grant said. “Maybe it’s a rule of this world. If the number of people in the same room exceeds a certain value, everyone will fall asleep at a set time. No matter what happens then, there’s nothing you can do.”

“So we’re just sitting ducks?” Eric Bennett frowned.

“Actually, those things can’t just kill people at will,” Adam Grant said. “They need certain conditions to kill. The higher the difficulty of the world inside the door, the broader the conditions. And some of the conditions are… really hard to understand.”