On a stormy night, the ancient castle was shrouded in silence.
The bedroom was warm and quiet, occasionally illuminated by flashes of purple and white lightning seeping through the thick curtains. Zhen Ai lay in Yan Su's embrace, feeling at peace.
She was actually afraid of the cold; she had thought that on a stormy night, sleeping alone in the chilly, isolated castle would make her curl up in a ball. But at this moment, he was by her side, breathing softly and steadily, revealing a gentle side of the man that he usually kept hidden.
The man's arm rested around her waist, his embrace secure and comforting, filled with a scent she loved, warming her entire being. It made her feel hot all over, and she wanted to proudly stretch her hand outside the blanket for some coolness; yet, she also wished to curl up completely inside him, warm and cozy, never to come out.
She couldn't help but curve her lips into a gentle smile.
"Can't sleep?"
His lips were already close to her ear, and as soon as he spoke, his husky voice sent shivers down her spine. She couldn't help but tremble slightly.
She quickly relaxed and moved a little.
In the darkness, she reached out to touch his distinctly contoured face; his skin felt clean and refreshing. She boldly rubbed her thumb lightly against his lips, whispering like a child sharing a secret: "Dear, I think your body is so warm, like leaning against a big heater."
"You're lying." His soft lips parted, brushing against her fingertip. "If I were a heater, why wouldn't you hug me?"
Zhen Ai's face turned secretly red, and she huffed, turning away and showing her back to him. "Who told you not to wear clothes?"
"Sleeping naked is good for your physical and mental health!" He easily turned her back to face him and said seriously, "I thought we had reached a consensus on this matter."
Who would want to sleep naked with you!!!
Zhen Ai pouted: "That's just you being delusional."
He chuckled silently, pulling her tighter. In the dark, his tone was filled with amusement: "Oh, is that so?"
After a while, he collected himself and repeated the previous question: "Can't sleep?"
Zhen Ai looked up at the ceiling, thinking seriously.
As she thought, a few seconds passed…
But this time Yan Su didn't complain about her slow response; instead, he continued, "Then that means you can't sleep." Finally, with a hint of mild frustration, he added, "I thought holding you would make you feel secure."
Zhen Ai was taken aback. The next second, the man beside her, unwilling to give up, continued, "Scientific research shows that women who have trouble sleeping can significantly improve their sleep quality if they rest in a comfortable and warm embrace, feeling safe."
Zhen Ai was left speechless; oh no, did she just hurt his pride?
Sure enough, before she could respond, he said gloomily, "The test results show that my embrace has no soothing effect on you. I am a negligent boyfriend." He said the last part almost dejectedly, then, wanting to salvage some pride, added, "Of course, only in this regard. In other aspects, I believe I am quite competent."
This made Zhen Ai's mood swing like a roller coaster.
She threw her arms around his neck and softly said, "Because of you, I feel warm and safe! It's just that I can't sleep because I'm thinking about my brother's password!"
The man in her arms froze for a moment, awkward and annoyed, cursing himself: "Tsk! I actually forgot to analyze comprehensively again."
"What's the point of analyzing everything so thoroughly? Anyway, you have no logic today." She nestled against his cheek and softly murmured, her smile growing wider.
What he had just said about scientific reasoning sounded like sweet words to her.
The darkness lent an affectionate and intimate quality to their ordinary conversation, enhancing the clarity of their touches.
Her body comfortably melted into his embrace, and his heart softened. Despite his usual restraint, he felt an intense desire for her fragrant presence. Oh, how he cherished this night of intimacy.
But he ultimately knew his limits, and at that moment, he was more concerned about the issue troubling her sleep:
"By the way, you mentioned you converted your brother's password and that there's a little poem?"
"Hmm." She nodded, "It's by Emily Brontë, 'The Sun Has Set.'… Do you want me to find the note I recorded it on?"
"No need. I've read that poem, so I remember its content." Yan Su effortlessly recalled the imagery of the poem in his mind.
The sun has set, and the long grass now
Waves dreamily in the evening wind;
And the wild bird has flown from that old gray stone
In some warm nook a couch to find.
In all the lonely landscape round
I see no light and hear no sound,
Except the wind that far away
Come sighing o'er the healthy sea.
What could this poem express in relation to the castle?
Yan Su rubbed her waist: "Since you can't sleep, let's explore the mystery!"
The entire castle was made of brick and stone, and walking down the winding stone corridors at night inevitably felt heavy and chilly. The storm outside seemed to blow in through unseen gaps, making the corridor lights flicker.
Zhen Ai glanced back from time to time, seeing countless closed doors blurred in the dim light, like a row of eyes.
If an ordinary person walked here, they would probably be scared out of their wits.
Noticing her looking back repeatedly, Yan Su chuckled, "Are you scared?"
"Hmm?" She looked up at him, paused, then shook her head, "Not scared at all." She usually had a thick skin.
From her usual tone and body language, he could tell she really wasn't scared. He gazed ahead at the seemingly endless path, saying meaningfully, "You're not scared, but I actually am."
"Eh? Scared of what?"
He just smiled and didn't explain. He was worried about what the wax figure of Zhen Ai hidden under the white cloth might signify.
After a moment, he asked, "If you're not scared, why do you keep looking back?"
"I'm remembering the route!"
Hearing this, he laughed again, "Don't worry; as long as I'm here, you won't get lost."
Suddenly, Zhen Ai remembered the time she took the wrong turn and ended up in his bed. His absurd theory about the human brain's memory of routes came to mind, so she asked, "So, you've already mapped out the route we just walked in your head?"
He nodded.
"Then did you notice that the path we walked resembles a seashell?"
He paused for a moment, and after thinking back, he realized it indeed resembled the patterns on a seashell. A continuous line that spiraled, infinitely approaching the endpoint. Each circular line intertwined with countless intricate patterns, complex and interconnected.
"How did you see that?"
"I guessed," Zhen Ai shrugged. "My brother once gifted me a game about escaping a closed castle. That castle has countless corridors like sea shell patterns, some intersecting midway, some converging at the end, and some remaining isolated."
Her brother's game? Could it be related to this castle?
"Where is the exit in the game castle?"
"In the highest tower at the center of the main castle. But only one corridor leads there!"
Yan Su frowned slightly. Although he could remember the paths he had taken, with so many routes in the castle, what if none of them were correct? Perhaps that game was the key?
"Do you still remember the correct path in the game?"
Zhen Ai ran her fingers through her hair, pondering for a long while. "The starting point of that path isn't in the main castle but in the 13th corridor of one of the annexes. It's been too long, and I can't recall clearly."
He patted her head reassuringly. "It's okay, I'll still find it."
As he spoke, a poem flashed through his mind: "The sun sets, long grass, ancient gray stones, to a warm place." What do these images refer to?
In the square castle, on each of the four sides sits one main building and twelve annexes. Which building can see the sunset, desolate grass, and rocks on the island, and in which direction is it relatively lonely?
If this square castle were placed on a map, it would actually be tilted 45 degrees, with the point facing upwards. The main entrance and the main castle are in the lower left southeast direction, facing a cliff and unable to see the rocks.
The direction that could see the sunset and desolate grass, along with the island's rocks, is southwest. The most desolate place is in the far west corner.
Yan Su stopped in his tracks. "I know where it is. There's a corridor next to the dining hall that leads to the central garden. We should head to the annex on the west side."
Zhen Ai was momentarily stunned but quickly grasped his reasoning.
He embraced her and continued forward, his gaze inadvertently sweeping past the candelabras on the walls of the corridor. He then realized he had seen that pattern several times. The intricate circular design depicted thorns and purple dew grass, with two larger letters "L" and "C" in the center, along with a line of small text.
It turned out to be the family crest.
Yan Su examined it carefully before retracting his gaze, casually saying, "The owner of this castle is named Lancelot."
Zhen Ai suddenly paused, and Yan Su sensed her stiffness. "What's wrong?"
Not wanting to hide it, she said honestly, "In the story of King Arthur, the most valiant knight, Lancelot, kidnapped Queen Guinevere, which was also the starting point of King Arthur's kingdom's downfall. I heard this story all the time when I was a child, and there's a saying in the organization: 'Those who betray like Lancelot must be eliminated.'"
Yan Su felt a surge of indescribable emotions and tightened his grip on her shoulders. After a long pause, he said, "No wonder everyone changed their expressions when the butler conveyed the owner's words."
Zhen Ai touched her forehead, looking somewhat melancholy. "Both my brother and I can be considered traitors in the organization. I really don't understand why he called me to this place!"
Why did he want her to come here?
Yan Su's heart again flashed with a foreboding sense and glanced at the family's crest visible throughout the castle, the capital letters "L" and "C." This family is strange; even the letter "C" has to be capitalized... The castle's ambiguous legends, the Caesar cipher's key, the ancient crest, the peculiar surname, the meaning behind her brother's password...
Suddenly, he felt a jolt in his heart as if he suddenly understood why Zhen Ai's brother chose this place. It all made sense now. Her brother hadn't recklessly hidden the money here at the expense of her safety; perhaps the meaning of that password was...
His mind went blank, unwilling to believe his guess. In fact, it would be simple to verify—he just needed to ask Zhen Ai one question to confirm his suspicion.
But at that moment, why didn't he dare to ask?
As he was at a loss, he suddenly heard Zhen Ai exclaim, "Hey, what's up with the wax figure of the boxer?"
Yan Su came back to his senses and realized they had arrived at the hall. Thirteen corridor entrances were either empty or displaying wax figures. The boxer's figure was in the first room, and it looked normal except that a tomato had been smashed on his head, covering his face with red juice.
They exchanged glances, sensing something was wrong, and immediately ran down the first corridor. Just as the butler said, the corridor indeed branched endlessly, but thankfully, Yan Su had a strong sense of direction.
The corridor seemed longer than they had imagined. Soon, they reached the end, where the boxer's room was located, but suddenly a man's terrified scream rang out from inside: "Ah!!!!"
Yan Su's face darkened, and he couldn't help but clench his fists. Zhen Ai suddenly felt a pain in her hand as if he were about to crush it.
She panicked; if another person died, Yan Su would be infuriated.
Finally, they reached the end. The boxer's room was the first. As they arrived, the rest of the people hurriedly opened their doors in surprise, peering out.
Zhen Ai glanced around, and everyone was there, including the butler and the maid at the far end.
They quickly gathered in front of the boxer's door, banging on it incessantly: "Mr. Boxer! Mr. Boxer!" Several people went up to twist the doorknob, but there was no response, and there was no movement inside.
The kindergarten teacher shouted at the butler, "The key!"
The butler shook his head. "With so many rooms in the castle, do you know how much iron it would waste if each room had two keys?"
"Step aside!" Yan Su ordered coldly.
Everyone was taken aback for a second before promptly moving aside.
Yan Su stepped forward, shook the doorknob, confirming it was indeed locked. He scowled, took a step back, and suddenly kicked the ancient wooden door.
The door crashed to the ground with a loud thud.
The room was brightly lit, and the boxer lay face up on the floor, his feet towards the door and his head towards the window. There was a large gaping hole in his head, and blood was everywhere.
A gasp erupted from those outside, who were about to rush in. Yan Su coldly admonished, "No one is allowed to enter!" Everyone immediately halted.
He crouched down to check the boxer's pulse—dead; the body was still warm. He went to check the windows; they were all locked.
Zhen Ai stood at the doorway, in disbelief. When the scream came from the room, she had clearly seen from the corridor that the door had never been opened.
Now, with the doors and windows locked from the inside, where was the murderer?
The people outside also noticed the problem and exchanged glances.
The writer stared at the boxer's lifeless body lying on his back in astonishment. "Could it be a locked-room murder?"
The model rolled her eyes. "You've read too many novels, haven't you? Someone must have killed him and then returned to their room before any of us came out, pretending to have heard the commotion!"
The kindergarten teacher raised her hand, voicing her disagreement. "But when I heard the scream, I had just come out of the bathroom, and I was close to the door. It took less than a second for me to open it. No one was in the corridor, and then the lawyer across the way opened his door."
Everyone opened their doors within seconds of each other, so they all quickly testified.
Zhen Ai also said, "That's right. Yan Su and I ran over from the corridor. After the boxer screamed, his door never opened. No one went in or came out!"