I Want To Play A Game

"Risk?" Taylor tilted her head.

"Yes." Luna Snow's gaze hardened. "If I help you win but your team rejects me at the end, I die anyway."

"A valid concern." Taylor leaned against the iron box, adopting her therapist's cadence. "But let's hypothesize: What strategy would your team use to win?"

Luna's brow twitched. "You mean… colluding with their Mole?"

"Precisely. This isn't betrayal—it's mutually assured survival. Ask yourself: Would your boyfriend prioritize you over victory?"

"Never!" Luna snapped. "Ditching me for that senile fool? Impossible!"

"Not 'ditching'—sacrificing." Taylor's voice softened like velvet. "When survival's at stake, self-preservation trumps romance."

A flicker of doubt crossed Luna's face before she shook her head. "Enough. Prepare your letter. I'll shred whatever you send."

"May I ask why you cling to loyalty?"

"Because A-Mu's my lover. Need another reason?"

Parallel Betrayal

In the opposing corridor, Old Lü squirmed under A-Mu's venomous stare. The green-haired dangled five glowing Tao stones.

"Fifteen Tao total if you sabotage them." A-Mu scattered the stones like breadcrumbs. "We'll even let you live."

Old Lü's eyes gleamed as he scooped up the "deposit. " "My teammates… they'll understand. Survival first, right?"

A-Mu smirked, handing over a golden-locked box. "Smart move, old dog."

Receiver's Gambit

Jack's fingers drummed the silver key. *Two Moles. Two teams. One variable.

The door creaked open. Luna Snow tossed a double-locked box onto his desk. "Your Sender's pathetic attempt. Even a child could—"

Thud! 

Distant shouts erupted from the opposing corridor. A-Mu's roar pierced the walls: "YOU DESTROYED THE KEY?!"

Jack's lips curled. He slid the box back to Luna. "Return this to your Sender."

"Are you insane? It's double-locked now!"

"Precisely." Jack shoved her into the hallway, triggering the 3-minute corridor timer. "Your boyfriend just learned the cost of trusting *my* Mole."

Chain Reaction

In A-Mu's room, Old Lü grinned through a split lip. The golden key lay mangled in the shredder.

"Told you I'm sharp when it counts!" Lü cackled. "No key, no decryption. Your little girlfriend's microwave dinner stays locked!"

A-Mu lunged, but Lü ducked beneath the table. "Check your countdown, boy! Your lawyer's already crispy!"

Endgame Calculus

Back in Jack's room, Luna stared at the cursed box. The shredder's hum taunted her.

Crunch.

Metal teeth devoured the double locked puzzle. Luna whispered to the roaring machine: "If I can't win… neither can he."

Jack's voice echoed through the intercom as timers hit 00:00:

"Congratulations, Luna. You just proved the Mig-25 Effect."

Microwave doors hissed open. Lawyer Liu stepped out, bone-dry and holding a slip of paper:

Decrypted Message:

Golden key was fake. Silver lock opens nothing.

True password: DESTROY ALL TRUST.

The room of the "Sender" on the other side of the corridor.

Old Lü had been beaten to a pulp. Both nostrils were bleeding, and one of his fingers had been snapped. 

"S-stop… stop hitting me…" Old Lü pleaded. "If you kill me… no one will deliver your letters… Spare me…" 

"You old dog!!" A-Mu grabbed Old Lü by his thinning hair, snarling. "Haven't I treated you well?! Huh?! I gave you the 'Dao'! I gave you my trust! And you fucking dared to shred my key?!" 

"I'm… truly sorry…" Old Lü forced a pained grin. "I… I only realized I hadn't delivered the key after sending the boxes… I tried to rush it, but the three-minute timer was down to three seconds… If I hadn't tossed the key into the shredder, I'd be dead…" 

"You think I'll believe that?!" A-Mu slammed Old Lü's head against the wall. 

The impact struck his eye socket, and blood began pouring from his brow. 

"Agh… please…" Old Lü clutched his forehead, wailing on the floor. "You'll really kill me…" 

A-Mu steadied his breathing and slowly released his grip. 

"Old dog… lucky for you, I never fully trusted you." He rose to his feet and pulled a letter from his coat. 

"Wh… What?!" Old Lü froze at the sight of the letter. "You didn't put it in the box?!" 

"Your little tricks are child's play to me." A-Mu crouched beside him, a venomous smirk twisting his lips. "One more chance. If this letter doesn't reach its destination, I don't give a damn about 'sanctions'—I'll drag you into the corridor, gouge your eyes out, and rip your throat open. Understood?" 

Old Lü nodded, trembling. 

A-Mu meant every word. 

He was a true desperado. Even if the game ended, he'd never let Old Lü walk away. 

"Young Qi… this old bone's done all it can for you," Old Lü muttered under his breath. 

On the other side, Luna Snow stalled for time, clutching the box.

She was out of options. 

The young man—*Jack Li*—was far sharper than she'd anticipated. 

It was only a matter of time before he cracked the dual-locked box. All she could do now was buy time, praying her team would seize victory first. 

As the timer ticked down to its final ten seconds, Luna Snow knocked on Taylor's door. 

Taylor looked baffled. She'd sent out a locked box, hoping Jack Li might have tools to open it. Instead, it had returned intact—now with two locks. 

"Take it! No time!" Luna Snow urged. 

Fearful the "traitor's" death might disrupt deliveries, Taylor grabbed the box. Her eyes widened as she studied the locks. 

"So… he had a second lock. I get it now!" 

Taylor fished out her golden key and removed the gold lock, leaving only a silver one. 

"Quick!" She shoved the box back at Luna Snow. "Return it to the 'Recipient'!" 

Luna Snow gritted her teeth. This woman had unraveled their tactic in seconds—no ordinary player. 

"Hey… let me join you," Luna Snow feigned desperation. "We need to cooperate to win." 

Taylor studied her, then smiled faintly. "Odd. If you truly wanted to ally, Jack Li wouldn't have devised this plan." 

"Jack Li…?" 

"At this point, even without your help, we won't lose." Taylor's tone softened apologetically. "Sorry. Not this time." 

Luna Snow stared silently, thoughts churning. 

"Your only move now is to stall, Ruoxue." Taylor began closing the door. "Goodbye." 

**In the corridor, Luna Snow's demeanor shifted.** 

She drifted to the center, murmuring as if conversing with someone unseen. 

"So *he's* Jack Li… How convenient." 

After a pause, she nodded. 

"Yes, I can die. But what comes next?" 

"Understood." She glanced down the hall. "Should I leave him a… parting gift?" 

A beat. 

"Got it." 

Clutching the iron box, she strode to Jack Li's door and knocked softly. 

When Jack Li opened it, his eyes flicked to the single remaining silver lock. A satisfied smirk tugged his lips. 

*This team's all premium parts. No way they'd build a second-rate machine.* 

"Handing it over now?" He raised an eyebrow. "Or stalling longer?" 

Luna Snow's eyes fluttered open as a deafening bell tolled through the building— 

DONG!!!

Jack Li stiffened, scanning the hall. Nothing seemed amiss. 

"Here." Luna Snow offered the box. "You know this won't open the door instantly, right?" 

"Obviously." Jack Li took it cautiously. "Old Lü must've delivered your team's letter already. Yet we're still here—meaning your 'Recipient' can't act even with the message." 

"Show me your method," she challenged. 

Jack Li eyed her warily. "Witnessing this might cost your life." 

"So be it." Her smile sharpened. "The game's not over yet." 

"True." 

Using his silver key, Jack Li opened the final lock. He skimmed the letter inside—its contents unchanged—then turned to the high-tech microwave's touchscreen. 

Four blank spaces awaited input. Numbers? Letters? Characters? 

The encrypted message bore a single line: 

MLGDRZDQVXL

Luna Snow frowned at the jumble. "Caesar cipher?" 

"Every game has an 'escape r