CHAPTER 923: CHAPTER 923: THE GAZE THAT WATCHES A LOVED ONE

Below the text, there’s a small picture of the family of three having dinner with the explorer.

Seeing this, Ann Vaughn’s hand holding the photo suddenly froze.

"Is...is this group photo the one in my hand?!" Ann Vaughn was on the verge of tears, not daring to move her fingers.

Isn’t this real blood?

Cyrus Hawthorne slightly raised an eyebrow, then took the photo from her hand, "Let me have it."

Ann Vaughn immediately let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you. Where should we look for clues next?"

"Continue upward."

Soon, the two of them reached the fourth floor.

Ann Vaughn had just stepped out of the elevator when she accidentally stepped on something. Picking it up, she found it to be a button.

Due to the dim lighting, she couldn’t see what color it was.

Ann Vaughn wanted to throw it away, but not finding a trash can nearby, she decided to hold onto it for now.

This time, the clues were even harder to find than before, and before they knew it, they had reached the room at the end.

The room was filled with cute teddy bears and a princess bed, full of girlish charm.

Ann Vaughn searched for a long time before finding a clue under the bottom of one bear.

——A sheet of paper covered in bloody writing.

Ann Vaughn didn’t dare to look at it alone, so she took the letter to find Cyrus Hawthorne.

Just then, the door that had just been open suddenly slammed shut!

At the same time, the lights in the room went out completely, leaving only a grayish glow, revealing nothing.

Ann Vaughn was startled, instinctively reaching for her phone to light the way, only to remember that phones had been confiscated before the game started to prevent cheating.

She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but it felt like a chill was creeping up her neck...

"Mr. Vaughn, are you still here?" Ann Vaughn’s voice was trembling as she waited for the lights to come back on, groping forward.

Suddenly, a warm hand gently grasped hers, interlocking their fingers.

"Yes, I’m here." A man’s deep, magnetic voice slowly emerged from the darkness.

Ann Vaughn pursed her lips, and surprisingly didn’t pull her hand away, allowing him to lead her forward.

Soon after, she heard a light "click" sound, and candlelight ignited, driving away part of the darkness.

Ann Vaughn slightly exhaled and looked up, meeting Cyrus Hawthorne’s dark, bottomless gaze.

What kind of look was that?

It seemed to harbor endless, indescribable emotions, deep and restrained, like the hidden tides beneath the ocean, hard to notice from a calm surface.

Only upon closer inspection could one discern subtle clues.

And within those clues, each facet bore profound, bone-deep love.

That was...

The look of gazing at a lover.

Ann Vaughn’s heart trembled inexplicably, her throat tightened, and her initially cold palm suddenly became burning hot.

"What did you find?" Cyrus Hawthorne refocused a gentle gaze on her, speaking warmly.

Ann Vaughn snapped back to the present, remembering to take out the letter to mask her unusual behavior.

"I just found it, I haven’t had a chance to look yet."

Unfolding the paper, there was a line of bloody text.

[Daughter, run away quickly, the explorer isn’t dead, he wants to kill us all!]

The explorer isn’t dead?!

Ann Vaughn was instantly a bit horrified; her face turned pale.

"Hehehe."

Suddenly, an eerie laugh emerged from the teddy bears.

"Ah!" Ann Vaughn was so startled she jumped, instinctively leaping towards Cyrus Hawthorne!

Cyrus Hawthorne subtly sidestepped, and instead of clinging to his arm, Ann Vaughn ended up nestled against him, closely attached.

In the candlelight, Cyrus Hawthorne’s dark narrow eyes were filled with amusement.

"Don’t be afraid." He raised a hand to gently pat Ann Vaughn’s back, speaking in a deep voice to comfort her, "It’s just a recording they set up deliberately, it’s not real."

Ann Vaughn’s little heart was pounding; she was only slightly reassured by his words, but still extremely tense.

She feared not finding Kenny first, being scared half to death.

"I found a clue card, do you want to see it?" Feeling the trembling bundle of nerves in his arms, Cyrus Hawthorne discreetly shifted her attention.

"I guess... I have to?" Ann Vaughn wanted to say no, but remembering that Kenny was still waiting, she had no time for fear.

Cyrus Hawthorne encircled her shoulder with one arm, pulling her close as he handed her the card.

[Mother clutches a button tightly, the owner unknown. Father often wears shirts, but the button doesn’t match any of his. Daughter never wears buttoned clothes. On the fourth day, father was killed...]

Who could have thought of such a puzzle?!

Ann Vaughn swallowed, trembling as she asked, "Mr. Vaughn, do you think you know where Kenny might be?"

She had a vague guess about the answer.

But given the clues she held, she couldn’t piece together Kenny’s exact location.

Cyrus Hawthorne didn’t answer her question directly, instead saying:

"You don’t have to be so formal with me, feel free to call me by my name."

Ann Vaughn was suddenly taken aback.

Her impression of James Vaughn had always been of a noble and polite gentleman, obviously well-taught.

As a result, she always felt somewhat restrained in his presence, worried about saying or doing the wrong thing, unable to just be herself.

Normally, Ann Vaughn might not have easily agreed, but she really didn’t want to stay in that room any longer, so she didn’t think too much.

"Alright, James."

"Mm." Cyrus Hawthorne’s voice seemed to carry a playful warmth, his tone magnetic and alluring, "Annie."

...Annie?!

Ann Vaughn was completely stunned; she hadn’t agreed to him calling her by her first name, had she?

Not giving her a chance to protest, Cyrus Hawthorne led her towards the door.

The door wasn’t locked, merely shut by someone unknown.

When Cyrus Hawthorne pressed the button for the elevator’s first floor, Ann Vaughn couldn’t help but ask, "Do you already know where Kenny is?"

"First floor restaurant." Cyrus Hawthorne replied calmly.

Ann Vaughn was surprised; wasn’t that where the game started?

Meanwhile, in the first floor restaurant.

"...So, even if we found you, the BOSS, it doesn’t help. Unless we solve the puzzle, we haven’t won?"

Julian Ford, who thought victory was near, was crestfallen. If he’d known this was the case, he wouldn’t have wasted time finding Kenny!

Not all the clues had been gathered!

Little Dumpling sat in the main seat, arms crossed, looking quite spirited, "That’s right! The final riddle is figuring out who the culprit is. Only guessing correctly and stating why means you’ve won!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Julian Ford picked up Little Dumpling.

"I don’t care anymore! I don’t believe that if I carry the BOSS away, the game still won’t let me win!!"

Little Dumpling: ?

Evan Sawyer: ?

Your desire to win is too strong, brother.