Chapter 153

Chapter 153

The video had replayed for who knew how many times.

Everyone forced themselves to focus again.

Since Qin Nan had found a new clue, that meant there had to be something in the video they still hadn’t noticed.

They stared at it for a long time. When the footage reached the part where Zhao Yingguo was braiding her hair, a few of them relaxed slightly. Lin Junruo, however, kept watching. Only when the screen went dark before shifting to the next scene did she ask a question.

“What is the point of this part of the video?” Lin Junruo was genuinely confused. “Is there something important about braiding hair?”

Her words, however, reminded the others of something.

Qin Nan was someone who needed to make video himself, so every shot left in had to serve a purpose. In other words, there was very likely an important clue hidden in the scene of Zhao Yingguo braiding her hair.

They quickly watched the scene again.

This time, everyone watched more intently than ever.

Under the sunlight, Zhao Yingguo wore a red dress. Her fingertips deftly hooked and crossed strands of hair. Then, after finishing the braid, she took out a hair clip and fastened it in her hair.

“Strawberry Hair Clip,” Mu Xin immediately pointed out.

“What about it?” Qin Weiyi asked.

Mu Xin wasn’t completely sure herself, but she still voiced her thoughts. “I suspect the key to the iron gate is inside the Strawberry Hair Clip.”

“Huh?” Qin Nan was stunned. Even Jian Fan’s face showed an expression that practically said, So that’s possible?

But Mu Xin had her own reasoning.

“If this scene was kept, then it has to be necessary. As for braiding hair, I really can’t think of anything important about that. But this Strawberry Hair Clip-is it possible that the middle is hollow, and the key to the iron gate is hidden inside? Zhao Yingguo must have had a reason for choosing this hair clip, and that reason…”

After a brief pause, Mu Xin continued, “Why didn’t anyone come to save them at the time? Is it possible they tricked the other students on that floor into leaving, then locked the iron gate? The dorm supervisor had already been caught by then, so it would make sense for Zhao Yingguo to get the key from the dorm supervisor. If she kept the key on her, then no one else could open the iron gate. And because they were locked inside the iron gate while everyone else was outside, there was no time to rescue them. Even if the firefighters arrived, it probably would have taken them a while to open the iron gate.”

What Mu Xin said went a little beyond the scope of what the others had been considering, but after thinking it through carefully, it wasn’t impossible.

“How did you even think of that?” Yellow Hair asked curiously.

Mu Xin smiled a little sheepishly, then turned to Lin Junruo and said, “You should understand why I connected the key with the hair clip, right?”

She understood?

No, Lin Junruo felt like she didn’t understand at all.

Still, she tried hard to think it over, then suggested uncertainly, “Because of historical dramas?”

Mu Xin nodded.

Everyone else remained completely baffled.

“What kind of riddle are you two playing at?” Yellow Hair looked at Lin Junruo and asked, “Go on, explain it.”

Lin Junruo tugged at the corner of her mouth and said, “In historical dramas, don’t they often use hairpins as keys? Or the hairpin can twist open, and there’s something hidden inside?”

“???”

That was it?

Everyone could only marvel at the two girls’ thought process.

There was no way they would have guessed that.

“If Mu Xin’s guess is right, then… doesn’t that mean the key is on Zhao Yingguo?” Qin Nan’s entire expression changed.
He thought back for a moment. The Zhao Yingguo they had seen had indeed been wearing a Strawberry Hair Clip on her head. If the key was inside the Strawberry Hair Clip, then what were they supposed to do?

Zhao Yingguo couldn’t see, sure, but she still had hearing, and naturally she had a sense of touch too. If they wanted to take the hair clip off Zhao Yingguo’s head… Forget it. They might as well lie down and wait to die. It would be more comfortable.

“No,” Jian Fan said. Following Qin Nan’s line of thought, he quickly rejected the possibility.

Qin Nan looked at Jian Fan and asked, “The key isn’t on the Strawberry Hair Clip?”

Jian Fan shook his head. “Quite the opposite. I agree with Mu Xin’s opinion.”

“Then isn’t it on Zhao Yingguo?” Qin Nan asked, confused.

“The Strawberry Hair Clip is the key, but it isn’t on Zhao Yingguo,” Jian Fan said.

Qin Weiyi thought for a moment, then said, “Zhao Yingguo should count as a ghost now. She can also turn into Red Mist, so the things on her body probably aren’t the original physical objects anymore. In other words, the Strawberry Hair Clip on her head isn’t a real object at all. The real Strawberry Hair Clip…”

“Isn’t it the one we found at the start?” Lin Junruo didn’t understand what everyone was so puzzled about. She silently held out her hand. In her palm lay a Strawberry Hair Clip.

Qin Nan immediately turned to glance at the television. Well, wasn’t this Strawberry Hair Clip exactly the one Zhao Yingguo was wearing on the screen?

“How is that thing with you?” Yellow Hair was especially shocked. The way he looked at Lin Junruo changed completely.

He had always thought Lin Junruo was dispensable, maybe even a burden. Who would have thought that at this moment, she would pull off a stroke of genius for everyone?

Jian Fan had already stepped forward and taken the Strawberry Hair Clip from Lin Junruo to examine it. Lin Junruo did not refuse. She smiled a little sheepishly, then pulled a Hair Ribbon out of her pocket as well.

“Didn’t we find it in the dorm before? I figured that since it existed, it had to have some use. The little key could open the drawer, so we should be able to use the hair clip and the Hair Ribbon too. You all didn’t seem to care much about them at the time, so I… held on to them first.”

“Well, damn.” Yellow Hair clapped a hand on Lin Junruo’s shoulder. “That’s exactly the kind of mindset we need. Don’t let even the tiniest clue slip by.”

Lin Junruo smiled, somewhat embarrassed.

She was still at the beginner stage. She really couldn’t keep up with things that required too much mental maneuvering, so she could only start small. For example, collecting the items they found in this Escape Room. They weren’t heavy anyway, and who knew? Maybe they would come in handy.

And now, hadn’t they come in handy?

Lin Junruo silently put the Hair Ribbon away again. This thing might still be useful later.

Jian Fan was studying the Strawberry Hair Clip.

The strawberry on top was made of plastic. After looking it over for a few moments, Jian Fan simply reached out. He pressed down on the leaves of the strawberry and gently twisted. Then…

Qin Nan watched as Jian Fan effortlessly twisted the Strawberry Hair Clip open.

Just as Mu Xin had guessed, it was hollow inside. When the two parts separated, they naturally saw the key currently wedged between the strawberry leaves.

Jian Fan took the key out and laughed helplessly.

“It really was in there.”

As for how Mu Xin had thought of it, no one cared anymore. The most important thing right now was that they had found the key. Next, they had to lure Zhao Yingguo away and hurry off this floor. As for what else was waiting for them afterward, that was a problem for their future selves to worry about.