# Chapter 348: Acting as a Proxy Probe
In truth, for the other players, whether they could enter or leave the castle didn't really matter. Since they had to clear the instance here, whether they could obtain a return ticket wasn't crucial—tickets, props, and potions were essential.
Under normal circumstances, after an instance began, it would also form a spatial isolation from the outside, only reopening after the instance was cleared.
But this made the Ma couple's faces stretch long. Mrs. Ma even deliberately picked fights with the servants during breakfast.
Xu Huo's expression remained calm. This couple was simply feeling uncertain. They had originally thought someone was treating them to a free meal, only to realize upon arrival that they themselves might become a dish on the table—and now they were trapped here with no way to leave. That was why they were angry and looking for trouble.
However, the servants in the castle all seemed to have bad tempers. The couple was quite wary of them and only dared to overstep with their words.
Meanwhile, there seemed to be some disagreement among the other players. After breakfast, the players split into twos and threes, heading to different parts of the castle—they had already searched once yesterday. If they trusted each other, there would be no need for cross-searching.
"You don't seem worried at all." In the dining room, only Xu Huo and the Ma couple remained. It was Mrs. Ma who spoke, and she was currently displeased with everyone.
"Worried about what?" Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. "Being killed?"
"Who entered your room last night?" Mrs. Ma asked directly. "It couldn't have been a player, could it?"
"The other party used a prop, so I couldn't see their face." Xu Huo was very frank. "But I'm guessing it was someone from the castle. As for who, Mr. Dong is the most likely candidate."
"Him?" Mr. Ma pondered for a moment before asking, "Why would he target you?"
"Very simple—because I'm a Red Player." Xu Huo said. "He's specifically after Red Players."
"So he's the one who sent us the invitations? A dedicated fisherman?"
"It might not necessarily be him who sent the invitations." Xu Huo lowered his voice mysteriously. "Don't you find this castle strange? Compared to the owner He Pu, the servants listen more to the butler, Mr. Dong."
Mrs. Ma had noticed this. "During dinner last night, the servant served He Pu the wrong dish. It wasn't their first day on the job—how could they make such a mistake? It's clearly a sign of disrespect. Also, I noticed that Mr. Dong treats the bowls, chopsticks, cups, and plates as more important than He Pu."
"He Pu sent the invitations. He called us here to deal with Mr. Dong?" Mr. Ma found it unlikely. "If he really is under Mr. Dong's control, he wouldn't have been able to send the invitations out."
"Regardless of who sent the invitations, at least there's an ally for us in the castle." Xu Huo said with a slight smile.
Mr. Ma said, "Then should we go find He Pu and ask him clearly?"
"What for?" Xu Huo said indifferently. "This place isn't as dangerous as I imagined. Can't we just handle our own business?"
The Ma couple exchanged glances, said nothing more, and went upstairs.
Xu Huo's gaze lingered on their backs for a second, then he called over the young servant from yesterday and asked her to take him to the garden maze to pick flowers for arranging.
On the way, he ran into Liu Zhengping and Wei Landeng, who were circling outside the garden maze. Liu Zhengping looked down his nose at Xu Huo and walked off directly. Wei Landeng couldn't help but glance at Xu Huo, only to see him fiddling with a figurine and saying, "That's real mutton."
Just as Wei Landeng was about to speak, she saw him turn and leave, while Liu Zhengping was also calling her. After hesitating for a moment, she walked toward Liu Zhengping.
Xu Huo then turned back to look at the main building. The windows of the main building had a perfect view of the maze. Entering here during the day meant that anything you did would be easily spotted.
This was probably why Liu Zhengping and Wei Landeng hadn't gone in. However, after selecting a few flowers, Xu Huo enthusiastically invited the servant to explore the maze together.
"Mr. Xu, I still have a lot of work to do, and the maze is very difficult to navigate..."
"Are you afraid Hu Shan will scold you?" Xu Huo released a smile. "I'm friends with Mr. He. I'll talk to him—it'll be fine."
The servant's face flushed slightly, and she shyly agreed.
The two strolled leisurely into the maze.
On the second floor of the main building, Fley and Li Chao were talking. When the former saw Xu Huo and a servant enter the maze, his face darkened. "Going into the maze in broad daylight to search? Bold enough."
"Maybe he's just looking for some fun?" Li Chao rubbed his chin. "A few of the maids here are pretty hot."
Fley pulled the curtains shut and turned back. "Alright, tell me—what did you discover last night?"
"Bad news. What that Xu guy said is right—among us, there really are non-mission players." Li Chao said. "The invitations He Pu sent out through the servants are unsigned, different from the ones we got."
Fley didn't seem surprised. He just narrowed his eyes and said, "Who do you think is the non-mission player?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Li Chao looked at him. "I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I know that a contract with hardly any binding force isn't worth much. Your contract must have other uses, right?"
Fley smiled. "And yet you still dared to sign it?"
Li Chao cracked his knuckles. "As long as I clear the instance, I'll do whatever it takes."
"It does have another use, but it's not much. It can only reveal each player's color classification." Fley said. "It's used to distinguish Cannibal Players."
"Then it's pretty useless." Li Chao let out a scornful laugh, then paused and added, "That couple most likely aren't players in this instance. As for the others, it's hard to say."
"Aren't you afraid I'm not one either?" Fley raised an eyebrow.
"I told you, as long as I clear the instance, it's fine." Li Chao said. "We cooperate. If you're not a mission player, we'll split the tickets and props evenly. Isn't that more convenient than killing people?"
Fley stated two game missions to prove he was a mission player.
While the two were forming an alliance, the Ma couple was preparing to sneak up to the third floor.
"Isn't this too risky?" Mrs. Ma whispered. "What he said might not be true. Maybe Mr. Dong is acting on He Pu's orders, and their master-servant discord is just an act."
But Mr. Ma let out a cold laugh. "Almost got led around by that kid. He talks so mysteriously, but he's just trying to hog all the benefits. Since when have you ever seen an instance boss be a good person in all the time you've been in the game? Let alone one who specifically sets traps for Red Players."
"That's true." Mrs. Ma thought for a moment. "Then who entered his room last night?"
"Who knows? Could be another player." Mr. Ma clearly didn't want to pay too much attention to him.
"Do you think he's a player in this instance?" Mrs. Ma had a sudden thought. "Is that why he said the castle is problematic, making us suspect He Pu and the butler? But how does he know about the invitations?"
"Why think so much? The one who killed Fang Min is definitely someone from the castle. If we go now, we might still get a piece of the pie." Mr. Ma urged.
Mr. Dong, holding a clean water glass, stood silently inside the study door. Through the narrow crack of the door, he watched the Ma couple's figures disappear at the stairway landing, then pulled the door open and walked out.