Chapter 327 - 326

A calm, steady male voice, like a stone dropped into a lake, sent out ripples.

Joanna’s eyes lit up. ’That’s it! The curtains, the sunlight.’ She rushed to the window and tugged on the cord. Before the others could react, they were shielding their eyes from the sudden, blinding sunlight.

The midday sun streamed directly into the third-floor room, overpowering the artificial lights. The clean surface of the mirror caught the sunlight, reflecting a dazzling glare.

"The painting! It’s moving!"

Someone shouted, and everyone’s heart skipped a beat. They rushed to the enormous canvas. In the reflected glare, they saw the red and black karmic fire slowly swirling.

The painting was really moving.

The scene astonished them all. Henry Hughes swallowed hard. "Wh-what does this mean? Does this count as solving the puzzle?"

The door remained silent, showing no signs of opening. Clearly, they hadn’t found the final answer yet.

’The mirror, the curtains, the painting... we’ve used everything in the room. What’s left?’

Joanna raised her eyes, meeting the man’s calm gaze. They both looked towards the black chair in the center of the room, the answer dawning on them.

At the same time, Cheryl Chaney’s voice rang out. "It’s the chair."

A sharp glint flashed in her eyes. To everyone’s surprise, she walked straight over and sat in the black chair. Instantly, the canvas transformed. The flowing karmic fire descended, pooling in the lower half of the painting.

The brilliant sunlight cast the silhouette of the person in the black chair onto the canvas.

How could the Ridge of Hell’s Karmic Fire be empty? The person’s shadow became the painting’s most vital brushstroke.

CLICK. The door automatically opened.

The loudspeaker crackled to life again. "Congratulations, players, on successfully unlocking the third floor. Please proceed to the next station."

The main doors swung open, revealing a crowd of staff members. This round was officially over. The next segment would be filmed in the evening.

Henry Hughes suddenly relaxed, still a bit out of it. "We really solved it?"

"No, I mean, what was that all about? I still don’t get it. How was the painting moving?"

"Just a visual effect," Sophia explained quietly. "The paint used for the artwork is special. When light hits it, it creates the visual illusion of movement, making it look more realistic."

Henry Hughes was completely lost, but he still gave Sophia a thumbs-up. "That’s amazing."

"I didn’t really help much. We should be thanking Julius, Jojo, and Cheryl Chaney," Sophia said, embarrassed.

Henry Hughes then remembered Joanna’s brilliant maneuver. He turned to ask how she had figured it out, but she was already gone. Julius and Susan Lee had also disappeared.

At the end of the corridor, in the restroom, Simon Lockwood placed his hand under the faucet’s automatic sensor. The cold water washed away the pencil dust from his palm and fingertips. Feeling someone stand next to him, he subtly moved aside to create some distance.

He had just shifted when he heard the person next to him speak. "Julius, we’re teammates. Why do you always avoid me?"

Susan Lee blinked her big eyes, looking aggrieved.

She was beautiful and from a rich family. Ever since entering the entertainment industry, it had always been men trying to curry favor with her. When had she ever been the one to so humbly make the first move?

But this amateur of unknown background was completely ignoring her. Susan Lee felt a sense of crisis, as if her charm was being challenged.

Seeing the man remain silent, she moved closer. She was about to lean against him but leaned into empty air.

The restroom wasn’t large. Simon Lockwood could smell the perfume emanating from Susan Lee.

A cloying rose scent. He dodged to the side before he even finished washing his hands. The swift movement splashed some water on his clothes. However, his voice was even colder than the water. "Miss Lee, have some self-respect."

The indifferent tone, devoid of any emotion, made Susan Lee flinch. She felt the urge to back away. Meeting the man’s pitch-black eyes, she saw they didn’t waver in the slightest at her attempted seduction.

’Shameless.’

When had Susan Lee ever been ignored like this? Her face flushed with anger and humiliation. "Julius, how dare you speak to me like that! Do you know who I am!"

Julius didn’t speak, his expression growing colder. Stung by his indifferent attitude, Susan Lee’s tone was no longer polite. "Let me tell you, you’d better cooperate with me to finish this show. You’re my teammate. If I see you helping Joanna again, don’t blame me for having you kicked off."

"Instead of sucking up to Joanna, you’d be better off sucking up to me." Susan Lee’s gaze grew more arrogant. "What’s so great about Joanna? She’s only where she is because Howard Thorne is backing her. And even with him, she still dares to seduce Henry Hughes. Can’t she live without a man?"

Susan Lee grew more animated as she spoke, jealousy making her reckless with her words. "She’ll disappear from the entertainment industry soon enough. She can’t offer you any help at all—"

Caught off guard, she met the man’s gaze, which was as cold as a dagger. Susan Lee’s words died in her throat, and the blood ran cold in her veins.

"What did you say?" Simon Lockwood’s voice was frigid. A powerful, sharp pressure bore down on her. Though he showed no emotion, Susan Lee felt like she couldn’t breathe.

It wasn’t until the man left that she felt she could breathe again. Her legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed to the floor, her face still a mask of terror.

Joanna waited in the stairwell for several minutes, but the man didn’t return. ’What’s taking him so long to wash his hands? Such a clean freak.’

Just as she was about to go check, the stairwell door opened and the man walked over, his expression as cold as ice water.

’This is... What happened?’

"...What’s wrong?" Joanna asked tentatively. "Couldn’t get them clean?"

"..."

Simon Lockwood’s brow furrowed even tighter. He stared intently at Joanna, a dark undercurrent swirling in his eyes, only to be forcefully suppressed.

His stare was making her skin crawl. In her peripheral vision, she noticed a few water droplets on the man’s black windbreaker.

Simon Lockwood wasn’t a careless person. Something must have happened. Remembering that Susan Lee had also headed toward the restrooms, a guess formed in Joanna’s mind. Her own face grew a little cold. "Susan Lee came looking for you, didn’t she?"

"What did she say to you?"

"..." Simon Lockwood was silent for a moment, then pursed his lips. "She said Henry Hughes likes you."

Joanna: "..."

’I really want to rip Susan Lee’s mouth off. How can she spout such nonsense?’

"No, that’s not it," Joanna said helplessly. "Henry Hughes is just childish. He was just talking nonsense."

She was afraid Simon Lockwood would become hostile toward Henry Hughes, so she patiently explained it again. But Simon Lockwood’s expression didn’t improve. After a sullen moment, he said, "She tried to lean on me."

Joanna’s eyes widened. "What!"

"She tried to lean on me." Simon Lockwood lowered his gaze. "And told me to suck up to her."

"..."

Joanna felt a surge of anger unlike any she had ever felt before, rushing from her chest straight to her head.