Poison Apprentice

Despite his inward grumbling, Ren Yi stepped forward and carefully examined the door of the sealed pod.

Sure enough, he found a primitive-looking keyhole in the center of the door that perfectly matched the key in his hand.

He pulled out the key, inserted it, and gave it a gentle turn. With a crisp click and a faint hiss, the door slid slowly to the side, revealing the interior.

To his surprise, while the space inside wasn't large, it was quite well-equipped.

A single bed was positioned against the back wall, flanked by a mini-bathroom and a separate toilet. In the corner sat a small storage locker, and there was even a desk lamp with adjustable brightness.

The facilities were comprehensive and far more comfortable than he had imagined. It didn't look like an escape pod at all; it felt more like a simple studio apartment.

Player 4 followed Ren Yi inside, the anxiety on his face dissipating slightly. "That... the setup isn't bad. It looks like tonight won't be too rough."

Ren Yi didn't respond, simply pressing the button next to the door.

The door slid shut, once again creating a hermetically sealed space. The indicator lights inside flickered softly as a faint hum filled the air—the sound of the automatic airtightness test.

"Safety is what matters most," Ren Yi said, though he didn't mean a word of it.

With this level of defense, things were going to be a bit difficult.

Judging by the thickness of the outer shell, even Lu Zihan, the most physically violent among them, would have a hard time breaking through.

As for this airtightness... Ren Yi felt personally targeted.

More importantly, on the first night, the keys to all the sealed pods were in the hands of their respective occupants. Essentially, this meant there were ten impenetrable locked rooms.

As for why it was like this, Ren Yi already had a theory.

In the original rules of this game, the Poison Apprentice's counterpart, the "Witch," should also possess an Antidote.

It could be used to save someone who was killed that night but had not yet been declared dead.

The most common usage was to save someone on the first night to create a "peaceful night."

Excluding rare cases like a self-kill, it was almost always a net gain.

However, in this real game... resurrecting a dead person seemed a bit unrealistic.

Therefore, the rules had compromised by weakening the Poison Apprentice while simultaneously creating conditions that encouraged a peaceful night as much as possible on the first day.

But compared to an absolute peaceful night, the restrictions of the rooms introduced a subtle difference.

Ren Yi glanced at Player 4 beside him.

So, was the current situation a choice between a peaceful night or killing someone while simultaneously exposing one Anomaly?

Inside the cramped pod, the atmosphere instantly became somewhat delicate.

Player 4 was clearly someone who feared awkward silences. After only a few seconds of quiet, he cautiously tried to start a conversation.

"So... brother, when you were running for election earlier, were you just playing dumb? You seem like you actually know everything that's going on."

Ren Yi was leaning against the bed, his fingers idly tapping the edge. Hearing this, he looked up, a manic, unhinged grin spreading across his face as he spoke slowly.

"Who knows? In this game, staying alive isn't necessarily a good thing anyway. It's fine—once you're dead, you don't have to be afraid anymore. Dying early is just an early release."

These words immediately silenced Player 4. His smile froze, and he stood there awkwardly.

The pod fell back into a dead silence, save for the faint hum of the machinery. The awkwardness was thick enough to suffocate a man.

But Ren Yi wasn't bothered. He lay directly on the bed and closed his eyes, though his mind was racing as he discussed the first night's killing plan with Lord Cha, Zhang Qiuqiu, and Lu Zihan.

【Guys, things are a bit tricky,】 Ren Yi sent the first message. 【The defense of this room of mine is going to be hard to breach.】

【Same here!】 Lu Zihan replied instantly.

【It's not just the rooms themselves,】 Zhang Qiuqiu messaged back, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

【The most important thing is that both Lu Zihan and I are physical entities. We don't have the ability to leave or enter sealed spaces.】

【In a sense, both of us only start 'carrying a blade' on the second day.】

【And both of you are in double rooms.】

【Eh? Is that how it is?】 Lord Cha realized belatedly.

The group chat went silent for a few seconds. Clearly, no one had expected to be so passive on the first night.

They had thought that securing Leadership positions would allow them to act smoothly, but they hadn't expected to be restricted by these bizarre pods and their own abilities, leaving them without an opening to strike.

Just then, a message from Ren Yi popped up: 【It doesn't matter. Follow my plan. We'll kill Player 4 on my end.】

【???】 Lu Zihan immediately sent three question marks.

【Stool, have you lost it? You're sharing a room with Player 4. If you kill him, won't you be exposed immediately?】

【Exactly, it's too risky!】 Lord Cha chimed in. 【Even if Player 4 isn't a threat, you won't be able to talk your way out of it if you kill him. When the vote comes around, you're toast!】

Ren Yi's reply was calm.

【The situation on the first day is obvious: they're forcing us to either skip the kill or expose one of our own.】

【We need to slaughter the town, and the Participants have abilities like the Locksmith. We can't afford to waste a single night.】

【And besides,】 Ren Yi paused before slowly sending one more message.

【I never said I would be the one to kill him.】

After finalizing the plan, Ren Yi opened his eyes.

The awkwardness inside the pod persisted. After standing for a while, Player 4 couldn't take the silence anymore. Seeing the bathroom in the corner, he looked at Ren Yi cautiously. "Brother 3, I... I'm going to check out the bathroom. That's okay, right?"

Ren Yi lifted an eyelid and waved him off dismissively. "Whatever. Just don't die in there."

Player 4 breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly grabbed the basic toiletries provided in the bathroom and hurried inside, closing the door behind him.

Soon, the sound of splashing water broke the silence of the pod.

This guy actually had the heart for a shower.

Ren Yi stood up and walked over to the storage locker in the corner.

Opening it, he found some basic daily necessities and a few bottles of mineral water, presumably provided with the pod.

He picked up a bottle, walked back to the bed, sat down, and began to slowly tinker with it.

Before long, the sound of the shower stopped. Player 4 emerged wrapped in a simple bath towel, his hair damp. He looked tired, but the shower seemed to have eased his previous tension.

As he walked toward the bed, he saw Ren Yi holding a plastic bottle and tinkering with it. He froze.

"What are you doing?" Player 4 hesitated before asking.

"Are you looking for food? To be honest, I didn't dare eat anything in the banquet hall earlier. I'm actually starting to get hungry now."

Ren Yi's hands paused. He looked up, that same manic smile still on his face.

"Looking for food? You're overthinking things."

"I'm making a weapon."

"A weapon?" Player 4 blinked, muttering, "What kind of weapon can you make out of a bottle?"

Ren Yi sighed inwardly.

How could this guy be so dim-witted?

He had dropped so many hints, and the guy still hadn't caught on.

Ren Yi turned slowly, holding the bottle up for him to see.

Inside the bottle, within the previously clear liquid, a tiny, pure white, faintly glowing current of air had appeared at some point, slowly swirling around.

The entire bottle of water was glowing, looking quite extraordinary.

"A bottle alone won't do, of course." Ren Yi smiled as he looked at Player 4. "But poison will."

Player 4 froze. Then, as if a realization had struck him, his eyes suddenly lit up.

He said with a hint of pleasant surprise, "You mean... you're the Poison Apprentice?"