Probing

If Ren Yi were truly a poor participant who had experienced a terrifying framing by an Anomaly and received no recognition at the roundtable, he might have been moved by now.

Unfortunately, he wasn't.

So, his only thought at this moment was: What the hell is wrong with this person?

In this treacherous game, when everyone has turned against you, a beautiful woman firmly declares she's on your side, striking a pose of "the world may forsake you, but I won't"...

Enough. Ren Yi really didn't think he was some protagonist in a power fantasy.

Was it because he was handsome?

No, no. He used to be quite handsome, but in this Instance, his appearance was a bit rough—a head of multi-colored messy hair, patchy foundation on his face, and jarring red lipstick. He looked like a crazed clown; he was nowhere near "handsome."

If Ren Yi weren't an Anomaly himself, he would have suspected Player 11 was one.

Hmm? Wait.

Why shouldn't I suspect she's an Anomaly?

I'm an innocent, pitiful, newly-framed, and highly-vigilant participant.

Ren Yi looked at Player 11's eyes, which were so sincere they were almost blinding. He silently took a few steps back and reached behind him to pull open the wooden door he had just exited.

"Thank you so much, ma'am."

On the surface, Ren Yi's smile was like a stiff decal stuck to his face. His tone was excessively polite, as if the person taking a defensive stance wasn't him.

Ren Yi stepped sideways, pulling half his body back inside the doorway. His tone held a hint of distant courtesy: "Well, if you don't have anything else, I'll be going? This place isn't safe, after all. I'll feel more secure staying in my room."

Player 11's gentle expression froze. A flicker of imperceptible bewilderment flashed in her eyes. She clearly hadn't expected this reaction—not moved, not relieved, but full of wariness and eager to escape.

"Wait!" She immediately took a step forward, instinctively reaching out to stop him before quickly pulling back. Maintaining her gentle demeanor, she asked with a hint of confusion.

"Aren't you curious why I believe you?"

Ren Yi's smile remained unchanged, but his gaze was still distant. He replied politely and bluntly: "Not really."

After saying that, he took another step back, almost completely retreating into the room, making a move to close the door. He looked like someone who had "nothing more to say."

Every extra second spent with Player 11 increased the risk of exposure. He had no interest in acting with her.

Seeing this, Player 11 hurried forward and blocked the closing door.

The moment she reached out, Ren Yi let go of the door and backed away further.

Player 11 was momentarily choked by his attitude, as if he were avoiding a plague. She gritted her teeth and deliberately lowered her voice.

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave. I'm the 'Peeper'."

"Last night, the room I chose to observe was yours. I saw everything that happened with my own eyes. I know everything you said is true."

"Player 4 was indeed killed by an Anomaly. You're just an innocent bystander who got caught up in it."

As she spoke, her beautiful eyes remained fixed on Ren Yi.

"Heh." Hearing this, Ren Yi couldn't help but laugh.

"Ma'am, you don't need to bait me. Every word I said was the truth. Whether anyone believes it or not doesn't change the facts."

What he said was indeed true. Player 4 was indeed killed by Lu Zihan last night, and he really was just an "innocent bystander" caught up in it.

But the moment Player 11 claimed to be the Peeper and said she had observed his room, Ren Yi was certain of one thing.

Player 11 was absolutely not the Peeper.

He looked up slightly, meeting Player 11's gaze directly: "If you really believed me, you wouldn't be looking for me alone in a place like this. You would have spoken up at the roundtable meeting, in front of everyone, to clear my name."

"If you had truly seen everything last night, you would realize how important it is for everyone to know I'm telling the truth."

"It would clear me of suspicion and let everyone understand the Anomaly's methods better, reducing unnecessary internal strife."

Ren Yi paused, backing away again until he reached another door in the room. "Besides, ma'am, you said you know what happened in my room. But you seem to have forgotten that the Peeper isn't the only one who knows that."

"The Anomaly who killed Player 4 knows too."

Before Player 11 could react, Ren Yi exerted a sudden burst of strength, stepped through the door behind him, turned, and walked quickly down the corridor without looking back.

There was no need to waste time on someone probing him.

Without a doubt, Player 11 was testing him.

She had deliberately claimed to be the Peeper and fabricated the lie about observing his room just to see his reaction.

Or perhaps she had some other motive?

But regardless, she couldn't possibly be the real Peeper.

The real Peeper would either reveal themselves publicly at the roundtable or observe in secret. They would never recklessly approach him alone and expose their identity.

No matter what Player 11's identity was, Ren Yi believed his reaction and performance were flawless.

Even if Player 11 suspected him, she would never find any concrete evidence.

After confirming Player 11 wasn't following him, Ren Yi plunged back into the maze of interconnected rooms and corridors.

The passages here were a tangled mess, the lighting dim, and there were no signs. After walking a few steps, he would often find himself back where he started, as if trapped in an infinite loop.

He didn't know how long he spent searching or how many times he tried. After several bouts of frustration from circling back, he finally stopped hitting the same paths.

Unfortunately, this time he reached a dead end.

This room didn't seem much different from the others—dark walls and extremely dim light.

Only in the center of the room stood a waist-high demon statue.

The statue had a hideous face with bared fangs, arms crossed over its chest, and two dark red gems for eyes that gleamed with an eerie light in the shadows.

Ren Yi walked over, knelt down, and carefully inspected every corner of the statue.

But no matter what he did, he couldn't find a key or any hidden clues. The statue seemed like an ordinary decoration, completely devoid of anything unusual.

"A bit strange," Ren Yi muttered to himself, his brow furrowing. "I've been at this for a while, and there isn't a single clue?"

Even though he wasn't used to relying solely on his eyes, his vision was still much better than a normal human's—at least he wasn't nearsighted.

If even he couldn't find a clue, the other ordinary players probably stood no chance.