Ren Yi stared at Player 11's back, his fingers tapping under the table as his mind quickly parsed the contradictions in her behavior.
In the morning, she had the nerve to corner him alone in the second-floor hallway, bluntly lying about being the Peeper to test him. Yet, she now put on a weak and timid facade, claiming she was so terrified during the day that she didn't dare speak.
She was twisting the truth. She claimed to have realized Lord Cha was an Anomaly, yet she still dared to stay in the same room as him without any apparent defenses.
There was only one possibility: she wasn't the Peeper, she was the Poison Apprentice.
As the only Participant on the field with a means to counter an Anomaly, she had the confidence to use her "weak woman" disguise to hide in plain sight. She even took the initiative to clear herself of suspicion and lock onto a target. This perfectly matched all of Player 11's actions.
The more Ren Yi thought about it, the more alarmed he became. He suddenly realized that when Player 11 came to find him this morning, it probably wasn't just to test him—there was a high probability she intended to kill.
The moment she sensed anything was wrong with him, she might have poisoned him on the spot.
Thinking of this, Ren Yi felt a sudden wave of lingering fear. Fortunately, his reaction at the time had been fast enough that he hadn't shown any flaws.
Ren Yi sent a message in the group chat: 【Player 11 is the Poison Apprentice. She hasn't revealed her identity yet.】
【Really? She's the Poison Apprentice?】 Lu Zihan replied.
【High probability. I'm certain,】 Ren Yi replied confidently. 【Her logic of 'seeking victory through danger'—daring to test me alone and staying in the same room as someone she suspected was an Anomaly—means she's either an extremely reckless gambler or the Poison Apprentice. The latter is far more likely.】
At this point, the speaking privileges were transferred in order. Player 10, Player 9, and Player 8 (Lu Zihan) took turns speaking. Their contributions were entirely filler, purely making up the numbers.
Player 10, that old man with the little mustache, just repeated one thing: "We definitely have to vote for Player 12." Player 9, looking aggrieved, emphasized once more that he was the real Lost Soul and not an Anomaly, then followed Player 10's lead, saying he was willing to vote for Player 12 with everyone else. Lu Zihan put on an act of analyzing a few points, not daring to cause too much trouble.
After all, in this situation, everyone's attention was on Lord Cha. If another Peeper jumped out and started pointing fingers at random people, it would be practically screaming their identity as an Anomaly.
The group chat turned into a complete mourning session for Lord Cha.
【Lord Cha, have a safe journey. We'll avenge you!】 Lu Zihan sent a candle emoji.
【My condolences, Senior Cha. You can 'log off' in peace. We'll carry the team from here and guarantee a win!】 Zhang Qiuqiu teased, adding a shoulder-patting emoji.
【I really appreciate it! Do you guys have a conscience? I haven't even been voted out yet!】 Lord Cha's messages were filled with despair. 【Ren Yi, think of something!】
【Sorry, Lord Cha. Right now we have to sacrifice the rook to save the king. You'll have to suffer for a bit,】 Ren Yi replied bluntly.
【Sacrifice the rook? Am I a rook?! I'm clearly a core slacker! You're actually treating me as a disposable piece!】 Lord Cha was so angry he started spamming the chat, but there was nothing he could do.
Lord Cha spammed several frantic emojis, but he was still under the Silence Rule. He couldn't say a word or even make a defensive gesture on the field.
Finally, the speaking privilege fell to the last person, the Leader, Player 7—Zhang Qiuqiu.
The young girl immediately switched to her weak but resilient mode. Her eyes were slightly red and her voice soft as she addressed the room.
"Everyone should have no doubts left, right? Player 12's abnormalities are too obvious. Not blinking, vanishing into thin air while showering... all signs indicate he is the Anomaly. If we keep him, someone else will definitely be in danger tonight..."
She paused, her tone becoming more determined, tinged with a hint of pleading: "Then let's consolidate our votes on Player 12 today, okay? For everyone's safety, we can't hesitate any longer."
Zhang Qiuqiu decisively delivered the final blow; her speech held no intention of sparing him.
There was no other way. Today's round was already delicate, and suspicion would have likely fallen on Ren Yi or Lord Cha. Fortunately, Ren Yi had been cleared by Player 2 (the Peeper), so his suspicion was greatly reduced. Their original plan had been to kick out Player 9, the Lost Soul.
But no one expected Player 11 to charge out like a roadblock, dumping a bucket of filth all over poor Lord Cha. Moreover, her accusations were well-reasoned and full of detail. Even if they wanted to help clear Lord Cha's suspicion, they had no way to start.
This filth was truly hard to wash off... they had no way to help.
It was a carbon copy of yesterday's voting scene, only this time, a small flame finally lit up in front of Ren Yi.
The pale red flame flickered, weak but clear. This meant he could finally control his vote.
With a light tap of his finger, the flame swayed in his palm. Ren Yi played with it for a moment and found it boring; it was basically like a high-tech laser pointer, nothing new.
Then, with a sense of "pity," he offered a silent prayer for Lord Cha. Immediately after, he unhesitatingly guided the flame in his palm toward Lord Cha.
He had no choice. He had to follow the vote at this time. If he went against the tide, it would only arouse suspicion and expose his identity.
Lord Cha still couldn't speak, but he didn't give up until the last moment. He controlled the puppet to furrow its brows and pull down the corners of its mouth, looking entirely aggrieved, as if he had suffered a great injustice but had no way to explain.
He looked like a child who had been wronged with no way to defend himself, making it hard for people not to feel a sense of compassion. But no one present knew that behind this aggrieved expression was a Cha inside a hat, hopping mad with rage.
Finally, all the flames controlled by the Participants converged on the candle in front of Lord Cha. The originally weak candlelight suddenly surged, turning an eerie blood-red, casting a sinister red glow over the entire banquet hall.
In the next second, a bizarre scene unfolded.
Deep red, rust-colored patterns suddenly spread from the feet of Lord Cha's puppet, like living vines climbing rapidly up its limbs.
Everywhere the patterns passed, the puppet's body gradually became stiff and cold. The originally lifelike skin of the puppet slowly lost its luster, becoming rough and heavy, as if being petrified by an invisible force.
The rust-colored patterns grew denser, wrapping around the puppet's neck and head until they completely covered its entire body. The puppet's eyes lost their spark, turning into dull stone beads. Its entire body solidified completely, becoming a lifelike stone statue. Even that final expression of terrified helplessness was perfectly frozen in time.
The seal was complete. A cold stone statue now sat at the table. An eerie atmosphere permeated the banquet hall. No one could speak; they could only watch this scene with their own eyes.
Ren Yi linked to the Anomaly Web and sent a row of candles in the group chat: 【Lord Cha, rest in peace.】
【Rest in peace my ass! I'm not dead yet!】
A message suddenly popped up, sent by none other than Lord Cha.
The group chat instantly exploded:
【Holy crap? Lord Cha, you're still alive???】 Lu Zihan sent three question marks in shock.
Rate on N.U.
