The group had just retreated from Room 7, still reeling from the shock of the gruesome beheading, when a violent roar suddenly erupted from behind them.
Boom!
The ground shook violently, sending debris and dust raining down from above, accompanied by the piercing sound of walls fracturing.
Everyone instinctively turned back, their pupils shrinking in an instant.
The entire wall of the room they had just exited had collapsed, turning the once-intact room into a pile of rubble in a heartbeat.
Broken rebar jutted out from the ruins. Shattered walls, tables, chairs, and miscellaneous items were piled together, kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured the light and made everyone cough uncontrollably.
Even more alarming was that the sealed pods previously hidden within the room had been crushed to pieces in the collapse.
Glass shards flew everywhere, and the metal casings were twisted and deformed. The cushions inside were pierced by rubble, leaving the scene a wretched, battered mess.
In just a few seconds, the original room had completely vanished, leaving behind nothing but a chaotic heap of debris.
The air was thick with the pungent smell of dust and concrete, intermingled with the lingering scent of blood, creating a suffocating atmosphere.
Everyone stood frozen, stunned by the sight.
"Quick! Everyone, go check all the rooms immediately!"
Just as the group fell into a daze, Player 2 was the first to react. He snapped back to his senses, his tone urgent and serious.
"A room collapse is definitely no accident. It’s highly likely a change in the game rules. We must confirm which rooms are still safe as quickly as possible!"
His words instantly jolted the others, bringing them back to reality.
Everyone sprang into action, running down different corridors to check the condition of every room.
Ren Yi and Zhang Qiuqiu followed suit in tacit agreement.
Zhang Qiuqiu stayed close to the Player 6 girl, occasionally putting on a panicked expression and exchanging a few words with her, pretending to be worried about the safety of the rooms.
About ten minutes later, everyone gradually returned to the hall, their faces grim.
"Well? How's the situation on your end?" Player 2 asked urgently, his gaze scanning the crowd.
Player 10 wiped the dust from his face, his voice heavy. "I checked the two rooms on the east side. One has collapsed, leaving only one intact."
"In the west corridor, one room also collapsed. The other is fine," the Player 6 girl added, her face pale.
"Same on my side. One room collapsed," Player 5 said after a moment of silence, her tone low.
As everyone reported in one by one, a heavy silence fell over the group as they tallied the results.
After the inspection, it was clear that of the original ten rooms, four had collapsed. Only six rooms remained intact—barely enough to house everyone present.
"The... the rooms are decreasing..." Player 9 said, the first to realize the implications.
"Only six rooms left, but there are eight of us. That means two pairs will have to room together tonight. What if... what if someone ends up staying with an Anomaly?"
He backed away as he spoke, his eyes filled with fear and despair.
However, after he finished speaking, he noticed the surroundings were exceptionally quiet—eerily so.
No one echoed his fear, and no one offered comfort. Everyone remained silent, their gazes falling on him with a hint of suspicion and distance.
The fear on Player 9's face froze. He looked at the others with a bewildered expression, unable to understand why they were reacting this way.
Didn't they care?
At that moment, Ren Yi suddenly spoke up. A faint, knowing smile played on his lips, and his tone carried a hint of playfulness as he broke the silence.
"It's fine, don't be afraid. Only one pair will have to room together, because today, we’re going to take out another Anomaly."
His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, instantly making the atmosphere in the hall even more subtle.
After the slaughter of the past two nights, eight people remained—to be precise, six living humans and two Anomalies.
There was Player 3 Ren Yi, Player 11 Zhang Qiuqiu, and Players 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, and 10.
As for the four who had died, aside from Zhang Qiuqiu's original body in Room 7 and Player 4, both of whom were beheaded, Player 8 Lu Zihan and Player 12 Lord Cha had both turned into stone statues, standing silently by the round table in the hall.
This was actually a small concession the game made for the participants.
In the original rules, participants would have had to guess which victim was poisoned and which was killed directly by an Anomaly to determine who was the Poison Apprentice and who was the Anomaly.
But now, the situation had become exceptionally clear.
Player 8 had become a stone statue, meaning he was most likely poisoned by the Poison Apprentice. Meanwhile, Player 7 had been brutally beheaded, her body a wretched sight—clearly the victim of a direct Anomaly kill.
Although none of the participants were certain if the Poison Apprentice had targeted the right person, or why the poisoned victims remained by the table...
Everyone was inclined to believe that Player 8 was an Anomaly.
On the other hand, Player 7's situation was even more obvious.
She was the leader everyone had previously acknowledged, the one who had stepped forward at the very beginning to claim she was the Lost Soul.
Now that she had been brutally murdered by the Anomaly and left in such a horrific state, she was undoubtedly a confirmed innocent in everyone's minds.
More than a few people secretly thought that if they had the chance after the game ended, they would definitely revive this poor girl.
She was young but brave enough to take on the responsibility of a leader, only to meet such a tragic end. It was truly pitiable.
In contrast, among the others who had previously claimed to be the Lost Soul, Player 3 Ren Yi had already been cleared as a good person by Player 2, the only Peeper.
The Player 6 girl had claimed the role but then retracted it, leaving her with little suspicion.
Player 7 was dead and was a confirmed innocent.
That meant the only remaining person claiming to be the Lost Soul was Player 9.
When they thought about it that way, wasn't Player 9 a confirmed Anomaly?
A conclusion instantly formed in everyone's hearts, and the way they looked at Player 9 became increasingly complex.
Everyone began to distance themselves from Player 9 intentionally or unintentionally. Those standing near him quietly took a few steps back as if he were a dangerous beast.
Player 9 remained completely bewildered, looking at the distant gazes of the others. "Is... is something wrong?"
He clearly hadn't realized the problem yet, unaware that he was now the primary suspect in everyone's eyes.
Ren Yi sat in his seat, watching this play out with a faint smile, a trace of amusement flashing in the depths of his eyes.
He mused silently to himself.
It seemed... quite likely... that he was being carried to victory by the class monitor!
Rate on N.U.
