Finally, some good news.
Everyone grew excited at the words, joy spreading across their faces.
The keys had finally been found.
Before long, Player 2 crawled out of the fireplace flue.
He clutched several keys in his hand, his face covered in dust and his forehead smudged with soot, yet he couldn't hide the delight in his eyes.
"There are only six keys inside; they should correspond to the six remaining rooms."
Regardless, having keys was better than nothing. The group crowded around, gazing at the keys in Player 2's hand with long-awaited smiles.
Ren Yi joined in, feigning joy, and casually tossed out a few comments like "That's great" and "We finally found the keys."
Just then, Player 10, the Little Mustache old man, pushed forward a step.
With an eager smile plastered on his face, he rubbed his hands together. "This is great! Finally, we have keys. Now we can sleep soundly tonight," he said, making a move to reach for the keys in Player 2's hand.
However, Player 2 reacted with lightning speed. He pulled his wrist back, skillfully evading Player 10's hand and clutching the keys tightly to his chest, giving him no chance to touch them.
Player 10's hand froze in mid-air. He then frowned, his tone filled with dissatisfaction and questioning as he spoke deeply to Player 2.
"Kid, what do you mean? We found these keys together. Give me one, quickly."
Player 2 looked up, his gaze calm as he watched Player 10. "There's no need to distribute the keys now."
"We have eight people but only six keys. No matter how we divide them, someone will be left without one."
"Hard to divide?" Player 10's brow furrowed even deeper as he stroked his mustache.
This struck a nerve; he had been the first to step up precisely because he was afraid of not getting a key.
"I think you're just trying to keep them for yourself! Hand them over and give me one, or I won't let this go!"
As he spoke, he reached out to snatch them again, his tone overbearing.
Seeing this, Player 9 hurried over to chime in: "That's right... I was standing at the very bottom just now, so I should get one too."
As he spoke, he stole glances at the keys in Player 2's hand.
Being isolated by everyone, he was already panicking. If he could get a key to lock his room, it would provide a much-needed sense of security.
However, the moment Player 9 finished speaking, Player 2's face darkened. Instead of yielding, he hid the keys behind his back.
With a clear look of wariness and distance in his eyes, he looked coldly at Player 9.
"I said we aren't distributing the keys now, and that's final. Especially you, Player 9. You're the most suspicious right now, so you definitely can't have a key."
While the atmosphere remained at a standstill, Player 1 stepped forward and spoke somewhat timidly.
"I think Player 2 is right. It really isn't a good time to divide the keys."
"Six keys—no matter who gets one and who doesn't, it will cause conflict."
"If we start fighting among ourselves, it'll only let the Anomaly reap the rewards. It's better not to distribute them for now."
Ren Yi stood to the side, watching the scene with an imperceptible sneer before speaking up in a tone laced with playfulness and mockery.
"What's the rush? We're going to lose someone today anyway."
"If you divide the keys now and someone dies, wouldn't having an extra key be a bit awkward?"
This makeup was truly excellent; he could blast whoever he wanted.
Since Player 2 was his "destined Seer," he still had to put on a bit of a performance.
Player 10's face turned several shades of red and white. He glared at Ren Yi but didn't dare say anything more.
Then, Player 5, the female teacher, remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "I also support not distributing the keys."
"But the question is, who is the most suitable person to hold them?"
She paused, thinking to herself for a moment before looking at the group and adding, "Well, thinking it over, they can only be left with Player 2. After all, Player 2 is the only confirmed good person on the field..."
The others nodded one after another; no one else objected.
Seeing this, Player 10 knew further protest was useless. He stomped his foot in frustration, muttering under his breath.
"You little girls and brats, all of you acting so high and mighty."
"Just you wait. If anything happens tonight, you'll see how much you regret this!"
With that, he turned away in a rage and strode down a hallway to explore the rooms alone.
The atmosphere in the hall instantly became somewhat stiff.
Ren Yi watched Player 10's retreating figure, a playful glint flashing in his eyes. After a quick goodbye, he headed toward a different hallway.
But after walking just a few steps, he suddenly felt as if someone was staring intently at him.
Ren Yi paused and slowly turned around. What met his eyes wasn't Player 2 as he had expected, but Player 6, the girl who hadn't spoken much until now.
Their eyes met. Ren Yi could clearly see that while Player 6's gaze was as calm as still water, it hid a sharp edge.
Ah, right.
Understanding dawned on Ren Yi instantly.
The assumption that anyone the Peeper saw who didn't act was a "good person" seemed to have been a convention limited to the first two nights.
In other words, the newbie protection period was over, and the game had entered a new phase.
The Participants were likely beginning to employ more complex logic.
They would no longer simply trust the Peeper's certification; instead, they would combine everyone's words, actions, and any abnormalities to re-evaluate who was a good person and who was an Anomaly.
Facing Player 6's inquisitive gaze, Ren Yi didn't panic at all. Instead, he flashed a grin at her.
Without staying any longer, he turned and stepped unhesitatingly into the dark corridor. His figure was soon swallowed by the shadows, vanishing from sight.
The time that followed passed quickly. Ren Yi moved between various rooms, carefully exploring every corner, but found nothing.
It was as he had expected; the keys for today had already been found.
The game's clues followed a pattern. New clues for the next day wouldn't appear until tomorrow.
Any further exploration now was simply futile.
Left with no choice, Ren Yi gave up his search and returned to the hall.
When he returned to his seat, the hall was silent. Everyone had already come back, their expressions solemn as they sat with bowed heads, no one speaking.
Clearly, no one had found anything during their exploration, nor did they have any desire to communicate.
After the past few days of slaughter and suspicion, a layer of estrangement had formed between everyone; they no longer dared to trust one another easily.
Before long, the daytime meeting began on schedule.
The Leader was no longer present. The candle flames in front of the group flickered uncertainly a few times.
A moment later, all the candlelights went out, leaving only the one in front of Player 1 burning.
Player 1 froze, a look of bewilderment crossing his face as he subconsciously blinked.
Why was it him again? He had thought a person would be chosen at random, but was it going in order?
Wasn't that a bit unfair?
Rate on N.U.
