The air around the round table was deathly still. A faint smell of rust permeated the air, and the familiar dark brown rust began to crawl coldly and slowly up Player 9's ankles.
This was the sign of petrification once the game rules judged a player out. Those voted out over the past two days had been covered in rust, eventually becoming lifeless, cold stone statues standing in the corner of the hall, silent forever.
Everyone watched this scene with complex emotions. Some felt relieved, some felt guilty, but no one spoke up to question it.
In this game of life and death, being voted out was an established rule. Even if they had doubts, they could only accept the result.
But just as the rust was about to cover Player 9's chest and seal his neck, everyone's pupils contracted.
An unforeseen anomaly occurred without warning.
A soft but piercing pale white halo suddenly flickered around the edges of the dull, hard rust. Then, the rust began to turn transparent and thin. The petrified sensation that had firmly locked onto his flesh vanished instantly, like melting snow.
Player 9, who should have turned into a stone statue, did not become stiff like the previous two.
Instead, like a thin plastic bag filled with clear water, his body began to blur from the feet up. Even the color of his clothes faded as he gradually became semi-transparent.
The resentment, unwillingness, and hysterical madness remaining on his face quickly faded, replaced by a calm, vacant expression.
His eyes were hollow and emotionless, as if he had lost all obsession.
The pale white halo grew fainter until it vanished completely. He turned into a light, semi-transparent shadow hovering by the round table, devoid of any vitality.
Like a remnant soul bound by the rules, he stayed quietly in place.
The hall fell into a sudden, deathly silence. Breath hitched, followed by an uncontrollable wave of shock that swept through everyone. The air felt frozen.
Player 2 stared intently at the semi-transparent phantom, his youthful face filled with disbelief. The deduction he had been so certain of collapsed completely in this moment, his eyes filled with panic.
Ren Yi reached up and slowly pinched the red clown nose on his face flat. The playful smirk on his lips gradually faded, and a perfectly timed flash of shock crossed his eyes. He raised an eyebrow, looking as if he were truly caught off guard by this sudden turn of events.
Player 6 jumped up from her seat, staring fixedly at Player 9's phantom. Her brow was furrowed; she clearly hadn't expected this outcome either.
Zhang Qiuqiu lightly covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes downcast. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, showing a well-calibrated mix of panic and surprise.
The others turned pale. The only sound left in the cavernous hall was heavy, rapid breathing, thick with unease.
This bizarre sight signified an undeniable, ironclad fact.
There was no room for maneuver. The truth, presented by the game rules themselves, lay clearly before everyone.
Player 9 was truly the Lost Soul, an absolute good person.
They hadn't voted out an Anomaly; instead, they had personally sent a good person on the path to elimination.
Every piece of logic, every deduction, and every stance from before was overturned in an instant.
Player 2 crouched down, clutching his head, his fingers digging deep into his hair. The veins on his forehead throbbed, and his brow was tightly knit.
Clearly, the logical chain in his mind had completely collapsed. Countless contradictory thoughts intertwined, making his head feel like it was about to explode.
Just then, the rule-based suppression of speech that hung over the hall quietly dissipated.
Everyone could finally speak again, and their suppressed shock immediately found an outlet.
"Player 9 is the Lost Soul... that's not right... that's completely wrong. How could this be?"
Player 5, the female teacher, was the first to speak. Her voice trembled with disbelief as her eyes darted frantically between the others.
She seemed to realize something instantly. She looked first at Player 2 crouching on the floor, then at Player 11, Zhang Qiuqiu, who was covering her mouth in surprise, and finally at the bewildered Player 10.
"Where exactly did things go wrong?"
She wanted to say more, to try and untangle the mess of clues in her head and find the root of these contradictions, but the entire hall suddenly jolted violently. The floor shook slightly, and the heavy black curtains were yanked open with a force bordering on violence.
A sudden evening breeze rushed into the room through the open window, fluttering clothes and causing the candle flames to flicker wildly.
Ren Yi partially shielded his eyes with his hand to block the piercing glow from the window, glancing outside.
The sunset had already mostly dipped below the horizon, leaving only a thin golden sliver clinging to the ground. The afterglow was dismal, carrying a sense of bleakness like a day reaching its end.
It was no wonder time was so tight. The speeches from Player 9 and Player 10 had dragged on for the full duration, consuming far more time than on previous days.
Daylight had reached its limit; night was about to fall.
Only then did everyone snap out of the shock of the identity reversal. The arrival of night meant the Anomalies would begin their hunt again. Panic and fear flooded their hearts, and everyone's expressions grew solemn. They no longer had the luxury of obsessing over Player 9's identity; survival was now the priority.
Player 2 stood up abruptly, brushed the dust off himself, and scanned the room. His gaze lingered for a moment on the nonchalant Ren Yi before quickly turning to Player 1.
He asked, "Player 1, are you willing to stay with me tonight? In a double room."
Player 1 froze, looking lost and helpless. He clearly hadn't expected Player 2 to make such a request.
He instinctively backed away, his eyes darting around as he avoided Player 2's gaze. After a moment of hesitation and inner conflict, he steeled himself and refused.
"I'm sorry. My thoughts are a mess right now. I can't think straight, let alone stay calm..."
He paused, his voice dropping as he spoke with a mix of resistance and fear.
"I think it would be better and safer if you stayed with Player 3. You're both confirmed good people on the surface."
"I... I don't want to see a bloodbath tonight. I'm a coward; I can't handle that kind of shock, and I don't want to get involved in any trouble."
Well, he was still operating on the assumption that Player 2 would definitely die tonight.
Player 2 fell silent for a moment, not pressing further or showing any dissatisfaction.
He stepped forward quickly and grabbed Player 1's arm. Ignoring the other man's resistance, he leaned in and whispered a few words into his ear, speaking so fast and softly that only the two of them could hear.
Once he finished, he quickly stepped back. His expression remained solemn and his brow furrowed, as if he were calculating something.
Rate on N.U.
