Zhang Qiuqiu had climbed up at some point as well. She leaned in next to Ren Yi, and the moment she saw that line of text, her breathing hitched.
The hidden compartment was so cramped it could only fit two people side-by-side. The two Anomalies stared at each other in silence.
Player 6 was still below, so Ren Yi couldn't vent out loud. Instead, he quickly connected to the Anomaly Web and fired off a message to the group.
【Is this rule freaking cheating?!】
He was genuinely losing his cool.
This felt like being fully immersed in a high-stakes stealth game, only for the system to suddenly grant every player a wallhack and stick a giant red arrow over your head for good measure.
The rules had phrased it nicely: "Starting from the second day, clues pointing toward the Anomaly's identity and abilities will be randomly scattered."
But this wasn't "scattering." This was shoving it right in their faces!
"She is Within Her."
Ren Yi repeated the phrase in his mind.
To a participant who didn't know the truth, this might seem like some cryptic, profound prophecy. But to Ren Yi and Zhang Qiuqiu, it might as well have been naming her specifically!
Zhang Qiuqiu had killed the real Player 11 and was now lurking among the participants using her identity. She had replaced her, perfectly concealing her true self.
Wasn't that exactly "she" lurking within "her"?
The phrase was actually a double entendre.
The first meaning was that Zhang Qiuqiu was literally inside Player 11's body.
The second meaning was that Zhang Qiuqiu's original identity as the female student, Player 7, had been swapped for her current identity as Player 11, making her one of "them."
It was no wonder Player 6 looked so miserable. After all, the direction of this clue immediately skyrocketed her own suspicion as well.
Zhang Qiuqiu quickly replied in the group chat.
【What do we do now? Player 6 definitely saw it. Her expression earlier shows she's already suspicious. Do we still push the blame onto the person the Locksmith blocked as planned?】
Ren Yi took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. His mind raced as he analyzed the current situation.
【The plan remains unchanged. The more things get like this, the less we can afford to panic. Although this clue is pointed, it's still vague enough for us to argue our way out.】
【Besides, even with this clue, today isn't your turn to be targeted.】
【In our current analysis, the weight of the Locksmith's information is more specific than the scope defined by this clue.】
【Among the seven remaining people, Player 5 is female, Player 6 is female, and you are currently female. With a one-in-three chance, we still have an opportunity. There's room to maneuver.】
After sending the message, Ren Yi didn't hesitate and led the way back down the fireplace.
The moment he hit the ground, Ren Yi intentionally leaped back a step, putting distance between himself, Zhang Qiuqiu, and Player 6, as if he were deliberately on guard against them.
The smile on his face had vanished completely, replaced by a perfectly timed look of alarm and vigilance.
The three of them stood in the empty hall, forming an unstable triangle.
"You two..." Ren Yi spoke, his gaze shifting back and forth between Zhang Qiuqiu and Player 6. "You saw it, didn't you? That sentence on the ceiling."
Player 6 looked at him coldly. "I saw it."
Ren Yi gave a self-deprecating laugh. "If I'm not mistaken, that sentence says 'She'."
"In other words, the Anomaly... is one of you three girls. You, Player 5, or Player 11."
Zhang Qiuqiu was perfectly in character now. She furrowed her brow and retorted with a pale face.
"On what basis can you be sure it's us? What if this is a misleading clue intentionally left by the Anomaly? After all, you've been moving with Player 2. Who knows what you two were doing last night?"
"Don't give me that. You all saw how terrified Player 2 was last night," Ren Yi snorted, then looked at Player 6. "What do you plan to do? The keys are gone, and the clue is... glaring."
Player 6 grit her teeth and sat down on a bench.
"I'm not leaving. I'm going to guard the hall. This clue is too important. I need to make sure no one destroys it or intentionally alters it."
"I'm staying too," Zhang Qiuqiu added immediately, her eyes fixed intently on Player 6.
"We'll watch each other. If you're the Anomaly, you'll want to destroy the clue. If you're not, you probably don't trust me either."
"Fine. We'll watch each other," Player 6 agreed with a nod.
Ren Yi looked at these two women, both harboring their own hidden agendas, and nodded. "In that case, I'll go upstairs and find the others. A clue like this can't be kept secret."
Ren Yi turned and walked up the stairs.
While searching for the others, he took the opportunity to confirm that all the scenes at the end of the corridors that were supposed to trigger clues had indeed vanished due to the "rule change."
This Instance was entering "Acceleration Mode."
The changing rules, the disappearing clues, and the eerie hint pointing directly at Zhang Qiuqiu—everything was pushing them forward.
He soon found the remaining people and told them frankly that he, Player 11, and Player 6 had found a clue inside the fireplace.
Seeing the complex expressions on the faces of the two men, Player 1 and Player 10—a mix of relief that they weren't the target and horror that someone close to them was an Anomaly—Ren Yi sneered inwardly.
By the time they brought the rest of the group back to the hall, the sun outside had unnaturally dipped toward the western mountains.
It was too fast.
The daylight hours of this day had been shortened by at least half.
Player 2 was the last to appear. He was rubbing his temples, the bloodshot streaks in his eyes having faded slightly, but he still looked gloomy.
Ren Yi repeated the story once more: he, Player 6, and Player 11 had found the clue on the fireplace together.
After Player 2 heard Ren Yi's description and personally climbed the fireplace to see the text, he remained silent for a long time.
The atmosphere in the hall was suffocatingly oppressive.
Everyone had climbed the fireplace by now, and every one of them was covered in soot and dust.
Ren Yi's originally multicolored clown wig had turned a dusty grey-black, looking like a ridiculous, expired mop. It was quite comical.
But no one present could bring themselves to laugh.
The four males—Player 1, Player 2, Player 10, and Ren Yi—unconsciously stood together.
Meanwhile, Player 5, Player 6, and Zhang Qiuqiu became the focal point of everyone's gaze.
Suspicion, fear, and killing intent.
These negative emotions fermented in the air, to the point where Ren Yi felt he could almost smell them.
Just then, an unprompted cold wind swept through the room.
Whoosh!
The heavy, dark red velvet curtains of the hall snapped shut without any external force, completely cutting off the last sliver of the setting sun.
Puff, puff, puff...
The candles on the round table ignited one by one, stretching everyone's shadows and casting them onto the walls in distorted shapes.
Ren Yi knew that this abnormal day had ended.
Banquet Time had begun.
Rate on N.U.
