The sounds in the room were instantly erased as if by an invisible giant hand.
The faint rustle of clothing, the tiny creaks of the wooden floorboards from the shifting temperature, and even the heavy breathing of the crowd were all forcibly suppressed by an unseen force the moment the dark red curtains drew shut. Absolute silence descended.
The dark red curtains cut off the last glimmer of twilight from the outside world. Around the long table in the center of the hall, seven figures loomed in the shadows.
The flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows across everyone’s faces, making their tensed muscles and darting eyes look like ghosts in the abyss.
In this deathly silence, everyone was silently praying in their hearts: Not me. Please, don’t let me be the first to speak.
The impact of the new information was too brutal and unreasonable. The blood-red words inside the fireplace, "She is Within Her," hung over everyone’s heads like a Sword of Damocles.
Those who had just learned the news were in the middle of a violent mental brainstorm, scouring their fragmented memories for every detail of the past looks and behaviors of Player 5, Player 6, and Player 11.
For those who considered themselves veterans, the right to speak first was practically a one-way ticket to the executioner’s block.
They didn't want to stand up before their thoughts were fully organized or while the situation was still in complete chaos.
In a game like Anomaly Kill, speaking first often meant losing the chance to defend yourself.
Every word you spoke would be repeatedly dissected by the subsequent speakers like a corpse on an operating table. Even an unconscious pause could be interpreted as guilt, eventually becoming the nail in your coffin.
The slightest slip-up would make you the target of public criticism, leaving you covered in stains that could never be washed away.
As for Ren Yi and Zhang Qiuqiu, the wolves lurking among the sheep, their reasons for not wanting to speak first were even more obvious.
They were the ones planning to smear others. They needed to listen to everyone else's information first so they could precisely identify the most easily swayed target to frame.
Unfortunately, things did not go as they wished. Or rather, the rules of this Instance had completely torn off their mask of hypocrisy.
Sizzle—
A faint crackling sound rang out, and the flames on the long table flickered abruptly one by one, as if something invisible was running a lap around the table.
Then, one by one, the candles went out without warning until finally, all the light converged on a single point.
The candle for Player 11 in front of Zhang Qiuqiu remained, burning silently and tenaciously. In the darkness, it appeared aloof and mocking.
Ren Yi’s eye twitched. Utilizing their mental connection, he slowly typed a giant question mark into the Anomaly Web group chat.
Rigged! This is absolutely rigged! This is blatant targeting!
In his heart, he was practically shedding a tear of sympathy for Zhang Qiuqiu.
Today was definitely the class monitor’s day of Mercury in retrograde, and it was on a catastrophic scale.
First, there was that wretched ability seal, turning her from an Anomaly capable of possessing others into an ordinary person who had to rely on physical strength to climb a fireplace.
Immediately following that, the highly suggestive blood-red clue had directly exposed the nature of her possession, instantly landing her on the list of the three most suspicious people.
She wanted to erase the clue? It ended up being seen by Player 6 before she even had a chance to destroy it.
And now, even something as probabilistic as the speaking order had to give her a "grand opening."
Ren Yi cursed inwardly. Just because her abilities were powerful and she had performed a little too well within the game rules, was it really necessary to nerf her this hard?
This wasn't just an Instance running; it was as if "God" himself had stepped onto the field to play favorites.
In contrast to Ren Yi’s indignation, the chosen Zhang Qiuqiu appeared exceptionally calm.
Unlike Ren Yi’s frantic empathy, Zhang Qiuqiu, the person actually involved, remained as composed as an outsider. Her gaze was as still as water under the candlelight, showing not a hint of panic.
She slowly stood up. Her shadow stretched out behind her, covering half the dining table.
She thought for a moment before speaking in an extremely steady tone.
"It seems I am the first to be chosen."
Zhang Qiuqiu gave a self-deprecating laugh, her smile tinged with just the right amount of helplessness.
"As the first person to speak, I don't have any perspectives to reference. For what follows, I can only share my thoughts with you all honestly while I try to organize my own confused mind."
She paused, her gaze sharp as she calmly surveyed the room, lingering for a moment on the faces of the male participants whose eyes were darting about.
"I assume everyone has already seen the message above the fireplace—'She is Within Her.'"
The moment she spoke, the already oppressive hall seemed to grow several degrees colder.
"As one of the people who discovered the clue, let me walk you through how we found it."
"After I went upstairs earlier, I quickly discovered that the clue item I had found the day before yesterday had disappeared."
"Following that, I ran into Player 3 during my exploration and exchanged clues with him, only to find that the clue he had previously discovered had also vanished."
"We felt that something was very wrong and wanted to find others to discuss it. So, we returned to the banquet hall to see if anyone was still here."
"That’s where we met Player 6, and then we discovered that clue on the fireplace."
Zhang Qiuqiu briefly recounted the process in a few simple sentences.
During this time, she made eye contact with Ren Yi. After a momentary exchange of looks, she turned her gaze back to Player 6, as if seeking confirmation from both of them.
Though her account was a bit vague, everything she said was true on the surface. Neither Ren Yi nor Player 6 showed any sign of disagreement.
"What happened afterward was that Player 6 and I stayed here to watch each other and prevent anyone from destroying the clue, while Player 3 went upstairs to find everyone else and share the information."
Zhang Qiuqiu paused.
"That is the specific process of how the clue was found. Now, let me tell you my thoughts."
She slowly recited each word clearly: "She is Within Her."
Rate on N.U.
