Player 1's Analysis

The air in the hall felt as if it had solidified, weighing down so heavily it was hard to breathe.

Player 1 stood in the center of the candlelight. His once utterly mediocre face now exuded a judge-like majesty under the glow of the ghastly green flames.

As he revealed his identity as the Locksmith and pointed directly at Player 10, Player 10's body stiffened at the other end of the long table.

The atmosphere in the hall instantly became even more eerie as everyone's gaze shifted in unison toward Player 10.

So, Player 1 was directly labeling Player 10 as an Anomaly?

Was there really such a stroke of good luck? Before the Anomaly could even start throwing mud, a Participant had already tossed a companion into the pit.

However, what happened next quickly dashed Ren Yi's hopes.

By the round table, the suspected Player 10 froze, his face a mask of shock and grievance.

He instinctively opened his mouth, wanting to protest, to explain that he wasn't an Anomaly, but though his lips moved, not a single word came out.

According to the rules, until the speaker finished their statement, everyone else was stripped of their right to speak.

Player 1 stared intently at Player 10 for a full ten seconds, taking in every flicker of emotion on his face.

Then, he lowered his eyes slightly, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the wooden table with a dull "tock, tock" sound, drawing everyone's attention back to him.

"Well, that reaction seems normal enough," Player 1 said, his tone suddenly shifting.

Ren Yi sighed inwardly.

Fine, the beautiful dream of a good person charging forward and proactively sabotaging other good people didn't seem likely to come true.

"Actually, I'm not certain if you're one of those things or not."

Player 1 pondered for a moment, his tone softening slightly as he spoke.

"Let me clarify. What I just said was actually a probe directed at Player 10."

"I haven't confirmed that Player 10 is an Anomaly. I just wanted to put a little pressure on him to see what his 'instinctive' reaction would be."

"Looking at it now, his expression quite 'resembled' that of a victim, with no major abnormalities..."

"I can only say that if he really is an Anomaly, the human skin he's wearing is quite convincing."

He paused and continued, "Based on Player 10's expression just now, there aren't any major issues. So, I won't insist that Player 10 is an Anomaly; I'm simply listing him as a primary suspect."

"Now, let me explain my actions from last night."

"Perhaps the veteran players here might think that I, as the Locksmith, predicted the Anomaly's prediction and played a high-level mind game."

Player 1 shook his head self-deprecatingly, a trace of mockery at the corner of his mouth. "The answer is actually very simple, not that complex at all... I just locked a room at random."

Upon hearing this, even Ren Yi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

In a high-stakes game like this, admitting to being 'random' was often more deceptive than fabricating a reason.

"Of course, it wasn't completely random. There was a bit of consideration involved."

Player 1 continued his analysis. "I believe that up until yesterday, the Anomaly's identity was well-hidden. If the Anomaly wanted to play it safe, their primary target would definitely have been Player 2, the Peeper."

"But I had already locked Player 2's room the night before. Due to rule restrictions, I couldn't seal that room again last night. Plus, with Player 2's 'risking his life to verify' attitude in the hall yesterday, I felt there was no need to waste my ability on him."

"I think that over the next few nights, I might be in considerable danger."

The Locksmith's tone grew more cautious. "The Anomaly will definitely prioritize finding the Locksmith next, so I didn't choose to lock myself. Instead, I'm saving the chance to lock my own room for tonight."

"As for why I locked Player 10..."

He looked at Player 10, his gaze cold. "I locked him with the intention of catching an Anomaly."

"Under yesterday's circumstances, Player 10 and Player 11 were equally suspicious in my eyes. Player 11 is hard to clear because the situation completely collapsed after Player 9 was verified as a good person, and she was one of the people pushing for that. As for you, Player 10, your speech yesterday was simply too much of a wolf-slip."

Player 1 frowned, seemingly sinking into a logical quagmire.

"But the strange part is right here. If last night was a peaceful night, let's play out the scenarios."

He traced two lines on the table with his finger.

"I'll analyze the different possibilities first."

"First, assuming Player 10 is not an Anomaly. In this case, the Anomaly chose to kill Player 10 last night, and I happened to lock Player 10's room, thereby defending against the Anomaly's attack and creating a peaceful night."

"But everyone, use your heads. How high is the probability of that? Last night, Player 2, the Peeper, was completely unprotected, standing there like a sitting duck."

"Even if the Anomaly was afraid of being discovered afterward by Player 3, who shares the same room, they shouldn't have turned to kill Player 10, someone who had already exposed himself and could be voted out at any time."

"For the Anomaly, keeping Player 10 as a mis-elimination target clearly offers much higher value."

He tapped the table and said decisively, "Unless you have some hidden identity, Player 10, that forced the Anomaly to eliminate you first."

"For example, if the Anomaly thought your slip-up was a ploy to prevent yourself from being killed, suspecting you were the Locksmith."

"But I am the Locksmith, Player 2 is the Peeper, Player 3 is the Poison Apprentice, and the deceased Player 9 was the Lost Soul... You couldn't possibly have a Special role."

Having said this, the Locksmith slowly summarized, "In conclusion, I judge that the probability of Player 10 not being an Anomaly is only about twenty to thirty percent."

"I don't want to make a definitive statement since there's no hard evidence. Next, I want to hear Player 2's information from last night to see if we can find any clues to overturn my judgment."

"In my view, Player 10 and Player 11 are still the two most suspicious people. Today, I will choose to vote between these two."

"Then there is the second possibility, which is the one I lean toward—Player 10, you are an Anomaly."

Player 1's words were forceful, echoing through the empty hall.

"Player 10 is an Anomaly, so he was locked in by me last night and couldn't go out to kill, resulting in a peaceful night."

"And I'm not sure if everyone noticed, but if Player 10 is an Anomaly, then we can basically conclude he is the 'high-level Anomaly' Player 2 mentioned yesterday."

"That is, the thing with the teleportation ability that can ignore room locks!"

Ren Yi sat in the shadows, curling his lip inwardly.

This whole 'high-level Anomaly' and 'low-level Anomaly' talk was clearly a result of Player 2's theory from yesterday taking root in everyone's minds.

However, Ren Yi had to admit that Player 1's conclusion was right for the wrong reasons.

Zhang Qiuqiu was currently trapped in a human body and indeed lacked the ability to break through room locks, making her a 'low-level Anomaly' in his terms.

Ignoring the reactions of the others, Player 1 continued, "Think carefully, everyone, given today's clue and last night's peaceful night."

"We can infer that if Player 10 is an Anomaly, then there are two Anomalies on the field."

"Player 10 is one of them, and the remaining one is among the three women: Player 5, Player 6, or Player 11."

"Then here's the question: since there were two Anomalies present yesterday, why was there a peaceful night even though everyone has a key?"

Player 1 suddenly stood up and leaned forward, his presence overwhelming.

"There is only one answer. That 'low-level' Anomaly hiding among the women was blocked by the key; she couldn't get out!"

"And that 'high-level' Anomaly—you, Player 10—was just about to start a killing spree when you ran right into my power to lock! That is the only thing that perfectly explains last night's peaceful night!"