Chapter 214 · Volume 1

Suspicious Player 1

With this logical loop presented, almost everyone in the hall was convinced.
Ren Yi even felt like giving him a round of applause.
The Locksmith nodded and continued, "Although we didn't find any keys today and the rooms' defenses are gone, I still suggest we vote out the 'high-level' Anomaly directly today."
"A high-level Anomaly can bypass room defenses. Regardless of whether there are keys or not, they can kill, making them far more dangerous than a low-level Anomaly that might be blocked by a room."
"If we eliminate it, the remaining 'low-level Anomaly' won't be much of a threat as long as we can find a key."
"Moreover, just because we didn't find a key today doesn't mean we won't find one tomorrow." His tone carried a hint of uncertainty and a trace of hidden worry.
"What I mean is, in case the game hasn't ended by tomorrow, we still have a chance to protect ourselves with a key."
At this point, Player 1 paused, lowering his head in thought as if organizing his ideas.
Silence fell over the hall once more. Everyone was privately pondering the Locksmith's words. The suspicion in their eyes grew thicker, and the looks directed at Player 10 became increasingly wary and skeptical.
Player 10 sat there, his face flushing between pale and ashen, yet he remained unable to speak. He could only glare at Player 1 with fury, his eyes screaming, "You're talking nonsense."
"In my view, the probability of Player 10 being an Anomaly is close to seventy percent. For the rest, I need to hear the information the Peeper brought back from last night before making a final decision."
He glanced at the candle on his table, one of which had already gone out, and seemed to realize time was pressing as his speaking speed increased.
"Finally, I must remind everyone. Player 10 is the last to speak today, holding the closing position. We absolutely cannot let him control the narrative at the end."
"Therefore, those of you speaking earlier must organize the information clearly and set the voting targets."
His gaze fell on Player 2, his tone solemn. "It would be best if we finalize the vote immediately after the Peeper reports last night's information. Do not give Player 10 any chance to lead everyone astray."
"As for the three ladies..."
Player 1 turned toward Player 5, Player 6, and Zhang Qiuqiu.
"Player 5 and Player 6, I will be listening closely to your statements, especially your explanations regarding that clue on the ceiling."
"Although Player 11 is under greater suspicion because Player 9 was confirmed as the Lost Soul yesterday, don't forget... her suspicion ultimately stems from Player 5's leading comments yesterday."
"But yesterday, Player 5 suddenly spoke up and suspected Player 11 was an Anomaly without any evidence, just a casual remark."
"So, Player 5, whether that was an unintentional slip or a deliberate move, I cannot say."
Player 5 met his gaze without flinching, offering only a helpless smile.
After a moment, the Locksmith slowly withdrew his gaze and turned toward Player 6.
His tone became complex, a mix of thoughtfulness, admiration, and a touch of sarcasm.
"As for Player 6, you really seem to have a thing for that fireplace."
"You climbed up to check it yesterday, and today you were one of the first to discover the message on the ceiling."
"However, everyone has seen the message. I touched it myself; it's a blood-red script carved into the wall, which would be fundamentally difficult to forge."
"Therefore, I won't temporarily question whether the clue might be fake or if one of us forged it."
He paused, the suspicion in his voice deepening.
"Why are you so focused on the fireplace? Is it because you're exceptionally vigilant and think there are more clues inside?"
"Or... do you actually have some kind of 'extra information' that we don't know about?"
"You must explain this clearly. Otherwise, your suspicion will be even greater than that of Player 5 and Player 11."
Ren Yi's thoughts stalled for a moment.
There was even that angle of thought. This Player 1 was quite paranoid, but from his perspective, one had to admit it made a lot of sense.
These words put Player 5, Player 6, and Player 11 all under the spotlight.
"In short, these three—Player 5, Player 6, and Player 11—all have significant points of suspicion. We can leave those for detailed analysis and verification tomorrow."
"But today, I will listen carefully to each of your statements to judge your identities."
Player 1 took a deep breath and turned toward Player 2, the Peeper.
"Finally, Player 2, it's your turn to step up."
His tone carried a heavy pressure that said "don't even think about running."
"There is one question I haven't been able to straighten out... Why was Player 9 the Lost Soul?"
"I haven't figured this part out, which is why I didn't stand up to lead the narrative or focus on analyzing it earlier."
"There are likely two Anomalies on the field now. Something in our previous analysis must have been wrong for us to keep failing to find their trail."
"As the leader, you must analyze these issues and our previous mistakes clearly and give everyone a reasonable explanation."
"To be honest, you are under a certain amount of suspicion yourself right now."
"If it weren't for the gender-specific nature of the clue on the ceiling, I would have suspected that you, Player 2, are a fake Peeper and an accomplice of Player 10, working together to hide the Anomaly's identity and mislead our judgment."
"While that possibility has been overturned by that line of text—since the message points to a 'she' and you are male, you cannot be the 'she' mentioned—"
"That doesn't mean you're cleared of suspicion. You still need to analyze the previous issues and mistakes clearly to prove your innocence."
Player 2 rested his head on one hand, rubbing his temples continuously, not meeting Player 1's gaze.
Player 1 gave a cold snort and slowly sat down.
"Now, clear your own name and tell us exactly what you saw last night!"
The candlelight flickered violently as Player 1 sat. All eyes were now shot like sharp arrows toward the consistently silent Player 2.
The candle in front of Player 2 flared up. He let out a sigh and stood, looking somewhat mentally exhausted.
"Let's start with yesterday's verification."
"Last night, I checked Player 11's room."

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