In the End, I Still Have to Do the Killing Myself

In the center of the room, Zhang Qiuqiu stared directly into Player 6's fire-spitting eyes and sneered.

"It's a good thing we arrived quickly, otherwise the clues really would have been obscured by you."

"Why are you looking at me with such a vicious gaze? Is it because I hit the mark and you're lashing out in shame?"

"I never had any intention of destroying the clues. Back then, I was the one who took the initiative to find Player 3 to cross-reference our findings, and then we went down together."

"Later on, I was even the one who suggested that the two of us 'supervise each other' to prevent anyone from destroying the blood-red writing amidst the chaos."

"Did that suggestion suddenly throw a wrench in your plans, Miss Anomaly?"

"Were you still stubbornly clinging to your malicious intent back then, thinking that as long as you got rid of me or waited for a moment of negligence, you could wipe away those words?"

"And then you'd just make up some excuse, saying the clue vanished on its own, thereby misleading the rest of us about whether there even was a clue?"

"Unfortunately for you, I already felt something was off about you. That's why I took the initiative to suggest staying by your side every step of the way."

"I was afraid Player 3 wouldn't be able to see through your true face and would be led away by some excuse of yours, falling for your tricks."

Ren Yi listened from the side, clicking his tongue in secret. He marveled to himself: The class monitor's verbal firepower was practically nuclear.

However, just as Ren Yi was enjoying the show, Zhang Qiuqiu suddenly turned her head, her cool eyes locking onto him.

Not just Zhang Qiuqiu—Player 2, Player 1, and even the heavy-breathing Player 6 all focused their gazes on Ren Yi in an instant.

"Regarding the situation with the clue that day," Zhang Qiuqiu said, staring at Ren Yi with a certain tone, "you saw everything I just said, Player 3. You can prove it for me, right?"

A deathly silence fell over the hall.

Under the weight of those gazes, Ren Yi appeared to hesitate slightly.

He looked as if he were struggling with a memory. Finally, amidst Player 6's near-pleading look and Zhang Qiuqiu's icy stare, he gave a slow but extremely firm nod.

Although the rules restricted speech, this small bit of body language was heavier than a thousand words at this moment.

Thump.

Player 6 looked as if she had been struck in the chest by a heavy hammer, her entire body slumping into her chair.

Her eyes were filled with terror and disbelief, her lips trembling violently.

She didn't understand. She didn't understand at all! Player 3 was clearly a good person; Player 3 should have known she was lying! Why would this man nod?

Had Player 11 told a mix of truths and lies that fooled even him? Or was it...

Player 6's gaze gradually shifted from anger to bone-chilling dread.

She wanted to speak, she wanted to scream, she wanted to tell Player 1 and Player 2: They are lying together!

But she could no longer speak. She could only shake her head frantically, tears welling in her eyes, as desperate, rasping sounds escaped her throat like a trapped, hopeless little beast.

Zhang Qiuqiu sat down elegantly and extinguished her candle.

The flame passed to the last person, Player 1, the Locksmith.

Player 1 looked somewhat dazed. He frowned, his fingers rubbing together incessantly, his expression dejected.

"This... I locked myself yesterday, thinking I could escape a disaster, but it turned out to be a false alarm."

He sighed, looking at the collapsed Player 6 and then at the cold-faced Zhang Qiuqiu.

"Since it's said there's only one Anomaly left, the situation seems quite obvious now. After all, Player 3 is the only eyewitness..."

Just as Player 1 was about to deliver his final judgment, Ren Yi keenly sensed a gaze fixed intently on him, like a sharp blade pressed against his spine.

Ren Yi turned his head and met Player 2's eyes.

Those eyes were no longer filled with the previous listlessness; they were replaced by a nearly distorted clarity and suspicion.

Player 2 looked at Zhang Qiuqiu, then at Ren Yi.

Then, the doubt within them slowly faded, replaced by growing horror.

Player 1 didn't seem to notice this undercurrent. He fell silent for a moment, then waved his hand somewhat disinterestedly.

"Let's vote."

The voting began.

Without any hesitation, Ren Yi gave his finger a light flick, and the flame belonging to him flew directly toward Player 6.

He could feel the gazes of Player 2 and Player 6 nearly piercing through him.

Fine then.

Ren Yi simply turned his head toward the ashen-faced Player 6 and offered a polite, refined, yet entirely cold smile.

The voting results were revealed: Player 1, Player 3, and Player 11 voted for Player 6; Player 2 and Player 6 voted for Player 11.

The atmosphere fell into a strange silence for a moment.

Everyone was waiting. Waiting for the rust-colored marks to spread, waiting for Player 6 to turn into a stone statue.

However, several seconds passed, and nothing happened in the hall.

Player 6 remained sitting there. Though her face was stained with tears, her body had not petrified.

Player 1 was stunned. He stood up in confusion, looking around. "What's going on? The vote has taken effect... is it not over yet?"

At this point, the Silence Rule vanished with the end of the voting process, and the right to speak was restored to the hall.

"This is too much."

Player 2 suddenly said something seemingly nonsensical.

"This is a strategy game, right? How can you use mental influence? That's too unbalanced, isn't it?"

Player 2's focus... was somewhat peculiar.

"Not really," Ren Yi thought for a moment and answered him quite seriously. "This is a slaughter the town game; it's supposed to be an asymmetrical competition, right?"

"And it was done at the cost of skipping the kill for one night."

Player 2 went silent for a moment. "...You actually answered me?"

But he immediately realized, "So, it really was a skipped kill that night?"

Ren Yi didn't answer him, instead saying thoughtfully.

"Speaking of which, do you play many board games?"

"What?"

"I was thinking, between a board game shop owner and a board game employee, at least one of them should understand how board games work, right?"

Ren Yi's words were too erratic; Player 2 was truly bewildered now.

In the game, there were only four people left "alive," and two of them were Anomalies.

The Participants had no chance of winning. The game was over.

Player 1 was dazed. Watching the two of them converse, he asked in confusion.

"What kind of nonsense are you two talking about?"

At the same time, there was a sudden movement in the hall.

A series of crackling sounds erupted. Following that, the rust-colored marks on Player 8, Lu Zihan, and Player 12, Lord Cha, began to crack and peel off in layers.

Ren Yi let out a light chuckle, the sound exceptionally piercing in the empty hall. He stood up and stretched, his joints making crisp popping sounds.

He stepped past the long table and looked at Zhang Qiuqiu opposite him. Their gazes met in the air, sharing a tacit understanding that only their kind could read.

"It's okay, it's already over."

Ren Yi spoke gently, his tone like he was comforting a sleeping child.

He walked to the window and pulled back the curtains. Outside was a waning crescent moon. He let out a helpless sigh.

"This Instance seems to have a bit of a low budget. It even skipped the final sense of ceremony, failing to give everyone the best experience. I'm truly sorry."

He turned around and looked at the horrified Player 1 and Player 2, the layer of human disguise in his eyes completely falling away.

"After all that trouble, in the end, I still have to do the killing myself, huh?"