Chapter 18: Red Shoes (3)

Chapter 18: Red Shoes (3)

"Time to vote."

The restroom plunged into complete chaos.

Screaming, running, cursing, sobbing…

The sudden darkness brought an instant sense of unease, and the knowledge that a murderer was hiding among them only heightened everyone's fear.

"Don't come near me!"

"Everyone, find a place to hide…"

"Ah! Who just pushed me?!"

"Damn! I can’t tell which way to go! Someone help me—"

"Please, don’t hurt me, don’t kill me…"

"Wait for me!"

"Ouch! Where are you, wife? Pull me up…"

"Aaaaahhh!!!"

……

Amidst the piercing noise, Shi Youqing wasn’t sure who had tripped over him. As he got up, he faintly heard Feng Bin’s anxious shouts and was just about to discern the direction when he saw a figure charging straight at him.

He instinctively tried to dodge, but the other person, as if anticipating his move, accurately lunged behind him…

The person moved swiftly, stabilizing the slender body that bumped into him, and then swiftly scooped him up horizontally.

Hearing the other person's panting, Shi Youqing finally ceased struggling.

It was Bo Huai.

The boy's arms were tense, his skin unusually hot, and his breath somewhat erratic. Finding a stall, he kicked open the door, gently placed the person inside, and instructed, "Lock the door and don't let anyone in."

He whispered this while leaning down close.

Amidst the ongoing chaos outside, Shi Youqing nodded in understanding. Despite the pitch-black view, he felt as though the shadowy figure was watching him.

The shadow took a step back.

With a "creak," the door was closed by Bo Huai outside.

Shi Youqing hurriedly said, "Don't linger out there!"

The person outside responded and quickly walked away.

Originally, there were twenty stalls for twenty people. Now with eighteen left, there were more stalls than needed.

Even without sight, the space was limited; everyone just needed to find a wooden door and quickly enter.

Shi Youqing locked the door and then pressed against it to listen carefully to the sounds outside.

Occasionally, the sounds of doors closing and locking could be heard.

Then, the stall to the right also had visitors – two people's voices.

"I'm here, you go to the opposite one?" It was the woman in the gown – Li Meiting.

"No, no, it's too dangerous to go out now!" Xu Zhi said anxiously. "Let's stay in one stall! We can fit... In case of an emergency, it's better to be with someone."

"But..."

"No buts! Listen, it's quiet outside now. Going out at this moment, the murderer might be waiting right outside the door!"

The woman seemed frightened, her voice quivering, "Then, then hurry and lock the latch! Make sure no one else comes in!"

"It's locked, it's locked... Don't worry, it's alright... I'm exhausted, let me rest a bit..."

Their voices gradually faded.

At this moment, the sounds of people moving about gradually ceased.

"Shi Youqing! Are you okay?"

It's Feng Bin.

Judging by the voice, he's in the compartment opposite.

"I'm fine!" he responded, "How about Bo Huai?"

"I'm here."

At the sound, his trouser leg was touched.

"..." He suddenly looked towards the compartment on his left.

The wooden panels of the compartments are all sealed, with only a gap less than five centimeters high at the bottom. At this moment, a hand with distinct knuckles is extending through the gap from below, holding something.

Shi Youqing slowly takes it and feels it... It turns out to be a lollipop.

Shi Youqing: "..."

Bo Huai: "This place must have been abandoned for several years. There’s no flavor now, so it's safe to eat, but I can't guarantee for later."

Shi Youqing: "......Thank you."

"Everyone..." someone in the distance says weakly, "has everyone entered their compartments? Should we... maybe do a roll call?"

"Who are you?"

"I-I’m Qiao Mingcheng. I can’t see anything right now. I thought if we call out our names, we can make sure everyone is safe..."

"Agreed." The person agreeing is Chang Fangxing, his tone calm. "I'm Chang Fangxing. Everyone, remember to call out your names!"

"...Gao Fei."

"Xing Ruyue!"

"Duan Dong."

"Hao Tianshuo, Hao Tianshuo!"

……

Soon, everyone calls out their names, exactly eighteen, no more, no less.

Qiao Mingcheng: "Phew! Great, everyone's safe..."

He Chi: "What’s there to be happy about? Doesn't this also mean the murderer is still hiding among us?"

Gao Fei: "What, do you want the murderer to kill someone for your satisfaction?"

He Chi chuckles: "Actually, if someone did get killed, it might not be a bad thing. At least the first to die would be those weaklings, and we could quickly identify the culprit, right?"

“……”

He Chi continues: "I remember the guy with the caretaker, his name is Shi Youqing, right?"

Shi Youqing: "Not a caretaker."

He Chi: "...Anyway, that's the gist. Everyone, don't you think he's very suspicious? He looks so frail, as if a slight push would land him on a ventilator. And somehow, he happens to be brought here along with his caretaker? Isn’t the person who planned all this being too kind to him? I think he's the murderer! Maybe he needs it for some organ transplant..."

Before He Chi could finish, Shi Youqing heard a slight sound at the door next to him.

He Chi and the others seemed to have heard it too, thinking it was the murderer, and suddenly dared not make any sound.

But Shi Youqing knew it was Bo Huai!

Bo Huai had gone out from the next compartment!

Just as Shi Youqing was about to speak, a harsh scraping noise suddenly erupted right in front of He Chi's door.

"Screech—scratch—screech—scratch—"

Something like claws was slowly scratching at the door.

Shi Youqing couldn't help but cover his ears.

"Who is it?! No, don't come in!!! No..." He Chi, who was previously speaking confidently, almost started crying out, "Ah ah ah!!! Why are you looking for me? Go away!"

The scratching noise lasted for a short while and then disappeared.

Almost immediately after, Shi Youqing heard a faint sound from the left compartment—Bo Huai had returned and closed the door.

On the other side, He Chi was gasping for breath, no longer daring to speak recklessly.

"…What was that just now?" Qiao Mingcheng asked shakily, "Was it the murderer?"

"Not necessarily," Chang Fangxing said calmly. "It's not beneficial for the murderer to come out openly at this time. If even two bold people went out, they could identify him and even subdue him on the spot. It's too risky for him, and knowing the doors are locked and can't be opened, there's even less reason to do so... It just means that person is really disliked, someone deliberately messed with him."

"...How much hatred is that? Who dares to go out at this time?"

"Who knows..."

Inside the compartment, looking at the newly passed mat, Shi Youqing was at a loss for words.

Bo Huai: "Put it on the toilet seat to sit, it allows your legs to stretch."

Shi Youqing: "..."

"We have less than an hour to decide who to vote for," Feng Bin spoke from the opposite compartment. "The game is actually quite simple. If we vote out the murderer once, we win. So there's no need to be so nervous. Without solid evidence, don't vote rashly."

"Right," Duandong, a young man, agrees, "This is not a real game, people might die, we mustn't vote incorrectly."

"But we can't waste our chances either," Chang Fangxing sneers, "Before the power comes back on, this time isn't meant for us to just sit around and rest... You all remember, right? This restroom has twenty compartments, ten in each row, and they are all connected. So, most people have someone next to them..."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Now, I want everyone to recall all the noises you heard before and after entering the compartments. It's crucial because, apart from the murderer, we all sought refuge in the compartments immediately after the power outage to avoid any mishaps. Those who entered their compartments particularly late or might have gone out could be the murderer!"

There's silence all around.

After a moment, some admit forgetting, others say they had no one next to them, and some whisper about who was next to them... until someone suddenly yells: "I remember! The person next to me came back very late! Everyone was already quiet, and then he sneaked in and closed the door! He, he must be the murderer!"

Chang Fangxing asks, "Who are you, and who's next to you?"

"I'm Zhu Chenghai, next to me is..."

"I think you're the pig! Calling others a murderer? You're the murderer! Your whole family are murderers!" Suddenly, a familiar voice hysterically echoes through the restroom, "If you hadn't trampled over me when you ran, I wouldn't have come in so late! I was nearly trampled to death! Don't you have any idea how I got in? Damn! I've crawled for the first time in my twenty-four years in this damn place! And you, you dead pig dare to frame me! You were the one who trampled me the hardest! I'm so mad..."

“……”

Silence falls among everyone.

Zhu Chenghai trembles, "Why are you panicking? I was just telling the truth. Besides, it was pitch dark, who knows if you were trampled? After the power came back, you could have pretended to be incapacitated. After all, the murderer would definitely argue..."

"Damn you, you..."

"Right," Zhu Chenghai suddenly adds loudly, as if remembering something, "I recall he was the first to faint at the beginning. Everyone else was fine, only he fainted from fear. Don't you think such an act is too contrived?"

"Contrived? Damn you, your whole family is contrived! You, this misleading pig, I will today..."

"Look! He's completely panicked!" Zhu Chenghai speaks rapidly, "Think back, at the beginning when everyone introduced themselves, he still had the mood to joke about other people's names. Is this really how a normal person behaves in the face of danger? Since we have to vote ourselves, the planner won't let us guess blindly. There must be a basis to find the murderer... I now believe my judgment, the person next to me has already shown too many flaws! I'll vote for him after the power comes back!"

A few people seem convinced by his words, adding some corroborating details to support that the person indeed seems abnormal.

Hao Tianshuo yells out his innocence, but no one pays attention.

As time ticks by, and after a few more rounds of discussion, the focus remains on Hao Tianshuo.

Although ten people haven't expressed their stance, led by Zhu Chenghai, seven people have already decided to vote out Hao Tianshuo. The outcome of Hao Tianshuo being ousted won't change unless the remaining ten people, including Hao Tianshuo, vote for the same person.

Shi Youqing checks the time on his phone, which has no signal.

Only ten minutes left until the power comes back.

Zhu Chenghai continues trying to persuade the remaining ten people, his voice hoarse from talking too much: "I don't know what you all think, but I want to survive. My family isn't wealthy; I worked hard to get into a good university and a decent company, working day and night, often complained about by neighbors for returning late at night. I've put in all this effort just to live well! You might think it's okay as long as you're not the one voted out, but don't forget, if we can't find the murderer in three days, we'll all die! Every vote is our chance to find a way to survive!"

The tension continues.

"You're right," Shi Youqing suddenly speaks up, having been listening all along, "I haven't expressed my opinion earlier because I was afraid the murderer might mislead me, causing me to vote for the wrong person."

"Young man, don't be afraid, haven't I analyzed it all for you..."

"Your analysis is correct, but I'm a bit slow to trust others, so I only just now became sure you're a good person."

Zhu Chenghai, evidently confused, is taken aback.

Shi Youqing: "I thought you looked familiar but wasn't sure. After hearing your confession, I realized something... Zhu Chenghai, I'm your downstairs neighbor. I complained because your late-night footsteps in the stairwell were loud, and I have trouble sleeping. I later heard you were stomping because the motion-sensing lights in the stairwell were faulty. I'm sorry... Everyone, I'm Shi Youqing, and I can vouch for Zhu Chenghai. He lives a simple life, returning home late at night and leaving for work early in the morning. Murder requires time to handle a body, and I don't think he has such an opportunity. Besides, before coming here, the area near us was peaceful, with no reported incidents."

Murmurs of discussion rise again.

Moments later, another person decides to follow Zhu Chenghai and vote for Hao Tianshuo.

Zhu Chenghai, finally coming to his senses, exclaims, "I didn't expect it to be you!"

Shi Youqing smiles wryly: "You even apologized with strawberries at my door. It's actually me who should be sorry..."

"That's nothing!" Zhu Chenghai hastily replies, "But this clears you too!"

"What's going on? He's a good person?" Hao Tianshuo, in the distance, cries out in anger, "Knowing each other means he's good? Even if he's good, it doesn't prove I'm the murderer, right? I'm really not! Damn it, if it weren't for the fact that there's only one murderer, I'd suspect you're all in this together to frame someone!!!"

Three minutes left until the power comes back.

Hao Tianshuo, in despair, begins pounding on the door.

Zhu Chenghai snorts: "Stop struggling, your acting is terrible."

Shi Youqing nods: "Indeed, the acting isn't great."

Zhu Chenghai: "Let's not waste time talking to him. The time is almost up, remember not to vote wrongly!"

Shi Youqing: "I was talking about you."

Zhu Chenghai: "...Huh?"

Shi Youqing: "Big brother, I don’t know you at all."

Zhu Chenghai: "???"

Shi Youqing whispered softly, "I was just playing a trick on you. You're quite playful, joining in my role-playing despite your age."

"You! You son of a..."

Only one minute left before the call.

In this game, the players' task is to identify the murderer and six connected NPCs, while all NPCs must try to hide their identities and even persuade others to avoid being voted out.

Therefore, players just need to not reveal their identities as outsiders; they don't have to lie deliberately. In a sense, what the players are looking for are the liars!

The liar isn't necessarily the murderer, but definitely won't be a player.

The six NPCs, other than the murderer, may not know each other, but they understand that they are the prime targets for voting. To avoid being voted out, they might even help each other lie.

"This move is a risky gamble. If Zhu Chenghai is a player, then Shi Youqing will instantly be tagged as an NPC by the opponent, soon becoming the target of everyone's arrows."

Fortunately, his intuition was correct.

Shi Youqing, sitting on a cushion, swung his feet: "Time to vote."

[Author's Note]

Special thanks to the angels who nourished me: Mo Heng 26 bottles; Yujun Gongshang Ren Shi Fengguang 11 bottles; October 6 bottles; Tianxia Diyi Zhua, Soft, Yue Xia Mu, Tisiny, Men Ren Bu Zi Ai Jiu Xiang Lan Bai Cai 1 bottle each;

I'm very grateful for everyone's support. I will continue to work hard!