Chapter 23: The Red Shoes (8)

Chapter 23: The Red Shoes (8)

◎[Three in One] "I choose punishment."◎

"Unfortunately, the person you selected is neither the murderer nor someone acquainted with the victim, so you receive no rewards!"

The mechanical voice echoed methodically throughout the space.

"Who was it?"

The voice was flat, without any inflection, but each word carried a destructive intent.

When he came out, Shi Youqing saw a terrifying crack in the wooden door next door, and Bo Huai stood in front of him. After coming out, he hadn’t gone anywhere, just stood like a wall in front of him, repeatedly asking, "Who was it?"

His tone wasn't fierce, but it was like the calm before a storm.

Shi Youqing was startled by his demeanor.

The others looked shocked, seemingly none had expected such an outcome. They all emerged, their expressions varied, and several quickly averted their gaze under Bo Huai's icy stare.

Suddenly, Bo Huai moved, striding in two steps to Ren Tian Yu who was quietly exhaling.

"You..." Before Ren Tian Yu could speak, he was viciously punched to the ground.

The crowd screamed and scattered.

Ren Tian Yu, nearly knocked unconscious, bled instantly from his face. Even then, his attacker showed no mercy, fiercely grabbing him, and raising his right hand—revealing a steel eagle claw knife from his sleeve!

The knife spun rapidly, thrusting directly at him...

Amid the screams of terror, the broadcast sounded again:

"Now, Shi You Qing must choose to either accept the punishment or be eliminated. If no choice is made, you will be automatically eliminated in thirty seconds. If you choose punishment, please wear the red sneakers in your compartment within thirty seconds."

Meanwhile, Feng Bin also lost some of his sanity, attempting to dismantle the red shoes, obviously unsuccessful, yet his hands didn't dare stop, he shouted while dismantling, "It's malfunctioning! None of us voted! It's your machine that's wrong! Vote again!!!"

"Alright," patting Feng Bin's shoulder, Shi You Qing crouched to change shoes, "I choose punishment."

"No."

"No."

The man wielding the spinning eagle claw knife began to breathe rapidly, repeating "no" twice, then viciously kicked away the pleading Ren Tian Yu and, gripping the knife, charged forward.

As the mechanical voice of the broadcast counted down, Shi You Qing had already put on the red shoes.

Once on, the shoes automatically tightened, sticking to his ankles like glue.

Shi You Qing tried to lift his foot, but the shoe's opening had shrunk, making it impossible to remove.

Feng Bin tried to help him take them off and, failing to do so, attempted to dismantle the shoes' mechanical bottom. Ignoring the blood from his scraped hands, he shouted sweatily, "Stop! Vote again!"

The red shoes began to move.

Bo Huai lunged in front of the shoes, raised his hand—his spinning eagle claw knife plunged down heavily, only momentarily hindering the shoes' forward motion. They continued to move slowly!

Suddenly, a sharp stone fell from above, landing less than five steps from Shi You Qing's foot.

Shi You Qing said, "Do you remember what I said earlier?"

Bo Huai shook his head, not listening, one hand gripping the knife, the other pulling at the shoelaces, clutching Shi You Qing's ankle and tugging upward...

They wouldn't come off.

Sweat slid down the man's nose.

Whether it was an illusion in his anxious state or not, Shi You Qing thought he saw moisture in Bo Huai's eyes.

The red shoes, sensing the obstacle ahead, wobbled and then, with a jolt under the floor, a new track opened. The shoes slightly turned, accelerating!

Feng Bin, still trying to dismantle the shoe's bottom, was thrown back.

"Shi You Qing!"

"Follow the plan we discussed earlier! Quick!" Shi You Qing shouted back to Feng Bin.

Right in front of Feng Bin lay the sharp stone that had recently fallen, knife-like, as if it were specifically prepared for someone wearing the red shoes...

The red shoes continued moving rapidly, showing no signs of stopping.

His heart pounding furiously, nearly exploding in a split second.

Any further hesitation... and it would truly be too late...

Trembling, he picked up the shard of stone...

Unexpectedly, the moving red shoes suddenly emitted a loud "clack clack" sound.

He froze in his action.

Just a step away, Bo Huai's eyes were bloodshot. With a flick of his wrist, he sliced the eagle claw knife horizontally into the bottom of the red shoes, then grabbed the opening with his bare hands, tearing at it with all his might...

The veins on the back of his hand bulged, nearly bursting with blood...

The red shoes were now less than two steps from the wall.

Shi You Qing turned back, "Cut it! Quick!"

"No!" Bo Huai knelt on one knee, blocking the shoes' path like a small mountain, frantically ripping at the opening...

At that moment, the opening of the red shoes slowly started to tear...

Shi You Qing was stunned, then his expression changed drastically, "Move! Quick!"

The red shoes were pushing Bo Huai forward!

One more step, and he would be pushed onto the "Punishment Platform"!!!

"Damn... Is he trying to get himself killed?"

"Move away! You'll both die like this!"

"There's still time! Come here, quick!"

“……”

A clear tearing sound abruptly rose. Feng Bin had already dropped the stone knife and rushed forward to help: "It looks like it's working! Just a bit more... Quick!"

In barely two seconds, Bo Huai swiftly withdrew the eagle claw knife stuck in the bottom of the shoes, and with a swift motion, the tear he had made in the shoe widened completely.

Two actions executed in one fluid motion.

As they neared the wall, he scooped up the youth in the red shoes and spun to the side, dodging away...

"My God..."

The blood-stained red shoes hit the wall directly, and the giant stone smashed down immediately after. Following the reverberation, the battered red shoes and the boulder together fell into the opened secret door...

The secret door closed.

For a moment, the room was extremely quiet.

Shi You Qing lay on the ground, breathing heavily with his mouth open, eyes looking up at Bo Huai, who was pressing down on him.

Not far away, Feng Bin was completely drenched, as if awakening from a nightmare. His chest heaved for a long time, and as he looked at the figures of Shi You Qing and Bo Huai in front of him, a twisted smile broke out on his face, his laughter uglier than crying.

Shi You Qing and the blood-covered Bo Huai remained motionless.

After a while, it was Hao Tian Shuo who went over and forcefully pulled them up, "Qing Qing bro! Bo Huai!"

“……”

"Are you alright?!"

Shi You Qing seemed unable to speak, his entire body, including his tongue, felt numb. He barely curled his legs, still silently watching Bo Huai, who was dazedly sprawled on top of him.

Bo Huai's hand and one leg were covered in blood, but he seemed to have lost all sense of pain. Snapping back to reality, he first checked Shi You Qing's feet to ensure no injuries before responding to Feng Bin's inquiry, "I'm fine."

As Feng Bin went to fetch a medical backpack from the compartment, Shi You Qing's limbs finally seemed to wake up, and he tried to stand up, leaning on the wall.

Bo Huai supported him, but he shook his head, "…You're injured, get bandaged first."

Still insistent, the other helped him up and brought over his original shoes, squatting down to put them on for him.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Shi You Qing asked, looking down at him.

Bo Huai shook his head.

Suddenly, someone hesitantly said, "Why did he survive? Everyone voted out... they all died, right?"

Shi You Qing looked up; the speaker was the badly bruised Ren Tian Yu, huddled in the farthest corner.

Ren Tian Yu, noticing Shi You Qing's gaze, stepped back.

Chang Fang Xing, finding a stick from somewhere, tapped around where the red shoes had fallen, realizing nothing else was going to fall.

This indicated that the punishment had indeed ended.

He was puzzled and looked at Shi You Qing: "...When you were voted out, you seemed to know you wouldn't die. Can you explain why?"

Shi You Qing replied indifferently, "Andersen's fairy tale, 'The Red Shoes.'"

The other’s face changed slightly, as if realizing something, "That story... is it the rule of those shoes?!"

Liu Yu, who had also heard the story, frowned and whispered, "I remember in the ending, the protagonist had her legs chopped off to escape the red shoes..."

Shi You Qing explained, "In the story, there are two instances where the girl loses control in the red shoes, but the first time, people around her helped her take them off. The second time, to escape the control of the shoes, she had to have her legs cut off."

Everyone's faces turned pale.

Even though Shi You Qing had informed them how to deal with being voted out, no one felt relieved at the moment.

They all saw with their own eyes how the red shoes were removed from Shi You Qing's feet. Even knowing this rule, who would risk their life to help them remove the shoes?

And the brutal act of chopping off legs - would teammates be able to do it, and would strangers bother? Even if they survived without legs and managed to identify the murderer, how would they leave then?

Nobody wanted to face such a terrifying situation.

After telling the story of the red shoes, Shi You Qing looked again at Ren Tian Yu.

Initially pretending ignorance, Ren Tian Yu could no longer bear it as others followed Shi You Qing's gaze toward him: "What does it mean by you all looking at me?! Shi You Qing, your companion attacked me earlier and I haven't even settled that score yet!"

Shi You Qing responded calmly, "You voted for me."

"Don't falsely accuse me! Why would I vote for you? I said I abstained! Why are you only suspecting me? Gao Fei is the most suspicious one right now, isn’t she?"

Gao Fei glanced at him, "I didn't vote."

Ren Tian Yu argued, "I didn’t vote either! Anyone can make empty claims, right?"

Shi You Qing's tone remained calm: "Those who are voted for can see the names of the voters."

Ren Tian Yu, initially defiant, suddenly became speechless.

Chang Fang Xing, having thrown away the stick, approached Ren Tian Yu, "Shi You Qing was the least suspicious since he found the two individuals related to the clues. Even if you didn’t want to waste your vote, logically, you should have voted for Gao Fei, whom you suspected the most, not Shi You Qing..."

Duan Dong nodded, "Anyone doing this is either the murderer or someone apprehensive of Shi You Qing's connections."

“Don't try to frame me!” Ren Tian Yu yelled hysterically, “So what if I voted for him? He was very suspicious, sweating profusely after the last round, as if he had gone out during the blackout! I suspected he killed Xing Ru Yue, that's why I voted for him!”

Chang Fang Xing questioned, “Then why didn’t you say so during the vote? You were targeting Gao Fei the entire time.”

“I was going to vote for Gao Fei! But I thought they were together when he suggested abstaining!”

“Stop your excuses,” Chang Fang Xing scoffed, “This round of voting has proven that Shi You Qing is neither the murderer nor a related person. After declaring you’d abstain, you alone voted for him. That's too suspicious.”

Hao Tian Shuo, exasperated, said, “You're treating us like fools. No one suspected Shi You Qing. If he were the murderer, finding the correct NPCs for clues in two consecutive rounds would be of no benefit to him. Stop pretending already!”

Now, no matter how much he argued, the fact that Ren Tian Yu secretly voted for Shi You Qing had become indisputable, and no one believed his words.

After tying up Ren Tian Yu, Chang Fang Xing's gaze swept around the room, finally saying, “During the last blackout, as you heard, someone was outside intimidating us. Now we must search everyone.”

As soon as he finished speaking, some people looked towards Bo Huai and the eagle claw knife in his hand.

Shi You Qing, knowing what they meant, chuckled, “You don’t think the chopping sound was made by his small knife, do you?”

His comment was a test for Chang Fang Xing, whose identity had always been difficult to determine.

He seemed like an active player but also like an NPC with good acting skills.

Through the results of this round of voting, his identity as the murderer or an NPC had already been ruled out. For players, Shi You Qing being a player was equivalent to public knowledge, making it impossible for him to be an NPC’s ally.

Going forward, anyone openly questioning the identities of Bo Huai and Feng Bin couldn’t possibly be a player.

This risky move proved to be quite useful.

Actually, when Shi You Qing suggested everyone abstain in the last round, he suspected that NPCs might take the opportunity to eliminate those most threatening to them.

And Shi You Qing, having exposed two NPCs, was obviously the prime target for elimination.

As for who voted...

Ren Tian Yu's reaction after voting was suspicious, but Shi You Qing had begun suspecting him even before that.

He remembered Ren Tian Yu's introduction, where he confirmed he arrived here only after being attacked, which was different from most players' experiences before entering the instance.

Feng Bin had previously shared such details about players with him: players entered the instance either due to accidental events like car accidents or natural disasters, or due to strange changes in their lives leading them unknowingly into the instance, or they entered deliberately.

It was unlikely to enter the instance because of kidnapping or sneak attacks, as the game's world is not subject to human manipulation.

However, just because he hadn't heard of it, didn't mean it didn't exist, and besides, he couldn't voice this doubt as it would expose his identity as a player, violating the rules. (After being voted out, the broadcast revealed the results, and if other players discover his identity, it's not considered a rule violation by the player himself.)

But initiating a vote required solid evidence.

In a way, the red shoes were a punishment but also a trump card for the player!

From the beginning, understanding the rule of the red shoes, Shi You Qing had been considering how to use this rule to avoid elimination, while simultaneously revealing his player identity to the other players, and confirming the identities of Bo Huai and Feng Bin... this would make identifying NPCs much simpler.

It was like hitting multiple targets with a single arrow.

He had also considered the worst outcome—losing his legs.

But that would only be within the instance.

Objectively, he hadn’t known Bo Huai for long and couldn't be sure if Bo Huai would have the resolve to act in a critical moment. Feng Bin, having been through the previous instance with him, was more familiar with the survival rules in the instance. So, he anticipated that if failing to remove the shoes, Feng Bin would chop at the last moment...

Disabilities in the instance wouldn't carry over to the real world; as long as he got out... his body would return to its original state.

He never expected Bo Huai to block those red shoes, stubbornly trying to remove them right before the punishment descended...

*

After Shi You Qing finished speaking, Chang Fang Xing shifted his gaze, instructing everyone to stand still for a mutual search.

Among the women, Gao Fei, Xia Shi Tong, and Liu Yu searched each other.

Nobody searched Shi You Qing and his group.

It was as if everyone implicitly trusted them.

After the search, everyone shook their heads.

Chang Fang Xing's face darkened as he led a few people to check each compartment one by one.

Soon, a folding long knife was found in the compartment where the couple had died.

Chang Fang Xing frowned, "They anticipated the search and threw the weapon into an unoccupied compartment."

"What do we do with this thing?" Hao Tian Shuo asked.

Xia Shi Tong, who had been quiet, suggested, "Give it to Shi You Qing. Everyone would feel safer with him holding it, right?"

Without much comment, Chang Fang Xing handed the knife to Shi You Qing.

Shi You Qing took it, glancing briefly at Gao Fei.

Gao Fei still looked indifferent.

The restroom was a mess, and everyone began to rest.

Bo Huai had cleaned his wounds with alcohol a short while ago. Now, he turned aside, roughly bandaging himself. Feng Bin, unable to stand by, offered to help, but Bo Huai dodged him.

Shi You Qing frowned, "Bo Huai, you haven’t applied any medicine."

The hand with the bandage hesitated, then moved to get the medicine, but Shi You Qing had already reached for it and silently began applying it.

Bo Huai stood stiff as a statue, bending over. After a moment, he reached for the medicine in Shi You Qing's hand.

Shi You Qing cautioned, "Don’t move."

Bo Huai froze instantly.

After applying the medicine, the bloody wound appeared even more dreadful. Shi You Qing and Feng Bin, stepping forward, helped him wrap it with a new bandage.

Bo Huai turned his head away, using the shadows in the corner to hide the redness on his ears.

Contrary to their earlier active conjectures, this time everyone was somewhat silent.

Chang Fang Xing's gaze shifted solemnly among the remaining people.

Yu Xi Yong kept wiping his glasses with his shirt hem, mumbling prayers for divine protection under his breath.

Liu Yu kept her head buried in her knees, while Duan Dong, sitting close to her, rubbed his temples, resting.

Xia Shi Tong was drawing various little figures in the dust on the floor...

Qiao Ming Cheng frequently glanced at Shi You Qing and his group.

When Shi You Qing looked back once, he quickly averted his gaze.

After three rounds of voting, a day had come to an end.

There had been no blackout for a long time, and Feng Bin guessed it was already night. The next day would bring a new round of voting.

However, to be safe in case of a sudden blackout, everyone returned to their compartments to sleep and rest.

*

Despite the thick blankets on the floor, Shi You Qing couldn't sleep.

He lay awake, staring at his feet.

Before long, snoring sounds came from several compartments.

Everyone was exhausted.

Unsure if Bo Huai was asleep, Shi You Qing tentatively reached his hand through the gap below.

Suddenly, a warm hand gripped his.

...He wasn’t asleep!

He actually wanted to ask about the red shoes incident earlier, but not knowing how to start, he finally whispered, "Is there still food in the bag?"

Moments later, Bo Huai came over with the backpack.

The young man opened the zipper and asked him, “What do you want to eat?”

Shi You Qing replied, "…Let me see."

The bag contained a small amount of effervescent tablets and powdered supplements for vitamin replenishment.

Shi Youqing picked up a packet of Brazilian berry powder from inside.

It seemed to be something Bo Huai had bought on a whim at the supermarket.

He tore it open, spilling just a bit, staining his fingers with a hint of purple powder.

Bo Huai pulled out a wet wipe to clean his hands, saying, "That's for drinking."

He uttered an "Oh," noticing Bo Huai was about to make a drink with a thermos. He quickly intervened, shaking his head, "I won't drink... but it just sparked an idea in me."

The other person looked down at him, their gazes meeting. Pupils subtly shifting, they bowed their head to pack away the items, murmuring, "...I'll do it."

Shi Youqing exclaimed in surprise, "I haven't even said..."

This time, Bo Huai leaned in closer, whispering in his ear.

Shi Youqing's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

Bo Huai stepped back a bit, asking, "Is that so?"

Shi Youqing responded, "We really are on the same wavelength."

Bo Huai observed him for a moment before bending down to tuck him in with the blanket again.

"I'll do it myself..."

"It's my job."

“……”

"...Thank you for today."

"...," Bo Huai frowned, glancing at him, the frown deepening.

In the end, Shi Youqing still couldn't ask that question: Why did you do that back then? We hardly knew each other...

But then again, the world is not devoid of such good people.

This time, the power outage lasted six hours. Most people slept through it, having been in their compartments when it happened, with some still asleep.

Bo Huai had stepped out just before the blackout and returned quickly.

After a wrong vote in the last round with no MVP, Shi Youqing was sure no one would use the pipes during this blackout.

Everyone was chatting with each other in their compartments.

Perhaps due to just waking up, most people's speech sounded somewhat listless.

Shi Youqing tapped gently in the gap.

Bo Huai's hand reached through.

Shi Youqing wrote on that warm, large hand: "I want to use the pipes next round, there's something I need to do."

After a brief silence, the other person hummed in acknowledgment.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Before Feng Bin could speak, Shi Youqing interjected: "Vote for Ren Tianyu."

The lights came on.

The voting ended.

The broadcast began:

"You have identified someone acquainted with the victim..."

Ren Tianyu, who had resigned himself to his fate, suddenly burst out wailing: "Shi Youqing, you damned liar! I can't even see who's voting! You trickster—"

"The first few to exit the cubicle looked utterly bewildered."

"What do you mean?"

"Can't see the voters?"

"...Huh?"

"...Is this some kind of universal deceit?"

"Wow, way to go, Brother Qing!"

In the midst of crying, Rentian Yu chose to put on his shoes. While changing them, he didn't forget to curse loudly, "Shi Youqing! I'll never forgive you even in death!"

"Those who were eliminated before let me off the hook, you're being quite petty," said Shi Youqing.

"You..."

The red shoes had already started moving. Rentian Yu struggled to take off his shoes but couldn't. He screamed for help...

"No one would risk their life to save an NPC."

"—Rentian Yu is eliminated."

"Wow, congratulations on getting closer to success! Here's the clue for the reward: Rentian Yu was the victim's neighbor, always spying on her life and work. He leaked her address online after seeing gossip about her being kept."

Instantly, there was a collective gasp.

"Disgusting!" spat Hao Tianshuo, "What a piece of crap!"

Chang Fangxing said, "The clue specifically mentions this, the leak of Yu Jiatian's address must be intricately linked to her murder."

Liu Yu, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, "Could the murderer be... Li Meiting, who died early on?"

Everyone turned to look at her.

"Why do you say that?"

Liu Yu's voice grew softer: "Didn't the clue mention gossip about Yu Jiatian being kept? Previously, it was said that He Chi's confession was rejected by the victim. Could Xu Zhi, the boss, be the one keeping her..."

Gao Fei: "Just because there's gossip about someone being kept, doesn't mean it's true. It could also be a rumor."

Liu Yu: "I know... What I mean is, whether it's a rumor or not, if it's related to the boss, Xu Zhi, then as his wife, wouldn't Li Meiting be driven by jealousy to commit murder..."

"No need to speculate further, the murderer can't be someone who's already dead," Feng Bin said, "There's no option to vote for a dead person in the voting area, and the person who planned all this wouldn't set up such a dead end."

Liu Yu was startled and then lowered her head, "Okay, I forgot."

Meanwhile, Chang Fangxing thoughtfully said, "I believe the murderer is unlikely to be a complete stranger to the victim. If it were just a stranger killing in a moment of passion, then all the clues provided would be irrelevant. The planner deliberately had us identify six other related individuals, indicating that these are all closely related to Yu Jiatian's death... The murderer definitely knew Yu Jiatian, but didn't have her address until after that leak..."

After speaking, he turned to Shi Youqing, "And what about you? Who do you think the murderer is in relation to Yu Jiatian?"

"It wouldn't be a boss or coworker. In such roles, especially for a boss, it's quite easy to obtain a subordinate's address. And unless living under a false identity, it's unlikely to be a family member..." Shi Youqing pondered, "Probably a classmate or an ex-boyfriend."

Chang Fangxing: "I agree."

Now, all attention was focused on several young men.

Chen Jian: "Don’t look at me! I'm not the one!"

Yu Xiyong: "I'm too old for this, should be in the clear, right?"

Hao Tianshuo, enjoying the drama: "Previously, it was just speculation that the victim was targeted due to the address leak. Don’t feel too safe, old man! Unless you can prove your innocence, everyone's a suspect!"

Yu Xiyong, his neck reddening with anger: "You..."

Hao Tianshuo: "Just kidding, where were we? Let’s continue!"

“……”

Everyone gathered and talked for a long time but still couldn’t reach a conclusion.

In the end, Yu Xiyong suggested, "How about... we abstain from voting this round? Observe a bit more?"

"Forget it!" Chen Jian snorted, "With the precedent set by Shi Youqing, who can guarantee the murderer won’t exploit our abstention? Rentian Yu confirmed it, we can't even see who is voting! We could end up dead without knowing how!"

Everyone fell silent.

Risking one’s life to save others is not something everyone can do. Even with such courage, not everyone can successfully rescue like Bo Huai. Worse, it might end up costing two lives.

After a prolonged silence.

Yu Xiyong began to chant 'Amitabha' again.

He was rubbing his already-dead phone back and forth, its case now covered in a layer of dust from his dirty hands...

Shi Youqing quietly observed these people. As his gaze shifted, Bo Huai leaned in and whispered, "Yu Xiyong's phone case is related to his father."

He looked up at him, also in a hushed tone, "How did you know that?"

He had looked at that phone case too and hadn't noticed any letters.

"It's Arabic, translates to 'father'. I just noticed it myself."

...No wonder, he initially thought those two symbols were just chipped paint patterns...

They exchanged a glance, pretending to go wash their hands near Yu Xiyong.

After washing their hands, they sat down nearby.

Feng Bin, from a distance, noticed their movements. Exchanging glances, he then started chatting with Hao Tianshuo on the other side, to draw attention away from them.

Shi Youqing started with some small talk with Bo Huai. When Yu Xiyong looked away again, mumbling to himself, Shi Youqing naturally turned to him, "Uncle, what are you reciting?"

"Nothing much... just chanting something."

Shi Youqing acknowledged with an 'oh', not probing further. He had no credibility left now, and hadn't planned on directly prying for information. He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall to rest.

Seeing that he wasn’t going to ask further, Yu Xiyong visibly relaxed and continued his mutterings.

A few minutes later.

Bo Huai: "Keep it down, he’s trying to rest."

Hearing this, Yu Xiyong was displeased but dared not provoke him, and obediently lowered his voice.

Bo Huai: "It’s still noisy."

Yu Xiyong, barely containing his anger: "I can hardly hear myself, how am I disturbing you?"

Bo Huai: "Noisy."

Yu Xiyong, gritting his teeth: "…Then shall I leave?!"

Bo Huai: "No, you sitting here blocks the light. The harsh light is disturbing his rest."

Yu Xiyong was nearly fuming: "You...”

Bo Huai: "His health is poor, I need to take care of him."

Yu Xiyong: "...What does that have to do with me? By seniority, I'm your elder! Why don’t you take care of your elder?"

Bo Huai: "He's the only one left in his family. Are you?"

Yu Xiyong took a deep breath, visibly frustrated: "...So now you're using moral coercion? What does the number of people in his family have to do with me? Does your logic make sense just because he's pitiable?"

Bo Huai continued unabashedly: "Anyway, you have a daughter. You don't care about others dying because you don’t feel sorry for them."

Yu Xiyong exclaimed, "Why should I care?!"

Bo Huai: "Oh, how old is your daughter?"

Just as Yu Xiyong was about to reply, he suddenly paused, glaring at him.

Bo Huai: "How old is your daughter?"

Yu Xiyong jumped up: "What daughter? I don’t have one! Stop making up nonsense! You... you're actually conspiring to frame me?"

Shi Youqing, who had been feigning sleep, couldn't hold back his laughter any longer and opened his eyes.

Yu Xiyong, both angry and flustered, said nothing more and ran back to his cubicle, slamming the door behind him.

The others, who had been observing their commotion, hadn't even asked when Yu Xiyong's angry and humiliated shouts came from inside the cubicle: "What kind of people are you! Wanting someone my age to go to their death? Now that Shi Youqing is safe, you want to gamble with our lives by casting random votes! Intentionally lying to frame me! Don’t believe him!"

"Don't follow his voting! He wants to walk over our dead bodies!"

“……”

"What got into that old man?"

"It might not be a fit of madness. Given the current situation, Shi Youqing isn't worried about being voted for. To quickly find the murderer, eliminating one by one doesn't pressure him. A wrong vote just means he didn’t find the right one, he won't be suspected anyway."

Hao Tianshuo, gritting his teeth: "What are you saying? Weren't the previous clues found thanks to him?"

"Just a remark, nothing more. It’s not like we don’t know he's a good person... but let's see what happens in our trial!"

"Heh, all timid during voting, but now full of remarks."

"Are you sick or something..."

"Indeed, my brother Qingqing is sick, what about it? Do you have a problem with sick people?"

"Damn it..."

Just as a fight seemed imminent, the lights flickered, and the power cut off unexpectedly.

A few of them cursed as they ran back to their cubicles.

Before the blackout, Shi Youqing had already received a notification from the upper pipeline.

Once inside his cubicle, he immediately climbed up into the pipeline, this time not stopping at each compartment but heading straight for Yu Xiyong's.

Having a daughter isn't inherently suspicious. At fifty, it's not odd to have a daughter, but it was peculiar that she shared the same surname as the victim.

With a reasoned explanation, it could even be argued that the planner wouldn’t give such an obvious clue, potentially using it as a reverse ploy to exonerate himself.

After all, sharing a surname isn’t strong evidence of knowing the victim.

It's strange that he has a daughter but refuses to acknowledge her.

Shi Youqing waited for a while above Yu Xiyong's cubicle, but heard nothing.

Looking down, he saw a figure huddled in a corner.

This time, the tension was real; even prayers to the gods were forgotten.

After waiting a bit more, Shi Youqing decided to take action.

As he crawled over, he deliberately held a mouthful of milk from his backpack. In the dark, the color was indiscernible, but the thick texture of milk, in such a scenario, could make a person in extreme fear think of blood...

Just like when someone is alone in the office late at night, and the lights suddenly flicker, most would instinctively think of a horror movie.

A few seconds later.

The milk dripped down through the narrow hole.

Soon after, Yu Xiyong’s loud screams of panic echoed from below.

"...Ahh! What is this?!"

"Why is something dripping down?!"

"What's going on?"

"...Oh my God... It's blood! It's blood!"

Chang Fangxing, from the next cubicle, irritably responded, "What are you yelling about?"

"Blood! It looks like blood is dripping down here!"

"Don't be so jumpy," Hao Tianshuo from across, startled by his sudden scream, gasped for air, "What, you think there’s a ghost above your head?"

Yu Xiyong's screams became even more pitiful.

This was Shi Youqing's first time doing something like this. He felt a mix of thrill and guilt, shrinking back and lightly scratching the wooden board above with his nails.

The sound was faint, audible more clearly only to Yu Xiyong below.

This mischievous tactic was really only effective on someone like Yu Xiyong, who was always babbling about divine rescue.

"Ahh! A ghost! There's really a ghost! Right here with me!"

"Right above me, ahhh!"

"Help me..."

Yu Xiyong's screams were incessant.

His imagination running wild, he soon began to babble incoherently in fear.

"No, no..."

"Don’t come closer!!!"

"Sorry, it wasn’t intentional..."

"I am a father... don't come looking for me as a ghost... I am a father..."

"I had no choice... I owed so much money. The person on the phone said if I destroyed that evidence, he would clear all my gambling debts!"

"Don’t come any closer!"

"I had no choice... go find the murderer! Don’t come after me!"

"I don’t know who he is... I really don’t know... I don’t know anything... please spare me..."

...Shocking, yet within expectations.

This man was indeed Yu Jiatian's father.

Shi Youqing's face hardened, and he stopped his antics. After briefly observing the other cubicles from above, he climbed over to where Feng Bin was.

He lightly tapped, then opened a hidden latch.

Feng Bin, guessing that the commotion from Yu Xiyong’s cubicle was related to Shi Youqing, had already climbed up using the toilet and was waiting near the ceiling.

Shi Youqing quietly informed him about Yu Xiyong's situation.

"This round, you lead everyone to vote for him. All six related individuals have been identified, leaving only one murderer. The situation is dire for the murderer; he's likely to act in the next round. His target will surely be someone unlikely to be voted for... My neighbor is Bo Huai, he might not dare to act against him. Apart from me and Bo Huai, you’re the least suspicious... he might target you."

Feng Bin: "I'll lure him out."

Shi Youqing shifted, handing him a foldable knife he brought, "Be careful, and call for us if you see someone."

"Don’t worry."

As Shi Youqing prepared to leave, Feng Bin suddenly offered a mini bottle of water: "Thirsty, right? Bo Huai gave this to me before the blackout."

Shi Youqing: "?"

Feng Bin: "He meant for me to be a supply station."

“……”

Taking a few sips from the bottle, Shi Youqing closed the wooden panel.

Back in his cubicle, he patted the hand reaching under the gap as usual, then sat down to rest.

It wouldn’t be long before the power was restored.

Everyone faintly heard the commotion caused by Yu Xiyong.

Amidst the clamorous inquiries, Feng Bin announced, "This round, let's vote for Yu Xiyong!"

"What?"

"Yu Xiyong is the victim Yu Jiatian's father! Others might not have heard clearly, but his next-door neighbor surely did... After Yu Jiatian's death, he might have had crucial evidence to find the murderer, but Yu Xiyong, owing gambling debts, destroyed that evidence... We haven’t found the murderer yet, so our only choice is to vote for Yu Xiyong."

Yu Xiyong seemed petrified with fear, still crying and begging for mercy.

Chang Fangxing, his neighbor, said, "If you’re so afraid of ghosts, then hurry up and reveal the murderer. Maybe your daughter’s spirit will spare you."

Duan Dong also sighed, "Uncle, you can’t be like this. She was your own daughter. Speak up now, and perhaps your daughter will lessen your suffering."

Yu Xiyong seemed unable to bear it any longer; with a "clang", he fell silent.

"Did he knock himself out?"

"Hey, Yu Xiyong?"

"Is he really unconscious?"

"What’s going on…"

"This man’s mental state is really poor…"

"Speaking of which, how did he get so frightened?"

"Guilty conscience, he has a guilty conscience!"

"Some father he is, a real scumbag!"

……

When the power came back, everyone resolutely voted for Yu Xiyong.

The familiar announcement came through:

"We seem to be just one step away from the truth. Yu Xiyong is indeed the victim's father. As the eliminated person did not make a choice, he is directly disqualified! The reward clue is as follows: The victim was killed by her ex-boyfriend!"

"...Oh my God, it really is!"

"My brother Qingqing guessed it right!"

"But now it's much simpler, it narrows down to the men!"

"So, Gao Fei really is innocent..."

While everyone was chattering incessantly after coming out, Liu Yu's cubicle remained silent.

Duan Dong looked around and, noticing Liu Yu hadn't emerged, went to knock on her door.

To his surprise, the door swung open with a single knock.

A few seconds later.

Duan Dong fell to his knees, rigid.

"Hey, what happened to him?"

Shi Youqing followed the crowd over, but before he could get a good look, Bo Huai behind him covered his eyes.

"Liu Yu is dead."

—She had committed suicide, slitting her wrists with a shard of mirror.

Blood had pooled beneath her body.

The determination of suicide came from the message she left on the wall in her blood:

"I'm a player, I've had enough."

The air almost solidified.

"She said I looked a lot like the person she liked..." Duan Dong spoke in a daze, "I thought we were kindred spirits, we even promised to escape together..."

Some stepped forward to console, others remained silent.

Shi Youqing turned and walked away.

Once outside, he felt his mind clear a bit. In a low voice, he said to Bo Huai and Feng Bin, "The murderer is among Hao Tianshuo, Qiao Mingcheng, Chen Jian, and Duan Dong."

Feng Bin: "Not Chang Fangxing?"

Shi Youqing: "After I was voted out, he stopped observing me and even stopped paying attention to you guys."

Before that, he was extremely vigilant, hardly missing any opportunity to observe anyone suspicious.

Only a player, not an NPC, would recognize that Shi Youqing's companions were not NPCs.

[The author has something to say]

Updates will be at midnight in the days leading up to Sunday!

"Thank you to the angel who planted a mine: Still Want to Bethe^O^ 1 mine."

Thanks to the angels who provided nutrient solutions: Feng Jingnan Nan 20 bottles; Salty Fish Waste 5 bottles; Men Who Don't Care About Themselves are Like Rotten Cabbage 1 bottle;

"Thank you all for your support. I will continue to work hard!"