Chapter 310 Lowering the Difficulty

Chapter 310: Lowering the Difficulty

Could I be the one who killed the bride?

The realization dawned on Su Bai: why one of his special tasks was not to be identified as the murderer. It might not be because the administrator was worried that newcomers weren't skilled enough to identify the real culprit, but because Su Bai’s role in this game—or Su Bai himself—had sufficient motive to "kill" the bride.

If Su Bai had indeed caused the real East Courtyard Bride to be devoured without even realizing it, did that mean that while identifying him as the murderer would cause his special task to fail, the players could still beat the game?

Could it be that the players’ chances of identifying the murderer weren’t 25% from the start, but 50%?

Did this also align with the difficulty level of a beginner’s game?

No!

But then again, Su Bai felt that things weren’t quite like that.

Compared to Xiao Huo, who had been following him all along and was part of the Evil Ghost Puzzle (a supernatural entity), the one more likely to have devoured the real East Courtyard Bride was the weak blue flame that Su Bai and the others had been chasing.

Although the Evil Ghost Puzzle was part of Su Bai’s body, the blue flame in this lifetime had not yet taken form, possessed clear consciousness, or become part of the Evil Ghost Puzzle. Therefore, the actions of that flame had nothing to do with Su Bai. Thinking this way, even if the East Courtyard Bride’s disappearance was truly due to being devoured by that hungry blue flame, Su Bai wouldn’t necessarily be considered the "murderer."

If Su Bai were to forcibly shoulder the blame to help the four players complete the game, it might only make things worse. By then, not only would Su Bai’s task fail, but the four newcomer players would also fail their mission.

More importantly, Lin Wenhua and Huang Qi, who had no aces up their sleeves as newcomers, would lose their lives in this beginner’s game!

"Brother Lin, I think the reasons given by the ‘bride’ beside us seem more convincing." Huang Qi, unable to move, could only communicate with Lin Wenhua out of the corner of his eye.

However, Lin Wenhua only grunted noncommittally to Huang Qi’s judgment, then thoughtfully added, "But in this world, not everything needs a sufficient reason."

"What should we do then? Brother Lin, you’re smarter than me. If you take charge, you’ll definitely be able to find the real bride." Huang Qi had been following Lin Wenhua for three years, and his trust in him was genuine.

"Don’t forget, my final exam score was one point lower than yours." Lin Wenhua had always felt the weight of Huang Qi’s trust. "Who is the East Courtyard Bride, and who is the Ghost Lady... that question is too difficult for the four of us."

"Why?" Huang Qi was somewhat puzzled.

"If I asked you which of Lin Wan or Lin Juan is my aunt, how would you answer?"

Hearing Lin Wenhua’s question, Huang Qi was stunned for a moment before lowering his voice to say, "How would I know? You never told me your aunt’s name."

"Exactly," Lin Wenhua said, as if expecting this response. "We know nothing about the East Courtyard Bride. How can we deduce who’s who when we know nothing at all?"

As soon as Lin Wenhua finished speaking, they heard Sha Linghai, standing in front, spoke up again—

"What about Master Wang? Where did Master Wang go? Why has Master Wang, who built this mansion, vanished from the story entirely?"

Faced with Sha Linghai’s question, Su Bai and the Ghost Lady standing beside the players fell silent.

The Ghost Lady’s silence was because she might be the only one who knew Master Wang’s whereabouts, but she couldn’t provide any useful information to the players—doing so would be no different from revealing her identity.

As for Su Bai, he remained silent because he truly had no idea where the mysterious Master Wang had gone.

"I’m just an outsider like you. By the time I arrived here, Master Wang was already gone."

"To be precise, I only entered here a little earlier than you."

Hearing the Ghost Lady’s response, Su Bai couldn’t help but frown. This Eerie Entity controlled the entire mansion and seemed to know everything that happened within it. Yet, at a time when even Su Bai could almost hear the timer counting down over the players’ heads, the questions the players were asking seemed to be completely useless for their judgment or identification.

The players needed to figure out who the "bride" was, and then they could identify who was the Ghost Lady disguised as the "bride." But Su Bai, as the East Courtyard Bride, had only been in this mansion for a few hours. Wen Wen and the other players knew nothing about him, so naturally, they couldn’t uncover any valuable clues.

Su Bai suddenly realized once again that if he hadn’t stumbled into this mansion, and if the East Courtyard Bride hadn’t disappeared without reason, then Wen Wen and the others, with their investigation skills, should have been able to smoothly proceed to the Identification Phase ahead of time.

By then, even without Su Bai as a mysterious wild card, the Ghost Lady would have chosen to disguise herself as one of the other two brides during the Identification Phase. Wen Wen and the others would then have to rely on the information they gathered from the North Courtyard Bride and the real East Courtyard Bride to find flaws in the Ghost Lady’s disguise.

In other words, it was very likely that Su Bai’s appearance had raised the difficulty level of this game.

Through the heavy fog, Su Bai couldn’t clearly see the faces of the players in front of him, but his mind still recalled everything Lin Wenhua had done in the future era and his indispensable importance to the White faction.

"Sigh." Su Bai sighed in frustration. He knew the players didn’t have much time left, so, considering his own thoughts, Su Bai simply used his real voice. He no longer lowered his tone or pretended to be soft and gentle. Instead, he spoke in his original voice, deliberately, word by word: "After this game ends, you all owe me a favor—one hell of a favor."

Su Bai’s voice wasn’t loud, but it stunned the players.

Su Bai’s original voice was gentle and clear as a mountain stream, refined yet firm. It was like a flowing stream, carrying a power that could bring peace and tranquility, calm and unhurried, as if everything was under control.

But the players were stunned not because the voice coming through the fog was pleasant to hear, but because no matter how pleasant it sounded, it was unmistakably a male voice.

"But bride, you're—"

"Sorry, young lady." Su Bai interrupted the young girl’s words. "Not everyone wearing a wedding dress is female."

In Su Bai’s view, since Wen Wen and the others lacked understanding of the "bride," he would first let these players learn more about him.