They cursed him, but none of those present were fools.
They had already figured out what Wei Guan was doing.
He was sending an invitation to the killer!
The killer committed murder on the streets at night, which meant that all the first-hand traces related to the truth were hidden in the darkness.
So to the players, although the night was dangerous, it was a better time than the day to get close to the answer.
But Everbloom Town was too large. It was so large that it was impossible to search every corner in a single night, let alone run into the killer.
So Wei Guan had used himself as bait, hoping to lure the killer out.
And Fang Jue had seen through Wei Guan's intentions long ago. Without exchanging so much as a glance, the two of them had relied solely on their sharp instincts and equally flexible minds to put on an impromptu act.
It was only when Wei Guan left that the others saw through the brilliant coordination between them.
But the insult they had hurled—"dumbass"—had been completely sincere.
No one liked a show-off.
That was a fact.
I kind of understand Chen Chong now. Is that what this is?
Fang Jue shook his head with a quiet laugh, then said to everyone:
"We might not get any sleep tonight. Get yourselves ready and follow separately."
After saying that, he glanced behind him.
The ascetic monk had already vanished from the shadowy corner where a man had originally been standing.
Clearly, he had seen through it as well.
Tsk. Not a single fool among them.
Cheng Shi praised them inwardly, then straightened his clothes and quietly slipped out through the back door.
The full moon hung high, and warm winds brushed past. The night in Everbloom Town was not cool at all.
The moment Cheng Shi stepped outside, he discovered that not all the residents obeyed the curfew. At the very least, some drinkers were still staggering around the streets.
They lurched along while loudly calling out the name of the god of Prosperity, as if doing so would allow their Lord of Grace to shelter them from death.
He smiled at the drunks, then quickly sneaked after Wei Guan in the direction he had disappeared.
Wei Guan really was a lone wolf.
Although Fang Jue had cooperated with him and given him an excuse to provoke the killer, the man seemed not to appreciate it in the slightest.
After leaving, he had not left behind even the slightest trace.
The faint footprints vanished directly not far from the inn, and there was no longer a single clue nearby that could point them in the right direction.
"Damn, he's really good."
Cheng Shi stood on the roof of a private house, frowning as he searched back and forth for any trace.
On the windmill of a tall tower a short distance away, Yun Ni was doing the same.
Everyone had lost their target and had no idea where Wei Guan had gone.
"Could he really think he can deal with the killer himself?"
On the other side, Du Xiguang finally could not hold back. He pushed up his glasses and complained indignantly:
"If he finds the real culprit first and makes a decision on our behalf, who will bear the consequences?
"Folly's believers are always so disgusting."
Ah, true enough.
Cheng Shi chuckled inwardly. Deception and Memory seemed to be standing together once again.
Wei Guan's methods were extremely clean. He was also a Hunter, and his skill at erasing traces was peerless. Everyone split up and searched in eight directions for an hour, yet none of them managed to find which way he had gone.
It was not until another half hour had passed, after everyone met up again with dark expressions, that the ascetic monk who had previously disappeared suddenly appeared in their field of vision.
The moment he appeared, his expression was even uglier than Cheng Shi and the others'.
Fang Jue noticed him first and asked in a deep voice:
"What did you find?"
The ascetic monk said nothing and turned to leave.
Everyone's hearts lurched, and they immediately followed.
Led by the ascetic monk, everyone vaulted over rooftops and walls, quickly weaving through the night. Before long, they arrived at a location in the exact south of the town.
On a broad street, the players suddenly discovered a corpse.
The dead man's clothes were exactly the white shirt and black vest provided by the inn.
It was Wei Guan!
Wei Guan was dead!
Everyone's expressions changed drastically, and Cheng Shi's pupils contracted.
He could not imagine that a 2,400-point player had died silently in the trial just like that.
The place was not especially far from the inn. It was practically within the players' line of sight as they searched in turns.
If there had been any fighting, at the very least, it would have been impossible for no one to hear anything.
That meant there were only two possibilities: either the killer's strength had overwhelmingly surpassed Wei Guan's, allowing them to kill him instantly, or the killer possessed a method of concealing sound.
Fang Jue's expression darkened, and he swiftly descended beside Wei Guan.
The moment he landed, he angrily announced:
"Here, lying is forbidden!"
Order's S-rank Faith Talent, The Law Decree Echoes Afar!
This was not a special skill unique to the Law Giver. All believers of Order could make the laws they "temporarily enacted" take effect by chanting the corresponding "judgment ballad."
The Law Givers were merely the Singers of Order. When they sang the ballad, they could also apply additional effects, so this Faith Talent was especially useful to them.
A golden light instantly spread across the entire street. Looking at the people behind him, Fang Jue began chanting in a low voice:
"Justice Official above, the time for interrogation has come.
"All lies will be exposed, and every answer will eventually be revealed.
"The suspect will be questioned here, recounting the sins of the past and facing the torment within their heart.
"Then!
"Under the gaze of Order...
"Cast into the death cell!"
A white light rose from every person. Cheng Shi silently sensed it and discovered that he was not only much weaker, but had also gained a status called Confession.
He frowned, sensing that something was wrong.
Was Fang Jue suspecting that someone among them had secretly struck the killing blow?
After all, they had been searching separately for a full hour, which was certainly enough time for someone to sneak away and kill.
But why kill one of their own?
Cheng Shi froze, suddenly becoming alert.
If I think about everyone's faith...
"?"
Damn, is this aimed at me?
But before Fang Jue could ask anything, Yun Ni, who was standing closest to him, suddenly stepped forward and asked:
"You're a believer of Deception, aren't you?"
!!!
She still suspects me?
Cheng Shi's whole body tensed. Enormous pressure suddenly surged from his consciousness, forcing him to speak the truth.
What the hell? You can play it like this too?
Hitching a ride, are you?
Cheng Shi glared fiercely at Yun Ni, clenching his jaw as the muscles in his face drew taut. He desperately tried to resist the pressure.
But after holding out for only a second, his mouth was breached.
His face twitched twice, and he generously gave the answer:
"...No."
Yun Ni seemed surprised by the answer. She raised her brows and turned to run.
But Cheng Shi was not so easy to bully. He immediately gritted his teeth and shouted after her:
"Why did you want to kill Wei Guan?"
Yun Ni froze and blurted out:
"I don't like him, so I wanted to kill him."
!
The moment she finished speaking, her expression changed, while Cheng Shi smiled like a fox.
He had played a trick with the question, openly switching the concept!
"Wanting to kill" and "killing" were completely different things in certain situations.
But in other situations, they were very easy to confuse.
Sure enough, the instant Yun Ni finished speaking, the power of Memory sealed the area and bound her in place.
Du Xiguang stepped in front of Yun Ni in one stride and, without a word, pressed his index finger against her forehead.
"We'll know once we take a look."
Before you continue