The Assassin Miss's Methods

Going back would allow for a thorough search for the killer.

Not going back would prevent any further accidents tonight.

In a trial that was supposed to last seven days, losing a teammate before the first day was even over was undoubtedly the worst possible start.

Everyone's faces were etched with solemnity, but Yun Ni simply snorted and turned to leave.

The direction she chose was towards the "raging light of life."

Watching Yun Ni depart so decisively, Cheng Shi felt a surge of emotion.

This was a 2400-level game. Even with death looming, some people could face it calmly and charge headfirst.

In a 1400-level game, his group would have disbanded tonight.

Du Xiguang adjusted his glasses and suggested, "Wei Guan's death... perhaps we should report it to the Law Enforcement Bureau?"

Honestly, that was one way to handle it.

Having the Law Enforcement Bureau intervene could eliminate many risks.

But the problem was, they couldn't confirm whether this killer, wielding a Demigod Artifact, was the players' target or their guidepost.

If he was a "guidepost," they just needed to figure out who he would kill next and find the real sacrifice.

However, if he was the "target," handing him over to the Law Enforcement Bureau would be like making their own task infinitely harder.

Besides, how would they even explain Wei Guan's current state, with his "gutted" appearance?

Fang Jue pondered for a moment, then shook his head, rejecting the suggestion.

Now was not the right time to cooperate with the "authorities."

Cheng Shi had already anticipated this outcome. He glanced at Wei Guan, who had died with his eyes wide open, and also turned to leave.

Yun Ni was right; getting closer to the killer was the way to find him.

No matter what, they had to return to the inn tonight.

This trial had shifted from "dispelling the fog" to "walking on a knife's edge."

And this was exactly what [Death] desired.

It never disliked having more sacrifices.

"You guys go ahead. I'll take care of Wei Guan's body."

A believer in [Order] was always reliable. Du Xiguang didn't hesitate and followed Cheng Shi.

Fang Jue looked at the corpse with a somber expression and sighed.

After he had "hidden" the body and looked up again, he found that the Ascetic, who had been silently listening all evening, had already disappeared.

When Cheng Shi returned to the inn, Yun Ni was at the front desk buying alcohol.

He walked over, asked the server for a strong drink, and sat down beside her.

Yun Ni glanced at him, uncharacteristically silent.

Cheng Shi raised the drink in his hand and said, "No matter what, we're teammates. If you have any thoughts, you might as well share them with me first."

Yun Ni's slightly tipsy eyelids flickered, signaling him to continue.

"I don't want to lose two teammates on the first day, and I don't want you to die inexplicably like that self-important believer in [Foolishness]."

Cheng Shi's words were blunt. He was afraid that his teammates would confidently rush in and end up dead on the spot.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Yun Ni's intelligence...

Actually, he didn't trust it at all.

Moreover, he could tell that this Assassin lady already had a plan and might make a move tonight.

Whether her actions would benefit the trial was something he couldn't judge without knowing her thoughts.

Yun Ni smiled and ignored him, finishing the drink in her cup before leaving alone again.

Cheng Shi watched her go, then turned his gaze to the bar.

The empty glass Yun Ni had placed on the counter was still vibrating, and a barely visible crack on the base of the glass was spreading towards the 3 o'clock position.

Heh, an interesting invitation.

The inn closed its doors on the first floor at 2 AM. This clearly indicated a desire to conduct some "under-the-table" business in the quiet of the night.

Cheng Shi chuckled wryly, downed his drink in one gulp, and returned to his own room.

The night deepened. Even with many guests in the inn, most had chosen to rest by this hour, the earlier liveliness gone.

The innkeeper was clearly a shrewd businessman. To ensure guests slept more soundly, at this late hour, he had arranged for several servers to patrol the corridors on each floor from time to time.

Cheng Shi lay on his bed, unable to sleep. He listened to the footsteps coming and going in the corridor, his mind racing to find a way out of this predicament.

As he furrowed his brow in thought, he heard familiar breathing from behind the wooden wall beside his bed.

"Is it 3 o'clock?"

He raised his hand to check his watch, but the breathing sound from next door had disappeared.

As if receiving a signal, Cheng Shi immediately rolled out of bed, pushed open his room door, and stepped out.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw Du Xiguang and Fang Jue pushing their doors open and emerging at the same time.

The gazes of both men swept past Cheng Shi in unison, fixing on Yun Ni's room door.

Even more absurdly, a burly man lying in the shadows at the end of the corridor also woke up and silently stood up.

"?"

It seemed everyone's attention was on the Assassin Miss's actions.

But I stayed awake because Yun Ni invited me. What's the deal with you guys staying up late to eavesdrop?

Time was fleeting, and Cheng Shi didn't have time to think too much.

The group tacitly skipped the awkward greeting phase and followed Yun Ni's footsteps to the third floor.

Perhaps warned by Wei Guan's death, she hadn't erased her tracks.

So, the four men trailed behind her, wiping away her traces while speculating about what the Assassin of "Annihilation" intended to do.

However, they didn't ponder for long. When they reached the door of the innermost guest room on the third floor, the answer revealed itself.

A faint scent of "Annihilation" wafted from the room.

Yun Ni had made her move!

The men were stunned, dodging the patrolling attendants as they quickly slipped into the room.

Upon entering, they saw the room in disarray, and the guest who should have been there was long gone.

Yun Ni had also vanished again.

"Madwoman!"

Fang Jue was the first to understand Yun Ni's plan. He cursed hatefully, then flashed out of the room.

Du Xiguang followed closely, clearly having grasped Yun Ni's intention as well.

Cheng Shi looked at the empty room, his brow furrowed.

Undoubtedly, Yun Ni had "killed" someone.

The followers of "Annihilation" used the special means granted by It to send the traveler in the room to "other planes."

And these planes were often apocalyptic lands on the verge of collapse.

Leading living beings to disintegrating spaces was an offering to It.

Furthermore, a life form disappearing from its original location was also a form of "death."

This poor traveler might still be alive, but the suffering they would endure in a plane watched by "Annihilation" was unknown to outsiders.

The idea was crude, but effective.

The Assassin Miss's plan was nothing more than to forcefully search for evidence room by room without alerting the other travelers.

Just like her personality, decisive and direct.

But there was still a problem: if she directly confronted the murderer, Yun Ni could easily become the next Wei Guan.

This simple and effective method wasn't unheard of, but no one wanted to be the second Wei Guan.

Unexpectedly, Yun Ni didn't mind at all and willingly became the sharp spear in the Players' hands.

Thinking of this, Cheng Shi couldn't help but sigh:

Truly skilled and bold.

Why are all these high-scoring individuals so confident?

Did they achieve their scores through sheer talent and recklessness?

He scoffed at this thought.

Brute force couldn't solve everything; the mind was the key to opening the crucial door.

However, the deed was done, and dwelling on it was useless.

He sighed helplessly and began to inspect the messy room, hoping to find some useful information.

As expected, the Assassin Miss wouldn't search meticulously.

This kind of dirty work still required everyone's effort.

"Sigh, the Grand Inquisition is on their way. Causing such a commotion in the inn right now, aren't you afraid of getting caught yourself?"