The moment he opened his mouth, Order's holy light enveloped everyone.
"Some of you may know me, while others may never have heard of me, but that doesn't matter.
"I'm sure everyone knows why the Grand Inquisition has come here.
"Evil has spread through Everbloom Town, and under the cover of night, sinners have wantonly deprived the residents of their right to embrace prosperity.
"This filthy, despicable evil is not only a trampling of the Natural Alliance's faith, but also a provocation against the authority of the Grand Inquisition.
"Order above all. Judgment has come!
"No sinner can escape punishment.
"I, First Inquisitor Morkius, promise the Everbloom Town Autonomous Alliance and its faithful:
"Today, we will find the true culprit and restore your peace!"
Morkius's speech was highly inspiring. Many people's expressions visibly improved, while the Law Enforcers around them looked even more expectant.
But immediately afterward, his tone turned bone-chillingly cold and deeply mocking.
"All right, the routine proclamation is over. Let's cast off these cumbersome formalities and get straight to the point.
"I've found the culprit. He really is among you.
"Fear was once your blade, but it will also become your dirge.
"Under Order's watchful gaze and the Grand Inquisition's judgment, you...
"How are you planning to escape?"
Morkius had not finished speaking when his gaze began to move slowly, sweeping across everyone in the hall from the far left.
Every time he shifted his gaze by the slightest degree, all the travelers in the area he watched instinctively tensed up, sneaking glances left and right and probing one another, terrified that the culprit was right beside them.
The tangible pressure even made many travelers' legs tremble, leaving them on the verge of collapse.
Cheng Shi stood among the crowd. He felt the sword-sharp gaze pause on him for an instant before continuing leftward, and he secretly let out a sigh of relief.
He was now terrified that this inquisitor would use the method that had annihilated Yun Ni on him, a believer of Chaos.
Fortunately, the man seemed to have truly ignored the players.
The pressure continued shifting, and panic continued brewing.
Just as Morkius's gaze had crossed half the hall and was about to turn toward the right, a sudden change occurred!
A figure in a cyan windbreaker suddenly lowered his head, shoved aside the surrounding travelers, and crouched low as he charged toward the edge of the crowd.
The travelers he collided with were stunned for a moment before screaming in alarm.
"Ah!!!"
"Help! Save me!"
"Run! The culprit is going to kill someone!"
The Law Enforcers by the entrance immediately perked up and gave chase.
"It's him! Don't let him get away!"
"Catch him!"
The hall instantly descended into chaos.
At the very first moment this wave of chaos erupted, several players keenly seized the opportunity and instantly reacted in completely different ways.
Fang Jue began chanting loudly, revealing his power of Order without reservation. It transformed into golden Order chains that pursued the fleeing figure.
Du Xiguang flashed out of sight, seemingly predicting the man's path and blocking the escapee's only route.
But he did not obstruct the figure's escape. Instead, at the appropriate moment and with an inconspicuous movement, he "accidentally" touched the "sinner."
As for Cheng Shi...
He vanished.
The instant the crowd scattered, he disguised himself as a frightened traveler, broke through the blockade on the first floor, and quickly ran to the second floor.
But he had not done this because he was frightened, nor was it to save his own life. He was searching for clues!
Slacking off was impossible. He would never slack off in this lifetime.
This game was so stimulating that taking even a moment's rest would get him killed. It simply would not give him any chance to recover.
If he wanted to survive, he could only keep drawing out his potential!
Back on the first day, when he had investigated the inn, Cheng Shi had silently memorized the appearances of every traveler there, along with the rooms they occupied.
The instant the cyan windbreaker moved, he immediately identified the man's identity.
A bard!
A bard who claimed to come from the northern Kanliwal Empire.
The travelers in the inn had been thrown into a panic by the murders, and several busybodies led by him had played no small part in fanning the flames!
Actually, when Cheng Shi learned that When Fear Arrives was a Demigod Artifact, he had suspected this bard as well.
As the saying went, to do good work, one must first sharpen one's tools. If one wanted to kill with fear, the best method was to spread fear first!
And the profession of bard was perfect for doing that openly.
They liked telling stories, especially stories that sent chills down people's spines.
However, at the time, he had still been shaken by Wei Guan's death. His thoughts had not been sharp enough—or rather, he had failed to make a clear judgment.
Now, everything lined up.
There had never been any groundless alarm. The reason they had seen a snake was that the "bow" itself had been made from a snake!
The killer had prepared everything long ago, waiting only for this Demigod Artifact to prove itself:
When Fear Arrives!
Cheng Shi moved quickly. After weaving past the fleeing travelers for a short while, he arrived outside the bard's room.
His thoughts differed from those of the other two.
Fang Jue clearly believed that the Grand Inquisition had seized absolute control after arriving. Helping the Grand Inquisition hunt down the culprit might earn him some convenience during the investigation and subsequent actions.
Du Xiguang's thoughts were more straightforward. As long as he touched the man, he could read his memories.
What Cheng Shi was thinking was:
Once a murderer realized he had been identified, his first reaction would certainly be to clear himself of suspicion.
And the simplest and most effective way to clear himself would be to discard the murder weapon.
However, a Demigod Artifact was not something that could be thrown away casually, so Cheng Shi was more inclined to believe that the man had hidden his dagger rather than discarded it.
He had come to the bard's room first because he wanted to find clues that could reveal the trial's contents.
If he happened to find that dagger as well, all the better.
However, when Cheng Shi arrived outside the room like a ghost and pushed open the door himself, there...
was already someone inside.
Standing before him was a man with his upper body bare, every vein bulging as he exerted all his strength!
A monk!
The silent believer!
Cheng Shi was utterly stunned and blinked in bewilderment.
No wonder he had rarely seen the man. Even after everyone had been brought to the first floor by the Grand Inquisition, he had not shown his face.
So he had also noticed the bard's identity.
Still, no matter how solitary a player was, he was ultimately one of their own. In particular, he and Cheng Shi followed the same path of Chaos, with no grudge of opposing faith between them, so there was no need to worry too much.
But the man's current state...
Something was wrong.
The monk had clearly also heard the door being pushed open, but he did not turn around.
He seemed to be gripping something tightly in his hands, his body taut as he summoned all his strength to resist it with complete concentration.
Cheng Shi saw what was happening and sensed that the man's condition was deteriorating, so he hurriedly cast a Healing Art on him.
A priest's duty: never tolerate a teammate's health bar being anything less than full.
Who would have thought that the silent believer would refuse to accept his help? At some point, he had set up a Silence Domain, causing the Healing Art to fail outright within it.
"?"
Another lone wolf keeping everything for himself?
Cheng Shi was furious. He opened his mouth and cursed under his breath:
"Stop pretending to be mute. If you don't say anything, I'll call everyone over!"
The monk's imposing aura clearly faltered. After several breaths, he clenched his teeth and shakily turned half his body around.
The moment he turned, Cheng Shi saw that both his hands were holding something.
Looking closely, it was a dagger radiating an eerie red light, struggling desperately beneath his restraint.
"!!??"
When Fear Arrives!?
Before you continue