Completely Different Reactions

As soon as he opened his mouth, the holy light of Order enveloped everyone.

"Some of you may know me, or perhaps you've never heard of me, but that doesn't matter.

I imagine you all know why the Grand Inquisition is here.

Evil is spreading through Everbloom Town, and under the cover of night, sinners are wantonly stripping residents of their right to embrace Prosperity.

This filthy, wicked act is not only a trampling of the Natural Alliance's faith but also a provocation of the Grand Inquisition's authority.

Order is above all, and judgment is inevitable!

No sinner can escape punishment.

I, First-Rank Inquisitor Morkius, promise the Everbloom Town Autonomous Alliance and its followers:

Today, we will find the true culprit and restore your peace!"

Morkius's words were highly encouraging, and many people's expressions visibly improved. The Law Enforcers surrounding them looked on with anticipation.

But then, his tone turned bone-chillingly cold and full of playful malice.

"Alright, that's enough of the routine pronouncements. Let's cast aside these cumbersome restraints and get straight to the point.

I have already found the murderer, and he is indeed among you.

Fear was once your sharpest blade, but it will also be your funeral dirge.

Under the watchful eye of Order, under the judgment of the Grand Inquisition, you...

How do you plan to escape?"

Before Morkius could finish, his gaze began to sweep slowly, starting from the far left and scanning everyone in the hall.

With every minute shift of his gaze, all the travelers in his line of sight instinctively tensed, glancing furtively at each other, fearing the murderer was beside them.

This palpable pressure even made many travelers' legs tremble, nearly causing them to fall.

Cheng Shi stood in the crowd, feeling a sword-like gaze linger on him for a moment before continuing left. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He was terrified that this Inquisitor would use the same method he used to eradicate Yun Ni on him, a follower of Chaos.

Fortunately, it seemed he was truly ignoring the Players.

The pressure continued to shift, and panic continued to brew.

Just as Morkius's gaze passed the halfway point and was about to turn right, an anomaly occurred!

A figure in a green trench coat suddenly lowered his head, pushed aside the surrounding travelers, and crouched low, quickly charging towards the edge of the crowd.

The travelers who were bumped were stunned for a moment before screaming in alarm.

"Ah!!!"

"Help! Save me!"

"Run, the murderer is killing someone!"

The Law Enforcers at the door immediately perked up, chasing after him.

"It's him! Don't let him run!"

"Catch him!"

The hall instantly descended into chaos.

The moment this wave of chaos erupted, several Players keenly seized the opportunity and reacted in drastically different ways.

Fang Jue began to chant loudly, revealing his Order power without reservation, transforming into golden Order chains that pursued the fleeing figure.

Du Xiguang vanished in a flash, as if predicting his trajectory, and blocked the escapee's path.

However, he didn't obstruct the figure's escape. Instead, at the opportune moment, with an unnoticeable movement, he "accidentally" brushed against the "sinner."

As for Cheng Shi...

He disappeared.

The moment the crowd parted, he disguised himself as a frightened traveler, broke through the first-floor blockade, and quickly ran to the second floor.

But his actions weren't due to fear or an attempt to save his life; he was searching for clues!

Giving up was impossible. He would never give up in this lifetime.

This game was so thrilling; giving up meant death. It wouldn't give him a chance to rest.

To survive, he had to constantly push his potential!

As early as the first day when he investigated the inn, Cheng Shi had quietly recorded the appearances of all the travelers and their room numbers.

The moment the figure in the green trench coat moved, he immediately identified him.

The Bard!

A bard who claimed to be from the northern empire of Canrival.

The travelers in the inn were in a state of panic due to the murder, and it was not uncommon for several busybodies, led by him, to fan the flames!

In fact, when Cheng Shi learned about the Demigod Artifact known as "When Fear Arrives," he had also suspected this bard.

"To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools." To kill with fear, the best method is to spread fear first!

And the Bard profession is the most suitable for doing this openly.

They love telling stories, especially spine-chilling ones.

However, at that time, he was still shocked by Wei Guan's death, and his mind wasn't sharp, or rather, he couldn't make a clear judgment.

And now, everything adds up.

There was never any "bow in the cup reflecting a snake"; the reason for seeing a snake was because the "bow" was made of a snake!

The killer had already laid all the groundwork, just waiting for this Demigod Artifact to prove itself:

When Fear Arrives!

Cheng Shi walked quickly. Weaving through the fleeing travelers, he soon arrived outside the Bard's room.

His thoughts were different from the other two.

Fang Jue clearly felt that the Grand Inquisition held absolute dominance after its arrival. Helping the Grand Inquisition pursue the killer now might provide more convenience in subsequent investigations and actions.

As for Du Xiguang's idea, it was more direct: as long as he could touch someone, he could read their memories.

Cheng Shi's thought was:

When a murderer realizes they've been locked onto, their first reaction will definitely be to clear their suspicion.

The simplest and most effective way to do this is to discard the murder weapon.

But a Demigod Artifact isn't something that can be easily discarded, so Cheng Shi leaned towards the killer hiding their dagger rather than throwing it away.

He came to the Bard's room first because he wanted to find clues that would reveal the trial's content.

If he could "coincidentally" find that dagger, it would naturally be best.

However, as Cheng Shi ghosted to the room's entrance and pushed the door open himself, inside the room...

Someone was already there.

Before him stood a man with his upper body bare, veins bulging, and exerting all his strength!

An Ascetic!

A follower of [Silence]!

Cheng Shi was greatly astonished, blinking in confusion.

No wonder he could never find him, not even after everyone was brought to the first floor by the Grand Inquisition.

So, he had also noticed the Bard's identity.

But no matter how solitary a Player is, they are still one of their own, especially since he and the Ascetic shared the same Life Path, [Chaos], without the hatred of Faith Opposition, so there was no need to worry too much.

However, the Ascetic's current state...

It seemed a bit off.

The Ascetic clearly heard the door being pushed open, but he didn't turn around.

He seemed to be tightly gripping something in his hand, his body tensed and exerting all his strength to resist with his full heart.

Cheng Shi saw the clue and felt his state was declining, so he quickly cast a healing spell on him.

A Priest's duty: unable to stand seeing a teammate with a less-than-full health bar.

Unexpectedly, the follower of [Silence] didn't appreciate it at all. At some point, he had set up a [Silence Domain], and the healing spell was directly nullified within the domain.

"?"

Another one hoarding all the good stuff?

Cheng Shi was furious and opened his mouth to curse in a low voice:

"Stop playing mute. If you don't speak, I'll call for backup!"

The Ascetic's momentum clearly faltered. After a few breaths, he gritted his teeth and tremblingly turned halfway around.

As soon as he turned, Cheng Shi saw that his hands were holding something.

Upon closer inspection, it was a dagger emitting a strange red glow, struggling desperately under his restraint.

"!!??"

[When Fear Arrives]!?