No One to Trust

Con artist...

He knows I'm a con artist?

No, that's not right.

Before everyone announced their professions, they didn't know each other's occupations.

The sheriff was testing me.

He's guessing!

Qin Shang adjusted his expression; he didn't want to die at the hands of other players yet.

Although he hadn't figured out why the con artist was a public enemy, it was clear from the sheriff's expression that he had an instinctive, ingrained rejection, even hostility, towards con artists.

Qin Shang calmly said with a poker face:

"You guessed wrong, I'm a priest!"

"Priest?"

The sheriff didn't dismiss his previous guess based on a single sentence.

Just because you say you're a priest, does that make you one?

"Then show me some proof of your innocence. Without evidence, just a couple of words, are you a priest just because you say so?"

At the same time, the gazes of the other few people also fell uniformly on Qin Shang.

To say he wasn't nervous at a time like this would be a lie.

Qin Shang controlled his expression, then pointed to the rows of seats at the very front of the carriage, his finger landing on the dark area.

Logically, only a priest with night vision in the dark could see the newspaper blocking the window from this angle; others absolutely could not.

The next moment, Qin Shang said with great conviction:

"The newspaper pasted on the window of the second row, left side seat, is about Jack the Ripper, a madman active in late 19th century London, England. I can't understand the rest of the content."

"After all, I'm just a priest, not a teacher. I only have the ability to see things at night, not to decipher them."

"My education is limited, and I don't know much English. I only know how to spell the name Jack the Ripper!"

As soon as he said this, the others were slightly taken aback.

The sheriff frowned and looked at the elderly priest who had spoken first.

"Is what he said true?"

The old man nodded.

"Yes, what was written on that newspaper was indeed Jack the Ripper."

"It seems the story background we are in should be, as the instance stated, late 19th century London, England."

Hearing this, the sheriff paused for a moment before showing a look of relief.

"I apologize, young man. In an environment like this, it's normal for us to be on edge."

"After all, it concerns the lives of so many people on this train, and we can't be careless. We misunderstood you just now, please forgive us."

Hearing this, Qin Shang breathed a sigh of relief while also secretly breaking out in a cold sweat.

That was close!

He wasn't a real priest, so he naturally couldn't have night vision or the ability to see things in the dark.

He knew the content of the newspaper pasted on the window of the second-row seat on the left because as soon as he entered the instance, he had paid attention to his surroundings.

The first half of his statement was a bluff, but the second half was indeed not a lie.

The name Jack the Ripper was widely known. Seeing the words "Jack the Ripper," Qin Shang couldn't help but think of this infamous killer active in modern history...

However, the sheriff's expression didn't improve much after clearing Qin Shang's suspicion.

His thick brows were still tightly furrowed.

"Then, if that's the case, the next task will be troublesome..."

"There's definitely a con artist mixed into the team. This means two of us lied, oh no, to be precise, one person lied, and another non-human entity also deceived us."

At these words, Qin Shang narrowed his eyes.

"Non-human entity..."

After the sheriff cleared Qin Shang's suspicion, he adjusted his emotions in response to the confused gazes of the people around him, and explained in a rather solemn tone:

"Since it's a game, we will definitely encounter NPCs in the instance, which is normal. Sometimes, we even need the help of NPCs to complete the instance."

"However, God Slayers are an exceptionally special type of NPC!"

"They are NPCs transformed from players who previously died in this instance."

"God Slayers, you can probably guess the meaning from the name."

"That's right, they are people who kill players on the Path of the Gods. They are extremely familiar with the instances, so there have been many cases where God Slayers infiltrated player teams, deliberately led them astray, and caused the sacrifice of all players."

Hearing this, Qin Shang's expression immediately turned serious.

This sheriff has quite a bit of knowledge about the Path of the Gods...

Meanwhile, the expressions on the others' faces also became considerably more serious.

They hadn't expected to simultaneously guard against a potential traitor within the group while exploring this particular map.

In this dungeon, where every corner exuded the unknown, everyone's emotions were filled with fear.

Everything here was an utterly unknown entity to the players, with the exception of the sheriff.

And then there was this so-called God Slayer!

Qin Shang pondered for a moment.

The sheriff's line of reasoning wasn't wrong; two liars had indeed infiltrated the group.

One of them was Qin Shang himself, who had lied about his character card's profession.

However, among these six people, someone else had also misrepresented their profession.

That person was the God Slayer, who, according to the sheriff, was an NPC within the dungeon on the death train...

Who is it?

Who could it be?

We should first rule out those two priests who can see things in the dark, right?

They both possess night vision and have already been checked.

In this dark environment, it's almost impossible to make out someone's facial features if they're more than two meters away.

Yet, these priests navigate as if on level ground here, clearly able to perceive the layout of their surroundings.

Qin Shang instinctively ruled out the old man and the other girl in the pink dress...

"Didn't the sheriff say I would receive a hidden hint?"

He had managed to bluff his way through earlier, but once they started exploring the train cars, he might be exposed at any moment.

After all, he lacked the ability to see in the dark.

This was far too easy to give himself away.

As everyone sized each other up, Qin Shang met the old man's gaze.

The old man gave him a slight nod, as if conveying goodwill.

However, a thought flashed through Qin Shang's mind as if struck by electricity.

Hiss!

"No, that's not right. That's just my subconscious thinking pattern."

"The old man and the other harmless-looking young lady, the two priests, aren't necessarily passengers."

"If they are game NPCs, they would naturally be very familiar with the dungeon. It wouldn't be difficult for them to know the map and the environment."

"Even without night vision, they could move as if on level ground within the dungeon."

"Moreover, according to the sheriff, NPCs like the God Slayer were once players, meaning they've explored dungeons before."

"So, it's not impossible for them to have a certain degree of understanding and familiarity with the dungeon. It wouldn't be difficult for an NPC to easily state what's in the next carriage!"

"And who can guarantee what abilities an NPC might have, so..."

Qin Shang's heart sank, his expression turning grim.

These two priests, whom he had just cleared of suspicion, might not be passengers after all.

They could also be the God Slayer!

No... wait, even the sheriff could potentially be the God Slayer.

Although I'm a Con artist, a profession that seems to set me apart from everyone else.

The sheriff is also quite special.

We are all novice players with no experience on the Path of the Gods.

But the sheriff has clearly been on the Path of the Gods more than once and possesses knowledge of this place that surpasses everyone present.

What about him?

Could he be the God Slayer?

If, according to the sheriff, the God Slayer only appears in dungeons with a Con artist, does that mean the God Slayer's target might not be other players?

But rather the Con artist? Or perhaps, to eliminate the Con artist first?

It's like in Werewolf, where the wolves prioritize eliminating the Seer.

Because the Con artist can see hidden clues and greatly increases everyone's chances of clearing the dungeon, as an NPC hindering player progression, the God Slayer would certainly not want players to succeed.

So, eliminating the Con artist first seems quite logical!

The sheriff proposed that we all report our professions in turn.

He claimed the unique nature of the Con artist's profession, perhaps as a way to test who among us is the Con artist?

Qin Shang's gaze swept over the people present, his brow furrowed.

Could that shouting noblewoman be trying to cover her tracks and shake off suspicion?

That's why she's feigning panic?

What about the thug...

He was the most relaxed person when they entered the instance, but after the sheriff explained the dangers of the Path of the Gods game, he also showed a nervous expression.

Could the God Slayer be him?

What about the old priest?

And the teacher and the doctor?

Qin Shang felt a rather complex emotion now, seeing everyone as a potential God Slayer.

At the very least, he had a clear and definite judgment now...

With a grim expression, he thought to himself: None of the people in this room can be absolutely trusted for now!