The Final Step in the Plan

Good heavens, you're dreaming!

Yu Xing knew that Han Xinyi's open and generous appearance was intended to Yu Jiaming and Gao Chang'an interested, but he didn't expect that Han Xinyi would still want to be with him.

As expected of a member of Single Prism, their thought process is extremely convoluted and winding, like a labyrinthine corridor.

I have no idea what she's thinking about him.

He coughed lightly twice, politely declining, "You're overthinking it. You're not my type."

"It's okay, you'll like him sooner or later." Han Xinyi seemed to be deeply obsessed, holding a knife to Zhang Yu's neck, murmuring softly, muttering to herself.

For a moment, the situation surprisingly balanced out.

Yu Jiaming and Gao Chang'an continued to approach, Han Xinyi held Zhang Yu hostage, Zhang Yu remained motionless, while Yu Xing strolled forward, talking to Han Xinyi as he went.

"What's wrong with Zhang Yu? Is he stupid? Why didn't he run away just now!" Yu Jiaming muttered through gritted teeth.

He looked at Zhang Yu, who was obediently being held by Han Xinyi, and he really couldn't understand it.

Yu Xing has already sacrificed herself to buy time, and Zhang Yu, a grown man, is being held hostage by a young girl without even putting up a fight!

"But I have a girlfriend." Yu Xing continued to chat with Han Xinyi, making it easier for the two detectives to get closer.

"Girlfriend... can your girlfriend understand you?" Han Xinyi sighed, a hint of pity in her eyes as she looked at Yu Xing. "Can your girlfriend understand people like us? Do you want to live your whole life in lies, being misunderstood and doubted? Yu Xing, we're the most suitable. I watched your live stream replay; we're the same kind of people."

The deducer cannot tell an unrelated ordinary person about Absurd Deduction, unless that ordinary person is involved in anything related to absurdity.

The most affected are those who are impacted by Mapping Deduction Game. For example, in Yu Xing's qualification test, the abandoned factory actually existed. If an ordinary person had accidentally wandered in and was lucky enough not to be killed by the ghosts, they could have received information about the Absurd World and obtained a way to take the next qualification test. They could then choose whether or not to become a deducer.

Another type is inheritance from a specific environment.

For example, in real life, there are families like the Zhao family, Luo, and Xu family. Many young people in these families had already mastered some abilities that their elders brought out from the Yugi before entering the Absurd Deduction Game. They had received some kind of strange education from childhood to adulthood, and such people could also obtain qualification test channels.

Han Xinyi clearly treated Yu Xing's "girlfriend" as an ordinary person. In the eyes of ordinary people, when engaging in a deduction Yugi that consumes real time, the deducers are essentially disappearing.

Anyone would be filled with suspicion if they had a boyfriend who would disappear from time to time, not answer calls or reply to text messages.

Besides, who knows, my boyfriend might die one day.

Therefore, if a strategist wants to date or even start a family, it's better to be with a fellow strategist. Although both of you may experience instability and uncertainty about the future, at least you can understand and encourage each other.

However, neither Yu Jiaming nor Gao Chang'an had any connection with the Absurd World. Han Xinyi spoke these words to Yu Xing in front of these two without any scruples. Although she did not directly mention the existence of the Yugi, it was already quite obvious.

Han Xinyi felt she would kill these two people soon, so she spoke without restraint. However, Yu Xing was there to protect the two detectives, and of course he wouldn't let Han Xinyi expose these things. So he interrupted her, saying, "I'm not the same kind of person as you. I'm a little smarter than you."

"Yes, you're the smartest!" Han Xinyi happily agreed.

The next moment, she glanced to the side and looked at Yu Jiaming and Gao Chang'an, who were quietly approaching, and a smile appeared on her lips.

"Yu Xing, I didn't kill Zhang Yu immediately so you could watch me kill someone. You'll definitely enjoy the feeling of a beautiful, dazzling young life vanishing amidst blood."

Han Xinyi grabbed Zhang Yu's clothes from behind, her expression somewhat sickly.

From the moment she first saw Yu Xing, she felt as if he were a god who had descended from the heavens to save her.

Unfortunately, she was a rotten, shameful maggot from the mud, and the gods were too distant, unattainable, and beyond her reach.

Moreover... this deity is eager to find the killer in the Throat Cutting Case.

Therefore... her wish was to drag the gods down into the abyss and turn them into demons like herself.

Han Xinyi pushed the knife further in, and Zhang Yu leaned back to avoid the blade.

Realizing she wasn't going to waste any more words and was about to attack, Yu Jiaming shouted, "Stop! That's enough! Put down the knife, don't make any more mistakes!"

Braving the torrential rain, he aimed at Han Xinyi, deciding that if she moved even slightly, he would risk firing his gun.

Just then, Yu Jiaming suddenly felt that Zhang Yu seemed to have turned around and glanced at him.

Although he couldn't see the eyes clearly, he inexplicably sensed that there wasn't a trace of fear in them.

Zhang Yu only moved slightly just as Han Xinyi's knife was about to touch Zhang Yu skin.

Yu Jiaming's pupils contracted Yu Jiaming he saw Zhang Yu reach out and grab Han Xinyi's wrist, then turn around, raise his leg, and kick forward.

With a loud thud, the heavy rain couldn't drown out the muffled sound. Han Xinyi flew backward and crashed to the ground, her knife flying away and embedding itself in the cracks of the broken bricks.

Han Xinyi's smile froze on her lips, then she frowned as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach and back, letting out a groan of pain.

Her back looked as if it had been cut by an exposed, sharp object.

Why?

How could Zhang Yu possibly possess such strength, and how could he possibly have escaped the effects of mental instability?

She clutched her stomach and got up. Yu Jiaming and Gao Chang'an seized the opportunity to rush over and try to subdue her.

Han Xinyi ignored the two policemen and just stared at Zhang Yu with her beautiful big eyes.

Zhang Yu's eyes were indifferent, quite different from the gentle and meticulous librarian.

Could it be...? While she was still wondering, Zhang Yu spoke.

Beneath the familiar skin, a woman's voice surprisingly spoke.

"Yu Xing is right, you are indeed not as smart as him."

What!?

A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Han Xinyi's eyes, because she remembered that voice.

That was the voice of the "kind" female clerk at the front desk when she first went to that bookstore!

The woman's voice was very low; neither Yu Jiaming nor Gao Chang'an heard it. After saying this, "Zhang Yu" revealed a mocking smile, suddenly turned around, and ran away.

He ran haphazardly, as if panicked and disoriented after escaping the hostage situation. Yu Jiaming told Gao Chang'an to give chase, while he himself raised his gun. "The hostage is gone! Han Xinyi, stop resisting, hands up!"

Han Xinyi quietly turned her head and looked at Yu Jiaming.

At that moment, Yu Jiaming suddenly felt a chill run through his body.

I feel so dizzy.

Beneath him was a hard cement floor, and the surrounding air was damp and cold. Zhang Yu felt goosebumps rise all over his body; he was freezing.

His whole body ached, but as he regained consciousness, he subconsciously raised his hand to touch his neck. Thankfully, it was intact, without any large cuts.

The next moment, a soft yet firm female voice sounded in his ear, "You're awake?"

Zhang Yu then opened his eyes and looked blankly to the side.

It was Ranran. Ranran was sitting next to him with her legs bent, and he—

He sat up abruptly and stared blankly at himself.

There were no wounds, and they weren't tied up or anything; they were completely free to move around.

The only difference from before he fell into a coma was that he was no longer wearing his jacket, which is why he felt so cold.

What, what's going on...?

Zhang Yu stared wide-eyed at Ranran, a series of question marks flashing through his mind.

Memories of what happened before he lost consciousness flooded back: that strange woman had clearly attacked him, so how was he still alive?

Not only is he not dead, but that woman is gone, and Ranran hasn't restricted his movements at all. Isn't she afraid he'll escape?

Ranran didn't say anything more, just quietly looked at him, her eyes calm and undisturbed.

Zhang Yu couldn't help but ask, "Weren't you going to kill me?"

"Kill you?" Ranran repeated. "No, she knew you mistook her for the murderer, and she was too lazy to explain, so she used this excuse to lure you here."

Although he was still completely confused, Zhang Yu breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Ranran explain to him in a normal tone.

If given a choice, who wouldn't want their favorite girl to avoid falling into the abyss?

"Ahem, I..." Zhang Yu glanced at Ranran again, and seeing that Ranran's expression was unreadable, he tentatively asked, "Can I ask you a few questions now?"

Ranran was still holding a flashlight in her hand, its beam shining weakly into the air, as if it couldn't reach anything.

She said, "Okay."

Zhang Yu's spirits lifted, and he instinctively sat up straight. "She... who exactly is this 'she' you're talking about? Why did you trick me into coming here? Is she the murderer in the Throat Cutting Case? Is she the one who threatened me? And you, where have you been lately?"

One question after another popped up. Ranran lowered her eyelids, her eyelashes casting shadows on her eyelids.

She organized her thoughts and carefully replied, "She wasn't the murderer who Throat Cutting Case, but a kind person who was willing to help me."

"Zhang Yu, I want to thank you for coming, whether it was to save me or to get an answer from me. In any case, I didn't think I was that important."

"She said your personality is well-suited to dealing with these... these absurd things. She also said that whether it's out of affection or curiosity, you'll come." Ranran pursed her lips, finally managing a slight smile. "Anyway, since you're willing to come, I should trust you a little more and tell you the truth."

"My surname is Zeng. You usually just call me Ranran and don't mention my surname, so you probably don't know that the third victim in the Throat Cutting Case, Zeng Chaoyun, is my older brother."

Zhang Yu opened his mouth in surprise, but in the end, he didn't make a sound and chose to listen in silence.

"My brother and I grew up together; we were really, really close. After he was killed, I hated the murderer to death, but I was powerless to avenge him and could only watch helplessly as a fourth victim appeared."

"Until that day, she came with another man. They said they had roughly identified the killer and knew who the killer's next target was—yes, it's you. And to catch the killer, they needed my cooperation."

"The first time we cooperated, I lied and said I was sick, so she took my place at work. They knew the murderer would approach you under the guise of reading, so she stood at the front desk, watching the murderer's every move, and even switched the murderer's umbrella while she was sending him back to get ten dollars."

"Wait!" Hearing this, Zhang Yu couldn't help but interrupt Ranran, "Could it be that the murderer you're talking about is... that girl with the sweet smile!?"

"That's her, her name is Han Xinyi."

"So that woman... what should I call her? That seemingly capable and kind woman who said I was pretty, was she actually reminding me that I was being targeted by the murderer?" Zhang Yu recalled, and roughly understood the woman's intention in writing on the wooden frame.

"You're next," it was also a reminder to him, because the moment he saw those words, the sweet-smiling girl walked in!

"But..." He didn't quite understand one thing Ranran said, "Why change the umbrella?"

"Hmm... I don't know if you can accept the concept of the supernatural." Ranran seemed a little embarrassed. She pondered for a moment, as if considering how to phrase it in a way that would be acceptable.

Finally, she gave up. "Even if she got Han Xinyi's umbrella, she could use some special abilities to track Han Xinyi's movements. For example, today, she knew that Han Xinyi planned to kill you here tonight, so she tricked you into coming here first. Your phone was hacked by her accomplice, so you didn't receive the messages Han Xinyi sent you."

Zhang Yu considered it for a moment. As an intellectual, he shouldn't believe in this kind of "witchcraft" that allows one to know the owner's whereabouts simply by possessing an object. However, his years of exposure to the supernatural had made him accept it.

He had no choice but to ask, "So, what's the point of tricking me into coming here?"

Ranran blinked. "Because Han Xinyi also has ways of tracking your movements; she saw the kid near your house."

Kid, brat!?

Zhang Yu shrank back a little. Unbeknownst to him, Ranran had already become someone who could talk about these things casually...

Ranran continued, "So we have to get you out so Han Xinyi will fall for our trick. Besides, if you come out, the police will think that the victim they saw is you."

"She wants to use your appearance to make it seem like Han Xinyi attacked you in front of the police. This way, she can hide her own existence, provide the police with concrete evidence, and protect you from harm. Hmm... she took your coat."

Zhang Yu: I thanked her, it was really cold.

Also, just by wearing a coat, does she think people will mistake her for me? I'm not tall, and she's not short either, but... does she possess some kind of disguise ability besides witchcraft???

"As for myself... I've been doing some other things lately, and after I came back, I stayed at the same hotel as her, so you couldn't find me. And... after accepting some absurd premise, I haven't been in the mood to care about your concerns. I'm sorry for making you worry." Ranran apologized, glanced at Zhang Yu's expression, and felt somewhat relieved to find that he seemed to be able to accept it.

After a long pause, having processed all the information, Zhang Yu hesitated, "I still want to know, what's that woman's name?"

Ranran hesitated for a moment. "I know what you're thinking. She does have the ability to disguise herself. Not only can she impersonate you, but even when she goes to work at the bookstore, she doesn't use her real appearance. According to her, her name is..."

"Qu Xuanqing."

A strategist who predicts the Fallen Path may not be able to dodge a bullet, but incapacitating the person holding the gun before it leaves the barrel is a piece of cake.

Han Xinyi had clearly Yu Jiaming kill Yu Jiaming; wisps of death energy spread out from beneath her feet, surging towards Yu Jiaming.

Yu Jiaming couldn't see this aura, but he felt his whole body turn cold, and alarm bells went off in his mind. Facing this seemingly gentle and weak girl, he felt a sense of crisis he had never experienced before.

Yu Xing stepped forward, drawing out a portion of the curse's power to counteract the death energy. However, due to the activation of the curse within her body, the unbearable pain swept over her again.

His face was deathly pale. Things had come to this point, and he had done everything he wanted the police to see.

All that remains is... to ensure Han Xinyi receives the ending she deserves, through the methods of a predictor.

He didn't lay a flawless plan, so the current situation is precisely what he guided step by step.

Yu Xing reached into his pants pocket and touched a small, cold object—it was the prop he always carried with him, Alice's Ruby.

Shortly after he successfully advanced to the Differentiation Tier, the system had already sent him a reminder.

[You have met the conditions to trigger this item and can use it at any time to enter the Differentiation- Struggle Level deduction Yugi "Alice's Hell"]

[This item is for single use only and will disappear after use.]

[Note: Due to the special significance of Alice's Hell, when this item is triggered, in addition to the triggerer, the seven closest players who have not played the Yugi within the past five days and are at the Differentiation Tier (highest level is Mourning) will also be forcibly pulled in.]

[Note: Alice's Hell is a comprehensive deduction Yugi, with confrontation accounting for 40%, mapping for 40%, and role-playing for 20%. Entering the deduction game does not consume real-time.]

This was the last crucial point that Yu Xing used to complete this scheme.

Just as Han Xinyi revealed a sickly smile, intending to send the immobile Yu Jiaming to the Yellow Springs Road, Yu Xing silently recited in his heart.

"Road confirmed, Alice's Ruby."

The gem in his hand began to heat up, bringing a slight warmth to Yu Xing's body, which was ice-cold due to the violent surge of curse energy within her.

The next moment, a series of deduction prompts appeared in his mind.

[The deduction Yugi "Alice's Hell" is about to begin]

[Recruiting participants]

[Gathering complete. To protect the triggerer, the gathering order has been shuffled.]

[List of participants: Gambler, Nightmare Ghost, Lucky, Throat Cutter, Huang Bai, Hysteriac, Locust Tree, White Face]

Han Xinyi had obviously heard these hints as well. She suddenly looked at Yu Xing, and then her smile grew wider and wider.

"Are you trying to kill me in this absurd situation?"

"That's great! You and I are definitely the same kind of person. I like you... Xing."