Such Cute Heads!

Zhao Yijiu suddenly had a chilling thought.

From his perspective, he couldn't rule out Yu Xing as a suspect.

As for Yu Xing... frankly speaking, they had only met twice. They didn't know each other at all, let alone trust each other.

In their brief encounters, Zhao Yijiu felt that this person might actually be capable of killing someone and then calmly participating in a game as if nothing happened. What if he really was the murderer...

"Don't overthink it. I'm accompanying an acquaintance to the school anniversary today. I was drinking milk tea at a shop when the incident happened."

Yu Xing chuckled. He felt the seat vibrate and knew the ride was about to start.

His thoughts having been read, Zhao Yijiu silently gripped the safety bar.

The next moment—

The seat suddenly shot upwards, wind whistling past his face, ascending to the middle position.

Yu Xing could even see the young couple near the Ferris wheel entrance not far away.

But at the same time, besides the wind, Yu Xing keenly heard other sounds.

Very faint, like the cracking of an eggshell when a small animal hatches—

Swish!

A thick branch, as thick as an arm, suddenly shot forward, brushing past his arm. It moved so fast it was like a piercing blade, causing Yu Xing to squint his eyes.

"Careful!" he immediately warned, as there wasn't just one such branch. The first one was like a signal; then, countless branches wildly and violently stabbed out, and Zhao Yijiu wasn't spared either.

"Whoosh—"

The drop tower plummeted downwards. The sensation of weightlessness felt somewhat exhilarating to Yu Xing, but this was not the time to enjoy it.

He tilted his head to glance. He couldn't see behind himself, but he could see the empty seat next to him.

The scene was clear and bizarre. The eyes embedded in the drop tower were bulging with buds, like sprouts. After a pause, they rapidly shot out. It seemed that if Yu Xing and Zhao Yijiu had been a little less lucky, they would have been impaled in the next second.

This scene was indescribable, uncanny, and carried a strange mental pollution. It was estimated that an ordinary person would lose all their san value on the spot.

"Don't move. I've observed that the eyes are all in the gaps between the seats. If you sit up straight, you won't get hurt," Zhao Yijiu responded at extreme speed. Yu Xing obediently sat up straight, muttering inwardly:

His observation skills are pretty good. Seems like he's improved since the last deduction.

However, the ride wasn't planning on letting them off the hook easily.

The seats descended to the bottom, and after only two seconds, they ascended again, this time higher, straight to the very top.

Entangled branches brushed past Yu Xing's head. New eyeballs continuously burst from the branches, stabbing outwards. Yu Xing remained motionless, waiting for what came next.

Alice's stiff, hollow voice came from inside the drop tower: "The tip of each branch has a slip of paper. The content on each slip is the same: it's a clue."

The clue was at the tip of the branches?

Yu Xing craned his neck to look. Indeed, the sharp ends of all the extended branches were pierced with small white slips of paper.

This meant that to get the clue, they had to touch the tip of the branch. But the branches were too long; once fully extended, they were too far from their fixed positions in the seats to be reached.

The only option seemed to be to snatch the slip of paper from the tip the moment the branch extended. However, considering the speed of the branches, it was practically a guarantee that their entire hand would be pierced.

"I knew it wouldn't be that easy," Yu Xing muttered.

Zhao Yijiu stared at the branches, and a small knife appeared in his hand.

The surging aura in an instant made Yu Xing pause. He looked at Zhao Yijiu's hand. The beautiful small knife, with its dark stone embedded in the hilt, was different from before. The stone was much more translucent, and the spreading patterns resembled blood vessels more closely.

It seemed that the Sacrifice from back then had been activated after Zhao Yijiu became a formal deducer.

But fortunately, other people's Sacrifices didn't affect Yu Xing much. He only felt a brief chill before returning to comfort.

The sharp blade of the knife sliced through the most conveniently positioned branch, which snapped and fell to the ground.

"On the fallen branches, the clues will automatically disappear," Alice's voice rang out again, and Yu Xing detected a hint of joy in it.

"Then we have to get injured, don't we?" Cutting off the branches wouldn't work, and Zhao Yijiu frowned.

"It's normal. This deduction seems a bit special. Inflicting non-life-threatening injuries makes it easier for certain identity cards to cause trouble," Yu Xing said, completely unconcerned and having expected this outcome.

The drop tower continued to ascend and descend. Yu Xing reached out his hand in the wind. Before Zhao Yijiu could react, he grabbed a newly emerging branch and, without changing his expression, seized the white slip of paper on it.

The sharp tip of the branch predictably pierced Yu Xing's hand.

Using some unknown technique, he quickly retracted his hand, preventing the drop tower's own movement from causing further injury. All that remained was a bloody hole the size of the bottom of a bowl on his hand.

The scene was quite gory. Yu Xing's bones were smashed, and his little finger dangled precariously.

"You!" Zhao Yijiu's eyes widened as he looked incredulously at the young man beside him, who appeared calm, as if he had just done something trivial.

"Don't panic, it doesn't hurt," Yu Xing said, glancing at his hand, especially the slip of paper clutched between his thumb and index finger.

"The deceased is not one of the couple."

He had exchanged his severe hand injury for these eight words.

"Got the clue. The deceased's identity card is not on Ling Heng or Chen Jiu," Yu Xing casually tossed the slip of paper away. It turned to ash in mid-air, leaving no trace.

"Understood. Your hand—" Zhao Yijiu tried to organize his thoughts but found himself speechless for a moment.

For two people to get clues, it might be inevitable that one of them gets hurt, but Zhao Yijiu was shocked by Yu Xing's immediate lack of hesitation.

And his overly calm expression, without even a frown, not even a blink of his eyes.

Yu Xing: "Heh, it's a small matter."

Zhao Yijiu didn't reply this time, and the drop tower coincidentally began to slow down, stopping a few seconds later.

He unbuckled his seatbelt first, pushed the U-shaped restraint upwards, and then immediately did the same for Yu Xing.

"Ah ha~" Seeing Zhao Yijiu's actions, Yu Xing knew that this cold-faced but warm-hearted guy was feeling a bit uncomfortable.

He jumped off the chair, extending his injured hand forward to prevent blood from staining his clothes: "Don't be too touched, it really doesn't hurt, I'm just used to it."

As he spoke, the huge wound on his hand was healing at a visible speed.

"...What is this, what kind of Sacrifice is this?" Zhao Yijiu's usually indifferent tone faltered for the first time, stammering slightly.

"Mm... Limb regeneration? Something like that, you can only use it... three times per trial." Yu Xing pondered for a moment.

Zhao Yijiu's temple twitched upon hearing this.

Was the uncertainty in his tone so obvious that he thought he was deaf?

In just a few seconds, Yu Xing's hand returned to normal, leaving no scar. Zhao Yijiu's heart tightened, thinking that this person had far too many secrets.

"Alright, look, it healed quickly, don't dwell on it." Yu Xing flexed his wrist and fingers, smiling with satisfaction, "Let's go to the next attraction."

The next attraction was near the drop tower.

From the drop tower, the two had a clear view of most of the park's layout and knew where the facilities were.

As they left the drop tower, the information on the sign changed, indicating that the clue for this attraction had been obtained and it was temporarily closed.

Then they walked to the left, crossed a small bridge, and arrived at the attraction on the other side.

This attraction seemed to have the smallest footprint and was also something visible outside of amusement parks – a claw machine.

Several claw machines were lined up side-by-side, with large plush toy heads, identical to Alice's, placed on top. Small red and black flags swayed, and cheerful music played from somewhere.

Yu Xing listened for a moment; it seemed to be a distorted instrumental version of the English song "Hide and Seek." Besides being cheerful, it had a strange, sharp, and dangerous feel, especially eerie in the empty, deserted area.

Although not terrified, he narrowed his eyes slightly: "Are you sure about playing this?"

"What, do you have this 'only play claw machines with your girlfriend' kind of notion?" Zhao Yijiu simply chose this one because it was the closest and there were no signs of anyone else having played it. He had already recovered from his shock and returned to his usual indifferent state.

The sign read:

[This attraction requires two people to start, with a maximum of three. Visitors who are irritable and easily angered are asked to experience this attraction calmly.]

[Rules: Visitors will receive ten free game tokens. One token can be used for one game. You must win three times out of ten to obtain the clue.]

Below the sign, a mechanical gear cup held ten game tokens.

"Of course, I don't have that kind of weird notion. I don't even meet the prerequisite – I need a girlfriend first." Yu Xing said helplessly, his expression a bit strange, "Can you play claw machines?"

Zhao Yijiu didn't answer him. Instead, he picked up the cup, pushed open the railing, and walked to a claw machine.

The music grew louder. Inside the machine, dark masses lay still, arranged in an orderly fashion.

Yu Xing followed, glancing casually, and gasped: "My goodness, it's terrifying, they're human heads!"

That's right, neatly arranged inside the claw machines were human heads of varying appearances and expressions.

Each head was half flesh and blood, and half mechanical, with gears, rings, and pipes intertwined, a perfect fusion of horror and art.

It was just a bit gruesome.

"Human heads are so cute, how can we grab human heads! How about we switch to another attraction..." Yu Xing plucked a small flag from the claw machine and waved it in his hand.

"..." Zhao Yijiu found this situation hard to describe.

Was this guy's drama queen ability acting up so suddenly?

He ignored the man, inserted a coin, and attempted to operate the metal claw used for grabbing plush toys.

This was his first time touching a claw machine. The metal claw moved over a short-haired human head. He pressed the button, and the metal claw slowly descended, picking up the head.

As soon as it reached mid-air, the head dropped.

"It's hard, isn't it?" Yu Xing gloated from the side.

"It's my first time playing," Zhao Yijiu said seriously, "I should have a feel for it now."

"Oh, Brother Jiu, I want to discuss something with you." Yu Xing leaned against the claw machine, watching Zhao Yijiu insert another coin and accurately grab a long-haired human head that was half mechanical and half decayed. He steadily moved the head towards the exit--

Clang! The head dropped, its bloodshot eyes staring, the flesh and bone at its neck cut open, aimed at the two of them.

"..." Zhao Yijiu rubbed his temples with a headache and inserted another coin, "There are only the two of us here, don't call me Brother Jiu, who are you trying to annoy?"

"Is this annoying you?" Yu Xing asked in surprise, "I thought a cold and aloof big shot like you would prefer a more respectful title."

"I'm a big shot, am I inferior to you?" Zhao Yijiu retorted sarcastically, then bent down, intently staring at the head he had just grabbed in the claw machine, operating the mechanical arm with a serious expression--

Clang!

"..."

The human head was smashed onto the machine again. Whether it was an illusion or not, Yu Xing seemed to see the expression on the human head becoming even more ferocious.

"Your turn, I... can't grab it." Zhao Yijiu decisively gave up and looked at Yu Xing.

"Hmph, claw machines and such," Yu Xing didn't even move, his expression carrying the superiority of someone who's been there. "You know, when you want to impress a girl, taking her to play claw machines is a very effective choice. Practicing your claw machine skills can leave a great impression on her."

"Stop with the nonsense. I don't want to impress any girls, so please use your claw machine skills to get the clue as soon as possible," Zhao Yijiu said coldly.

"Enmmm..." Yu Xing averted his gaze. "I was just saying that. I can't do it either."

Where did your superiority come from if you can't do it?!

Wait, is the reason you've been so fixated on changing the game because you can't play claw machines?!

Zhao Yijiu felt that since meeting this person, his internal monologue had become much richer than before. Truly, bad friendships.

Hmm, maybe not even friends yet.

Yu Xing rubbed the tip of his nose and looked at the claw machine with disdain.

Since a long time ago, he knew he had no talent for claw machines. A few years ago, he took Zhu Yan, who had just graduated from junior high, to the mall. Zhu Yan took a liking to a plush doll in the claw machine, and the attempt to grab it almost drove him mad.

That mall was almost destroyed. It was just that close. The mall manager should be grateful to young Zhu Yan for her strong dissuasion at the time.

This thing is truly anti-human. Well, it's also possible that Yu Xing himself is more anti-human. In any case, he dared to guarantee that Zhao Yijiu's first attempt at claw machines was already many times better than his own.

"Annoying. Claw machines rank in the top three of my untalented skills," Yu Xing said lethargically, refusing Zhao Yijiu's attempt to hand him coins. "Hey, don't grab it for now. You interrupted me earlier, and I hadn't finished speaking. I wanted to discuss something with you!"

When Wang Jue arrived at the claw machine, panting, he saw the terrifying gazes that Yu Xing and Zhao Yijiu cast at him, as if they were looking at prey.

He paused, almost turning back the way he came.

Whoa, the killer doesn't want to hide anymore?

That's not right, there are two of them, so they can't both be the killer.

After thinking about it, Wang Jue stopped and hesitantly walked forward. "Hello there. No, what's with those eyes..."

"A savior," Yu Xing sighed.

"Mm," Zhao Yijiu nodded.

Wang Jue stared at them, bewildered.

"Here, this is for you. We can't grab it." Yu Xing stuffed the gear cup with the remaining five coins into his hand and pushed him towards the claw machine. "Heaven will bestow a great task upon this person; first, it must subject them to hardship and trials to test their resolve. They must first catch the human head doll."