Suspicion

Chapter 28: Suspicion

"What do you mean by that?" the rich second generation frowned at him. "When the power went out, everyone was near the breaker box. You only came over after you heard the commotion. Who could have split themselves off to go kill someone?"

"I've seen it," Xu Huo said. "What fell should have been the shelf next to the Hot Spring Pool. Du Lanlan and Xia Guo were both killed without even a cry for help. It's highly likely the gap in strength was too great, and there weren't many signs of a struggle around either."

"And that shelf could have fallen over by itself?" Wan Zhikang looked at him like he was taking everyone for fools.

"Someone might have accidentally knocked it over, or the wind could have blown it. There are so many uncertain factors, how can you be sure someone was here when the shelf fell?" Xu Huo said meaningfully. "Using game items can also create an alibi."

The group was stunned, then came to their senses. Right, from the power outage to when they discovered Du and Xia's deaths, there were several minutes in between. Since the two were killed without calling for help or making any sounds of a fight, suddenly knocking over the shelf was very unreasonable. It was like it was deliberately done for the Players to see.

"Maybe it was a coincidence," Abel said. "The stuff here is very old, and soaked in steam. It wouldn't be strange for it to be unsteady."

"Coincidences are one thing," Huang Junjie said. "At the very least, we need to confirm that no Player is suspected of murder, otherwise how can we work together to deal with the Head Chopper Demon?"

"That's the truth," the rich second generation started first. "Before the power outage, I was with Liu Yuanyuan the whole time. Afterwards, when I came out to check the breaker box, I ran into Zhang Xiong."

Zhang Xiong nodded. "When I passed by the corridor, he had just come out, and I saw Liu Yuanyuan smoking."

Liu Yuanyuan also testified. "Zhang Xiong did walk past the door."

"When Zhang Xiong came out, Yuan Yao and I heard the sound," Huang Junjie also said.

Before that, Zhang Xiong, Wan Zhikang, and Abel were in one room, so the three could vouch for each other.

Wang Wei had arrived at the storage room with the university student, but he hesitated before saying, "But before the power outage, he went out for a while."

The university student's expression visibly turned panicked. "It's not me! I didn't kill anyone! Before the power outage, I had already returned to the room! Right when the power went out, I called out to you, and you were still in the bathroom!"

"And the person might not have died after the power outage!" Huang Junjie looked at him warily. "You killed them first, then cut the wires to lure everyone out, and then pretended to come out with Wang Wei."

"It's not me!" the university student suddenly shouted. Before he could continue explaining, Zhang Xiong punched him in the stomach. He curled up, kneeling on the ground, tears and hatred in his eyes. "I said it's not me. If Du Lanlan and the others died before the power outage, then all of you were in your own rooms at that time. No one can prove anything!"

Zhang Xiong grabbed him and lifted him up. "Are you saying we conspired to kill?"

"If it's not the Head Chopper Demon, who has the ability to kill silently, unless it's a group effort!" the university student struggled, and a Fruit Knife suddenly fell from behind his back.

Wan Zhikang grabbed it and demanded angrily, "What's this?"

Before the university student could speak, he took two more punches. Zhang Xiong looked like he was trying to beat him to death. Xu Huo stopped him. "The murder weapon isn't a Fruit Knife."

Du and Xia both had traces of violent chopping on their necks. There was no way a Fruit Knife could do that.

"So what?" Wan Zhikang said. "As long as he can't explain what he was doing before the power outage, he's the prime suspect!"

The university student was now bruised and swollen, looking at Zhang and Wan through slitted eyes. "Only you have an Axe in the Mountain Villa."

"I hid the Fruit Knife for self-defense. I found it in the dining room during the day and was afraid others would see it, so I didn't take it. I only went out at night to get the knife!"

"How could a Fruit Knife chop off a head!"

Almost all the Players had arrived empty-handed. To kill, they needed a tool. Among those present, only Wan Zhikang had a stolen Axe.

"You dare frame me!" Wan Zhikang rushed forward to hit him, but was held back by the rich second generation and Wang Wei. The former said, "You've had it in for those two for a long time, haven't you?"

The blood drained from Wan Zhikang's fat face. "You suspect me?"

The group looked at him in silence, clearly believing what the university student had said. He, along with his roommates Zhang Xiong and Abel, were all suspects.

"Bullshit!" Zhang Xiong roared in anger. "I never lay a hand on women!"

"Absolutely not!" Abel also said hastily. "I also believe in Buddhism. I don't kill!"

The rich second generation sneered. "You foreign devil, what do you know about Buddhism? Only you have the Axe, and the people were killed by an Axe. If it's not you, then who?"

Wan Zhikang was covered in sweat, his eyes darting around wildly. In his panic, he suddenly pointed at Xu Huo. "What about him? And him! He was the only one not in the Mountain Villa just now. He came back from outside. He's the most suspicious one!"

"Zhang Xiong, Abel, and I only met after entering the game. Even if I had a conflict with those two women, how could I convince them to kill with me? What good does it do me if the Players die? I can't beat the Head Chopper Demon anyway!"

"That's right. You didn't show up after the first power outage. You were the only one outside!" Zhang Xiong immediately shifted the blame.

The others turned their gazes to Xu Huo. Huang Junjie looked at him with doubt. "Why did you insist on staying alone in the Wooden Cabin?"

Under normal circumstances, no one would want to be alone in such a dangerous place. But Xu Huo had chosen to stay even when he had the chance to return to the Mountain Villa with them. That in itself was very suspicious.

"I already said why before. I was just curious if that person would come back to life again." Xu Huo was completely unflustered, speaking slowly and deliberately. "Besides, I had just been through a life-or-death struggle and had to dig a hole to bury someone. In that short amount of time, no matter how fast I moved, I couldn't have traveled back and forth to kill three people."

"Oh, and that branch of Plums I broke off from the woods. I have to say, there are quite a few fruit trees here."

The Players were confused.

The university student was a bit too weak. He couldn't even take one punch from Zhang Xiong. It was a stretch to say he had silently killed someone and taken their head alone.

And convincing others to join him wasn't easy either. Just having an Axe didn't prove anything, because by that logic, the Players in the other rooms were just as suspicious. No one could tell if the Players in other rooms had already teamed up.

As for Xu Huo, his time was clearly insufficient. He hadn't returned with Huang Junjie and Yuan Yao after the first power outage, and he had been busy killing and burying someone near the Wooden Cabin. The interval between the two power outages wasn't that long.

For a moment, it seemed like all the Players were suspects, and yet all the Players were also innocent.

"You're overthinking it," Liu Yuanyuan, who had been sitting to the side, spoke up. "There's a Head Chopper Demon in the Mountain Villa, and instead of suspecting it, you're looking for the killer among yourselves?"