Number Four

"Judgment begins."

"Night falls. Please close your eyes."

"Werewolves, choose the person you want to kill."

"Witch, please open your eyes. This is the person who died tonight. Will you use your antidote? Will you use your poison?"

"Witch, please close your eyes."

"..."

After going through the sequence, the voice from the loudspeaker slowly announced, "Day breaks. Tonight was a peaceful night."

A smug smile curled Yin Chao's lips, barely visible in the darkness.

"Players, please begin speaking."

The first beam of light fell on Bearded Man again. Unlike the first night, he now bore a scattering of wounds and bloodstains.

It looked as though he had encountered a Hunter.

"I saw player four kill a teammate. I wasn't the only one. Someone else saw it too. Vote for him. Pass."

The second beam of light fell on Liang Chen, who had gone missing.

He had no major wounds. Most of his injuries were left over from his earlier fight with Rat-Headed Man.

The only unusual thing was his mental state.

His expression hovered somewhere between numbness and bewilderment, as though he had overcome eighty-one trials to reach the holy land, only to find the scriptures he received filled with accounts of the Buddha's crimes.

"I... don't have anything to say..."

He fell silent for a long time after that, adding one more sentence only when his speaking time was almost up.

"This is a true judgment. Everyone... is guilty..."

Yin Chao suddenly remembered what Linmu had said when he kept him behind on the first night: "We killed someone."

We, not I.

Player three was the other person who, like Bearded Man, had seen player four kill a teammate.

"I'm the second eyewitness. He killed Xu Huo, the first villager. Four is definitely a wolf. Pass."

When player four's turn came, he was visibly agitated.

"They're both from the Ares Guild! They're obviously working together! I'm the one who actually saw them kill Xu Huo! Vote for them! They're definitely wolves! I've been framed!"

But anyone with eyes could tell something was off about him. Yin Chao sighed. There's no suspense here.

Next was the quiet woman who had previously been following Moqi Xinzhi.

"I... I got separated from Mr. Wanqi and the others earlier, and I saw number four kill someone too. I remember what he looked like..."

It was practically settled that number four was a wolf. The quiet woman stopped looking at his twisted expression beside her and continued.

"I thought I would be the one to die on the second night, because I revealed that I was the Witch. I said that Mr. Wanqi was the person who died on the first night, confirming that he was on the good side. But it wasn't me."

At night, the Witch would learn who had died and could then choose whether to use poison or the antidote.

The quiet woman said, "On the second night, the person who died was Midnight."

She pointed at Midnight, sitting at the far end of the table.

"That's all I have to say. Pass."

The light fell on Yin Chao. He smiled. "Looks like the Guard made a very smart decision."

It sounded as though he was praising the Guard, but he was really praising himself.

In the darkness, Midnight's beating heart felt as though a feather had lightly brushed it. This was a secret that belonged to the two of them.

He lowered his eyes, revealing a hint of a smile he hadn't even noticed himself.

"I hope the werewolves use their brains a little next time they kill someone. Could you stop letting the Guard predict your moves?"

"Pass."

His words were arrogant and cutting, making it hard to tell which side he was on. Many of those present frowned.

Zhao Guojun was next.

He attacked Yin Chao the moment he opened his mouth, implying that Yin Chao was deliberately putting on this act to make people think he wasn't part of the Werewolf Faction.

He spent almost his entire speaking time directing accusations at Yin Chao.

After Zhao Guojun came Moqi Xinzhi.

"I'm the Seer. On the first night, I checked Midnight. After all, he's the 'Killer,' a very popular player. He came back as good, so I didn't reveal myself."

"On the second night, tonight, I checked Yin Chao."

He looked at Yin Chao. His gold-rimmed glasses reflected the overhead light, obscuring his expression.

Yin Chao thought that if a werewolf was claiming to be the Seer to muddy the waters, calling him a wolf while everyone was still uncertain about him would be the best move.

It would build trust while eliminating a player on the Good Faction.

Unfortunately, his role was the Idiot.

If Moqi Xinzhi called him a werewolf and got everyone to vote for him, the real werewolf would inevitably be exposed the moment his Idiot role was revealed.

"He's good."

That was what Moqi Xinzhi said.

A smile touched his lips, as pleasant as a spring breeze.

Yin Chao alone didn't feel that way.

Having been declared good outright, his Idiot role was effectively wasted.

Zhao Guojun, sitting beside him, couldn't accept it either. His furious expression made his displeasure obvious.

"I'm coming forward now because the Werewolf Faction is losing ground, which gives our Good Faction a better chance of winning. I hope everyone keeps up the good work."

"Also, Guard, please protect me on the third night. Pass."

Moqi Xinzhi finished speaking.

Square Face, Skinny Monkey, and Huang Mao came next.

None of their speeches stood out. Only the bruises covering Huang Mao's face gave Yin Chao particular pleasure.

Then it was Midnight's turn.

He remained as taciturn as ever.

Once he finished speaking, they moved on to voting for exile.

As expected, almost every player voted for number four.

Only the defiant Zhao Guojun voted for Yin Chao.

Yin Chao could only feel helpless about it.

Finally, the broadcast pronounced the exile.

Number four was burned alive before everyone's eyes. His hair gradually curled, his skin blackened, and golden fat seeped out...

He danced in the flames, performing a silent scream to the accompaniment of the symphony "Für Elise."

Like a work of art.

Before long, an unpleasant burnt smell filled the air.

It smelled as though someone was rendering fat, rich and greasy.

The quiet woman braced herself against the table and vomited.

Even some veteran players who had experienced all kinds of horror instances went pale.

Yin Chao merely found the smell unpleasant. Otherwise, it really could have been considered a perfect work of art.

He looked at Midnight and found his expression unchanged. He was remarkably calm.

Was his composure abnormal, or was he abnormal to begin with?

Yin Chao had no way of knowing.

There was simply one more thing about Midnight that attracted him.

The more exquisite the wrapping, the more it made him want to peel away the outer layer.

Only after number four had burned to ashes did the broadcast speak again.

"Judgment is over. Good luck to you all."

Everyone vanished from the long table, and once again, Yin Chao remained behind.

"Where did you take Liang Chen?"

Yin Chao got straight to the point.

A pale blue figure appeared in the seat beside him. "To the beginning, of course."

"Only the beginning can reveal the truth, the source of all evil. Isn't that right?"

Linmu said.

Yin Chao didn't know what he meant by the beginning. He only knew that this man always spoke in riddles.

So he asked, "Does it have something to do with Gao Louyu's death?"

Linmu suddenly laughed, his laughter crazed, like a desperate person laughing in the rain in a movie scene.

Yin Chao frowned as an uneasy premonition flashed through his mind.

In the end, Linmu never answered Yin Chao's question. He vanished into the darkness, and Yin Chao returned to the instance.