A Dead End

After his vision went black, Yin Chao returned to the original classroom.

The classroom reeked of smoke and dust. It was empty and dilapidated, with nothing left but clumps of scorched hair piled on the floor.

All the remaining players had gathered here.

"What took you so long?"

The question came from Moqi Xinzhi, whose narrow eyes behind his glasses were full of calculation and scrutiny.

Before Yin Chao could answer, Zhao Guojun charged at him from one side, a short blade in hand.

He seemed intent on killing him.

As one of the Ares Guild's ten aces, Zhao Guojun possessed not only bizarre skills but exceptional agility.

At such close range, with his opponent completely unprepared, Zhao Guojun had a ninety-nine percent chance of killing his target.

Just as everyone thought Yin Chao was certain to die, Luo Lingyue darted in front of him.

Thick, crimson blood streamed down the little silver knife Zhao Guojun had plunged into her chest.

Seeing his attack blocked, Zhao Guojun twisted his lips and spat, "In the way."

He made no further move, retreating to a corner with a dark look in his eyes, as though he were playing a cat-and-mouse game for the pleasure of tormenting and toying with his prey.

No one around them spoke, as if it had nothing to do with them.

Yin Chao reached out to support Luo Lingyue, then took off his school uniform jacket and spread it on the floor, letting her rest against the wall.

Only after doing all this did Yin Chao stand up.

With his hands in his pockets, he strolled leisurely around the classroom as if nothing had happened, like a tourist visiting some ruins.

After he had wandered around a few times, the Ares Guild member who had betrayed Earl finally lost his composure and snapped, his face pale.

"Can you fucking stop pacing? You're the next one to die!"

An inscrutable smile lingered on Yin Chao's lips. "Then who comes after me?"

The man seemed momentarily stumped by the question, but answered anyway. "Once you're dead, the game will end. Everyone left will survive."

"So that's what you think," he said thoughtfully.

The man grew impatient. Convinced Yin Chao was trying to pull another trick, he stopped responding.

Yin Chao paid no mind to his attitude and continued, "But I have a question. If the White Wolf King self-destructed, why didn't he take the Prophet with him?"

The man frowned, trying to find a reason to refute him.

But it was as though someone had draped a cloth over his train of thought. The answer felt ready to emerge from deep inside him, yet he could never connect the pieces into a complete line of reasoning.

Seeing him struggle, Moqi Xinzhi cut in. "What other reason could there be? This was the right answer, wasn't it?"

"Was it?" Yin Chao's eyes held a mocking, almost amused look. "A Magician who relies on disguise and deception, yet isn't good at lying. I bet you instinctively adjust your glasses whenever you lie, don't you?"

Moqi Xinzhi's right hand, which had just adjusted his glasses, had yet to drop. It froze in midair, trembling slightly.

His smile stiffened. "Of course not. I made the right choice."

Square Face and the Ares Guild member turned to Moqi Xinzhi, their eyes visibly filled with scrutiny and suspicion.

The mask of false kindness on Moqi Xinzhi's face began to crack. He repeated, "I made the right choice. You all know that."

The two who had been wavering moments earlier immediately softened their expressions. They nodded and turned wary gazes on Yin Chao.

It seemed Moqi Xinzhi's skill required constant psychological suggestion. Yin Chao understood now. Thinking back carefully, Moqi Xinzhi had indeed repeated the phrase "the right choice" more than once.

But that wasn't the point right now. He looked at Moqi Xinzhi, who had abandoned his false kindness, his face now clouded with malice.

"Yin Chao, there's no way for you to survive this," he said.

Yin Chao returned to Luo Lingyue's side and asked with a derisive smile, "What about you? Have you still not realized?"

Moqi Xinzhi frowned slightly. "Stop trying to pull tricks. With your current abilities, you can't sway them."

"Heh. Looks like you still don't understand."

Moqi Xinzhi fell silent, allowing Yin Chao to continue.

"This is my second instance. I don't know much about ghosts. You could even call me ignorant. But as it happens, someone in my first instance told me that one of the ways ghosts kill people is through Empathy."

At that, Zhao Guojun was the first to lose patience and interrupt. "Are you saying you entered Empathy in this instance?"

Yin Chao nodded. "I did. I saw Gao Louyu and some other people. More precisely, I saw the ugliness Linmu High School had covered up. The beginning of everything..."

"Do you remember the student who shared his name with Linmu High School?" he asked.

Linmu had left a strong impression. He had played the role of a bullying victim from the very beginning, and everyone present nodded in turn.

Moqi Xinzhi looked puzzled. "What does this have to do with him? Is he an important NPC?"

"No!" Yin Chao cut him off, then raised his chin, a hint of contempt in his eyes. "He is this high school. He is all those sins that were covered up."

The statement was somewhat abstract, but it wasn't difficult to understand.

Everyone pondered it for a moment before Moqi Xinzhi broke the silence. "What does this have to do with Judgment?"

"Didn't the announcement explain the rules when we entered the game?" Yin Chao replied mildly.

Zhao Guojun remembered them clearly. With a scoff, he recited, "There are fifteen of us: five werewolves, five Villagers, and five Special Roles. Help your faction achieve victory. Finally, remember that you must not defy the ghosts' will."

Then he added mockingly, "Don't tell me you're going to say we got the rules wrong?"

Yin Chao nodded, prompting a thunderous burst of laughter from Zhao Guojun.

"Don't be ridiculous, Yin Chao. You might as well tell us you're the Prophet! Hahahahaha!"

As he laughed, Zhao Guojun noticed Moqi Xinzhi's expression growing more grave.

He ventured, "Is there something wrong with the players? Or with the roles?"

Yin Chao was in no hurry. He waited until Zhao Guojun had finished laughing before speaking. "No. It's the latter part: help your faction achieve victory."

"What's wrong with that? The Werewolf Faction and the Good Faction, right?" Zhao Guojun replied.

Yin Chao smiled and looked at the classroom door, its paint badly peeling. "In this game, shouldn't there only be the Ghost Faction and the Human Faction?"

Realization dawned on everyone present, but they still found his explanation somewhat forced.

Given Yin Chao's current predicament, it was hard not to believe this was just an excuse he had come up with.