Everyone turned toward the voice. The speaker was a middle-aged man.
Lin Jie curled his lip.
The rules had been perfectly clear: three werewolves, three power roles, three villagers.
The power roles and villagers were all on the good team.
If the werewolves killed all the villagers or all the power roles, the werewolves won.
If the good team executed all the werewolves, the good team won.
What else was there to ask?
Besides, even if he had a question, he should not have asked it like that.
Because this behavior broke a cardinal rule of Werewolf-
Drawing attention to yourself.
When nobody knew anyone else, the first person to stand out could easily become everyone's target.
The Seer would be tempted to check him. The werewolves were also very likely to choose him as their prey.
But the middle-aged man paid no attention to the looks from those around him and insisted:
"I have a question."
The man's voice was deep and rough, every word clear.
"What happens if someone is killed during the game?" the man asked, looking at God.
God smiled slightly. "What else could happen?"
"When people are killed, they die."
"If the werewolves kill you during the game, or you are executed during the day, you will likewise-"
"Have your soul scattered."
After hearing God's words, everyone showed varying degrees of fear.
Lin Jie frowned.
This completely changed the nature of the game.
Originally, Werewolf was a battle between teams.
To secure victory for the good team, villagers could sacrifice themselves, taking a blade for important power roles.
Now, it had become an individual battle.
Rather than their team's victory, everyone's first concern would be how to survive.
Even if the "good team" ultimately won, someone killed along the way would still have no chance at rebirth.
"All right, that should clear up everyone's questions, shouldn't it?"
God surveyed them again.
"Now, we begin the most important part of Werewolf:"
"Dealing the role cards."
With a wave of his hand, nine black cards appeared out of thin air in God's hand.
Everyone began to grow nervous.
Whether they were young people who had played Werewolf before or middle-aged and elderly people encountering it for the first time, they all understood one thing:
The roles they received would largely determine whether they won or lost this game.
Players who received villager cards would essentially be at the werewolves' mercy.
Players who received werewolf cards would have the right to knife people at night, an enormous advantage.
"Before that, however, there is something you must all do to prepare:"
"Introduce yourselves." God placed the cards in his hand in front of him.
"Tell us your name, your occupation, and your cause of death."
"I will choose suitable role cards for you based on how compelling your introductions are."
"I look forward to your performances."
Lin Jie was surprised to hear this.
The role cards would actually be assigned through introductions rather than randomly?
That raised an important question-
What exactly did God mean by how compelling their introductions were?
What kind of introduction would earn someone the Seer or the Witch?
What kind of introduction would earn someone a werewolf card?
And what strategy should Lin Jie himself adopt for his introduction?
God made an inviting gesture, signaling the first player to speak.
Lin Jie focused all his attention.
Since God assigned roles through introductions, listening to the other players introduce themselves might allow him to deduce their roles in advance.
The player sitting in seat one was the middle-aged man who had asked the question earlier.
He spoke first.
The middle-aged man looked to be in his forties, with a sturdy build and a booming voice:
"Hello, everyone. My name is Zheng Yi."
"I'm a... public servant. I died in the line of duty."
"A public servant? Died in the line of duty?" someone asked. "Are you a police officer?"
The middle-aged man nodded. "More or less, but that's not quite accurate."
As he spoke, the man took his credentials out of his leather jacket.
He turned them around to display his police badge and rank insignia: two bars and three stars.
"I'm the city police chief."
Someone exclaimed in surprise, and people began whispering among themselves.
Having a police officer present, and a chief at that, gave everyone an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
But Lin Jie shook his head. Unfortunately, the strangeness of this place already exceeded what the police could handle.
Director Zheng continued:
"My cause of death is a long story:"
"As everyone knows, a shocking crime took place today."
"Tonight, a robber broke into a wealthy man's home!"
"That robber was none other than the famous 'LJ.'"
At the name, everyone raised their heads to varying degrees.
"LJ?"
"I heard he's a legendary phantom thief."
"He's stolen countless times without leaving any clues."
"What did that rich man do to get on his bad side? Poor guy."
Director Zheng continued:
"The phantom thief LJ has committed countless perfect crimes. He's been a real headache for us police."
"But this case shouldn't have required my presence."
"However, LJ took a hostage and specifically demanded to see me."
"But when I arrived, he had vanished!"
"The vault had been cleaned out, with nothing but a note left behind."
"The note read: 'With compliments, the phantom thief LJ.'"
"Besides that, there was also a bomb inside the vault!"
"With a deafening blast, a huge burst of fire erupted before my eyes."
"The next time I opened my eyes, I was here."
"I was killed by a bomb. That was my cause of death."
After explaining his cause of death, Director Zheng changed the subject:
"I know everyone's panicking. This is my first time here, too."
"But don't worry. If I get the chance to return to reality, I'll be sure to notify the department and have this place thoroughly investigated!"
He paused, then continued, "I've never played Werewolf before. Today is my first encounter with it."
"I hope I can get a useful role and lead everyone to victory!"
Zheng Yi's speech was every bit as righteous as his name, and quite a few people gave him trusting looks.
Only Lin Jie kept his head lowered in thought: what role would Zheng Yi's introduction earn him?
God smiled and nodded. "Very good, player one, Zheng Yi. Once all the players have finished speaking, I will assign you a suitable role."
"Next player."
The player in seat two was a seductively dressed woman.
She wore heavy makeup and a red, low-cut dress, and her looks were above average.
Seeing quite a few gazes land on her, the seductive woman deliberately thrust out her ample chest.
"My name is Li Xin. My occupation is confidential."
This prompted another round of quiet discussion.
"Hah, looking like that, what respectable job could she possibly have?"
Li Xin, however, paid no mind:
"I've known plenty of men. What I do best is trade my body for things that interest me."
"You know, this figure of mine is a gift from heaven. Wouldn't it be a waste not to put it to good use?"
"As for my cause of death, what a coincidence~"
"I was killed by that bomb, too."
"That day, I happened to be doing some 'work' at that villa."
Everyone knew exactly what she meant by "work."
"What rotten luck. I'd just finished 'working' and hadn't had time to leave when the villa exploded."
"And that's how I lost my life."
"But-"
"I don't hold a grudge against LJ."
Li Xin said affectedly:
"I'd heard of this phantom thief LJ long ago."
"I hear every one of his thefts is flawless, and all he leaves behind is a note."
"He certainly has the police running in circles."
After saying this, Li Xin shot Director Zheng a teasing glance.
Director Zheng gave a dismissive snort.
Li Xin continued:
"Stealing money, setting off explosions-there's a dangerous allure to it."
"I'd really love to meet the man who took my life~"
The woman stuck out her tongue and gave what she considered a sexy smile.
But after hearing her introduction, Lin Jie's brow tightened.
Li Xin turned to God:
"As for my role, God, just give me whatever you see fit."
She deliberately adjusted her angle to give God a clear view of the "enticing glimpse" at her chest.
This woman even wanted to seduce God.
God still wore the same smile. "A very interesting lady. You will receive a suitable role."
Li Xin smiled at God and winked flirtatiously.
The next player.
Player three was an old man.
He looked extremely old. Almost all his hair had fallen out, leaving only sparse white strands.
His mouth hung half-open, nearly all his teeth were gone, and drool trickled out. He looked like an old man with dementia.
With his eyes half-closed, the old man sat motionless, seemingly asleep.
"Hey, sir, it's your turn," Director Zheng reminded him.
The person beside him also nudged him with an elbow.
But the old man still showed no sign of waking.
"This old man isn't dead, is he?" The person beside him finally lost patience and reached out to push him.
Just as the hand was about to touch him, the old man's eyes suddenly flew wide open without warning!
"Damn, that scared me." The person beside him pulled back his hand.
"Hey, it's your turn to introduce yourself," he urged.
The old man looked around, then did something nobody expected.
He abruptly stood up, waving both hands and shouting:
"Run!"
"We're all going to die!"
"The world is going to be destroyed!"