The old man's voice was aged and hoarse. He waved his hands, repeating the same two sentences:
"We're all going to die!"
"The world is going to be destroyed!"
His mouth hung open in a grin, saliva trickling down the wrinkles on his face.
The others were startled by his behavior and exchanged bewildered looks.
When the old man's gaze swept over a certain spot, he suddenly stopped his bizarre behavior.
Then he extended a shriveled finger and pointed straight at someone.
His toothless mouth spread into a grin, and he chuckled:
"You! It's you!"
"You're back!"
"The sinner who caused the world's destruction! He's back!"
"Hehe! Hehehe! He's back!"
Everyone followed the old man's finger and saw a young man sitting upright.
It was Lin Jie.
Lin Jie looked at the finger pointing at him, unsure how to react.
He did not know this old man at all, nor did he understand his crazed words.
Just as Lin Jie was at a loss, someone came to his rescue.
"Shut up!"
The man beside the old man drove an elbow straight into his shoulder.
The old man instantly passed out and slumped in his seat.
"This crazy old man, making all that racket and spouting nonsense. All right, God, carry on."
The man dusted off his hands and sat back down.
"Next player, please continue," God said, continuing to oversee the game.
The next player, Player 4, was the man who had knocked the crazy old man unconscious.
Player 4 was a burly man, probably only in his thirties. He was covered in tattoos and seemed to have a fierce temper.
His face dark, he kept his introduction brief:
"My name is Chen Li. I was a taxi driver. Cause of death: a car crash."
The driver turned to God and said bluntly:
"Listen, God. I want a werewolf role."
With that, he folded his arms and said nothing more.
God neither approved nor disapproved of Chen Li's introduction, merely smiling:
"A very brief and direct introduction. However, I must decide which role to give you."
The next player.
Player 5 was a chubby boy who looked quite young.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Zhu Lun."
"I'm a high school student."
"I had leukemia and couldn't afford the medical bills."
"My parents even sold our home to raise money for my treatment."
"But it was still no use. Treatment after treatment only made my suffering worse and increased the burden on my parents."
"I couldn't bear the torment of my illness, or the sight of my parents spending every day in tears."
"I didn't want to become a burden to my parents."
"I considered suicide."
"But whenever I thought of my parents' faces, I always gave up the idea."
The chubby boy's voice was calm, but everyone listening fell silent.
He had suffered such a calamity at so young an age.
"Today, my condition worsened, and an ambulance was taking me to a new hospital."
"But I no longer wanted to continue treatment."
"At the time, I was thinking, wouldn't it be better if we simply got into a crash and I was killed outright?"
"I never expected my wish to come true."
"A car crashed into us head-on."
"The front ends of both vehicles were smashed to pieces."
"I died on the spot."
The chubby boy fell silent for two seconds, then continued:
"I hope that without me burdening them, my parents can be a little happier."
"I don't want to win, so just give me a villager card."
The chubby boy finished his introduction, and everyone who had listened felt a pang of sorrow for him.
After listening, God smiled and nodded.
"How touching. Such a filial child. I hope he survives, gets cured, and returns to his parents!"
Lin Jie faintly heard comments like these from beside him.
Lin Jie gave a quiet snort inwardly.
Heh. This chubby boy is really something.
Zhu Lun, was it? I'll remember you!
This chubby boy had been playing Werewolf right from the start!
Even his self-introduction was full of lies!
The chubby boy had said that because of his illness, he did not want to come back to life, and being dead was fine.
That was an outright lie.
God had said from the start that only people with an intense obsession with "living" would take part in this kind of game to fight for a chance to start over.
If the chubby boy didn't want to win, why would he join this game?
Ultimately, the chubby boy's performance was nothing but a rhetorical ploy.
Establishing a "kind and filial" image would make the other players like him more.
That first impression could give him every advantage during the later voting rounds of Werewolf!
This chubby boy had even thought of that.
So far, he appeared to be the best at concealing his true self, and the best at playing Werewolf.
If he became Lin Jie's teammate in the same faction, he would be an enormous help in winning the game.
Still, Lin Jie thought, even if they became enemies in opposing factions, it would not be much of a problem.
Lin Jie considered himself an absolute expert at Werewolf. He was confident he would never lose.
"Next player, please introduce yourself."
The next player was Player 6.
She was a girl who looked rather socially anxious.
She grew a little uncomfortable with so many eyes turning toward her.
Her voice sounded nervous. "I... I don't know what to say."
"My name is Xia Qu. I'm eighteen, and I just graduated from high school."
"Tonight, I took a taxi home as usual."
"But on the way home, there was an explosion somewhere!"
"The road was sealed off, and the car was stuck in the middle of the road."
"But the driver had a terrible temper. He even drove against traffic to keep moving forward."
"As a result, we crashed head-on into the ambulance up ahead."
"When I woke up, I found myself here."
"I'm not very good at Werewolf."
"I hope... I don't get a werewolf role."
"If possible, please don't give me a special role either."
"I hope someone smarter and more capable gets those roles and leads everyone to victory."
"I just want to be a villager."
"...That's all for my introduction."
After saying all this, Xia Qu let out a long breath.
Speaking in public seemed to be very difficult for her.
Everyone fell silent after hearing her speak.
Clearly, Players 4, 5, and 6 had died in the same incident.
Player 4 was the taxi driver, Player 5 was the leukemia patient in the ambulance, and Player 6 was the taxi passenger.
They had been in the same car crash and had therefore arrived here together.
Lin Jie, however, was thinking about something else.
Xia Qu's character and personality.
Player 6, Xia Qu, wanted a villager card, just like the chubby boy before her.
The only difference was that the chubby boy's speech had been full of emotional appeals and embellishment.
Xia Qu's speech, on the other hand, was very straightforward.
But this was precisely the kind of genuine speech a normal person would give.
Xia Qu's reason for wanting others to get special-role cards while she took a villager card was also perfectly reasonable.
There had been no excessive description. She had simply spoken her mind.
Thus, Lin Jie judged that, unlike the chubby boy, Xia Qu was sincere and not particularly scheming.
The next player began his introduction.
"Ah, hearing the introductions of the players before me really leaves me with so many mixed feelings!"
A man began introducing himself.
"Because all of you lost your lives, directly or indirectly, to that explosion."
"But I was even unluckier, because-"
"The place that blew up was my home!"