An Open Scheme?

"Let's discuss it between the two of us. I don't trust anyone else."

A middle-aged man nearby, whom Shen Cheng had identified as an ordinary person, immediately stood up.

The man's surname was Wang. He had a square face and thick eyebrows, and spoke so loudly it was as if he had a built-in loudspeaker.

"That's right! Lin Yang, Brother Cheng is the seer. He's asking you to stay with him because he trusts you! The good guys he's checked can guard the door together and make sure you're safe!"

Lin Yang glanced at him.

Yesterday, this man had still been running errands for the fatty. Today, Shen Cheng had given him an "ordinary person" identity, and even his tone had changed.

Now that he'd been labeled a "good guy," he could straighten his back and boss others around!

"No need. I'm used to being alone," Lin Yang said.

Shen Cheng's expression didn't change, but his fingers tightened slightly around his enamel cup.

"Brother Lin, there's plenty of room in the office. I'll sleep in the corner and you can sleep by the door. We won't bother each other. Besides, there are still three Facelings left. It's safer for two people to stay together."

"No need," Lin Yang said.

The man surnamed Wang slapped a desk. The enamel cup on it jumped, spilling a few drops of yellow water.

"Do you have a problem with Brother Cheng? You were the leader before he came back, and now that he's back, you think he's taken your place, is that it?

"I know you're not happy about it, but Brother Cheng is the seer! He's asking you to stay with him because he thinks highly of you! You can't disregard the bigger picture just to save face, can you?"

The classroom fell silent. Everyone's eyes were on Lin Yang.

It was a crafty thing to say. He had put Lin Yang's refusal down to "face" and "status," and Shen Cheng's invitation down to "trust" and "the bigger picture."

If Lin Yang kept refusing, he would be disregarding the bigger picture.

If Lin Yang agreed, only Lin Yang himself knew what would happen in the office tonight! He might die!

Lin Yang looked at the man surnamed Wang. He had thick eyebrows and a square face, and his eyes gleamed with a somewhat unnatural brightness in the firelight.

Why was this man trying so hard? Was he so grateful because Shen Cheng had given him the identity of a good guy?

Or was it because he was a Faceling just like Shen Cheng? If it was the latter, then all four of the people Shen Cheng had just identified as "ordinary people" might be suspected of being Faceling accomplices.

A Faceling seer giving his own people ordinary person identities was the simplest and safest way to clear their names.

But Lin Yang wouldn't fall for the provocation.

"I said I'm used to being alone." Lin Yang's tone didn't change. "It has nothing to do with status or face."

The fatty stepped forward to smooth things over, thumping a desk leg against the floor.

"All right, all right. Brother Lin's been staying in the storage room and the office since day one. That's just how he is! When have you ever seen him share a room with anyone? He wouldn't even let Liu Yan in!"

Liu Yan rolled her eyes behind him. The fatty continued, waving a hand at the man surnamed Wang.

"Brother Wang, you meant well, and we appreciate it, but Brother Lin really is just used to it. Don't make such a big issue out of it."

Shen Cheng smiled. His smile was gentle, like a magnanimous man offering himself a graceful way out after being turned down.

"It's fine. It's only natural that Brother Lin wants to be alone. He's worked hard these past few days. Let him get some proper rest."

He said the words "worked hard" very softly, but everyone heard them.

That night, Lin Yang didn't return to the office.

He folded his coat into a pillow, walked to the other side of the classroom, and sat down in the empty space beside the two middle-aged men with Yanbian accents.

The two men had been dozing against each other. Sensing someone approach, they opened their eyes at the same time.

The slightly taller man with prominent cheekbones glanced at Lin Yang without saying anything. He merely shifted slightly to make a little room for him.

The slightly shorter man didn't move at all. He simply closed his eyes again.

They didn't say anything, only kept their distance.

Now, apart from those whose identities the seer had checked, everyone was suspected of being a Faceling. Even Lin Yang.

Lin Yang sat down against the wall, draped his coat over himself, and closed his eyes.

He had only one reason for choosing to sleep here: both men had been checked and found to be ordinary people, and they kept everyone at arm's length, making them the least likely to be in league with Shen Cheng.

The enemy of his enemy wasn't necessarily a friend, but at least for this night, they were safe.

The next day, Shen Cheng came to see him. His tone was casual, as if he were discussing something trivial.

"Brother Lin, I want to go check the building across the way today for signs of Facelings. Aren't you the best at finding clues?

"You found the fridge, and you found the keys too. Come with me."

Lin Yang glanced at him.

"I'm not going. I didn't sleep well yesterday, so I'm catching up on sleep."

He knew very well that if he went, he might die!

Shen Cheng glanced at him, nodded, then turned and called a few other people to go with him.

When Shen Cheng returned that evening, he brought back a box of expired biscuits he had found in an office drawer and shared them with everyone.

He didn't look at Lin Yang while handing out the biscuits, but everyone saw that the seer had gone looking for food himself while Lin Yang had slept in the classroom all day.

On the third day, Shen Cheng came again. He had arranged for a few people to fetch water.

"Brother Lin, we need a few more hands at the pond. Come along so you can look out for each other."

"We have enough drinking water," Lin Yang said. "Go tomorrow."

Shen Cheng said nothing. He nodded and left with the others.

But as the man surnamed Wang passed Lin Yang, he snorted. "Who does he think he's fooling? Selfish bastard."

On the fourth day, Shen Cheng asked him to go find food. Lin Yang refused. Shen Cheng asked him to patrol the hallway with another group. Lin Yang refused that too.

He went nowhere. He stayed in the classroom, leaning against the wall and whittling his mop handle. Every now and then, he chatted with the two men from Yanbian.

One of the men from Yanbian said, "Aish! A lot of people are excluding you now."

It was true. Apart from those two, everyone else seemed to be excluding Lin Yang.

This was Shen Cheng's open scheme!

As long as Lin Yang went, he would be killed by the Facelings Shen Cheng had planted!

If Lin Yang didn't go, he would lose people's support. They would think he was being petty and opposing Shen Cheng! They might even suspect he was a Faceling.

Shen Cheng had indeed achieved his goal. The way many people looked at Lin Yang had changed.

Even Liu Jialiang was somewhat puzzled. He didn't understand why Lin Yang kept refusing to follow Shen Cheng's arrangements.

The fatty spoke less to Lin Yang. Occasionally, he would come over to give him a piece of food, then shake his head and leave.

Liu Yan, meanwhile, was glued to Shen Cheng every day, rolling her eyes at Lin Yang in disgust from time to time.

"What are you looking at? You're not the Lin Yang you used to be."

He had been sidelined.

But he wasn't panicking in the slightest. Once the others stopped paying attention to them, he looked at the men from Yanbian, leaned over, and said one last thing.

"Hey, I've told you all this. Give me a straight answer. Do you believe me or not?"

The two men from Yanbian looked grave. "You... are you sure?"

"It'll probably be tomorrow. If it really happens like I said, then do as I told you."

The three had grown a little closer over the past few days. At first, the two men from Yanbian had been wary, but after talking things over for a few days, the way they looked at Shen Cheng had changed. There was a thoughtful look in their eyes when they looked at Lin Yang.

The two nodded. "If it really happens like you said... we'll give it a try. But if it doesn't... friend, we'll kill you."

One of the men from Yanbian patted Lin Yang on the shoulder. His voice was quiet, but utterly cold and sincere.

Lin Yang said nothing and silently tossed the two men half a piece of tentacle meat. "This stuff really lasts."

The two men from Yanbian smiled. "You're not afraid to die, are you?"

Lin Yang said nothing. He quietly took out a piece of clothing wrapped around something and opened it, revealing an axe and a knife inside. He handed them over.

He had found them using the intelligence-checking function two days ago.

"Use these."

The two men took the weapons and exchanged smiles. "Aish! You've got these? Fucking Facelings don't mean shit."