Bai Ci looked at her in silence, her eyes deep and unreadable.
Lin Wenyu maintained her usual cold demeanor, though her gaze toward Su Xiao held a subtle, barely perceptible scrutiny. She didn't speak, only nodding slightly, as if this outcome didn't surprise her at all.
Out of the corner of her eye, Su Xiao covertly observed their expressions. Bai Ci's composure made her heart race with anxiety, while Lin Wenyu's coldness was even harder to read.
Unsure if her lies had convinced them, she had no choice but to keep crying. She repeatedly emphasized how Wang Qiang had protected her, sacrificed himself, and entrusted his family to her, trying to solidify her fabricated truth.
Finally, under the onslaught of Su Xiao's relentless weeping, Bai Ci's expression softened into a “normal” display of sorrow. She reached out and patted Su Xiao's back, her tone carrying a hint of regret. “My condolences. Wang Qiang... he was a good leader.”
Just then, Bai Ci's phone rang. It was Zhao Lei. “Sister Bai, where did you guys go? I didn't see you at the stairs. The investigators seem to be leaving. Should we go ask what's going on?”
“I'll go check it out. Don't do anything rash,” Lin Wenyu chimed in, since the call was on speaker. Before leaving the room, she looked back at Bai Ci, who gave a slight nod. Only then did she turn and walk out of her room.
“Good girl. You've been through so much. Get some proper rest tonight,” Bai Ci said, matching Su Xiao's performance with her own patient comfort for the “poor” young girl. “There's no rush on the investigation. When you're emotionally unstable, it's easy to overlook things.”
“Sister Bai, if you still need to investigate, go ahead... I-I just want to be alone for a bit. I'll pull myself together... I can't let Brother Wang's sacrifice be in vain. I'll definitely clear this instance... with everyone.” Su Xiao collapsed onto her bed and turned her back to her.
“Alright. I'll leave you be for now. Call or text me if anything comes up.”
Lying on the bed, Su Xiao listened as the door closed before slowly sitting back up. What should she do next?
Just then, a hurried knock sounded at the door. Su Xiao opened it to find Zhao Lei standing outside.
“Sister Bai, I...” Zhao Lei started, but cut himself off when he saw Su Xiao's tear-streaked face. “What happened? Su Xiao, why are you crying?”
At the sight of Zhao Lei, Su Xiao's eyes instantly lit up.
Zhao Lei was impulsive and soft-hearted, making him the easiest person to manipulate with emotions. He was also the only ally she could hope to win over. As long as she had Zhao Lei on her side, she would have an extra layer of security. Even if Bai Ci and Lin Wenyu suspected her, they wouldn't easily make a move against her.
Su Xiao quickly stepped up to Zhao Lei and grabbed his arm, her tears flowing on cue. “Brother Zhao, Brother Wang... he was killed by monsters in the underground passage to protect me.”
Zhao Lei's expression shifted drastically, his face filled with shock. “What? Brother Wang...”
“Would I lie to you?” Su Xiao raised her tearful eyes, her gaze filled with helplessness. “When Brother Wang died, I saw with my own eyes that they weren't sad at all. They were already discussing what to investigate next. We're both newcomers, and we don't have as much experience in these instances as they do. If we keep following them, we might be the next to die.”
“Brother Zhao, we can only rely on ourselves now.” Playing on Zhao Lei's desire to be valued and his fear of being used, she continued, “Sister Bai and Sister Lin are veteran players. They only care about completing the mission; they don't care if us newcomers live or die. Brother Wang is the perfect example. He sacrificed himself to protect me, yet they seemed to take it for granted. Who knows... maybe they'll use us as cannon fodder for their mission in the future.”
Naturally impulsive, Zhao Lei had already harbored resentment over Bai Ci and Lin Wenyu's consistent coldness. Under Su Xiao's instigation, he immediately found her words reasonable. Recalling how he had been left behind to guard a dilapidated hallway, his dissatisfaction instantly boiled over.
“How dare they!” Zhao Lei flared up instantly, his voice thick with agitation. “We're all teammates! Why should they treat us as cannon fodder? Don't worry, Su Xiao. If anyone tries to use us as cannon fodder, they'll have to answer to me!”
Seeing that she had successfully won Zhao Lei over, Su Xiao let out a quiet sigh of relief. She leaned in close to him, deliberately acting fragile and helpless. “Thank you, Brother Zhao. With you here, I feel a little more at ease.”
Out in the hallway, Bai Ci ran into Lin Wenyu, who was leaning against the wall, clearly waiting for her.
Lin Wenyu was the first to break the silence, her tone absolute. “Su Xiao is lying.”
Bai Ci leaned against the wall beside her and nodded slowly, her expression solemn. “I know. There are too many loopholes.”
She paused before methodically analyzing the situation. “Wang Qiang is a veteran who has survived multiple instances. He knows the death mechanics of these instances better than anyone. Judging by his behavior, he didn't look like someone whose points were about to hit zero.”
“If he really knew he was going to die, he would have only told Su Xiao not to feel guilty and to focus on completing the mission to get a higher rating, rather than entrusting his real-world family to her.”
Lin Wenyu sneered, her tone laced with impatience and disgust. “Obviously, someone is an ungrateful backstabber, and Wang Qiang did something to mislead that backstabber to give us a warning. If she hadn't been so eager to put on a show and overcomplicate things, we might have been fooled for a while.”
“Let's not talk about her; it's nauseating.” She paused, then added, “Just now, I slipped near the investigators' temporary resting area and overheard their conversation.”
Lin Wenyu's tone turned grave as she shared what she had overheard. “The investigators found a large quantity of tiny insect wing fragments and residual bodily fluid at the crime scene. They've determined that the victim was eaten to death by an unknown species of swarming insects. The time of death was less than two hours ago.”
“Wing fragments?” Bai Ci's eyes narrowed. “Then Su Xiao probably wasn't lying about seeing bugs. In other words, the victim on the first floor was likely killed by the same insect swarm from the underground passage.”
“Exactly,” Lin Wenyu agreed. “The investigators also mentioned detecting a faint, unusual scent around the corpse—the smell of sandalwood. This proves there is a direct connection between the underground passage and the homicide on the first floor.”
The two exchanged a look, both seeing the gravity of the situation in each other's eyes.
Rate on N.U.
