As Player 6 finished speaking, a faint green candle flame flickered to life before her.
From Ren Yi's perspective, things had just become a lot clearer.
So, the Anomalies had happily found the Lost Soul... or had they?
Ren Yi locked eyes with Player 6, who was staring at him with burning intensity. Then, his lips curled into an exaggerated, mocking grin.
While they were locked in a staring contest, a commotion rippled through the surrounding seats.
The players sitting on either side of Ren Yi and Player 6 instinctively scooted away. The harsh sound of stools scraping against the floor echoed through the silence.
No matter how meticulous their thinking or how rational their reasoning, these relatively clever players shared a common realization:
Among these 'people' standing up to claim the role of 'Lost Soul,' there was bound to be an 'Anomaly' among them.
Before this, everyone had been wearing human skin and speaking human words.
For a moment, everyone's subconscious had temporarily ignored the fact that there were 'outsiders' among them.
However, with the appearance of a second 'Lost Soul,' unease blew through the room like a cold draft, sending a bone-chilling shiver through those caught in the nightmare.
Player 6 spent a full five seconds of her precious speaking time staring Ren Yi down, but he didn't react at all.
"Mr. Player 3," she began, her patience clearly wearing thin. "You should have experimented with it just now. We can change our own candles at any time, right?"
"I agree with what Players 4 and 5 said. I don't think you look like the Lost Soul, but you don't look like an Anomaly either."
"So, now that I've stood up, you can stop your act."
Player 6's tone was almost gentle, carrying a hint of 'be good and stop acting out.'
But Ren Yi's grin only widened.
He suddenly reached out a hand. Just as everyone thought he was going to snuff out the candle flame, he slowly brushed his fingers over the outer edge of the fire.
The candlelight flickered. Ren Yi slumped back into his seat like he had no bones, then tilted his head toward Player 6 in a defiant gesture.
His meaning was clear.
Not. A. Chance.
Player 6's expression had relaxed slightly when he reached out, but it immediately contorted following his subsequent actions.
"Hoo..." Player 6 took a deep breath.
"I don't understand your reason for doing this, but since you refuse to give up, in my eyes, you are an Anomaly!"
She averted her gaze, ignoring Ren Yi entirely.
"I agree with Player 5. If we need to assign rooms later, we can do it by drawing lots."
"The discussion about safe rooms was thorough enough earlier, but we won't know for sure until tomorrow when we see what actually happens."
"Now, let me give my assessment of the situation."
"Based on probability, from my position at seat 6, it's likely there are two Anomalies before me and two after me."
Her stern gaze swept across the row of people on Ren Yi's side.
"Starting with those before me, besides Player 3, the ones I suspect most are... Player 1 and Player 4."
"Player 1's bad advice at the start speaks for itself. As for Player 4, are you coasting so hard because you're afraid of being noticed?"
Player 6 was quite aggressive, her cold gaze pressing down on the people in front. Player 4 shrank back even further under her scrutiny.
"As for the people after me, I can't comment yet. We'll leave it at that for now."
Why is this girl playing so aggressively?
Ren Yi plucked a few more strands of his multicolored hair.
This was just the election phase. Given her momentum, if she were Player 12, would she have just pointed out all four Anomalies right out of the gate?
As Player 6 sat down, the candle flame in front of her shrunk back into a small cluster.
Then, Zhang Qiuqiu stood up amidst the suddenly surging light before her eyes.
"I don't quite understand what's going on with the people before me."
She pursed her lips, her face pale and her eyes slightly red. A sense of stubbornness mixed with her fear as she took a deep breath and spoke, enunciating every word.
"But... I am the real Lost Soul!"
At that moment, in the group chat.
Ren Yi sent out a message he had prepared long ago.
【Next, please welcome our class monitor, Ms. Zhang Qiuqiu, to accept her Best Actress award. Everyone, applaud!】
【Keep the formation going below.】
【Applause +1】
【Applause +2】
Zhang Qiuqiu, who was currently speaking, naturally had no idea what was happening in the group chat. She spoke with heartfelt sincerity.
"When I saw the first two people claim to be the Lost Soul, there was a moment where I really didn't want to say anything."
"I thought that maybe some kind-hearted person was trying to confuse the Anomalies for me, or even take the hit..."
"I've played games like this before, and that kind of behavior is common... but if this is a real death game like Player 1 said, then you are truly noble."
She kept her head down, staring intently at the green candle flame in front of her, seemingly afraid to make eye contact with anyone.
"So, please don't be angry about what I'm about to say."
She suddenly looked up, her eyes shimmering and resolute.
"The reason I still stood up is that I'm worried about one possibility..."
"Could it be that both of the people before me are actually Anomalies!"
Beautifully done!
The class monitor was utilizing her unique acting skills—sincere, socially graceful...
And then she turned around and gave her opponent and her teammate each a very fair stab in the back.
Ren Yi rubbed his nose.
He couldn't help it; he had to hide the fact that his lips were twitching from trying not to laugh.
In the chat, Lu Zihan sent a gloating message.
【Stool, you're about to be sacrificed for the greater good by the class monitor.】
Unfortunately, the class monitor, who was deep in her performance, couldn't see the messages and certainly wasn't going to have a change of heart now.
She spoke with a slight stammer, "I was thinking, what if the two before me are both Anomalies trying to lead the narrative?"
"Or what if the Leader role is taken by a good person, but they get voted out later because they can't prove their identity..."
"If that happens, we Humans will definitely be at a disadvantage."
She gritted her teeth slightly. "If my actions interfere with a good person's plan, I am deeply sorry. But I still have to stand up!"
What a pity. If he weren't trying to hide his identity, Ren Yi would have cheered out loud.
Given the circumstances, he had to settle for spamming 'applause' emojis in the group chat.
"At this point, I have to explain to everyone why I am the Lost Soul and the two before me are not."
Zhang Qiuqiu wiped her face, her eyes sincere.
"First, regarding the gentleman at seat 3..." Her gaze landed on Ren Yi, who was fiddling with his hair.
"I think everyone can see that he... doesn't seem normal in the head."
【Hey, guys.】
At that moment, in the chat, Lu Zihan couldn't help but ask a soul-searching question.
【If I get kicked out because I accidentally break character from laughing, will you guys blame me?】
Rate on N.U.
