At this moment, they had no voting tools in their hands. Was it possible they were supposed to just point at the person they wanted to vote for?
Wasn't that a bit too crude? Would the rules even recognize it? If there was no reaction, wouldn't it be incredibly awkward?
Fortunately, the game didn't leave them wondering for long.
Just as everyone was looking at each other in hesitation, besides the three green candles already burning on the table, all the other numbered candles suddenly flickered back to life with a pale yellow glow.
These pale yellow flames weren't cold and eerie like the three green ones; instead, they carried a faint, weak warmth.
But strangely, they weren't fixed to the candle holders. Instead, they floated slightly, about an inch away from the wicks, trembling gently like tiny, pulsing sparks.
Next to Ren Yi, Player 4 jumped in surprise. His mouth moved as if he were saying something, but still, no sound came out.
It seemed the silence rule was still in effect during the voting period.
He instinctively raised his hand and waved it, looking a bit afraid of the flame, as if trying to shoo it away.
The moment he waved his hand, the cluster of pale yellow sparks suddenly drifted up, moving half an inch in the direction his hand had moved, as if being drawn by his gesture.
Player 4 was startled by this sudden movement.
By now, everyone understood how to use these flames. They began to tentatively gesture at the floating sparks in front of them.
For a moment, the scene looked like a bizarre, silent firework display.
【Holy crap! This voting method is so cool!】
Lu Zihan sent a message rapidly in the group chat, commanding the flame in front of him to move up and down, clearly having the time of his life.
Ren Yi looked at the cluster of green flame in front of him, which remained "ordinary" and showed no sign of floating. He felt a strange sense of regret.
Well, as one of those lousy Candidates, he couldn't vote, which meant he didn't even have the right to play with the candlelight.
On the floor, everyone quickly figured out the rules and began casting their votes.
Clusters of pale yellow flames darted across the tabletop, weaving back and forth so quickly it made Ren Yi a bit dizzy.
Whenever a pale yellow flame merged into the green flame in front of a Candidate, the corresponding green candle would burn a bit brighter. The vote count was clear at a glance.
Ren Yi had nothing to do, so he simply leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, quietly watching the scene unfold.
Players 1, 4, 8, 11, and 12 voted for Player 7, Zhang Qiuqiu. Players 2, 5, 6, and 10 voted for Player 9.
As for his Player 3, as expected, he didn't receive a single vote, having been ignored the entire time.
Ren Yi watched the originally weak green flame in front of him slowly extinguish after the voting ended. There was no disappointment in his eyes; instead, they were filled with thought.
That was a bit close. Luckily, Zhang Qiuqiu still won and secured the Leader identity.
The old man, Player 10, probably voted for 9 just to save face, so the number of people who actually stood on the right side was even fewer.
At this moment, a perfectly timed look of joy appeared on Zhang Qiuqiu's face. She bowed slightly to those who had voted for her, her expression full of gratitude.
Weak yet sincere—it fit her persona perfectly.
Suddenly, Ren Yi felt his throat loosen. The feeling of being forcibly "muzzled" by the rules, unable to speak freely, had completely vanished.
Is it over?
The election process of the game had indeed reached its end, but the issues of room allocation and drawing lots had not yet been resolved. There were even more important things to do next.
Just as he was about to speak, a rhythmic sound of mechanical friction suddenly echoed from all around.
Then, a bizarre scene unfolded.
The surrounding furnishings of the banquet hall began to move as if controlled by an invisible hand.
Tables, chairs, ornaments, and decorations—everything moved in an orderly fashion, like scenery mechanisms on a stage.
The curtains were pulled open with a loud "swish." The food and candle holders on the table dropped precisely into hollow openings that suddenly appeared in the floor, vanishing without a trace.
Only those ten keys remained, lying lonely on the table.
Ren Yi raised an eyebrow.
So all these decorations were just there to set the mood from beginning to end? They didn't have a single practical use?
He had been curious earlier if the food was edible. Now that it was gone, he actually felt a bit of an urge to try it.
However, aside from him, no one else was focused on such trivial details.
The moment the curtains were pulled back, the pale yellow but still scorching light from outside suddenly flooded in. Having been in the dark for so long, everyone squinted and instinctively raised their hands to block the light.
Following the light out the window, they saw a dark red half-sun resting on the distant horizon. It was slowly sinking at a speed visible to the naked eye. The sky was gradually being shrouded in twilight; darkness was devouring the light bit by bit.
Night is coming.
The already oppressive atmosphere became even more tense at this moment.
Everyone knew that once night fully descended, the Anomalies would begin their move. Tonight, someone was destined to die.
Player 5, the female teacher who had first suggested drawing lots for room allocation, immediately stood up and spoke urgently, "Everyone, we must decide on the room allocation quickly. It's almost dark. If we delay any longer..."
However, before she could even finish her sentence, Player 2, sitting next to Ren Yi, suddenly reached out and snatched the key closest to his left. His movement was fast and ruthless, without the slightest hesitation.
The atmosphere instantly froze, and then a chain reaction followed.
A chaotic clatter of metal erupted in the hall. Everyone who reacted in time immediately lunged forward, frantically grabbing for the nearest key.
Ren Yi was no exception. He acted swiftly, his hand darting out to firmly grab the key in front of him just before another person's hand reached for it half a beat too late.
"This..." Player 4, next to Ren Yi, froze with his hand in mid-air. His mouth hung open, his face pale, his eyes full of panic and helplessness.
"What are you doing!" Player 5, the female teacher, glared at Player 2, the one who had moved first, her voice full of anger and accusation.
"Sir, you are destroying our most precious trust! We all agreed to draw lots, yet you were the first to snatch a key. Are you an Anomaly?"
Player 2 was a boy in his teens with a rebellious look on his face. He shrugged nonchalantly, his tone dismissive.
"Lady, don't give me that high-and-mighty lecture. Didn't you say it would be random?"
"I think this is pretty random. It's randomly allocated based on everyone's instant reaction. Whoever's fast gets one. It's perfectly fair."
"Besides, didn't you get a key too? Since you're so generous and value trust so much, why don't you take the initiative to give up your key and stay with the people who didn't get one?"
Rate on N.U.
