Just as the first light of dawn filtered through the stained glass of the banquet hall, Ren Yi stepped inside, bathed in the cool morning air.
He had intended to greet everyone first, maintaining his usual gentle and harmless facade, but his gaze swept across the hall and his footsteps came to an immediate halt.
Before the smile could fully spread across his face, it collided with two expressions as dark as ink.
Player 2 stood by the long table, his fingertips white-knuckled as he gripped the hem of his clothes. His face was a sickly pale-green, and his eyes were heavily bloodshot.
Beside him, Player 1, the Locksmith, was equally grim. His brow was knitted into a tight knot, and the aura around him was terrifyingly heavy. It was clear they hadn't slept a wink and had encountered something extremely troublesome.
Ren Yi glanced at the nearby fireplace, which lay in shattered ruins. Even if they had blown that thing up, it shouldn't have warranted such expressions, right?
After a brief moment of confusion, clarity struck his heart. He pieced together the reason in a flash.
So, Player 2 had "once again" stumbled upon the scene of their handiwork?
Whether it was luck or misfortune, he couldn't say. The last time Player 2 "saw" the scene, it had been a performance staged by Zhang Qiuqiu and Lu Zihan; this time, it was the real deal.
The only commonality was that there was either no information or only misleading information to be found.
One could only say that Player 2's luck was truly abysmal.
He immediately suppressed that faint glimmer of understanding in his eyes and swiftly adjusted his expression, letting a perfectly measured amount of surprise show, tinged with a hint of relieved joy.
In everyone’s perception, the ones the Anomaly should have targeted most were the two with special identities: Player 1, the Locksmith, and Player 2, the Peeper.
Since both were safe and sound, others would subconsciously assume it was another peaceful night. No one would immediately think the Anomaly had switched targets to strike a lethal blow.
Before Ren Yi could say anything, Zhang Qiuqiu and Player 6 also entered the banquet hall one after another.
Once the remaining survivors were all present, Player 2 suddenly looked up. His voice was raspy and dry, breaking the dead silence with an irrepressible weight.
"Don't bother waiting. She won't be coming."
As soon as those words left his mouth, the hall fell into an instant hush. Everyone’s eyes fixed on Player 2.
Ren Yi put on a confused expression, though he naturally knew that the "she" Player 2 referred to was Player 5, who had died in her room last night.
Player 2 didn't give the others time to react. His tone suddenly became sharp, filled with a sense of indignant disbelief.
"The Anomaly didn't even choose between me and Player 1 last night. It went straight for a guaranteed target."
"It completely ignored the two of us Specials. There wasn't even a hint of a probe. It was a kill made with total confidence and calculated precision."
He took a deep breath and clutched his head.
"Everyone, today we should first discu—"
He was halfway through his sentence when a sudden change occurred.
Everything inside the banquet hall plunged into a bizarre state of suspension.
It wasn't just stillness; it was a hair-raising stagnation.
Everyone’s movements froze in place, locked in the posture of listening to Player 2. The entire space seemed to have its pause button pressed, becoming terrifyingly silent.
Yet, oddly enough, some things were still moving.
Startled, Ren Yi’s gaze dropped uncontrollably to the floor.
He saw clearly that his own shadow was shortening at a visible speed, shrinking toward his feet before eerily stretching out in the opposite direction.
The bright morning light outside the window underwent a most absurd transformation within a few short breaths.
The sun, which should have been warm and bright, flared with a sudden, blinding intensity like a dying candle, making his eyes ache. Then, it dimmed rapidly, fading into a murky, somber yellow. The entire banquet hall was suddenly draped in an oppressive twilight.
The sun in the sky actually fell like a plummeting meteorite toward the distant horizon without any buffer, finally coming to a halt right at the edge of the world.
Daylight had been crudely and violently forced to its end in just a few heartbeats.
Swoosh—
The sharp sound of fabric sliding rang out. As if a scripted sequence had finished, the heavy black curtains around the banquet hall snapped shut automatically, completely sealing out the last trace of light.
The hall was plunged into darkness, leaving only a stifling silence. Even the air became heavy and viscous.
Ren Yi watched everything in shock, his heart full of surprise.
He knew that daylight held no practical meaning in this Anomaly game, but he never expected the game rules to use such a crude and direct method to force the progression of time.
He had originally thought they would spend at least half the day before entering the speaking phase. Now, the entire day had been skipped.
Was this compensation for the Anomaly’s clues being exposed yesterday, or was the rule system simply getting impatient?
Regardless, the fireplace had already been destroyed by him. Even if there were new clues today, the Participants wouldn't be able to find them.
Only after the curtains were completely sealed did that suffocating atmosphere of stagnation suddenly release.
Time resumed its flow, the air moved again, and the latter half of Player 2’s sentence, which had been stuck in his throat, finally reached everyone’s ears.
"...discuss this."
At this moment, Player 2’s expression was completely frozen. His eyes were filled with shock and bewilderment, clearly caught off guard by this sudden manipulation of the rules.
He opened his mouth, dazed for a long while before he managed to recover, his lips curling into a bitter and helpless arc.
The game rules had completely ignored his will, switching the scene of its own accord.
This time, the rules even skipped the pretense of providing food. Candelabras were brought out and placed in the center of the long table.
Then, the candle in front of Player 2 spontaneously ignited with a whoosh. The dim yellow flame flickered, casting shifting shadows across his face.
The implication seemed to be: Since you were so sincere and proactive in wanting to take the lead, I shall graciously allow you to speak first.
Player 2 stared at the flickering candle flame in front of him and let out a slow sigh, barely managing to suppress the turmoil in his heart as he gradually composed himself.
That moment of the sun stopping and the rules forcibly taking control had indeed caught him by surprise.
Fine then. If he was to speak first, so be it.
Once he had finished sharing all the clues, Player 1, the Locksmith, would take the closing position for the final vote. This process was also reliable.
Rate on N.U.
