Number 10, Liu Qingzhu, and Number 8, Huang Waikai, both arrived, and the four of them formed a small team. Yet, those two men had no idea that there were two female assassins hidden within their ranks.
“Tonight, we vote for Number 2, you all know that, right?” The older man smoked as usual, the stench of the cigarette unpleasant enough that both Yeliena and Hua Ru deliberately kept their distance.
“Why?” Yeliena waved away the drifting smoke with her hand. She still hadn’t quite grasped why they had to vote for Number 2.
“Because she argued with me!” The older man wasn’t angry and didn’t bother explaining further. “Look, I had a fierce fight with her. If they want to vote me out, I have to vote her out first. If I get eliminated, you three lose a vote, and tomorrow, they’ll take turns voting you out, too.”
“Why would they want to vote us out? Didn’t you just argue with her?” Yeliena still didn’t understand the relationship, her intelligence somewhat questionable. Even Huang Waikai found it awkward and looked away.
“Look, everyone around us is watching.” Following the older man’s words, they quietly glanced around. Indeed, many people were paying attention to them. “They all know we’re together, so they want to take all of us down. It’s either us or them!”
“Then can’t we join them?”
Sigh…
Communicating with someone whose intelligence is on a completely different level is incredibly difficult.
This is why trolls drag others down to their level when they insult them. Without matching intellect, conversation becomes frustrating.
The assassins refused to talk with Yeliena for this very reason—they’d rather pretend there were only three assassins than let that Russian girl help.
At most, she could assist with cleanup after the fact; anything more was too risky. They just hoped she wouldn’t mess things up.
Hua Ru was on high alert, worried that this girl might blurt out things she shouldn’t. So she stood nearby, watching carefully.
After a long discussion, they finally settled the voting plan, and Yeliena more or less understood why they had to vote for Number 2.
“Can you do me a favor and get some water from the kitchen, Xiaona?” The older man’s tone was gentle, almost like a kind father, so warm it made people instinctively lower their guard.
“Okay.” She left happily, heading straight for the kitchen.
The way he sent her off was so simple that both Huang Waikai and Hua Ru immediately noticed.
“This girl is really troublesome. If she’s an assassin, that’d be terrifying. If she’s just acting… tsk tsk… it’s scary to even think about.” Suddenly, the older man muttered something shocking and glanced at Hua Ru, catching her startled expression.
The girl was indeed taken aback—it wasn’t an act. She quickly composed herself and asked in a slightly trembling voice, “You mean… she’s… an assassin?”
Number 10, Liu Qingzhu, didn’t answer right away.
He scanned the girl’s face for about two seconds before switching to a joking tone. “I’m kidding. How could she possibly be an assassin? Right? Honestly, I think Number 11 is more suspicious—more like an assassin.”
Hua Ru fought to steady her racing heart and asked calmly, “Number 11? Who is that?”
“That teacher, something Xuanyuan,” Huang Waikai suddenly chimed in.
“Yeah, Xuanyuan Najiang,” the older man added as he flicked ash from his cigarette, completing the name.
The three fell silent, seemingly waiting for someone to ask a question; otherwise, the conversation would stall.
Hua Ru seemed hesitant to speak, curious but knowing her role meant she shouldn’t pry.
“Remember what Number 3, Qian Min, said this morning when investigating the murder scene? That kid asked about the time—guessing the time of death.”
The older man tapped the table rhythmically with his left fingers, speaking softly so only the three of them could hear.
“Huh? Did he say that?” Huang Waikai looked thoughtful, unable to recall exactly.
“Yes, he did. And someone answered him—do you know who?” The older man teased, withholding the answer.
This was practically beginner-level deduction—barely even deduction. Since they’d just pointed out that Number 11, Xuanyuan Najiang, was suspicious, shifting the topic to the “time” question meant the one who answered Number 3’s question had to be Number 11.
Hua Ru immediately realized what Liu Qingzhu was getting at.
Number 3, Qian Min, had also asked if anyone arrived early at the hall, but no one answered. Since the rooms supposedly had no clocks, time had to be estimated roughly by the light.
So how did Number 11, Xuanyuan Najiang, know the exact time?
Because he had been to the hall early, before everyone gathered at the crime scene.
Whether he was the assassin was another matter, but he definitely visited the hall and concealed this fact.
Last night, there was some flour near the stairs—a trap that could leave footprints if the assassin stepped on it. Thankfully, Hua Ru noticed and avoided it.
But by morning, when everyone arrived at the hall, the flour was gone.
This strongly suggested that Number 11, Xuanyuan Najiang, had been there secretly, removing the flour and thus noticing the electronic clock’s time.
This also explained why the flour disappeared.
Now, there were two possibilities: either Xuanyuan Najiang was the one who sprinkled the flour, or someone else did, and when he arrived at the hall in the morning, he accidentally stepped on it and understood its purpose.
To avoid suspicion, he deliberately removed the flour.
Either way, Number 11 was definitely suspicious.
“That guy probably has some special identity. Let’s keep observing. If he’s not a cop, then he’s very likely the assassin.
He’s just too suspicious.” The older man didn’t suggest voting Number 11 out yet. He wanted to wait and see, perhaps looking for reasons to prove that the high school teacher was a cop.
“So… what do we do tonight?” Hua Ru looked puzzled, playing dumb again.
“Tonight? Stick to the plan and get rid of Number 2. When you sleep, try to block your door somehow, or go look for weapons to defend yourself. After tonight…”
The older man slowly stood up, his face expressionless, but his words were firm and convincing. “After tonight… I’ll be sure who the assassin is.”
Huh? What did that mean?
Hearing Liu Qingzhu’s words, Hua Ru felt both relieved and worried.
Worried because his certainty was too strong, as if he had already locked onto a suspect and would present evidence the next day.
Relieved because since Liu Qingzhu said this openly in front of Huang Waikai and Hua Ru, it meant he trusted them.
Otherwise, if either were the assassin, his statement could be deadly. This was the kind of thing only a cop—or someone very close to the cops—would say. Even if he wasn’t a cop, it would alert the assassin.
So how could he be so sure of the assassin’s identity? What evidence did he have? Or had the police already contacted him and secretly formed an alliance?
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