19:58:45
Everyone sat quietly around the long table, waiting in silence.
The great hall was deathly still, not a word spoken.
The digital clock’s numbers changed second by second.
Some wished time would speed up, while others hoped it would slow down—ideally, even flow backward.
Zhang Huiran looked extremely tense.
Although the room wasn’t warm, sweat beaded on her face, soaking through her thin clothes.
Her underwear was faintly visible, exuding an alluring charm.
Player 1, Zhou Wei, placed his hands on the table, rhythmically tapping the tabletop with his right index finger. He appeared quite anxious.
Player 3, Qian Min, sat sideways, positioned just right to see the red digits on the digital clock. His face looked haggard—perhaps he hadn’t rested well?
Players 5 and 6, a young couple, seemed to be in conflict. Both had turned their faces away, ignoring each other. Yet Player 5’s lecherous eyes remained fixed on Zhang Huiran’s chest, unable to look away.
Player 7, Ragna, leaned casually against the back of his chair, his left leg twitching involuntarily.
Player 8, Huang Waikai, was nervous—perhaps because he had a reason to be attacked. Being a chef skilled with knives, the thought of killers using blades unsettled him.
Even though he knew Player 2 was most likely to be voted out today, the worry in his heart wouldn’t fade.
Player 9, Hua Ru, kept her head lowered as usual, shy and reserved.
She had done what she needed to do; now it was time to see the results.
The four killers should all be safe by now—a very favorable situation.
Player 10, Liu Qingzhu, was still smoking, tilting his head back in a carefree, dashing manner. Nobody could tell what he was thinking.
His decadent air gave no hint of danger, yet such a man was extremely perilous—he could push someone to the brink with just a few words.
Player 11, Xuanyuan Najiang, looked as if everyone owed him something.
He defined himself as a “good person.”
Whether he was acting or it was his true nature, most people’s impression of him leaned toward good.
Being a teacher naturally drew respect and goodwill.
Today’s display of righteousness added points to his image.
Unfortunately, his one explosive outburst at Zhang Huiran ruined his reputation.
Otherwise, people might have seen him as a good man rather than just somewhat leaning that way.
Player 12, Xukesi, still had a swollen face.
He was handsome, but the half of his face puffed up by bruises dulled his charm.
Every time people saw his miserable appearance, they couldn’t help but chuckle.
His injury hadn’t raised suspicion—at least openly no one doubted him.
Only Player 1, Zhou Wei, asked about the wound during the morning investigation of the murder scene; nobody else said anything.
Player 14, Yelena, sat bored in her chair.
It was a bit uncomfortable for her.
Though she was only about ten centimeters shorter than Hua Ru, it didn’t matter much normally. But sitting on this high chair made the difference obvious.
She could barely touch the floor with her toes, unable to support the weight of her legs with her feet, making it quite tiring.
Player 15’s seat was empty—a silent warning reminding everyone that several killers were lurking among them, ready to strike if they weren’t careful.
20:00:00
The system neither delayed nor started early.
At exactly 8 p.m., the system’s cold voice echoed immediately.
Along with the sound, dazzling text floated in the air. If Yelena was a girl with her own cute BGM, then the system was a robot with built-in text effects.
“System Notice: The voting phase now begins. Voting will be open for four hours. The voting will end either when time expires or when one player is voted out.”
“Special Rule 1: All players may participate in voting.”
“Special Rule 1 Explanation 1: Voting panels can only be opened in the hall.”
“Special Rule 1 Explanation 2: Each player has one vote.”
“Special Rule 1 Explanation 3: Votes are anonymous during the voting phase. Votes will be revealed after this round.”
“Special Rule 1 Explanation 4: Each player can only see their own voting panel; others are invisible.”
“Special Rule 1 Explanation 5: If there is a tie, a new voting phase will occur only among the tied players.”
“Special Rule 1 Explanation 6: A maximum of one player may be voted out per day.”
“Special Rule 1 Explanation 7: The player with the highest votes will be forcibly eliminated, considered dead, and will not enjoy any rewards of the winning team.”
“Special Rule 1 Explanation 8: If no player is voted out by midnight, the player with the highest votes will be automatically eliminated.”
As the system’s message appeared, a translucent voting control panel showed up in midair.
It was simple, displaying each player’s front-facing portrait—somehow secretly photographed.
Hua Ru’s beautiful face stood out, like a crane among chickens.
The panel also displayed two small lines of instructions: Click the portrait of the target you want to vote out, then press the confirm button to complete your vote.
Below that, a larger font read: Total votes: 15. Currently, 15 players have not yet voted.
Some people studied the new rules, while others pondered whom to vote for.
Zhang Huiran grew flustered and was the first to start clicking around on her voting panel.
To the others, it seemed like she was randomly clicking the air—only she could see her own voting interface.
Suddenly, everyone’s panel changed.
The second line of text updated to: Total votes: 15. Currently, 14 players have not yet voted.
There were no other changes—just as the system said, no one could see others’ votes until the round ended.
Zhang Huiran’s action strangely comforted everyone, as if committing a crime without fear of being caught.
Even if discovery was inevitable, as long as it wasn’t immediate, guilt did not settle in.
Within a minute, everyone finished voting.
The moment the last player pressed the confirm button, a translucent statistics panel appeared above the long table, right in the middle of everyone.
It was a simple tally chart.
From left to right were each player’s portraits, Player 1 Zhou Wei first, then Zhang Huiran second…
Above each portrait appeared the portraits and numbers of those who had voted for them.
For Zhang Huiran, above her portrait were Players 6, 7, 12, 14, 8, 10, 3, and 13.
Above Player 10, Liu Qingzhu’s portrait were Players 2, 4, 1, 11, and 16.
Above Player 3, Qian Min’s portrait was Player 5.
Above Player 9, Hua Ru’s portrait was Player 9.
Yes, she had voted for herself.