Chapter 15

Gu Yi’an’s reaction left the Swindler feeling somewhat disappointed. As a result, he immediately shot a hostile look at the Merchant.
The Merchant had initially held a favorable impression of the Swindler.
Earlier, the Swindler had gathered the experienced players for a talk, which had earned him a great deal of goodwill for his enthusiasm and honesty.
The Merchant, who had been in a sour mood, brightened up at the sight of the Swindler’s expression.
His eyes shifted between Gu Yi’an and the Swindler before he said to the latter, “You don’t want me playing the third wheel, do you? Well, I’m determined to be that third wheel now.”
Gu Yi’an knew right away that the Merchant had misunderstood again.
She didn’t feel particularly embarrassed.
In every game, the teammates she encountered were different. Just meeting once was a stroke of fate.
She quite liked the Swindler as a teammate.
By a stroke of luck, the Swindler’s actions had convinced the Merchant to re-enter the office building with them. Gu Yi’an didn’t hesitate to give him an appreciative glance.
The Swindler’s disappointment vanished, and he stood energetically beside Gu Yi’an once more, looking like a bodyguard.
The sky was still bright, and there was no telling when night would fall again.
It could be the next second, or it might take a while longer.
Gu Yi’an didn’t have a watch or any other timekeeping tool, so she couldn’t be sure if her earlier estimate of the time was accurate.
All they could do now was wait.
After a moment’s thought, Gu Yi’an decided to take the initiative and said, “Mr. Merchant, the log I have records the incident of a student’s accidental death. It’s possible that the person responsible for the records was the only one doing it, so he wrote it like a personal diary and ended up recording the truth.”
"The first female student who died was not an accident, but a victim of school bullying."
As soon as Gu Yi'an spoke, the Merchant knew she intended to exchange information with him.
Hearing this, the corner of his lips tWitched, but he remained silent.
Gu Yi'an noticed the Merchant's reaction.
She paid it no mind and continued, "From a certain day onward, a rumor spread across the campus: the deceased female student would return as a demon to seek revenge. Then, the demon arrived, and within just one week, over a hundred students died. Not all of them were the bullies who perpetrated the violence, most were bystanders. They witnessed the violence, feared being implicated, and chose to turn a blind eye."
The Merchant chuckled wryly, "Although you're recounting events, I can't help but feel you're indirectly criticizing me. Enough of that. I've already agreed to go in with you."
Since Gu Yi'an had shown sincerity, the Merchant recalled his own findings and added, "Some of my information overlaps with yours. What I found were documents collected by the dean. He discovered a rumor among the students: summoning a demon from hell and offering one's soul in exchange for the chance to exact revenge on those who bullied them."
The Swindler smirked mockingly.
Gu Yi'an said, "It seems they really summoned a demon. That aligns with my thoughts. This must be the connection between Mr. Demon and the little girl. Did you find out how to summon the demon?"
The Merchant was about to speak when the sky abruptly darkened.
A faint glow emerged from ahead.
The brightly lit office building reappeared before Gu Yi'an.
The third night had arrived.
Unlike the first time Gu Yi'an saw the office building, when it appeared completely empty at a glance, this time she first noticed three players sitting dejectedly at the entrance.
On the electronic display screen above the door, numerous red LED components formed a sentence:
"You will all die!"
The eerie red light cast a strange glow on the three players' faces.
Behind them, countless incorporeal shadows flickered.
Those must be the ghosts.
The ghosts seemed to fear something, circling restlessly behind the three players.
The changes outside were almost instantly noticed by the three players and the ghosts.
They immediately turned to look at Gu Yi'an and the others.
This time, both sides' expressions shifted.
Gu Yi'an frowned slightly; she hadn't expected all three players in the office building to still be alive.
It was the third night.
According to Mr. Demon's rule of one death per day, only five players should have survived.
Yet, with three on her side and three in the office building, all six players were still alive, something was very wrong.
The Merchant glanced at the three disheveled players across from them, then at Gu Yi'an and the Swindler, who looked as clean and relaxed as if they were on vacation.
He said nothing, but his expression grew more wary of the others.
The three players sitting by the office building entrance stood up.
They were likely thinking the same as Gu Yi'an.
There was an extra player.
Among the three, the only female player, the one holding the Witch card, stepped down from the stairs first.
Following her lead, the two male players hurried after her.
As the Witch walked, the shadowy figures behind them advanced in sync. The moment they stepped away from the gate, countless phantoms found an exit, gushing out from the sides.
A fierce wind materialized out of nowhere, howling violently.
Yet, within the circular space centered around the Witch and encompassing Gu Yi'an and the other four, not a trace of the gale's influence could be felt.
Gu Yi'an watched as the Witch and the other two players approached.
She observed the three of them closely.
The Witch appeared slightly more disheveled than when they first met but still carried an air of elegance.
She got straight to the point: "One of you is a ghost."
Around them, the wind wailed mournfully.
However, it did not hinder the conversation among the six players.
Gu Yi'an didn't spot any special items on the Witch, leading her to suspect that the Witch might have other means to keep ghosts at bay.
Upon hearing the Witch's words, the Swindler retorted, "Why couldn't it be one of you?"
He added, "The Thief, the Merchant, and I are planning to go back inside."
The Witch scrutinized Gu Yi'an and the other two carefully.
Confusion flickered in her eyes.
From her perspective, the Swindler, Gu Yi'an, and the Merchant showed no signs of being replaced.
The Swindler was enthusiastic and straightforward, Gu Yi'an remained calm and composed, and the Merchant was cautious and careful, none of them seemed like impostors.
Meanwhile, Gu Yi'an had already formed some suspicions the moment she saw the Witch and her companions.
Sometimes, it's better to be a little oblivious.
So, she brushed past the topic and said, "Let's assume we've temporarily escaped everything. No one died on the second night. According to the death list, the Thief was supposed to die on the second night. Now that the Thief has survived the second night, the death will carry over to the third night. The one to die on the third night will still be the Thief."
Gu Yi'an's gaze fell upon the sharp-faced, shifty-eyed man standing beside the Witch.
He averted his eyes, avoiding her stare.
Gu Yi'an paused briefly before continuing, "You must have searched for clues as well. The key to clearing the game lies with that little girl. It seems she's already realized this and has hidden her true form. The Merchant, the Swindler, and I plan to go inside and look for her. What about you?"
The sharp-faced man immediately spoke up, "We're not going. If you want to die, go ahead and do it yourselves."
The other boy, who appeared timid and held a Student card, was startled by his companion's outburst and quickly looked to the Witch for guidance.
The Witch had likely harbored some dissatisfaction with this companion for a while.
She turned to the sharp-faced man, raised her voice slightly, and stated calmly but firmly, "Sage. You cannot make decisions for us."
The sharp-featured man was adept at reading the room. His eyes darted around as he spoke in a submissive tone, "We've already found the right clue. Why waste time here with them?"
Gu Yi'an looked into the distance, a pitch-black expanse where no one knew what lurked in the darkness.
She said to the Witch, "You plan to dig up the body now? I advise against it."
The Witch smiled and stated with certainty, "You've also uncovered the truth behind that girl's death."
"It's not that hard," Gu Yi'an replied. "The scripts arranged by the gods are never difficult. What's difficult is the unknown. We know nothing about it, and the unknown is what inspires the most fear."
She lifted her gaze, sweeping it over the Witch and the other two. "We've found a bit more clues than you. You're thinking of using the body as evidence to clarify the truth of the little girl's death, right?"
The boy holding the Student card couldn't hide his expression at all; his shocked look clearly told Gu Yi'an one thing, she had guessed correctly.
The Witch remained calm. Even though her next move had been deduced, she showed no panic and instead smiled, "It seems we've been searching for clues in the wrong direction all this time."
Gu Yi'an said, "That's their cunning, leading you to partial clues and pushing you to the brink. Being on the outside, I can see it more clearly."
The Witch pondered and asked, "Why help us?"
Gu Yi'an wasn't bothered by the suspicion; she had her own motives anyway. "Which reason would you like to hear? That we're all players, and having more people makes it easier to find clues? Or that I'm worried you'll cause trouble and make the little girl even stronger? In fact, both are considerations for me."
After hearing this, the Witch made a decision. "I'll go in with you."
Her words completely took the Student and the sharp-featured man by surprise.
The Student trembled with fear, not daring to voice his thoughts.
The sharp-featured man grew angry, but the situation was pressing, they had relied on the Witch to evade the ghosts. He grumbled resentfully, "So what if she guessed our plan? It wasn't hard to figure out. Why believe everything she says? What if she's lying?"
The Witch said calmly, "I trust my own judgment."
The sharp-featured man had nothing more to say.
The six players reached a consensus and, with the Witch at the center, began moving back toward the office building.
Just then, the sharp-featured man let out a piercing scream.
"No!"
The attention of all the players snapped toward him.
They saw his hands moving uncontrollably toward his own neck, clamping down.
His grip tightened bit by bit, his face turning a mottled shade of blue and red.
The Merchant tried to approach but was instantly repelled by an invisible barrier.
This meant everyone could only watch helplessly as the sharp-featured man died.
For the players, this scene was truly too cruel.
Gu Yi'an stared blankly when a cold hand gently covered her eyes.
Her vision plunged into darkness and her world became silent and empty.
The scammer's voice sounded softly by her ear, a voice that sounded gentle.
"Don't be afraid."
It was impossible to tell how much time had passed.
The Swindler's hand withdrew.
The sky had returned to daylight.
The Witch and the Merchant were gathered around the corpse, examining it.
The Merchant felt puzzled. He looked at the Sage card in his hand and said, "With you, the Witch, here, he couldn't have been killed by a ghost. Since we all need to enter the office building, it's unlikely a player did it. That only leaves Mr. Demon. But according to his death list, the Sage should have died after you, the Thief, and the Swindler. There's no way they should be dead already."