Chapter 22

Hearing such words from a gentle person was surprisingly devastating.
Gu Yi'an instinctively wanted to take half a step back, but she restrained herself.
At this moment, she became even more wary of Lu Zize in her heart.
Lu Zize handed the phone back to Gu Yi'an and said, "Leave this matter to me. Don't be afraid, he won't live through tonight."
The matter-of-factness in his words sent a chill down Gu Yi'an's spine. Deciding someone's life so casually.
She maintained her composure, treating it as an ordinary inquiry, "Senior, doesn't his crime seem not worthy of death?"
Lu Zize seemed to have noticed Gu Yi'an's apprehension.
He adjusted his glasses, and the aura around him returned to its previous gentleness, no longer imposing.
He smiled apologetically.
"It seems I still scared you."
Lu Zize recalled, "This person, me, Brother Yong, and Sister Man all know him. He's a peeping tom. He secretly took photos of someone and drove that person to jump off a building. Due to lack of direct evidence, he was released from prison. I just remembered this incident and got so angry. Actually, this evidence isn't enough to sentence him to death. I was just happy that he can be locked up for a while again."
Gu Yi'an didn't know whether Lu Zize was telling the truth or not, his tone when he said that person wouldn't live through the night had sounded quite genuine too.
She could only seriously play the role of a listener.
The other players were also listening attentively.
They had put down what they were doing earlier when Lu Zize was reading the text messages on Gu Yi'an's phone and gathered around to listen to their conversation.
They were equally curious about what Gu Yi'an had encountered staying here alone.
After Lu Zize finished speaking, he seemed to belatedly notice the crowd surrounding him.
He stopped talking with Gu Yi'an and instead addressed everyone, "Dinner will be as you planned earlier. I'll take you to the kitchen first. There are twelve people in total. Tomorrow, there will be one more. Sister Man will also come. When the time comes, don't forget to prepare her portion."
"Brother Lu, don't worry, we won't forget."
Most of the players voiced their assurances.
Lu Zize nodded, apparently reassured.
"That's good, follow me."
He took the lead and the other players immediately followed.
From their behavior, it was clear they had developed strong trust in Lu Zize.
Gu Yi'an was naturally in the group as well.
Soon, someone deliberately moved closer to her.
The female player Tang Jiu intentionally walked alongside Gu Yi'an.
She observed Gu Yi'an's reaction and said casually, "Aren't you curious about what happened while we were out?"
Tang Jiu said mysteriously, "Something you don't know about happened."
Gu Yi'an had never been fond of such deliberately mysterious tactics.
She ignored Tang Jiu.
The group reached the stairwell and was descending the steps.
The lighting in the stairwell was dim and yellow, casting a strange yellowish glow on everyone's faces.
Yet under this yellow light, Gu Yi'an's delicate features appeared even more perfect, accentuating her cool, elegant demeanor.
Looking at a beauty under lamplight, the longer you look, the more beautiful she becomes.
Tang Jiu glanced and said dejectedly, "Forget it. Since you're good-looking, I'll tell you about what happened when we went out. I always feel like something's off."
Gu Yi'an looked at Tang Jiu.
Although there were nine players who went out and nine who returned, they all came back in a sorry state. Their clothes and faces were smudged with stains they might not even have noticed, and upon closer inspection, their faces seemed slightly swollen.
Tang Jiu, who had been neat before, now had a few stray strands of hair hanging over his forehead.
It was clear that their outing had been anything but ordinary.
"Him," Tang Jiu tilted his chin slightly, indicating a certain person leading the way ahead. "He drove us to the market. Since there were too many of us, we split into three cars. I was in the same car as him and two others. On the way, we chatted a bit, he asked about our preferences and shared some of his own."
"When we got to the market, he told us to pick out whatever vegetables we liked, and he’d pay for them using the public meal funds."
The group arrived on the first floor, where several bundles of vegetables were piled up.
Without Lu Zize saying much, a few players stepped forward voluntarily.
They left the office building and walked around to the back.
It was already dark, and the streetlights illuminated the path ahead.
Tang Jiu continued, "To pick out vegetables, we split up. Then, we heard some commotion in one part of the market. The veteran players thought it was a triggered mission event and rushed over immediately. The new players followed when they saw us going. And guess what? It was two meat vendors arguing. The moment we arrived, they assumed we were backup someone had called."
Gu Yi'an listened, unsure of what to say.
Good grief, she had thought something special related to clearing the game had happened.
Turns out, the players had just gotten themselves into trouble by butting in.
"Later, he got us out of there," Tang Jiu said, referring, of course, to Lu Zize.
"He mediated the dispute between the two meat vendors on the spot. One of the vendors, thinking we were really there to help him, even gave us some premium cuts of meat for free."
"After that, we bought some daily necessities. He treated us out of his own pocket. Then we came back."
After finishing his story, Tang Jiu frowned deeply and asked Gu Yi'an, "Don’t you think something’s really off?"
Gu Yi'an said, "What’s off? That it was too normal?"
"Exactly," Tang Jiu replied, as if they were on the same wavelength. "I didn’t realize it until you said it. Don’t you think it was way too normal? If it was going to be like this, why didn’t he want us to go with him in the first place?"
Gu Yi'an's gaze drifted past the few stray strands of hair on Tang Jiu's forehead.
After a moment's thought, she said, "Maybe he thinks you'll cause trouble."
For players to inexplicably get dragged into fights, they were truly exceptional at stirring up trouble.
Hearing this, Tang Jiu was displeased. "Whose side are you on? We're the ones on the same team. Don't you suspect him at all?"
"I'm the same as you."
Of course, Gu Yi'an suspected Lu Zize.
Not only did she suspect Lu Zize, she also suspected Yong Ge. She suspected everyone who wasn't a player.
Gu Yi'an said, "You just asked why he didn't want to bring you along."
The implication was that she was only answering the question Tang Jiu had asked.
Tang Jiu rolled her eyes. "Fine. I was going to give you a piece of candy, but not anymore."
She fished a piece of candy from her pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth.
By then, they had arrived at the door of the single-story building behind the office.
Lu Zize opened the door, turned on the light, and faced the group. "I'll go deal with the peeping issue. I'll be back soon."
One of the male players said, "Brother Lu, you go ahead. Leave everything to us."
Lu Zize smiled faintly, his gaze seemingly brushing past Gu Yi'an before settling on the male player who had spoken.
"If it were only the guys, I wouldn't be at ease. Let's leave the vegetable washing to the more meticulous female players, so no one ends up eating bugs with their greens."
His words earned silent agreement from the male players.
They really weren't patient enough to wash vegetables properly. And vegetables were the most likely to harbor bugs, requiring careful cleaning.
After Lu Zize left, the ten players entered the single-story building.
The space was divided into two areas: one was the kitchen, and the other was the dining area, which had six four-person tables.
Everyone gathered in the kitchen area and began discussing task assignments.
Gu Yi'an, Tang Jiu, and three other female players were assigned to wash the vegetables.
The remaining five male players handled the purchased meat, and cooking duties also fell to them.
Gu Yi'an wasn't much of a talker. When washing vegetables, she did so quietly.
Tang Jiu carried a basin of vegetables and positioned herself right next to Gu Yi'an. "How long do you think we'll be stuck in this world? I have a feeling it's going to be a long time. The progress is too slow."
The other three female players weren't as bold as Tang Jiu. Though curious about Gu Yi'an, they didn't press her with constant questions.
One of them was a newbie, and the three chatted among themselves, enjoying the conversation.
Gu Yi'an occasionally responded to Tang Jiu's questions when she could, but questions like when the game would end were impossible to answer.
Who knew when the game would end? She wasn't a god.
In contrast to the female players' hushed whispers, the male players discussed things loudly.
"What kind of meat is this?"
"The butcher said it was the best he had."
"Pork, right? Wild boar?"
"It doesn't look that firm."
"Whatever it is, let's treat it like pork. Stir-fry it with chili peppers."
Listening to their conversation, Gu Yi'an thought this kind of peace was quite nice. As long as no one else died, it was good enough.
Soon, the stove was lit in the kitchen. The clatter of pots and pans, the sizzle of stir-frying, and the buzz of conversation filled the greasy, smoky kitchen.
Perhaps the range hood wasn't working well, the kitchen was thick with oily fumes, so much so that even the security camera installed there was coated in a layer of grease.
After finishing the vegetables, Gu Yi'an followed the other female players and left the kitchen.
Tang Jiu patted her arm, then lifted her sleeve to her nose and sniffed. "Ew, it stinks!"
She nudged the silent Gu Yi'an beside her. "What's wrong with you?"
"Shh."
Gu Yi'an made a gesture for silence.
As she stepped out of the kitchen, she could hear faint noises coming from the distance.
The commotion in the kitchen had been too loud earlier, drowning out the distant sounds.
The noises seemed to be coming from behind the bungalow.
There were shouts and screams.
Gu Yi'an glanced toward the door, which faced the office building.
Most of the office building was dark, but a few rooms were lit.
Hesitating for a moment, she stepped out of the bungalow and happened to run into two figures walking toward her.
It was Lu Zize and Brother Yong.
Compared to the burly Brother Yong, Lu Zize appeared gentler and more approachable.
Gu Yi'an hesitated slightly before greeting them, "Brother Lu. Brother Yong."
Brother Yong gave her a cold glance, ignored her, and walked past her into the bungalow.
Lu Zize stopped and looked at Gu Yi'an, asking gently, "Are you heading out?"
Gu Yi'an glanced up at the bungalow. "It sounds like there's some commotion behind here."
Lu Zize understood.
He smiled and said, "That's the enforcement team making an arrest. The person who sent you that text message. Don't worry, he won't threaten you again."
Enforcement team?
Gu Yi'an had heard the term "enforcement team" a few times but didn't know exactly what they did.
From the sounds she was hearing, the enforcement team seemed a bit heavy-handed.
"What is the enforcement team?" she asked, looking at Lu Zize in confusion.
"They're responsible for arresting criminals. They are the most dedicated guardians of law and order in Sinless City. We investigate and identify the criminals, then hand them over to the enforcement team."
Gu Yi'an roughly understood.
Lu Zize asked, "Shall we go inside?"
Gu Yi'an nodded and followed Lu Zize back to the dining area.
Brother Yong had taken a table to himself, while the three other female players kept their distance from him.
Tang Jiu was standing by the door. As soon as Gu Yi'an entered, she linked arms with her, acting like close sisters, and pulled Gu Yi'an aside.
Lu Zize noticed this, paused for a moment, and then walked over to Brother Yong.
Tang Jiu pulled Gu Yi'an into a corner and asked curiously, "What happened?"
Gu Yi'an countered, "What do you mean?"
"What was that sound? Since you came in, you must know what it was."
Tang Jiu had just shared her experience with her.
Gu Yi'an reciprocated by sharing what she knew. "It's the enforcement team chasing the person who sent me the text."
Tang Jiu pondered thoughtfully. "I see. What did that person send you?"
She looked at Gu Yi'an with interest.
"I noticed that people in this world are quite afraid of the enforcement team. During the fight today, someone threatened to call them if it didn’t stop, and that alone calmed both sides. It seems the enforcement team won’t intervene unless the situation is serious."
Gu Yi’an decided not to show Tang Jiu the text messages.
Those messages were rather embarrassing.
She had shown them to Lu Zize earlier with the intention of testing him.
Suddenly, music began to flow through the restaurant.
Everyone immediately searched for the source and saw Lu Zize take out his phone.
Brother Yong asked impatiently, "Who is it?"
Lu Zize glanced at the screen and replied calmly, "It's Sister Man."
"Put it on speaker. Let me hear. She took leave to go home for no reason, what’s she thinking, leaving at a time like this!"
"Alright."
Lu Zize agreed and answered the call.
A woman’s voice, choked with tears, instantly reached everyone’s ears.
"Lu Zize, what should I do? I killed someone. I killed him."
A bombshell dropped on everyone.
Killed someone!
Upon hearing this, Brother Yong slapped his hands heavily against his face.
Lu Zize had his back to Gu Yi’an, so she couldn’t see his expression.
She could only hear his voice, calm and gentle.
"Sister Man. Calm down."
"The enforcement team will kill me! Lu Zize, they’ll kill me." The person on the other end of the line was breaking down.
Lu Zize said, "Sister Man, was it accidental? Turn yourself in. We’ll investigate and uncover the truth."
"Where is there such a thing as accidental in Sinless City? You’ll just decide I killed him. It’ll only be me!"
"Sister Man." Lu Zize tried to persuade her further.
But the call seemed to have been hung up by the other party.
Brother Yong propped his elbows on the table, holding his head, and muttered gloomily, "She’s lost it. There are only three of us left. And she…"
Lu Zize cut him off, reminding him, "Brother Yong, we have new members."
Brother Yong fell silent.
After a moment of quiet, Lu Zize said, "Something must have happened with Sister Man. With the Divine Eye system, as long as she didn’t kill intentionally, she can be exempt from punishment."
The players stayed quietly to the side, not daring to disturb Lu Zize and the others.
The only sounds in the restaurant came from the commotion in the kitchen.
"Ding!"
"Ding!"
Two text message alerts suddenly rang out one after another throughout the restaurant.
Everyone’s phone received two messages.
Gu Yi’an opened her phone. The screen showed the time: 8:42 p.m.
Sender: Divine Eye.
"Former team leader Qian Xiaoman committed murder between 8:42 a.m. and 8:42 p.m. today. Junior Investigator He Yong is hereby appointed as the new team leader of the Investigation Bureau, effective immediately."
"Junior Investigator Gu Yi’an, please proceed immediately to Unit 201, Building 2, Xingfu Jiayuan, East Ring Line, Divine Eye Special Administrative Zone, to investigate the truth of suspect Qian Xiaoman’s murder case."
Gu Yi’an looked up toward Lu Zize, a flicker of suspicion in her eyes.