This Character is Suspected of Cheating! [Unlimited Flow]

Ling Buchen's reaction looked completely genuine.

He met everyone's gaze without the slightest fear, his eyes silently telling them—

I didn't kill anyone.

I never received any information that I was the killer.

At the very least, no one present could tell that he was lying about either of those things.

Siya took a deep breath, uncertainty filling her voice.

"If Ling Buchen is the murderer... but he doesn't know he killed someone... would he still be the killer?"

This wasn't like the Who's the Undercover? instance.

Back there, as long as Ling Buchen was suspicious, they could vote him out first and guarantee everyone's safety.

But in this instance, if they chose the wrong person while the real killer was still hidden among them...

They would all be eliminated!

That meant they didn't just need to identify the prime suspect.

Ideally, they had to determine who the killer actually was.

Eugene narrowed his eyes.

"I still think it's Ling Buchen.

"There's one more thing that made me suspicious.

"Yesterday morning he didn't tell us what scene he'd seen.

"He only revealed it last night..."

He was an extremely perceptive person.

His intuition was also remarkably sharp.

To Eugene, Ling Buchen waiting until the evening to reveal what he'd seen—and doing so while vouching for someone else—

That behavior was suspicious no matter how he looked at it.

Ling Buchen sighed helplessly and shook his head.

"Fine. Then I have to defend myself.

"First, I didn't hide it because I didn't want to tell you.

"I genuinely didn't have the chance.

"Everyone had the possibility of being a murderer.

"Even if Eugene's timeline is correct and I killed Annie...

"Would I really have left my blanket behind?"

He turned to Duan Yuchen.

"Second...

"The timing of Duan Yuchen wandering around ** is also important.

"If I'm the one who woke up and frightened He Yu away...

"Then isn't it also possible that Duan Yuchen showed up and frightened me away?

"When solving cases, the least likely possibility is often the most likely."

Duan Yuchen immediately realized Ling Buchen was pointing the finger at him.

He sneered.

"I don't have any irreconcilable grudge against Annie.

"I didn't even know he'd been knocked unconscious and left on **.

"Eugene knocking Annie unconscious and throwing him back onto ** is one complete sequence.

"If I'd appeared halfway through, I definitely would've run into Eugene.

"And then I definitely wouldn't have killed anyone.

"When I wandered around **, I never encountered Eugene.

"That means I didn't know Annie had been knocked unconscious, and I would've had even less reason to attack him.

"I was just wandering around.

"The first night had nothing to do with me.

"The only people who heard Eugene and Annie fighting and therefore knew Annie was unconscious...

"Were those of you in Room 705.

"Ling Buchen.

"Your suspicion is by far the greatest."

Eugene added quietly,

"You left the blanket behind precisely so you could now claim it wasn't you and shift everyone's attention elsewhere."

Siya spread her hands.

"Eliminate me and Qiong.

"Eliminate He Yu.

"Eliminate Zhen Xing.

"Eliminate Wanrenzhan.

"Eliminate Duan Yuchen.

"Eliminate Eugene.

"The murderer can only be Ling Buchen."

She still looked confused.

"The only remaining question is...

"Is the murderer actually the killer?"

Zhen Xing glanced at the time.

His phoenix eyes were unfathomable.

"We're almost out of time.

"If we still can't reach a conclusion...

"We'll have no choice but to kill Ling Buchen...

"And gamble."

If they guessed correctly...

The remaining seven would survive.

If they guessed wrong...

Only the real killer among them would survive.

【Bullet Screen: "The system is unbelievably sinister with this setup!"】

【Bullet Screen: "I thought the murderer was the killer and the clues were straightforward. Turns out the murderer doesn't even know they killed someone. Damn, that's disgusting."】

【Bullet Screen: "Exactly!! This rule is so disgusting. The killer doesn't even know they're the killer."】

【Bullet Screen: "This instance is designed to make them slaughter each other. 'Kill the prisoners'—those four words explain everything."】

At that moment, Qiong suddenly asked,

"Qu Wu trying to kill He Yu was part of the instance's setting.

"But why was Annie trying to kill He Yu?"

Everyone froze.

Eugene immediately bit his finger thoughtfully.

"During Chaos Night we're influenced both by ourselves and by the instance.

"If Annie had been acting entirely on his own...

"He shouldn't have wanted to kill He Yu.

"After all, he was relying on He Yu to get us out."

Duan Yuchen nodded.

"Exactly.

"And if he'd killed He Yu...

"He would've become everyone's enemy."

Siya blinked.

"You mean..."

Duan Yuchen slowly replied,

"It's also possible...

"That Annie was the killer."

He began analyzing it for everyone.

"It makes no sense for him to kill He Yu.

"Even according to the instance setting, he had no grudge against He Yu.

"If he still chose to kill He Yu...

"There can only be one explanation."

—The killer's mission.

Everyone instantly thought of the possibility.

Their eyes lit up.

"Annie had a killer mission.

"His mission was to kill He Yu.

"If He Yu had died on the first night, we'd have discovered clues proving Annie killed him and identified the killer.

"That would've been the instance's intended progression!"

The faster Duan Yuchen spoke, the brighter his eyes became.

"But Annie never expected He Yu to possess a Prophecy Card.

"He Yu used it, foresaw Annie's actions...

"And Annie died on the first night instead.

"That's why we have absolutely no information about the killer!"

If the killer was already dead...

Then naturally there would be no clues left.

Siya also found the theory convincing.

She turned toward He Yu.

"What do you think?"

Throughout everyone's discussion...

He Yu had barely spoken.

He had kept his head lowered, silently thinking.

Now that they'd reached another conclusion, they naturally wanted his opinion.

If He Yu agreed...

They could escape the prison immediately!

However...

He Yu raised his head.

Behind the rimless glasses, his eyes remained emotionless.

His voice was calm.

"I don't think that's possible."

Everyone froze and looked at him.

He Yu spread his hands.

In the calmest tone imaginable...

He uttered the cruelest words.

"Do you really think the system's design would be that simple?

"If the killer died on the first night before anyone knew their identity...

"The system would very likely alter the rules.

"And the purpose would naturally be to make us die."

"To be precise..."

He paused.

"It would alter the rules...

"To make me die."

In other words—

The system would simply assign another killer.

And continue arranging a complete team wipe from every possible angle.

Siya murmured quietly,

"...That's not impossible either.

"It could've switched from Annie to Qu Wu..."

Only for Qu Wu to die as well.

This time, He Yu didn't even need to explain.

Zhen Xing shook his head.

"Impossible.

"Qu Wu had nothing to do with the first night.

"He never made a move.

"The killer wouldn't suddenly transfer onto Qu Wu.

"I agree with He Yu.

"The killer wasn't replaced.

"And Annie being the killer isn't the whole story."

Hearing that, Ling Buchen laughed coldly.

"Of course it isn't that simple.

"This instance wants all of us dead...

"Or at most...

"One survivor."

Their analysis reached another deadlock.

Duan Yuchen recalled the instance information, frowning deeply.

He muttered,

"So if Annie wasn't trying to kill He Yu because he was the killer...

"Was it because of his character setting?

"Annie...

"Imprisoned for participating in a large-scale gang fight.

"Sentenced to five years.

"Currently serving his fourth year.

"Has an extremely bad relationship with Ling Buchen..."

Suddenly he looked up.

"Could it be...

"That Annie was about to be released?

"So he didn't want anyone causing trouble?"

Eugene tapped his chin.

"No one has ever left Death Prison alive because nobody survives Dr. Ganlun's experiments long enough to reach their release date.

"But Annie's release was approaching.

"Wanting to eliminate the leader of the prison break—He Yu—in order to leave normally...

"That's also possible."

Qiong spread her hands helplessly.

"So Annie was just a red herring?

"This instance is way too difficult."

Siya suddenly had another wild thought.

"If Ling Buchen really isn't lying...

"And the killer genuinely doesn't know they're the killer...

"Could this instance actually not have a killer at all?

"Maybe it's only trying to make us suspect each other?"

Ling Buchen immediately rejected the idea.

"Two people died over two nights.

"There has to be a killer."

"Then that only leaves one possibility—

"The murderer is the killer!"

Eugene's mechanical arm emerged.

The chainsaw roared to life.

His eyes remained fixed on Ling Buchen.

"Only ten minutes left.

"Let's gamble."

Ten minutes.

The number filled them with despair.

It also drove them toward collapse.

Duan Yuchen's expression turned cold as well.

"I agree.

"Ling Buchen...

"I'm sorry."

Zhen Xing silently took out his Rubik's Cube.

Without saying a word, he made his stance perfectly clear.

Every other theory had already been disproven.

The only remaining possibility was—

The murderer was the killer.

And according to their deductions...

That murderer was Ling Buchen.

Qiong let out a long sigh before looking deeply at Ling Buchen.

"Fight."

That was the terrifying part of the rules.

If they wanted to advance...

They had to kill someone who had just fought beside them.

—What a fucking awful situation.

Why was it so difficult...

For all eight of them to advance together?

Eugene cursed under his breath.

Then he lunged at Ling Buchen.

Ling Buchen held his zither horizontally before him.

His fingers rested lightly upon the strings.

The battle was about to begin.

"Wait."

He Yu suddenly spoke.

Eugene stopped and looked at him suspiciously.

"You aren't trying to protect Ling Buchen, are you?

"If he's the killer, then once he advances, the rest of us die.

"Even if we're gambling...

"We should kill him first."

He Yu shook his head.

"He's not the killer."

Everyone frowned simultaneously.

Duan Yuchen rubbed his aching forehead.

"So don't tell me there really isn't a killer...

"Or the killer isn't among us?"

He Yu took a deep breath.

"There is a killer.

"They're among us."

His gaze swept across everyone.

"I already had a suspicion before.

"But only just now did I finally sort out the timeline.

"And finally understand the entire sequence of events."

At last...

His eyes settled on Ling Buchen.

"I lied last night."

Everyone: "!!!"

Eugene's breathing stopped.

His voice shot upward.

"What did you lie about?"

He Yu spread his hands.

"When Ling Buchen described his actions last night...

"He lied.

"And I noticed."

Everyone: "......"

The previous night...

They had asked He Yu whether Ling Buchen was lying.

He Yu had denied it.

Now...

He was admitting that that answer had been the lie.

Everyone collectively inhaled sharply.

Eugene immediately declared,

"Excellent.

"Ling Buchen really is the killer!"

Siya looked at He Yu accusingly.

"You knew Ling Buchen was lying.

"Then why did you help him hide it?"

It made absolutely no sense.

If He Yu had seen through Ling Buchen's lie...

Yet lied on his behalf...

Then if they hadn't exposed Ling Buchen...

Wouldn't Ling Buchen have been the only one to advance?

—That wasn't like He Yu at all.

Wait.

No.

Something wasn't right.

Didn't He Yu just say...

Ling Buchen wasn't the killer?

Ling Buchen had lied...

Yet wasn't the killer?!

Zhen Xing stared deeply at He Yu.

His voice was hoarse.

"When you helped Ling Buchen hide it...

"Had you already discovered something?"

He Yu didn't answer.

He merely looked at Ling Buchen.

"You can tell them the truth now."

Obvious astonishment appeared on Ling Buchen's face.

He frowned at He Yu.

"I thought...

"Even if you realized I was lying...

"You wouldn't expose me."

He Yu smiled.

"Now I need to expose it.

"Because I've already figured out the solution."

Tilting his head slightly, the lenses of his rimless glasses reflected the light.

His black eyes sparkled.

"I know your lie itself was actually a hint to me.

"You were passing me a message—

"The murderer might not know they killed someone."

Could He Yu fail to notice Ling Buchen's lie?

Of course not.

And Ling Buchen also knew He Yu would notice.

Yet he still lied.

Because it was another way of passing information to He Yu.

A way of secretly coordinating with him.

Hearing that, Ling Buchen smiled faintly.

The two looked at each other.

Everything seemed to be understood without another word.

Everyone else: "......"

—We have absolutely no idea what the two of you are talking about.

Siya frowned.

"What are you talking about?

"What hint?"

Zhen Xing glanced at the timer.

"Six minutes left.

"Ling Buchen.

"Tell us the truth."

Ling Buchen looked deeply at He Yu before turning toward everyone.

Then he spoke a sentence that struck like a bolt from the blue—

"I lied about what I saw on the first night.

"What I actually saw...

"Was He Yu killing Annie."

Everyone: "!!!"

He Yu...

Killed Annie!

He didn't say he saw He Yu trying to kill Annie.

He said he saw He Yu killing Annie.

That...

Was terrifying.

Once again...

Everything pointed back to He Yu.

Siya opened her mouth.

After a long pause, she finally managed,

"Ling Buchen...

"This isn't funny..."

From the very beginning...

They had completely ruled He Yu out.

Even if they hadn't...

None of them wanted He Yu to die.

Anyone else dying was one thing.

He Yu was different.

—He was their captain.

He was their brain.

Eugene's face darkened.

He stared at Ling Buchen.

"Explain."

Ling Buchen nodded.

"Eugene's deduction about the first night was correct.

"He knocked Annie unconscious.

"The fight between him and Annie also woke me up.

"I had a grudge against Annie.

"But my combat power was too low.

"So I didn't make a move immediately."

After pausing briefly, he continued,

"Then Eugene left Annie on ** and carried Qu Wu away.

"I went to kill Annie.

"I even brought the blanket over to smother him.

"But just then...

"Duan Yuchen wandered into Room 705.

"So I had no choice but to lie back down.

"After he left...

"I was preparing to act...

"But He Yu moved before I did."

Duan Yuchen murmured,

"So I actually was involved..."

He hadn't simply wandered around aimlessly.

He had frightened Ling Buchen away...

And unintentionally changed the murderer from Ling Buchen to He Yu.

He Yu nodded and continued,

"My memory fragment was about going to kill Annie.

"So it looks like I really did it."

He looked toward Ling Buchen.

"Eugene knocking Annie unconscious probably woke me up too.

"But my memory fragment was much shorter than yours."

He Yu hadn't lied.

His memory fragment ended with him going to kill Annie.

He never learned whether he succeeded.

Ling Buchen's fragment was much longer.

He had even seen who the murderer was.

—Is this what being ridiculously lucky feels like?

He Yu couldn't help thinking at such an inappropriate moment.

Eugene's expression remained grim.

"He Yu...

"Are you turning yourself in?"

Ling Buchen had obviously been trying to conceal it for him.

Yet He Yu had still revealed everything.

Everyone's emotions became extremely complicated.

Not a single one of them wanted He Yu to die.

The situation had become unbearably conflicted.

Zhen Xing stared fixedly at He Yu.

"You've really found a solution?

"And the murderer really isn't the killer?"

Ling Buchen had lied to protect He Yu.

At the same time...

He'd been sending He Yu a message.

He Yu was intelligent enough to realize Ling Buchen wasn't lying for his own sake.

He was lying for He Yu.

—To tell him the murderer might not know they killed someone.

—And that He Yu himself had been the first night's murderer.

Having delivered those two pieces of information...

Ling Buchen simply waited for He Yu's judgment.

The murderer...

Wasn't necessarily the killer.

Ling Buchen was prepared to accept either outcome.

If He Yu really was the killer...

He was obviously willing to take the blame for him.

Between the lives of seven people...

And He Yu's single life...

He had chosen He Yu.

If He Yu wasn't the killer...

Then at least He Yu wouldn't be wrongly accused.

He Yu was simply too intelligent.

If everyone learned he'd killed Annie on the first night...

They would immediately assume he was the killer.

A trap like that perfectly suited the system's desire to eliminate He Yu.

Now...

He Yu had voluntarily "turned himself in" as the murderer.

Did that mean...

The murderer wasn't the killer?

Zhen Xing's voice became hoarse.

"He Yu.

"I'm not joking.

"Is the murderer the killer or not?"

He Yu seemed to think of something.

He slowly exhaled.

His voice became incomparably steady.

He adjusted his glasses.

"Actually...

"The night-time murderer and the killer have no connection whatsoever.

"But...

"If my guess is correct...

"I really am the killer."

He admitted it.

Everyone's hearts sank.

They silently looked at him.

Duan Yuchen spoke with difficulty.

"What do you mean the murderer and the killer aren't connected?

"Then how can you be certain you're the killer?"

He Yu replied,

"The instance rules weren't actually hiding the killer's identity.

"They just revealed it in an extremely subtle way.

"Earlier...

"Qiong asked a very important question.

"Why did Annie want to kill me?"

He smiled softly, his eyes curving.

"You guessed he was about to be released and didn't want a prison break?

"That guess was wrong.

"If I hadn't possessed the Prophecy Card...

"I would've died on the first night.

"Annie and I had no grudge.

"So there can only be one explanation—

"The system informed him that I was the killer."

During the first Chaos Night...

The system had told Annie—

He Yu is the killer.

So Annie decided to strike first.

Kill He Yu.

That...

Was the true logic.

Siya frowned.

"Wait.

"The killer is supposed to be hidden among us.

"How could the system openly tell Annie that you were the killer?"

He Yu smiled and shook his head.

"If I hadn't had the Prophecy Card...

"The one who died on the first night wouldn't have been Annie.

"It would've been me.

"Then the next morning...

"Annie would've told all of you that I was the killer and that he'd killed me.

"Would you have believed him?"

Eugene answered without hesitation.

"No."

They would have been absolutely convinced Annie himself was the killer.

He would've killed He Yu...

Then shifted the blame onto a dead man.

They would still have believed—

The murderer was the killer.

With the killer dead on the very first night...

The remaining people would descend into complete chaos.

They would only slaughter one another.

And since the dead person would have been He Yu...

The consequences would've been completely different.

Zhen Xing let out a cold laugh.

"Even if we'd believed Annie...

"He Yu would've already been dead."

Wasn't that exactly what the mastermind wanted?

Eliminating He Yu cleanly on the very first night...

What a perfectly designed trap.

He Yu nodded.

"Annie's Chaos Night fragment was probably this—

"After learning I was the killer...

"He chose to kill me in order to remove the killer's influence from the instance."

But if the killer died on the first night...

Then Annie's words would become completely unreliable.

Everything afterward would dissolve into total confusion.

—That was the true design of the instance's rules.

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