Chapter Fifteen: The Killing Game (III)

Faced with such a bloody scene, most people would have been terrified, frozen in panic and unable to move. Here, only Luo Hanya, Bloodhand, and Tan Yue seemed relatively composed; Bloodhand and Tan Yue in particular behaved as if nothing had happened, scanning the room and observing everyone’s reactions in hopes of discovering something.

Had it been before, Luo Hanya would have at least felt nauseous, perhaps even dizzy to the point of being unable to think. But after experiencing the previous script—especially after witnessing the elderly man’s fall from upstairs and his body mangled beyond recognition—Luo Hanya felt he had grown. Now, even in the face of such horrors, he found the courage to confront reality rather than simply succumb to fear.

As his thoughts returned to the present, Luo Hanya began to observe those around him. He noticed that Wang Hui was acting peculiarly. While everyone else was pale, unable even to look at the scattered flesh on the floor, Wang Hui seemed especially frightened, her pupils vacant as she stared at the bloodstains. She covered her face with trembling hands and collapsed on the ground, shivering.

Luo Hanya seemed to understand something. Glancing at Bloodhand and Tan Yue, he found them watching Wang Hui as well. Bloodhand was already moving closer to her, but Tan Yue stepped in to block him.

"Tan Yue! What do you mean by this? Are you planning to protect her?" Bloodhand’s gaze was fierce, his tone aggressive.

"What?" "Protect who?" "Have you discovered the murderer?"

Those nearby were startled by Bloodhand's words, and a flurry of discussion broke out.

"You hear that, Tan Yue? Move aside! If you protect the murderer, no one here will accept it. Don’t think you’re invincible just because you’re a cop. Others might fear you, but I’m not scared at all!" Bloodhand looked like a desperado, glaring at Tan Yue and clearly ready for confrontation.

"Tan Yue, what’s going on?" "If you’ve found the murderer, say it! Why are you hiding it?" "Are you in league with the killer?"

The cacophony of voices rendered Tan Yue silent, while Wang Hui, still collapsed, widened her eyes in fear and instinctively retreated, bumping into the table. With a crash, a cup fell and shattered on the floor.

In that instant, all eyes fell on Wang Hui. She cried in terror, "It’s not me, really, it’s not me!"

Seeing her reaction, the group seemed to sense something. They looked at each other and quietly surrounded Wang Hui, with only Luo Hanya, Tan Yue, and Bloodhand holding back. As Wang Hui saw the crowd closing in, her fear intensified, and she edged toward the wall until she could go no further. She curled up at the base of the wall, her face streaming with tears.

"It’s not me, really, it’s not me. Please don’t come any closer," Wang Hui murmured in panic, her voice almost deranged.

Li Xin and Liu Shanshan exchanged sympathetic looks, sighed helplessly, and stepped away. But Wang Yue and Xiao Bai were clearly not willing to disperse; they watched Wang Hui warily, standing close as if she might escape at any moment.

"Enough, let’s stop this. The girl surely didn’t mean for any of this to happen. We’ve come so far; let’s show some mercy," Tan Yue spoke up, actively intervening on Wang Hui’s behalf. Luo Hanya was surprised by his gesture, but his conscience told him Tan Yue was absolutely right.

He stepped beside Tan Yue, making his stance clear, and Li Xin and Liu Shanshan hesitated, then joined them.

"Hmph, pretending to be righteous. We haven’t said a word, but she’s already terrified. She must be the murderer. If you don’t restrain her now, do you want her to kill more people?" Bloodhand said mercilessly.

Wang Hui, seeing the support around her, had her eyes light up with hope, but Bloodhand’s words instantly snuffed out that hope. She buried her head in her knees, sobbing quietly.

"Ha, how amusing. I suppose the capsule has come into effect," came an aged voice from the corner of the room. Startled, everyone instinctively looked toward the source, except Wang Hui, who continued to weep.

They discovered a small speaker in the corner, and the voice came from there: "I assume you’ve already guessed what it is." The elderly voice continued from the speaker, stirring unrest among the group, followed by a deathly silence broken only by Wang Hui’s sobs.

"As you suspect, it’s a fascinating little device. It helps me clear away those unnecessary participants among you, with just a simple 'n' sound—hehehehe." The speaker emitted the mysterious elder’s gleeful laughter, but everyone felt a cold chill, as if needles pricked their backs.

"I don’t want this." "That damned old bastard!" "I don’t want to die!" There were whispers, shouts, curses.

Clearly, the words had thrown the group into panic and confusion. Only the three men remained rational: Bloodhand with a sneer, Tan Yue’s face unchanged and calm, and Luo Hanya with furrowed brows, deep in thought.

"Hehehe, enjoy your game," the elder said with satisfaction, laughing lightly before cutting off the speaker.

The room plunged again into endless uproar, swelling in intensity. Panic, despair, and madness boiled over in a flood of negative emotions.

"Enough! Don’t you see your situation yet? Only by working together can we find a way out," Tan Yue declared, stepping forward. His steady tone and composed demeanor, combined with his identity as a heroic police officer, gave the panicked crowd something solid to latch onto. They gathered around him, even Wang Hui stopped crying and stared blankly at Tan Yue.

Tan Yue looked at Wang Hui with gentle eyes, comforting her, "Don’t be afraid, girl. We know you didn’t mean it. If we find a way out today, we’ll all be safe."

Luo Hanya watched the scene, warmed by it, but he knew—and he was certain Tan Yue knew even better—that breaking the elder’s imposed rules in a single day would be nearly impossible. By day’s end, this girl was destined to become a sacrifice. Yet he said nothing, unwilling to plunge the group back into despair just as hope had begun to flicker.

Meanwhile, Bloodhand sneered, "Officer, are you playing hero again? Tell me, how do you plan to investigate this case? Mobilize all the police in the world? Too bad there’s no signal here; your undercover colleagues can’t reach you."

The others, hearing Bloodhand’s words, quickly checked their phones, only to find there was no signal. They were completely trapped.

Tan Yue ignored Bloodhand, choosing instead to disclose everything he knew: "As far as we know, we each have a micro-bomb inside us. When we’re eliminated, it will detonate. For this to happen, there must be one or more signal transmitters. Such transmitters cannot be too far away; they must be in the villa or nearby. I suggest we split up and search every room of the villa and its vicinity to see if we can find these transmitters. If we can locate them all, we might at least be freed from the game’s constraints."

"Officer, are you sure that thing exists? Even if it does, what if it’s buried underground? Are we supposed to dig three feet deep?" Bloodhand continued to sneer, full of distrust.

"It won’t be underground. The signal from such transmitters isn’t strong enough; even if buried, some must be exposed to transmit. As for its existence—" Tan Yue directly dismissed Bloodhand’s doubts, walked to the corner, and pulled open the curtains.

There, at the top of the corner, sat a complex electronic device, hidden behind the curtain. Tan Yue tore it down. The group fell silent for a moment, then agreed to Tan Yue’s plan. In truth, everyone knew: other than following Tan Yue’s instructions, there was no other way; they could only proceed step by step.

Seeing the others agree, Tan Yue nodded and continued, "Let’s split up. Each of us should search our own bedroom, then we’ll form groups to search around the villa."

Everyone pondered for a moment, deciding this was the fastest method, and dispersed to their rooms. Wang Hui timidly thanked Tan Yue and left with the others. Bloodhand gave Tan Yue a meaningful look, chuckled, and turned away.

In the now empty room, only Luo Hanya and Tan Yue remained. Blood still stained the floor, the horror undiminished.