“Why do you believe her and not me? Even if I was mistaken about the bento lady, I couldn't have foreseen what she was selling and prevented you from buying it!”

Maddison was also angry now, glaring at Lu Xiaoyao and muttering, “We've known each other for quite a while now, is that how you see me?!”

“I… I didn't mean it that way…”

Confronted with Maddison's angry appearance, Lu Xiaoyao's momentum instantly weakened. Realizing that she hadn't been very friendly towards him this round, she fell silent.

Lu Xiaoyao's silence didn't mean Maddison would stop. He turned to look at Iris and said, “Are you the one stirring up trouble between Lu Xiaoyao, no, or rather, everyone?

“From the beginning, you've been trying to get close to Lu Xiaoyao and the others, using the excuse of being from the same school to build rapport and exclude the three of us.

“Then, intentionally or unintentionally, you've been sowing discord, suggesting that the three of us are ‘outsiders,’ implying that the killer is among those from other schools?

“Now that Wang Wenfei is gone, you're inadvertently trying to smear Mu Ning. What do you mean by this?”

“I don't mean anything. I'm just stating the facts. If there's no evidence, what can I do?”

Iris frowned. She had to admit that Maddison was right in some ways. She was indeed trying to form a group.

But the latter part of Maddison's words was a serious accusation.

“I didn't mean to smear anyone. It's just that everyone is a suspect in this game. Every subtle movement could be meaningful. Isn't it right to make bold guesses and carefully look for evidence to verify them?”

“Does this game even need evidence? A vote from more than half the people can have the Bashe execute a player. You just need to make sure the group you're with is larger than the remaining people.

“Then, you can deliberately mislead and arouse suspicion, and finally vote them out! Actually, you're one of the killers, aren't you?”

Maddison's mind was working quickly now!

Immediately, the way everyone looked at Iris changed. Except for Mu Chen, who had remained aloof, watching the various reactions of the people around him, he replayed everyone's words and actions in his mind from beginning to end.

Suddenly, Mingmei saw Mu Chen's lips curl into a slight smile through Lu Xiaoyao's live stream.

[Holy crap! Did I just see things?]

[Bro, don't say it, I think I saw something too.]

[What's up with the big guy… why did he suddenly smile without saying anything?]

[Hiss! I have a bad feeling! Could the big guy be the killer?]

[Wh-what are you talking about? If the big guy is the killer, why isn't he trying to save his accomplice?]

[Are you stupid? Saving his accomplice would expose himself!]

[Wait, are you guys deciding the big guy is the killer just based on a smile? And you've already arranged a teammate for him who's on the verge of being exposed?]

…

The viewers in the live stream were already speculating wildly because of Mu Chen's reaction, but Mingmei was different. She thought Mu Chen must have discovered who the killer was.

“Let's get the Bashe to vote.”

Mu Chen suddenly spoke.

Just as a group of people were questioning Iris's identity, Mu Chen suddenly said, “Since you suspect her, let's vote her out.”

“How can you do this?!” Iris was furious. “You're so eager to vote me out, are you the killer?”

In her anxiety, Iris shifted the blame directly onto Mu Chen. Before Mu Chen could speak, she questioned, “You said you came here, watched me finish my bento, and then left, without seeing Wang Wenfei afterwards. Who can prove that?

“Maybe you deliberately showed up in front of everyone, using the bento to gain their favor, and then killed Wang Wenfei when she lowered her guard!”

“Oh, your guess is quite plausible.”

Mu Chen didn't even raise his eyelids, swallowing the words he was about to say and mockingly retorted, “Then where's my accomplice? During the teacher's lunch break, Maddison and I were in the same room. We never went out, so there was no time for us to attack the teacher.

“According to your deduction, the teacher's death was likely the work of my accomplice, so who is my remaining teammate?”

No one expected Mu Chen to shift the topic back to lunchtime. He continued, “Lu Xiaoyao said earlier that she was in the same room as Wang Wenfei and had no time to act, so if I'm the killer, my accomplice must be either you or Mu Ning, who were resting in single rooms at noon, right?”

“Mu Chen can't be the killer.” Mu Ning was the first to speak out. If Mu Chen was pinned as the killer, then the remaining female killer would easily be pinned on her, which Mu Ning absolutely couldn't accept.

Therefore, regardless of whether Mu Chen was the killer or not, Mu Ning had to protect him for the time being.

After speaking, Mu Ning continued to look at Iris and said, “Iris, stop diverting attention. You have countless suspicious points on yourself. Instead of explaining yourself, you're dragging others down with you. Your behavior doesn't seem like that of a good person.”

Because Mu Ning had fed the Bashe in the afternoon, Iris was speechless. Mu Ning simply summoned the Bashe and pointed out Iris.

The Bashe looked at the people around and asked, “Do you all think so too? If so, please raise your hand.”

After speaking, Julian, Mu Ning, Maddison, and Lu Xiaoyao all raised their hands—four out of the seven people.

The next moment, they watched as the humanoid Bashe standing in front of them suddenly transformed into a large black snake and swallowed Iris, who was about to argue, in one gulp.

Although the scene wasn't bloody, and there was no disgusting scene of spitting her out halfway because she couldn't be swallowed, the picture was still unsettling.

Then, the Bashe's mouth burped as if it had eaten its fill, and it spat out a red mist. It spoke in human language, “I'm sorry, this person doesn't have the scent of evil spirits~”

“What do you mean by that?”

Maddison asked, only to realize that he had asked a stupid question. Sure enough, he heard the Bashe say, “It means you pointed out the wrong person~”

After speaking, the Bashe ignored the dumbfounded players, wriggled its full body, and turned to leave.

It was just a ruthless eating machine!

Live stream comments:

[…]

[This is getting out of hand, everyone!]

[So, she wasn't the killer, but why did she have so many scenes? So many small actions made people think so much.]

[Help, there are still two killers among the remaining six people, right?]

[Why do you think there are only two?]

[Huh? How many are there then?]

[I don't know. I didn't pass the level, and I didn't live to the end. Is there anyone who survived to the end who can tell us~?]

[Two, there are indeed only two.]

[Thanks~]

[You're welcome. After all, I was once a killer too. Seriously, it's so awesome!]

[…]