Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Their eyes brimmed with malice. Twisted mouths seemed poised to curse Xiao Huai to a miserable death.

Even those who had not dared look at him moments ago now glared viciously, watching for the slightest change in his expression.

A trace of mocking amusement entered Xiao Huai’s deep eyes. Moonlight spilled across his face, casting the delicate shadow of his long lashes.

He quietly observed the crowd.

Then a voice rose from among them.

Hu Jiang finally managed to speak louder, though his words still stuttered.

“But! But have you forgotten who told us the school rules were false? If he hadn’t warned us, we’d all be in danger!”

Ning Gaoqiang snorted. “What an idiot. Him being alive is the greatest danger of all. If not for him, how could false school rules even exist?”

Xiao Huai glanced at Hu Jiang. He had not expected anyone in this group to defend him.

His lips curved, and his gaze deepened. “Whether I’m a higher-floor player or not, you’ll still die after you kill me.”

“Hehe. With death staring you in the face, you’ve started spouting nonsense, huh?” Ning Gaoqiang sneered.

Xiao Huai narrowed his eyes. A low laugh escaped from deep in his throat.

“You really are unbelievably stupid.”

“Y-you! What did you say?” Ning Gaoqiang’s eyes bulged. He could not tolerate the slightest mockery.

Xiao Huai rose, slipped both hands into his jacket pockets, and slowly approached Pan Qing.

He stood a head taller. Tilting his head slightly, he looked down at the man.

“You’ve overlooked one problem: whether your information is true. Novice players instinctively believe everything veterans say and ignore the objective facts. From the beginning, He Lecheng made it clear that there was an ‘exception’ among us. If you’d bothered to read the game rules carefully, you’d know that NPCs cannot lie in a first-floor instance.”

NPCs could refuse to answer a question or omit critical information, but anything they explicitly revealed could be trusted.

That was why He Lecheng had told them about the school rules directly. Every rule that came from his mouth was genuine.

Which meant his insistence that they must improve was probably a true school rule too.

Xiao Huai’s low voice reached every ear.

“So from the very beginning, I haven’t believed a single thing any of you said.”

He smiled at Hui Yulian, who stood in the middle of the crowd.

His indifferent gaze treated her like a lifeless object, exerting an inexplicable pressure.

The instant Hui Yulian met his eyes, her heart lurched. Her face went pale, discomfort swept through her body, and her fingertips began to tremble.

From somewhere, Xiao Huai produced a bloodstained booklet. The words Student Handbook were printed in large type across its cover.

Every player’s pupils widened as they stared at it.

It looked nothing like the Student Handbook they had found. Theirs was handwritten, including every rule inside.

But the handbook in Xiao Huai’s hand was printed.

Some of its rules were identical to theirs. Others were completely different.

“I found this Student Handbook on the female corpse downstairs.” His tone was casual, as though searching someone’s dead body were nothing noteworthy. “Believe me or not. It’s up to you. But right now, I’d rather speak to the werewolf.”

“The werewolf? Y-you found the traitor?! You know who it is?” Pan Qing stared at him in disbelief.

It was only the second day. How could he have uncovered the killer so quickly?

Xiao Huai never took his eyes from Hui Yulian.

His gaze was answer enough.
“What? Are you joking? You suspect me?” Hui Yulian stepped forward. She could not believe she had handed Xiao Huai a clue one moment, only to be betrayed the next.

The novices looked at one another, confusion filling their eyes.

Hui Yulian had helped most of them from the beginning. Without her, these newcomers would never have known the game’s rules. Even a scumbag like Ning Gaoqiang trusted her to some degree.

At first, he had intended to attack an NPC. Only her warning had stopped him from doing something stupid.

Following Xiao Huai’s gaze, Pan Qing looked at Hui Yulian. He, too, found the accusation hard to believe.

He was a veteran player himself, and everything Hui Yulian had told the newcomers was true.

Although she had initially hesitated to take the lead, she had shown more courage than the other veterans in the end. She had helped the novices and taught them the rules of survival.

Hu Jiang was equally astonished. How could Hui Yulian be the one with an identity card? What harm could a student like her possibly do?

Xiao Huai spoke casually. “Given the known existence of a werewolf and the confirmed truth of Rule Two, you were indeed the prime suspect. But the three people who died are what eventually made me certain.”

Hui Yulian laughed. “What are you talking about? That’s all you have, and you want to call me the traitor?”

“Xiao… I don’t think that sounds very convincing either. You should explain it clearly,” Hu Jiang murmured in agreement.

“The reason is simple. That uniform. I imagine anyone who puts on the uniform in your inventory can safely enter the school.”

Of the thirty-four players, Hui Yulian was the only one already wearing a school uniform when she entered the game.

Rule Two said they had to wear a uniform to enter the teaching building. It never said the uniform had to belong to Ivy Girls’ School.

Perhaps any school uniform would satisfy the rule.

The players sank into thought. But even if her uniform let her into the building, what did that prove?

No… It proved plenty.

The sharper players quickly realized what was wrong.

She could have entered the teaching building ahead of everyone else and planted a forged Student Handbook.

And her reason for doing so was likely tied to the mission on her identity card.

Her identity also granted her access to more information and clues.

For example, Hui Yulian had known all the school rules from the beginning.

Xiao Huai continued slowly, “That’s only the first suspicion. The second concerns the three people in the dormitory. They were poisoned, then arranged to look like suicides. At the time, you floated the theory that they had accumulated NPC aggro. But surely you know that even if an NPC kills someone, it won’t bother staging the scene.”

“After all, even if we discover an NPC is the killer, what can we possibly do to them? Only the weak need to conceal their crimes.”

The moment he finished presenting his second point, realization dawned across every face.

Of course. An NPC would have no reason to fake a suicide after killing someone. Taken together, the two points made Hui Yulian overwhelmingly suspicious.

Her face had turned ghastly. “Hehe. This is only a first-floor instance. You think I’d kill my own teammates?”

Her question plunged them back into thought. Why would a first-floor instance contain so much deception and intrigue?

“Which brings us back to the rules announced at the very beginning.”

“What? The very beginning?” The players stared at Xiao Huai in amazement. Had he really been paying attention to everything from the start?

And here they had thought he was sleeping the whole time.

He recited the words.

“The Gods’ Livestream. Entertainment comes first.”