CH 119

(Not telling you!)

Zhou Wenyan put the photo aside and turned his gaze elsewhere. 

Because Mr. Shen had died some time ago, the room had only been cleaned once, and the study was a little disorganized. Zhou Wenyan was unable to uncover any useful clues.

Shen Dongqing was the one who discovered a list outside.

The list was a record of some money and resources that Mrs. Shen had privately donated to the church. Even with the Shen family’s strong financial situation, it was a substantial sum of money.

Shen Dongqing read it for a long time and found nothing wrong with it. When he saw Zhou Wenyan approaching, he shoved it to him. 

Zhou Wenyan held the record and remarked, “It appears that Mrs. Shen is truly a devout believer.”

They exited the master bedroom.

The players had likewise finished searching other locations at this point, and it appeared that they had gained nothing. They all stormed back to their rooms, upset.

Only the lawyer came over to search for them.

When the lawyer saw Zhou Wenyan and Shen Dongqing in the same room, he was taken aback.

Zhou Wenyan arched his brow.

“Because it is rumored that the relationship between the two of you is not very good, so…” the lawyer explained with a smile. He sat on the room’s sofa, took out a big stack of documents, and changed the subject as he spoke. “This is Mr. Shen’s will. I think both of you should take a look at it.”

When Shen Dongqing saw the densely packed words, he felt dizzy and hurriedly pushed it to Zhou Wenyan, saying, “You read it.” 

Zhou Wenyan accepted it and read it quickly.

This was, in fact, Mr. Shen’s will. The majority of his inheritance was not bequeathed to his two sons, but was instead donated to the church, leaving them with only this villa and a small sum of money.

Even though Zhou Wenyan was a player and didn’t need these things, he thought this will was too unusual.

“I have worked at Mr. Shen’s side for many years,” the lawyer continued meaningfully, “yet I have never heard of Mr. Shen’s surname being Jiao.” 

Shen Dongqing looked at him and said, “Oh.”

For a brief while, the lawyer remained mute.

Hang on a second! Did you pick up on his signal? Shouldn’t you be intuitive and cooperate now?

Shen Dongqing casually flipped through the file before suddenly asking, “What’s your secret?” 

The lawyer was stunned and couldn’t react: “Huh?”

Shen Dongqing stared at him and repeated: “Secret.”

This ridiculous play overwhelmed the lawyer, who laughed dryly: “What, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

Shen Dongqing shrugged: “Well, then…” 

The lawyer stood up and hastily interjected, “I have to take care of something, so I’ll get going,” taking advantage of the fact that Shen Dongqing hadn’t finished his question.

He was afraid of accidentally revealing his secret during the conversation, so he appeared to be fleeing from the back.

Shen Dongqing scratched his head: “Why on earth is he running so fast?”

It was almost as if the players had reached an accord. The lawyer had hardly left when the priest entered. 

The priest greeted them and sat down before saying: “I wonder if the two of you have considered it?”

Shen Dongqing couldn’t remember what he was referring to when he was suddenly questioned like this: “What?”

“The matter of holding a Christian funeral,” the priest explained again. “I know Mrs. Shen’s body is somewhat…but I think she would’ve wanted a Christian funeral,” he added after a little pause.

“Oh, oh.” Shen Dongqing’s response was blunt, “Then tell me your secret, and I will promise you.” 

The priest: “?”

Why do you start throwing bombs as soon as you get close? Can’t you get a little more involved in the play? Everyone here is putting up with it and acting seriously. You appear out of nowhere and say, “Stop acting! Hurry and show me the script.” Who can bear it?

The priest instantly stood up and invariably used the same excuse as the lawyer: “I have to take care of something.”

Shen Dongqing scared the two players away with a single phrase, yet he himself felt no sense of accomplishment and fell back on the sofa glumly. 

“I’m dying to know what the others’ secrets are—” Shen Dongqing was a person who couldn’t keep his words to himself. Holding his secret was making him feel uneasy all over. He couldn’t wait to learn everyone’s secrets and to reveal his own in passing.

Time flew by, and nighttime arrived.

The players had no choice but to congregate in the first-floor dining room.

Vtfc Gbcudlcu jcv Itbe Qfcsjc tjv jgglnfv ijaf, ktlif atf batfgr tjv jigfjvs jgglnfv. 

Vtfc Gbcudlcu mgbrrfv atf rafqr akb bg atgff ja j alwf, ifjqfv ab atf ugbecv, jcv atfc aegcfv ab jrx Itbe Qfcsjc, ktb kjr ralii rajcvlcu bc atf rafqr, “Jjc sbe mbwf vbkc?”

Coafg jii, ktfc atfs lclaljiis wfa ja atf nliij, Itbe Qfcsjc gfnfjifv tlr lcjylilas ab ub vbkcrajlgr.

Zhou Wenyan: “Well, you can lead me down.”

He extended his hand after speaking. 

Shen Dongqing didn’t think much and held Zhou Wenyan’s hand. Shen Dongqing felt a chilly wind swishing over the staircase as he walked downstairs.

Zhou Wenyan arrived safely on the first level.

The living room was in the center of the first level, with the dining room to the right.

Mr. Housekeeper had set up a table full of food, and the players had all sat near the round table’s edge, leaving only two seats. The brat waved at them. 

Shen Dongqing and Zhou Wenyan took a seat.

Mr. Housekeeper’s cooking ability was pretty good, but Shen Dongqing had just picked a piece of sweet and sour ribs when he heard the young nurse say: “I walked around the villa and found that it lacks personality. Don’t you normally reside here?”

Shen Dongqing was busy tasting the ribs and didn’t have time to talk.

Zhou Wenyan ignored her. 

The young nurse felt a little embarrassed and turned to ask the others, “Have you found anything?”

The rest of the group talked enthusiastically, but they didn’t divulge their identities as players.

Shen Dongqing finished eating the ribs at this time and remarked abruptly: “No one actually thinks this is a game, right?”

The other players: ? 

“You guys are too immersed in the play; everyone is a player, so can you stop talking so fakely?” Shen Dongqing threw down the bone and wiped his mouth.

“Exactly, exactly,” the brat acted the lackey.

Other players who were faking it: …

Indeed, this secret group scenario appeared infrequently in the game, and they had never played it. To keep their secrets hidden, they all instinctively brought in their own identities, which led to them doing and talking about things with bound hands and feet. 

Now that Shen Dongqing had mentioned this, the other players quickly reacted and put down their identity disguises.

“Everyone’s goal should be to find the murderer, right?” asked the young nurse.

The bodyguard gave a nod.

The core mission was the same regardless of the player’s identity: identify the murderer. 

“Then who do you think is the most suspicious?” the priest asked.

“I think he is the most suspect,” the young nurse stated as she promptly stood up and pointed to Shen Dongqing. “He claimed to have amnesia as soon as he awoke. I still believe he is an NPC.”

Shen Dongqing looked innocent: “I really don’t remember.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the brat nodded to testify for him. 

The young nurse was skeptical.

“I think the priest is suspicious,” the lawyer stated at this moment, “because I know Mrs. Shen met the priest once a week, and the day she died happened to be the day to see the priest.”

“But coincidentally, the priest didn’t appear that day.”

“I was occupied with something that day!” the priest instantly began to defend himself. 

The players began to argue, which pained Shen Dongqing’s ears. He pounded the table with his fist, and everyone instantly quieted down and looked over.

“How about we tell our secrets first?” This was Shen Dongqing’s first sentence.

The other players were dumbfounded.

“I realize you’re all scared of death, but have you ever considered that the game states you’ll die as soon as you reveal the secret,” Shen Dongqing justified his statement, “then what if we reveal the secret at the same time? The game can’t possibly let us all die suddenly all at once, can it?” 

The other players: …I’m not sure.

Shen Dongqing started to persuade.

However, the other players looked hesitant.

Shen Dongqing: “Why don’t I say it first, my secret is—” 

Zhou Wenyan didn’t like it, but he didn’t stop it either.

“My secret is—”

The other players were all staring at Shen Dongqing. He unexpectedly took a big breath and finally gave a playful smile, saying, “I won’t tell you.”

Shen Dongqing then bent his head and bit into his ribs once again. 

The other players: ???

He was enjoying his dinner while the others were so hooked that they didn’t want to eat anymore, all of them staring at Shen Dongqing.

Shen Dongqing, on the other hand, was not under any pressure. He ate and drank as he wanted and even had a glass of cola afterward.

The other players ate an entire stomach of sulks. 

Shen Dongqing sneaked up to Zhou Wenyan’s side and muttered, “None of them want to reveal their secrets, but they all want to hear mine. Humph! I’m not stupid.”

“Yeah, you are the smartest,” Zhou Wenyan praised, rubbing his head.

Shen Dongqing snorted twice and looked at the brat next to him as if showing off.

The brat averted his gaze silently and poked the rice in his bowl. 

The players dispersed after the dinner.

They were still unwilling to give up, but the upper and lower floors of the villa had been turned over with no gain, so they debated heading outdoors to the garden.

The young nurse approached the door and attempted to open it, but the lock cylinder appeared to be stuck and could not be opened at all.

She shrieked in fear: “The door is locked! We’re trapped!” 

Shen Dongqing: “Isn’t this how it usually goes?”

The young nurse: “Yeah, so we can’t go to the garden then…”

She’d just finished speaking when she noticed Shen Dongqing approaching. He lifted his leg and kicked the door.

Bang— 

The door didn’t budge an inch.

From the side, the bodyguard remarked sarcastically: “This door cannot be forced open for sure. Our active area must be limited to the interior of this villa.”

Shen Dongqing kicked the door again as he was speaking.

The door… 

They only heard the “click” of the lock cylinder before the door was kicked open.

“You were saying?” Shen Dongqing withdrew his leg.

The bodyguard’s face ached a little.

The players filed out and made their way to the garden. Only Zhou Wenyan remained still. 

“You’re not going?” Shen Dongqing inquired.

“Mn,” said Zhou Wenyan.

The exchange between the two was overheard by the bodyguard, who deliberately turned around and questioned, “Why aren’t you going out?”

“I’m not feeling well, so I’m not going out; I’ll wait for you all here,” Zhou Wenyan stated. 

The bodyguard compared the two men’s physiques.

You…don’t feel well? Why can’t I see it?

Zhou Wenyan remained motionless in the face of the scrutinizing stare without further explanation.

Shen Dongqing patted his back: “Then I’ll go out, wait for me!” 

The bodyguard reasoned that it wouldn’t be a huge deal if Zhou Wenyan didn’t go out, so he didn’t look any more and proceeded to the small garden outside with Shen Dongqing.

The villa area’s residents were far apart, and each house had its own little garden.

There were quite many plants in the garden of the Shen family villa. The garden was exceptionally lush, with emerald green leaves and excessively stunning red blossoms that looked as if they had been bathed in blood.

The lawyer led the way into the garden. He sensed something was wrong the instant he stepped on it. Looking down, he noticed a pale bone exposed. 

The bone was long and slender, like a human finger.

With a pallid face, the lawyer raised his foot: “Go get a shovel! There are bodies under here!”

The bodyguard dashed to a garden corner and grabbed a shovel. He dug up a pile of corpses, but thankfully they weren’t human beings, but rather small animals.

The carcasses looked fresh, with soiled fur and undecomposed flesh clinging to the skeletons. There were a lot of them, and a shovel dug them all up. 

“There won’t be animal carcasses all over the garden, right?” The young nurse was a bit scared.

The bodyguard shoveled down right away.

It was filled with skeletons once more.

This garden appeared to have grown so lush due to the nourishment of the bones. 

The players all felt a chill.

“It’s all the kitchen waste left over from eating?” remarked Shen Dongqing at this point. “Haven’t they heard of garbage sorting? This is too immoral.”

Good job.

The frightening mood vanished so quickly that not even a shade remained. 

“There are so many animal corpses; could they have been used to hold some type of evil cult ceremony?” the young nurse wondered, no longer terrified.

Shen Dongqing let out a “oh!” that drew everyone’s attention back to him.

He was heartbroken: “Why is it another evil cult!”

Still no originality, this game is extremely boring! 

The other players didn’t understand his feelings. After a moment of silence, the bodyguard dared to ask, “Why do you say that?”

“I don’t know how many times I’ve played games about evil cults; it’s boring,” Shen Dongqing explained.

“Since you’ve played so many, you must have a particular understanding, right?” the priest said, smiling.

“Perhaps Mrs. Shen’s belief in religion is just a ruse; she actually believes in an evil cult, and the priest is also a priest of the evil cult,” Shen Dongqing rubbed his chin. 

The priest’s smile faded, and a spark of panic flashed over his eyes.

Shen Dongqing cocked his head, seeing his reaction: “I didn’t really guess it correctly, did I?”

The priest immediately shook his head: “No, no! I am really a legitimate priest.” He even drew a cross on his chest while saying this.

Shen Dongqing gazed at him for a while before saying, “Recite the Bible, and we’ll listen?” 

The priest froze: … how could he know that! This was simply embarrassing people!

The other players were distrustful of the priest after such a commotion.

After all, according to the lawyer’s hypothesis, he was a suspect as well.

The players turned over the entire garden, only to discover more piles of animal bones. They returned to the villa because it was already dark. 

“Let’s continue tomorrow,” the young nurse proposed.

After all, in this game, danger always surfaced at night, and ghosts also took advantage of this time to venture out. It was a good idea to hide in the room!

The first to agree was the priest.

The others, too, had no objections and went back to their rooms one by one. 

When Zhou Wenyan emerged from the water after a shower, he found Shen Dongqing holding the bolster, his eyes vacant and his face contemplative. He stepped over and placed an icy palm on Shen Dongqing’s cheek.

“Ah!” exclaimed Shen Dongqing as he awoke.

Zhou Wenyan asked with a smile on his face, “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking about where to hold an evil cult ceremony,” Shen Dongqing replied, squeezing the soft pillow. He counted on his fingers, “The second floor is fully occupied by the others with no free space, as are the first and third floors. So, where were all those animal carcasses in the garden slaughtered?” 

“It can’t truly be the kitchen, can it?” he said, resting his chin on his hand.

“Basement,” Zhou Wenyan responded hesitantly.

“How do you know there’s a basement?” Shen Dongqing asked.

Zhou Wenyan: “Guessed it.”