Volume 1, Chapter 10: Splitting Forces

This deduction, however, rested on a premise: that he had fully grasped the methods used by the God-Slayer and the Accomplice to kill. What if they possessed other lethal skills? In the game, Qin Shang was unfamiliar with the abilities of other classes. What if there were a class with a skill like "killing by a glance"? Wouldn't he, as a lone wolf, be left to take the fall for everything?

Qin Shang frowned. He couldn't just give up the chance to hunt for clues, so he instinctively asked, "I want to know... if a God-Slayer is a player who died in this instance, can they retain the class skills they had while alive?"

His knowledge of class skills was limited to what he had heard from the Sheriff. If this special group of NPCs, the God-Slayers, still possessed their former skills, they might well be able to cheat the rule of holding hands in a cross-linked formation.

"Yes, they can!"

At these words, Qin Shang's heart sank.

"But based on my understanding of the various classes, this quadrilateral hand-holding method is almost flawless. That is why I said, if another member of our group is lost, then you must be the God-Slayer or the Accomplice. When that time comes, I will deal with you myself. After all, as a lone wolf, you are the most suspicious..."

"Deal with Big Brother!? No way!"

Just then, the little girl in the pink dress hesitated for a long time, shifted her feet, and ran over to Qin Shang in her little pink shoes, her eyes filled with a flicker of gratitude. "He is the only one who trusted me. If Big Brother goes off alone, the whole team will suspect him. I'm not leaving either! I'm staying with Big Brother!"

Perhaps it was her way of thanking the young man for that remark before they entered the tunnel. After all, no matter how slow-witted someone might be, after this much time, they would realize that the deterrence in those words must have briefly made the Accomplice and the God-Slayer hesitate. Perhaps the little girl had been their target initially, but after Qin Shang spoke, the two wolves might have reconsidered and chosen a different target.

Qin Shang raised an eyebrow but said nothing. In truth, letting the three of them go was not a bad strategy. If someone died, the remaining two could be immediately identified as the God-Slayer and the Accomplice. The only risk was if the person who died was the Leader. If the little girl was the Leader, that was one thing, but if one of the other three was the Leader and got knifed, the mission would be...

Wait, that wasn't right either. Could he "inherit" the role? Could he inherit the Leader's mission and status? If he assisted himself—the "Leader"—in the capacity of a "Passenger" or "Assistant," would he still be able to clear the stage? As soon as this thought surfaced, Qin Shang instinctively shook his head. "That sounds a bit like exploiting a bug; it's probably impossible."

"However, looking at it from another angle: if there is only one innocent person among the three of them, and if the little girl wasn't lying about being a Passenger, then if someone gets knifed, I will be one hundred percent certain that the other two are the God-Slayer and the Accomplice."

Everyone had claimed to be a Passenger because they didn't know what kind of danger they would face if their status as the Leader—a lightning rod for trouble—was exposed. In other words, even if he had always claimed to be an Assistant, they didn't necessarily believe him. In the eyes of the wolves, he could just as easily be the Leader.

"Suppose that among the Sheriff, the Compassionate Sister, and the Elderly Priest, there is a God-Slayer, an Accomplice, and one person who might be a Passenger, an Assistant, or the Leader... they don't know the identity of that innocent party either!"

Passenger, Assistant, Leader? Looking at it from their perspective: if the trio only contained one innocent person, and the God-Slayer and Accomplice acted rashly, they might end up killing a mere Passenger. Then they would face the risk of exposing their own identities to him and the little girl. From the perspective of the God-Slayer and the Accomplice, the Leader could just as easily be him or the little girl! Without knowing their specific Passenger information, the trio was actually the safest configuration.

So, in a way, letting one innocent person stay with two traitors was the optimal solution. Of course, this assumed the little girl wasn't a traitor or a God-Slayer herself. But even if she were, if she stayed with him, there would only be one wolf in the trio. In that case, during the hand-holding segment, the lone wolf would never make a move in front of two innocent people. After all, letting go to prepare a knife in front of two witnesses was practically suicide. If anyone died, it would be as good as the remaining two revealing their hands. And if the little girl were a wolf and he were to die while they were together, it would be a certainty that there was a traitor in the trio, and the remaining innocent party would know the little girl was one of the two wolves.

"This involves a bit of gambling, but not much. If the God-Slayer wants to win, they need to kill the Leader. If someone in the trio dies and it turns out not to be the Leader, they will have failed in their endeavor."

Qin Shang thought this over and felt a slight sense of relief, though his expression remained solemn. "However, I still haven't found the liar from the beginning. Who exactly is that 'Green Grass by the Riverside'?"

Just then, a calm voice sounded from nearby. "Fine. This is your choice; I have no right to interfere. As long as no one dies on your side, then we can be certain there is a wolf among us!"

The Sheriff glanced over, then looked at the time on the carriage wall. Every carriage had a clock hanging at the front, and over an hour had already passed.

Hearing this, Qin Shang muttered to himself, "If you aren't the God-Slayer or the Accomplice, you'd better watch your own back!"

But to be fair, this Sheriff, "Eagle of Justice," was truly clever. A single sentence had completely deterred the God-Slayer and the Accomplice. Whether they acted together to infiltrate the trio or split up to infiltrate the trio and the duo, they would be constrained by the Sheriff's warning. If the trio lost a member, the survivors would be confirmed as the killers. If the duo lost a member, the survivor would be confirmed as the killer.

Thinking this, Qin Shang felt secure. From the perspective of the God-Slayer and the Accomplice, there would likely be no further player deaths for a while. He said in a flat tone, "Goodbye."

The Sheriff and his group gave a cold laugh. "Goodbye!"