Volume One, Chapter Two: No One to Trust

Conman...

Does he know I’m a conman?

No, that’s not right.

Before everyone revealed their identities, no one knew each other’s professions.

The sheriff was testing me.

He was guessing!

Qin Shang adjusted his expression; he wasn’t ready to die at the hands of other players just yet.

Although he still didn’t fully understand why the conman was considered a public enemy, it was clear from the sheriff’s expression that there was an instinctive rejection—and even hostility—toward the conman, as if it was ingrained in his very bones.

Qin Shang remained calm and said lightly, “You guessed wrong. I’m a priest.”

“A priest?”

The sheriff did not dismiss his earlier suspicion just because of one sentence.

“You say you’re a priest, so you are?”

“Then show some proof to clear your name. Without evidence, empty words won’t do. You can’t just say you’re a priest and expect us to believe it.”

At the same time, everyone else’s gaze turned uniformly toward Qin Shang.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t nervous at a moment like this.

Qin Shang controlled his expression and pointed to a row of seats at the very front of the car, then his finger landed in the darkness.

In theory, from this angle, only a priest with night vision could see the newspaper taped to the window blocking the glass; no one else could.

The next moment, Qin Shang spoke with conviction:

“The newspaper taped to the window on the left side of the second row talks about Jack the Ripper, a madman active in late 19th-century London. I can’t understand the rest.”

“After all, I’m just a priest, not a teacher. I only have the ability to see things at night—I can’t decipher text.”

“My education is limited, and I don’t know much English. I only know how to spell the name ‘Jack the Ripper’ in English!”

At these words, several people blinked in surprise.

The sheriff furrowed his brow and looked at the elderly priest who had spoken first.

“Is what he says true?”

The old man nodded.

“Yes. The newspaper does indeed mention Jack the Ripper.”

“It seems the story background we’re in is, as the scenario states, late 19th-century London.”

Hearing this, the sheriff paused briefly, then showed a relieved expression.

“Sorry, young man. In this environment, it’s normal for us to be on edge.”

“After all, the lives of everyone on this train are at stake. We can’t afford to be careless. I misunderstood you earlier—please forgive me.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Shang felt a surge of relief but also silently wiped a cold sweat.

That was close!

He wasn’t really a priest, so he certainly didn’t possess night vision.

He only knew what was on the newspaper taped to the window of the second-row left seat because, when he first entered the scenario, he had taken note of his surroundings.

The first part of his statement was bluffing, but the latter part was truthful.

Jack the Ripper’s name was infamous; seeing the phrase instantly brought the notorious serial killer to mind...

However, the sheriff’s expression did not improve much, even after dismissing Qin Shang’s suspicion.

His thick brows remained tightly knit.

“So, that means the next task is going to be troublesome…”

“There’s definitely a conman among us, which means two people are lying—or rather, one person is lying, and the other is a non-human entity deceiving us.”

Hearing this, Qin Shang narrowed his eyes.

“Non-human entity…”

The sheriff dismissed Qin Shang as a suspect, then addressed the confused looks around him, adjusting his tone to something more serious.

“Since this is a game, encountering NPCs in the scenario is normal. Sometimes, we even need their help to complete the mission.”

“But the Godslayers are a very special kind of NPC!”

“They are NPCs formed from players who died in this scenario.”

“Godslayers—the name gives it away.”

“Yes, they are those who kill Godslayers players. They are very familiar with the scenario, which is why there have been many tragic incidents where Godslayers infiltrated the player team, deliberately misled them, and caused the entire team to perish.”

At these words, Qin Shang’s expression stiffened.

This sheriff had a deep understanding of the Godslayers game...

The others’ expressions also grew much more serious.

They hadn’t expected that, while exploring this part of the map, they also had to be wary of traitors who could emerge from within the team at any moment.

In this scenario, heavy with the unknown, fear filled everyone’s hearts.

For everyone except the sheriff, everything here was utterly unfamiliar.

And then there were these so-called Godslayers!

Qin Shang pondered briefly.

The sheriff’s line of thought made sense—there were indeed two liars among the group.

One was naturally Qin Shang himself, who had falsified his role card.

Among these six people, someone else had also lied about their profession.

That person was the Godslayer—the NPC inside the death train, as the sheriff described.

Who could it be?

Who?

First, the two priests who could see in the dark should be excluded, right?

They both possessed night vision and had been checked.

In this darkness, people spaced more than two meters apart could barely make out each other’s features.

Yet these priests moved about as if on familiar ground, clearly able to see the layout.

Qin Shang instinctively ruled out the elderly priest and the other young girl in the pink dress...

“Didn’t the sheriff say I would have a hidden hint?”

He had gotten by with a bluff just now, but once they began exploring the carriages, he might be exposed at any moment.

After all, he did not have the ability to see in the dark.

That would be too easy to detect.

As everyone sized each other up, Qin Shang and the old man exchanged a glance.

The other gave a slight nod, seemingly conveying goodwill.

But in Qin Shang’s mind, a sudden thought struck like an electric shock.

Hiss!

“No, no—that’s just my habitual thinking.”

“The old man and the harmless-looking little girl, both priests, are not necessarily passengers.”

“If they were game NPCs, they would be especially familiar with the scenario. They know the map and environment well—there’s nothing difficult about that.”

“Even without night vision, they could move about the scenario with ease.”

“Moreover, according to the sheriff, Godslayers are NPCs who were once players. That means they have explored the scenario before.”

“Therefore, it’s not impossible for them to have a good understanding of the scenario and easily know what’s in the next carriage. For NPCs, that doesn’t seem hard!”

“And no one can guarantee what other abilities an NPC might have, so…”

Qin Shang’s heart sank, his expression darkening.

Those two priests he had just ruled out might not be passengers after all.

They might be Godslayers!

No... even the sheriff himself could be a Godslayer.

Although I’m a conman, which seems quite distinct from everyone else’s professions,

the sheriff is also somewhat special.

None of us had any prior experience with Godslayers.

But the sheriff had obviously been here more than once and knew more about this place than anyone else.

What about him?

Could he be a Godslayer?

According to the sheriff, Godslayers only appear in scenarios with a conman.

Does that mean the Godslayers’ target isn’t the other players,

but the conman?

Or that they prioritize eliminating the conman first?

Like in Werewolf, where the wolves aim to eliminate the seer first?

Because the conman can see hidden clues and significantly boost the team’s chance of completing the scenario, the NPC Godslayers wouldn’t want players to succeed.

So prioritizing killing the conman makes sense.

The sheriff suggested everyone take turns revealing their professions.

Could this be a way to try to flush out the conman among us?

Qin Shang’s gaze swept over the group, his brow tightly furrowed.

That loud, shrieking noblewoman—was she faking panic to deflect suspicion?

What about the young punk?

He was the most relaxed when entering the scenario, but his expression turned nervous after the sheriff explained the dangers of Godslayers.

Could he be a Godslayer?

What about the elderly priest?

The teacher and the doctor?

Qin Shang’s feelings became complicated; everyone seemed suspicious.

At least now, he had a clear and certain judgment—

No one here can be trusted, not for now!