You said you would make games by yourself, but how did you become the richest man by doing nothing?

#548 - reasoning

Qin Ming pushed his glasses up, the lenses reflecting the dim light. He frowned slightly, looking at Gao Mei: "Xiao Mei."

Tong Xiaoliang quickly stood up from the tatami mat, his tracksuit still covered in some dust: "Let me go with him."

Zhao Gang's deep gaze swept over the two of them for a moment, and he said in a deep voice: "I'm counting on you."

Wang Lina remained silent, her slender fingers unconsciously stroking the hem of her kimono: "..."

Qian Jin straightened his tie, his eyes sharp as knives: "As soon as he gets back, we'll take him to the Divinity River... Hualu, where's the rope?"

Hualu took out a roll of hemp rope from the sleeve of her miko outfit: "Here..."

...

Time passed quietly, and the sky gradually darkened.

Tang Yin sat alone in the second-floor Japanese-style room. The setting sun outside dyed the entire room a dark red. His thoughts were wandering aimlessly when suddenly, he heard a commotion outside.

It was the sound of human shouts, rising and falling, breaking the tranquility of the evening.

Tang Yin suddenly stood up from the tatami mat and rushed to the window: "...What's going on?!"

He pushed open the window, and a cool mountain breeze rushed in. Outside the window was a steep cliff, and he could hear nothing but his own echo.

Tang Yin's heart began to race, and he shouted out again: "What happened?!"

Zhao Gang's voice suddenly came from a distance: "Tang Yin, don't run around!"

What's going on? Tang Yin's brain was racing, trying to understand the current situation.

"What exactly happened?!" His voice was filled with anxiety and unease.

Zhao Gang's voice sounded even more urgent: "It's dangerous right now!!"

--Dangerous? This word swirled in Tang Yin's mind.

Tang Yin grabbed the window frame, his knuckles turning white: "What do you mean?!"

The only response he received was the rising and falling clamor in the distance, and the sound of the mountain wind howling.

Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps came from the stairwell, growing closer and closer with a "thump, thump, thump"--

Tang Yin turned to face the door, every muscle in his body tensing up: "Who is it?!"

The footsteps stopped abruptly, with no response.

Tang Yin's temples throbbed. He was certain that something major had happened, and that someone was nearby. A sense of tension spread through his heart like a tide, every nerve stretched taut.

"Ah, Tang Yin!" Wang Lina's voice suddenly came from outside the door.

Tang Yin breathed a sigh of relief, but his tone still carried some dissatisfaction: "It's you again, Wang Lina!!"

Wang Lina seemed very anxious, her words somewhat incoherent: "What do you mean!? Sorry, just stay here and don't move. Something seems to have happened--"

Before she could finish speaking, a heart-wrenching scream suddenly pierced the night sky. More than a scream, it was a roar full of anger. The voice contained some indescribable emotion, and if he wasn't mistaken, it was Zhao Gang's.

Wang Lina's footsteps quickly receded, leaving Tang Yin alone in the room.

He rushed to the door and pushed hard on the doorknob: "--Wait!! Open the door!!"

But no matter how hard he tried, the door wouldn't budge.

Tang Yin clenched his fists, his fingernails digging deeply into his palms: "Maybe I can help!!"

--Damn it! He gritted his teeth, unwilling to be kept in the dark any longer.

Tang Yin turned and walked towards the window, his gaze firm. In the moonlight, his figure appeared particularly tall and straight. Only two stories high, it was nothing to him.

--Never mind, I'll jump!

He jumped without hesitation. The moment he landed, his knees bent slightly, perfectly absorbing the impact. Good, a smooth landing.

Tang Yin immediately ran in the direction of the sound, knowing that it was the plaza. The night wind howled past his ears, and the distant clamor grew clearer and clearer. His heart raced, unsure of what awaited him.

When Tang Yin arrived at the scene, he finally understood the emotion contained in Zhao Gang's roar.

It was pure despair.

The setting sun was like water, spilling onto the path leading to the cemetery. The branches of the miscellaneous trees on both sides intertwined, forming a gloomy forest tunnel. The soil covered with decaying leaves exuded a damp atmosphere, and footsteps made a slight "rustling" sound as they stepped on it.

Even without the fog, it was so dark here that it was frightening. The air was filled with the smell of decay, mixed with the scent of soil and moss. The sound of rushing water constantly echoed in his ears, the low song of the irrigation canals nearby watering the farmland.

Several figures were faintly visible ahead. Tang Yin silently passed through this wall made of people. The moment he squeezed through, the scene before him froze him in place.

Blood. Large patches of blood.

Two corpses lay on the ground, one old and one young, posed in a bizarrely identical position. They were both curled up on their sides, their hands tightly covering their abdomens, as if they had experienced unimaginable pain in their lives. Dark red blood soaked their clothes, reflecting a nauseating luster in the setting sun.

Grandpa Wolf's white hair was covered in blood, and his always-kind face was now twisted into a painful expression. And Tong Xiaoliang, the always lively and energetic young man, now lay in a pool of blood like a broken doll.

Tang Yin's throat tightened, his voice trembling: "Why--" He swallowed hard, "--What happened."

Zhao Gang turned around, his eyes bloodshot, his voice hoarse: "...Tang Yin, shouldn't you be in the dormitory?"

"I came out to see what was going on," Tang Yin replied subconsciously.

Zhao Gang suddenly became furious, his voice hysterical: "You're lying!! You're the murderer, aren't you?!" His finger trembled as he pointed at Tang Yin.

"Uh... of course not!" Tang Yin explained quickly. "I was just talking to Wang Lina in the room!"

Wang Lina stood to the side, the setting sun shining on her pale face: "...Yeah, Tang Yin isn't the murderer, Gang-ge."

"Then who the hell is the murderer?!" Zhao Gang's fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.

Tang Yin strode forward: "Let's not worry about that now, we still have to try to save--"

"It's too late! Don't move!" Zhao Gang interrupted him sharply.

"Maybe it's not too late!" Tang Yin insisted.

Zhao Gang's voice was filled with despair and anger: "The blood has already drained! Their stomachs have been ripped open, and their intestines are spilling out!" He almost roared, "How are you going to save them, huh?!"

Tang Yin was speechless, cold sweat sliding down his cheeks.

He looked around, counting the people present. Besides Wang Lina, Zhao Gang, and himself, there was also Qin Ming, who was leaning against a tree trunk, constantly vomiting, his glasses crookedly hanging on the bridge of his nose. In the distance, Hualu stood motionless, wearing her miko outfit, her eyes fixed on the corpses on the ground, like a statue.

Tang Yin noticed that the others were wearing gloves and carrying tools, obviously there to handle the bodies. Only Hualu, she was empty-handed, out of place in this bloody scene.

Looking at this scene, Tang Yin's heart sank--it seemed their manpower was already insufficient. This mystery was probably more complicated than he had imagined.

Zhao Gang's voice trembled in the silent night, filled with deep sorrow and uncontrollable anger: "--What happened, who is the murderer, the beast--" His fist struck the tree trunk beside him, his knuckles whitening from the force.

Hualu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.

"...Look."

Everyone followed her slender finger. Entangled in Grandpa Wolf's blood-stained gray cotton coat were a few strands of grayish-brown hair. The hair was twisted in an unnatural way.

The most ⊥ new ⊥ small ⊥ say ⊥ in ⊥ six ⊥ 9 ⊥⊥ book ⊥⊥ bar ⊥⊥ first ⊥ hair!

Werewolf.

These hairs were undoubtedly traces left by the werewolves, the signature characteristic of their [Contamination]. A faint, fishy odor filled the air, making one want to retch.

But Tang Yin's intuition told him that things weren't that simple. He frowned, carefully examining every detail of the scene. There were no signs of struggle on the surrounding grass, and the distribution of blood was too concentrated. This killing method was completely different from the previous cases, and this animal hair as evidence was too deliberate, as if the murderer had intentionally done it.

"Let me see the wounds," Tang Yin said, his voice carrying a professional calmness.

Zhao Gang abruptly stopped him, his muscular arm blocking the way like an iron bar: "I told you not to move, didn't I?" His eyes flashed with a wary light.

"This is obviously different from before," Tang Yin looked directly into Zhao Gang's bloodshot eyes, trying to persuade him with reason. "We have to figure out the truth."

"Isn't that obvious!" Zhao Gang roared, his voice echoing in the silent night. "What do you know! You outsider!"

"If we don't investigate now, we'll never know!" Tang Yin's voice carried an undeniable firmness. "Every minute is important."

"Stop pretending, foreigner!!" Zhao Gang's facial muscles twisted, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light, like a wild beast about to pounce.

Wang Lina quickly stepped forward to dissuade him, her long hair gently swaying in the evening breeze: "Gang-ge, calm down! This isn't helping!"

"Annoying!" Zhao Gang pushed Wang Lina away, and she staggered back a few steps. "Nothing good has happened since he came here!! If it wasn't, if it wasn't for him...!" His voice was filled with suppressed hatred.

Zhao Gang's pupils burst with violent anger, his fists clenched, his knuckles cracking, veins bulging on the back of his hand, ready to attack Tang Yin at any moment.

Tang Yin's heart sank. The relationship of trust that had been built up with great difficulty seemed about to collapse in an instant, like a sandcastle on the beach.

"...Xiaoliang...why..." Qin Ming knelt on the muddy ground, his voice choked with sobs. "Why...woo..." His glasses were covered in mist, unsure whether it was tears or dew from the night.

Tang Yin ignored Zhao Gang's obstruction and squatted down to carefully examine Tong Xiaoliang's body.

The young man's face had lost its color, taking on an unnatural gray-white hue. But strangely, his expression was unusually peaceful, with no traces of pain or struggle. The slightly upturned corners of his mouth, whether it was a smile before death or simply muscle relaxation, were completely different from the painful, contorted faces of the victims in the previous [Contamination] cases.

"...This isn't Contamination," Tang Yin said decisively, his voice filled with conviction.

"How do you know!" Zhao Gang questioned. "Just because you're a foreigner?"

"If you let me investigate, I can prove it!" Tang Yin stood up, his gaze as firm as iron. "The characteristics of these wounds, the distribution of blood, and the expressions of the dead are all inconsistent with the previous cases."

The two men's gazes collided in the air, like two unsheathed swords. A tense atmosphere filled the air. Finally, Zhao Gang took a step back, the anger in his eyes slightly subsided, but still full of vigilance.

"...It's best for those who aren't used to it to step aside," Tang Yin said softly, then turned to walk towards Grandpa Wolf's body. In the setting sun, the bloodstains painted a bizarre arc on the ground.

The old man's face still maintained the senile expression he had in life, but the bloodless face made this expression particularly eerie, like a broken porcelain doll. His cloudy eyes stared blankly at the night sky, as if telling some unsolvable mystery.

Accompanied by the sound of flowing water, scarlet internal organs gushed out from Grandpa Wolf's hideous wound in his abdomen, reflecting a nauseating luster in the setting sun. Warm blood flowed windingly on the muddy ground, like an evil dark red little snake.

"Ugh--" Wang Lina covered her mouth and took a few steps back, her whole body trembling. Her delicate little face turned pale, her eyes filled with fear. She squatted on the ground, retching uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face, wetting her beige knitted cardigan.

Qin Ming was no better, he took off his gold-rimmed glasses, leaned against the trunk of a nearby cherry tree, bent over, and made a series of vomiting sounds. The back of his light blue shirt was soaked with cold sweat, shivering in the cold night wind.

Hualu, dressed in a white miko outfit, stood to the side, a hint of pity flashing in her dark eyes, and whispered, "...Too cruel." Her slender fingers gripped the red and white gohei tightly, her knuckles whitening from the excessive force.

Tang Yin calmly observed the scene, his angular face showing no expression. He turned to the others and said, "Don't force yourselves. Zhao Gang, look here."

The old man's entire abdomen had been pierced by a narrow wound, with intestines and internal organs mixed with blood gushing out. The edges of the wound were neat, obviously cut open by an extremely sharp blade. In the setting sun, this terrifying scene was chilling.

Tang Yin squatted down and carefully examined the wound: "This is not a supernatural divine punishment, but a wound caused by a human using a sharp weapon." His voice was calm and professional. "Moreover, the murder weapon is not at the scene. Obviously, it was hidden artificially."

Zhao Gang's weathered face showed a shocked expression, and he subconsciously clenched his fists: "--You mean, the murderer is in Mist Hidden Village, and the murder weapon was hidden by the murderer?" His voice trembled with excitement.

Tang Yin stood up, his gaze like a torch: "Can you tell me? All the circumstances from the beginning of the banquet until now."

After a few people's rambling narrations and mutual verifications, the course of events gradually became clear. Under the leadership of village representative Qian Jin, they decided to vote for one person to be executed. In the end, Grandpa Wolf and Wang Lina tied for first place, followed by a runoff vote. Grandpa Wolf was selected by an overwhelming majority and was therefore sentenced to death. Afterwards, Tong Xiaoliang accompanied Grandpa Wolf back to sort out his belongings, while the others stayed in the assembly hall.

"Are you absolutely sure that only those two left the assembly hall?" Tang Yin pressed, his keen senses picking up on a crucial detail.

Zhao Gang nodded affirmatively. "That's right. The banquet wasn't over yet, so letting Grandpa Wolf and Xiao Liang leave was already an exception."

Tang Yin mused, "So, they were going to restart the banquet when they returned? Following the banquet procedure, what should have been done?"

Hua Lu lowered her head and whispered, "This matter is a bit complicated."

"Alright," Tang Yin conceded, changing his line of questioning. "But they never came back, did they? How long did you wait?"

"About an hour," Zhao Gang replied.

Qin Ming wiped the mist from his glasses, his voice choked with emotion. "...We were worried about Xiao Liang's safety, so we came out to look for him... We found him in less than ten minutes."

Tang Yin's mind raced. Four people left the assembly hall at that time: Wang Lina, Zhao Gang, Qin Ming, and Hua Lu. The killer must be hiding among these four!