Chapter 112: What will happen to my wife if I die?
A high fever burned through the night until dawn. An Wujiu seemed to be in a lucid dream, unable to wake up.
It wasn’t until the red light outside the window gradually faded, leaving only the vast whiteness, that An Wujiu opened his eyes. His vision had returned.
His limbs were stiff and his whole body was cold, unable to feel any warmth, but he still put on his cloak and washed his face quickly to wake himself up.
He looked terrible in the mirror, and An Wujiu didn’t want to go out like this, making Shen Ti uncomfortable. So he rubbed his cheeks until he saw a bit of blood color before leaving the mirror.
An Wujiu stood at the door, took a deep breath, and then opened it.
What he didn’t expect was that Shen Ti was standing right outside.
“Why are you just…”
An Wujiu’s voice was hoarse from the fever, and before he could finish his sentence, Shen Ti hugged him.
He seemed completely unconcerned about the results of the autopsy from last night, as if he had forgotten about it entirely, just quietly holding An Wujiu.
An Wujiu felt his frozen shell revive in Shen Ti’s embrace.
The moment the door opened, Shen Ti saw An Wujiu’s face. He was pale as a sheet of dry paper, seemingly about to crumble at a touch, making him afraid to hug too tightly.
“Didn’t you say not to enter your room?” Shen Ti kissed the top of his head and said, “I didn’t sleep well, came to you in the middle of the night, and slept in the hallway.”
An Wujiu’s heart pounded heavily, as if a warm current were pumped out, flowing through every part of his body, bringing him back to life.
But he still couldn’t believe it, “How… how did you find my room?”
Unless he was a wolf.
His tone was rather proud, as if describing some remarkable calculation method, “After you went to your room, I measured the steps. I take 6 steps from one room door to the next, with 5 steps between the two hallways. I’m 6 rooms away from you, so I walked 41 steps to your door.”
An Wujiu suddenly felt a bit sad. He looked up, gazing into Shen Ti’s green eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Ti noticed something off about him.
An Wujiu shook his head, pretending nothing was wrong, just smiling and asking, “That accurate?”
Shen Ti then admitted, “Not that accurate.” He stretched out the word “that” and smiled again, “There was a bit of error. When I woke up, I saw I was leaning against Lao Yu’s room, so I moved a bit.”
An Wujiu suddenly laughed with a beautiful smile.
Shen Ti looked at his smile, feeling something wasn’t quite right, but couldn’t pinpoint it.
He keenly read An Wujiu’s pain, those sorrows flowing into his heart like melting ice springs.
But he didn’t know how to start, unsure of how to speak without worsening An Wujiu’s pain.
Shen Ti knew he must have remembered something again.
Ask after the morning ritual.
“The morning ritual is about to begin.” An Wujiu took his hand and whispered, “Let’s go.”
He didn’t want to hide anything from Shen Ti. Even if his memory was just fragmented and unbearable pieces, he was willing to show them to Shen Ti.
But not now.
It was another new morning, but there was no trace of renewal on anyone’s face. Yesterday felt as long as a lagging horror movie, both terrifying and endlessly torturous.
But they had to gather together and choose a new sacrificial candidate.
An Wujiu and Shen Ti separated, and he returned to his position at Lamp Post No. 1. Soon, a scepter transformed from blue light points appeared beside him, symbolizing the mid-priest.
“Good morning, priests.”
A holy voice sounded.
“A new day has begun. Before starting the morning ritual, I will announce last night’s deaths.”
This sentence instantly made everyone extremely tense.
An Wujiu thought that if things went as he imagined, he wouldn’t die.
It must have been a double death last night—probably the real and fake witches.
Sure enough, the holy voice announced the result.
“The ones who died are: Player No. 2 and Player No. 3. Multiple players died during the night, so there are no last words.”
As soon as the words fell, Lao Yu and Toudou Sakura suddenly collapsed, blood oozing from their mouths. They twitched and lost their breath without a word.
Neither had closed their eyes, staring straight at the mural on the temple dome through the cold air until their lamps extinguished, like Andrew’s. Blood pooled around them, congealing in the cold wind.
The smell of blood filled the sacred temple, and the expressions of the people varied. Some were terrified, not daring to look, others silently observed their bodies; and some, like Nan Shan, silently recited prayers, hoping they could leave the game peacefully and become survivors.
But it was destined to be a luxury, as these two were surely on opposing sides.
The holy voice remained emotionless.
“Now, the morning ritual begins. The middle priest will choose the speaking order.”
The speaking order is crucial in this game. Not everyone can attentively listen to and remember all previous speeches. If the cultists speak later and are persuasive, the good may be deceived and vote out the real good people.
If starting from the left of the two deceased, excluding An Wujiu himself, the twelfth player, Matsubara Mori, would speak.
An Wujiu, being the gravekeeper, knew that the sacrificed Andrew was the true seer, and Matsubara Mori before him was false.
But starting with him might expose his role as the gravekeeper instantly. If the wolves self-destructed, it would enter the night, and he wouldn’t have the chance to reveal the inspection information before dying by their hands.
This way, the good guys would lose three deities.
An Wujiu pointed to the position on the right.
“The mid-priest chooses to start with Player No. 4, Zhou Yijue. Player No. 5, please prepare.”
An Wujiu stared at Zhou Yijue’s face, noticing no surprise or displeasure. It was as if this unfavorable speaking order was something he had long anticipated.
Could he be the last wolf, accepting it so calmly?
Zhou Yijue sighed at the two bodies, his usual smile gone, looking uncharacteristically serious.
“Last night was a double death. It seems the witch used her potion to poison the other self-proclaimed witch wolf. I originally thought that if the witch was really skilled, she shouldn’t have used her potion to poison another witch last night but rather another seer or a wolf revealed during the day. That way, by the next day, we would naturally know who the real witch was, and we could vote out the fake witch, killing a clearly identified wolf.”
Zhou Yijue’s suggestion was actually what An Wujiu had wanted to tell Lao Yu yesterday. Poisoning the counter-claiming witch wasn’t the best strategy in this game because there was a gravekeeper who could verify the sacrificed person’s alignment.
The gravekeeper could verify the identities of those who died during the day but not those who died at night. The witch had already revealed herself and would definitely be targeted by the wolves at night. Whether Matsubara Mori was the real seer or not, the wolves would certainly kill the witch. If he were the real one, this move would make the good guys endlessly doubt him. If he wasn’t, the wolves wouldn’t kill their own comrade.
With the real witch dead and the potion used to kill the fake witch, such a double death would only further confuse the good guys without a clear view. Once the wolves stirred up trouble, it would be even harder to distinguish who the real witch was.
If Lao Yu had poisoned Matsubara Mori last night, and this morning both Lao Yu and Matsubara Mori were dead, everyone would clearly identify Lao Yu as the real witch and vote Toudou Sakura out during the day.
But Lao Yu would find it difficult to target his silver-water seer. An Wujiu knew this well, which was why he had wanted Lao Yu to poison someone other than the seer or the wolf witch, the best choice being someone the wolf witch claimed to have saved, which was Megan.
However, An Wujiu was punished by the system with a speech ban and couldn’t give Lao Yu any advice. Even if he had spoken, Lao Yu, given his deep distrust, likely wouldn’t have listened.
Zhou Yijue continued, “But now it’s already a double death, and the ones dead are both people who emphasized their witch identities… I now have just one suggestion: everyone, don’t get hung up on who the real witch is. They died at night, so one of them must be a wolf. I should be right.”
An Wujiu felt Zhou Yijue’s speech hinted at having a special role, similar to Shen Ti’s speech on the first day.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Yijue directly said, “I thought it over and decided to just say it. After all, my role exists to guide all the good guys.”
Is he claiming to be the gravekeeper?
“I am the gravekeeper.” Zhou Yijue wore his usual smile. “Yesterday’s sacrificed Andrew…”
An Wujiu stared into his eyes.
“…was a good guy,” Zhou Yijue said.
An Wujiu showed no outward reaction but quickly thought about Zhou Yijue’s identity.
He could accurately report Andrew’s good alignment, which likely meant he was a wolf. If he was an ordinary wolf, he would know his teammates, including Matsubara Mori. There was no need to clash with Matsubara now, exposing all the wolves.
Could he be the gargoyle?
But…
An Wujiu suddenly recalled Zhou Yijue’s expression when they met in the snow.
He said if he could get a resurrection card, he would try to fulfill any request.
So now? Could he be shielding An Wujiu from the wolves’ attack tonight?
“I know jumping out now will certainly make a wolf claim to be the real grave keeper and call me a wolf fighter. But the sacrificed Andrew was a good guy. He was the real seer, and Matsubara Mori, still alive here, is a wolf. We’ve already lost two deities. Counting me, there’s only one hunter left alive. I hope you hide well and don’t reveal your identity. I hope what I’ve said helps all the good guys discern the truth. I trust you can see my sincerity.”
Zhou Yijue looked sincerely at An Wujiu, his gaze truly resembling his from last night.
“At least the sheriff should recognize me. Otherwise, if no one believes me after I jump out, we would indeed lose a third deity, wouldn’t we?”
Hearing this, An Wujiu was shaken.
It was possible his judgment was wrong. But from his last words, Zhou Yijue seemed to have identified An Wujiu as the grave keeper yesterday and was now hinting at him to let Zhou take the fall.
If he were a wolf, he could only be the gargoyle who doesn’t meet his teammates, using this tactic to win over An Wujiu, the sheriff, which indeed matched Zhou Yijue’s abilities and mentality. They had clashed before, and An Wujiu knew his strength well.
But at this moment, he chose to trust for now. Even if he didn’t believe, jumping out would result in An Wujiu dying tonight.
Who knows how many more grave keepers might appear?
After finishing, Zhou Yijue emphasized his identity again, “Today we must vote out Matsubara Mori. Andrew was the real seer. Let’s vote Megan out tomorrow for his inspection result. I’m done.”
Player No. 4 finished speaking, and it was Megan’s turn, Player No. 5.
Compared to her speech the previous day, she now looked more flustered. Yesterday’s sacrifice and the sudden deaths of two players today had shocked her greatly, and it seemed to take immense effort just to speak.
Megan frowned and turned to Zhou Yijue. “He isn’t the real gravekeeper, definitely not. Did you hear what he said? He actually suggested that the Witch should poison a Seer last night. Is that something a good person would say? If he were the gravekeeper, he couldn’t verify anyone yesterday, so how could he be sure Matsubara isn’t the Seer? And he wanted the witch to poison him? That doesn’t align with the mindset of a good person; he must be fake.”
“I’m a good person; I have no special role, just an ordinary villager.”
She tried to calm herself and avoid looking at the corpses in front of her. “I’m not a wolf, really. Andrew can’t be the real Seer; how could he have identified me as a wolf? I’m just a villager. You can vote me out if you want. A witch has already died, the seer is still here, and you can afford to vote me out. There are enough of us left.”
She tried hard to prove she was a good person, but to An Wujiu, she was clearly a confirmed cultist identified by Andrew.
“That’s all I have to say. Zhou Yijue is claiming to be the gravekeeper at this moment; he must be the gargoyle, stepping in to turn the tide and claiming the wolf teammate as the sacrificed seer. If you really believe him, the real Seer will be sacrificed today.”
“I’m a good person. I’ll listen to the rest, and I’m done.”
Next was Nan Shan. He didn’t speak immediately but thought for a moment.
“I’m not the gravekeeper.” He looked at Megan. “I thought you would claim to be the gravekeeper and directly oppose him. If Zhou Yijue is confirmed as the gravekeeper, then Andrew is the real Seer, and you are definitely a wolf.”
“I still have doubts about Zhou Yijue being the grave keeper, but you haven’t given us a role that can’t be sacrificed. This round, I’ll listen to see if anyone else claims to be the gravekeeper. If there is and I can’t distinguish, my vote will go to Megan.”
He didn’t say much, stated his position, and passed.
Next up was Shen Ti.
Shen Ti, still looking sleep-deprived, was stretching. It took him a while to realize it was his turn to speak.
“Oh, it’s my turn.” Shen Ti stretched lazily. “Let me think…”
He pointed at Nan Shan. “This No. 6 does sound like a villager.”
An Wujiu watched him calmly but felt something was off.
What is this approach?
“And me, I’m also a villager.” Shen Ti smiled. “Look at how many villagers are left on the field? I said yesterday that the handsome guy with the sceper is a villager, so if you’re looking for the gravekeeper, you can only look among 4, 8, 9, 10, and 11. See if they claim.”
“Well, I’m not the gravekeeper. If the gravekeeper sees that you guys sacrificed the wrong person, they should jump out today to correct it.”
“I think Zhou Yijue sounds like the gravekeeper. If he’s the Gargoyle, there’s no need to claim to be the gravekeeper now because he doesn’t need to trick the gravekeeper; he can verify. If he verifies and survives, he just needs to identify a Hunter, and the game ends. So for now, I think Zhou Yijue is likely the grave keeper, though I really dislike him.”
Shen Ti’s face showed some irritation. “Forget it; I shouldn’t curse. If I curse, my wife will scold me.”
An Wujiu wanted to sigh.
The system had silenced everyone but Shen Ti, so now he was completely unrestrained.
“Today…” Shen Ti stroked his chin, looking around as if everyone else was a suspect. “Let’s vote out either Matsubara or Megan.”
“If Andrew is the real seer, both of them should die.” His tone was light and smiling, but it sent chills down people’s spines.
Soon, Shen Ti adopted a resigned attitude. “I don’t know who the wolf is; I can’t find them. If I point out the wolf and they hold a grudge and kill me at night, what will my wife do if I die?”
An Wujiu pursed his lips, pretending not to be the “wife” Shen Ti referred to, and no one knew he was.
But when he looked up, he saw Wu You making a vomiting gesture at Shen Ti.
Shen Ti didn’t notice. Even if he did, he wouldn’t care, and he might even escalate things.
“Zhou Yijue, I advise you to behave yourself. If someone else claims to be the grave keeper later, I might switch sides in an instant.” Shen Ti shrugged. “I’m that unprincipled.”
“If I acknowledge the real gravekeeper later…”
Shen Ti gave Zhou Yijue a kind smile.
“Then I will be your gravekeeper.”
