Chapter 25: Suspicion and Traps
"From last night's situation, it seems... Alice is quite stupid?"
The little detective girl tilted her head, uttering these somewhat suicidal words, considering that Alice was hidden among the group.
"Stupid?"
The gold-rimmed glasses man looked puzzled.
"Yes, stupid."
The little detective girl insisted, organizing her thoughts before speaking:
"If I were Alice, I wouldn't attack Bai Ye on the first night. Even if I attacked the third brother of the National Football Team, who has no right to question, it would be far more profitable than attacking Bai Ye. If the third brother of the National Football Team died, it would be a thunderbolt for the first and second brothers. Moreover, the cat girl had a higher chance of being targeted. In my initial assumption, Alice was most likely to attack the cat girl last night."
Once the little detective girl entered reasoning mode, she completely disregarded her own safety and others' opinions.
"Assuming I were Alice, my order of attacking players would be: first night, the cat girl; second night, the second brother of the National Football Team; third night, Fatty Pi; fourth night, the first brother of the National Football Team; fifth night, Glasses; sixth night, Bai Ye; seventh night, the third brother of the National Football Team. Or, after the third or fourth night, I would attack myself to blend in among the dead."
The little detective girl's reasoning made sense. She wasn't the only one puzzled; Su Xiao was also confused. Alice attacking him seemed unrelated to the game. He even sensed a hint of personal grudge in it.
What baffled Su Xiao was that he had no personal grudge with Alice. Before entering the Demon Castle, he didn't even know she existed.
"Compared to the benefits of attacking me, attacking the cat girl or Glasses would indeed yield higher returns."
Su Xiao took out the Eternal Crystal Vial, took a small sip, drinking about a third.
The sweet spring water flowed down his throat, a cool sensation traveling down his esophagus, restoring a portion of his health and mana.
"So, I simply can't understand why Alice attacked you. Or perhaps, you are Alice? Pretending to be attacked last night—compared to becoming a 'deceased,' being an attacked person is more convenient. This status, aside from the third brother of the National Football Team, is higher than everyone else here. Alice likely wouldn't disguise herself as a deceased; she enjoys the process of the game. Staying hidden in a room isn't something she'd willingly accept. But becoming an attacked person clears most suspicion and allows free movement, participating in the subsequent game with a high status, even avoiding questioning for a long time."
As the little detective girl finished speaking, everyone's gaze turned to Su Xiao.
Su Xiao pondered for a moment. It did seem plausible. The survivor of an attack was far more advantageous than becoming a "deceased."
"That makes some sense."
Su Xiao didn't argue. This game was all about mutual suspicion. A player like the little detective girl, who often suspected others, was less likely to be Alice.
"Of course, this could also be Alice's smoke screen. Her purpose in attacking you on the first night might be to frame you. But I have a strange feeling that, compared to framing, this feels more like a personal grudge, with a clear target unrelated to the game's benefits."
The little detective girl's reasoning was sharp. After her summary, everyone gained a piece of intelligence: Alice attacking Su Xiao could only mean two things—Su Xiao was Alice in disguise, or Su Xiao had a personal grudge with Alice.
"The idea of a personal grudge seems far-fetched. Everyone here should be visiting the Demon Castle for the first time, so..."
The little detective girl left the rest unsaid. That sentence was: Su Xiao is Alice in disguise.
"Good reasoning."
Su Xiao remained calm.
"Aren't you going to refute that? By normal thinking, whether you're Alice or not, you should argue a bit."
The little detective girl stared intently at Su Xiao.
"At most, someone will use their questioning right on me. Based on the known clues, I am indeed the most likely to be Alice."
"Then it's settled. Today, I give up questioning myself. I choose to question you."
"As you wish."
Su Xiao lit a cigarette, leaning back on the sofa.
"What do you all think?"
The little detective girl looked at the others, each with different expressions.
Fatty Pi was deep in thought, the cat girl scratched her head with sharp claws, the gold-rimmed glasses man seemed hesitant, and the three brothers of the National Football Team were discussing in their team channel.
Five minutes passed. No one spoke.
"It seems this method isn't working, Bai Ye, big shot."
The little detective girl shrugged.
"No one chimed in. The fox's tail is well hidden."
Su Xiao exhaled a puff of smoke. The little detective girl had seemingly intended to question him, but in reality, she had dug a trap, waiting for Alice to fall into it.
If anyone had agreed with the little detective girl's view at that moment, that person would have been over 50% likely to be Alice. Questioning Su Xiao would only waste one questioning right, benefiting Alice.
Seeing no one respond, the little detective girl spoke, surprising everyone.
"I can prove that Bai Ye was indeed attacked last night."
"Oh? How can you prove that?"
"My room is closest to Bai Ye's. Last night, I heard someone walking in high heels outside the door. At first, I couldn't confirm which room the sound came from. Just now, when Bai Ye said he fought with Alice, no one else objected, meaning no one else was attacked by Alice. Of course, this doesn't rule out Alice's trap."
Su Xiao's suspicion was mostly cleared. The three brothers of the National Football Team were completely confused. The plot was too complex, and without "subtitles," it was hard for them to follow.
"Ahem, we three brothers will follow the majority's stance."
The first brother of the National Football Team stood up, spoke, and then sat down.
"So, the clues are still unclear?"
The cat girl's expression wasn't good. She knew how dangerous her situation was.
"No, the clues are already very clear."
As the little detective girl finished speaking, a notification appeared.
[Announcement: Player 1 uses questioning right on Player 1. Questioning fails. Player 1 is not Alice in disguise.]
The little detective girl had proven herself; she wasn't Alice.
"The clues are so obvious that we can use the simplest elimination method. First, I and the third brother of the National Football Team are not Alice. The first and second brothers of the National Football Team, and Bai Ye, are also unlikely to be Alice. That leaves Fatty Pi, Glasses, and the cat girl."
The little detective girl smiled. Hearing this, the first brother of the National Football Team slapped his thigh, and the second brother also showed a delighted expression.
"Then we'll win soon, right?"
"Alice is doomed."
"Not necessarily."
Su Xiao poured cold water on them, looking at the first and second brothers of the National Football Team.
"Fatty Pi, Glasses, and the cat girl are just more suspicious. Before we confirm our identities, we also have a chance of being Alice. If Alice successfully hides among us three, it would be troublesome."
Su Xiao's words wiped the smiles off the first and second brothers' faces.
"That's true, but our advantage is undeniable. When Alice chose to attack you, she was already at a disadvantage. Tomorrow, I'll find out who Alice is. Definitely! Unless she can turn the situation around instantly."
The little detective girl's tone was firm, a testament to her confidence in her reasoning abilities.