# Chapter 103: Hard to Distinguish Truth from Lies
The gas station in Decibel Town wasn't large, nor did it have much fuel storage. Apart from what the bus had used and what had been set up for traps, there wasn't much gasoline left. Even if it exploded, the players could retreat safely, which was why they had previously considered detonating the gas station.
To increase the lethality, Lin Pei and Ke Liang had earlier found quite a bit of broken glass, furniture frames, and other items, piling them into a small mountain inside the gas station. The string of bells used to attract the Xenomorphs was placed on top, one end connected to a rope, and the rope extended to a spot thirty meters outside the gas station.
Now the oil valve had been turned off. Ke Liang and the others were all in the restroom next to the gas station.
Wu Qiuyi had been placed on the only bed, covered with a white cloth. Shen Yi and Shen Xin, the siblings, were standing a bit farther away. Lin Pei sat by the bed, with Ke Liang standing behind him. Both of them looked at the person on the bed, their expressions filled with grief.
Xu Huo pushed the door open and came in. Shen Yi immediately stood up and asked, "How are the ground cages?"
"Only the ground cage closest to us opened. The other two are fine." Gu Yu spoke first, then looked at Lin Pei. "Where were you just now?"
Lin Pei turned his head to look at them, not speaking for a moment, as if shrouded in immense sorrow.
"He was injured and passed out. When I went over, he was still lying on the ground." Ke Liang explained on his behalf. "As for Wang Chaoqing, we didn't find him."
Xu Huo tilted his head to glance into the gas station, then said, "You said earlier that when you left, he was still conscious."
"Just after you left, the house collapsed. Not only was I knocked unconscious, but I also broke my leg." Lin Pei pulled up his pant leg. His right calf was severely swollen and red, and he had already done some simple treatment.
"What a coincidence." Gu Yu walked over to check.
"I was the one who bandaged his leg. Don't I know what I'm doing?" Ke Liang reached out to stop her.
Gu Yu pushed his hand away. "Who knows if you two are in cahoots?"
Ke Liang's face turned ugly, but Lin Pei, who had already been informed of this matter, said, "It's reasonable for them to suspect me. After all, I wasn't there at the time, and out of three ground cages, only one Xenomorph escaped."
Gu Yu snorted coldly. She actually checked his leg before stepping back, frowning and nodding at Xu Huo.
Xu Huo didn't speak for a moment. Lin Pei's expression was displeased. "I wouldn't break my own leg, would I? In this town that treats Xenomorphs like security guards, what would I gain? And now we can't even get out."
"I think it's most likely just an accident." Shen Yi tried to smooth things over. "We're companions who've been through life and death together. Let's not be suspicious of each other."
"But out of three ground cages, only one had a problem, and someone secretly attacked us earlier. You really can't be sure." Shen Xin looked around and said, "Isn't Wang Chaoqing the one who disappeared without a trace? Guilty conscience, right?"
"He's right here." Xu Huo suddenly spoke, turned around, and walked quickly to a cabinet in the gas station. He pulled the cabinet door open and dragged out the person hiding inside.
The few who had followed him out were surprised to see the person he dragged out. "Wang Chaoqing! How is he here?!"
"So you were hiding in the gas station!" Ke Liang stepped forward a few paces, grabbed the man, and was about to hit him. "Did you let the Xenomorph out?"
Wang Chaoqing was scared out of his wits, covering his face while shouting, "It wasn't me, it wasn't me! I don't know anything! I just found a place to hide. I don't know what happened!"
"You—!" Ke Liang was about to strike again, but Xu Huo reached out to stop him. "What's the use of forcing him to confess?"
Ke Liang's brows furrowed, his scarred face showing a fierce expression. "If we don't ask, how will we know if he did it? You can suspect Lin Pei, so why can't you suspect him?"
"Didn't we come to this damn place because of him? He'd be happy if a few more of us died so he could take our items!"
"If we died at the hands of the Xenomorph, where would he get our items?" Xu Huo paused and asked him in return. "Are you trying to avenge Wu Qiuyi, or are you just looking for a scapegoat?"
Ke Liang slowly loosened his fists. He threw Wang Chaoqing to the ground, stepped back two paces, and said, "It was you who suspected someone was sabotaging the ground cages. Now I want to interrogate Wang Chaoqing, and you're stopping me. What exactly do you mean?"
Xu Huo didn't directly answer his question. Instead, he said, "What if there's someone else in this town besides us?"
Ke Liang was stunned for a moment, then said, "Impossible. We've searched every corner of this town."
"And besides, you first suspected Wu Qiuyi of deliberately giving the wrong answer about the puzzle clock, then you thought one of us attacked you. Now I agree with you—the ground cage might indeed have been sabotaged. Lin Pei can prove his innocence, but when it comes to Wang Chaoqing, you suddenly say there's someone else?"
He let out a sudden laugh, then his face darkened as he stared at him. "Is what you're saying true or false?"
"I was thinking wrong earlier." Xu Huo rubbed his brow and said, "The other party didn't show themselves, so I suspected someone from our bus. But if they did it deliberately—making us suspect each other, then finding a way to open the ground cage and release the Xenomorph—that would make sense."
"That seems right too." Gu Yu walked over, looking thoughtful. "To be honest, it was strange that Wu Qiuyi remembered the colors of the flower garland wrong. It's normal for memories to be fuzzy, but she was very sure she hadn't made a mistake. Maybe someone secretly swapped the flower garlands."
"Wait, wait, wait," Shen Yi interrupted them. "You've got me confused. Wu Qiuyi only mentioned the flower garland to us. If there really was an outsider, how would they know about it?"
"And why did they only release one Xenomorph? If they wanted players to die, they should have released all three."
Everyone's gaze froze. Shen Xin's face turned pale. "What if the other two Xenomorphs were also released?"
"That can't be!" Shen Yi shouted first. "What do we do now?"
"Don't panic first. This doesn't make any sense at all!" Lin Pei shouted in a low voice, then looked at Xu Huo and said, "If there were other people in the town, and they had the means to open the ground cages, we wouldn't have had any chance to seal them up."
"Whether it was Wu Qiuyi remembering the flower garland colors wrong or the Xenomorph escaping from the ground cage, both could be coincidences. Besides that, is there any other evidence pointing to an outsider, or that there's a traitor among us?"
Gu Yu was about to speak, but he interrupted her again. "I know you're going to mention the ambush. But aside from Xu Huo himself, who actually saw that happen?"
"No one saw it, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen," Shen Xin said.
"Yes, no one seeing it doesn't mean it didn't happen. But don't forget—whether you suspect an outsider or a traitor, it's all based on the fact that he was ambushed. If that hadn't happened, would you have suspected me or Wang Chaoqing just because the Xenomorph escaped?" Lin Pei asked forcefully.
"Reason? He would have to have a reason for doing this," Gu Yu said. "What you're saying is just your speculation, not fact."
"Making us turn on each other gives him an opportunity to strike," Lin Pei said with a cold laugh. "Isn't it normal for players to scheme against each other?"