Chapter 858: Suspicion
"Isn't that obvious?" The burly player by the edge immediately said. "Weren't we just discussing who made the move?"
The player with the severed finger glanced at him in the darkness before continuing, "What I mean is, since that's the case, there's no need to figure out exactly who it is."
That was the normal way to handle things on the train.
"But we almost got killed in our sleep just now," Xu Jinfeng said. "What if the same thing happens again later?"
Not everyone would be lucky enough to wake up in time every time; they might end up like the two corpses in the carriage, silently decapitated without a sound.
"How about we check the carriages ahead and behind?" Xu Huo suggested. "If the situation is the same as ours, we can close the doors and stop suspecting each other."
"Who dares to go out?" Xiao Xianglin asked.
"I'll go check it out." The smoking player stood up, his tone impatient. "All this fuss over such a trivial matter, bickering endlessly."
Without waiting for anyone else to respond, he pulled the door open and stepped out, thoughtfully closing it behind him.
Everyone "watched" as he entered the opposite carriage. Then they heard two more door openings, and soon his footsteps returned.
Xiao Xianglin, standing by the door, opened it for him. The man said directly, "A few died there too. Same kind of deaths."
"Oh, the killer got away fast," the female player said.
The players in the carriage all found the situation troublesome. Xu Jinfeng said, "There aren't any extra people in our carriage. If we just close the door, won't we be fine?"
"What if it's someone from our carriage?" the female player countered.
"Are you all missing the point?" the smoking player said. "Putting the entire train's passengers to sleep isn't easy. Ordinary items wouldn't achieve that effect."
"What if the other party is an advanced player?" Xiao Xianglin asked.
The smoking player grew a bit impatient, but his cigarette had gone out before the lights were turned off. He unconsciously brought it to his lips, took a dry drag, then lowered it. "Then just clean your neck and wait to die."
Xiao Xianglin was choked by the retort. Xu Huo, standing beside him, said, "Maybe it's through other means, like poisoning the air or the food and drink."
"That's right!" Xiao Xianglin clapped his hands. "Didn't that woman not order the meal set? She was killed first, maybe because of that. And if everyone in the carriage was asleep, why didn't the killer go after everyone one by one? Why pick a few from each carriage?"
"According to your reasoning, the train attendants are the most suspicious?" the female player said.
Xiao Xianglin was stumped. Although the train staff didn't get paid, the game still had requirements for them. They could be considered neutral NPCs. The yellow-haired female player's actions weren't welcomed by the attendants, but they didn't violate any rules either.
"This old man bought the meal set," the burly player said, referring to another corpse.
"Then the theory about not spending enough money to get killed doesn't hold up," Xu Huo said flatly.
"But I agree with his point," the female player said. "Poisoning through air and food is more plausible than using items or traits."
"It's hard to poison through food and drink. The dining car is right under the attendants' noses, unless they're blind."
"But air is different," the female player said slowly. "Just open the carriage door."
The suspicion shifted to Xiao Xianglin.
The only one who fit this description was him, since he had gone to other carriages to sell his potions.
"How could it be me!" Xiao Xianglin was shocked and quickly defended himself. "If it were me, I wouldn't have fallen asleep just now. Yu Cong woke me up! Ask him if you don't believe me!"
"That's true," Xu Huo gave a noncommittal confirmation.
The female player's reasoning sounded plausible at first, but in reality, it was even less feasible than directly poisoning the food delivered by the attendants. Not to mention whether the train had an early warning system—releasing such a large-scale hypnotic agent or some kind of poison would first and foremost be considered a hijacking attempt.
Moreover, with so many players on the train, it was unlikely that not a single one would notice someone releasing a hypnotic agent on board.
On the contrary, it was more likely to be an item or a trait.
Xu Huo glanced at the smoking player, who kept rubbing his trouser legs, and the raincoat-wearing man in the corner.
Only the smoking player had gone to the rear carriages. Whether the players killed back there were the same as in this carriage was known only to him. No one had verified the front carriages either, so it was still uncertain whether the entire train had fallen asleep.
The smoking player's words had a misleading quality.
But whether the whole train had been affected would be clear once dawn came.
As for the raincoat-wearing man, the shadow Xu Huo had seen when he opened his eyes bore some resemblance to his attire.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at the player with the severed finger beside him.
His hands, feet, and neck were all covered by his clothes, and most of his palms were hidden. Only when he moved could one see his severed fingers. However, his injury was fresh, and his other fingers showed signs of having been electrocuted.
It was uncertain if it was a coincidence, but that player from the Holy Sword Society had also boarded this train.
"I was just throwing it out there. Don't get so worked up," the female player said lightly in response to Xiao Xianglin's agitation.
"Come on, it's obvious you don't have that kind of skill," the burly player added.
Xiao Xianglin couldn't help but feel aggrieved. After a pause, he asked Xu Huo, "Did you see clearly just now? Didn't you say the other party was about to make a move?"
"It was too dark. I couldn't see clearly," Xu Huo downplayed his vision. "I just felt someone standing in front of me, but before we could clash, they disappeared."
"I didn't hear the door open," the player with the severed finger said.
"Right, I didn't hear it either," Xu Huo said. "So I think it's also possible that I saw an illusion."
"After all this talk, doesn't it still mean the person could be in our carriage?" the smoking player said irritably. "You can't come up with anything conclusive. Since we can't find the person, let's each look out for ourselves. If someone's unlucky enough to die, they can't blame anyone else!"
The others more or less agreed with him and returned to their seats.
To avoid falling asleep again, everyone kept their eyes wide open.
"I'm starting to get drowsy," Xiao Xianglin was the first to give in. He suggested, "Let's play cards."
He even lent two pairs of glasses to Xu Huo and Xu Jinfeng.
The three of them sat together playing cards. Before long, the female player in front started listening to ghost stories on her smartwatch. The eerie background music only added to the already heavy atmosphere.
But given the fate of the black-mole player who had died outside, everyone wisely kept their mouths shut and didn't interfere.
Soon, the smoking player began tapping on the table.
"Buddy, if you really can't hold it in, I've got some alcohol here," Xu Huo said.
The grating "squeak" didn't stop. The smoking player gasped, "A real man quits drinking when he says he will!"
"Why quit for no reason?" Xiao Xianglin muttered. "With a player's physique, you won't get seriously ill no matter how much you drink. Just drink freely."
The smoking player didn't respond. His fingernails scraped across the table again with a long "squeak—"