Chapter 121: Infinite Cannon Fodder (11)

Last night, the players split into two rooms. To ensure safety, Mu Bai took the night watch. The night passed without incident, and he let out a sigh of relief.

They had endured the most dangerous part—only for Li Yun to vanish as soon as they stepped outside their separate rooms…

This unpredictable and seemingly random killing method left Mu Bai drenched in cold sweat, feeling both helpless and furious.

He and Li Yun were old partners. They’d used a binding item to enter the dungeon together, hoping to improve their chances of survival.

In their team, Li Yun was the only one who could heal others. With his death, not only did the system disappear, but the Main God also reclaimed all items from their inventory. Already at a disadvantage, losing such an important teammate instantly cranked up the difficulty level—a blow that hit Mu Bai hard.

Is this what it’s like in an S-rank dungeon? Mu Bai couldn’t even figure out how Li Yun died! What taboo did he break?!

“Turning someone into a pulp—that’s definitely something only a monster could do…” These players were seasoned veterans. Though saddened by their teammate’s death, there was no time to mourn. They quickly analyzed their situation, racing against the clock.

“We’re down to four people, and we don’t know how many monsters there are or what they want,” Zhuang Wu said. As the group’s leader, his first job was to plan their next move.

“I think we need to get NPC Lingling on our side.” This idea had come to him when he learned that Lingling was human. “The other NPCs care about her, so she can control them with just her womanly wiles. If she helps us, we might be able to find those monsters’ weak spots.”

“A-Wu-jie, what if Lingling is the person the Main God told us to kill…” Chu Yue hadn’t forgotten the Main God’s warning—never trust anyone else…

“Even if she is that person, we have to keep her for now,” Zhuang Wu said, his eyes darkening slightly. His voice carried a hint of helplessness. “Killing her now could provoke those monsters. We can only kill her after we’ve figured out more about them.”

Mu Bai agreed. “At least she’s the safest NPC we have right now…”

“Since those NPCs care so much about Lingling, we can use her to make them hold each other back,” Zhuang Wu said. “She’s human. If she knew there was a monster around who could kill her at any moment, she’d be scared.”

Chu Yue instantly understood what Zhuang Wu meant. “Then I’ll go tell her right away.”

He ran up the stairs, his footsteps pounding on the floor.

Zhuang Wu didn’t forget to ask Yuan Ju for his thoughts. “Yuan Ju, do you have anything to say?”

Yuan Ju stayed quiet because NPC Bai Bei had walked over.

Bai Bei was clearly also “frightened” by the corpse on the ground. His skin, which had been very pale in the first place, now looked completely bloodless. Even his voice trembled as he asked, “What is this?”

Mu Bai observed Bai Bei’s expression while explaining the situation. When he mentioned that there was a killer roaming the castle, fear filled Bai Bei’s face—his reaction was no different from that of an ordinary person who had been startled.

Mu Bai wouldn’t dismiss his suspicions based only on Bai Bei’s reaction. “Mr. Bai, when did you come down here? Did you hear anything?”

“I came down forty-five minutes ago to prepare breakfast for Lingling.” Bai Bei was holding a tray when he saw the body. He quickly set it on the table.

Zhuang Wu nodded at Mu Bai. She had indeed seen Bai Bei busy in the kitchen downstairs. This “ex-boyfriend” of the year had asked her for cooking tips to make a lavish breakfast for Lingling.

They found Li Yun’s corpse under the dining table in the main hall. The castle’s fancy tablecloth hung over the edge, covering the floor.

If they hadn’t searched everywhere because they couldn’t find Li Yun, no one would have thought someone could hide a body so obviously.

This wasn’t the first crime scene. Someone must have killed Li Yun somewhere else and then moved his body without anyone noticing. Given how decayed Li Yun’s body was, there should have been bloodstains around, but there weren’t any—this was already a supernatural event.

Mu Bai chatted more with Bai Bei and learned that before leaving, he’d bumped into Miya. After going downstairs, he went straight to the kitchen—it all seemed normal…

As for the other NPCs who hadn’t appeared, no one knew where they’d gone or what they’d done.

When Chu Yue brought Lingling downstairs, the man who had been shaking with fear just moments ago rushed to his girlfriend’s side. He shielded her from the bloody scene.

Zhuang Wu sighed inwardly. No matter how you feel about Bai Bei, he thought, this NPC truly cares deeply for his girlfriend.

He didn’t even notice that Mei Di and Miya were still behind his girlfriend. His mind and eyes were completely focused on her.

Considering Lingling is a top-tier womanizer, Zhuang Wu mused, I’m not surprised by this behavior.

The higher Lingling’s abilities, the more valuable she was to them as an ally. Given Lingling’s penchant for stirring up trouble, it made sense that she wouldn’t let such a horrifying murder go uninvestigated.

Sure enough, when Zhuang Wu asked Lingling for help, she responded without hesitation:

“Of course!” Tong Ling said through tears, indignantly. “Dr. Li was a good person; I’ll definitely help you catch that killer!”

She grabbed Bai Bei’s arm. “A-Bai, will you help me?”

Bai Bei sighed helplessly. “It’s too dangerous, Lingling. We should leave this murder case for the police. Don’t get involved.”

“The police?” Mu Bai’s ordinary thinking made Tong Ling relax her guard a bit more. “There aren’t any cops out here in the middle of nowhere. The weather is so bad it’d be hard to climb up the mountain, and besides, haven’t you noticed?”

Mu Bai took out his phone and showed the screen to the couple. “There’s no signal. You can’t even call for help. We’re stuck here.”

Zhuang Wu emphasized, “If we don’t find the killer, we’ll have to live with them here. And what will happen next… I don’t need to say it; you know how dangerous that is.”

Tong Ling whimpered, “What if—what if he wants to kill me?” She glanced at the corpse on the ground before burying her head again. “This is so scary…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” Bai Bei said softly.

“Hmph.” Mia, who had been watching from the side, couldn’t stand it anymore. He muttered, “One corpse scares you like that? What a wimp! I’ve never seen you scared of me…”

Medius stepped forward, soothing her with gentle words: “Don’t be afraid, Lingling, don’t be afraid.”

Medius’s voice was so pleasing to the ear that even the other players felt their depression lift a little when they heard him speak.

Mu Bai shifted his gaze to focus on these two NPCs. He had been concentrating solely on Lingling until now, but as soon as he noticed Miya and Medius’s condition, his body tensed up.

Blood and dirt stained Miya’s clothes, with fresh blood still visible by his ear. It was obvious he’d just come from a fight. Medius looked even worse off—though covered in clothing, there was a noticeable dent in his chest. The exposed parts of his neck and arms bore prominent scars.

He couldn’t believe a monster capable of torturing Li Yun would leave such marks on itself, but something about these two was seriously strange.

“The injuries on them…” Mu Bai asked Lingling.

“It’s those people who were fighting outside my door early this morning.” Tong Ling wiped away her tears. “Don’t worry, neither of them is suspected of committing any crimes.”

Mu Bai blinked, puzzled.

Tong Ling didn’t hide anything. “Medius was with me all night,” she said. “I can prove it—he never left my side from last night until this morning.”

Mu Bai, Chu Yue, and everyone else stared at NPC Lingling in shock, overwhelmed by what she’d just told them.

Did she mean… that she spent the night with Medius?

Chu Yue couldn’t help but glance at Bai Bei’s face—was it okay for Lingling to say such things right in front of him?

Bai Bei’s expression remained completely unchanged, as if he hadn’t even heard her words.

When you thought about it, this made sense. After all, this was a man who didn’t care when openly challenged by Medius—a pathetic loser with no dignity…

“Miya guarded my door all night and fought with Medius this morning,” Tong Ling continued. “He had no time to do anything suspicious.”

The players were speechless.

Having been publicly exposed by Tong Ling, Miya flew into a rage, embarrassed and angry. “Who did you say guarded your door all night?! I wasn’t there!”

“I’m trying to help you by clearing your name, but you’re still upset?” Tong Ling’s tears, just wiped away, fell again in an instant. “You ungrateful person!”

Miya remained silent.

Is this really helping him? Seeing Tong Ling’s red, tear-streaked eyes and her sobbing state made Miya feel uneasy as well.

“Don’t—don’t cry anymore.” Miya pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and stuffed it into Tong Ling’s hands. “Fine, I’ll admit it—I’ll say I did it, okay? Stop crying already! When did you get so weak?”

Miya preferred seeing this woman in her arrogant, domineering manner; her smile was far more appealing than her tears.

“Are you some kind of antique who carries around handkerchiefs?” Tong Ling picked up the handkerchief to wipe her tears.

Miya was speechless.

Damn, is she trying to drive me crazy?

Zhuang Wu and Chu Yue exchanged glances, feeling somewhat relieved about the trio for now.

Tong Ling continued, “A-Bai… he…”

Bai Bei lowered his head to look at his girlfriend, curious if she would speak up for him.

“I’m sure A-Bai wouldn’t do something like this,” Tong Ling said as she leaned against Bai Bei. “A-Bai is gentle and kind, caring and mild-mannered. He’s a good man; he couldn’t possibly be so cruel.”

“You’re right, aren’t you, A-Bai?” Tong Ling looked at him.

Under her trusting gaze, Bai Bei nodded. “Mm-hmm, that’s true.”

To have such a positive image in her mind… it really is… too good.

“So the identity of the suspect is very clear,” Tong Ling said, as if seeing through the truth. “I know who the killer is!”

Mu Bai was startled. “Who?”

Tong Ling asked first, “Can you tell me if you all live together, usually act as a group, and have a good relationship with Dr. Li without any possibility of a revenge killing?”

Mu Bai affirmed, “We’re all friends, so there’s no possibility of that.”

“Then isn’t the answer obvious?” Just as Tong Ling spoke, a man dressed in a cultivation uniform walked down from upstairs.

Tong Ling hid in Bai Bei’s arms, showing her “fear” of the newcomer with her actions.

“It’s him,” Tong Ling whispered. “There’s no one else it could be.”

Zhuang Wu and the others followed Tong Ling’s gaze. Arnold stood tall and straight, his face always wearing a gentle smile. The man seemed so friendly and easygoing that it was hard to imagine anyone feeling ill will toward him. But they all knew Arnold wasn’t as simple as he appeared.

Could he really be the killer—the monster who murdered Li Yun?

“What… what are you talking about?” Arnold asked, tilting his head slightly.

Tong Ling addressed the group. “Someone once said that if you eliminate everything impossible, then whatever remains, however unlikely, must be the truth.”

Mu Bai nodded in agreement. A monk who believes in God—would anyone think he’s a murderer? It’s too suspicious; this man is far too suspicious…

Zhuang Wu and Chu Yue also fell into deep thought.

Yuan Ju, wearing his baseball cap, pressed his lips into a thin line.

The atmosphere in the castle hall grew heavy. When Arnold saw the body on the ground, a look of pity crossed his face. He quickly walked over to the corpse, bowed his head, and began to mourn silently.

“What are you all waiting for?” Tong Ling urged. “Don’t be fooled by appearances. Grab him!”

Medius was the first to move. He always listened to Tong Ling. Medius didn’t care who killed whom—it wasn’t his concern. But if Tong Ling wanted someone caught, he’d do it.

Next was Mia. He didn’t want that dead fish showing off in front of Tong Ling. For just grabbing someone, he could be fastest!

Mu Bai, Zhuang Wu, and the others felt compelled to act when Tong Ling spoke. But they quickly realized how close they’d come to revealing their abilities.

Luckily, there was no need for them to step in—Mia and Medius had already grabbed Arnold.

Or rather, Arnold hadn’t even tried to resist. He stood stiffly in place, making it effortless for Mia and Medius to seize him.

Zhuang Wu’s eyes flickered between the two. Isn’t that… too fast?

Arnold looked up. His expression remained unchanged, his voice still gentle. “Lingling, what exactly are you trying to do?”