Chapter 86: Alliances and Intrigues

As soon as Chen Fan stepped into the grand hall, he sensed something was amiss. Last night, both players numbered 10 and 11 had died, yet the pair of magicians and the seer were still alive.

If the witch had poisoned Xiao Yuhe as player 5 suggested yesterday, then today's death would prove Xiao Yuhe was indeed a magician. Chen Fan breathed a sigh of relief; at least the magician's identity could be confirmed.

Li Peijun, clutching the Jade Scepter, grinned mischievously. "Number 8, please begin your performance."

Number 8, Liu Jian, remained silent for a moment, drumming his fingers on the table. "Self-destruct," he declared.

The straw mat had barely warmed beneath him before Chen Fan found himself back in his own room. That night, Zou Ji did not come knocking; most likely, he was off making arrangements elsewhere. Yet trying to manipulate the King's odds was still a risky venture—whether the King would cooperate was one thing, but how the other nobles felt was another entirely.

Even if, in the best-case scenario, success was achieved, the payout would hardly be as tempting as it seemed now; perhaps, in the end, one wouldn't even earn enough for two buns.

During the morning court session, Chen Fan noticed the seat for number 12 was empty. He couldn't help but feel a pang of regret; the mathematician who dabbled in probability had finally left.

Li Peijun's restless hands kept stroking the Jade Scepter, toying with it as one might a noble lady, utterly lacking in decorum.

"Number 9, please begin your performance."

Number 9 spoke calmly, "Your wolf team’s tactic of targeting civilians has worked quite well. Let me report my checks: number 6 was gold water on day one, number 4 gold water on day two, and number 3 gold water on day three. I’m merely a civilian checker, and I’ve found nothing for three days."

"I’ll now analyze my wolf suspects: 7 and 8 are definite wolves, 11, who left, was probably a wolf as well. There are no other wolf slots. You, number 6—wait, number 6 is my gold water, so number 2 must be a wolf. There's just one wolf left, number 2. Good players, let’s vote for number 7 today."

Chen Fan could tell that number 9's logic had become clearly unsound. It seemed at least two wolves had left the game, and this reckless jumper could no longer sit still, trying to forcibly muddy the waters.

"Number 2 speaking: number 9 can't be the seer in my view. If there are still two wolves left, odds are one is among number 6. If only one wolf remains, the game ends once number 9 is eliminated. There’s no issue voting out 9 this round. I just don’t know how many civilians are left; there must be extra gods now, so gods and civilians can swap roles."

Chen Fan found the argument reasonable. His hunter card had been little more than a spectator all game, but to get a shot before dying would be excellent.

Number 4, Xie Yuqi, could hardly contain herself. "I already said I'm—"

"Self-destruct." Number 9 didn’t give Xie Yuqi a chance to speak, self-destructing and leaving the stage.

That night, Zou Ji still didn’t come to see him. Chen Fan finished reading all the gossip news, and in his boredom, began composing rumors himself.

“Shocking! The true identity of Ghost Valley Master is jaw-dropping.”
“Song and Chu produce beauties for surprising reasons.”
“The dirty dealings among the three Jin states—leaving a million Qi citizens speechless.”

When he heard the rooster crow, Chen Fan put away his carving knife and slowly walked into the hall. At last, Li Peijun was dead, and before dying, he had handed the Jade Scepter to Chen Fan.

Chen Fan reviewed Li Peijun’s badge flows: the first day he checked number 8 and found a wolf, the second day he checked number 11 who died at night, but the third and fourth days were unclear. In any case, the badge ultimately landed in Chen Fan’s hands.

“Please…”

Chen Fan instinctively raised his hand to let the next in line speak, only to realize the others were already dead. The row of empty seats looked embarrassingly awkward.

“Number 2, please speak first,” Chen Fan said, stretching his arm out like a gibbon.

Number 2 analyzed the current situation and began, “Since the seer has given the badge to number 6, the only unknown identities left are numbers 3 and 4. I still can’t believe number 4 is a wild child, because I don’t think anyone would openly claim to be one at the start of the game. Of course, my identity is a civilian. I’ll listen to your statements before deciding whom to vote for.”

Number 3 spoke, “I’m just a civilian. Let me review the past voting patterns. On the police side, I voted with number 2 for number 7. Off the police side, number 2 tried to grab the badge, but I always supported number 7. Of course, you could argue I’m a ‘reverse hook,’ since there are no more wolf slots. In my eyes, the only possible wolves are numbers 2 and 4. Let’s hear from number 4, then the badge holder can decide the final vote.”

Number 4, Xie Yuqi, exclaimed passionately, “I really am a genuine Mohist! After recognizing number 5 as my role model, I’ve protected her every day. None of you have claimed to be wild children, so why suspect me as a wolf? I’m innocent!”

Chen Fan covered his face with both hands and cursed Li Peijun in his heart, “You dead fool, hurry up and tell me who you checked on the last night! Three suspects, and you expect me to choose?”

Chen Fan wasn’t the only one troubled; even Xiao Yuhe’s head was spinning. “Now I’m confirmed as a magician. On the second day, I swapped identities with number 11, but on the other two days, I made no moves, just gambling on intuition. Honestly, all three—numbers 2, 3, and 4—are suspicious, and I can’t say for sure.”

Looking at the hopeful gaze of Xie Yuqi, Xiao Yuhe turned her head back and added, “Let’s see who this bold, fake-seer number 9 protected. He shielded 3, shielded 9, then put 2 in the wolf slot, and finally self-destructed when 4 was about to speak. Could be slander, could be covert protection—wait…”

Xiao Yuhe gathered her thoughts and continued, “Number 2's status is solid, and I accept number 3’s logic. Yuqi, it’s not that I won’t protect you, but your identity is either wild child or the last wolf, right? I want to vote you out first. Sorry.”

By the end, Xiao Yuhe couldn’t meet her roommate’s eyes, pressing her hands together in a plea for forgiveness.

This ancient dilemma of happiness—a three-way choice—Xiao Yuhe had made hers, and now it was Chen Fan’s turn.

He gripped the Jade Scepter, knocked his head, and carefully recalled number 9’s final statement: “Was 9 slandering 2 and protecting 3, or slandering 4 and protecting 2, or was it mixed protection of 2 and 3? Was he trying to protect or slander?”

“Two, three, four—two, three, four—three, four, two, four, two, three, four—this round, follow the magician, number 5. Vote for number 4.” Chen Fan muttered a string of tongue-twisters and ultimately voted out number 4.

Number 4, Xie Yuqi, was eliminated, but the game had yet to announce its end.

“I told you, I’m the wild child! Yuhe, you always say honesty is important, so I gave you this info on the first day. Now you still vote me out? I’m so heartbroken.”

Chen Fan realized the situation had changed dramatically. Although he hadn’t revealed his hunter status, anyone with half a brain could see it. Even if he was targeted, he dared not fire his shot.

“Who should really take the blame for this?” Chen Fan stood with his back to the door, preemptively warming up for the post-game summary.

“Game over. God and civilian faction wins.”

Chen Fan: “…..”