After clearly seeing that the sacrificial offering was a shriveled human head, Xia Yue was naturally terrified out of her wits.
She stood leaning against the wall with a pale face, clearly unable to complete the tasks of arranging the sacrifice and lighting the candles.
In contrast, although Lin Yu was also startled, he remained much calmer than Xia Yue.
On one hand, it was because Lin Yu had already been frightened in the kitchen earlier and had a general understanding of this game's nature.
On the other hand, although Lin Yu was also somewhat afraid, someone still needed to complete this task, so he deliberately maintained a composed demeanor.
Sometimes, "acting" can bring positive psychological suggestions to oneself.
By the end, Lin Yu genuinely didn't feel as scared anymore.
Soon, Lin Yu finished the task.
All he needed to do was move the head to a new position, placing it directly in front of the shrine, then use the matches on both sides of the shrine to relight the two extinguished candles.
After easily completing it, Lin Yu quickly led Xia Yue out of that unsettling room.
In the corridor, Xia Yue felt immense gratitude toward Lin Yu for completing the task alone.
"Thank you so much, Detective..."
"No problem, it was nothing. After all, if we didn't finish it, we'd both be in danger," Lin Yu said casually. "You can contribute more for the next task."
"That makes sense. As they say, men and women working together gets the job done easier."
Xia Yue smiled by the corridor window as crows perched on the withered tree outside cawed incessantly.
But compared to before, her smile seemed somewhat forced now.
That shriveled head had undoubtedly reminded her once again...
This was a game themed around "death."
That was definitely not some fake "prop," but the remains of a real life that had passed away.
The two reached the end of the corridor, preparing to head to the third floor for their next task.
Just then, footsteps suddenly echoed from the stairs below.
Xia Yue and Lin Yu immediately became alert again.
However, this time, before they could hide, they came face-to-face with the people ascending from downstairs.
It was the pair of Chen Zhuo and Xu Xiumei.
The chubby Chen Zhuo stopped in his tracks upon seeing Lin Yu and Xia Yue.
"Be careful, Teacher Xu! These two seem to be lying in wait for us!"
Chen Zhuo bravely positioned Xu Xiumei in front of himself protectively.
Xu Xiumei also looked at Lin Yu and Xia Yue warily.
Lin Yu felt exasperated.
"Who's lying in wait here? We're just going upstairs too..."
"More importantly—if I remember correctly, your assigned tasks aren't upstairs. What are you trying to do up there?"
He turned the question back on them.
Cornered by Lin Yu's question, Chen Zhuo immediately retorted, "We have no obligation to tell you what we're doing!"
With that, Chen Zhuo pulled Xu Xiumei back downstairs.
Observing their movements and combining it with his earlier observations of the castle's layout, Lin Yu guessed they were likely trying to reach the second floor via another staircase.
"Not just the thief and the ruffian, but even the otaku and teacher pair... are acting suspicious too."
Lin Yu couldn't help but mutter.
Encountering two suspicious pairs in succession made him wonder if there was something wrong with the game itself.
Xia Yue asked curiously, "What was suspicious about those two we just met? Was it also because they were going somewhere unrelated to their tasks?"
"Yes, and the strangest part is that they were going together to places unrelated to their tasks," Lin Yu said seriously. "Put yourself in their shoes—if I told you I wanted to go somewhere unrelated to our tasks right now, would you agree?"
Xia Yue paused, then thought carefully before answering, "I'm not sure. It would probably depend on your reason—if it was convincing enough, I might agree."
Lin Yu nodded and countered, "Then look at it from another angle—suppose you needed to convince me to go somewhere unrelated to our tasks. What compelling reason could you give that would not only make me go but also make me trust you completely?"
Lin Yu's question stumped Xia Yue. After a long silence, she gave a bitter smile. "Now that you mention it, it does seem very strange."
"Exactly. Especially that otaku—he clearly heard about my detective identity and abilities earlier and seemed to trust me somewhat... But this is actually good. It's precisely these 'abnormal' behaviors that will help me better identify who the werewolves are."
Seeing Xia Yue growing worried again, Lin Yu changed his tone to comfort her.
"You're right! With you here, Detective, there's nothing to worry about!"
Xia Yue regained her composure and said, "Let's continue with our tasks—then you can showcase your skills during tonight's meeting!"
Lin Yu nodded and proceeded with Xia Yue to complete the remaining tasks.
However, after encountering two suspicious pairs earlier, both Xia Yue and Lin Yu couldn't help but become more cautious.
Coupled with the inherently tedious nature of the tasks, by the end of the day, both were utterly exhausted.
"I'm completely exhausted—this is even more tiring than work!"
Xia Yue sighed after finishing the final task on their daily schedule.
By then, the already dim sky outside had darkened completely.
"Dong—"
A heavy bell tolled, signaling that it was almost 7 PM—time to return to the meeting room.
"Let's go."
Lin Yu was also worn out, feeling like he was back in the hellish final exam week where he had to rehearse plays after studying all day.
The two dragged their weary feet back to the initial meeting room. When they opened the door, they discovered that the other five participants were already seated inside.
Yu Longguo raised an eyebrow when he saw Lin Yu and Xia Yue enter.
"What a surprise—not a single death today."
At his words, Bao Liu looked at Yu Longguo and asked, "Hey, Soldier, what do you mean by that?"
Xia Yue also frowned. After sitting down with Lin Yu, she stared at Yu Longguo and said, "Isn't it good that no one died?"
"Of course it's good," Yu Longguo said coldly. "But it also means the werewolves are more patient than I imagined... If they had killed someone today, we'd have a breakthrough by now—isn't that the whole point of pairing up?"
"But that's such a cruel way to think!"
Xia Yue said indignantly.
Yu Longguo sighed. "Don't be so naive, girl. Haven't you realized this is a 'Death Game'? Even if the werewolves don't kill anyone, humans still need to eliminate at least two werewolves to survive—and elimination means death!"
"This is a game where at least two people will die no matter what!"
As Yu Longguo spoke, Xia Yue fell silent.
Not just Xia Yue—the others in the room also grew quiet.
Finally, Chen Zhuo broke the silence.
"Alright, alright. I actually think the humans have a strong advantage now... Although the werewolves might have held back because they couldn't find a good opportunity, in Werewolf game terms, this is equivalent to wasting a werewolf's 'turn'!"
"With the detective here, the good guys can confirm one person's identity every day. So as long as the detective uses his ability... the werewolves are actually at a disadvantage now!"
After Chen Zhuo finished speaking, everyone's gaze naturally turned toward Lin Yu, who had remained silent all this time.