12: Chapter 12 Suspicion Caused by the Skinner

"The Earl has gone to 'hunt' for fresh ingredients and will not return until around midnight."

The butler stood at the intersection of shadow and light in the corridor, an inscrutable smile playing on his pale face.

"During this time, you all may move freely on the second floor."

With that, he bowed slightly, his stiff black tailcoat seeming to melt into the darkness.

As the butler's figure vanished, the 'order' that was as fragile as a potato chip shattered instantly.

The survivors who had been huddled at the door saw their expressions change in an instant.

"Move freely..."

The four men who survived from the backyard group almost instinctively stood back-to-back in a defensive formation.

The tips of the daggers in their hands, stained with mud and black blood, were trembling as they pointed fixedly at the newcomer group.

In the livestream room, the bullet comments were spreading wildly like some kind of black virus.

[(IP: Dragon Country) It's over, the butler is raising Gu! A classic trope of s-rank instances—no rules is the ultimate rule!]

[(IP: Japan) Yoshi, the moment for testing human nature has arrived! That skin-flaying pervert must be among this group! My bet's on that skinny monkey!]

"It's you! It must be you!"

In the newcomer group, the boy named Zhao Qiang had a complete mental breakdown.

His finger, which usually only tapped on a keyboard, was now trembling as it pointed at a Lean Tall Man from the backyard group. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was in a state of frenzy, ready to explode at any moment:

"Look at your cuff! That's blood! Fresh blood! You were the only one closest to that dead college student just now!"

Fear is the best intelligence-lowering aura.

The two companions who had been standing next to the Lean Tall Man almost subconsciously took half a step away, their eyes filled with terror and suspicion as they looked at him.

The Lean Tall Man was also stunned by this sudden accusation, and immediately after, a surge of hostility rushed to his head.

In this hellish place, being labeled a 'ghost' was a death sentence!

"Bullshit!"

The Lean Tall Man roared until the veins on his neck bulged, waving the iron rod in his hand as spit flew everywhere. "My cuff got splashed when Boss Lei was killed! Stop your fucking slander! I think you're the pervert, trying to play the thief crying 'stop thief,' aren't you?!"

"You still dare to argue! I'll strike first!"

Zhao Qiang had gone mad. Extreme fear had stripped him of his reason. He grabbed a heavy bronze vase from a decorative cabinet in the corridor and charged forward with a howl.

The scene instantly spiraled out of control, like a pack of caged beasts preparing to tear each other apart.

Pei Duo stood behind Xu Mo and Lin Sa, her body pressed against the cold wall.

Watching the scene before her, her body, which had been trembling with fear, suddenly froze.

Is this... the way the weak survive?

Biting and clawing at each other like mad dogs, just to fight for that tiny, pathetic chance of survival.

She looked at Xu Mo, who was blocking her path. The wound on this man's abdomen was still seeping blood, and his gold-rimmed glasses were half-shattered, yet he still stood tall in front of her.

And then there was Lin Sa, the woman whose hand gripped the knife so tightly that the webbing between her thumb and forefinger had split.

Why?

Pei Duo asked herself in her heart.

Are they fighting so hard because I'm strong?

No, it's because I have this jade pendant, this key.

I am the 'privileged one,' their ticket to clearing the level.

If I keep hiding in the back, what if they fall?

Will I also have to become a mad dog that only knows how to bite, like Zhao Qiang?

A surge of unprecedented coldness and clarity climbed up Pei Duo's spine to the top of her head.

"Enough."

Just as both sides were about to beat each other's brains out, a slightly trembling but exceptionally clear female voice rang out.

Everyone paused their movements and turned their heads in astonishment.

They saw the little girl, who had always been protected behind others and looked so fragile, actually push Xu Mo aside and take a step forward.

Pei Duo's small face was still deathly pale, and her legs were still shaking.

But in those eyes, for the first time, there was none of that cowardice that sought a place to hide.

She tightly gripped the black jade pendant in her hand, as if doing so would allow her to receive encouragement from her brother, Pei Fei.

"If you want to die, keep fighting. Make even more noise—it's best if you lure over everything else in the Manor."

Pei Duo took a deep breath, mimicking her brother's nonchalant tone from her memories. Although her voice was still a bit weak,

but her aura actually held up. "When the butler comes back to clean up the trash, no one will plead for mercy on your behalf."

These words were like a bucket of liquid nitrogen, instantly freezing their overheated brains.

Zhao Qiang froze mid-air with the bronze vase raised, and the Lean Tall Man was also stunned.

They suddenly realized that the girl before them was someone even that terrifying butler had to bow to.

Xu Mo glanced at Pei Duo in surprise, a flash of joy crossing his eyes behind the broken lens. He quickly took over the conversation and began to control the situation:

"Miss Pei is right. Use your brains. Skinning is a craft; it takes time."

"The college student entered the room right under our noses. To commit the crime under the butler's gaze, no player could do it—unless it was some filthy thing that snuck in."

"The butler said 'naughty children,' he didn't say 'humans'." Xu Mo gave a cold laugh, his tone mocking. "Instead of having internal strife and throwing away your lives here, you'd better think about how to cling to someone's leg to survive."

The Lean Tall Man's eyes darted around, his gaze greedily sweeping over the jade pendant in Pei Duo's hand. Then, a fawning smile was forced onto his fleshy face:

"Miss Pei, Brother Xu, since it's a misunderstanding... how about we team up? There's strength in numbers, and we'll scout the way ahead!"

Lin Sa frowned and was about to refuse, but Xu Mo nodded. "Fine. Since you're joining, scouting and sentry duty will be yours."

The team was reorganized. Although the atmosphere remained stiff, at least no one dared to make a move anymore.

Pei Duo walked in the middle. She could feel the gazes from the Lean Tall Man and his group—there was fear and fawning, but mostly greed hidden beneath.

Brother, I think I understand why you gave me the jade pendant.

Pei Duo thought silently to herself.

In this man-eating place, having an amulet isn't enough; you also need the courage to smash that amulet into a ghost's face.

Since you're not here, I have to stand up for myself.

The group walked through a long corridor hung with eerie oil paintings.

Ten minutes later, they reached a dead end.

At the end of the corridor was not a door, but a massive mahogany bookshelf wall.

In the center of the bookshelf sat an absurdly thick black-covered book, imprinted with a bright red inverted cross. On the spine was a hideous ghost-faced keyhole.

The design of this mechanism was simply perfunctory, practically shouting 'I'm a trap' in plain sight.

"This is way too simple."

The Lean Tall Man was eager to prove his worth to his new 'masters' and also to test the waters of this instance. He stepped forward, grumbling, "I've seen plenty of these old-fashioned mechanisms..."

"Don't move!" Xu Mo's pupils constricted sharply as he shouted a warning.