"What?" Shang Sirui looked at Pei Tingsong in horror. "Xiao Pei is dead? Why did he kill Xiao Pei? "
Fang Juexia looked over and saw Pei Tingsong laughing and teasing him. "This show is really unfriendly to newcomers."
The narration sounded again. "The dead player has lost the right to speak. Please go to the execution area and wait to leave."
He stood up and followed the instructions to the red circle on the floor of the living room. This was the only way for the dead player to leave the secret room.
Fang Juexia stared at Pei Tingsong. As if by some kind of tacit understanding, he looked over as well.
He smiled as if he had lost a bet and fell from the execution area.
As the floor closed again, the first player left the secret room. The rest of the people had different feelings. Some were surprised, while others adjusted their thoughts.
Pei Tingsong's death came so suddenly that it caught everyone off guard.
Zhou Ziheng frowned and looked at the time. "There are still 15 minutes before the next round of voting for Killer."
Fang Juexia looked back at the handkerchief on the cabinet. "Aren't you going to untie this first?"
"Leave it here. You can untie it at any time." He then looked at Fang Juexia. "Don't worry, this door is definitely not as simple as a lock."
Zhou Ziheng walked to the sofa and called for everyone to gather for the discussion before the second round of voting.
Fang Juexia took one last look and followed him to the coffee table.
"Let's first sort out the clues and elements in our hands." Zhou Ziheng became the leader. "In the previous round, I believe everyone's focus was on Xi Qing and Xiao Pei. It's not realistic to verify the type of vote now. After all, the show deliberately used the anonymous voting method. Both of them survived, but Killer managed to kill Xiao Pei. That's strange, and it's worth analyzing. "
Shang Sirui was still in shock over Pei Tingsong's death. "Wait, let me think. I'm so confused now."
He hugged his head for a long time and suddenly said, "Before Xiao Pei died, he stood up and said that he wanted to go back to Zhai Ying's room to take a look, but he died after taking two steps. Could there be something in Zhai Ying's room? "
Zhai Ying continued, "I heard what he said too. It's true. At that time, I also wanted to go to my room to take a look, but I didn't expect the production team to suddenly announce his death. Also, when Brother Xi Qing and Pei Tingsong confronted each other, both of them claimed that they were White Knights. Now that Xiao Pei is dead, could it be that Killer killed the White Knight that he thought he was? "
Shang Sirui suddenly looked at Xia Xiqing.
"Why are you looking at me?" Xia Xiqing's expression didn't change. She even laughed. "Do you think I killed him? It's impossible if you think about it. Why would Killer kill another Jump Knight after putting on a Jump Knight's uniform? Now that Xiao Pei is dead, everyone will start suspecting me. Do you think I'd use such a method to draw fire onto myself? "
Zhou Ziheng smiled. "It's not impossible."
Fang Juexia looked at him.
"Because everyone knows that you're a professional player and wouldn't use such a trick. Once you use it, you'll be able to clear yourself of suspicion and think that someone deliberately set you up."
Xia Xiqing almost threatened Zhou Ziheng before the show. At this moment, the production team suddenly made an announcement.
"Attention, players. We will now announce the choice of Double-Faced Knight."
Hearing this, Fang Juexia calmly opened the water bottle on the sofa and took a sip.
"He chose the Dark Faction."
The players present had different expressions. Fang Juexia tightened the bottle cap and placed it on the coffee table. He sighed. "Black Knight …"
Zhou Ziheng was the first to analyze. "Actually, I said at the beginning that when Xi Qing and Xiao Pei were jumping, I felt that the real Knight was below the stage. Because I believe that regardless of whether it's Black or White, Knights won't easily reveal their trump cards. Of course, this rule doesn't apply to Xi Qing because he's a self-destructing player. That's why everyone's vision is so blurry. "
"Now that we've revealed our factions, it further confirms my thoughts. The real Knight chose the Black Card. He knows that his identity will be revealed sooner or later, so he can't easily jump out. Then, who are these two people who jumped out? Either they're ordinary players who mistakenly thought that the Knight was a White Knight and jumped out to block the blade for the Knight, or they're Killer. "
After saying that, he looked at Xia Xiqing. "This confirms my previous logic. The first time, you used your identity as a self-destructing player to make everyone think that you might be the real Knight. The second time, you used the habitual thinking that professional players won't kill players who jump to jump to clear your suspicion. As for why you killed Xiao Pei? Either you really think that he's a White Knight, but I'm more inclined to think that you found Xiao Pei found evidence that pointed to your identity. "
His words were powerful and his logic was intertwined. If one suddenly stopped, one could only think along with his rhythm and almost couldn't find any flaws.
Everyone present was silent. Even Xia Xiqing just smiled.
Fang Juexia clasped his hands and asked, "According to this logic, it's indeed possible to analyze their jumping and Xiao Pei's death. However, Killer's identity corresponds to the plot. I don't think it's easy to make a judgment so quickly when the plot isn't so clear."
"Finally, there's someone who understands." Xia Xiqing sneered. "Zhou Ziheng's strong point is board logic, and so is the barb. Let's put this aside for now and sort out the plot. "
He leaned on the sofa and pointed to the paintings on the display wall. "Do you see the painting in the middle? The one of a man dying in a bathtub. This painting is' The Death of Marat '. It's about the assassination of the brutal leader of the French Revolution, Marat, in a bathtub. "He laughed." But there's something wrong with this painting.
"In the original composition, Marat and the bathtub are on the left side of the painting, but this painting is upside down. When I saw this painting, I knew that this was a clue set by the production team. So I took down the painting and found this between the canvas and the frame. " He took out a piece of paper. Fang Juexia recognized it at a glance. It was the same checkered paper as the suicide note of the female high school student.
As Fang Juexia expected, Xia Xiqing had indeed opened the painting. That was why there was a gap.
Shang Sirui leaned over. "What's written on it?"
Xia Xiqing said, "This is a diary that I wrote a long time ago."
He read aloud, "Save me, I don't want to be controlled. I feel like I'm falling apart, I'm in so much pain. Why isn't there any progress in treatment? Instead, I'm stuck in a quagmire. I have a feeling that I'm going to die soon. The doctor said that all of this is my imagination. He said that my neighbor is an old lady and there are no college students. He said that the band doesn't exist either. Why did he lie to me? No, all of this is fake.
"Brother Xiaoxi next door said that he'll help me. He'll tutor me and chat with me. He'll make me feel that there's still hope in the world. My pain now is temporary. I need to relax. I've already bought tickets to watch the performance of 'Together'. I miss Zoe a lot. Teacher Yan, oh yes, Teacher Yan will help me. Doctor Tian said that I'll get better. I will. The weather is very clear today, isn't it? "
After reading the diary on the piece of paper, he placed the piece of paper on the table. "Don't you guys know? The entire clinic is full of hints. Van Gogh's paintings. You all know that Van Gogh suffered from schizophrenia in the end, right? There's also the multiverse in Zhou Ziheng's bag, the grid, and all the clues that point to Early. These hints that Zoe, Teacher Yan, and the big brother next door are all sub-personalities that Early created to protect herself after being violated. She's a child who was persecuted and even attempted suicide. " Xia Xiqing looked at them and asked, "Do you guys really think that she's the killer arranged by the production team?"
Shang Sirui's face showed an expression of sudden realization. "What about the detective? Is the detective also one of her sub-personalities? "
"I'm not sure." Xia Xiqing said, "I'm inclined to think that the detective is real, but Early can't be the criminal that she's wanted."
"I agree with the split personality plot. When I saw the multiverse, I vaguely felt it. But …" Zhai Ying shook his head. "According to this logic, you guys are all Early. The doctor and I are independent people. Early is not a criminal, so it can only be the doctor? But the doctor is already dead. Besides, how can a famous doctor like him be a fugitive? The letter also said that the last time it saw the fugitive was at the clinic. It doesn't make sense that the doctor is a fugitive. Then, doesn't that mean that no one is a fugitive? "
Fang Juexia listened in silence, and he couldn't help but feel a little impressed. She had pointed out the flaws in Xia Xiqing's logic so accurately.
"No, there's another possibility." Xia Xiqing continued, "The main personality is Early, but it doesn't mean that Early is a fugitive. It's very likely that the crime was committed when the sub-personality was controlling his body. Then, the fugitive is very likely to be the sub-personality."
"If that's the case, the Knight can protect Early, but can also harm Early …" Fang Juexia laughed. "Then, Ziheng and I are the most suspicious. After all, Zoe is an idol, so there's probably a distance between her and him."
Shang Sirui quickly asked, "Can't the detective be a black detective? It's also possible that he's a detective for such a shady character. "
Fang Juexia secretly admired the scriptwriter for being able to bury two sides in so many characters.
Zhai Ying raised a point. "I used to love reading European history. At first, I didn't know that the artist in this painting was Marat. After Brother Xiqing pointed it out, I thought of something. Marat used to be a doctor before the revolution. The person who assassinated him was a vengeful girl. So, does this mean something?"
Xia Xiqing seemed to have already thought of this point. She quickly retorted, "This painting is upside down. Then, can I also say that the girl was the one who was killed?"
Fang Juexia looked into their eyes. His fingers gently scratched the sofa as he said casually, "The story behind this painting is not that important. The important thing is the letter at the back. Personally, I think so. "
Zhou Ziheng, who had been listening silently, picked up the piece of paper and looked at it. He then said, "All the deductions just now are based on Xiqing's assumption — assuming that Early is really the victim."
He leaned against the sofa and continued his analysis. "I can accept multiple personality disorder or schizophrenia because there are too many things that don't make sense. Early, Zoe, and Teacher Yan know each other, and we're all Doctor Tian's patients. The probability of this happening is too small. The most likely explanation is that we're actually the same person. We're the only patient. "
"But there's a problem with this assumption." Zhou Ziheng looked at Xia Xiqing. "Why can't Early get rid of the suspicion of being the killer? We've heard too many stories like this where the weakest person turns out to be the boss in the end. Do you know how I felt after listening to the diary? "
He then looked at everyone and pointed at the diary. "Look, the doctor already told her that she has schizophrenia, but she still wanted to look for Zoe, Xiaoxi, and Teacher Yan. Why? If she wants to save herself, shouldn't she accept the fact that she's classified and actively seek treatment? Why does she want to look for other personalities? What's her motive? "
"Look at the second sentence of the diary. She feels schizophrenic and wants to be saved. This means that she's no longer satisfied with sharing the same body with other personalities. Only by getting rid of the other personalities can she truly feel that she's been saved. "
Zhou Ziheng raised his eyebrows. "There might be more than one victim, but there's only one killer."
He was hinting that the girl had found the other personalities long ago and gotten rid of them all.
The two of them were at loggerheads. However, Fang Juexia stared at the diary that was placed in front of Xia Xiqing. He sat on the sofa and could only look at it from the side. Fang Juexia tilted his head and read the words carefully in his heart. He turned around and looked at the inverted 'Marla's Death' again.
Inverted …
Shang Sirui was confused. "I think what you guys said makes sense. It's clearly two sets of logic, but I feel that both of them are working."
Zhai Ying suddenly thought of the draft paper that she had given to Fang Juexia previously. "By the way, Juexia Ge, have you solved the two-fold calculus problem on the paper just now?"
"Oh, yes." Fang Juexia also remembered, so he took out the draft paper and the paper that he had recalculated. "I've calculated it. It's right."
When he took it out, he suddenly realized something and looked at the strings of numbers on the draft paper.
His heart beat violently in his chest.
Xia Xiqing glanced at it and roughly calculated the process. There were also some sets on the paper, such as {1, 2, 3, 4, 2, 5, 2, 2, 2, 2}, {3, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1}, and so on. However, his attention was not on them. "I used to think that the killer was Xiao Pei, but now that I think about it, the person who had secretly pushed me into the dark camp from the beginning to the end wasn't him, but Zhou Ziheng. Then, when I see my trump card, I will naturally suspect you. "
Zhou Ziheng smiled. "My logic has been consistent and smooth from the beginning to the end. There's no problem. Besides, you don't have a good reason to deny that you're the killer. "
The two of them argued. Fang Juexia thought for a moment, then said, "I'm still inclined to think that Xi Qing Ge isn't the killer. If he is, killing Xiao Pei in exchange for trust is very risky. Also, I've always been curious why you pointed the finger at Xi Qing Ge when the situation wasn't clear at all. This doesn't seem like the playstyle of an ordinary player, because ordinary players are afraid that they will misunderstand someone's identity or attract the killer's attention because of their unclear perspective. "
"So you're on Xi Qing's side now?" Zhou Ziheng smiled. "You haven't spoken much in the game, but almost all of your statements have been neutral or secretly protecting him. Can I reasonably suspect that there's a relationship between the two of you? "
Xia Xiqing suddenly smiled and raised her eyebrows at Zhou Ziheng. She said in a frivolous tone, "Yes, there's a relationship. What do you want?"
Fang Juexia felt that he had been forced into the Asura Arena again and was a little embarrassed.
"I accept all suspicions." After saying that, Fang Juexia looked directly at Zhou Ziheng. "I just think that your tit-for-tat came too suddenly. I'm not sure that you're the killer. Also, I'm not sure if the killer would use a phone to kill someone. I'm just curious. When Xiao Pei died, you just happened to take out your phone. "
Zhou Ziheng defended himself. "I just unlocked my screen. In such a short time, I couldn't have typed the words Pei Tingsong and pressed send."
Zhai Ying suddenly asked, "What if you opened the killer list in advance and typed in the name Pei Tingsong? In that case, seeing you with your phone would be an alibi. "
Time passed and the program team's narration appeared again.
"Players, the last round of voting will begin in 30 seconds. The player who is executed will be eliminated. The countdown begins now. "
"You'll regret voting me out," Zhou Ziheng said.
Xia Xiqing shrugged. She lifted his chin with her fingers and got up from the sofa.
The remaining five people scattered. Fang Juexia walked a few steps and came to the two doors of the consultation room. The others also came to other doors or walls. With their backs facing each other, they took out their phones.
Fang Juexia took a deep breath and quickly typed in a name. Then, he pretended to hold the phone with one hand and reached his other hand to the front of his shirt.
At that moment, he could still feel the aftershock of Pei Tingsong's slap on his chest. He could also hear the rustling sound coming from his front pocket.
He took out the piece of paper, just like when he took out the poem Pei Tingsong gave him during the magazine shoot.
There was an English word written on the front of the piece of paper.
[ukulele]
Ukulele.
He turned the piece of paper over and saw a line of words on it. The handwriting was wild and flamboyant.
He didn't know why, but just seeing this line of words made his heart beat violently.
"Voting time has ended. The results will be announced soon. "
Fang Juexia turned around calmly. He stuffed the piece of paper and phone into his pocket and waited for the judgment to come.
"In this vote, the player to be executed is …"
"Zhou Ziheng. Please go to the execution area on your own. "
Everyone looked at Zhou Zihang at the same time, only to see him furrowing his brows and shaking his head. Without saying a word, he walked over to the bright red circle.
Watching him fall, Fang Juexia looked at the last door.
Xia Xiqing seemed to be very satisfied with the result. "Now that Killer is dead, the production team will give information about the Black Knight."
Shang Sirui felt a little scared. "Last season, there weren't so many people executed. Everyone had already escaped."
Zhai Ying glanced at him. "What are you afraid of? It's not real."
Fang Juexia leaned against the door. He held his waist and said, "Oh right, we were talking about Killer just now. I almost forgot." He pointed at the cabinet by the door and looked at Xia Xiqing. "Didn't we see a 36-grid grid array on the screen on the door just now? I just unlocked the drawer in the cabinet next to it. There was a checkered handkerchief inside. Zhai Heng wet it with water and saw a password inside. "
He walked over and the others followed. Xia Xiqing looked down at the square array printed on the handkerchief. Fang Juexia explained, "There are numbers on the handkerchief."
"This is the chessboard password." Xia Xiqing said, "I've read a lot of books about decryption. This is the most classic password among the classical passwords."
___1__2__3__4__5
1__q__w__e__r__t
2__y__u_i/j_o__p
3__a__s__d__f__g
4__h__k__l__z__x
5__c__v__b__n__m
"You really found the key clue." Xia Xiqing pointed at the numbers on the handkerchief. "The first line says 15.41.23.14.33, which is actually a coordinate. The first number is the line and the second number is the column, which corresponds to the chessboard just now. 15 is t, 41 is h, 23 is i or j, 14 is r, and 33 is d."
Shang Sirui immediately reacted. "Third! Third! "
Xia Xiqing nodded and they continued to unravel the key. Fang Juexia didn't say anything. Everyone's attention was on this.
He walked away silently. Zhai Ying noticed and turned to ask him, "Where are you going, Juexia Ge?"
Fang Juexia turned back with a puzzled expression. "I think it's strange that I'm the only one without a medical record. Could it be that I didn't find it? I want to go to the clinic again. Maybe there are some key clues. "
Xia Xiqing also turned back and thought for a moment. "There's no record for you."
"No matter what, the most important thing is to unlock the door. I'll go look for it first. You guys can come over later. "
Shang Sirui said, "Is it the third line? Let me try." Xia Xiqing immediately stopped him."Finish unraveling first. If you press the wrong button, you'll have to wait for an hour!"
Fang Juexia quietly went to the clinic. After confirming that no one was following him, he quickly walked to the bookshelf and took down the ukulele.
When he took it down, he noticed that a book had been pulled out and placed next to the ukulele. It was an astronomy book. There was even a magnifying glass on the book. He had noticed the astronomy book before, but did this magnifying glass also belong to the psychiatrist's room?
If that was the case, he was even more determined.
Fang Juexia turned the ukulele over and shook it. There was indeed something inside. He carefully reached in with his fingers for fear of making a sound.
Sweat broke out on his forehead.
Finally, Fang Juexia took out the item inside. It was a thick stack of folded paper. He gently put down the ukulele and unfolded the paper as he walked to the room.
The first piece of paper was his medical record. His illness was clearly written on it — bipolar disorder.
Fang Juexia's breath caught in his throat when he saw those words.
Bipolar disorder, bipolar disorder.
He turned to the second piece of paper. It was a guitar hexagonal score, but it was jotted down in an old newspaper. When he flipped to the back, he saw a piece of news that was published in the newspaper.
[At 5: 52 am this morning, a young man wearing a white coat killed a middle-aged man with a knife on Yanghua Road. The reason for the murder has not been found out. The police have been involved in the investigation to track down the whereabouts of the fugitive. According to an insider, I am not a doctor. When I was thirteen, I was sexually assaulted by my neighbor. It caused a sensation at the time. Since then, I have been suffering from delusions and multiple personality disorder. I have been receiving treatment in a private clinic in the city …]
5: 52 am.
Wasn't this the first number riddle he solved?
In the news, the word 'Tan' was also highlighted. Next to it, there were a few words written hastily.
[Yan, Xi, Zao, Bei, Tian, together.]
Fang Juexia suddenly thought of the collection on the draft paper and came to a sudden realization.
He hurriedly flipped to the last piece of paper. It seemed to have been rolled up before. There were obvious signs of it being rolled up. There were a few sentences written on it.
[One counterattack won't let you truly stand up
Life is precious when you admit your insignificance
The sand obeys the sea, just as the subordinate obeys the master
Only by understanding yourself can you truly rest in peace
Give up early, you will always be a subsidiary.]
"Juexia, did you find it? Your medical record."
Fang Juexia heard Shang Sirui's voice. He put away the rest of the papers and clutched the medical record in his hands as he squatted down beside the sofa. "I think I found it …"
Shang Sirui walked in and saw Fang Juexia's flushed face as he pulled out a piece of paper from under the sofa. Fang Juexia stood up and patted the dust off the paper. "It should be this."
"Teacher Yan, what's your illness?"
Fang Juexia handed him the medical record.
"What's bipolar disorder …"
Fang Juexia ignored him and walked out. "Did you find the answer?"
"Yes." Zhai Ying turned around. "It's the first column in the third row. We solved the square matrix, but then we encountered another problem. Xiqing Ge entered the answer, but it wasn't correct. Fortunately, it was wrong, so we didn't have to wait an hour. "
Xia Xiqing had already sat back down on the sofa. Her brows were furrowed and she seemed to be deep in thought.
"What's the problem?" Fang Juexia walked over and tapped on the screen above the door.
While she was deep in thought, Xia Xiqing noticed the draft paper. When Fang Juexia took it out earlier, he had only hastily compared the process and answers. He hadn't paid attention to the collection of random handwritten notes.
{1,2,3,4,2,5,2,2,2,2}{3,2,1,1,1,1,0,1,1}
In the ordinary sense, a collection couldn't contain repeated elements and had to follow the rule of uniqueness.
He counted.
Fang Juexia stared at the question on the screen. Zhai Ying said, "This is the problem. Xiqing filled in Xiaoxi and Zao Zao, but it wasn't right."
Two lines of English appeared on the screen.
[whothe main one?
who are you?]
"Let me try."
After counting the repeated elements in the collection, Xia Xiqing had a sudden realization. She muttered to herself, "It's six …"
Yes, it was six. There were six players in five rooms, and the only room in the same room had two doors. There were six square hoods, and even the screen on the door was 6x6.
All the details were gathered together. The guitar in Shang Sirui's waiting room, the ukulele in the consultation room, the physics textbook in Zhou Ziheng's waiting room, the astronomy book in the consultation room, the art tools in his room, and the paintings in the consultation room.
Only the two people in the consultation room, the corresponding black and white doors, and the double points on the draft paper.
Xia Xiqing hung her head low as the upside-down painting appeared in her mind. Suddenly reminded of something, she picked up the diary.
No, it's not.
The painting is upside-down.
The characters are upside-down.
Hence, the diary should be upside-down too. The beginning of the diary should be a record of the weather …
[The weather is very sunny today, isn't it?
Dr. Tian said that I'll get better. I will.
Teacher Yan. Oh yes, Teacher Yan will help me. My pain now is temporary. I need to relax. I've already bought tickets to watch Together's performance. I miss Zoe a lot. Brother Xiaoxi, who lives next door, said that he'll take me to study and tutor me. He'll chat with me and make me feel that there's still hope in the world.
The doctor said that all of this is just my imagination. He said that my neighbor is an old lady and there aren't any university students. He also said that the band doesn't exist. Why did he lie to me? No, all of this is fake.
Why is there no progress in the treatment? Instead, I'm stuck in a quagmire.
I feel like I'm falling apart. I'm in so much pain.
I have a feeling that I'm going to die soon.
Save me, I don't want to be controlled.]
Wrong, wrong.
He was still wondering why it was the main character and not the killer.
It was because the main character was the killer.
After typing, Fang Juexia stared at the questions and answers on the screen.
whothe main one? [Dr. Tian]
who are you? [Tan Ji]
"Everyone, please take note. The first player of this episode has escaped."
With a loud bang, the door opened.
The first person Fang Juexia saw was Pei Tingsong, who had been waiting outside for a long time. His smile was full of ambition and desire for victory. He opened his arms and pulled Fang Juexia, who was extremely nervous, into his arms amidst the colorful paper and gold powder sprayed by the staff.
"You've worked hard."
The narrator announced the final result. "The winning team is …"
Fang Juexia closed his eyes and saw the note with Ukulele written on it. On the back of the note were Pei Tingsong's last words to Fang Juexia.
"You have to let me win, Brother."
"Congratulations to the Dark Knight, Fang Juexia. Killer, Pei Tingsong!"
Fang Juexia looked up and removed his disguise. "Half." He raised his eyebrows and even the red birthmark at the corner of his eye became lively.
"We won."