At that mont, the utility room fell into silence, with only the sound of breathing remaining.
Admittedly, Gardenia had indeed t this NPC—not just any NPC, but the one who had his legs amputated, the one who knew who the gar was. Bohemia was right; the reason this NPC knew who the gar was indicated that they must have t before. Therefore, anyone who hadn't t him before tonight couldn't possibly be the gar.
Gardenia's logic was self-consistent and reasonable. However, Lin Sanjiu still looked at the remaining two people with a glimr of hope.
"What about you?" she asked. "Have you two t this NPC before?"
Both of them seed to have stiffened their necks. Even under her intense gaze, they couldn't bring themselves to nod. Red Face stared at Gardenia's profile, while the forr security guard fixated on his own hands. It was evident that both of them knew they hadn't t this NPC before.
"If they lied and claid they had t him, the NPC wouldn't cooperate. Of course, they wouldn't have anything to say," Gardenia said, relieved. She walked towards Lin Sanjiu and continued, "I told you, I know I've wronged you before—"
"Wait a mont!" Red Face interrupted softly, a hint of panic in his voice. From beneath the faded red paint, he showed signs of unease. "I don't understand why this is happening. I am indeed the gar, but I really haven't t him. Why is this? How do you know that I am the gar?" He directed his last question at the NPC.
The NPC only shook its head and remained silent.
"Sa here," the forr security guard added hurriedly. "That's what I wanted to say!"
Gardenia shook her head. "Is that all? No other way but to play dumb?"
As both parties were about to argue, Lin Sanjiu raised her hand and said sharply, "Shut up!"
Once again, silence filled the utility room.
Lin Sanjiu frowned; she felt that she might have missed sothing. After pondering for a few seconds, she suddenly looked up and addressed the NPC, "I have a question to ask you."
"Hmm?"
"The reason you know that soone is the gar," she asked carefully, "is it because you have t that person?"
Gardenia had tried to pull a trick. She had only proven that she had t the NPC—confirming that point didn't make any sense if the NPC had learned about the identity of the gar through other ans.
However, the NPC's answer disappointed her. "Yes, I found out that person was a gar because we t before."
He had t them, and at this mont, it was apparent that only one person among the three had t the NPC—no matter how Lin Sanjiu thought about it, she couldn't figure out how the gar could be soone else. However, being forced to accept Gardenia and cooperating with her felt too suffocating. Still, she couldn't give up and asked, "So, is this woman the gar?"
"I cannot answer that question," the NPC replied with the sa expression. "You know this. You'll have to make your judgnt. The truth will only be revealed when you truly need to obtain points."
"I... I also have evidence!" The forr security guard suddenly stood up, almost bumping into Red Face. "I forgot, I also have this. Look!"
He reached into his collar and took out a thin chain with a small glass cube hanging from it. "I don't know if this counts as a Special Item, as it doesn't serve much of a purpose... It's just a souvenir I got after joining the Gars Club. Many people have souvenirs, I heard."
Like a crystal ball in a magical story, the small glass cube projected images that did not belong to this ti and place: several unfamiliar n and won stood in a space about the sa size as the utility room. Judging from the buttons and screens on the side, this should be the interior of an elevator. The perspective of the small glass cube seed to be projected from a cara, with the heads of the n and won occasionally getting closer and then separating, discussing sothing that Lin Sanjiu couldn't see clearly. However, no one seed to be getting out of the elevator.
"This was the first ga I participated in," the forr security guard murmured as he introduced himself. "It was a complex escape ga with multiple layers, and I had a hard ti getting out. When I left the ga, I got this little gadget. It can't do anything but transmit real-ti images from the escape ga."
"So, at this mont, these people are really in that pocket dinsion's elevator?" Bohemia asked, pinching the small glass cube, causing the forr security guard to lean over as well.
"Yes, that's right," he confird.
Gardenia was the first to look away.
"What does this prove? I don't understand," she said, crossing her arms. "You participated in a pocket dinsion ga and got a souvenir... So what? Many people have participated in a pocket dinsion ga. Does that an everyone is a gar?"
Though she was reluctant to admit it, Lin Sanjiu recognized that Gardenia's words made sense.
The forr security guard began to realize this too. His face flushed with embarrassnt, and he said, "This... this proves that I am a gar! Many mbers of the club carry souvenirs."
"Unless it specifically says it's a club souvenir, it's useless," Red Face said, interjecting. Then he changed the subject. "But I have to defend him. If I had to choose between these two, I'd choose him because he carries such a useless gadget; it shows his obsession with gas. Being obsessed with gas ans a higher likelihood of being a player, doesn't it?"
This argunt also seed logical and justifiable.
"What about you?" Bohemia asked, turning to Red Face. "Are you admitting that you're not a gar?"
"No, I'm not," Red Face said, sighing. "I know for sure that I am a gar, but unfortunately, I have no ans to prove it. Who would have thought that as a club mber, I would need to find a way to prove my identity one day? Forget it, it seems both sides are just unlucky today."
His attitude made Lin Sanjiu hesitate. Red Face had a good chance of being the gar, considering his knowledge of the club and the lack of other reasons for his red face. Of course, he was tricked by Gardenia into going to the hospital's basent, but that didn't an gars couldn't be deceived, right?
"I give up," Bohemia said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Why does everyone have such sincere expressions? It's like they're just one step away from betting their own mothers."
She paused, then lifted her chin towards Gardenia, and said, "But if I had to say, the most likely person to be the gar is this woman with an average appearance."
"Average appearance?" Gardenia was clearly taken aback. This was the first ti she had shown a lively expression since they t again. After all, she didn't even appreciate complints like "pretty," so how could she accept being called average? "I understand now, you're just jealous. Even if you get plastic surgery, you'll never be like ."
Bohemia seed taken aback by this response, unable to co up with a retort. "Huh? Do you really think you're beautiful?"
Was that important now?
Seeing Gardenia about to beco the third Red Face, Lin Sanjiu waved her hand to silence both of them. Perhaps her irritability caused everyone to quiet down quickly.
'If only the grand prize were here,' she thought. She had used so many points for her Higher Consciousness, and the few she had recovered probably wouldn't be enough to use [Consciousness Mimicry]. Moreover, Bohemia and Hei Zeji were both the type to rely on instincts over logic. In the end, she could only rely on herself.
Lin Sanjiu pondered the words of the people from earlier, feeling like the answer was within reach. She just needed a little inspiration to break through that thin layer of paper. She glanced at the NPC in the corner.
She wondered if this fat man could give her so hints.
His face, buried under layers of fat, showed almost no expression. His eyes were squinted into two thin lines, unable to reveal any clues—wait, fat...
Lin Sanjiu caught onto the two words that flashed through her mind, holding onto them tightly. Her thoughts revolved around the words "fat" repeatedly.
The NPC had said that he could freely manipulate his fat to change his body size as desired. When he was not on duty, he would move his fat and blend in among the players. So, if the remaining two couldn't recognize this obese NPC, it wouldn't be enough to prove that they hadn't t him before!
Bohemia leaned in and asked, "What are you thinking?"
Lin Sanjiu didn't dare to let her interrupt the train of thought she had finally found. Without saying a word, she waved her hand and turned towards the wall—she could feel the gaze of everyone glued to her back.
But now the NPC couldn't move his fat on his own. She had asked this question before when she carried the NPC. Was there any other way?
"What's with that attitude?" Bohemia said unhappily. She extended her hand to separate the suspects in front of her and squeezed her way to Hei Zeji, saying to him, "Hey, I don't think her plan will work. Why don't you just break all of their limbs, and we'll take them to that room together! I don't believe three cripples can cause any trouble—"
"Step aside," Hei Zeji whispered, then pounced from the ground; Bohemia was taken aback when he pushed her to the side. At the sa ti, she felt a gust of wind brush past her ears, and a mont later, a scream ca from behind her. Both Lin Sanjiu and Bohemia turned to look in the direction of the scream, freezing in shock.
Even though he was the first to react, Hei Zeji was still half a step too late.
A deep gash was cut across the forr security guard's throat, and blood bubbles constantly gushed from his windpipe, mixed with the desperate wheezing sound he made when trying to inhale. Gardenia stood next to the forr security guard, her face and arms splattered with blood spots. Perhaps she couldn't believe that she had actually succeeded, as her chest rose and fell with excitent.
"I admit it, he's the real gar," she said, wiping the blood off her face and smiling at the people in the utility room. "It's neither nor this red-faced man. But now that he's dead, I also figured out the hidden way he earned points. Other than taking along, you don't have any other options now."
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