tkworld #612 - Chapter 612
#612 - Chapter 612
At Old Gao's command, the assembly hall fell into a deathly silence. No one dared to speak again, no one dared to make the slightest sound. But the more silent it was, the more grating those subtle, unvented emotions seemed.
Tang Yin sat in the corner, head lowered, fingers gently tapping his knee. His expression was calm, but his gaze was fixed on Xia Hui. No one knew what he was thinking, perhaps not even he himself was sure.
Silence does help to calm down.
At least, it was true for Tang Yin.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to sort out his thoughts. The current situation was both fortunate and unfortunate for him. Fortunately, he knew that Xia Hui was a fake—every word, every action of hers revealed clumsy flaws. But unfortunately, knowing the truth didn't mean he could easily change the situation.
He must act correctly to help the banquet return to normal.
Tang Yin's brow furrowed slightly. It sounded simple, but what exactly was 'correct action'? He knew very well that to expose Xia Hui, he had to reveal his identity. However, this step was clearly dangerous. Once the wolf camp knew his true identity, his situation would only become more difficult.
Tang Yin's gaze swept across the crowd in the assembly hall, his eyes gradually deepening. He quickly made deductions in his mind:
—There are now two candidates for the Snake, himself and Xia Hui.
—Today, in any case, neither of them will be hanged.
—According to common sense, everyone will let them inspect their targets, and then deduce who is the real Snake based on the results.
But the problem lies here.
Before that, the wolf camp will definitely strike first. Tang Yin could almost imagine that he would become the wolf's target tonight. Xia Hui's purpose was obvious: this was a 'lure the snake out of its hole' strategy. She deliberately exposed herself, forcing the real Snake to stand up.
This must be the wolf camp's battle plan. Tang Yin silently clenched his fist, a hint of cold light flashing in his eyes. But even understanding this, there was still one question that made him feel unnatural—
Why Xia Hui?
Tang Yin's gaze fell on Xia Hui again. She was a foreigner, with no sense of belonging to the legends of Hidden Mist Village, and no loyalty to the people here. Her actions were almost like a suicide attack. In Tang Yin's view, this behavior completely violated the rationality of the wolf camp.
Could it be… because…
"That's about enough." Gao Zhijie's deep voice interrupted Tang Yin's thoughts. He stood up, his eyes sweeping over everyone, a hint of unquestionable coldness in his eyes.
The thirty minutes of silence ended, and Old Gao coughed lightly, as if issuing an order: "Restart the banquet."
Hua Lu lowered her head, hesitated for a moment after hearing the order, her voice almost inaudible: "Okay… go get the ballots."
Her figure looked particularly thin, as if she could be crushed at any moment, but she still slowly stood up and walked towards the ballot box.
"Wait! I'm human!" Granny Rong suddenly stood up, her hands trembling, her voice filled with panic, "L-Little Gao! I'm human!"
"You're a wolf…" Xia Hui's voice coldly interrupted her, her tone devoid of any emotion, like a sharp knife piercing Granny Rong's heart.
"You! You're still lying!!" Granny Rong's voice was sharp, filled with anger and despair. Her body swayed slightly, like a crumbling, withered tree.
"Grandpa Gao," Qin Ming suddenly spoke, his tone calm with a hint of seriousness, "There's one more thing that must be confirmed before voting."
Gao Zhijie's eyes narrowed slightly, his voice low and authoritative: "Hmm?"
Qin Ming stood up, his gaze fixed on Tang Yin, his tone carrying a faint pressure: "The information that Tang Yin must reveal today."
…He still remembers. Tang Yin's heart tightened, but he still maintained a calm expression. He had expected this moment to come, but still felt a strange unease.
But he can't reveal his identity.
This time, no matter what, Tang Yin decided not to reveal his identity as the Snake's Protector. He knew that he was probably ranked first among the wolf's targets, and at this juncture, exposing his identity was tantamount to courting death. Regardless of whether he could provide effective help to the human camp, survival was the most important thing.
He had a feeling—if he revealed his identity, he would definitely not survive tonight.
…It seems he can only fabricate a topic.
Tang Yin raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the people surrounding him, his mind rapidly organizing his words. After all, the previous silence had bought him enough time. He had already prepared what he wanted to say.
He took a deep breath, his tone calm but apologetic: "…First of all, I regret to say that I currently do not have enough information to prove my innocence."
In the silent assembly hall, after these words landed, they seemed to stir up an undercurrent of low discussion. Tang Yin remained unmoved and continued, "Therefore, I cannot contribute to the human camp like Xia Hui, I am really very sorry."
"Can it be understood that you are not a Protector?" Qian Jin spoke coldly, his eyes carrying a hint of probing.
Tang Yin turned to look at him, his tone neither humble nor arrogant: "That is a natural judgment."
"Speak plainly." Gao Zhijie's voice cut in like a knife, directly interrupting the conversation between the two. He stared at Tang Yin, his eyes carrying a hint of warning.
Tang Yin nodded, his tone steady: "I myself do not have special abilities."
At this point, his statement finally quelled all suspicion, and at the same time, it added him to the ranks of 'liars'. His expression was flawless, his gaze sincere, even with a hint of guilt.
"However," Tang Yin changed the subject, his voice with a hint of determination, "As long as you let me live, I will do everything I can to help the humans win."
"You said that yesterday." Gao Zhijie snorted, his tone faintly impatient.
But Tang Yin keenly noticed that Old Gao's attitude was different from yesterday. He seemed to have developed a hint of interest in his statement—of course, this interest was dangerous. He knew that once he crossed the other party's boundary, Gao Zhijie would definitely attack him without hesitation.
Tang Yin paused and continued, "I have a strategy."
"What do you mean?" Qin Ming frowned, his tone with some doubt.
Tang Yin's eyes swept across the crowd, and he slowly opened his mouth: "Neither Granny Rong nor Xia Hui should be hanged."
His words stunned everyone, and low discussions started again.
"…If Granny Rong is really a wolf, I don't think she should be the core figure in this conspiracy," Tang Yin's tone was calm, but with an undeniable calm analysis.
"I said I'm not a wolf!" Granny Rong stood up abruptly, her voice sharp, her eyes full of anger and panic.
Tang Yin ignored her reaction and continued, "Just assuming. Conversely, if Xia Hui is not the Snake—"
"Of course I'm the Snake!" Xia Hui immediately interrupted him, her voice with a hint of urgency and anger, "There's no one else who has revealed their identity!"
Tang Yin glanced at her, his eyes with a hint of meaning. His tone was still calm: "…Now, I want to confirm something with everyone…"
Tang Yin: "If the wolves want to survive in this game—sorry, at the Yellow Springs忌之Banquet, the most proactive way is to pretend to be a Protector, right?"
"…That's right." Qin Ming slowly opened his mouth, breaking the silence. His tone was calm, but with a sense of oppression, like a sharp blade cutting through the air.
He glanced at everyone and continued, "Under normal circumstances, the wolves can only passively hide their identities, but sooner or later they will be recognized by the Snake, right."
These words made Xia Hui's eyebrows jump slightly, but she didn't rush to speak, just stared at Qin Ming, as if waiting for his next words.
"Once suspected, it's useless to claim 'I'm human'," Qin Ming's voice was unhurried, but like heavy stones falling to the ground, "At that time, even if you claim to be a Protector, you can't rule out suspicion… Therefore, you have to find a suitable time to reveal your identity as a Protector."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Hui abruptly interrupted him: "—What evidence do you have——!"
Her voice was sharp, with a hint of undisguised panic, like a beast forced into a corner, showing its fangs. But Qin Ming remained unmoved, his tone still calm: "It's just a matter of fact, that is to say, it cannot be confirmed that Xia Hui is the real Snake."
He paused, his gaze piercing Xia Hui: "Xia Hui, if you are a wolf pretending to be a Snake, it means you have been abandoned by your companions."
These words were like a muffled thunder, directly hitting Xia Hui's nerves. Her face instantly darkened, a flash of unease in her eyes: "…Stop talking nonsense, what do you mean by saying this!"
Qin Ming smiled slightly, his tone with a hint of coldness: "A battle plan to let you float to the surface to create chaos, and take advantage of the situation."
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"This plan shouldn't have been made by you," he said firmly, his eyes sharp, "The person who made the plan is still observing us in secret, right?"
As soon as he said this, the entire assembly hall fell into a suppressed silence. Everyone was speculating about Qin Ming's reasoning, and Xia Hui's face became more and more ugly.
Qin Ming continued: "In other words, as long as we ignore the chaos you create, then the threat you pose is about the same as other lurking wolves."
"…Is that all?" Xia Hui sneered, her voice full of sarcasm, "Boring! I am the real Snake!"
Although her tone was tough, her slightly rapid breathing betrayed the agitation in her heart. Just then, a clear voice came from the back of the crowd: "What, the reporter sister must be a wolf."
—Huh?
Everyone's eyes instantly turned to the speaker, only to find that it was Tong Xiaoliang. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, a naive smile on the corner of his mouth, as if this tense confrontation was just an interesting game.
Qin Ming frowned and looked at Tong Xiaoliang: "Xiaoliang, did you find anything?"
"No," Tong Xiaoliang drawled, his eyes fixed on Xia Hui, "However, her reaction to your words~"
He shrugged, his tone with a hint of teasing: "She probably didn't understand her position, so she took the bait."
"What do you mean?" Xia Hui turned her head sharply and stared at him, her eyes full of anger.
Tong Xiaoliang smiled indifferently and continued, "If she wasn't a wolf, why would she care about those words~"
"…In this case, how can I say I don't care! ?" Xia Hui's voice was mixed with a sharp emotional fluctuation, her fists clenched, her knuckles slightly white, obviously she was about to lose her composure.
Gao Mei frowned and looked at Tong Xiaoliang with a slightly reproachful look: "Xiaoliang, what's wrong with you?"
Tong Xiaoliang, who was standing aside, shrugged indifferently, with a playful smile on the corner of his mouth: "That's what I think, but I agree with Qin Ming's opinion, let the reporter sister struggle for a while!"
His tone was light, as if he was discussing a trivial matter, completely ignoring Xia Hui's face, which had become more and more gloomy because of his teasing.
Wang Lina sighed helplessly, her tone with some reproach: "…Well, Xiaoliang, don't be so willful, otherwise you will seem suspicious yourself."
"Um~ I'm just this kind of freak, I can't help it," Tong Xiaoliang still looked indifferent, and even spread his hands to Wang Lina, as if saying "What can you do to me".
Wang Lina's face sank, her tone becoming more and more serious: "Then don't just think about yourself, you should think and speak more seriously for the human camp."
Her eyes swept coldly across Tong Xiaoliang, her voice slightly lowered: "Do you want Xia Hui to be hanged because of your words?"
Hearing these words, Tong Xiaoliang's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly returned to his cynical appearance, scratching his head: "Hehe~ I was scolded."
Wang Lina didn't say any more, just sighed and turned her gaze to the crowd: "…So, if neither Granny Rong nor Xia Hui is hanged, wouldn't that be continuing Brother Gang's idea of not executing anyone?"
Qin Ming frowned slightly, remained silent for a moment, and said in a low voice: "…Then…"
Then it would be meaningless.
His voice stopped abruptly, but everyone present understood the unfinished words. If the suspect cannot be caught, then the day that the Spider Gang Tang Yin and the others fought for will be wasted in vain.
Zhao Gang's fists tightened, and a few complex emotions were revealed in his lowered eyes. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his head, his tone low but firm: "…If someone really has to be hanged, then I want to say something."
Everyone turned their attention to him, only to see Zhao Gang take a deep breath and slowly say: "I believe in Granny, even if she is a wolf, she will definitely not kill anyone."
"You are too naive."
No one said these words, but they were like an invisible undercurrent, surging in everyone's hearts.
Zhao Gang was unmoved, his eyes revealing a stubbornness: "So, I will protect Granny."
"…Good boy…good boy…" Granny Rong's voice trembled, tears seemed to be in her eyes, she tremblingly raised her hand, as if trying to touch Zhao Gang, but stopped in mid-air.
Zhao Gang turned his head slightly and looked at Chen Xiang, who had been silent in the corner: "By the way, Sister Chen Xiang, you haven't said anything yet, what do you think?"
Chen Xiang raised her head, her lips moved, but she didn't make a sound in the end.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Zhao Gang sighed and turned to look at Grandpa Wolf on the other side: "…Never mind, what about Grandpa Wolf?"
Old Master Wolf sat in the shadows, his expression indifferent, his eyes lowered. His voice was hoarse and cold, like a rusty knife scraping through the air: "The wolf is coming."
Zhao Gang frowned, clearly dissatisfied, but he didn't continue to press the issue. He turned his gaze to Old Man Gao: "Forget it, Old Man Gao, what do we do now?"
Gao Zhijie had been silent, but now he finally raised his head. His gaze swept over everyone present like a knife, his voice low and cold: "Granny Rong and the female reporter, both of them will be hanged."
…Huh?
Zhao Gang frowned deeply, his voice filled with suppressed anger: "...Um, why do we have to do this, Old Man Gao."