tkworld #599 - Mutual protection for outsiders
#599 - Mutual protection for outsiders
“Wolves use seemingly reasonable analyses to gain everyone's trust before anyone fully understands the situation, taking matters into their own hands.” Gao Zhijie's voice was low and powerful, a sharp glint flashing in his cloudy eyes.
Instantly, everyone's gazes pierced Qin Ming like sharp swords. The oil lamp's flame flickered in the tense atmosphere, casting shifting shadows on his young face.
“Wait, Uncle Gao, are you saying Qin Ming is a wolf?” Zhao Gang suddenly stood up, his chair screeching against the floor.
“Qin Ming is right, you can't fake being an ape. Qin Ming isn't a wolf, but an ape. However, don't act without explaining; others aren't as smart as you.” Gao Zhijie said slowly, a hint of reproach on his wrinkled face.
“…Then let me explain again.” Qin Ming sighed softly, a trace of helplessness in his eyes.
“Mm.” Gao Zhijie nodded slightly.
With Tong Xiaoliang's cooperation, Qin Ming began to explain in detail how the ape duo behaved. Tong Xiaoliang stood in the center of the assembly hall, deliberately playing a wolf trying to impersonate an ape. His round face was filled with seriousness, as if he were truly immersed in the role. Qin Ming easily saw through his disguise, the entire demonstration flowing smoothly, making it clear to everyone present.
“That's the feeling. Once you pretend to be an ape, you'll be exposed quickly, so it's best not to do it. Liars will be hanged, you know~” Tong Xiaoliang concluded in a light tone, a cunning glint behind his thick glasses.
“I see, I understand now!” Gao Mei clapped her hands excitedly.
“Does anyone still not understand?” Qin Ming looked around. This time, no one raised their hand. The dense fog outside the window seemed to have deepened, completely isolating the space from the outside world.
“…Um, can't we exclude that old man and little girl from participating? I don't think they can understand.” Xia Hui suddenly spoke, a hint of worry in her bright eyes.
“No.” Gao Zhijie decisively rejected the suggestion, his voice leaving no room for doubt. No one spoke up for Xia Hui, and she could only fall silent.
Tang Yin silently watched everything. Xia Hui's concerns were indeed normal, but the Yellow Spring Banquet was itself an abnormal ritual. Even if someone couldn't fully understand the meaning of their protection, they had to completely eliminate the lurking wolves, or humanity would have no future. This was the cruel essence of the Yellow Spring Banquet.
If those two were protectors, it might be a waste of the protection's power, but if they were wolves, they had to be executed.
Before attending the banquet, the people of Mist Hidden Village should have been prepared for such a thing. Tang Yin looked at the varied expressions on everyone's faces, a sense of gravity rising in his heart. The air in the assembly hall seemed to freeze, everyone lost in their own thoughts, awaiting fate's judgment.
“Alright, everyone understands. Now what, Qin Ming?” Gao Zhijie's weathered voice broke the silence in the assembly hall. The oil lamp's flame flickered behind him, adding to his authority.
“Apes, declare your identities.” Qin Ming's gaze swept over everyone present, his voice carrying a hint of expectation. However, time ticked by, and no one declared their identity.
“It seems the other ape doesn't understand anything at all.” Qian Jin frowned, his dark face filled with disappointment. This conclusion sounded reasonable, but—
“No, that's not right… Why not declare your identity, Uncle Gao?” Qin Ming suddenly turned to Gao Zhijie, a sharp glint in his bright eyes. The words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.
What? Tang Yin's heart jumped.
Gao Zhijie remained silent, his wrinkled face unreadable. The dense fog outside the window seemed to deepen at that moment, shrouding the entire space in an eerie atmosphere.
“Old man, are you an ape protector?” Zhao Gang couldn't help but ask, his young face filled with anticipation.
“…Mm.” Gao Zhijie nodded slightly, the simple action instantly easing the atmosphere in the entire assembly hall.
“Really! That's a relief!” Zhao Gang excitedly slapped the table, making a crisp sound.
“…Little Gao is human, that's so reassuring.” Granny Rong revealed a gratified smile, the wrinkles on her weathered face smoothing out. The assembly hall was immediately filled with murmurs and sighs of relief.
It was indeed good news that Uncle Gao wasn't a wolf. Tang Yin mused to himself that if he were a wolf and continued to take the lead, the human camp would probably be wiped out even faster than last time when Qin Ming led.
“…Why didn't you declare your identity?” Qin Ming's voice interrupted Tang Yin's thoughts. The atmosphere now seemed somewhat delicate—when Uncle Gao acted arbitrarily, Qin Ming chose to declare his identity to restrain him, perhaps harboring an intention to seize leadership. Compared to the seemingly ignorant opponent, he, who understood the meaning of protection, seemed more qualified to take the lead.
However…
“From my perspective, if you can't point out my identity, I can't trust you.” Gao Zhijie said slowly, his voice low and steady, as if containing unfathomable wisdom.
“…This is absurd…” Qin Ming's voice carried a hint of helplessness and anger.
“Don't act arbitrarily.” Gao Zhijie's tone was still calm, but with an unquestionable authority.
The atmosphere in the assembly hall became increasingly delicate. Qin Ming's proposal had failed to gain the understanding of the crowd from the start, and this delicate atmosphere was cleverly exploited by Uncle Gao. The oil lamp's flame flickered on his weathered face, adding to his undeniable authority.
Uncle Gao's innate leadership qualities, coupled with his timely rebuttal of Qin Ming's rash actions, further solidified the correctness of his leadership position in everyone's minds. As a result, his dominance was not only unshaken but further strengthened. This also meant that Qin Ming's attempt to help Tang Yin out of his predicament had completely failed, and Tang Yin's situation remained extremely dangerous.
I can't just sit here and wait for death. A hint of determination flashed in Tang Yin's eyes, and he took a deep breath.
“Sorry, can I say a few words?” Tang Yin deliberately turned to Uncle Gao, knowing very well that openly defying the existing order at this time would only push himself to the opposite side. Such a result would be tantamount to courting death.
“Hmm?” Gao Zhijie raised his head slightly, a hint of doubt in his cloudy eyes.
“I don't want to die yet, but not because I'm afraid of death. I believe that, compared to dying, I, alive, can be of more help to everyone.” Tang Yin's voice was steady and firm, and he could feel everyone's gaze focused on him.
“…Ugh.” Gao Zhijie nodded thoughtfully.
“Uncle Gao, the protection will be written on the stomach, you told me that this morning, right? Does everyone know about this?” Tang Yin's gaze swept over everyone present, carefully observing their reactions. As expected, there was a slight commotion in the hall, with some people whispering and others showing confused expressions.
“…I forgot to mention this. I heard that the protection mark will appear on the body.” Granny Rong suddenly spoke, a hint of apology on her wrinkled face. “If you're from Mist Hidden Village, you must have checked your body this morning. If there's a mark on your body, it can't be seen by others.”
“Must it be hidden?” Tang Yin pressed, feeling like he had grasped a key clue.
“No, just wipe it clean.” Granny Rong shook her head, a hint of nostalgia flashing in her cloudy eyes, as if recalling something.
“I see. Then Xia Hui and Xiao Mie are both outsiders, they probably don't know about this, right?” Tang Yin's voice carried a hint of probing. The dense fog outside the window seemed to deepen at that moment, shrouding the entire space in an eerie atmosphere.
“…I've already told Xiao Mie about this and had her confirm it.” Hua Lu said softly, gently stroking Xiao Mie's hair beside her. The little girl nodded timidly, a flash of unease in her clear eyes.
“OK, then, what about you, Xia Hui?” Tang Yin turned his gaze to Xia Hui, noticing that the young girl's expression suddenly became a little stiff.
“…I haven't looked yet. What is it?” Xia Hui's voice trembled slightly, her delicate face filled with confusion.
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“In other words, it's possible that even Xia Hui herself doesn't know that she's a protector. In that case, can we temporarily suspend the banquet?” Tang Yin's voice echoed in the dim assembly hall.
The twilight outside the window had quietly descended, and the dense fog, like a heavy curtain, completely isolated Mist Hidden Village from the outside world. The dim light from the oil lamp cast constantly flickering shadows on the walls, adding to the eerie atmosphere of this tense space.
“Until the person to be hanged is decided, no one can leave.” Gao Zhijie's voice was firm and decisive, leaving no room for doubt. His bloodshot eyes flickered with an unsettling light in the dim light, and his wrinkled face was filled with determination.
“I understand. Then Xia Hui can confirm it before tomorrow's banquet. Until then, she shouldn't be hanged, is that okay?” Tang Yin said in a conciliatory tone, while secretly observing the reactions of others. Xia Hui fidgeted in her seat, her slender fingers tightly clutching the hem of her skirt, her knuckles white from the effort.
“…Mm.” Gao Zhijie nodded slightly, a hint of inscrutable expression flashing in his cloudy eyes.
“If I have protection, I won't be hanged. If I don't, I will be hanged. You thought of asking me as soon as possible, right?” Tang Yin's eyes suddenly became sharp, as if he could see through Gao Zhijie's disguise, “And then conclude that I shouldn't be a protector, so you proposed to hang me, is that right?”
“…” Uncle Gao paused for a moment, a hint of surprised smile appearing on his weathered face. The firelight of the oil lamp flickered on his face, making this smile appear particularly profound.
“You have a good brain and good eloquence, young man.” Gao Zhijie said softly, with a hint of appreciation in his tone, but also seemingly hiding some kind of deeper meaning.
“Grandpa Gao, this is too much!?” Wang Lina suddenly stood up from her chair, the wooden chair making a harsh scraping sound on the floor.
“Wang Lina, it's okay, I can understand such a position and the corresponding natural actions.” Tang Yin raised his hand to signal her to calm down, but his gaze never left Gao Zhijie's face. “As a human, I won't lie to survive, but I also hope everyone can give me one more day.”
The air in the assembly hall seemed to freeze, and everyone could hear their own rapid heartbeat. Tang Yin took a deep breath and continued: “I will use this day to think and find valuable information for the victory of mankind. I will reveal this information tomorrow. If everyone thinks it's worthless at that time, then hang me.”
Tang Yin deliberately maintained a vague attitude, neither stating whether he was a protector nor clarifying whether the source of the so-called information was the power of protection or simple strategic analysis. In this critical moment, he had to show his spirit of sacrifice while leaving room for maneuver.
“Tang Yin…” Wang Lina's voice was filled with heartache, and her hands unconsciously clenched into fists. Her reaction precisely confirmed the effectiveness of Tang Yin's strategy—not everyone could calmly accept the fate of execution, and in this desperate situation where someone had to die, Tang Yin was still willing to step forward as a substitute.
Everyone could intuitively feel that this was definitely not a choice that a wolf could make.
Compared to Tang Yin, who was speaking eloquently at this moment, those who remained silent all along were perhaps more likely to be lurking wolves.
The flame of the oil lamp flickered uneasily in this heavy atmosphere.
“If everyone has no objections…” Qin Ming's voice broke the suffocating silence, “Besides me and Uncle Gao, who are apes, Tang Yin, and Xia Hui, the person to be hanged today will be chosen from the remaining eleven people.”
The assembly hall was silent, and no one dared to speak rashly. Everyone lowered their heads, as if escaping the fate that was about to befall them. The dense fog outside the window seemed to deepen at that moment, shrouding the shadow of death in everyone's heart.
“Let's do it this way.” Gao Zhijie's voice carried an unquestionable authority. This decision declared that tomorrow this place would become a bloody slaughterhouse, but for Tang Yin, as long as there was one more day, he could find a chance to open up a path to survival.
“…So, who to choose? Why not just choose the elder?” Qin Yi suddenly spoke, a strange smile appearing on his gloomy face. This sentence was like a sharp blade piercing the oppressive atmosphere, and everyone's gazes turned to him in unison. A suffocating tension filled the air, like the calm before the storm.