deltrittennovels #602 - The only answer
#602 - The only answer
The lamplight reflected on Wang Lina's dignified and beautiful face as she slowly said, "Can we guarantee that the people or elders of Baifeng Village are definitely wolves? Likewise, we can't guarantee that it won't be you." Her gaze met Qin Yi's, with a hint of pity in her eyes.
"Although I disagree with Qian Jin's opinions nine times out of ten, I think he's right about this." Wang Lina's voice was firm and clear, echoing in the silent assembly hall. Qian Jin lowered his head, silent, his expression dark and unreadable.
"I also hope you're not a wolf, which is why I want to use this vote to calm you down." Wang Lina's tone softened, like an older sister advising a willful younger brother.
Qin Yi slumped in his chair, his face as pale as paper. "Why is it like this?"
"Qin Yi, please, just be honest with everyone, please..." Chen Xiang's voice was tearful, her face, haggard with anxiety, filled with pain.
Tong Xiaoliang suddenly interjected, breaking the heavy atmosphere. "It's okay, Qin Yi won't die that easily. Next, Xiaomei." His tone was so light it was almost discordant.
Gao Mei sat in the corner, her wary eyes slowly scanning everyone, finally stopping in one direction. "...That person over there." Her slender finger pointed at Tang Yin. All eyes immediately focused on the silent figure.
"Well, there's nothing I can do if you suspect me." Tang Yin calmly accepted the vote, his face showing no emotion.
"Mr. Tang Yin..." Hua Lu called out softly, a trace of worry flashing in her eyes.
"It's Hua Lu's turn." Wang Lina's voice broke the silence.
The air in the assembly hall seemed to freeze. Hua Lu slowly stood up, her delicate face appearing particularly pale in the candlelight. "...I vote for myself."
This sentence was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples. Everyone's eyes widened, unable to believe their ears.
"Old Man Gao, is that allowed?" Zhao Gang asked, frowning.
Gao Zhijie turned to Granny Rong. "There shouldn't be a prohibition, right, Granny Rong?"
"I've never heard of such a thing, but... there shouldn't be a prohibition, hmm..." Granny Rong's wrinkled face showed a thoughtful expression.
"Hua Lu, even though I said that earlier, you don't have to force yourself like this..." Wang Lina's voice was full of concern.
"No, I was just moved by Lina's spirit of self-sacrifice, and then I thought..." Hua Lu's voice was soft but firm, "The only thing I can do is to purify everyone's resentment, right?"
She looked around, her eyes flashing with determination. "...If you don't know who to vote for, vote for me. But, I hope you can spare this young child."
The wind howled outside the window, mixed with the cawing of crows. Tang Yin clenched his fists, a storm raging in his heart: What to do now? The atmosphere in the assembly hall became more and more solemn, everyone's face filled with hesitation and struggle, as if shocked by Hua Lu's words.
The atmosphere in the assembly hall grew more tense. Hua Lu turned to the little girl cowering in the corner and said softly, "Xiaomei, choose someone you think should be hanged."
Xiaomei raised her tender little face, her eyes filled with fear and confusion. "...Brother Qin Yi." Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's, but clearly audible in the silent space.
"You little brat...!" Qin Yi suddenly stood up, the muscles on his face twisted with anger. However, before he could continue, Xiaomei suddenly raised her voice: "Don't bully Sister!" Her round eyes sparkled with stubbornness.
"Next, Tang Yin." Wang Lina interrupted the tense confrontation in time. The lamplight flickered on her dignified face, adding a touch of drama to the moment.
Tang Yin quietly watched everything in front of him. The current situation was clear: Qian Jin three votes, Qin Yi three votes, Hua Lu three votes, Tang Yin three votes, Xiaomei one vote. This result made him frown slightly, and then he asked, "If there is more than one person with the most votes, will there be a runoff vote?"
"Yes, excluding the people with the most votes, everyone else votes again." Gao Zhijie's answer was concise and clear. The corners of Tang Yin's mouth turned up slightly, and he thought to himself: Oh, if you become a candidate for the runoff vote, you will lose the right to vote, interesting. But... this way of operating...
"What if the runoff vote is still completely tied?" Tang Yin continued to ask, his eyes fixed on Gao Zhijie's weathered face.
"If that's what everyone wants, then no one will be hanged." Gao Zhijie's words plunged the entire room into a brief silence.
Tang Yin's brain was running fast, and a clear logic immediately appeared in his mind: That is to say, first narrow the scope of suspects, and then hand over the right to vote in the runoff to people who are not suspects, so as to finally lock the suspect.
If it is still impossible to choose from them, then select the people with the most votes for another runoff, but if everyone has the same number of votes... then it is impossible to further narrow the scope of suspects, but you cannot go back to the starting point and start again, that is to say, the voting cannot continue.
In this way, the current situation is very technical. Tang Yin's fingers tapped the table unconsciously, and his thoughts continued to extend: Qian Jin, Qin Yi, Hua Lu, and Tang Yin himself all got three votes, tied for first place, and then Xiaomei, who only got one vote.
The cold wind outside the window continued to howl, causing the window lattices to creak. Tang Yin's gaze swept over everyone present, and he already had a plan in mind: Normally, in order to survive, you should vote for other people who got three votes. In this case, even if Xia Hui, who is voting last, chooses you, you will not be executed immediately—but will have a runoff vote.
The lamplight cast swaying shadows on Tang Yin's face, and his brow furrowed deeply. No, he shook his head inwardly, he couldn't vote for Qin Yi. That guy was just voted a penalty vote for ruining the atmosphere. If he was really hanged like this, everyone would have psychological shadows. More importantly, once Qin Yi is executed, Madam Chen Xiang will definitely go crazy, and the entire banquet will be pushed into the abyss of chaos.
The air in the assembly hall became more and more solemn, and Tang Yin's eyes wandered between Qian Jin and Hua Lu. Who should he vote for? His fingers tapped the table unconsciously. If he had to choose between the two, perhaps it would be more appropriate to vote for Qian Jin. After all, Qian Jin had already voted for him, and Qian Jin seemed more willing to accept his death than sacrificing that pitiful Hua Lu.
However, a voice sounded in the depths of Tang Yin's heart: Is Qian Jin really like a wolf? His sharp eyes clearly flashed with the light of humanity. And is it really appropriate to execute him just because of his hostility towards the elders?
"Xia Hui, what are you going to do?" Tang Yin suddenly opened his mouth, his voice particularly clear in the silent space.
Xia Hui raised her head, her delicate face filled with confusion. "...Why do you ask?"
"To be honest, in this situation, there is a great risk in voting for anyone, so I want to hear your opinion." Tang Yin's tone was somewhat probing.
Xia Hui was silent for a long time, and finally said, "...I will try my best to prevent killing, if possible."
Tang Yin's pupils shrank slightly. It seemed that Xia Hui had also discovered that extremely subtle way to avoid execution.
"Is this a behavior that is beneficial to the wolf?" Qin Ming's voice suddenly interjected, his gloomy face filled with disapproval.
"So what! This is modern times, this is a society ruled by law!?" Xia Hui suddenly stood up, her slender figure appearing unusually firm in the dim light, "If you intend to condone this criminal behavior, I will resolutely uphold my conscience to stop you!"
The wind howled outside the window, but Tang Yin's heart was unusually calm. Her argument was quite reasonable.
"To be honest, many of us are voting towards the current situation, right?" Tang Yin looked around, his eyes sweeping over everyone's tense faces, "Otherwise, the votes couldn't be split so evenly, right? If a person is executed in this situation, is this death really in line with the overall will?"
The flame of the oil lamp swayed in the cold wind, and the shadows on the wall flickered. The entire assembly hall fell into a deathly silence, and everyone lowered their heads, as if to escape this sharp question.
"Well, no one is responding, right, I understand." The corners of Tang Yin's mouth curled up in a meaningful smile. The situation in front of him was like a carefully arranged chess game, and everyone was a pawn in this game, trying to influence the final result in their own way.
Tang Yin took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. The lamplight flickered in front of him, reflecting his thoughtful face. If no one is executed, the situation will indeed fall into a stalemate. However, he still holds a trump card in his hand—the Serpent's Blessing. That mysterious power lurks in his body, waiting for the right moment to reveal its edge.
At least one identity check must be carried out through the blessing, otherwise this power will be wasted in vain. His fingers tapped the table unconsciously, and his thoughts were like rolling waves. The primary task is to survive today, but since it is not yet possible to determine who the enemy is, rashly making enemies will only add obstacles to tomorrow's survival.
His gaze swept over everyone present. This approach does have problems, and self-disposal of votes is even more meaningless. To be honest, Tang Yin wanted a little—no, he really wanted to exploit the loopholes in the rules. Just then, a soft voice interrupted his thoughts.
"If you are very entangled, don't vote for Xiaomei, just vote for me." Hua Lu's pale face looked particularly weak in the dim light.
Tang Yin's brain was running fast. Really no need to worry, Xiaomei must be safe. Even if the next two votes are cast for her, there will only be a situation where five people have the same number of votes, and then a runoff vote will be held. At that time, he or the elder will definitely be selected.
His eyes fell on Hua Lu. In this case, she, who voted for herself, is simply a humanoid vote-sucking machine. She is undoubtedly the closest person to death now, and her actions just now are tantamount to suicide. Could it be that she really intends to die to prove her innocence? Although she is indeed a bit slow, she shouldn't be so foolish.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Tang Yin's mind like lightning. Wait, why did she specifically emphasize not to vote for Xiaomei at this time?
The wind howled outside the window, seeming to accompany him as he was about to uncover the mystery. Tang Yin narrowed his eyes, and a clear answer emerged in his mind: Hua Lu and Xiaomei cannot die. That is the only answer.
"I vote for Xiaomei." Tang Yin said calmly, as if announcing a predetermined ending.
Xia Hui seemed to understand his intention immediately and followed up without hesitation: "I also vote for Xiaomei." Her bright eyes sparkled with a firm light. With the casting of these last two votes, there are already five people in the room who have received the same three votes.
The atmosphere in the assembly hall grew more solemn, and the five suspects who received the same number of votes sat in the front row, like prisoners waiting for trial. Tang Yin's gaze slowly swept across the room, silently counting the number of people. There are a total of fifteen people present, and according to the rules announced by Old Man Gao just now, the candidates who enter the runoff will lose the right to vote. This means that only the remaining ten people can participate in the final vote.
The lamplight cast flickering shadows on the wall, as if to accompany Tang Yin's thoughts.
This special condition is the key to avoiding execution today. His fingers tapped the table unconsciously, recalling the scene just now: When it was his turn to vote, four people had already received three votes. If he and Xia Hui had voted for other people at that time, there would only be four candidates for the runoff vote, and there would be eleven people with the right to vote.
Tang Yin's eyes became sharp. The number eleven cannot be divided evenly by four, which means that there will definitely be a difference in the number of votes, and the closer to the end of the execution. His eyes swept over the tense faces of the other candidates, inferring all possible outcomes in his mind. If the final vote is 2-3-3-3, then three of them can enter the next round of runoff, and the situation is still controllable.
But if there is a distribution like 1-3-4-4, then only two people can enter the final runoff. Tang Yin's brow furrowed, and his palms were already sweating. Whether the remaining number of voters is thirteen or eleven, it is an odd number, which means that there cannot be a tie. The cold wind howled outside the window, and Tang Yin secretly sighed for this cruel mathematical truth.
Everyone in the assembly hall was immersed in their own thoughts, and an unspeakable tension permeated the air. Tang Yin looked around and found that the expressions of the others were shrouded in a shadow, as if they also realized this disturbing possibility.