You said you would make games by yourself, but how did you become the richest man by doing nothing?

#528 - The girl who saw God

A hint of impatience flickered across Zhao Gang's sharply defined face, his voice tinged with mockery: "You ask why? Because there's no other decisive information, right..."

Qin Ming frowned, his deep eyes flashing with thoughtful light. He gently pursed his lips and slowly said, "According to Granny Rong, the snake's ability is very important. To the wolf, the snake is a troublesome opponent."

He paused, looking directly at Zhao Gang, his voice carrying obvious worry: "So...to reveal your identity so easily, Gang-ge, you are in great danger now..."

Zhao Gang laughed loudly, not caring at all, his masculine face filled with confidence: "Ha, I'm not afraid of that kind of thing."

Qian Jin's face turned serious, his sharp eyes fixed on Zhao Gang: "Not afraid? What are you saying...the opponent is a monster who commits such cruel acts."

Tong Xiaoliang suddenly interjected, his immature face full of suspicion: "What...do you really believe in monsters?"

Qian Jin was choked by the question, then regained his composure: "That's rhetoric. Anyway, we've lost a weapon now."

Zhao Gang's face instantly darkened. He stood up abruptly, glaring at Qian Jin: "Don't act on your own! What do you know, huh!"

Qian Jin also stood up, his voice tinged with disdain: "Of course I know! Everyone, listen to me, every word we say here, the [Wolf] can hear, right?"

His gaze swept over everyone present, his voice carrying a hint of warning: "We should know to conceal information that shouldn't be revealed, shouldn't we discuss it under this premise? Hmm?"

Qin Ming's eyes suddenly lit up. He said softly, "...You're right. In that case, I have a good idea."

Qian Jin was relentless, interrupting sharply: "I'm talking now!"

Just then, Gao Zhijie, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, his hoarse voice carrying a hint of impatience: "Shut up, Qian Jin, you idiot. Qin Ming, continue."

Qian Jin was caught off guard by this sudden scolding and could only stammer out an "Uh..."

Qin Ming took a deep breath, looked around, and slowly said, "Gang-ge has already revealed his identity. To maximize the use of the snake's ability, I think the [Spider] must protect him."

He paused and continued, "The [Spider] doesn't need to reveal their identity, just write down the name at night, right? This way, Gang-ge can be protected."

Qin Ming's gaze fell on Zhao Gang, carrying a hint of concern: "As long as we do this, Gang-ge will be safe...what do you think?"

Gao Zhijie nodded, a hint of approval flashing in his cloudy eyes: "Indeed a good idea."

Zhao Gang looked at Qin Ming and Gao Zhijie, a look of gratitude on his face: "Qin Ming, Elder Gao..."

Gao Zhijie patted Zhao Gang on the shoulder, his voice carrying a hint of encouragement: "Gangzi, you're safe today. Pray to the Snake God and verify someone's identity."

A hint of doubt flashed in Wang Lina's bright eyes. She asked softly, "...Gang-ge's verification result should be fine, right?"

Qin Ming nodded, giving her a reassuring look: "Yes."

Wang Lina still seemed uneasy. She looked directly at Zhao Gang, her voice carrying a hint of entreaty: "Gang-ge, can you swear? No matter who you verify, no matter what the result, you can't lie."

A complicated look flashed across Zhao Gang's face, but it quickly returned to calm. He took a deep breath, his voice a little trembling: "That's of cour—of course."

The atmosphere in the assembly hall instantly became heavy. Everyone was thinking about what might happen next. Outside the window, the night deepened, and the distant howling of wolves seemed even clearer. Mist filled the air outside the window, as if to swallow the entire Mist Hidden Village.

Qin Ming stood up, looking around at everyone: "Tonight, we'll decide like this. Gang-ge, you must be careful. Everyone else must stay vigilant."

Gao Zhijie nodded: "That's right. Although we have some countermeasures now, it's far from enough. We don't yet understand the power of the Wolf God and must remain vigilant at all times."

Wang Lina's bright eyes swept over everyone present. Her slender fingers gently tapped the table, her voice soft but firm: "Let's call it a night? There's no evidence right now, so we can't just kill someone."

Qin Yi frowned, his young face filled with hesitation and unease. He asked in a low voice, "...Is it really okay?"

Qin Ming noticed his younger brother's abnormality. He turned his head and asked gently, "What's wrong, Xiaoyi?"

Qin Yi bit his lip, a hint of unwillingness flashing in his eyes: "Nothing...I just don't like sitting around and waiting for death."

Qin Ming gently patted his younger brother's shoulder, turning his gaze to Zhao Gang: "I understand how you feel, but...right, Gang-ge, can you tell us who you want to verify?"

A hint of vigilance flashed across Zhao Gang's sharply defined face: "Why?"

Qin Ming took a deep breath and slowly explained, "If the verification result is difficult for you, you might lie, just in case."

Zhao Gang's face instantly turned a little awkward. He stammered, flustered, "Uh...I won't lie."

Qian Jin snorted coldly, a hint of mockery flashing in his sharp eyes: "Hmph, that's reasonable. For Gangzi, who values ​​local sentiments, this is a necessary condition."

Wang Lina sighed softly, a hint of helplessness appearing on her delicate face: "It's not just Gang-ge, everyone wants to protect their loved ones, but now is not the time to be indecisive."

She paused and continued, "Actually, it's not without benefits that Gang-ge revealed his identity. At least we can discuss who to prioritize verifying tonight, right?"

Zhao Gang's gaze swept across everyone's faces, finally landing on Qin Ming: "...Well, it's indeed necessary to discuss this matter. Qin Ming, what do you think?"

Qin Ming pondered for a moment and slowly said, "I don't know...then how about verifying the person who is most likely to become a scapegoat when there is insufficient evidence..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qian Jin suddenly stood up, a hint of determination appearing on his thin face: "Then verify my identity. To be honest, if I don't do this, I, an outsider, will have no say."

Wang Lina couldn't help but chuckle, her voice tinged with mockery: "You also know that you have no say..."

Zhao Gang looked around at everyone, his voice carrying a hint of inquiry: "Then verify Qian Jin's identity, is that okay?"

Tong Xiaoliang and Chen Xiang looked at each other, silent. A complicated look flashed in Gao Zhijie's cloudy eyes. He slowly said, "...I have no objection. Let's not execute anyone today."

Granny Rong's wrinkled face was filled with worry. She asked softly, "...Is it really okay?"

Zhao Gang stood up, his voice carrying a hint of decisiveness: "Yes, it's okay. Let's disband!"

As the meeting ended, everyone began to leave the assembly hall one after another. Qin Yi closely followed behind his brother, his eyes full of unease. Wang Lina and Chen Xiang whispered to each other, occasionally looking back at Qian Jin. Tong Xiaoliang walked alone at the end, the expression on his face inscrutable.

The night was deep, and mist filled every corner of Mist Hidden Village. The distant howling of wolves sent chills down one's spine. Qin Ming stood at the entrance of the assembly hall, taking a deep breath of the cold night air. His gaze swept over the sparse lights in the village, his heart filled with complex emotions.

……

The game screen suddenly switched, and Tang Yin's consciousness floated to the surface as if from the deep sea. He vaguely heard someone calling his name. His vision gradually focused, and the blurry images gradually became clear.

"He really fell asleep...ah, he's awake!" Wang Lina's voice came, a hint of surprise flashing in her bright eyes.

Zhao Gang's sharply defined face appeared in Tang Yin's field of vision, his voice low and calm: "Today's banquet is over, sorry to keep you waiting."

Tang Yin felt a wave of relief, but was immediately dragged back to reality. "That's great...it hurts." He muttered to himself, the pain in his body reminding him that this was not a dream.

The cold iron cage still confined him, and a bitter feeling welled up in Tang Yin's heart. If only this was a nightmare, but reality is always cruel. He took a deep breath, trying to clear his thoughts: "...Um, is the banquet some kind of ritual? Like an exorcism ritual or something?"

Zhao Gang shook his head, his tone flat: "No, it's just a gathering."

A glint flashed in Tang Yin's eyes. He continued to ask, "I see, a gathering to investigate the murderer, right?"

Wang Lina chuckled, a playful look appearing on her delicate face: "Tang Yin, that's a very direct complaint."

Tang Yin didn't back down, but responded frankly: "Well, although I'm just a simple victim, I need the appropriate knowledge to protect myself."

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Wang Lina blinked, turning to Zhao Gang: "Ha...Gang-ge, can you tell him?"

Zhao Gang was silent for a moment, finally sighing: "...Well, okay, I'll leave it to you, I need to clean up a bit..." With that, he turned and left, leaving Tang Yin and Wang Lina alone.

Tang Yin's gaze followed Zhao Gang's back, secretly pondering, is that a tacit agreement? He couldn't help but ask, "...Clean up? Are you cleaning up the body?"

Wang Lina nodded, her tone as calm as if she were talking about the weather: "Yes, we have to send the Yellow Springs person back to the God River. Granny Rong values ​​this kind of thing very much."

Tang Yin was shocked. This completely subverted his knowledge of crime scene protection principles. But on second thought, the people here never expected police intervention, so it's not incomprehensible. He took a deep breath and said, "Um, I have a lot of questions I want to ask you."

A complicated look flashed in Wang Lina's eyes: "Let's go somewhere else, somewhere where we won't be disturbed."

Afterwards, Wang Lina took Tang Yin to the place where he had met Hualu and Xiaomei before. This was a wasteland near the God River, where the mist was thinner than other places and the view was more open. The sunlight penetrated the mist, covering the wasteland with a layer of hazy gold.

Wang Lina stood on the wasteland, the breeze blowing through her long hair, her voice carrying a hint of solemnity: "In a sense, this is our center of faith, the [Hanging Pine Cemetery]."

Tang Yin couldn't help but shudder when he heard the name: "That name sounds dangerous."

His gaze swept across the wasteland, finally landing on a pine tree on the edge of a distant cliff. The pine tree stood alone on the edge of the cliff, its branches twisted as if telling a tragic story. Tang Yin thought to himself, Hanging Pine, is that the pine tree on the edge of the cliff?

On the misty wasteland, Tang Yin and Wang Lina stood side by side. The surroundings were eerily quiet, as if the whole world had been swallowed by the mist. Tang Yin's gaze swept over the stones scattered among the weeds, and a sense of unease welled up in his heart. He hesitated for a moment, finally asking:

"Is this a cemetery?"

Wang Lina turned her head, her black hair fluttering gently in the breeze. A complicated look flashed in her eyes, and she replied softly: "Yes, I don't know what the standing stones in the village are, but the standing stones here must be tombstones."

She paused, and a sly smile suddenly appeared on the corner of her mouth, "Tang Yin, you accidentally kicked a tombstone when you first passed by here, right? Oops~ you have to apologize."

Upon hearing this, the color instantly drained from Tang Yin's face.

He widened his eyes, looking at Wang Lina in disbelief: "Huh!? Is that so? Why didn't you say so earlier!"

Then, he turned abruptly to face the wasteland, clasped his hands together, and said sincerely: "Ancestors of Mist Hidden Village, I'm very sorry!"

Wang Lina couldn't help but laugh at Tang Yin's flustered appearance: "Ahahaha, sorry, I was afraid of scaring you."

The laughter gradually subsided, and Wang Lina's expression became serious. She looked at the outline of the village faintly visible in the distant mist, and said softly: "--Although it was for emergency shelter, no matter what, I brought you to this ruin-like monster village."

Tang Yin heard the guilt in her words, and his heart stirred. He turned around, looked directly into Wang Lina's eyes, and asked calmly: "Do you really believe there are monsters here?"

Wang Lina didn't answer immediately. Her gaze passed over Tang Yin and turned to the distant God River. The faint light on the river surface flickered in her eyes, as if containing endless secrets.

Finally, she slowly opened her mouth: "Yes, I believe."

Her voice was not loud, but it echoed for a long time on this desolate wasteland. The air was mixed with white particulate matter, as if to annotate this heavy answer.

Tang Yin frowned slightly, a little surprised: "I thought you wouldn't believe in this kind of thing."

Wang Lina withdrew her gaze and looked directly into Tang Yin's eyes. Her voice carried a hint of challenge: "Tang Yin, do you think people who believe in this kind of thing are foolish?"

Tang Yin was a little uncomfortable with her sudden sharp gaze, and quickly waved his hand to explain: "Um, I wouldn't say that."

Wang Lina was relentless, the corners of her mouth slightly raised: "You're lying, it's written all over your face."

Tang Yin was speechless for a moment, secretly wondering if his expression was that obvious?

It's not that he completely denies the meaning of faith, but the invisible nature of faith does clash with his worldview. Thinking of this, he had to admit that Wang Lina was probably right.

After a moment of silence, Tang Yin decided to continue asking: "Can you tell me why?"

Wang Lina's expression became inscrutable, and she replied softly: "Reason? There's no such thing."

Tang Yin frowned, a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone: "I don't believe it."

Wang Lina was silent for a moment, seemingly contemplating how to answer. Finally, she raised her head, her gaze piercing, and said, word by word: "...Let's just say, it's because I've seen a god."

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Tang Yin's mind. His eyes widened, looking at Wang Lina in disbelief.

In that moment, he suddenly realized that this seemingly ordinary mountain village girl might be hiding secrets deeper than he imagined.

A gentle breeze blew past, stirring up the fallen leaves on the ground. In the distance, the shadow of the First Hanging Pine stretched even longer in the setting sun, like a giant hand slowly reaching towards this land shrouded in mist. Tang Yin stood there, feeling the mysterious atmosphere permeating the surrounding air, his heart both excited and uneasy.

He knew that he was standing at the entrance to a huge puzzle. And the key to solving this puzzle might be hidden in Wang Lina's deep eyes, hidden in this Mist Hidden Village forgotten by the world.