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

#526 - Who should be executed?

Moonlight, like water, spilled over the mist-shrouded village. Zhao Gang stood before the cage, his face etched with obvious anxiety, his eyes darting between Tang Yin and the distant meeting hall. His fingers drummed restlessly on his thigh, as if urging time to pass more quickly.

Tang Yin keenly noticed Zhao Gang's unusual behavior, and his mind raced. He took a deep breath, deciding to comply with Zhao Gang's arrangements. After all, in this village filled with unknowns, a little more caution meant a little more chance of survival.

"Can I sleep here? I want to rest," Tang Yin asked, feigning ease, while carefully examining the inside of the cage.

The sight inside the cage made him frown. The ground was littered with sand, mixed with straw and garbage, and the air was thick with an unmistakable animal stench. The odor assaulted his nostrils, reminding him of the ferocious beasts in a zoo.

Zhao Gang heard Tang Yin's words, and a sardonic smile crept across his face. "You really have a big heart."

Tang Yin shook his head with a wry smile, his tone self-deprecating. "Just cowardly, I don't want to die yet."

As soon as he said this, the faces of the two dead reporters, Xia Hui and the photographer Zhou Zhengxiong, flashed in Tang Yin's mind. Their terrified eyes, their desperate cries, seemed to echo in his ears. A chill ran down his spine, and Tang Yin shuddered involuntarily.

It was because he had witnessed their tragic fate firsthand that Tang Yin had chosen to stand by and do nothing. This decision was like a heavy stone weighing on his heart, making him feel suffocated whenever he thought about it.

Zhao Gang seemed not to notice Tang Yin's abnormality. He quickly locked the cage and left without looking back. His figure appeared particularly lonely in the moonlight, as if carrying something heavy on his shoulders.

Tang Yin watched Zhao Gang leave until his figure disappeared completely into the night. Then, he slowly lay down, closing his eyes. The hard ground dug into his body uncomfortably, and the pungent stench made it difficult for him to fall asleep.

– Ah, the ground is hard and smelly. But at least it's better than last night.

Tang Yin thought to himself with a self-deprecating sigh. He knew that the most important thing at the moment was to sort out his thoughts, to make sense of the Mist Veil villagers' conversations, to contemplate that strange memory, and, most importantly, to find a way to leave this bizarre village as soon as possible.

However, every time he began to think, the scene of him standing by and doing nothing would flash in his mind. Regret, self-blame, guilt – all kinds of emotions flooded in like a tide, almost drowning him.

… So, I'm actually this kind?

Tang Yin asked himself with a bitter smile.

In this dangerous village, kindness seemed like a luxury. But he also vaguely felt that this time he might just be an [Observer]. This premonition made him feel both a little safe and filled with fear of the unknown.

…

At this moment, the game screen suddenly switched to the village's meeting hall.

All the villagers of Mist Veil were gathered in a circle, sitting in the meeting hall. The candlelight flickered, casting alternating shadows on everyone's faces, creating a solemn and mysterious atmosphere.

Granny Rong's wrinkled face looked particularly serious in the candlelight. She looked around, confirmed that everyone was present, and then said, "– Everyone's here, right? Then… let's begin the [Yellow Springs Banquet], Ms. Hualu, please."

Hualu stood up, her bright eyes sparkling with a mysterious light in the candlelight.

She held a simple, ancient wine cup in her hand, and her voice was crisp and melodious. "This is divine wine dedicated to the Thousand Bright Gods. Let's start drinking it in order of age, from youngest to oldest."

As Hualu's voice fell, everyone began to pass the wine cup around one by one. First, it was the youngest, Xiaomei's, turn. She stared at the wine cup, her eyes full of curiosity and doubt. "Wine…"

Hualu smiled gently, comforting her. "You're a child, just take a lick."

Wang Lina frowned, reminding them, "Speaking of which, minors shouldn't be drinking here."

Qin Yi said dismissively, "It's just one cup, what does it matter…"

Chen Xiang immediately stopped him. "You can't drink, Xiaoyi… Qin Ming, you're his older brother, you should say something to him."

Qin Ming looked at his younger brother, his tone calm. "Xiaoyi, it's just a formality."

Qin Yi pouted, reluctantly replying, "Tch, how annoying. I know, big brother…"

When it was Gao Mei's turn, she showed a look of disgust. "… I don't want to drink this stuff."

Tong Xiaoliang smiled and comforted her. "Xiaomei, you just have to take a little sip, I'll do it too."

At this moment, everyone suddenly noticed that Tong Xiaoliang was actually wearing women's clothing. This discovery made the atmosphere in the room a little awkward, but no one commented on it.

Qin Ming took the wine cup and took a small sip. "I'm done, Sister Lina."

Wang Lina took the wine cup and said cheerfully, "It's the adults' turn, I won't be polite." She tilted her head back and took a big gulp.

Chen Xiang carefully took the wine cup. "I'll just take a sip…"

Qian Jin tasted it, a look of surprise on his face. "It's surprisingly delicious, here you go, Gangzi."

Zhao Gang took the wine cup, sighing. "We only have the chance to drink during the day during the [Banquet]. Here you go, Old Gao."

Gao Zhijie took the wine cup, took a small sip, and then handed it to Granny Rong. "Um… Granny Rong, be careful."

Granny Rong took it with a chuckle. "Okay, okay, I won't be polite… Old Wolf, is everything alright?"

Old Wolf took the wine cup, his voice hoarse. "Wine, wine, wine… Uh, cough, cough, cough." He coughed violently after taking a sip.

Seeing this, Gao Zhijie immediately said, "Alright, everyone has had a drink, Granny Rong, let's begin."

As Gao Zhijie's voice fell, the entire meeting hall fell into a strange silence. The candlelight danced on everyone's faces, reflecting their complex expressions. There was anticipation, worry, tension, and a hint of indescribable fear.

…

Granny Rong slowly stood up, her weathered eyes sweeping over everyone present, as if trying to see through their souls. She took a deep breath and said:

"… Everyone knows the story, right? The story of the [Wolf God] returning from the Yellow Springs with the Twilight Mist to take revenge on humanity."

Granny Rong's voice was old, but still clear and strong. As soon as she finished speaking, the atmosphere in the entire meeting hall instantly became tense.

"This time, the stone statue in the village shows that there are two [Yellow Springs Wolf] marks, which means that there are two [Wolf Gods] this time," Granny Rong's voice trembled slightly.

She continued, "We must follow the instructions of the Thousand Bright Gods, and with the protection of the Guardian Beast, execute the Wolf Gods through the banquet."

Granny Rong's eyes became sharp. "If we violate the instructions of the Thousand Bright Gods, we will be [Contaminated] and die without a whole corpse…"

These words were like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's hearts hard. A suffocating fear filled the air.

"If we don't want to be contaminated, we must execute the Wolf Gods through the [Banquet]. This is the mission of the Mist Veil villagers…" Granny Rong's voice was low and firm.

Just then, Xiaomei's innocent voice broke the heavy atmosphere. She tugged on Hualu's sleeve and asked softly, "Sister, what does execute mean?"

A hint of hesitation flashed in Hualu's beautiful eyes, but she still answered softly, "It means to hang."

Xiaomei's face instantly turned pale, her voice trembling. "How scary…"

Hualu looked at Xiaomei's terrified expression, her heart aching. She gently hugged her and comforted her softly, "… Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Hualu raised her head and said to Granny Rong, "I apologize for interrupting you, Granny Rong."

Granny Rong shook her head, a wry smile on her face. "… It's nothing, she's still a child, but everyone is a suspect, even this child…"

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the entire meeting hall instantly became tense.

Qian Jin couldn't help but sarcastically say, "Oh dear, here we go again with the nonsense."

Hearing this, Qin Yi was immediately enraged. He stood up, pointed at Qian Jin, and shouted loudly, "Hey, uncle, if you think this is nonsense, then leave here and die from [Contamination]!"

Seeing this, Chen Xiang quickly stopped her son. "Xiaoyi, don't talk nonsense!"

Qian Jin sneered, a hint of contempt flashing in his eyes. "How rude, Madam Chen Xiang, is this how you educate your son?"

Qin Yi was completely enraged by these words. He roared, "This is my own business! What does it have to do with the old woman!"

Zhao Gang saw that the situation was gradually getting out of control and immediately stopped them. "Xiaoyi, shut up, or I'll do it myself."

Qin Yi looked at Zhao Gang in disbelief. "Huh!? Brother Gang, even you're saying that!"

Zhao Gang's expression became serious. "Don't force me to do it, both of you say less."

Qian Jin curled his lips in disdain. "Hmph, do you have the guts?"

Qin Yi gritted his teeth and glared at Qian Jin. "… You."

Zhao Gang took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart. "Adults won't be provoked so easily, and I can't accept Granny Rong's statement either."

He stood up, looked around, and said slowly, "We've heard this story since we were kids, but there's one thing I can't understand no matter what."

Zhao Gang's gaze swept over everyone present, his voice tinged with confusion and unease. "We're all neighbors who live here together, except for Xiaomei, everyone knows each other… Are some of us disguised as Wolf Gods? How is that possible, everyone seems normal."

"Gangzi, you're too naive." Gao Zhijie's voice was low, but it was like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's hearts.

Zhao Gang frowned, a hint of confusion and unease flashing in his eyes. "What do you mean, Old Gao, are you saying that some of us are suspects?"

Gao Zhijie looked around, his eyes like torches. "Everyone is a suspect."

These words were like a bomb, instantly detonating the tense atmosphere in the meeting hall. Gao Mei looked at her grandfather, her eyes full of worry, and called out softly, "… Grandpa."

Gao Zhijie turned to his granddaughter, his tone full of warning. "Xiaomei, be careful. Even beasts can disguise themselves, let alone humans. There are those among us who can lie without batting an eye."

Wang Lina crossed her arms and stared sharply at Gao Zhijie. "Why can you say that with such certainty?"

Gao Zhijie took a deep breath, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. "… That story is true."

Wang Lina curled her lips after hearing this. "… Whatever, say what you want."

At this moment, Tong Xiaoliang couldn't help but interject, "I wonder which idiot in Mist Veil made up that story." His tone was full of sarcasm and disdain.

Zhao Gang immediately stopped him. "Xiaoliang."

Hearing these words, Granny Rong was immediately enraged. "You're spouting nonsense again!"

Her voice was sharp and piercing.

Seeing this, Qin Ming quickly spoke to appease her. "Xiaoliang, don't say anymore… I'm sorry, what should we do now?"

Zhao Gang thought for a moment and suggested, "Let's discuss it first and then decide?"

Hearing this, Qin Ming's face instantly turned pale. "… Discuss… So, we're going to discuss executing one of us?" His voice trembled.

Zhao Gang tried to soothe everyone's emotions. "Everyone can express their own thoughts, and then form a consensus."

Qin Ming turned to Wang Lina, a hint of expectation in his eyes. "Sister Lina, what do you think?"

Wang Lina pondered for a moment and slowly said, "Some people think [Everyone is not a suspect], and some people think [Everyone is a suspect]. In this situation, it's difficult to form a consensus."

"A discussion without a conclusion is like mental torture. Eventually, everyone will definitely hope that there is a leader who can make a decision on behalf of everyone," Wang Lina continued to analyze.

Gao Zhijie understood the deep meaning in Wang Lina's words and frowned. "Lina, what are you trying to say?"

Zhao Gang tried to ease the tension. "Lina, don't worry, we are neighbors in Mist Veil who eat from the same pot. There's nothing we can't solve."

Wang Lina shook her head gently. "… Brother Gang, I know you care about everyone, but… we must now choose one person from among our neighbors to execute."

Her words were like a sharp blade, pointing directly to the heart of the problem.

Hearing this, Zhao Gang was speechless.

Wang Lina continued to speak, her voice calm and sharp. "There's another problem, if you don't want to choose someone close to you, just choose someone who isn't close to you, like someone you don't like, like someone who just came here. If you can't choose rationally, you'll definitely make a serious mistake."

As soon as she finished speaking, the entire meeting hall fell into a deathly silence. Everyone lowered their heads, as if thinking about something. A strange atmosphere permeated the air, as if something invisible was flowing between them.

Zhao Gang took a deep breath, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes. "So, I said from the beginning that we can't kill people, let's continue the discussion in this direction!"

However, at this moment, Granny Rong suddenly stood up, her weathered eyes staring directly at Zhao Gang, her tone full of warning and reproach. "Gangzi, you're wrong! If all of this is false, how do you explain the tragic deaths of the reporters and the markings on the statues at the entrance of the village?"

Granny Rong's words were like a heavy hammer, instantly shattering Zhao Gang's illusions. The entire meeting hall fell silent again, everyone's faces filled with complex emotions.

Hua Lu tightly hugged Xiao Mie, a trace of worry flashing in her eyes. Qin Yi clenched his fists, biting his lip, seemingly trying hard to suppress something. Qian Jin leaned against the wall, his eyes wandering, unsure of what he was thinking.

The fate of Mist Hidden Village seemed to hang by a thread. And this banquet, filled with contradictions and suspicions, might just be the beginning of a larger conspiracy.

Everyone was contemplating what role they should play in this life-or-death [Underworld Banquet]. Should they become victims, or perpetrators? Should they choose to believe, or to doubt?