Chapter 41: Scapegoat

Su Mian had to thank Si Shi; if it weren't for accidentally entering the 18th-floor containment facility that day, she might not have guessed it.

The 18th floor only allowed entry and no exit, but one could walk out by taking the emergency exit.

Plus, gambling on it this morning had already verified the fact that the stairwell was very safe.

"I took the emergency exit this morning."

Zhang Shuo Zhi sighed. "Emergency exit... actually playing word games."

"Let's not discuss it first, let's hurry over."

Su Mian discovered that her shirt wasn't stained with blood, but a piece had been torn off. She tied a knot there, revealing her fair and slender side waist.

Almost instantly, Su Mian felt an intense gaze, carrying warning and aggression.

A violent wind blew from the window. Wang Zeyu, who was at the very front, exclaimed and blocked it with his hand.

The knot Su Mian had just tied was blown apart again.

She looked up with a suspicious expression, looking towards the surveillance camera. The red light flashed, seemingly responding to her.

Time was tight, and Su Mian didn't have time to think too much.

The group just wanted to turn around and go to the emergency exit when they suddenly heard a "thump" of a door being patted.

Su Mian saw from the corner of her eye that the door to the emergency exit had been closed by someone, and she caught a glimpse of a white coat figure turning around in a hurry through the gap.

Zhang Shuo Zhi realized something, rushed over immediately, pulling the door to the emergency exit hard, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"It's locked from the inside."

"It's Zhou Ruochuan."

Su Mian muttered, her gaze locked on the gap in the door, her eyes flickering.

It was too strange. She was clear that her vision and observation skills weren't that good, but just now her gaze was able to fix on that spot, recognizing Zhou Ruochuan at a glance, even if it was just a residual shadow in the gap.

Chen Mo was furious and kicked the door. "Is he sick?"

"No one has understood this operation in five hundred years."

Zhang Shuo Zhi waved his hand, completely out of ideas. "What now, are we waiting here to die?"

"He can't be the murderer, right? By getting us all killed, he wins."

Wang Zeyu couldn't believe it. Except for this explanation, he couldn't think of why Zhou Ruochuan would do this.

He had also encountered such extreme players before; as long as everyone was killed, one could also win the game.

But that was too cruel, and the difficulty was particularly high; almost no one could truly do it.

Su Mian: "No, I'm more inclined to think it's Su Tang."

"Su Tang?!"

Everyone exclaimed, Chen Mo's expression unclear.

"Qingci is right. Zhou Ruochuan, a newcomer, doesn't have that brain; it's more like he was bewitched by Su Tang."

"What do we do now?"

Wang Zeyu paced anxiously. Su Mian looked at the window in the corridor.

"I have a way."

––

On the other side.

"Knock-knock—"

The man stood at the door, fingers tapping lightly on the door frame.

His heart was still beating wildly because of the thrilling run just now and the act of locking the door.

He hid his slightly trembling hands in the pockets of his white coat.

"You did very well, Brother Ruochuan."

A sweet voice sounded, like a warm current dispelling some of the surrounding coldness.

Zhou Ruochuan looked up and saw Su Tang watching him.

There was a faint flush on her face from running, and her eyes were bright, filled with trust and encouragement.

A pure smile made his tense nerves relax slightly.

The reason he followed Su Tang's suggestion to lock the door to the emergency exit was because she was simply like a light.

That day, Qingci and the others came to find him and asked him many questions. Zhou Ruochuan was terrified.

Did they think he was the murderer?

Thinking of this, Zhou Ruochuan was completely panicked. He couldn't wait to show he wasn't the murderer, but they told him, don't panic, they just wanted to collect clues.

He couldn't do it at all, and even after they left, he took the wrong medicine for patients several times, so anxious he almost cried.

Zhou Ruochuan was a white-collar worker in reality, originally squeezed by the workplace, his mentality deformed, and his stress resistance was almost zero. At that moment, he almost collapsed.

Su Tang appeared like a light, stood in front of him, and gave him a handkerchief.

"You look very scared, are you okay?"

She smiled, her eyebrows curved.

"I know you're not the murderer."

Hearing this, Zhou Ruochuan's tears burst out immediately, and he nodded impatiently, taking the handkerchief.

"I... I don't know why they asked me so many questions..."

Zhou Ruochuan sobbed, and Su Tang sighed.

"Because you were used as a target, so pitiful."

"The player with the most votes will die. No one wants to die, so they want to find a scapegoat. Nothing is better than a newcomer."

Hearing this, Zhou Ruochuan's eyes were filled with fear, and Su Tang curled her lips.

"Don't be afraid... I'll protect you from now on. I hate players who bully newcomers the most."

––

"They... should be trapped for the time being, right?"

Zhou Ruochuan said uncertainly, his voice carrying hesitation and a request for affirmation.

"Su Tang, is it really right for us to do this? Shouldn't we find clues together?"

At this moment, facing Zhou Ruochuan's question, Su Tang frowned slightly, her face showing just the right amount of worry and a trace of lingering fear.

"I don't want to do this either... but Brother Ruochuan, think about how they questioned you that day. I really feel injustice for you. If you really want to be used as a sacrifice, then pretend I didn't say anything."

She said, subconsciously moving a step closer to Zhou Ruochuan, as if seeking protection, looking up at him, her eyes clear and dependent.

"We are just letting them calm down for a while, striving for some time to find clues alone. Only by finding the real murderer can we save everyone, right?"

"I believe in you, Brother Ruochuan. If we two cooperate, the chances are greater."

Her tone was so sincere, and the analysis sounded reasonable.

Zhou Ruochuan looked at her eyes without any haze, and the slight doubt in his heart instantly vanished.

Yes, in this bizarre place, Su Tang was the only one who actively helped him and trusted him.

She looked so weak and in need of protection, how could she lie to him?

"You're right," Zhou Ruochuan nodded, took a deep breath, and tried to make himself look more reliable. "Then what should we do next?"

Su Tang immediately showed a bright smile, as if his support made her feel relieved.

She pulled his sleeve lightly and pointed to another exit of the storage room.

"Let's leave here first. I know another place that might have key clues. Follow me, be careful."

She walked forward first, her steps light, her ponytail swaying slightly behind her head, bright and energetic.

Zhou Ruochuan followed closely behind her, looking at her back, a sense of protectiveness and a determination to keep her alive surging in his heart.

He didn't see at all that Su Tang, who was walking in front, had a sweet and harmless smile that didn't change at all the moment she turned her back to him.

Only in the depths of her eyes did a trace of extreme indifference flash, as if her plan had succeeded. ===== CHAPTER 42 =====