Chapter 50

Completely Different Reactions

The moment he opened his mouth, the holy light of [Order] enveloped everyone.

“Some of you may know me, others may have never heard of me—but it doesn’t matter.

You all know why the Grand Inquisition has come here.

Evil has spread through Everbloom Town; criminals, under cover of night, freely strip residents of their right to embrace [Prosperity].

This filthy, vile act is not only a desecration of the Natural Alliance’s faith, but a direct challenge to the authority of the Grand Inquisition.

[Order] reigns above—judgment has arrived!

No criminal can escape punishment.

I, Senior Inquisitor Mo Qius, pledge to the Everbloom Town Autonomous Alliance and its faithful:

Today, we will find the true killer and restore peace to you all!”

Mo Qius’s words were highly inspiring; many faces visibly brightened, and the Enforcement Officers around him looked eagerly expectant.

But then his tone turned icy, laced with cruel amusement.

“Enough with the formalities. Let’s shed these cumbersome restraints and get straight to the point.

I have already found the killer—he is among you.

Fear was once your blade—but now it shall be your dirge.

Under the gaze of [Order], under the judgment of the Grand Inquisition—you...

Where will you run?”

Before he finished speaking, Mo Qius began slowly shifting his gaze, starting from the far left, sweeping across every person in the hall.

With every slight turn of his gaze, those within his line of sight instinctively tensed, stole glances left and right, and exchanged wary glances, terrified the killer stood beside them.

This palpable pressure made many travelers tremble, their legs shaking as if they might collapse.

Cheng Shi stood among the crowd, feeling a blade-like gaze pause on him for an instant before continuing leftward—he quietly exhaled in relief.

He was terrified the Inquisitor would unleash his method of annihilating Cloud and Mud upon him, a follower of [Chaos].

Fortunately, he seemed to have truly ignored the players.

The pressure continued its slow drift; panic continued to brew.

Just as Mo Qius’s gaze reached halfway, about to turn rightward—suddenly, something changed!

A figure in a green windbreaker suddenly ducked his head, shoved aside nearby travelers, crouched low, and sprinted toward the outer edge of the crowd.

The travelers he collided with froze for a moment, then screamed in terror.

“Ahh!!!”

“Help! Save me!”

“Run! The killer’s going to kill!”

The Enforcement Officers by the door immediately snapped to attention and gave chase.

“That’s him! Don’t let him get away!”

“Catch him!”

The hall erupted into chaos.

At the very first moment of this chaos, several players seized the opportunity and reacted in completely different ways.

Fang Jue began chanting aloud, fully revealing his [Order] power, transforming it into golden chains of Order that chased after the fleeing figure.

Du Xiguang vanished in a flash, as if foreseeing the path, blocking the escapee’s inevitable route.

But he did not hinder the figure’s flight; instead, at the perfect moment, with an unobtrusive motion, he “accidentally” brushed against the “criminal.”

As for Cheng Shi...

He disappeared.

In the instant the crowd scattered, he disguised himself as a panicked traveler, broke through the first-floor blockade, and sprinted up to the second floor.

But his motive was not fear, nor self-preservation—he was searching for clues!

Giving up was impossible. Not in this lifetime.

This game was too intense; one slip and you died—no chances to rest.

To survive, you had to keep pushing your own limits!

On the very first day of investigating the inn, Cheng Shi had quietly recorded every traveler’s face and their assigned room.

The moment the green windbreaker moved, he instantly identified the man.

The Bard!

A Bard who claimed to come from the Northern Kingdom of Kanliwal.

The travelers, already terrified by the murders, had been stirred up by this Bard and a few other troublemakers.

In fact, when Cheng Shi first learned of the semi-artifact [When Fear Comes], he had suspected this Bard.

As the saying goes: to do a job well, you must first sharpen your tools. To kill with fear, the best method is to spread fear first!

And the Bard’s profession was perfect for openly carrying out this task.

They loved telling stories—especially horrifying ones.

But back then, Cheng Shi had still been stunned by Wei Guan’s death; his mind wasn’t sharp—or rather, he hadn’t made a clear judgment.

Now, everything fit.

There had never been any illusion of a snake in the cup; the reason he saw a snake was because the “bow” itself was made of a snake!

The killer had prepared everything in advance, waiting only for this semi-artifact to prove itself:

[When Fear Comes]!

Cheng Shi moved quickly. Before long, weaving through fleeing travelers, he reached the Bard’s room.

His thoughts differed from the other two.

Fang Jue clearly believed that with the Grand Inquisition’s arrival, they now held absolute dominance; aiding them in capturing the killer might grant him advantages in future investigations.

Du Xiguang’s motive was simpler: as long as he touched someone, he could read their memories.

Cheng Shi’s thought was this:

When a murderer realizes he’s been identified, his first reaction is always to clear his own suspicion.

And the simplest, most effective way to do that? Discard the murder weapon.

But a semi-artifact isn’t something you can just toss away—so Cheng Shi believed he had hidden his dagger, not discarded it.

He came straight to the Bard’s room to find clues revealing the trial’s true nature.

If he “happened” to find the dagger, that would be ideal.

Yet when Cheng Shi, like a ghost, arrived at the door and pushed it open himself—the room...

Was already occupied.

Before him stood a man, bare-chested, every vein bulging, his entire body straining with effort.

The Ascetic!

The follower of [Silence]!

Cheng Shi was stunned, blinking in disbelief.

No wonder he’d never been seen—not even after everyone was brought downstairs by the Grand Inquisition.

Apparently, he too had recognized the Bard’s identity.

But no matter how lone a player was, he was still one of their own—especially since Cheng Shi and he both followed the Path of [Chaos], with no opposing faiths to fuel hatred. No need to fear.

But this man’s condition...

Was off.

The Ascetic clearly heard the door open, yet he did not turn.

His hands tightly gripped something, his body tensed, pouring all his strength into resisting it.

Cheng Shi sensed the anomaly, felt his condition deteriorating, and immediately cast a healing spell on him.

A priest’s duty: never let a teammate’s health drop.

But the follower of [Silence] showed no gratitude—he had already set up a [Silence Domain], rendering the healing spell useless within it.

“?”

Again? Another selfish bastard?

Cheng Shi was furious. He opened his mouth and hissed:

“Stop pretending to be mute. If you won’t speak, I’ll scream for help!”

The Ascetic’s aura faltered. After several breaths, he gritted his teeth and slowly, shakily turned half his body.

The moment he turned, Cheng Shi saw his hands gripping something.

Closer inspection revealed a dagger emitting an eerie red glow, violently struggling within his grip.

“!!??”

[When Fear Comes]!?