PTYS Chapter 56

Xiao Muyu naturally noticed Yang Rui’s expression, but she didn’t pay much attention to it. Instead, she focused intently on Shen Qingqiu’s description.

Shen Qingqiu was indeed a reliable person. From her account, Xiao Muyu could tell that Shen Qingqiu was careful to avoid making subjective statements or drawing conclusions, instead sticking to objective observations.

After listening, Xiao Muyu didn’t say much. She simply picked up a radish and started chopping it with steady thuds.

Yang Rui looked bewildered. Was that it? Shouldn’t they analyze the information more thoroughly?

Shen Qingqiu chuckled softly and began arranging the vegetables for Xiao Muyu. She glanced at the vegetables, thoughtfully stroked her chin, and said with an air of calm confidence, “Should we add some meat? Otherwise, people might complain that our meal isn’t tasty or balanced.”

Yang Rui felt a wave of nausea and quickly shook her head. “No way. If we add meat, we’ll have to eat it ourselves. What if eating meat again means we have to participate in another game?”

Shen Qingqiu glanced at her with thinly veiled disdain, which quickly brought Yang Rui back to her senses.

Blushing, Yang Rui admitted, “I was being silly. We don’t have much choice about eating or not. Besides, if eating meat again leads to another game, someone might refuse to join in.”

After all, one task was guaranteed to be deadly, while the other, with Aunt Jiang absent, might be a safer bet.

At this point, Xiao Muyu spoke up: “The eight male victims were wearing watches and beads. Given the orphanage’s setting, which isn’t very urban, the economic level here is low. Those who wore such accessories were likely people of importance, so they probably weren’t ordinary orphanage staff.

Their bodies weren’t buried but were displayed like exhibits and even placed openly in the dining hall’s freezer. What does this indicate?”

Yang Rui was momentarily stunned, then quickly responded, “People usually say ‘rest in peace.’ Even in murder cases, most people try to hide or destroy the bodies. Displaying them so openly suggests either a twisted psyche or intense hatred, treating them as objects to deny them peace and as a form of expression.”

“Exactly,” Xiao Muyu continued. “Regarding the watches, although we didn’t pay much attention to the photos, there were indeed several men wearing watches in the classroom pictures. However, we didn’t see anyone wearing beads. Based on the earlier photographs and our speculations, if those assumptions are correct, it’s understandable why these individuals were treated this way.”

Shen Qingqiu nodded, clearly pleased with Xiao Muyu’s reasoning. “Good. Now, let’s focus on the task at hand. We need to prepare lunch. We can discuss this further once we’re done.”

With that, they resumed their cooking tasks, the grim reality of their situation a constant, unspoken weight on their minds.

Such a bloody and brutal dismemberment case was spoken about by Xiao Muyu in a very light-hearted manner, making Yang Rui suddenly realize that, in some ways, Xiao Muyu was quite similar to Shen Qingqiu.

“The cuts on the bodies are uneven, with signs of tearing. Does that mean they were torn apart alive? Shen Qingqiu, is that what you thought?” Xiao Muyu asked Shen Qingqiu, as she hadn’t seen the scene herself.

“Yes, exactly. If you’ve watched wildlife documentaries, you’d know that large carnivores, like crocodiles, when they feed, they don’t just bite. They use their powerful twisting force to tear off chunks of flesh, which creates a similar kind of tearing.”

To be more precise, Shen Qingqiu gave an example, causing Yang Rui to involuntarily imagine the scene in her mind.

“The bones are broken with irregular fracture lines, and some bone fragments are missing, which is consistent with violent tearing or forced breaking. Simply put, it’s more accurate to say they were torn apart rather than dismembered.”

Xiao Muyu finished cutting a radish, then casually took another one from Shen Qingqiu and continued, “But human strength can’t do that. Beasts… there’s no indication pointing towards that in the orphanage, and they couldn’t be controlled so easily. So, the ones who killed them… aren’t human.”

Ding! Xiao Muyu suddenly paused her chopping, as the system broadcasted again.

“Players Xiao Muyu, Shen Qingqiu, and Yang Rui have activated the main quest: ‘Who is the Murderer?’ This task will be completed in a quiz format, with a time limit of five hours.

The three players must complete the quiz independently. Correct answers will earn 20 points. Incorrect answers will result in the real murderer escaping, and the wrongly accused feeling indignant, leading to an attack from both sides.

So, use your authority wisely. Don’t wrongfully accuse any good people, and don’t let any bad ones go.”

Xiao Muyu, Shen Qingqiu, and Yang Rui’s faces all changed. Yang Rui was somewhat panicked, while Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu frowned.

On the other side, when they heard the news, Zhang Yangfeng turned pale, and the other three looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what was going on.

But they could only hear the mission broadcast, and nothing further.

The three of them hadn’t figured out their thoughts when a question appeared on their respective panels: “Who is the murderer of these eight people ( )?”

The system continued its pretentious mechanical voice: “This system upholds the glorious tradition of ‘friendship first, competition second’ and has lowered the difficulty for you. This question is in multiple-choice format, so even if you don’t know, you can guess. Even a fool can do it.”

Then the three of them saw that under the so-called ‘foolproof’ question, there was a long list of options! Upon closer inspection, there were fourteen options from A to N!

Yang Rui, who prided herself on her good upbringing, couldn’t help but exclaim, “What the hell!”

Her face turned red with anger. The system, though silent after being cursed at, seemed to understand it had gone too far.

“Hmph, even if a fool can do it, what’s the point if you have to choose correctly? And guessing? Try guessing yourself.” Yang Rui vented her frustration aloud.

But she knew this couldn’t be changed. Now, their task wasn’t just to cook but also to find out who killed the eight people.

Xiao Muyu carefully reviewed the question and the fourteen options. The first ten were clear and straightforward: Lao Sang, Qu Muxi, and eight children.

The remaining four options were: K. Qu Muxi and Xiao Mei, L. Qu Muxi and Lao Sang, M. Xiao Mei and Lao Sang, N. The eight children and Qu Muxi.

“Have you heard this during your studies? When tackling uncertain multiple-choice questions, you should not only look at the question and choose from the four answers but also consider why these four options were chosen. A good question will have a correct answer, but the wrong options can’t be too absurd. Otherwise, even if you don’t know the answer, you can exclude the wrong ones and find the right one.” Xiao Muyu stared at the options for three full minutes before saying this.

“You mean…” Yang Rui pondered, staring at the options in front of her.

At that moment, Shen Qingqiu looked up and saw a face peering through the kitchen window for the third time. Annoyed, she threw a dagger.

With a crash, the dagger broke through the glass, flying towards the face.

The glass shattered, and the face showed a terrified expression, dodging the dagger just in time.

As Xiao Muyu reacted, Shen Qingqiu had already jumped out of the broken window like the wind, pinning the person down with her knee.

Xiao Muyu and Yang Rui hurried over to find that Shen Qingqiu was pressing down on Lao Sang, who was one of the options in their list.

Lao Sang looked disheveled, his face pale, with a cut on his left cheek extending to his ear, a chunk of hair missing, indicating how close the encounter was.

After recognizing him, Shen Qingqiu quickly stood up and released him.

Xiao Muyu rushed out, apologizing, “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect it to be you. My friend was reckless. Are you okay?”

Lao Sang repeatedly clenched his fingers, speaking coldly, “Who are you people? Who carries a knife and throws it at someone? This is outrageous!”

“Lao Sang, I’m really sorry. This was a misunderstanding. We’ve seen a face peeking through the window twice yesterday, which was quite scary. My friend overreacted. Please forgive us.”

Although sincerely apologetic, Xiao Muyu’s tone remained calm and respectful, making her apology sound genuine.

Unexpectedly, Lao Sang, upon hearing this, fell silent, his expression stiffening, his eyes showing a change of emotions. After a while, he asked, “Where did you see this?”

Xiao Muyu glanced at Shen Qingqiu, whose eyes brightened slightly, indicating that she found the remark intriguing.

Xiao Muyu’s expression turned serious, with a hint of fear. “One time was outside the room, at the glass window above the door, just half a face that wasn’t very clear. Another time was in the washroom on the third floor, at that time…”

Before Xiao Muyu could finish, Shen Qingqiu, who had been cold and aloof, interjected, pointing at Yang Rui, “At that time, the little girl was taking a bath. Muyu and I both saw it, and the face looked like a man’s.”

Yang Rui thought: …Is this woman having memory issues or double standards? It was clearly Xiao Muyu and herself who were taking a bath then, but now Shen Qingqiu’s words twisted the situation.

Xiao Muyu also caught on to Shen Qingqiu’s little tricks, unsure whether to roll her eyes or laugh. But old Sang’s lips started trembling, his expression a mix of anger, fear, and a hint of madness.

“Scum, scum, beast!” His neck veins bulged, clearly enraged to the extreme.

“Old Sang, there are only a few of you here. Where would another man come from? Could it be…”

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes were full of disdain, her gaze unhidden, staring at old Sang, making it clear what she was implying.

His expression turned livid with anger, and he shouted, “Don’t talk nonsense! I’m not like those beasts! Whether I’m a good person or not, those are children! How could I do such a thing!”

“Persistent ghosts, they won’t leave me alone. They’re all dead and still disgusting people!” He spat forcefully, his eyes glaring fiercely towards the kitchen.

But his expression stiffened, and he turned abruptly, glaring at them fiercely, “Who allowed you to come in here? Didn’t I tell you not to wander around? Do you have a death wish?”

The three of them looked confused, but Xiao Muyu quickly explained, “Director Qu said Aunt Jiang fell and got injured, and there was no one to cook, so she asked us to do it.”

“Director Qu? Why would she ask you to cook? Cooking? Did you enter the pantry?” Old Sang’s expression turned to terror, as if the sky was falling.

Xiao Muyu’s heart sank, and she tested, “We did. We saw radishes, potatoes, greens, and so on.”

“Did you find anything else?” He swallowed, his voice trembling, his expression both strange and frightening.

With this exchange, the three of them felt a storm brewing inside, but one thing was clear: Old Sang didn’t want them to see those things. If he knew they saw the bodies, the situation would become uncontrollable.

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes flickered. Dropping her domineering demeanor, she turned pale, grabbing Xiao Muyu’s arm and clinging to her.

Forcing herself to look terrified and disgusted, she said, “You have the nerve to ask! This place is too weird, definitely a shady orphanage. Who puts… who puts crows in the fridge as food? We just wanted to see what ingredients were there, but the first thing we opened was full of crows. Ugh, even someone as strong as me was scared to tears.”

She put on an act as if she couldn’t continue, almost in tears.

Xiao Muyu and Yang Rui: …

Xiao Muyu stood stoically like a log, letting this dramatic woman lean on her while she covered for her, seriously adding, “Yes, it scared her badly. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so impulsive earlier.” Referring to Shen Qingqiu throwing the knife.

Yang Rui, forced to act, was genuinely scared, more sincere than Shen Qingqiu, “Why put crows there? Was the cafeteria using… crow meat?”

Old Sang’s eyes swept over their faces and finally relaxed. If they had seen the bodies, they wouldn’t be so calm.

His expression turned serious, “Ren’ai Orphanage is remote and lacks funds. We hardly have any vegetables, let alone meat. What’s wrong with crow meat? It’s not poisonous, and the kids like it. Don’t make a fuss.”

He then walked inside, turning back to stop them, “If you’re scared, stay away.”

Seeing him go in, Xiao Muyu glanced at Shen Qingqiu, “He’s gone. No need to act anymore.”

Shen Qingqiu rubbed her eyes, stood up straight, and distanced herself, sighing, “I’ve never been so pretentious in my life. It was quite a sacrifice.”

Yang Rui silently thought, she was really into it. But she had to admit Shen Qingqiu’s cleverness. In such a critical situation, she perfectly covered it up. Being scared by crows was natural.

Xiao Muyu was worried, “What about the arrangement inside?”

“Don’t worry. We were going to move the meat out but didn’t get to it. I didn’t touch anything else, and the pile of crows is still there.”

Old Sang quickly came out, his expression serious, “I don’t know why the director asked you to cook, but remember, the dishes must include meat. I’ll get the pork for you. Crow meat won’t kill you, and the kids love it, so it can’t be missing.

Also, don’t touch the back of the fridge. If you do, you won’t be able to bear the consequences.”

Author’s Note:

Xiao Shen: I was really scared then.

Yang Rui: I was the one really scared. How dare you say you were scared.

Xiao Shen: If I weren’t scared, how could I cling to you like that?

Yang Rui: Shameless.

Today, I wrote two chapters! Great job!