Chapter 53: He is the devil

Lin Kuo almost instantly confirmed his identity—he was the “Demon.” There was no way that “182” referred to anything else. Aside from that, he couldn’t think of what else the number could mean. None of them was taller than 182 cm.

What’s more, it was already the second day. If the Main God System kept dragging things out like this, the pacing of this dungeon would be far too slow. “Slow pacing” often equaled “not entertaining,” so Lin Kuo was sure that the second Demon clue was enough for the other players to deduce his identity.

Once he confirmed who he was, Lin Kuo didn’t feel as anxious or cautious anymore. He began to consider his next move.

Though he hated to admit it, he had to—Lin Kuo didn’t want to be the “Demon.” The only reason he was so desperate to confirm his identity was because he wanted to know if he was the “Escaper.” If he was the Escaper, Lin Kuo already had a whole set of plans to break out of the scenario. But now, the tables had turned, and he felt a bit lost.

He remembered what he’d once said to Aqi in the “Poison Fight” dungeon.

A civilian hiding among killers isn’t special just because they haven’t killed anyone; the real issue lies with the killers.

But now, this enclosed battlefield was forcing him to become the killer. At that moment, Lin Kuo admitted that he wasn’t cut out for the Siege System. The Siege System was a world where you either killed or got killed, and no matter how skilled you were, you couldn’t escape that rule.

He thought about all this in a flash, then raised his head to look at the “182” on the wall.

Fine, he thought, if he was the Demon, then so be it. He accepted it. He wasn’t some merciful monk—he still had to get back to District S to find Sheng Wen, and Lin Zhi was waiting for him too. He couldn’t die here in a mere three-star dungeon.

With that resolve, Lin Kuo began planning his next moves as the Demon.

First, NPCs weren’t neutral—they were clearly inclined to help the Escaper leave the villa. And the Short-Haired Man was right: there was only one Demon. Once the Demon’s identity was exposed, they wouldn’t be able to take on ten people working together.

So…

Expressionless, Lin Kuo walked quietly to the study and gently closed the door behind him. He stared at the numbers on the wall, and within seconds, he had a plan.

He couldn’t let anyone know he was the Demon. And he couldn’t let the Escaper see this clue and become wary of him.

The best move now would be to create a fake Demon to mislead the others.

Lin Kuo went over each person in his mind and eventually found a suitable scapegoat: Long-Haired Man #5.

That guy was timid. Earlier, when the Short-Haired Man suggested splitting up to search for clues, Long-Haired #5 hesitated so much that he nearly teared up after being pressured. The clue “rabbit” could easily be twisted to describe someone with a “timid as a rabbit” personality—“a cornered rabbit bites,” after all. And as for the “182,” Lin Kuo could erase the “2” to leave “18,” which would point to Long-Haired #5’s hair length.

With this in mind, Lin Kuo picked up a book from the study to use its edge to scrape away the “2.” But as he crouched and brought the sharp corner near the numbers, he suddenly froze. His brown eyes narrowed sharply.

He’d seen it.

“182” wasn’t “182” at all. It looked more like “162.” Someone had altered the “6” into an “8.”

Lin Kuo felt like he’d been struck by lightning. He shot to his feet and scanned the study, suddenly on guard and flooded with thoughts.

The one who tampered with the Demon clue… was none other than the Demon himself.

Clearly, the Demon had thought of the same plan Lin Kuo just did. Lin Kuo had been about to frame Long-Haired #5 to mislead the group, but the Demon had decided to frame Lin Kuo instead—and had already acted on it.

Thankfully, he was alone in the study. Lin Kuo quickly calmed down, took one last look at the numbers, and decided not to touch them. Changing them again would make him look like the Escaper.

The numbers weren’t deeply carved, and Lin Kuo figured the Demon would likely return to reinforce them. So he put the book back, cleaned up any trace of his presence, and returned to the second floor without a hint of emotion.

Inside the room, the Glasses Man was still staring blankly at the night sky. Lin Kuo closed the door softly and walked over.

Before this, since he wasn’t sure of his identity, Lin Kuo hadn’t focused on investigating the NPCs. But things were different now: he was certain he was the Escaper, and the other player had to be the Demon. The slaughter phase had begun.

The Demon could kill one person per night. To the Demon, fewer survivors were better. But to Lin Kuo, every kill made it harder for him to escape.

He stepped forward, grabbed the Glasses Man’s arm, and forced him to look at him.

The man blinked up at Lin Kuo, startled. Lin Kuo blocked his view of the window, and he stammered: “I… I was just… watching the moon.”

“Moon?” Lin Kuo glanced at the window. Like last night, the moon was hidden behind thick clouds. “There’s no moon.”

That seemed to trigger something. The Glasses Man lowered his head and stared at his watch. “Not yet… It’s not time yet. When the time comes, I’ll see the moon I’m looking for.”

“What moon?” Lin Kuo pressed.

The Glasses Man was about to answer when rain suddenly began to fall outside the window. He broke down instantly, screaming: “Aaaahhhh!”

Lin Kuo lunged forward to cover his mouth, but the man thrashed violently, screaming louder: “AAAAHHHHHHHH!”

He tried to climb out the window in his panic. Lin Kuo grabbed him just in time—one second later and he would’ve fallen out.

The Glasses Man was strong despite his frail appearance. Lin Kuo had to use both hands to hold him back, which meant he couldn’t muffle him. The man’s screams were deafening and quickly drew attention.

Someone started banging on Lin Kuo’s door.

“What’s going on?”

“Open up!”

The Glasses Man was still screaming hysterically: “AAAAHHHHH!”

Lin Kuo snapped: “Shut up.”

But the man was too far gone to listen. He flailed wildly, reaching out for the moon he couldn’t see, and screamed even louder.

Bang!

The door burst open. Given the screams, no one came alone. The Short-Haired Man entered with his three roommates, followed by Long-Haired Men #1 and #2.

“Holy crap, is he the Demon?” the Backpack Boy blurted.

“Don’t just stand there!” Lin Kuo barked. “Help me!”

Together, they dragged the Glasses Man away from the window and onto the floor.

The Short-Haired Man glanced at the hysterical NPC, then narrowed his eyes at Lin Kuo. “What happened?”

Lin Kuo shook his sore arm. “No idea. He saw it was raining and tried to jump.”

“What kind of excuse is that?” Long-Haired #1 sneered. “We’re not children. Liu Yuanque was clearly terrified. And you were the only one here with him. You’re the Demon, and you tried to push him out!”

Lin Kuo studied Long-Haired #1 carefully. After seeing the altered number on the third floor, he knew the Demon was trying to pin suspicion on him. Anyone quick to accuse him was a likely suspect.

He frowned. “Believe it or don’t.”

Backpack Boy turned to the Pillow Woman. “Hey, are you two really married? Your husband almost died.”

She rolled her eyes. “Would’ve been better if he had.”

The boy was shocked by her apathy, but after a pause, he crouched beside the delirious man. “Uncle Liu, wake up. Tell us what happened.”

The Glasses Man didn’t answer.

“I told you,” Lin Kuo said impatiently. “He jumped on his own. If I hadn’t grabbed him, he’d be dead.”

As he spoke, he subtly evaluated everyone present. If “182” was really “162,” and it referred to height, the Backpack Boy, Long-Haired #1, and even the Short-Haired Man all matched.

Backpack Boy turned to the Pillow Woman again. “Does he… does he have suicidal tendencies?”

“How would I know? Do I look like I care?” she scoffed.

The Short-Haired Man suddenly said: “Not knowing means no. And the first Demon clue was ‘rabbit’… Sheng Kuo, I think you’re suspicious.”

Lin Kuo glared. “Stop throwing baseless accusations. I think you’re suspicious.”

“Tonight the second clue is out,” the man said coldly. “Come see it with us, if you dare.”

Lin Kuo silently ranked him as top suspect. Still, he shrugged. “Fine. Lead the way.”

They all marched to the third floor.

The study door was closed now, though he’d left it open. So the Demon had returned.

The Short-Haired Man opened the door. It was dark from the rain, and he fumbled for the light switch.

With a flick, the old bulb sputtered, sparks flying before it lit up the room.

The clue was plain on the wall: “182.”

Lin Kuo noted how much neater the carving looked now, as if it had always been “182.”

Feigning ignorance, he said, “So? What’s that got to do with me?”

“Height? Weight?” Long-Haired #1 guessed.

Lin Kuo added him to his suspect list. “Even if it’s height, it’s not mine. I’m not the Demon.”

“Relax, I was just guessing,” the man said.

Surprisingly, the Short-Haired Man agreed with him. “You’re the only one who fits. You’re at least 1.8 meters tall.”

“So what?” Lin Kuo said flatly.

The Short-Haired Man turned to the others. “Report your heights. I’m 163.”

Lin Kuo thought fast. Suspicion was mounting against this man.

“161,” said Long-Haired #1, then nodded at Backpack Boy. “He’s probably 162.”

“How do you know that?” the boy asked, scowling.

“You’re just a bit taller than me,” the man replied, standing beside him to compare. Backpack Boy moved away with a sigh. “Fine. 162.”

“157,” said the Pillow Woman.

The other long-haired men reported their heights in turn: 177, 176, 173, 170, 169, 170.

“So, only you match ‘182,’” the Short-Haired Man concluded.

Lin Kuo opened his mouth to respond, but the man cut him off: “Don’t say it’s weight. None of us are that heavy.”

“I don’t know why it says ‘182,’ but it’s definitely not height,” Lin Kuo snapped. “And I’m not the Demon. I’m not even a player!”

To show his frustration, he began pacing like the Glasses Man had earlier. “Don’t believe me?”

Everyone shook their heads.

“Fine,” Lin Kuo muttered. “There’s something off about this clue.”

He marched into the study and crouched before the numbers, making a show of investigating them. He carefully rubbed each one, pretending to uncover something, then called them over.

“Not ‘182’!” he announced with feigned excitement. “It’s ‘162!’ The ‘6’ was altered—by the Demon!”

“Whoa, he’s right,” someone murmured.

More people crowded forward to see.

Hidden among them, the Demon frowned at Lin Kuo’s back. But rather than stare too long, they began studying everyone else’s reactions. They expected Sheng Kuo’s reaction. What mattered was finding the one person who looked truly thoughtful—that person would be the Escaper.

Their fingers brushed the knife in their pocket. This was a three-star dungeon in Lower District A, with some players even from District B.

They were different. They were from the Upper District. This dungeon was just a casual “shake of the dice” for them.

Although being chosen as the Demon had surprised them, they weren’t worried. There was no way they’d lose to people from the Lower Districts.

But for now, they were disappointed. None of these NPCs looked remotely thoughtful.

Pathetic trash.

“I told you, I’m not a player,” Lin Kuo said coldly.

Long-Haired #1 chuckled awkwardly. “Sorry, Brother Sheng. I was being reckless. My apologies.”

“Apologies won’t help,” Lin Kuo shot back. “That’s what the cops are for.”

“Come on, we’re just trying to find the Demon,” Long-Haired #6 said. “Don’t be so petty. He meant well.”

Lin Kuo just said, “Oh.”

The Short-Haired Man narrowed his eyes. “Then what about Liu Yuanque? You were the first one to notice this clue. Maybe you changed it.”

Lin Kuo glared at him, barely holding back his irritation. “Are you insane?”

“I’m thinking of everyone’s safety,” the man said smoothly.

The Pillow Woman nodded. “I think you’re suspicious too. You’re twenty-two, born in the Year of the Rabbit. Liu Yuanque tried to jump while staying with you. Honestly, you’re probably the Demon.”

Lin Kuo tapped the wall. “This carving is obviously tampered with. Can’t you see I’m being framed? Who here is 162?”

“Me,” the Backpack Boy said irritably. “But how do we know you didn’t change it? I’m not a player. ‘162’ means nothing to me.”

“Then you two share a room tonight,” the Short-Haired Man suggested. “You both have suspicions.”

“Yeah,” others agreed.

“I’m not sharing with them,” the Pillow Woman said.

The boy snorted. “Like I wanna share with him? I’m sixteen, with a bright future.”

“You think I wanna share with you?” Lin Kuo muttered.

Still, he was relieved. Better to share suspicion than admit his actual height of 162 cm. The Short-Haired and Long-Haired #1 remained his top suspects.

In the end, Lin Kuo and the Backpack Boy had to room together.

Inside, the boy immediately claimed the bed. “I don’t share beds. You can take the floor. Thanks, Sheng Kuo.”

He pointed at the ground, but as his hand brushed it, he jerked back like he’d been shocked. “Goodnight,” he muttered, pulling the blanket over his head.

Lin Kuo said nothing. He leaned against the wall, slowing his breathing.

Under the Backpack Boy’s nails… was wall dust.