Chapter 54: Twin Trees Forest

Lin Kuo sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning the back of his head against the wall. One leg was stretched out while the other was bent, one hand relaxed on the ground, and the other casually resting on his raised knee. After adjusting into a comfortable position, he closed his eyes, feigning sleep. Even with his eyes shut, he knew that the boy on the bed—no, his name was Zhang Yi—was staring at him.

Lin Kuo’s breathing gradually slowed, presenting an image of calm relaxation, but only he knew how tightly wound his entire body was. From the start, he had come in with the mindset of escaping this three-star instance, unknowingly burdening himself with immense pressure. Now, it felt as if a thousand-pound weight was pressing down on his chest.

While keeping his ears alert, he replayed everything in his mind.

The first time he had gone up to the villa’s third floor, he’d noticed the numbers “182” scratched into the wall with what seemed like fingernail marks. The digits “8” and “2” were especially clear, though not deeply etched—just a faint scratch. At the time, he’d only been focused on how to survive as the “Demon” and hadn’t thought too deeply about it. Now that he reconsidered, it didn’t seem likely that the demon clue would be so flimsy that a simple scrape on the wall would erase it entirely.

That didn’t make sense. Moreover, among the eleven people here, there was more than one person shorter than 162 cm. Zhang Yi wouldn’t have immediately confirmed him as the “Demon” based on that clue—unless the second demon clue wasn’t “162” at all, but “16.”

And Zhang Yi was sixteen years old. That would perfectly explain how Zhang Yi had confirmed his identity.

But another question followed—Zhang Yi had been rooming with Pillow Girl and Short-Haired Man that night, so how had he gotten to the third-floor study ahead of him?

“Hey, Sheng Kuo,” Zhang Yi suddenly called out softly. “You asleep yet?”

Lin Kuo reined in his thoughts and gave a soft “Mm.”

“Sheng Kuo.”

“Sleeping,” Lin Kuo said impatiently.

A moment passed.

“Sheng Kuo?” Zhang Yi probed again.

No reply.

“…Sheng Kuo?”

Lin Kuo remained unresponsive, his heightened hearing picking up every sound. He heard the faint rustling of movement—Zhang Yi slipping down from the bed. Then came a sharp metallic click—a spring-loaded knife snapping open.

The soft shuffle of Zhang Yi’s footsteps drew closer, step by step, toward Lin Kuo, identical to the footsteps he’d heard on the first night when hiding behind the door. The knife in Zhang Yi’s hand was pointed straight at him, aimed at his supposedly “sleeping” form.

The oppressive weight on Lin Kuo’s chest grew heavier by the second. His hidden hand curled into a fist. He guessed Zhang Yi was testing him. All he had to do was keep pretending to sleep. But could he guarantee that Zhang Yi wouldn’t change his mind and stab him? After all, even if Lin Kuo wasn’t a participant, he was still an NPC carrying vital code or clues. Killing an NPC would only benefit Zhang Yi.

Or worse, maybe Zhang Yi had already noticed something off about him. Lin Kuo didn’t think Zhang Yi was stupid—far from it. A careful mind could easily tell that Lin Kuo’s words and actions were unusual compared to the others.

Lin Kuo’s mind raced, and suddenly he felt a throbbing tension at the center of his forehead.

The pineal gland, located right there, is acutely sensitive to approaching objects. With the knife just millimeters from his forehead, his nerves screamed in warning. The psychological suggestion only amplified it, and his scalp prickled in terror. A single twitch of his facial muscles, even the slightest frown, could mean the spring-loaded knife driving straight through his skull.

He stayed utterly still.

After ten tense seconds, Zhang Yi finally withdrew the knife and climbed back into bed.

Lin Kuo did not sleep the entire night.

The next morning, the rooster’s crow signaled dawn, and he slowly stretched his stiff body. Having sat on the floor all night, every joint felt like stone. He moved to loosen his limbs and then gave Zhang Yi a petty kick out of spite.

“What was that for?” Zhang Yi grumbled.

“I’m taking the bed tonight,” Lin Kuo said flatly.

Zhang Yi chuckled. “What, the floor wasn’t comfy? You looked like you slept fine.”

“Try it and see,” Lin Kuo retorted.

“I’m the nation’s precious youth. How could I be made to sleep on the floor? What if I catch a cold?”

“Not my problem.”

“Tsk. They’re the cruel ones, you know—putting a child like me in a room with ‘the Demon.’”

Lin Kuo thought, You’re the cruel one. Out loud, he said, “You’re the Demon. ‘162’—that’s you.”

“Bullshit,” Zhang Yi shot back. “It’s ‘182,’ that’s you. And you’re the rabbit in the clue too. If you’re not the Demon, who is?”

Lin Kuo was about to retort when a blood-curdling scream tore through the villa, loud enough to shake the ceiling.

It was Pillow Girl.

The two of them rushed out. Since Lin Kuo and Zhang Yi were paired last night, Pillow Girl had been assigned to share a room with Glasses Man.

Everyone scrambled to her room. Pillow Girl stood trembling, pointing at the floor. Glasses Man lay there, unmoving. Blood pooled beneath him.

Lin Kuo observed from the doorway. The blood was concentrated around the lower body. As the main suspect, he couldn’t risk stepping forward to inspect further.

“Holy shit, he’s dead,” Zhang Yi blurted out, stepping back quickly.

“Didn’t you two share a room?” Lin Kuo asked him calmly.

“Yeah, so?” Zhang Yi said defensively. “Who knows if you snuck out while I was asleep?”

Lin Kuo snorted coldly and didn’t reply.

The others began interrogating Pillow Girl, who stammered, “I-I don’t know anything. He was fine last night. This morning, I woke up, and he… he was just… cold.”

The long-haired men clasped their hands in some unfamiliar religious gesture, praying over the corpse.

Short-Haired Man looked grim. “We should all explain what we were doing last night.”

And so, breakfast was forgotten as everyone gathered in the living room for questioning.

Lin Kuo went first. “I went back to my room and slept. I’ll say it again—I’m not the Demon. There’s something wrong with those clues.”

Short-Haired Man turned to Zhang Yi. “Was Sheng Kuo in the room all night?”

Zhang Yi frowned, thinking. “Pretty sure… At least until I fell asleep, he was there.”

After Zhang Yi provided Lin Kuo an alibi, Short-Haired Man pressed Lin Kuo, “What about him? Was he there all night?”

“I was asleep,” Lin Kuo replied coldly. “I don’t know.”

“You two are just great,” Short-Haired Man muttered.

Zhang Yi studied Lin Kuo’s face carefully. He knew Lin Kuo wasn’t the Demon; he himself had altered the midnight clue to shift suspicion onto him. But Lin Kuo’s composure was almost too perfect, and that made Zhang Yi uneasy.

“I want to change rooms,” Lin Kuo said suddenly. “Whoever wants to stay with the Demon, be my guest.”

Zhang Yi smirked. “What’s this, throwing shade? Look at me—do I look like a murderer? You’re the one built like a fighter.”

“Alright, enough. Stop accusing each other,” Short-Haired Man interjected, turning to Pillow Girl. “Miss Chen Ning, tell us about last night.”

She clutched her pillow like a lifeline. “You told me to share a room with Liu Yuanque… so I did. I just ignored him like he wasn’t even there…”

Lin Kuo remembered: They’d brought Glasses Man along to the third floor last night to prevent him from doing anything reckless. Since Lin Kuo and Zhang Yi had been paired, Glasses Man was placed with Pillow Girl.

She recounted shakily, “When we got back, he was leaning against the window sill…”

The word “leaning” caught Lin Kuo’s attention, but he stayed quiet to avoid tipping off Zhang Yi.

“I didn’t bother him and went to sleep,” she continued. “This morning, I woke up, told him to turn on the light… He didn’t answer. I got annoyed—he always ignored me! So I kicked him. Normally, he’d yell or fight back. But this time he just lay there… So I pulled him, and…”

She held up trembling hands. “He was ice cold. I panicked. I turned on the light, and… there was blood. So much blood!”

The group fell silent.

“Did anyone come to your room?” Short-Haired Man asked.

She shook her head. “No. I locked the door. I even put a bowl of water on the window sill. If anyone came in that way, they’d spill it and wake me. But the bowl was untouched. This doesn’t make sense. What if… what if the Demon isn’t one of us? What if it’s… a ghost?”

The long-haired men shivered.

Short-Haired Man thought hard. “I have an idea.”

Everyone turned to him.

“Tonight,” he said, “you three will share a room.” He pointed at Lin Kuo, Zhang Yi, and Pillow Girl.

Both Lin Kuo and Zhang Yi stared at him wordlessly.

“No way!” Pillow Girl cried. “I’d rather stay alone than with them!”

“We don’t want you either,” Zhang Yi scoffed.

Lin Kuo stayed silent.

Zhang Yi’s scratched fingernails and actions the previous night were proof enough—he was the Demon. But if Zhang Yi hadn’t left the room, how had Glasses Man died?

The questions piled up.

First night: Lin Kuo had clearly heard Zhang Yi’s footsteps in the hallway, yet Zhang Yi was in his room when Lin Kuo knocked on doors.

Second night: Lin Kuo had gone upstairs just five minutes after the clue announcement, but Zhang Yi had already altered the numbers in the study, despite sharing a room with two others.

Third night: Zhang Yi stayed in the room, yet Glasses Man was dead.

Was someone helping the Demon, or was Zhang Yi’s ability far beyond expectation?

Lin Kuo lowered his gaze. Whatever the truth, things weren’t looking good. He’d hoped to beat Zhang Yi at gathering clues, but he was already behind. Still, being underestimated worked to his advantage. He resolved to act after the third Demon clue, then attempt the villa’s code lock. For now, he needed to gather clues from NPCs.

The day passed tensely. Glasses Man’s body vanished mysteriously, likely removed by the system, robbing Lin Kuo of any chance to examine it.

That night, Pillow Girl’s protests won, and she stayed with Short-Haired Man instead. Lin Kuo and Zhang Yi returned to their shared room.

This time, Lin Kuo took the bed without asking.

“Fine, fine,” Zhang Yi said lightly. “One night each. Fair.”

Lin Kuo ignored him.

When the sky darkened, Zhang Yi chatted idly, probing for information. Lin Kuo didn’t respond. He shut his eyes—and immediately felt a blow to the back of his neck. His body went limp, collapsing onto the bed.

Zhang Yi slipped out of the room.

Once the sound of his footsteps faded, Lin Kuo opened his eyes.

He’d anticipated this. Zhang Yi had to alter the Demon clue, so Lin Kuo had allowed himself to be knocked out.

Midnight was near. Any second now, the announcement would come—

But the seconds dragged on in silence.

Lin Kuo frowned, got up, and followed the trail of Zhang Yi’s footprints in the moonlight. They led straight downstairs with no hesitation, as if Zhang Yi already knew the clue’s location.

Something was wrong.

Instead of following, Lin Kuo went to the empty room where Zhang Yi had stayed the first night. Inside, the room was messy, as if thoroughly searched. Lin Kuo crouched and found Zhang Yi’s backpack under the bed.

He unzipped it. Inside were a notebook and a pen.

[Diary excerpts]:
 X/X
 What is this place? This world of walled cities is terrifying. Everything I thought I knew is shattered.

X/X
 Shit, someone died. This is horrifying.

X/X
 Almost died today. My brother was right—no matter how scared you are, never show it. Fear makes you a target.

X/X
 I killed someone today.
  I’m sorry.

X/X
 Finally reached the Upper City.
  It’s even worse than the Lower City. I can’t let it show.

X/X
 First Upper City instance: “Deadly Villa.”
  Am I the Escaper or the Demon?
  Male. Wood. Blood type B.
  I match all the clues.
  And the rabbit clue? Is it because I raised one as a kid? I raised other pets too… The clues are so vague.

X/X
 Shit. Sixteen.
  The old man is the Demon.

Just as Lin Kuo closed the notebook, a mechanical voice rang out:

“Ding! Ding! Ding! Midnight has arrived. The third Demon clue is now available. It is located in the villa’s first-floor living room. Escapers, feel free to investigate. Enjoy.”

As Lin Kuo suspected, Zhang Yi somehow knew the location beforehand.

Zhang Yi was already in the living room, hiding in the shadows. When the clue manifested in a red glow, he darted out. On the coffee table lay two wooden blocks.

He froze.

Two blocks?

Not just “Wood.”

Two “Wood” characters… Lin.