Huh? Isn't This A Galgame?

Amidst the incessant blaring of alarms, everyone at the mountain villa quickly rushed to the designated spot—the west side of the fourth-floor corridor.

At the center of the fourth floor was Li Zhenbei's M.O. room. To the east was the room that Wen Nan had just sneaked into, the Mountain Villa Owner's room, and to the west was the room of the two "little princesses," Leng Leng and Qingqing.

When everyone arrived at the scene, Doctor Lu was already there. Apparently, it was he who sounded the alarm, and it was he who first discovered the crime scene.

Seeing the bodies in front of Doctor Lu, everyone was stunned—

Leng Leng and Qingqing lay side by side on the ground, eyes closed, looking peaceful in death.

Beside them lay another woman's corpse—Maid Susu.

Unlike the tranquil appearances of Leng Leng and Qingqing, Maid Susu's death was gruesome. Her eyes were wide open, mouth slightly agape, hands clutching her throat as if, in her final moments, she was desperately trying to cough something out.

"This... really... three deaths at once?!" Wang Hao's face turned white as he clutched Zhao Lei's arm tightly, his body trembling violently.

Zhao Lei looked even worse than Wang Hao, his face ashen, devoid of any color.

As he sprinted up the stairs and saw the three bodies, Zhao Lei felt a buzzing in his head, like a bolt from the blue, and his vision seemed to blur.

Maid Susu... is dead!

Previously, the sudden death of housekeeper Jiang Xueying was due to the shattering of her associated vase.

This meant that the entity associated with Maid Susu, the white chinchilla, had probably met a similar fate.

His strategy character in this instance... dead?!

Zhao Lei was on the brink of collapse.

Does the death of the strategy character mean he can't complete the main task? If the main task isn't completed, does it... mean a death sentence?

He staggered back two steps, eyes fixed on the numbers flashing in his system—

[09:36:25—]

There were nine and a half hours left before the first main task ended.

But now, that countdown seemed like his own countdown to death in Zhao Lei's eyes!

"Heh heh."

A man's light chuckle came from his side, laced with a hint of mockery.

Zhao Lei quickly turned his head towards the laughter, only to see the player named Li Zhenbei leaning powerlessly against the wall, looking at him, and speaking in a voice only audible to a few nearby players: "That woman was your chosen strategy target, wasn't she? Feeling hopeless?"

It was then that Zhao Lei realized that although the mockery was evident in his laughter, there was no hint of a smile in his eyes, only despair.

Suddenly, Zhao Lei seemed to understand something, "You... chose the porcelain snowflake?"

Li Zhenbei didn't respond but simply closed his eyes in even deeper despair and sighed.

Zhao Lei's gaze toward him became one of mutual pity.

"Are we doomed?"

"Seems like it."

The two leaned against the wall together, both sighing.

Beside the bodies, seeing everyone present, Doctor Lu stood up and began to explain the case:

"Before you all came, I had already examined them. Similar to Xiao Xue's situation earlier, there were no visible injuries or signs of violent death on Leng Leng, Qingqing, or Susu. However, judging by Susu's actions and expression, it seems like she suffocated. I think—"

—Bang!

Doctor Lu was cut off as a heavy punch landed on his face.

Caught off guard, he staggered back two paces and then fell down.

Bracing himself on the ground, he tried to get up, but Xiao Ji had already sprinted over, straddled him, grabbed his collar, and was about to punch him in the face.

"You're the one behind this, aren't you?!" Xiao Ji shouted furiously. "Otherwise, how could it be so coincidental that all three appeared and died here together?! Why weren't you at your post in the dining room downstairs guarding Xiao Xue's body? Why are you here?! Huh?!"

Doctor Lu, though a man, had principles and refused to hit a woman. So when Xiao Ji pinned him down and landed two punches, drawing blood from his lips and under his nose, he didn't retaliate. He shouted, "Xiao Ji! Calm down! This case is different from Xiao Xue's situation. I know the truth!"

Hearing the words "the truth," Xiao Ji paused, "What is the truth?"

Doctor Lu raised his hand, pushing Xiao Ji off him, and then stood up awkwardly.

Xiao Ji, formerly known as the Female War God and now a cook, was remarkably strong even as a woman. A few punches from her entirely ruined Doctor Lu's genteel image.

At this moment, Doctor Lu no longer appeared as dignified as before. His coat was torn open, his white shirt beneath was ripped, and the shirt garter, previously hidden in his pants and strapped to his thigh, was pulled out, hanging outside his belt, swinging as he stood up.

Doctor Lu wiped the blood from his lip, glanced at the dangling garter by his leg, furrowed his brows, tore it off, tossed it casually to the ground, and said:

"The evidence is in each of your hands."

Everyone present was taken aback.

Doctor Lu continued, "Leng Leng, Qingqing, Susu—they all have their own one-on-one monitors, right? Bring up your surveillance footage from the central control room, and the truth will naturally become clear."

Hearing this, everyone realized that this indeed made sense.

The video was quickly shared, and after seeing the content, silence fell over everyone—they saw the three individuals suddenly collapse without warning, and subsequently lose all life signs.

The only certainty was that their unexpected deaths occurred almost simultaneously.

While the others were focused on the video, Luo Wei, standing to one side of the crowd, had his gaze fixed on the shirt clips that Doctor Lu had discarded.

Seizing the moment when no one was watching, Luo Wei stepped forward, squatted slightly, picked up one of the shirt clips, and slipped it into his pocket.

Comparing the texture of the shirt clip to the whip from his spare equipment, Luo Wei's face took on a complicated expression, "Damn!"

Liang Yiming glanced at him curiously.

Luo Wei glared intently at Doctor Lu, about to speak when a female voice came from behind.

"No need to check the video; the truth is already clear."

Following the voice, everyone saw a stunningly beautiful woman approaching, with a man following behind her.

In that moment, the chaotic scene fell silent.