"You said Guan Nan created a narrative," Muya said, breaking the silence in the room with a note of skepticism. "What's your evidence? How do you know she wasn't just genuinely scared? And even if she made some assumptions, that doesn't mean she intentionally tried to gain believers. Your conclusion is far too presumptive."
In the flickering firelight and faint white smoke, Lin Sanjiu narrowed her eyes, studying him for a moment.
"You must have had a headache back on the beach," she said, ignoring Muya and turning instead to Guan Nan. "There were only three of you who refused to join Dr. Chen's recording system, including yourself. If you tried to recruit one of us as a mouthpiece, your message would have appeared in the recording system at least twice, and you would've been exposed.
"Moreover, with your incomplete credibility and everyone being on high alert, spreading anything wouldn't have been easy. You were quicker than anyone else to realize that the key to winning in this pocket dimension was to control the narrative. But on one hand, the record-keeping system was in your way, and on the other, you couldn't find a believable story to recruit believers. When we entered the pitch-black third scenario, you remembered what Jiang Tian had said."
Guan Nan's lips tightened, and her cold, sharp gaze darkened. Even though she said nothing, her irritation and anger were plainly evident.
"Are you trying to say I killed Dr. Chen?" she asked slowly. "Just to create... a narrative?"
"Paralyzing the record-keeping system and creating an event you could freely interpret are two birds with one stone, isn't it?" Lin Sanjiu chuckled. "The moment we entered the third scene, you immediately started acting hysterically afraid. It was all to leave us with the impression that you were terrified someone would use the darkness to kill. You were laying the groundwork for your narrative. With your fear preceding Dr. Chen's death, it further validated your claims. As for Dr. Chen's murder... as an ordinary person, I didn't expect you to be so decisive and efficient."
Caveman, who had been standing near Guan Nan, hastily stepped back a few paces and stammered, "W-Was it really her?"
"You've said so much, but it's all just your speculation," Guan Nan said calmly, letting out a soft sigh. "Do you have any evidence?"
Before Lin Sanjiu could respond, Guan Nan continued, "You can't possibly have evidence that I killed anyone, because I didn't. But I do have proof that I'm not the murderer."
"Huh?" Ya Rong exclaimed in surprise.
Even Lin Sanjiu hadn't expected Guan Nan to present evidence. She frowned, caught off guard.
"The evolved ability used to kill Dr. Chen isn't mine. I can demonstrate my ability for you right now," Guan Nan said, stepping into the center of the room. "To be honest, I've always envied posthumans who could afford flying devices, so I chose an ability that lets me hover instead..."
Unlike posthumans, ordinary people in the factory could only have one evolved ability. If her ability was hovering, then it couldn't have been used to kill Dr. Chen. As Lin Sanjiu processed this, her gaze drifted past Guan Nan's small frame and toward the others in the room. Tenny Voltz's slightly widened eyes suddenly struck her like a bolt of lightning.
"I believe you can hover," Lin Sanjiu said, raising her voice to interrupt Guan Nan. "But before you demonstrate your evidence, would you mind if I ask everyone a question?"
Without waiting for Guan Nan's agreement, she turned to the group and asked, "Among those present, who has a hovering ability? Please raise your hand."
"Huh?" Ya Rong's repeated exclamations of surprise were starting to feel like a replay.
"Well, um... I also chose hovering," Tenny Voltz said hesitantly, and as if to prove he wasn't lying, his feet gradually lifted off the ground.
"And whose ability involves killing with black matter?" Lin Sanjiu asked, ignoring Guan Nan's rapidly paling face.
This time, no one came forward. The group exchanged uncertain glances until Hina spoke up, "Didn't you just say that ability belonged to Guan Nan?"
"No, I only said that Guan Nan used black matter to kill Dr. Chen," Lin Sanjiu replied, her gaze fixed on Guan Nan. "But I never said that the black matter ability was hers. Luckily, I happen to remember... I believe the ability you chose was [Streaming Service], wasn't it?" ȑ𝘼Ν𝔬βЕs
Unexpectedly, Guan Nan, despite being an ordinary person, had the foresight to choose a chameleon-like ability, one that even Lin Sanjiu admired.
After briefly explaining [Streaming Service], Lin Sanjiu turned her gaze to Wen Ya, letting it linger. "Since she borrowed your ability to commit murder, stepping forward now would only prove your innocence."
Wen Ya's jaw clenched, the muscles in his cheeks tightening visibly. "It's mine," he said through gritted teeth. "The moment you examined the corpse, I knew something was off, so I followed you to watch... When I saw it, I was furious. What are the odds of something like this happening?"
Though frustrated, there was a trace of grim satisfaction in pinning down a former adversary. Wen Ya flipped his palm downward, and a thick, inky-black, viscous substance began to flow like rippling waves. Tenny Voltz, who had retreated to stand nearby, immediately scrambled backward midair, putting more distance between them.
"I don't recall any such ability being listed," Guan Nan retorted, arms crossed tightly against her chest. "Floating is a popular dream for many. It's not surprising that someone else happened to choose it. You could just be making this up on the spot. How would we know? Shouldn't the biggest suspect be Wen Ya now?"
Lin Sanjiu said nothing. She simply raised her hand and plucked the last of the [Facial Hair] from her eyelashes.
The long-familiar surge of power flooded her body once again, as if parched branches were revitalized with sap. It left her wanting to let out a sigh of relief.
Curiously, while there were no outward differences between ordinary humans and posthumans, they could often recognize each other with ease, like instinctively distinguishing between different species. However, when ordinary humans temporarily gained evolved abilities, their perception seemed dulled. Even as Lin Sanjiu returned [Facial Hair] to her card inventory, the others remained staring blankly, not fully processing what had happened.
"Fake facial hair? Why would you wear something like that?" Hina asked uncertainly. "You... you look a bit different now..."
"Not bad-looking," Ya Rong muttered under her breath.
"Why don't you feel it for yourself?" Lin Sanjiu turned to Guan Nan with a faint smile. "Count how many evolved abilities are present here, aside from your own."
When [Facial Hair] suppressed her evolved ability to just 6%, [Streaming Service] couldn't detect such a faint signal. Lin Sanjiu knew Guan Nan couldn't resist using her ability to test things, even if she didn't admit it.
Almost involuntarily, Guan Nan drew in a soft, barely audible gasp through her lips.
"Did you notice?" Lin Sanjiu asked, her smile widening. "Although there are only ten other people here, there are sixteen evolved abilities. That means someone in this room isn't an ordinary human; they're a posthuman."
The revelation sent shockwaves through the room. Astonishment, confusion, and unease swept over everyone. Guan Nan, pale-faced, stared at Lin Sanjiu as if the ground had crumbled beneath her.
"Surprised, aren't you?" Lin Sanjiu said, her voice calm but pointed. "You didn't expect that the quiet one, the person who didn't make any moves, not only saw through your scheme but also turned out to be a posthuman? After all, it's the silent dogs that bite hardest."
1
Almost instantly, Guan Nan's expression froze. She blinked, her tense shoulders slackening, the anger and cold defiance in her eyes melting away into a dazed, vacant calm.
But what truly startled Lin Sanjiu wasn't just Guan Nan's shift in demeanor; it was the fact that the same blank, relaxed expression mirrored across multiple faces: Muya, Wen Ya, Rodent-Face...
"W-what's happening?" Jiang Tian was the first to break the silence, glancing around anxiously.
Lin Sanjiu stood stunned, looking at the others, the realization dawning on her slowly.
1
When she recruited a mouthpiece, the other person's existing mouthpieces were transferred to Lin Sanjiu as well.
In other words, she had already reached the conditions for victory.