Chapter 4

The twelve people were each assigned to a decrepit and closed room, located in the northern part of the hall, all along the side of a long corridor.

The interior was equally dilapidated, with a strong moldy smell filling the air. Even the bedding used for sleeping and the tatami mats underfoot were so damp and cold that they were almost unbearable to touch.

Xi Yu waited for the terrifying mannequin to close the door and leave. His instinct was to try and peek outside by pulling open the door.

However, the door that had felt light just moments ago now seemed to be glued shut, no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't budge an inch.

Xi Yu struggled for a while, breathing heavily and gradually calming down. For a few seconds, his mind was completely blank.

Who am I? How did I end up here? Why does everyone else have memories, but I don't—

No matter how he tried to avoid these questions, they remained his biggest confusion in the moment.

After all, if a person doesn't even know themselves, they can't live peacefully.

While he was lost in thought, the already dimly lit room began to fill with strands of black mist.

Xi Yu immediately snapped back to attention when he heard an unusually cold voice behind him: "You must have understood the long-standing grudge between General Black and General White. This time, only one can survive. If you could choose, would you want to be on the black side or the white side?"

The voice was even more eerie and chilling than that of the white cat.

Xi Yu turned around and questioned, "Who are you? Why are you asking this?"

But the voice only spoke from behind him: "I am no one, and right now, I only want to hear your answer. Be careful, if you take too long to answer, you might find yourself unable to control your own fate."

There were twelve people, divided into two groups of six each—that must be the rule.

Could it be that now, besides the generals, everyone else has the chance to choose their side?

Though the black side had the protection of the giant snake, Xi Yu instinctively didn’t want to do anything bad, nor did he want to be passively assigned to a side simply because one side was full. So he immediately said, "I choose the white side."

"Very decisive. You’re the first to answer, earning the audience’s admiration. Therefore, you can draw a special identity card from the white side," the eerie voice revealed a hint of amusement.

Xi Yu widened his eyes in surprise. "Audience? Is this really a terrible game? Are there people watching us?"

"Of course it’s a game, and one that you have no choice but to play. A game where you will bet your life!" The voice stopped its eerie laughter and became serious. "Now, draw your card."

At the same time, two white cards with strange cat patterns appeared floating in front of Xi Yu.He hesitated for a moment before choosing the one on the right.

The white card instantly flipped over, revealing the image of a young man holding a long knife, with a white cat lying beneath his feet.

The eerie voice couldn't help but sigh in satisfaction: "Not bad, the heir card. From tonight, you are the heir of the white side. General White can only rely on your strength to eliminate his enemies."

Fortunately, Xi Yu had amnesia, and his empty mind made him less conflicted. He calmly asked, "General, heir, what is the other special identity? Besides these three special identities, who are the other three people on each side? What kind of strength can I rely on, and how do I find General White?"

The voice laughed and said, "You ask too many questions. In addition to the general and the heir, there is also the princess as a special identity. As for the remaining three, they are all warriors. Special identities all have unique abilities, and ordinary identities also have minor abilities. All players' skills are printed on the flower cards. Each player’s flower card is not only hidden in their own room, but also has a duplicate set hidden elsewhere in the General’s mansion."

Xi Yu tried to understand this: "So now, I need to find my skill flower card in my room, and also look for others' cards while trying not to let anyone discover mine, right?"

The eerie voice answered, "Correct. I hope you can stay this rational."

During the conversation, Xi Yu had been turning around constantly but still couldn’t pinpoint the source of the voice. Finally, feeling exhausted, he gave up and softly asked, "Then what is the goal? Is our goal just to..."

He began to speak the cruel words but ultimately couldn't bring himself to finish.

The voice laughed, "The goal of this game is to kill the other side's general. As long as one general is dead, the game ends. If it hasn't ended in five days, you'll be taken to the Clear Hall to duel until the dead are dead, and the living can live."

For some reason, the triumphant tone in the voice made Xi Yu feel disgusted, but he remained calm and coldly asked, "Then, are there any other rules?"

"Rules? They'll be announced tomorrow. For now, focus on finding your flower card," the voice said before suddenly disappearing.

The black mist in the room dispersed, returning to the desolate and empty atmosphere it had at the start.

Xi Yu immediately tried to push the door again but failed. He then leaned against the wall to listen to the next room, but there was no sound at all.

He pondered for a few seconds before rolling up his shirt sleeves and began searching the entire room.

The flower card, or "hanami" card, was a traditional Japanese game card, which should resemble a paper card. A small card like that could easily be hidden anywhere.

Xi Yu first emptied the cabinet, felt along the walls, then lifted the tatami mats and pulled apart the bedding.

His movements were quick, almost automatic.

It was as if… he had done this countless times before.

His beautiful eyes became dazed for a moment as a thought flashed through his mind, but when he tried to focus on it, it caused a sharp pain in his head. It wasn’t until his hand touched a hard card about the size of a palm from the tattered cotton sheets that he snapped back to reality and examined it carefully.【Song Shang Crane Card / White Heir Passive Skill: Integrity — Cannot lie to any player】

Xi Yu: "…………"

He had thought that skills were all good things, but this one was truly frustrating.

In a complex game where identities are unknown, one always has to strategize.

If lying is not allowed, won’t it be easy to expose oneself?

Moreover, if a Black side player finds a duplicate of this card and forces everyone together to say things like "The sun rises from the west," then he would be in serious trouble.

Xi Yu sighed in frustration and decided not to worry about this binding skill for now.

Since the card said "Passive Skill," perhaps there were also active skills… his flower card might not be just one!

With a faint hope, Xi Yu worked around the room until midnight, finally finding the second flower card from the hidden compartment behind a wall hanging. He sat down with a slight ache in his back to read it, feeling a little relieved.

【Tong Shang Phoenix Card / White Heir Active Skill: Espionage — Can send the Spirit Cat to search for the location of a skill flower card every day】

It seemed that the Spirit Cat referred to the big white cat from earlier; it seemed to indeed be an ally of the White side.

Xi Yu thought carefully: So which card should he look for tomorrow?

Perhaps the best solution was to first eliminate the White Heir card for self-preservation, or perhaps try to get the Black General card and directly target the White side?

But the White General, Black General, White Heir, Black Heir, White Princess, Black Princess... these six identities, if there were no mistakes, would have at least twelve different skills. The variables were simply too many.

It might be better... to first figure out the role of the ordinary warrior identity players.

Just as Xi Yu was deep in thought, a sudden, piercing female scream faintly came from outside!

He quickly moved to the door but couldn’t open it, not even the paper stuck on top could be torn or damaged, as if the door wasn’t made of fragile rice paper, but rather steel and iron.

Turning around, he grabbed the oil lamp and brought it closer, only seeing some shadows flickering outside.

Xi Yu raised his voice: "Hey! Who's shouting? Is everything alright?"

There was no answer.Just as he was about to put down the oil lamp and give up, suddenly, the shadow of a long-haired woman floated past like a ghost, drifting like a thick fog and stopping by his door. With a sharp sound, a bloodstained claw mark appeared on the old door, scratched out by the female ghost.

The force of the newcomer was immense, enough to tear through the eerie paper.

Xi Yu froze in place, slowly crouching down to look through the hole. Without warning, he locked eyes with a pair of snow-white eyeballs!

Such a terrifying sight would surely startle most people, but Xi Yu, whose emotions rarely fluctuated, was only briefly tense. He quietly asked, “Who are you...?”

The eyeballs slowly receded, and through the hole, he finally saw a long-haired woman in red with a terrifying appearance.

No, it wasn’t red; it was white, stained with blood!

The woman didn’t respond. After a momentary feint, she disappeared into the darkness.

Xi Yu stood there for a long time, but no other images appeared through the broken hole.

It was already late at night.

Xi Yu toyed with his two flower cards and, unable to fight off his drowsiness any longer, set them alight and burned them.

There were still five days left, with countless possible scenarios yet to unfold.

Now was the time to conserve energy.

But Xi Yu couldn’t bring himself to lie down and sleep. His mind was in turmoil, pondering the situations of the other eleven people.

If he disregarded this bloodstained, dilapidated mansion and viewed the game as something like "Werewolf," it was crucial to pay attention not only to everyone's actions but also to understand their personalities.

Personality influences many details, and details determine the success or failure of judgment.

Xi Yu carefully recalled the brief time he spent with everyone after waking up in the Qingming Hall that evening, slowly organizing his thoughts.

The most noteworthy character: Luo Xi

Although the man had an ugly appearance and a mocking attitude, he was actually calmer than the others. He seemed completely indifferent, as if he was watching a show with a ticket. If it weren’t for his knowledge of important information or for having exceptional experience and skills, his arrogant attitude would make it more likely that he would choose to align with the Black side.

The eye-catching couple: Yao Chenna and Huasheng

The girl was arrogant and willful, with a little princess personality. She was impulsive and couldn’t hide things, easily getting into trouble, and probably would fail more than succeed. Her boyfriend, however, was calm and low-key. His flaw was being influenced by love and instinctively allowing his girlfriend to do foolish things. If they were to choose a faction, they would most likely want to stay together.Overly enthusiastic duo: Fang Hao and Wu Zhi

Fang Hao is the oldest and works as a teacher, which makes him inclined to organize and maintain order. From his actions at Qingming Hall in the evening, it seems he desires to be a leader. If Fang Hao were to choose an identity, it’s more likely he would pick the just White side. Wu Zhi, on the other hand, is loud and extroverted due to his young age, and his personality doesn’t seem to have much scheming. As for choosing between Black and White, it’s possible for a 15- or 16-year-old kid to go either way.

The girls’ group: Lady Zhu Ge, Loli Tang Yanyan, and the quiet Sun Xiuya

Zhu Ge is the big sister type, and when they were at the banquet, she was the first to grab Fang Hao’s wine, showing she’s daring and decisive. Tang Yanyan is active and passionate, contributing the most during the puzzle task and not hesitating to speak, showing boldness. Sun Xiuya, who stays behind them, is ordinary and low-key, somewhat following the crowd. She is likely the weak link in this game. It’s hard to determine whether these three girls would choose Black or White due to the lack of understanding of their personalities.

Sports university classmates group: He Yingqi and Tong Leshan

These two refer to each other as classmates, don’t talk much to others, and tend to whisper to each other. However, they consistently contribute the most in tasks and appear to be action-oriented and united. Like the young couple, they will try to align with each other, but it’s unfortunate that whether they end up in the same group is beyond their control.

The marginal rich second-generation: Ren Bo

He has a bad temper, doesn’t work, and isn’t well-liked, showing little wisdom. No matter which faction he belongs to, it’s hard for him to connect with others. This makes him not a big concern, but he is selfish and fearful right now. If he wants to win, there’s no reason not to choose the Black side with the big snake, and it’s best to treat him as an enemy and ignore him for now.

…………

Xi Yu reviewed the eleven teammates in his mind and felt calmer. He silently decided to continue observing carefully and not to trust anyone easily.

After all, when they chose factions earlier, there was a time limit. Any hesitation or indecision could force them into a faction they didn’t want to join. It didn’t necessarily mean they stayed in the team that matched their personality and preferences. There’s no need to jump to conclusions now.

Also, that strange voice mentioned that more rules would be announced tomorrow, and it would surely cause more chaos.

Such a headache.

Xi Yu leaned against the wall and looked up at the ceiling covered in spider webs.

What kind of game is this? Why are there spectators?

How could the spectators see all this… through cameras?

But where could cameras be hidden?

He couldn’t figure out all the confusing questions and, in the hope of surviving, gradually drifted off to sleep.