After the first player pulled up the corpse, there was a short solo statement period.
Lu Xiangyang was silent for a long while before finally saying very pale and weakly, "He fell in front of me. I deliberately triggered the blackout."
Whenever someone pulls up a corpse during a blackout, all players are immediately brought into an emergency meeting. After the meeting ends, it returns to daytime.
After 2 went on the mic, it was 3's turn—the black-skinned lawyer who had just been eavesdropping in the corner.
He said without courtesy, "This 2 is a blade Sentinel. They swapped roles in the garden at the start, and 1 was still alive before the blackout. Everyone vote him out."
And just like that, Lu Xiangyang was voted out with five votes. Even if the two neutrals and two werewolves abstained, he couldn't be saved.
His teammate was also a beginner, and in the second round, they were immediately killed by the detective team and voted out again.
Detective team victory.
They quickly started the second round. This time, Shen Kuangye was again the Sentinel.
Lu Xiangyang had learned his lesson—he didn't follow him to the corner for heart-to-heart role swapping. Instead, he went off on his own somewhere.
Shen Kuangye leaned by the generator, waiting for the blackout.
Soon, his vision went dark, and he could barely make out the floor beneath him.
[The Impostor triggered an emergency—Decrypt Power, go to the power room to activate the generator.]
During the first blackout, there were three people next to the west bath, so four players ended up fixing the generator in the power room at night.
The hitter said while repairing, "Won't we get double-bladed? Hahaha—"
Before he could finish, text appeared on everyone's screen:
[Witnessed crime scene: Player 2 discovered the body of Player 1.]
At the meeting, Player 2, Lu Xiangyang, had nothing to say.
This time there were three witnesses—he didn't even have a chance to make excuses.
So he stayed silent.
This time, he specifically chose someone from the four, and unexpectedly, it was the Sentinel.
Player 3 couldn't help laughing in her solo mic: "No need to say more, hidden Sentinel 99."
Player 4 also laughed at Lu Xiangyang during their solo mic: "Hahaha, Player 2, you really make me die laughing. How did you end up knife-Sentinel again?"
Player 5: "No need to say more, Player 2 is in the wolf pit. Stinky babies, vote him out completely, okay?"
Lu Xiangyang lost again.
Detective team won once more.
In the third round, Shen Kuangye checked his role:
[Player Number: 1]
[Your role: Chess Player]
[Skill Description: Correctly deduce the identities of 4 players to win. You can make one deduction per meeting phase.]
He liked this role. At the start, he observed everyone in the lobby and noticed Player 9 constantly following Player 2, wanting to team up. Their movements…
Shen Kuangye activated his skill to make deductions:
[Player 9 identity deduction—Detective.]
[Deduction successful.]
Suddenly, the blackout came. Shen Kuangye was the Neutral this round. First, he needed to survive—he couldn't get killed by the werewolves, detective team sheriff, or hunter.
He decided to walk in the opposite direction. Then he heard a faint knife sound and looked toward the washroom. Just then, the lights came on. Player 2, the White Seer, stood in the corner, and at his feet was Player 3's body.
Lu Xiangyang naturally saw him and, flustered, tried to explain: "He ran toward me during the blackout."
Shen Kuangye nodded: "I know. Don't tell anyone."
Then he directly deduced Lu Xiangyang's role on the screen:
[Player 2 identity deduction—Hunter.]
[Deduction successful.]
Another emergency meeting was called by Player 5. Seeing the negotiation table, they were shocked: "Wait, how did three die at once?"
"I was fixing the generator in the power room the whole time alone. Player 4's body was found in the lobby, and Player 10 saw it too—they can vouch for me."
Other players reported their positions. Some suspected the group that stuck together was double wolf-double blade, but the information was too messy for the detective team to act, so the meeting ended.
When the game resumed, Shen Kuangye observed the others' movements and noticed Player 7 acting suspiciously. After tagging Player 9 while doing a task, they left.
He quietly followed Player 7. Once his skill cooldown was ready, he made a casual guess:
[Player 7 identity deduction—Chameleon.]
[Deduction successful.]
Suddenly, night fell.
Shen Kuangye originally planned to stay put, but he heard faint movements nearby.
He followed the sounds in the dark and heard Lu Xiangyang muttering: "Don't come near me. I have a knife."
In the pitch black, Lu Xiangyang felt someone gently wrap around his waist. He shivered.
Turning sharply, he saw it was Shen Kuangye's Dark Seer. Warily, he said: "I'm the Boxer."
The Boxer's skill: during activation, if attacked, both the attacker and the Boxer are eliminated.
Shen Kuangye smiled softly: "I know."
Little trickster.
This time, the generator took a while to repair. Another meeting was called by Player 5. Seeing the situation, they were completely despairing.
Only four players remained—two good, one neutral, one wolf.
Player 5 thought: "Is this even a good team round?"
Player 7 stopped pretending and tried to negotiate with the neutral to control votes.
During free mic, Player 7 praised Shen Kuangye's Dark Seer from head to toe, even complimenting his hair, hoping to get votes.
Lu Xiangyang: "?"
He mimicked Player 7, praising Shen Kuangye in the same way.
The game staff noticed the usually expressionless Player 1 quietly pressed his lips together, corners curling slightly into a smile.
Finally, Player 7 shouted their slogan: "Victory belongs to us bad guys!"
Player 2, Lu Xiangyang, retorted: "Good cannot be defeated by evil!"
Shen Kuangye casually deduced Player 5's role:
[Player 5 identity deduction—Cleric.]
[Deduction successful.]
[Chess Player victory.]
All afternoon, Shen Kuangye hardly lost a round.
He knew Lu Xiangyang too well. Playing different roles, his reactions and questions varied. Coincidentally, in every round, they were on opposite teams.
In the final game, he was the Chess Player again.
He also deduced Lu Xiangyang's role: Schemer.
Only four players remained. Lu Xiangyang's teammate had long been eliminated. He and Shen Kuangye were the focus.
The detective team liked to stick together, so Lu Xiangyang had no chance to strike first. They were forced to duel.
The remaining detective team planned to vote Player 2 first.
Lu Xiangyang had been losing all afternoon and was ready to give up. Then Player 1 went on mic.
His words were simple: "Player 3 Cleric, Player 5 Detective."
Detective team: "???"
Player 3 didn't get a chance to speak before receiving a diploma.
Then Player 5 also received one.
[Game over.]
[Impostor victory.]
After losing all afternoon, Lu Xiangyang finally won a round. Exiting the venue, he was excited and whispered, "Brother, you looked so handsome just now."
Shen Kuangye's lips curled slightly, feigning modesty: "It's okay."
Little did he know, today's live experience had made Lu Xiangyang completely addicted to this mode.
Every day, the moment he opened his eyes, he played Impostor.
Every morning, Shen Kuangye woke up to see Lu Xiangyang, usually a bed-lover, focused on the game in his arms. He decided to endure it.
At noon, after ranking matches, Lu Xiangyang didn't cuddle to sunbathe anymore—he kept hugging his phone, playing, occasionally hearing other players in-game compliment him: "Your voice is so nice! Can we add each other after the match?"
Shen Kuangye: "..."
By night, Shen Kuangye finally thought he might get a chance for some intimate cuddling. But Lu Xiangyang, freshly showered, wore his fluffy little bear pajamas, lying on the bed playing. His little white legs wiggled back and forth, completely absorbed.
Shen Kuangye just lay beside him, watching quietly.
From 10 to 10:30, Lu Xiangyang chatted with him occasionally, but his eyes never left the game.
Is it really that fun?
Shen Kuangye silently wondered.
Once Lu Xiangyang finally pulled himself away from the game, he saw Shen Kuangye staring at him with his dark, shiny eyes.
"Brother, why aren't you asleep yet?" Lu Xiangyang asked softly.
It was already 11:30, Shen Kuangye's usual bedtime.
Not wanting to disturb him, Lu Xiangyang hadn't turned on his mic, typing instead.
Shen Kuangye's tone was calm: "Can't sleep."
"Why? Insomnia?" Lu Xiangyang put down his phone and asked.
Shen Kuangye nodded softly.
Lu Xiangyang tossed his phone aside and hugged Shen Kuangye tightly: "Will you still be sleepless like this?"
Smelling the pleasant scent on him, Shen Kuangye closed his eyes: "A little better."
Shen Kuangye thought the crisis was finally over, but in the middle of the night, Lu Xiangyang sleepily murmured: "Player 5, did the Orator die?"
Shen Kuangye: "..."
He quietly asked Lu Xiangyang: "Is that mode really that fun?"
More important than me?
Lu Xiangyang could enjoy whatever he liked; Shen Kuangye supported it. But selfishly, he wanted all of Lu Xiangyang's attention.
He didn't like that all of Lu Xiangyang's focus was on the game—at least some time should be spent with him.
Even cacti need watering.
In the past, Shen Kuangye would have just endured it, bottling up his feelings, waiting for Lu Xiangyang to notice.
This time, he wanted to communicate, to express his feelings.
While Lu Xiangyang played intently, Shen Kuangye would silently feed him fruit to assert his presence.
He hesitated to speak, worrying he might be overreacting. Lu Xiangyang having something he loved wasn't wrong—there was no need to claim all his time for himself.
After much thought, he finally said: "I'm sleepy."
Then, in a very soft voice: "Can you… nap with me?"
Lu Xiangyang had just finished a round and replied: "Okay."
Shen Kuangye hadn't realized that asking for something could be so easily granted. He paused, a small smile appearing in his eyes: "Okay."
Lu Xiangyang, reflecting on Shen Kuangye's words, casually tossed his phone aside and asked, "Brother, have you been unhappy lately?"
Shen Kuangye wanted to deny it, but the words came out as a gentle, simple "Hmm."
He said briefly: "You were dreaming about playing Impostor last night."
The implication: you haven't been spending much time with me.
Shen Kuangye realized how greedy he had become. At first, he just wanted Lu Xiangyang nearby; then he wanted him to occasionally spend time together; now, he wanted all of Lu Xiangyang's attention, not allowing anything else to steal his gaze.
Shen Kuangye understood that a relationship couldn't always be harmonious. When there were knots in the heart, one had to learn to speak up.
He always thought it was hard to express, but now he realized it wasn't.
After he spoke, Lu Xiangyang felt guilty: "Sorry, Brother. I've been playing games and ignoring you lately."
Shen Kuangye lowered his gaze: "It's okay."
Lu Xiangyang leaned his head closer and whispered: "Can I get extra points with kisses?"
Shen Kuangye smiled: "Yes."