Great Emperor Zhenwu was caught in a dilemma.
Finally, unable to withstand the heckling from those around him, he gritted his teeth and reached out to lift Pikachu.
Roar!
“Whoops, whoops! Take it slow, Big Brother!!!”
Although Great Emperor Zhenwu was brawny and broad-shouldered, the other party’s weight was substantial.
He couldn’t lift Pikachu at first, and his face turned beet red from the effort.
However, his strength was no joke. Just like a weightlifter, he took three deep breaths, let out a loud roar, and finally managed to hoist her up.
The surrounding people clapped and cheered at the sight.
In the heat of the moment, Great Emperor Zhenwu lost his shyness. Instead, it was Pikachu who blushed.
She patted his back with hands like bear paws and said, “Alright, alright, you lifted me. That’s enough!”
“I don’t think you should be a mover anymore. If we can get out of here alive, come to my restaurant. You can help me buy and move the groceries.”
Great Emperor Zhenwu set Pikachu down and rubbed the back of his head.
“Well, if the pay is higher and we happen to be in the same city, I could do that, ha-ha… The food at a restaurant should be pretty good, too…”
After their performance, the two of them actually started chatting.
The atmosphere was quite lively, but the only one who didn’t fit in was Conan.
He couldn’t understand it.
How could people play around so cheerfully in a Death Game?
He was still thinking about how to win.
Seeing the Ordinary Maiden, who was also unsociable and staying by herself under a large tree, he decided to win her over so they could deal with Yi Mo together.
“Sister, both you and I are being excluded by them. Our situation is the most dangerous.”
“Why don’t we cooperate, find out who the Werewolf is together, and clear the stage?”
Conan believed there was nothing wrong with his pitch.
However, the Ordinary Maiden merely looked up at him with a gloomy, deadpan expression and scoffed.
“You’re the one being excluded. Don’t drag me into it.”
“As for me, I’m the one excluding everyone else. I have no interest in fitting in, so don’t come over here trying to act close. It’s disgusting!”
“Tsk! Who’s your sister? You’re just a self-righteous, nerdy brat!”
Conan was stunned.
The Ordinary Maiden was not ordinary in at least one sense; she was incredibly sharp-tongued.
She tore into Conan until he was completely dumbfounded.
He retreated dejectedly and tried to secretly sow discord among the others.
The Ordinary Maiden was a truly tough nut to crack.
Not even Yi Mo had a good way to deal with her for the time being. He could only secretly pray that she wasn’t a Wolf!
As for Yi Mo?
He was bragging with a few people, claiming that when he played games at home, people called him the “Overlord of Zaun,” acting all impressive. He was talking up a storm.
Seeing that the timing was right and others were getting impatient, he found an opportunity to approach Taoqimao.
At that moment, Taoqimao was sitting with Dieyu, chatting in low voices.
Dieyu saw Yi Mo walking over and, after locking eyes with him, she covered her mouth with a giggle.
She patted Taoqimao on the shoulder and stood up to leave of her own accord.
As she passed, her lips moved slightly, silently saying, ‘He-he, make sure to seize the chance.’
Yi Mo shook his head helplessly but didn’t bother to explain anything.
He sat down in the spot where Dieyu had been.
Seeing Yi Mo sit beside her, Taoqimao blushed and whispered, “Brother Shiba Daye, thank you for your suggestion. I was really happy tonight.”
Yi Mo exchanged a few pleasantries.
He had come with a purpose—he wanted to test the waters to see if Taoqimao was his girlfriend.
He asked directly, “By the way, Taoqimao, you’re so cute. Do you have a boyfriend?”
Hearing this, Taoqimao turned to look at Yi Mo and blinked. She seemed to misinterpret his meaning, and her face turned even redder.
She hurriedly waved her hands.
“Eh? …Wait, wait, wait?!”
“No… no, no, no… I’m very timid in the real-world, and I rarely talk. I don’t attract the attention of boys.”
After saying that, she plucked up her courage, took a few deep breaths, and lowered her head bashfully.
“Also, I used my Points to make myself look a little bit better…”
“In the real-world, I’m very ordinary…”
“And, I’m older than you…”
“I don’t… I… I don’t have any confidence…”
“I’m sorry!!!”
Taoqimao had, after all, graduated from university and worked for one year.
With Dieyu leaving so suddenly and Yi Mo asking such a question, she naturally associated it with a confession.
Feeling inferior and overwhelmed, she instantly handed him a rejection.
Wait, it wasn’t exactly a rejection yet, just a polite refusal.
After speaking, she felt she might be being too arrogant, so she quickly added, “Wait, wait, wait…!”
“Please don’t misunderstand. I’m just… just…”
“Just insecure. Besides, we don’t know when we might die…”
“Could I be overthinking things?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Brother Shiba Daye, you’re a really good person!”
“Please forgive me!”
Yi Mo watched as Taoqimao babbled on.
Her small white floral dress suited her well, giving her the feel of a shy girl-next-door.
He didn’t say much else and simply reached out to rub her head.
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
It was a natural gesture, devoid of any pretense.
“Mmph…”
After Taoqimao spoke, she kept her head down with a red face, unable to say a word for a long time.
After all, when a cat is being petted, it either gets very excited or becomes very docile.
Taoqimao clearly belonged to the latter category.
After a moment, she whispered, “Yes, thank you.”
She kept her head down, too embarrassed to look at Yi Mo.
As for Yi Mo?
He waved his hand and said, “It’s been a long day, and I’m a bit tired. I’m going to the toilet and then heading to my room to sleep.”
“Ha-ha, it might be inconvenient for you girls to use those night pots at night, so I suggest you go once before heading back to your rooms…”
“You should get some rest early, too.”
Taoqimao’s face flushed.
She wanted to say, ‘How can you say something like that out loud?!’
But when she looked up, Yi Mo was already gone.
Strangely, she felt that her relationship with Yi Mo had grown closer.
It didn’t seem so bad to talk about things she would never normally discuss with others.
She then pulled her knees to her chest and stared at the flickering bonfire with a hint of worry, letting out a soft sigh as she fell into a daze.
Meanwhile, Yi Mo, having slipped away using the excuse of a bathroom break, breathed a sigh of relief once he was alone.
He muttered to himself, ‘The card still isn’t unlocked, and she didn’t admit to anything, so I can’t be sure…’
‘Anyway, she probably won’t come to kill me tonight, right?’
‘At least she won’t.’
Yi Mo was convinced that Taoqimao was a Wolf!
He was still feeling uneasy.
Just then, he suddenly saw Dieyu coming out of the bathroom.
This situation was a bit awkward.
However, Dieyu’s expression changed quickly. She smiled, tilted her head, and walked toward Yi Mo with light steps.
Leaning forward to look at him, she stood on her tiptoes and patted his shoulder.
“Greedy Mr. Shiba, how is the conquest going?”
Yi Mo spread his hands and shook his head helplessly.
“We were just chatting. I wanted to learn more about everyone’s situation. Don’t misunderstand.”
Cunning sparkled in Dieyu’s eyes as she looked at him, nodding as if she understood perfectly.
“Oh, I see. Then I’ll assume Mr. Shiba is planning to conquer my best friend first for my sake~”
Yi Mo replied indifferently, “Say whatever you want, ha-ha… I’m tired, too. I’m going to the toilet and then heading back to sleep.”
“You should get some rest early, too…”
Dieyu nodded.
“True, you’ve been quite busy today. I won’t disturb you then.”
Just as Dieyu was about to leave, Yi Mo thought for a moment and suddenly called out to her.
“Oh? Is Mr. Shiba reluctant to see me go?”
Yi Mo didn’t say much and simply tossed something to her.
“Cigarette-style Candy. It has a calming effect. Eat some if you can’t sleep tonight.”
“Of course, you could also keep it as a memento to remember me by~”
After Yi Mo finished speaking, he entered the bathroom.
What could he say?
Flirting and then running away was quite a thrill!
Dieyu stared at the candy box in her hand, stunned for a moment, before finally shaking her head with a smile.
“He really is an interesting person. It’s a bit of a pity…”
With that, she walked away.
After Dieyu left, Yi Mo emerged from the bathroom and stealthily scanned the surroundings.
Since there were no streetlights, it was pitch black. Seeing no one nearby, he secretly headed toward the Back Hill.
Yi Mo had a different plan!
***
At 9:00 PM, Yi Mo received a notification from the System.
[Congratulations! You have become the Village Chief for this game. During the Judgment Meeting voting phase, you possess a vote weight of 1.5. If you die and are eliminated from the game, no new Village Chief will be appointed.]
Following the System notification, a small, primitive Village Chief Badge appeared on the chest of Yi Mo’s short-sleeved shirt. It could not be removed and symbolized his status.
Because his surroundings were quite dark, only a faint sliver of moonlight filtered in through the wooden window.
Yi Mo didn’t study the badge in detail.
Where was he right now?
He was in one of the two vacant thatched cottages.
He was hiding in a corner next to a wardrobe.
What was Yi Mo thinking?
The game rules didn’t specify what time night fell or when the Werewolves could come out to kill.
He wondered if he could hide in another house and secretly discover who the Werewolf was.
Although the risk was high, Yi Mo wanted to try.
If he succeeded and identified the Werewolf, his chances of victory would increase infinitely!
However, because the time was uncertain, waiting was actually quite boring.
While studying the game rules, he looked at the items he had brought into the game.
He hadn’t brought the lighter or the Desert Eagle, so those 16 Points were wasted.
Although he had brought his watch and it was still on his wrist, it wasn’t very useful since there was a System clock.
The Cigarette-style Candy was not simple.
The three boxes had a calming effect, while the two boxes had an energizing effect.
The former was to ensure a good night’s sleep, while the latter was in case he lacked focus while thinking; he could just pop one in his mouth.
Of course, the effect was likely only at the level of a Red Bull, nothing more.
Yi Mo took out his cloak and draped it over his shoulders.
He felt a bit like a chuunibyou, but then he decided there was nothing wrong with that.
‘It’s actually not bad~’
He even felt a bit smug.
Finally, at 9:59 PM, a System notification arrived.
[It is late. All Players must return to their houses before 22:00.]
Then, a countdown began.
Yi Mo didn’t panic.
After all, the System hadn’t stated that failing to return would result in a game over.
However, as the time hit 22:00 sharp, Yi Mo was completely stunned.