After Ren Yifei made those remarks, many people regarded him as an enemy. Others, indifferent to the situation, refrained from speaking to him due to the overall atmosphere.
Frankly, these childish acts of exclusion couldn't harm Ren Yifei at all. His arrogance had reached a point where he felt everyone was unworthy of his close friendship.
Samantha is an exception; he smells too good.
At 11:30, everyone who had gone out returned, and the long table was filled with people. Some of them were discussing the case, some were chatting, and then they waited for the food to be served.
"Clap clap clap." Loud applause came from the long table. "Today I watched a very exciting mystery and heard some particularly interesting arguments."
The contestants weren't quite sure what this person meant by 'brilliant reasoning' and 'interesting arguments,' though they themselves felt their reasoning was absolutely brilliant.
However, the voice did not continue speaking, but instead ordered the dishes to be served.
Ren Yifei sat in his chair, scrolling through his phone, but in his mind he was thinking: Did the owner of this voice realize that he was subtly reminding the audience over there that this place was also a 'lawless land'?
I wonder when people on the mainland will realize that things have changed here. Right now, only one person has died, but who knows what will happen in the future.
In addition, he had a strange feeling: the number of users of the Reasoning Master software seemed to have exceeded the limit.
There were fewer than ten people here just now, and seven of them are users of this software. Unless this is a nationally popular software, this ratio is far too high.
If something is unusual, there must be a reason. The problem is, we don't know what that reason is.
The food was served, and the sumptuous dishes interrupted Ren Yifei's thoughts. He picked up his chopsticks, winked at the live stream camera, and said, "See that? So much meat, so much love!"
As he spoke, he tore off a fried quail leg: "Brush it with honey and seasoning, bake it until golden brown, and finally sprinkle a little salt. When you bite into it, there's a crackling sound, that's the sound of the thin, crispy skin breaking, and the lean meat underneath is tender and flavorful. After you finish eating, you can have a bite of the boiled quail egg next to it, two generations of the family, all together."
"Devil!" Viewers watching the live stream cursed while drooling. Damn, it looks so delicious! Is this a detective show? It's a food-themed detective show!
That bright yellow chicken and shark fin congee looks incredibly delicious! Watching the mukbang streamer's eyes practically squinting with ecstasy... viewers couldn't help but pull out their phones and start ordering their takeout for the day.
"Can I order?" Ren Yifei suddenly had an idea and asked the waiter behind him.
The waiter paused, glancing instinctively at the others: "This..."
"Yes." The voice came from the long table. "The victors own everything; that is our principle."
Ren Yifei's eyes lit up: "I want fruitwood-roasted duck, the kind that's hung in a oven. And pan-fried foie gras, with a little caviar on top. Oh, and orange-stuffed crab!"
He spoke his mind without hesitation, practically demonstrating what it means to be "overly assertive," and the waiter actually pulled out a small notebook and diligently wrote it all down. The other contestants were bewildered, feeling as if they weren't playing the same game.
After lunch, the contestants who hadn't yet solved the case went to learn more about it, while Ren Yifei stayed in the villa. He wandered silently down the corridor like a shadow, all for the oil paintings on the wall.
These oil paintings were another clue. Without that painting, he wouldn't have immediately known the deceased was a young designer, and then obtained the specific address from Officer Zhang.
The rooms on both sides of the corridor were all closed; some belonged to the contestants, and some were unoccupied. He went up to the third floor and found that the entrance to the attic was blocked off with black iron railings.
The floor inside the iron fence was spotless, not like it was uninhabited. Ren Yifei knew what his evening's activities were.
Time always flies when you're busy. Before they knew it, it was dinnertime, and the contestants rushed back. They were still sweating, and their expressions revealed their mood.
Most people remained calm, but some were quite anxious.
Before dinner, as usual, comes a heart-pounding moment—writing down answers.
Ren Yifei wrote 'ex-boyfriend' without hesitation.
There weren't many people present who were as confident as him. Even if they were already certain, most people would still need to think things through or review the story to make sure there were no mistakes or omissions before writing down their answers.
After all the answers were written down, the food delivery cart arrived, and the waiter laid out the food one by one. Ren Yifei's dish was different; in front of him was the pan-fried foie gras he had ordered for lunch, topped with caviar, along with fruitwood-roasted duck and orange-stuffed crab.
He eagerly lifted the orange lid and scooped out a spoonful of crab meat: "Ah, what a genius the chef who made this dish is! If I win, can I take the chef with me?"
Everyone turned to look.
They didn't know whether to criticize his unrealistic belief that he could win, or his obsession with food. As an idol who needs to control his diet, isn't it a bit much to overeat at every meal?
"He's a former idol," Ren Yifei corrected their misconception. "I've retired, and the whole internet is against me." He's even lost his fans.
"Can't you get back up? That policeman said there wasn't enough evidence, so coming back is just a matter of a word." Some people disagreed, saying that money in the entertainment industry is so easy to make, how could they really be willing to leave? They'd rather die in the entertainment industry.Entertainment Center
Ren Yifei raised his head and exhaled. The original owner was definitely unwilling; things he hadn't done shouldn't be so easily pinned on him, but…
"There's no going back. I didn't offend any particular person, I offended capital."
It's a baseless rumor, yet so many online trolls are stirring up trouble. Even official clarifications are useless; the trolls can still argue that "the lack of evidence doesn't mean it didn't happen."
To say there's no capital at play behind the scenes is simply unbelievable. Unless they wield immense power or are themselves the capital, glamorous celebrities are merely puppets in the hands of capital.
"Heh." The man still didn't believe it. Seeing that Ren Yifei was eating with relish, he also took a piece of purple sweet potato pastry. After hesitating for a while, he decided to take the risk and try it.
One bite, no problem; two bites, no problem.
"I knew it." The contestant swallowed the remaining bit with a smug look, and then with a 'thud,' he fell face down onto the table.
The contestants were startled; those who hadn't eaten yet began to hesitate, while those who had already eaten half were also conflicted.
"The murderer is the ex-boyfriend, and the evidence is..." A girl wearing glasses in the lower row reminded the rest of the people. She had been eating for a while, and her answer was correct.
Several people in the crowd put down their cutlery with pale faces; they had chosen the wrong answer.
The girl wearing glasses looked at Ren Yifei. She had been outside the door that morning, watching him stand alone inside, confident and even bringing the three suspects with him.
She actually identified the suspect quickly, but still felt a sense of defeat. So, if this person has such a mindset, why would he consider entering the entertainment industry?
The girl suddenly felt a pang of regret, as if a precious gem had fallen into the dust.
At this moment, Ren Yifei was eating egg pudding while thinking about the symptoms of the person who had just collapsed. Indeed, the symptoms were different from those of the first contestant who collapsed yesterday, with many differences in the details.
Today's athlete's attack lasted longer than yesterday's, but there were no symptoms of shortness of breath or facial flushing. This is not indicative of cyanide poisoning.
Therefore, the organizers prepared two types of drugs for the eliminated contestants: one to induce unconsciousness and the other to cause death.
If a contestant takes a drug that causes unconsciousness, he will be taken hostage on the ship. If he takes a lethal drug, he will become a 'dead ticket' and be disposed of.
So what are the criteria for differentiation? How does someone hiding in the shadows judge whether a person deserves to die or not? If Ren Yifei intervenes at this point and disrupts the mastermind's plan, will the mastermind kill Ren Yifei?
For example, say the correct answer, 'ex-boyfriend,' before the end of the question, and provide a convincing explanation.
Ren Yifei, still retaining his rationality, promptly interrupted his dangerous thoughts.
Even if the intention was to use oneself as bait to lure out the mastermind, that would be in the latter half of the 30th day, when the timing would be more opportune. Revealing it now would only alert the enemy.
It might even cost you your life, making it a losing proposition.
The unconscious person was carried away, and several others remained stiff-faced and trembling with fear. The atmosphere at the long table became somber once again. Even Ren Yifei became much quieter.
If I counted correctly, the number of people eliminated that day was four, and there were thirty-nine survivors.
Assuming that so many people are eliminated every day, this number of people probably won't last thirty days. I wonder if the organizers will adjust the difficulty of the game.
Most of these people are detective enthusiasts who excel at theoretical discussions, but when it comes to actual practice, they are unable to apply much of their knowledge effectively, and their true abilities are not fully utilized, or are unlikely to be fully demonstrated.
"Meal time is over." At 6:30, that nightmarish voice appeared again, this time with a devilish, wicked laugh.
"The time for answering questions has ended. Unfortunately, four contestants did not answer correctly."
The waiter stepped forward and gestured an invitation to the three contestants who hadn't touched a single grain of rice.
"I'm not leaving!" They thought they would leave quietly like the contestants yesterday, but one of them was already on the verge of collapse and would shatter at the slightest touch.
She stood up and shoved the food in front of her hard, shattering cups and plates all over the floor: "Where do the eliminated people go? In front of so many people, and in front of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of local viewers, do you dare to say?"
The contestant's eyes were red, and it didn't look like he was crying, but rather like he was angry: "We're here to participate in a detective game, not a survival crisis!"
Her words resonated with others who needed an explanation. At the very least, they needed to know the consequences of failure.
What a clever person! He knows how to use his greatest advantage—his stance—to connect everyone through his identity as a contestant, and then, with the support of the world on the other side of the live stream, he can create a force that can slightly challenge the official stance.
Since the outcome can't get any worse, why not take the risk and give it a try?
"On the eleventh day, there will be a revival event for eliminated contestants. Among those who have been eliminated, we will select three people based on their overall abilities to be revived and return to the team."
Instead of answering their questions directly, the voice said something that seemed unrelated.
"There's a revival round? That means...they're alright?"
The voice didn't answer, but the contestants tacitly agreed. A weight had been lifted from their hearts, and even the contestants who had previously refused to leave walked up to the waitress. She pointed to the door and asked, "Let's go. Where do we go if we're eliminated?"