There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

"Just now, while listening to your conversation, I found something off. That woman with the child is definitely a human trafficker."

The Male Salesman lowered his voice and said, "What do you think?"

The young woman glanced at him, "Hmm, you're right, I thought so too."

But afterwards, their gazes revealed an ambiguous meaning. After exchanging looks, they shifted their eyes as if nothing had happened.

It was quite funny, the woman's flaws were very obvious; virtually all players could sense something was amiss.

However, it was exactly these obvious flaws that made none of them dare to act rashly.

— What if it was a trap?

The assessment couldn't be that simple, could it? It had only been ten minutes, and the first task could be completed with ease?

Both of them harbored such thoughts.

So, even though they had guessed that there was something wrong with the woman's identity, they resolutely did not submit the task.

After all, there was only one chance. If they stepped into a trap, then the task would be wasted, and it was unknown whether any other players had submitted the task or not.

Those who rushed to submit tasks without being absolutely sure were fools.

The young woman didn't pursue his intentions of using her as a stepping stone. She pondered and continued, "Also, I find the relationship between the woman and her little daughter odd. She seems to favor sons over daughters, but I feel there's a kind of discord between them."

The Male Salesman countered, "Do you think the little girl was kidnapped by her?"

"Maybe..."

"But the little girl isn't crying or making any fuss."

Upon hearing this, the young woman showed a thoughtful expression, with a hint of wariness in her eyes.

The Male Salesman looked at her, "What is it?"

Although they had not formally established a relationship, the two now somewhat shared a cooperative dynamic after exchanging information. Thinking of this, the young woman leaned closer to him, lowering her voice to a whisper:

"There's a monster on the train."

The voice, pressed down to the utmost depth, trembled as it came out of her throat.

As she spoke, her eyes exhibited deep-seated fear, the kind that stemmed from the presence of Abyss Creatures, an ineradicable wariness and terror.

The Male Salesman's eyes flickered. He had already speculated about this when the divination had yielded that result.

Yet, this script was strange in another aspect, for the system had blocked many of their items and skills. This kind of situation only occurred in a plot-heavy script or one with only Low-Rank monsters.

Moreover, the level of danger determined by the system was disproportionate to the danger they felt themselves!

The Male Salesman was certain he would trust himself.

After all, the system had been quite buggy lately, and there was no telling when it might go offline.

He exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "I don't know about a monster, but it's certain that this matter is very dangerous. I sought your cooperation merely to finish it quickly. So, I'm willing to share so much with you. You'd better think it through."

The young woman was silent for a moment, then nodded, "Alright."

With cooperation established, the Male Salesman's spirits lifted, and he looked at her intently.

The young woman raised her hand to smooth her hair in front of her forehead and casually turned the back of her hand to him, then continued, "Although that man and I are in a spousal relationship, neither of us wears a wedding ring, and we don't have any possessions that could prove our marital status. So, I maintain a skeptical attitude towards this relationship."

"What about before..." The Male Salesman arched an eyebrow.

"The relationship between us was defined by that woman who seems like a human trafficker. The moment she spoke up, the man next to me responded. That's why I think he's just a 'bystander'," the young woman said.

"Have you noticed anything on your man?"

"He doesn't have a carry-on backpack, and aside from two train tickets and some candy in his pockets, there's nothing else."

"Two train tickets?"

The young woman looked helpless, "The other ticket should be mine, right?"

This might be the only thing proving any relation between the two of them.

Upon hearing this, the male salesman seemed contemplative, then heard the other party counter with, "What about on your side?"

The seat on the left was for four people, and leaving out the two children, there were only three people, one confirmed to be a player, one suspected to be a trafficker, and the other with an identity that remained unclear but also dubious.

On the right was a six-person seat, occupied solely by adults, and was much livelier compared to the other side.

The four young people seated inside were playing cards noisily, and from their conversation, it was roughly discernible that none of them knew each other, but two were fellow villagers.

The male salesman said, "The woman sitting opposite me is a regular office worker, but during our chat just now, she seemed quite concerned about child trafficking as well."

The implication of his words was self-evident.

However, so far, this information was still too scant for them, and in the short span of a dozen minutes, they could only glean some superficial news.

Only the woman suspected of trafficking really couldn't pretend at all.

Moreover, with so many carriages on the entire train, even if the scope of the plot won't spread that wide, just the thirteenth carriage where they "spawned" was crammed with well over a hundred people.

And right now, they had only just begun to explore the people around them.

The young woman suggested using a process of elimination and, adhering to the principle that the plot is nearby, to carefully probe the people around them one by one first.

The male salesman frowned slightly, "That's too slow."

The longer the time dragged on, the more uneasy he became.

Just then, the noise in carriage thirteen suddenly intensified, as if a commotion had erupted inside.

The male salesman turned his head to look. The source of the raucous was right near their seats, but due to the carriage being so crowded, it was impossible to see the specifics from here.

"Let's go back and check it out."

The male salesman turned to go back, but after a couple of steps, he realized that the young woman was still standing by the carriage wall, unmoved.

Her complexion seemed uneasy, "Never mind, I don't really want to go in."

When the male salesman heard this, his expression did not change, "What's wrong?"

The young woman just shrugged her shoulders, not saying a word.

——Because as soon as she got near carriage thirteen, all the hairs on her body stood on end!

Having been in the carriage all this time, she might have been oblivious like someone involved in the action, so the feeling wasn't that strong.

But as time dragged on, the place where she stayed seemed more and more terrifying and sinister, with neither the wind blowing outside nor the sunshine piercing in able to relax her in the slightest.

It felt like a pair of dark eyes were constantly watching her from some corner, the persistent malice emanating from the other party making her apex of the head extremely chilly.

So the young woman couldn't bear it and had left her seat.

The moment she walked out of carriage thirteen, she felt a surge of relief, as if being reborn!

Her body no longer sensed the chilly malice, nor could her nose detect that disgusting, putrid smell, the distinct scent of the Abyss Creature.

This sense of safety was akin to a form of addiction.

Thus, the thought of returning to that anxiety-ridden place gave the young woman a physiological resistance, prompting her to pull out a cigarette from her pocket.

"I'm a bit hooked, I'll smoke for a bit."

"..."

The male salesman looked at her speechlessly, then returned to the carriage alone, his gaze surreptitiously scanning the entire carriage.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Enjoy new tales from empire

Outside, the wind was gentle, the sun brilliant, and the carriage bustling with noise and excitement.

There truly wasn't a hint of anything amiss.