"Bro—bro, let's talk this out. We're teammates after all!" Qin Nan felt he could still salvage the situation.

Jian Fan remained silent.

Noticing that Jian Fan didn’t immediately act, Qin Nan hurriedly continued, "What’s the point of you clearing this world? Unless we return to reality, it’s just a matter of sooner or later. Jian Fan, you’re too smart to only focus on these trivial gains, right? You’re at odds with Xia Zeqin, and Mu Xin and Qin Weiyi have their own teammates. Are you really planning to go solo?"

Jian Fan still didn’t respond.

"Come on, can you at least give me a reaction?" Qin Nan felt a headache coming on.

Jian Fan didn’t answer but did loosen his grip on Qin Nan.

The moment Qin Nan felt his freedom return, he quickly jumped aside, creating distance between them and stared at Jian Fan earnestly. "Jian Fan, I’ve saved you before, you..."

Just then, Lu Jing and Qin Weiyi happened to pass by, causing Qin Nan to abruptly shut his mouth.

Once the two had walked away, Qin Nan turned back to Jian Fan, continuing, "We’ve been through life and death together. I’m telling you..."

Jian Fan looked at him and suddenly plunged the knife in his hand into his other palm.

The knife sank into his hand.

Qin Nan: "…"

A toy knife?

"Are you out of your mind with this input method? Is scaring people your idea of fun?" Qin Nan felt like a clown; everything he had just said now sounded particularly jarring.

Jian Fan frowned, and just when Qin Nan thought he might apologize or retort coldly, Jian Fan uttered three words—"Input method?"

Qin Nan was stunned.

In a moment of panic, he blurted out the nickname he had given Jian Fan.

"I think your actions this time are even worse than the nickname," Qin Nan replied, his tone dry.

Jian Fan's lips twitched slightly. "Am I too idle?"

"The time it took me to come up with a nickname was just a blink of an eye, a matter of seconds. But your joke took several minutes. In comparison, I think you’re the one with too much time on your hands," Qin Nan countered, still bothered by what had just happened.

Jian Fan threw the knife towards Qin Nan.

Qin Nan quickly caught it. "What are you doing?"

"I found this in my room," Jian Fan replied.

Qin Nan glanced at the knife and asked, "The doctor keeps a toy knife in his room? What does that have to do with what you just did?"

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"You suspected I was the murderer," Jian Fan stated.

Qin Nan rolled his eyes. "Anyone would suspect you when you had a knife to their throat."

"I believed what you said before," Jian Fan suddenly smiled.

Qin Nan was taken aback by Jian Fan's smile, taking a moment to regain his composure. "What did I say?"

"Long-term partners," Jian Fan replied.

At that moment, Qin Nan finally understood; Jian Fan was testing him. He wanted to see how Qin Nan would react when he thought Jian Fan was the murderer, especially with other players around. If Qin Nan had no intention of continuing their partnership, he would have called for help. Jian Fan was also testing whether, in a truly adversarial situation, Qin Nan would choose to cooperate with him or betray their alliance for the sake of clearing the current world.

Qin Nan passed the test.

Jian Fan seemed pleased.

"Aren't you afraid I might just be pretending to be your ally and then sell you out?" Qin Nan asked. "After all, they were far enough away that I might not have had time to call for help."

Jian Fan looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"Don’t think just because I’m easygoing, I won’t hold it against you. Don’t give me that look; you can save it for others," Qin Nan grumbled. However, he didn’t mind Jian Fan’s earlier actions too much.

He could understand Jian Fan.

In an environment like this, trust among teammates was crucial. Perhaps due to his still somewhat naive experiences, Qin Nan was willing to trust Jian Fan. As for Jian Fan...

Jian Fan was quite familiar with Xia Zeqin yet found himself at odds with him. Qin Nan guessed Jian Fan had probably been betrayed by teammates before, and in such circumstances, being cautious was Jian Fan's way of protecting himself. For Qin Nan, having a partner like Jian Fan felt more reliable.

"I'll try my best," Jian Fan said, shifting the topic. "You should try to connect with Xu Tian."

"Xu Tian? I thought you’d choose Qin Weiyi," Qin Nan replied.

"Qin Weiyi and Lu Jing’s duo is quite solid. In a stable relationship, they might be reluctant to change. In contrast, Xu Tian is currently the one who desperately needs companions," Jian Fan offered more insight than before.

Qin Nan pondered for a moment. "That’s true, but Xu Tian already chose Xia Zeqin at the beginning."

Jian Fan shook his head. "No, she didn’t choose either side."

Looking at Xu Tian's demeanor earlier, it seemed the members of Xia Zeqin's team hadn’t reacted much, which likely confirmed Jian Fan's claim. But Qin Nan was puzzled. "If you want to bring Xu Tian on board, why send me?"

Jian Fan paused before saying, "You’re better at this than I am."

Qin Nan chuckled. "You’re quite self-aware."

Jian Fan countered, "That’s called knowing how to utilize people and resources effectively."

"Alright. But if you want to recruit Xu Tian, wouldn’t now, when she’s at her lowest, be the best time?" Offering a bit of warmth during her breakdown would usually lead her to join them.

Jian Fan shook his head. "Whether she can be our teammate is the first test. If she can’t even pass this hurdle, Qin Nan, we need long-term allies, not temporary ones."

Qin Nan shrugged. "Okay, you can test her first. If she’s stable later, I’ll approach her." He paused and then asked, "What about Mu Xin?"

Jian Fan hesitated for a moment and asked, "Do you want the truth?"

"Of course," Qin Nan replied.

Jian Fan stated matter-of-factly, "I don’t like this sneaky approach."

Is that it? As expected of Jian Fan.

If he didn’t like something, he certainly wouldn’t want it in a teammate. A teammate should at least be someone he found agreeable, without any faults.

After discussing these matters, Qin Nan's thoughts returned to the original question. He looked Jian Fan up and down and tentatively asked, "So, are you the murderer?"

"Not at all," Jian Fan replied decisively.

Qin Nan nodded. "That makes sense; given the current situation, even if you were the murderer, you might not even know it."

"Not quite," Jian Fan disagreed. "I think there's a greater possibility of another scenario."

"What scenario?"

"The murderer hasn’t been fully determined yet," Jian Fan replied.

Qin Nan was taken aback. "The murderer hasn't been determined?"

Jian Fan nodded emphatically, then made a statement that seemed unrelated to the topic of the murderer: "Qin Nan, besides choosing identity cards, we haven’t made any other choices."