As an experienced player, Jian Fan had a good understanding of the Death Realm.

From the very moment the game began, he started searching his room meticulously, leaving no stone unturned. He identified three items that could pose a risk to him or might be related to his storyline.

The first item was an anonymous love letter. Jian Fan had read its contents, which were filled with praise for the recipient, but it never specified who that person was. It seemed to fit anyone, making it impossible to discern its intended recipient.

The second item was the toy dagger he had used to intimidate Qin Nan. Although he couldn’t quite understand why it was in his room, he sensed something suspicious about it. He decided to hide it, having thought of using it to test Qin Nan when he first saw it.

The third item was a pair of blood-stained underpants. This meant that, aside from the Second Young Lady’s room, there was also a pair of bloodied underpants in his own room. Which pair belonged to the deceased was still uncertain.

Jian Fan hid all these items away.

He wasn’t afraid of others discovering that he had hidden clues. This wasn’t a typical murder mystery game, so conventional thinking didn’t apply. Everyone knew that suspicions could fall on anyone, and leaving more clues would only raise doubts about himself.

Jian Fan wasn’t going to do that.

Now—

During the first round of evidence collection, they had found something in the room of the eldest lady, Lin Junru: a medical book written by the family doctor. This suggested a connection between his identity and the eldest lady, implying that the love letter he found might have been written to her.

In a murder mystery, aside from identifying the murderer, players also needed to fulfill their own storylines. It was clear that each character had their own narrative woven into the game.

Jian Fan believed that the conclusion of each storyline would hold crucial clues.

Since he wasn’t going to the deceased’s courtyard, he was curious about how the bloodied underpants he found would develop further.

Lost in thought, Jian Fan found himself at the eldest lady's courtyard.

Lin Junru was feeling agitated.

Everything that had happened during the day left her feeling suffocated. She had some grievances against Jian Fan and Qin Nan, which she hadn’t expressed in front of others. Once back in her room, she vented her frustrations, cursing everyone she could think of.

After tiring herself out, she sat down to rest, and the phrase "The night of the murder" appeared before her.

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Lin Junru was momentarily stunned but quickly made her choice.

She left her room and headed straight for the deceased's courtyard.

As Jian Fan arrived, he happened to see Lin Junru rushing out. However, what he saw wasn’t the real Lin Junru but a faceless figure dressed in the same clothes, with the same build.

Jian Fan pondered for a moment.

Each person’s space should be independent, and their different choices would reflect differently in their environments. For example, since Lin Junru chose to leave her courtyard, the doctor would naturally see her leaving at that moment.

After a brief pause, Jian Fan decided to follow her.

After walking for a while, he quickly confirmed Lin Junru's destination—the deceased's courtyard.

Realizing this, Jian Fan stopped. Lin Junru's choice was not surprising, but he didn’t want to get involved in this mess. He turned around and went back to his own room.

Once he returned, the phrase "The night of the murder" disappeared.

He was back.

Jian Fan calmly accepted everything and went to bed, waiting for the next day to arrive.

That night, everyone had the opportunity to return to the night of the murder, making different choices that altered the course of the story.

Some may have felt anxious, while others, like Jian Fan, remained calm.

They awaited the dawn of the next day.

Although Qin Nan was initially a bit flustered, he eventually settled into a mindset of acceptance. As drowsiness crept in, he lay down on his bed and fell into a deep sleep.

He was awakened by an NPC calling him.

“Second Young Master.” When he didn’t respond, the NPC called again after a moment.

Qin Nan raked his fingers through his hair, got up from the bed, and opened the door.

Outside stood a servant-like NPC. Upon seeing Qin Nan open the door, the servant said, “Second Young Master, the steward sent me to inform you that the staff is ready. You may begin your inquiries.”

The second round of evidence collection was about to start.

Qin Nan nodded and followed the servant out.

The eleven players gathered once more in the main hall.

After a night apart, they reconvened, each with their own thoughts, cautiously considering their situations while also keeping an eye on each other. The choices made the previous night had significantly impacted most players, unlike Jian Fan, who remained relatively unaffected.

Once everyone was assembled, the steward appeared again.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the staff is ready. However, there are many tasks to attend to, and they cannot be delayed for long. You have half an hour; if you exceed this time, they will have to return to their duties. Are you ready to begin?” The steward laid out the rules for the players.

Half an hour equated to an hour of game time.

Outside the courtyard stood a throng of people—roughly sixty or seventy individuals. Averaging that out, it would mean about one person every minute.

“Let’s split into teams like yesterday,” Xia Zeqin suggested, taking the lead again.

Everyone agreed.

However, team assignments needed to be rearranged.

Qin Nan immediately locked onto Xu Tian. The last time he saw her, she had seemed a bit overwhelmed, but now she appeared more composed. It seemed she had recovered from her earlier distress.

He decided to approach Xu Tian to see if he could recruit her as an ally.

“Jue Ming, I’ll team up with you today,” Lin Junru spoke up first. After yesterday's experience, she wanted nothing to do with Qin Nan or Jian Fan.

Zheng Jue Ming hesitated. Qin Nan noticed him glance at Mu Xin before nodding, “Alright.”

Just as Qin Nan was about to invite Xu Tian, Jian Fan suddenly interjected, “We’re missing Lin Junru. How about, Mu Xin, you join our team?”

Mu Xin?

Qin Nan looked at Jian Fan in surprise.

Mu Xin also looked up, appearing a bit flustered. Her doe-like eyes were filled with apprehension; she hadn’t expected Jian Fan to invite her. Tentatively, she nodded and replied in a voice barely above a whisper, “Okay.”

With Jian Fan, Qin Nan, and Mu Xin, the three formed a new team for the day.