Infinite Murder Mystery Game: The Beauty with a Delicate Palm

"Is this Yi Junxi?" Jingzhe got straight to the point. "We want to ask you some questions, about Zhou Ye, and... the 'Twenty-Four Curses'."

"We've heard that you and Zhou Ye have a good relationship," Jingzhe probed. "We also know that you've tried methods to combat the curse."

Yi Junxi's hand trembled slightly, and the soup spoon on the plate made a slight clinking sound.

This detail was keenly observed by Jingzhe.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about." He lowered his head and spoke very softly.

"Someone saw it."

"When I saw Zhou Ye with you, you... looked like you were dead."

Yi Junxi suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with genuine fear.

This fear was half acted, half real.

He was genuinely afraid of Zhou Ye, and also afraid of the girl standing behind the three of them who seemed uninvolved.

"I..." He opened his mouth, then closed it again, and finally, as if he had made up his mind, he said dejectedly, "Yes, that's true."

Shen Jiarui gasped.

"Zhou Ye has found some kind of... method." Yi Junxi's voice trembled.

"He said he could fool the curse, and I needed to cooperate by faking my death. That day in the tool shed, we were testing this."

"And then?" Jingzhe pressed.

"Then..." Yi Junxi's face turned even paler, "When I woke up, I felt like all the strength had been drained from my body."

Zhou also said the ritual was a success and the curse was temporarily dispelled.

He looked up, his eyes glistening with tears—a physiological reaction to genuine fear.

"Please, please stop talking about this, and don't let Zhou Ye know that I came to see you. He'll be angry... He's terrifying when he's angry."

Su Mian silently nodded in agreement.

It's really scary.

After Yi Junxi left, Chang Anning, who had previously looked down on DM, frowned and muttered in disbelief, "Isn't DM just a formality? Is it really that scary?"

Jingzhe glanced at her and sneered, "If you're not afraid of death, you can try."

Chang Anning pouted. Although she didn't say anything, she was still a little unconvinced. She stroked the tarot cards in her crossbody bag and made up her mind.

She really didn't believe it. It was better to ask Zhou Budu directly than to ask Yi Junxi. What were these people afraid of?

After much fuss, the group finally sat down to eat. This was their first time eating together. Jingzhe looked at Sumian, who was silently eating with her mouth full, and was a little surprised.

Su Mian looked up at her.

"What's wrong?"

"without……"

Jingzhe coughed lightly, "I thought girls like you didn't like to eat."

That's actually a stereotype. Usually, girls who are weak and frail often get full after just a couple of bites because they have insufficient blood and qi.

Su Mian swallowed the rice in her mouth, thinking that Jingzhe was making a fuss over nothing.

"My stomach hurts if I get hungry at night."

I used to have some bad habits when it came to sleeping, like to eat a piece of candy before bed.

For most people, falling asleep hungry might be bearable, but she couldn't. Her stomach would hurt, and the pain would make it hard to breathe.

So she would secretly buy green apple flavored candy to eat, but after her mother found out, she stopped doing so, only letting her eat more at dinner.

Upon hearing this, Jingzhe pursed her lips tightly, her eyes revealing undisguised heartache.

This was the first time Su Mian had seen her with such an expression, and she found it somewhat amusing, but she still kept a straight face and looked away.

"Eat quickly."

A group of girls who had just finished their PE class suddenly sat down next to them. They had probably played on the playground a little longer and arrived quite late.

"My God, all that's left in the cafeteria is pig slop."

"Shut up, I already had no appetite after exercising."

The group of people spoke very loudly, attracting the attention of the players sitting nearby.

"Hey! Have you heard about what's been happening in the back mountain lately?"

"So, we finally discovered that the hill behind the school is a cemetery? Isn't that a tradition of every school?"

"Oh no, a couple of days ago someone went up the mountain and stumbled upon a very strange wooden house. Laughter and crying could be heard coming from inside from time to time, and it sounded really scary."

"There are still wooden houses on the mountain? Weren't they abandoned a long time ago?"

"That's why it's strange. Some people say that a middle-aged man in a Mediterranean striped shirt often appears up there, wandering aimlessly..."

Su Mian paused, her hand holding the chopsticks still. Shen Jiarui glanced to the side and stammered, "You're not talking about our homeroom teacher, are you...?"

"That's most likely it. It might be related to the clues. Shall we go check it out later?"

Just after the Awakening of Insects, everyone's opinions were asked. Chang Anning was eager to try, while Shen Jiarui seemed reluctant to go, her eyes sweeping over the others.

"You...you all have to go."

"Of course! We might find some clues about the killer. Are you feeling guilty for not going?"

"No way!"

Shen Jiarui blushed and paled in turns, but finally nodded in resignation.

After lunch, the four avoided the crowds and quietly made their way to the entrance of the path behind the school.

The hill behind the school is less of a mountain and more of a densely vegetated hill, right next to the school wall.

A dirt road, worn into shape, winds its way uphill, flanked by tangled shrubs and waist-high weeds.

It was just past noon, and the sun was blazing, but as soon as we entered the woods, the temperature dropped sharply.

Several unidentified birds flew by, and the sound was like the crying of a young baby.

"Waaaaah..."

"Stop crying, Shen Jiarui. It's not completely dark yet, what are you afraid of?"

"I...I didn't cry."

Shen Jiarui grasped Jingzhe's hand, her steps faltering, and spoke tremulously.

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Su Mian walked in the middle of the group and started panting after climbing for only a few minutes.

She had to stop frequently to rest, leaning against the tree trunk, her lips turning slightly purple from lack of oxygen.

As time stretched out, the higher you went, the more bizarre the surrounding scenery became.

The trees began to twist and contort, some branches coiling into spirals, their bark covered with dark moss that resembled dried blood.

"Did you hear that?" Shen Jiarui's voice trembled with tears. "Someone is talking..."

"It was the wind," Jingzhe said calmly, but her hand had already reached for her waist, where a folding knife was hidden.

"Mianmian, are you alright?" 4399 asked worriedly.

Su Mian shook her head. "Oh no, I want to die."

4399: ...Great, its host is still as misanthropic as ever.

Just then, Chang Anning exclaimed from ahead, "Look there!"

Following the direction she pointed, everyone could vaguely see the outline of a dilapidated wooden house deep in the dense forest.

The windows were boarded up, leaving only a few gaps.

That was the wooden house that the girls described as "where laughter and crying could be heard".

"Do we...really have to go in?" Shen Jiarui's voice trembled uncontrollably.

"We've come this far, of course we should go in," Chang Anning said, starting to walk forward.