The male supporting character was actually myself.

The two continued their search for clues in their own ways.

"Clang clang clang..."

A moment later, the melodious chimes suddenly rang out.

Jiang Chen and Duan Chengze looked up at the same time towards the hillside behind the village, where there was an old-fashioned clock tower.

The clock looked a bit worn under the moonlight, but its sound was melodious and deep.

After the twelve strikes, the corpses scattered everywhere vanished instantly, and everything returned to its starting point.

"Wang Wang Wang!"

The faint sound of dogs barking could be heard from the village, and the houses seemed to come alive instantly.

To avoid a butterfly effect, the six people gathered and discussed for a moment before deciding not to pursue the matter further and instead returned to their seaside cabin to rest.

Jiang Chen slept well that night and felt refreshed when he woke up to the sound of waves the next day.

Duan Chengze looked to be in good health, so he must have slept soundly.

Tang Zixuan and Shi Xiaotong both looked a bit listless. Jiang Chen vaguely heard Shi Xiaotong complaining to Liang Rumeng that she had encountered a dungeon with dead people for the first time and was so scared that she didn't sleep much all night.

Liang Rumeng offered a perfunctory word of comfort;

Tang Zixuan vented his frustration about not being able to sleep on the two newcomers, believing they were bad luck and dragged down the others who entered the dungeon together.

“Host, I checked around last night, and none of these people seemed out of the ordinary.” The little white cat perched on his shoulder, licking its paws and washing its face. “The same goes for the village. The important part of the dungeon should have started this morning.”

Jiang Chen nodded calmly, washed up, ate something, and left the beach hut.

The old man in his fifties who was beheaded and collapsed on the beach yesterday is now alive and walking over with a smile to greet everyone, "How did you all sleep last night?"

Our island has a great ecological environment, you've come to the right place for your trip!

Today also happens to be the island's annual temple fair, a tradition passed down from our ancestors—the worship of the sea god.

"You've finally arrived! It's quite lively here!"

Just a few hours ago they were squatting next to his head studying it, but now seeing the old man jumping around and laughing, the group felt a little strange. Song Gang answered perfunctorily while unconsciously touching his neck.

Chapter 4: Terrifying Desert Island 3

"Are there any activities at the temple fair?" Duan Chengze asked, following up on the topic.

The old man chuckled and said, "I'm not bragging, but the most important event on our island besides the Spring Festival is the Sea God Temple Fair."

It will definitely be a grand and lively event, better than any other tourist activity in the world!

It's still early, you can go to the village and find someone to eat with.

I recommend Zhang Qiang's house—the new house with white ceramic tiles on the eaves. His wife is a really good cook; her food is cheap, delicious, and affordable.

After dinner, you can wander around the island and take in the sights. The clock tower and waterfall are great spots for taking photos.

There's a big opera being performed in the square today, and the villagers are all dressed up and singing really well!

Our island has been developing tourism for about ten years, and the annual temple fairs and operas are very popular.

Afterwards, everyone gathered in the main square for a banquet.

The main event at 4 PM is the worship of the Sea God. The main hall of the Sea God Temple, which is only unlocked once a year, will be opened. You should all go and burn incense; it's said to bring you lifelong peace and safety!

There will also be a bonfire party and the release of lanterns in the evening, so you're guaranteed to have a worthwhile trip!

If you think it's fun, please help us spread the word. The deserted island is great everywhere and the tourism prices are not expensive, but the problem is that we villagers don't know how to promote ourselves. Even the best wine needs advertising.

"Look at this tourist attraction; it was quite popular a few years ago, but now it's declining year by year."

Seemingly realizing that what he was about to say was inappropriate, the village chief quickly stopped them and invited them to have breakfast in the village.

He then hurriedly walked to the other side of the beach.

Seeing this, Song Gang followed from a distance. The little white cat also hopped around to take a look and came back to report: "Master, there is a path in the bushes on the right side of the beach. Go around it and you will find a small dock with three boats moored there."

The village chief went to see his son's boat.

He mumbled something, and it seemed the waves were high last night, and his wife was worried and insisted he come check on things.

The group of six were tourists, so they were free to move around the island as they pleased.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Liang Rumeng gradually drifted away from the main group.

Seeing this, Tang Zixuan also found a side path and left on his own.

“That old lady has a lot of props, so you should be careful of her.” Shi Xiaotong took the opportunity to sidle up to Duan Chengze and whispered, “When I first came here, she told me that she used to be an accountant at a company, but she took early retirement to help take care of her grandson.”

Her grandson had grown up and they no longer needed her, so her son and daughter-in-law found an excuse to kick her out.

The old lady was a widow. She sold her own house to buy a new apartment for her son, and she herself had been living in the company dormitory.

She had been hoping her son would support her in her old age, but she was kicked out before she even got old. So she found a cheap apartment to rent and planned to take on some freelance work, like bookkeeping, in order to earn some money for her retirement.

I never expected to fall into a pit.

At her age, she always manages to emerge unscathed; she definitely has real skills!

On the surface, it sounds like a compliment, but the girl's tone doesn't sound like one at all.

Jiang Chen glanced at her, and was just about to go to the village to look for the two dead people on the beach yesterday, when he saw the village chief walking quickly from behind, shouting loudly as he walked: "Li Dahan, why hasn't that piece of land on the hillside been tilled yet?"

When it comes to dividing the money, everyone runs away faster than the next person, but when it comes to actually doing the work, they all dawdle and procrastinate.

If you keep doing this, your family's share of this year's dividends will be deducted!

Li Dahan, who was bending over and pulling weeds under a big tree not far away, looked up when he heard this and muttered in dissatisfaction, "I didn't slack off!"

"Zhang Qiang keeps putting off doing the rest of the work. We're all paid the same amount, why should I be the one to do it all?"

"Stop your nagging and get this done! Otherwise, your share of the profits from both families will be deducted!"

After shouting, the village chief turned to Jiang Chen and the others and said with a smile, "It's because we lack promotion and the tourism industry is not doing well. My son suggested building an amusement park on the mountain to welcome people. Everyone can contribute money or labor, all for the sake of common prosperity."

Seeing the village chief get angry, Li Dahan grabbed two more handfuls of grass and replied, "I know, I'll go home, feed the sheep, and call Zhang Qiang. We'll get it right away."

Jiang Chen first took a walk around the village. The 21 households were arranged in a long strip on the hillside of the deserted island.

The clock on the tower had just struck six, and every household in the village was already up. Fires were lit, cooking was in progress, children were crying, dogs were barking, and smoke and the aroma of food filled the air. It all looked harmonious and full of life.

Most people were still at home cooking and hadn't gone out when he ran into Duan Chengze at the village corner.

"The woman who was killed by a dagger on the beach was Zhang Qiang's wife." He lowered his voice when he saw Jiang Chen and said, "They had been married for almost ten years and had no children."

Jiang Chen shrugged, about to say that he hadn't found any clues yet, when he caught a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

"Isn't there just a little work left?" Zhang Qiang said, carrying a shovel. "You're too naive. If the village chief scolds you, try to reason with him. Why should our two families put in so much effort?"

Li Dahan's face turned red, and he poked the ground with his shovel, muttering, "The village chief has spoken, so why can't we finish this quickly? We rely on dividends to make a living every year; how much money can we earn by toiling in the fields?"

The two seemed to have a good relationship, carrying shovels and chatting as they headed out of the village.

"The figure I saw on the roof yesterday should be Zhang Qiang."

Jiang Chen frowned slightly and recalled carefully, "The height, build, and walking posture are very similar."

I didn't see Zhang Qiang with a weapon, so I'm not sure if he killed the village chief and the man with the red birthmark on his forehead.

Duan Chengze raised an eyebrow. "So, you saw Zhang Qiang alive."

His wife, a stranger, and the village chief were all killed.

The man with the red birthmark had a note in his pocket indicating a time, which read "The usual place!"

"It seems we're getting closer to the murder in the woods on the beach. Following Zhang Qiang and his wife should provide the answers."

"Could this incident have led to the deaths of over a hundred people in the entire village?"

"It can't be that simple. Let's look for other clues."

After they met, the two teamed up to play together.

Duan Chengze walked slightly behind, assessing his teammates' reliability from various aspects.

He has a mission to shoulder and must be cautious in everything he does, especially in choosing teammates.

In this deadly game, having a teammate who can help each other is very important, but the candidate must meet your requirements in every aspect.

So far, it seems that Jiang Chen, who entered the apartment at the same time as me, is doing quite well.

Bold yet meticulous, with strong observation and action skills.

Compared to Song Gang, who is physically strong and has run many dungeons and may have other intentions, Jiang Chen, who is also a newcomer, is easier to control;

Liang Rumeng is too old and women are at a clear disadvantage in death games, so she is not being considered.

Shi Xiaotong is young but too frivolous and loves to show off; she's scheming but lacks the means to back it up. Tang Zixuan is cowardly and impatient; the two are definitely not good teammates.

As soon as they reached a flagstone path, they heard a boy's voice, "The river is so much fun now! Catching fish and shrimp, the water is so cool and refreshing, I've even caught a big fish while diving in!"

Jiang Chen casually turned around and looked over. A dark-skinned boy of about eleven or twelve years old was talking animatedly. The boy was talking about a boy of the same age who was fair-skinned, chubby, and dressed in fashionable clothes. Jiang Chen was drinking porridge and listening with a look of envy.

"Get the hell out of here!" A sharp curse suddenly came from inside the house. An old woman with droopy single eyelids, a thin face, and a mean look came out carrying a fire poker. She pointed at the dark-skinned boy and cursed, "Zhang Pengpeng, you motherfucker, stop trying to incite my Shuai Shuai to go swimming. He's my only son. If he gets hurt, can you afford to pay for it?"

Chapter 5: Terrifying Desert Island 4

The old woman, still not satisfied with her cursing, swung her fire poker and began to beat the dark-skinned boy repeatedly.

He was hit hard twice, and in pain he turned and ran away, shouting as he ran, "You old hag, how dare you hit me? I'll tell my grandpa!"

My grandfather was the village chief!

"Village chief?" The old woman wrinkled her nose and curled her lip in disdain. "Without our Li family, what is he anyway!"

After she finished cursing, she turned her head and realized there were tourists. The old woman looked the two young people up and down, still waving her fire stick with disdain, "Tourists, huh?"

Looking for a place to have breakfast?

Go ask at someone else's house; we don't receive guests here.

After saying this, she patted her grandson's head and told him to finish his meal quickly and go inside to rest. She said she would take him to see the opera when it started, and he should not listen to that boy's encouragement to go play in the river.

The fair-skinned, chubby, and handsome boy was pulled into the house. Zhang Pengpeng spat angrily and cursed under his breath as he walked away.

The village is small and doesn't have a large population. There are elderly people living alone in empty houses, as well as wealthy families, such as the village chief, who has a large and prosperous family. He has four sons, all of whom are married with children, and his youngest son's daughter is four years old.