The male supporting character was actually myself.

Jiang Chen and his group were chatting with the priest, trying to gather information, when they suddenly heard a slightly distorted shout coming from the village, as if the person had been greatly shocked and frightened.

"What's wrong now?" The priest's expression changed, and he hurriedly lifted the hem of his wide priestly robe and ran into the village. "The village hasn't been peaceful these past few days, it's really a headache!"

The feverish old man who was obsessed with black oil died.

He didn't die of illness, but rather from a gaping hole in his chest that gushed blood all over the bed. He died with his eyes wide open, his breath fading away.

His honest nephew collapsed in the yard after shouting for help, probably terrified and completely dazed, not even responding to questions from others.

The courtyard quickly filled with people.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: When It Gets Dark, Please Close Your Eyes (15)

"This is terrifying! Who could have done this?"

"Although he was usually crazy and eccentric, he never harmed anyone. How could he have died such a tragic death?"

"What kind of deep-seated hatred could drive someone to kill in this way?"

"Grandma Martha was still brewing medicine for him, saying she was afraid he wouldn't make it through if his fever got too high. But before he could even recover, he was killed!"

"We need to find the killer quickly! Such cruel and ruthless methods must belong to a serial killer!"

"Have you heard? Two Inspectors have gone missing. Could it be..."

……

The courtyard was abuzz with discussion. After glancing at the deceased's body, the players all understood what had happened.

Zhimeng tried her best to stand further behind Jiang Chen;

Liang Rumeng looked at Song Gang with a suspicious look, took a step back, and said softly, "I'll leave first, you leave last."

"What do you mean?" Song Gang shouted, glaring. "I followed you right away. Who knows if anyone else happened to pass by after we left? Do the others have alibis? Why do you assume it was me?"

With a wicked smile, Lin Yuan took out the wooden spikes that Jiang Chen had given him from his backpack. "Here, my wooden spikes are original. Do you dare to show me yours, you dog-catching guy?"

If the villagers knew you did this, what do you think they would do?

I've heard that people in the Middle Ages seemed to enjoy tying bad guys to a fire and burning them.

Why do I assume it's you? Don't you have any self-awareness? It's because you're a traitor with a criminal record!

Song Gang's already dark complexion turned even uglier. "Don't forget we're in the same boat. We're always fighting amongst ourselves. Are you deliberately targeting me?"

The good news is that this guy has been cleared of suspicion.

The real killer is someone else!

If we don't want any more people to die in the stone house, we must catch and kill the murderer today! Otherwise, think about what you did last night (no way) tonight? You don't think the murderer will forget the grudge from last night, do you?

I haven't broken any rules. If we fail to catch the murderer, you'll all be implicated and die!

"So you just kill people indiscriminately?" Duan Chengze looked at him, his expression showing a hint of anger.

“He’s the prime suspect, isn’t that the consensus?” Song Gang retorted. “I was just trying to protect myself! You have no right to criticize me. Everyone should be responsible for their own actions.”

Don't use your moral standards to impose on others.

Jiang Chen frowned slightly but said nothing. He turned and walked out of the noisy courtyard. Duan Chengze, Zhimeng, and Lin Yuan followed him out.

"You'd better watch yourself," Liang Rumeng said sharply. "I hope you can distinguish between reality and fiction, and hold onto your principles, otherwise you'll run into someone even more ruthless sooner or later!"

Song Gang remained silent with a gloomy face.

At first, I thought the dog could turn into a werewolf and kill people, so I took the initiative and killed the dog.

Now he felt that all the clues pointed to this guy who believed in cults. He wanted to be the first to get more time rewards, but who would have thought that he was wrong again!

"Damn it!" Song Gang spat on the ground, looking at the villagers who were worried or scared, and for a moment he didn't know which one was the murderer.

After this whole mess, those people definitely won't share any clues with me anymore.

Song Gang knew very well that he didn't have the brains to rely on himself.

Are we really going to kill all the suspects?

"Your Excellency Inspector, please help me!" The honest farmer finally calmed down after being comforted by the villagers and cried as he begged Duan Chengze and his group of players wearing gray robes and badges.

Lin Yuan glanced at Song Gang with ill intent, and Duan Chengze shook his head at him.

After comforting the farmer, the group of five stood by the stables not far away.

"It's a pity he did it so cleanly that he didn't leave any evidence." Lin Yuan chuckled, playing with the wooden splinter in his hand. "Otherwise, I really wanted to see with my own eyes how long a person could endure being roasted over a fire before being burned to death."

Liang Rumeng gave him a disdainful look. "Pervert!"

"These days, who isn't a pervert at some point?"

Lin Yuan didn't mind at all, and was even a little smug. "I'm just being more honest and direct. The most terrifying thing is the perverted stuff that's hidden in your heart and not spoken out!"

Dreamweaver whispered, "I found a clue, it's the thread on Kane's body."

The church was decorated with many beautifully embroidered flags, each with a black border that looked like it was made with that kind of thread. The stitches were very pretty and delicate. The old priest said that they were made by Priest Brian himself.

So I wanted to investigate how likely it was that the priest was.

They first asked several villagers, who all agreed that the priest was a gentle and kind man, but he had been frail and sickly since childhood.

Later I heard he was in the woods outside the village, and I wanted to go check on him, but I didn't notice a hole in the grass, and I slipped and fell in..."

“Judging from how he worked just now, he seems to fit the characteristics of the murderer.” Duan Chengze concluded: “He is also left-handed, and he seems to have some muscle weakness. His hands trembled when he just shoveled a little soil. This is quite different from the average young man.”

“Let’s continue to observe, but make sure Song Gang doesn’t hear us. Otherwise, the difference in strength between them is too great, and I’m worried the young priest won’t be able to resist at all,” Liang Rumeng said in a low voice with concern. “Since we’ll be living in the same apartment from now on, everyone should try to be careful around him.”

To commit murder, one must overcome psychological barriers.

Once he does it, he probably won't have any fear of violence, and if things get heated... I'm really worried that the apartment won't be safe anymore.

Lin Yuan revealed the awl he had been playing with, "I found one of the murder weapons used for sewing—in the toolbox in the stable."

This place is open; anyone can take it.

A trace of blood could be seen in the gaps between the wooden handle and the awl, where it was difficult to clean. The murderer most likely used it to sew the thread.

The toolbox was placed on top of the haystack; to reach it without stepping on anything, one would have to be at least 1.75 meters tall.

This indirectly confirms the killer's height; he was roughly between 75 and 77 cm tall, as seen last night.

"So all the suspicions are focused on the priest?" Liang Rumeng frowned. "The rules say the clues are on the corpse, and the clues we found on the corpse are nothing more than these."

Jiang Chen shook his head and denied it, saying, "If the same clues only appear in the church, then the old priest is still a suspect."

“Yes, the stitches on Kane’s body are the simplest stitches; anyone who knows how to sew can do it as long as they’re not blind,” Lin Yuan added.

Duan Chengze breathed a sigh of relief. "Next, let's keep a close eye on the clues about the needle and thread, and make sure that other people have them in their homes, or that the special black thread in the church might be obtained by someone else."

If all the suspects in the village can be ruled out, the murderer can only be either the old priest or Priest Brian!

Chapter Thirty-Nine: When It Gets Dark, Please Close Your Eyes (16)

Fortunately, there weren't many suspects. The group used the investigation into the old man's murder as an excuse to ask around the village.

In the afternoon, the group of five gathered together to synthesize the clues.

None of the other suspects had the same special black thread in their homes;

Through Priest Brian, Dream Weaver learned that everything in the church was stored in the back warehouse, including the materials he used to make flags and daily necessities for the church.

Brian, who had taken a liking to this quiet and pretty young girl, revealed his entire situation without reservation.

The clues players desperately need include his childhood illness that left him with weak limbs, and the fact that he only learned needlework under the guidance of the old priest.

"It's decided, it's either the old priest or Brian." Lin Yuan still grinned, toying with the wooden splinter in his hand and looking towards the church with ill intent. "Two choices, wanna take a gamble?"

After obeying orders to investigate the situation at the church again, the little white cat bounced back and reported, "Master, I searched very thoroughly this time!"

It swished its tail triumphantly, shook its big ears, and cleared its soft, sweet loli voice, "I declare that the serial killer is the old priest!"

I found a strange circular array diagram in the lining of his blanket. That's the blanket he used to sleep under last night, which is why I didn't find anything last night.

Who would have thought there was a hidden layer inside the quilt?

Also, the robe he wore had a lining with strangely drawn patterns inside.

You really have to be careful. Since he can summon such strange things, he might know some kind of dark magic.

"The ability to turn people into stone statues, toads, wild beasts, and the like—aren't those all the dark magic in stories?"

It was actually in the interlayer?

Jiang Chen couldn't help but laugh; this setup was really well hidden.

If it weren't for the little white cat that could explore everywhere and find clues, we probably would have had to rely on the protagonist's gadgets to break the deadlock this time.

“I choose the old priest,” he said first. “He is very likely to use dark magic. Brian is too young to learn that kind of thing.”

Moreover, judging from the description of their conversation in the dream, the old priest was clearly somewhat concerned about his advanced age.

Many people become more afraid of death as they get older, and they will do all sorts of crazy things in order to avoid dying.

Many emperors in ancient times sought elixirs of immortality and longevity.

Most of those who are easily deceived by health products in modern times are elderly people who don't want to get sick or die.

The fear of death could very well drive this outwardly kind and gentle old man into becoming a demon.

Duan Chengze hesitated slightly and said, "The reasoning makes sense, but isn't it a bit too hasty without actual evidence? I think it would be more reliable to use my prop to check it after its cooldown period is over."

“Agreed!” Liang Rumeng echoed.

Zhimeng didn't offer any opinion; she was very self-aware and knew she couldn't do something like driving a wooden spike into the murderer's chest and piercing his heart.

Since that's the case, no matter who the murderer is, we have to rely on others to win. All I can do is help find clues as much as possible and observe the situation without causing trouble.

"Rustling, clanging!"

Just as they finished discussing and identifying the suspect, they heard the sound of something falling outside the window.

"Oh no!" Jiang Chen was the first to realize, "Someone's eavesdropping!"

Lin Yuan laughed in anger, a strange smile that looked somewhat eerie on his slightly distorted face. "Well done! This guy from the 'Dog-Taming Gang' is trying to beat us to the first kill again!"

Before he could finish speaking, he pushed off with his feet, jumped out of the back window, and disappeared down a side road with a wooden splinter in his hand.