Super God: If I punch you, you will die

Even if one cannot accurately draw a figure that one has seen, it is not difficult to assert one's opinion if the same thing reappears in one's mind.

When Maria asked if this was the correct image, both Hideyoshi's uncle and Dr. Nanjo nodded repeatedly.

"No mistake, no mistake, those are indeed the words written on it. How do you know that so clearly?"

"I remember there were words written between the two circles."

"I know, isn't that right?"

Truth also fluently wrote in Hebrew between the two concentric circles: “It is Psalm 116, verses 16 and 17 of the Old Testament. How can you not even read the Bible?”

Maria smiled as if she considered this knowledge something she should rightfully know. Everyone, including Lin Yan, was speechless for a long time.

After a while, Zhi came to his senses and finally managed to say a few words.

"You're amazing! I was quite surprised. What's the meaning behind this magic circle?"

"It is a magic circle that borrows the power of the sun. Anyone who draws a golden amulet and wears it will gain the ability to break free and gain freedom, even if they are trapped in a cage."

"Breaking free from constraints and gaining freedom. It's really intriguing."

"This so-called bondage does not refer solely to physical bondage, nor does it simply refer to people who are tied up and thrown into prison. It also implies mental bondage such as conflicts of interest and inescapable fate."

"A tangled web of interests, an inescapable fate. That makes it all the more intriguing."

"But I don't understand at all what this has to do with the remains of those six people? Not only did they not break free of their restraints, but they were also killed and locked in the warehouse?"

"This magic circle wasn't drawn for the six of them. It's because of this magic circle that the six of them need to be there. What a pity."

"What do you mean by that? Is it because of this magic circle that the six of them need to stay there? What is the reason behind this?"

Maria raised her index finger and shook it lightly, looking down on everyone.

"The reason is written between the concentric circles, can't you see it? I'll read you Psalms 116, verses 16 and 17: 'The Lord has removed my chains; I will offer a living sacrifice to you in thanksgiving and praise.' Do you understand?"

077 A Secluded Otherworld [Please Subscribe]

"There's no such thing as understanding or not understanding; I don't understand what you're saying at all."

"You mean, human sacrifices?"

If the scripture Maria just recited is the most crucial part of this magic circle, then she means that a living sacrifice must be offered in order to receive the protection of this magic circle.

In the warehouse where this magic circle was drawn, someone offered sacrifices.

It seems that everyone, though a step behind, had the same idea.

Some people were stunned, others were saying it was insane, and some even punched their knees. The more they talked about it, the more uncomfortable it became, and Lin Yan not only couldn't accept it, he couldn't even understand it. He didn't care about magic circles or spells; those who believed in such things could do it themselves, Lin Yan was too lazy to bother them. But the people who were murdered… they were killed for such a trivial matter.

This left Lin Yan feeling pent-up anger with nowhere to vent. Compared to this situation, the reason of fighting for inheritance was much better, something that was already tiresome to hear.

A complex mix of anger and sorrow filled Lin Yan with resentment. He left the circle of people and returned to the window. Something had been amiss since yesterday. During dinner yesterday, Maria read aloud the letter from the witch Beatrice. He had a feeling that from that moment on, or rather, from that moment on, the entire house, even the whole island, had begun to be drawn into a strange world. Yes, now that he thought about it, that letter was the witch's invitation.

The island is ruled by night, which takes those who belong to the daytime to another world. This island, which has no telephone or radio service and is blocked by typhoons, can be described as an isolated otherworld.

On this island, it's now commonplace for witches to deliver messages or offer living sacrifices to magic circles. What will happen next? Will a group of strange people wearing goat masks start dancing festive dances?

This won't work; Lin Yan was completely at a loss.

Lin Yan's mind was in complete chaos, making it impossible for him to know what to think. Anger and sadness, two opposing emotions, churned within him, swallowing him whole.

Unable to resist, Lin Yan could only cover his eyes with his hands, letting his body and mind slowly be swallowed up. Just as Lin Yan was about to give up, a childhood memory surfaced in his mind.

That happened when Lin Yan was a child. Around that time, Lin Yan watched a very scary supernatural movie on TV and was so frightened that he was afraid to go to the toilet alone. At that time, Lin Yan's stinky old man laughed and said this.

"Lin Yan, why do you think people would deliberately make movies about demons and supernatural beings? Because they don't exist; you simply can't find such ridiculous things on Earth. It's precisely because they don't exist, yet people still want to see them, that they create them. So when I see these supernatural movies, I just find them funny and can't help but laugh. In my opinion, compared to demons and monsters, this year's profit and loss statement or a wife in a bad mood is a billion times more terrifying. And I'm not finished yet. In my view, fear is an entertaining emotion that only people with leisure time in their lives and minds have. These people are just bored and want to use these strange emotions to amuse themselves, which is why they create this kind of culture about demons and supernatural beings."

……

That's absolutely right. What's he spacing out for? Hasn't he been completely fooled?

"Are you kidding me? This is the human world. I don't care about witches, demons, magic circles, or living sacrifices. The people who killed them are still on this island. Isn't it that simple?"

Next, it was Wujiang who spoke to Lin Yan's inner thoughts.

"Whether it's chess or shogi, the closer you get to the end of the game and the more you're about to checkmate your opponent, the more limited your optimal moves become. So when you've cornered your opponent or yourself, both players' moves become very predictable. In other words, the moment when you seem to have no way out and are at your wit's end is when it's easiest to predict your opponent's next move. However, when you're at a disadvantage, your thinking inevitably becomes rigid, and you stop trying to predict your opponent's moves. That's when you need to 'flip the board.'"

Lin Yan slapped his face hard with both hands and woke up completely.

At first, we were completely confused and felt like we had no way out. Isn't this the perfect time to "flip the chessboard"?

They were at a disadvantage and couldn't figure out the killer's purpose at all.

What can we learn by switching perspectives?

First, the murderer already knew the entire island was under typhoon quarantine when he committed the crime. Therefore, the murderer should also have known that it was impossible for him to escape the island the next morning after actually killing someone.

In other words, the murderer knew there was no way out, yet still killed the person. Furthermore, he stuffed the body into a warehouse and even went to great lengths to draw strange graffiti to tell them the body was hidden there.

In other words, the killer "wanted them to see" the body.

If they were all too oblivious and no one noticed the problem with the warehouse, the killer's objective "might not have been achieved?"

Thinking about this, Lin Yan felt that the murderer must have been watching their actions with trepidation since early morning.

After all, if they hadn't discovered the problem with that warehouse, all the effort the murderer had put into preparing last night would have been for nothing.

What did the killer intend to make people feel by showing them the bodies in the warehouse? The faces of all six bodies had been visibly damaged.

Resentment? Making an example of someone?

The body was desecrated after death, meaning it was not a means of murder, nor was it done against the person who was killed.

That was "made for the person who discovers it." The murderer wanted Lin Yan and the others to know how horribly they died.

When Lin Yan thought about this, he felt that the murderer was really looking down on people.

Another intriguing question is the magic circle-like contraption on the iron gate. This magic circle is so authentic that even Maria, who has demonstrated knowledge of the occult comparable to Kinzo Ushiromiya, affirms its authenticity.

It's truly admirable that someone would spend so much time drawing something like this, holding an umbrella in the dark. What was the killer's purpose in going to such lengths?

In this large house, when anything related to the occult was discussed, they almost automatically suspected a connection to Ushiromiya Kinzo. So, did the murderer want us to "think that Ushiromiya Kinzo was involved in this matter"?

But if that's the only purpose, any drawing that looks like a magic circle will suffice. After all, laymen like Lin Yan and the others can't tell whether a magic circle is well-drawn or just randomly scribbled.

But this magic circle was very authentic, and it was even inscribed with Hebrew.

In other words, this magic circle should contain a message that "only those with knowledge of mysticism can see."

078 Offering Sacrifices [Please Subscribe]

A message is a form of communication.

After sending a message, one naturally expects a response from the other party.

respond?

Ushiromiya Kinzo has disappeared for unknown reasons. Lin Yan doesn't know how Ushiromiya Kinzo saw the magic circle on the iron gate, but perhaps his disappearance is a result of his response.

No, or is this actually a trap, designed to make them suspect that Ushiromiya Kinzo is involved in this matter?

Both explanations make sense; they're really looking for trouble.

The killer's use of these mystical practices against Lin Yan and his group raises questions about their reaction. I feel that figuring out this crucial detail will reveal the killer's true intentions.

At this moment, Lin Yan recalled a portion of the letter from Beatrice that Maria had read aloud during dinner the previous day.

That is the sentence that tells Lin Yan and the others to enjoy the fun of wits.

This is going to be interesting. Lin Yan and the others are going to have to outwit the witch and see if they'll be swallowed up by her mystical stuff first, or if I'll be the one to expose her true colors first.

The typhoon won't leave for another full day, so they'll have a good time.

Before we knew it, the living room was completely silent.

Everyone sat in their respective armchairs. Some were deep in thought, some were indignant, and some were utterly dejected.

Maria, however, acted as if nothing had happened and went back to watching TV. It seemed she was happier watching the commercials than the boring programs, and she kept making noises like "hahaha."

Lin Yan carefully examined each person.

Since there is no nineteenth person, the murderer should be in the living room.

Eiha, Hideyoshi, Joji, Zhu Zhixiang, Dr. Nanjo, Maria, and Lin Yan, along with Princess Ushiro Natsumi, are currently leading the servants to inspect the main house.

Then it can't be said that it happened in the living room. It should be said that it happened in this large house, after all, Aunt Natsumi Ushiro might also be the mastermind, and we still can't rule out the possibility that the servants actually committed the crime.

Everyone could be the murderer.

But Princess Natsumi and her entourage took quite a while. The room was indeed quite large, but I felt that just checking if the doors and windows were locked shouldn't have taken so long.

Just as Lin Yan was thinking this, Ushiromiya Natsumi and the others returned. Not a single one was missing. They were about to catch their breath when everyone's eyes widened as they stared at Ushiromiya Natsumi. Ushiromiya Eiyu's words to me flashed through my mind. She said the killer could kill all six of my father's people at once, so there were likely many of them, or they were armed.

"This has alarmed everyone. I only took it out just in case." This was because Princess Natsumi Ushiro was holding a rifle.

At first glance, its outline resembles a shotgun, but it is very short and looks like a child's toy gun. However, the heavy feel of the gun body tells you that this gun is by no means a child's toy.

"This must be Mr. Ushiromiya Kinzo's gun."

“So you knew about it? Yes, I remembered that my father-in-law had this gun in his collection, so I went to find it.”

"This is incredible, Aunt Natsumi Ueshiro! Is this a real gun?"

"Yes, it's a real gun, capable of firing live ammunition. My father-in-law used to use it to scare away wild birds."

"I miss it so much. I really don't know where it came from. I begged my dad so many times before, but he wouldn't let me touch it."

"I didn't know Grandpa had such a thing."

“My dad used to be a big fan of Westerns; people of that generation loved rifles.”

"Is it a Winchester? But this is the first time I've seen such a short gun."

“I remember now, it’s this gun. It brings back so many memories. Steve McQueen used this gun in an old movie called ‘Shoot and Kill.’ My father-in-law is quite the expert.”

"This was specially ordered by the master many years ago. As you can see, it is a real gun. Please keep this a secret."

"He was immediately captivated by the gun when he first got it, and seemed more interested in the action of evacuating the bullets than in firing it. He even struck various poses to show off in the forest behind it."

"But that's really scary. Is it really necessary to take out something like that?"

"This is just in case. I think there is probably more than one murderer, and they killed my husband and six others in one go. Until the ship arrives tomorrow, I have an obligation to protect everyone in my husband's place."

After saying this, Princess Natsumi Ushiro sat heavily on the sofa and sighed deeply.

They initially said they were going to check if the doors and windows inside the house were locked, and also to find Ushiromiya Kinzo.

Since Ushiromiya Kinzo didn't come back with them, it probably means they haven't found him yet.

“We have thoroughly checked whether the doors and windows inside the house are locked, but we are always on the safe side, so I think it would be better if everyone stayed here together as much as possible.”

"It should be more reassuring to have everyone gathered here to monitor each other."

"Aunt Huiyu, what do you mean by that?"

"It doesn't mean anything. I just agree with my sister-in-law, Consort Xia of the Right Palace."

The atmosphere between the two became increasingly tense.

When it comes to who would benefit most from the inheritance, the most suspicious person is Princess Ushiromiya Eiha. But no one can guarantee that Princess Ushiromiya Natsuhime's aunt is without fault.

To be honest, if Beatetrich's letter was a prank meticulously planned by Kinzo Ushiromiya, and even the murder was part of the whole prank, then Kinzo Ushiromiya himself is very suspicious.

Princess Natsuhime Ushiromiya believed the murderer was outside, while Princess Ewa Ushiromiya believed the murderer was inside. The difference lies in whether or not one accepts the existence of a nineteenth person.

Ever since receiving that letter from the witch who called herself Beatrice at dinner yesterday, this question has kept recurring: Is the murderer one of us? And does the witch Beatrice really exist?

To say that such an absurd thing as a witch could not possibly exist is tantamount to declaring that the murderer is among us, the people with whom we share blood ties.

If you don't like that, it's much easier to just accept that there are definitely witches, things that only exist in fairy tales.

Was it a witch who drew that suspicious magic circle and offered sacrifices?

If I could accept this kind of nonsense, I could believe everyone in this room right now, but boring common sense prevents me from doing so.

It repeatedly claimed that witches could not possibly exist.

So the murderer is among us, and amidst the endless rain, we can't shake off the silence.

Winchester M1894 Shortened Version – A shortened version of a rifle manufactured during the golden age of the Winchester gun factory.

While shortening the barrel fatally reduces the range, it dramatically improves portability and style.

Furthermore, once you master the unique lever operation, you can fire at the same rate as a pistol. And the way you load bullets using this unique lever action is irresistible to Western movie fans.