"This game, as long as I ensure one thing, that I have human teammates, I can survive for seven days."
So far, Takahashi Fumihiko’s behavior indeed looks very human-like. Wen Xishu only needs to verify this point next.
He thought it over for a while and decided to start with questions. If he couldn’t evoke extreme emotions in the other person... then he would use Desire Tower’s method, beating the truth out.
But then, the TV suddenly lit up again.
The TV displayed a photo of the top scorer of Rokkasho City’s college entrance exam.
A gentle-looking boy, wearing a school uniform and glasses, giving a fresh and warm impression.
But the TV screen kept flickering, causing the photo of the boy in the TV to show only the upper half of his face while the lower half was blocked.
Just from the appearance of the upper half of his face...
Wen Xishu could almost confirm that this was Takahashi Fumihiko.
"This TV surprisingly has this function."
Takahashi Fumihiko seemed like an exceptionally excellent student from the TV reports. Various coverage described Fumihiko’s excellence through the narratives of teachers and classmates.
Takahashi Fumihiko was somewhat surprised, even a bit fearful:
"What... what’s with this TV?"
Wen Xishu did not speak.
At that moment, the TV went quiet again. But from it came another voice message.
[Keep questioning until the end, and it will prevent them from disguising.]
Wen Xishu started to understand.
"I see, this TV... seems to provide member introductions and supplementary rules."
"So it looks like I now have rule 11 - some of them don’t have genitals."
"Rule 12 - Keep questioning until the end, and it will prevent them from disguising."
Wen Xishu gradually frowned. He suddenly felt that something was wrong.
"Let me think, the first Takahashi Fumihiko, he got angry because of my incessant questioning. Does this mean this rule was activated?"
"But breaking the disguise means ending the lurking, doesn’t it? This is not a beneficial rule."
"Breaking the disguise means logically they can’t make themselves believe they are human anymore... thus, they can only forcefully end the lurking."
"In other words... if I now asked a question that Takahashi Fumihiko or Takahashi Mariko couldn’t answer..."
"Assuming they are ’them’, then they would immediately transform into monsters."
Wen Xishu remembered the scene not long ago... when the TV showed the prompt [Some of them don’t have genitals]—
Mariko’s reaction was to take off her underwear to prove herself.
But if... when Mariko took off her underwear then, it indeed didn’t have the normal human structure... wouldn’t that mean forcing Mariko to reveal herself?
Then, Mariko did this, does it imply that once they start lurking, they can’t volunteer to reveal themselves?
But if the house owner uses logical contradictions to make them unable to disguise themselves logically anymore... they can end the lurking?
Thinking of this, Wen Xishu suddenly felt scared.
If that time, it had been someone else, driven by lust, trying to get Mariko to strip off her intimate garments...
Then that person might have been killed by Mariko, transformed into a monster, right?
In some sense, Mariko also intended to use this rule to kill herself ahead of time.
But he interrupted the spell.
"Damn... If I use spiritual barrage on Takahashi Fumihiko, will it make him forcibly transform into a monster once I know he’s a monster?"
"No... no, I know he’s a monster, but as long as he doesn’t know I know he’s a monster."
"But now, I am already bound by this rule."
Now, Wen Xishu dared not question thoroughly.
Otherwise, it might lead to life-threatening consequences.
With only three bullets, he didn’t want to reveal himself so soon.
But now the problem is, even if Wen Xishu doesn’t actively break their lurking... in about eight hours, ’they’ will end their lurking period passively.
Wen Xishu speculated that the lurking period likely aligns with his sleep duration.
Now Wen Xishu has freed himself from the "living alone means death" rule.
But if the two guests in the house are ’them’, how will he survive safely without using bullets?
There are only three bullets, and it’s just not even nine o’clock yet, but there have already been four knocks on the door. This night is still long, and there are six more to come.
All three fell into silence.
Then the fifth knock sounded.
Wen Xishu said nothing, approached the door unhurriedly. He heard breathing sounds, but they felt odd... the sound felt eerily familiar to him.
Wen Xishu instantly made a gesture for silence. Inside the room, Takahashi Mariko continued to look at Wen Xishu with a crave-filled gaze.
While Takahashi Fumihiko very cooperatively covered his mouth with his hands.
Now Wen Xishu could only feel cold fear running down his spine.
Even though he knew he had a really bold temper and was temporarily safe, seeing clearly who was knocking on the door still made his heart skip a beat.
The person outside was none other than Takahashi Fumihiko.
At that moment, the Takahashi Fumihiko outside the door made a silence gesture.
He took out a phone and typed on it. Then, Takahashi Fumihiko held the phone up to the peephole.
Wen Xishu looked at the message on the phone, felt it was amusing yet troublesome.
[I come from the neighboring room. My drone captured... you just let it in! Don’t trust the me inside! Don’t trust the me inside! It’s just one of ’them’ who knows our appearances.]
Wen Xishu turned his head and glanced at Takahashi Fumihiko inside the room.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Takahashi Fumihiko’s eyes seemed to become a bit playful at that moment.
He stared directly at Wen Xishu, then stood up and started walking toward Wen Xishu.