Chapter 505: Who Is the Mastermind?

As the plot unfolded, gruesome and terrifying murder methods were revealed one after another, sending chills down the spines of more timid audience members.

Many covered their mouths to prevent themselves from screaming out loud.

At the same time, questions began to surface in their minds.

"Who is the mastermind behind all this?"

"Why would someone resort to such twisted methods to kill?"

Louis and his companions were whispering among themselves.

Louis speculated, "I think that guy Adam is highly suspicious. He's clearly hiding something from the doctor."

Someone else disagreed, "No, no, I think the least likely person is often the real culprit. That's how these kinds of movies work. The film keeps trying to clear the doctor's name, which makes me suspect that he's actually the killer. Wouldn't that be the biggest twist?"

A thin, dark-skinned man sitting in the middle chimed in, "If we're talking about the least likely suspect, then it has to be the survivor, Amanda. Her test seemed way too easy—everyone else had to harm themselves, but she hurt someone else instead. That's why I think she's the real killer."

The person sitting to Louis' right added, "Isn't it obvious? The killer is the orderly!"

Everyone had their own theories, but no one even considered the supposedly dead suicide victim lying on the floor of the locked room.

Harvey, who had already seen the film once before, grinned in the darkness.

This was a classic technique used in suspense films—misleading the audience by manipulating their natural assumptions through camera work. The movie deliberately emphasized Dr. Lawrence Gordon as a suspect, along with Adam, the voyeuristic photographer, and the suspicious orderly. This guided the audience's focus toward them, while the seemingly insignificant suicide victim remained nothing more than a background detail.

This was a well-executed example of how cinematography could direct the audience's thought process.

Although it was a common technique, few directors could truly master it.

By this point, about sixty-five minutes had passed, yet no one in the theater had left for a restroom break, let alone walked out early.

Even those who felt nauseous from the film's gore endured their discomfort, unwilling to miss a single moment.

That was the key difference between Saw and typical slasher horror films. While Saw also used copious amounts of blood and devised grotesque murder scenes, it stood out for its suspenseful atmosphere and intricately woven puzzle elements. The film's logical consistency and clever setup made it shine.

One look at the audience's rapt expressions was enough to prove its effectiveness.

"Oh, shit! I knew it—the killer is the orderly!"

The man sitting to Louis' right exclaimed excitedly.

The others remained silent, except for Harvey, who smirked and said, "Keep watching, buddy. The truth won't be revealed that easily."

"What? You mean it isn't the orderly?"

On the big screen, Adam was explaining how he came to know Dr. Lawrence Gordon. It turned out that a tall Black detective named Tapp had hired Adam to follow Dr. Gordon and secretly photograph his every move.

Dr. Gordon, however, snapped in anger, "That guy Tapp isn't even a cop anymore! Ever since his partner died, he's lost his mind. He keeps harassing me, convinced that I'm his partner's murderer. He was discharged from the force long ago! And you—you helped him! You're just a paid snoop invading my privacy!"

This revelation sent yet another ripple of doubt through the audience. Some began to suspect that the former Black detective might be the real killer.

Adam and Dr. Gordon started arguing.

Dr. Gordon called Adam a "piece of scum."

Adam retorted, "Are you angry because I spied on you, or because I caught you cheating on your wife?"

Amidst their heated exchange, Adam suddenly said, "I took a picture of someone. Was there anyone else in your house last night besides your wife and daughter?"

"No!" Dr. Gordon replied.

"Then look at this." Adam tossed him a photograph.

Dr. Gordon picked it up and gasped. The image showed a man peeking out from behind his curtains.

"I know him!" Dr. Gordon exclaimed. "That's Zepp, the orderly from the hospital!"

At that moment, Adam pointed to the clock. "Look!"

The camera zoomed in on the clock face—its hands now pointed to six o'clock.

The orderly picked up a phone and called Adam. The phone, of course, had been found inside the room.

"Time's up. You failed," the orderly said.

Gunfire and the sounds of a struggle erupted from the phone speaker.

"Hello? Hello?!" Dr. Gordon shouted into the receiver, but there was no response.

He had no idea that the orderly hadn't actually killed his wife and daughter. Instead, his wife had broken free and stabbed the orderly in the leg. He fled in pain, only to be pursued by the former detective. The two of them engaged in a brutal fight.

Just as the audience expected the orderly to be taken down, the one who ended up dead was the detective.

Dr. Gordon was then knocked unconscious by an electric shock.

When he awoke, the psychological torment had pushed him beyond his limits. Like a camel crushed by the last straw, he completely broke down.

He screamed and struggled wildly, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't free himself from the shackles around his foot.

At last, he made a desperate decision—he took off his shirt, wrapped it around his lower leg, bit down on the sleeve, and picked up the hacksaw.

"Oh, shit! No way!"

A wave of gasps spread through the theater.

Was he really going to saw off his own leg?

That was exactly what happened. A man who had cheated on his wife, a man who had seemingly given up on his family, was now performing an act of unimaginable self-sacrifice—for his family.

Such was the contradiction of human nature.

On the screen, Dr. Gordon frantically sawed away, grunting like a wounded beast. Blood gushed out like a fountain…

The sound of the saw grinding against bone sent shivers down the audience's spines—it was like nails scraping across a chalkboard.

A young couple in the front row clung to each other, not out of romance but sheer terror.

Somewhere in the theater, someone retched.

Finally, Dr. Gordon severed his foot and pulled himself free from the chain.

He then crawled toward the corpse on the floor, retrieved the revolver, loaded the single bullet from the plastic bag, and aimed it at Adam.

"I'm sorry. I want to live. I have to save my family."

Bang!

The gun fired at point-blank range.

Adam collapsed.

Dr. Gordon fell to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

Just then, the wounded orderly staggered into the room, pointing a gun at Dr. Gordon with trembling hands. "I'm sorry. Those are the rules."

But before he could pull the trigger, Adam—who had been presumed dead—suddenly lunged at him, smashing him over the head with the tank lid from the toilet.

"Oh, shit!"

The shocking turn of events left the audience stunned.

It turned out Dr. Gordon had deliberately shot Adam in the shoulder, and Adam had been playing dead the entire time.

Dr. Gordon crawled toward the door to get help, convinced that the orderly was the mastermind and that they had defeated him.

But after he left, Adam searched the orderly's pockets and found a small tape recorder—identical to the one they had taken from the supposed corpse's hand.

Trembling, Adam pressed play.

"Hello, Mr. Enzo, also known as Zepp in the hospital. Let's play a game…"

The eerie voice, heard multiple times throughout the film, belonged to Jigsaw.

Which meant… the orderly was not the real mastermind.

Then who was?

Could it be the former detective?

The audience held their breath, their eyes locked on the screen, replaying previous scenes in their minds—searching desperately for the truth.

Who was it?

Who was the true mastermind?