chapter32：Blizzard Day Murder

Just at this moment, the butler stepped forward. His voice seemed to come from the dark abyss, announcing in a solemn and mysterious tone, "The masquerade ball begins now!" The butler paused for a moment. That brief pause was like the lull before the storm, making people's hearts involuntarily tighten. Then he continued, "Each guest present has three chances to solve a pending case. I will use Ai technology to implant the story content and character information into the brains of each guest."

As soon as the words fell, the lights suddenly dimmed. The darkness was like a surging tide, instantly submerging everyone without giving them any chance to react. In an instant, everyone felt a brief but intense dizziness. This dizziness lasted only for a second, but it seemed as long as an eon. It was as if in this second, the soul was briefly devoured by the darkness. When everyone regained consciousness, they found themselves already taken to the location where the story took place, and the role - playing officially commenced the terrifying curtain - raiser.

"The pending case this time is a serial murder case that occurred on a blizzard day." The butler's voice was like the whisper of Death, echoing in everyone's ears. That voice seemed to carry ice shards, making people shudder. It was as if just hearing about this case, one was already enveloped by the cold breath of death.

"Wow, it looks so thrilling!" A guest said excitedly. His voice was extremely obtrusive in this tense atmosphere, like the song of a bird suddenly ringing in a silent graveyard, breaking the due deathly silence and also attracting the dissatisfied and vigilant gazes of the people around.

"Humph, don't think it's too easy. It's definitely not that simple." Another guest responded cautiously. His eyes scanned the surroundings uneasily, as if countless pairs of peeping eyes were hidden in the surrounding darkness. Those eyes were like venomous snakes lurking in the dark, ready to lunge out and deliver a fatal blow at any time.

"If the person who draws the role of the murderer is not found within an hour, then he will obtain ten thousand taels of gold and be able to make a wish." The butler narrated the rules methodically, but that intonation was like reading a death sentence. Every word was weighty, carrying an irresistible sense of oppression.

"Conversely, if the murderer is found out, he will lose the most precious thing in his heart. This will be randomly selected by Ai. And for the other participants, if they successfully find the murderer, they can obtain ten thousand taels of gold or get the things they desire most, and even include punishing the people they dislike." After hearing the rules, the guests had different expressions.

Some were full of anticipation. Beneath that anticipatory look seemed to hide an unknown avarice. Their eyes flickered with the longing for wealth and wishes, as if they had already seen a wonderful future beckoning to them.

Some were slightly worried. The worried look in their eyes seemed to forebode the impending doom, like a frightened hare, carefully observing everything around.

Amy frowned and whispered to Jack and Lucy, "This case sounds very intricate, and we also have to pay attention to that strange phenomenon of gender - switching. Maybe it has something to do with the case. All this is like a carefully arranged snare, and we are like ignorant prey, stepping into the trap step by step. We must be cautious and not be deceived by appearances."

Jack nodded in agreement. His gaze swept over each guest warily: "Yes, we have to pay meticulous attention to every detail. I always feel that the murderer is like a specter hidden in the dark, quietly observing our every move. Every decision we make may become a vulnerability for him to exploit."

Lucy said nervously, "I'm a little scared. All this is too strange. I think everyone here is like wearing a mask. You don't know whether an angel or a devil is hidden beneath the mask at all. It feels like there is danger all around us, but we don't know where the danger will come from."

Amy comforted her, "Don't be afraid, Lucy. Together, we can surely deal with it. However, we must always be vigilant because the danger may lurk in someone around us. As long as we stick together, we will have a greater chance of finding the truth."

Everyone began to search for clues in this suspense - filled environment. Every movement was like groping in the dark, not knowing what would be touched in the next second, hope or despair. Every corner exuded a mysterious aura, as if countless secrets were hidden there, waiting to be unearthed.

After a while, someone shouted, "Look, there is a string of footprints here!" That voice was like a thunderclap in the silent blizzard, breaking the originally oppressive silence and making everyone's nerves instantly tense up.

Everyone gathered around when they heard the sound. A guest carefully observed the footprints and said, "These footprints look very peculiar. They don't seem to be left by ordinary shoes. These footprints are like marks from hell, exuding a bone - chilling aura, as if they were the traces left by Death."

Amy crouched down and carefully examined the footprints and said, "The shape of these footprints is very strange, and the depths are not uniform. Could it be that the murderer was dragging something heavy? Could this heavy object be... a corpse? Although this idea is very terrifying, in the context of such a serial murder case scene, it is not impossible."

"Very likely." Jack's eyes lit up, but there was a trace of fear in his eyes. "Let's follow the direction of the footprints and have a look. But everyone should be careful. This may be a trap deliberately set by the murderer to lead us in the wrong direction."

They walked along the direction of the footprints. The snowstorm around became more and more violent, like countless angry beasts roaring. The wind sound was like the roar of demons, pounding on everyone's eardrums. The line of sight also became blurry, as if an invisible hand had covered a thick layer of gauze in front of their eyes, allowing everyone to only explore within a limited field of vision, increasing the unknown fear.

Suddenly, Lucy screamed, "Look, there is a black figure in front!" Her voice became shrill because of fear, cutting through the howling of the snowstorm like a dazzling bolt of lightning in the dark.

Everyone's eyes turned to the direction Lucy pointed. A hazy black figure loomed in the blizzard. That black figure was like a demon crawling out from the depths of hell, standing there quietly, exuding a terrifying aura, as if it were the incarnation of death, waiting for the prey to approach.

"Who is that?" A guest asked nervously. His voice was trembling, as if the black figure would pounce on him and devour him at any time. Every word revealed his inner fear.

"Could it be the murderer?" Another guest guessed. His body unconsciously took a step back, as if he wanted to stay away from that black figure, but his eyes were fixed on the black figure, not daring to relax at all.

Everyone cautiously approached the black figure. Their heartbeats involuntarily accelerated. The heartbeat sounded like it was pounding crazily in the chest, as if it was about to break through the chest, like a war drum beating, playing the tune of fear.

When they got closer and took a look, they found that it was a dummy blown down by the snowstorm. Everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, but at the same time, they were also a little disappointed. This moment of relief was like seeing a glimmer of hope in the dark and then being plunged back into the darkness again, and the emotions fluctuated violently between hope and disappointment.

"It seems that the murderer is very cunning and deliberately set these up to interfere with us. This murderer is like a sly spider, weaving a web in the dark and waiting for us to fall into the trap." Amy analyzed calmly. Her eyes flickered with a vigilant light, like little stars in the dark, trying to penetrate this thick fog.

"We can't be deceived by these appearances. We have to look for clues again. This place is like a huge labyrinth, and we are the pitiful creatures lost inside, but we must find the exit." Jack said firmly. He clenched his fists, as if to boost his morale. Every finger was full of strength, which was a kind of tenacity for the truth and the desire for survival.

So, everyone scattered again and continued to search for the truth in this dangerous and suspense - filled blizzard scene. Every corner was like a Pandora's box full of secrets. One didn't know what would be released after opening it. It could be a hopeful clue or a deadly peril.

"I found a strange symbol!" A guest shouted in the distance. His voice carried a hint of surprise, but also mixed with uneasiness, like finding a glimmer of light in the dark but worrying that it was the bait of a trap.

Everyone hurriedly ran towards the direction of that guest. Only to see an unseen strange symbol engraved on the wall. That symbol was like a sign from an ancient evil ritual, exuding an evil aura that made people's scalps tingle. It was as if just looking at it, one could feel a dark force eroding one's soul.

"What does this symbol mean?" Lucy looked at the symbol in confusion. Her body trembled slightly, as if this symbol had some mysterious power that could control people's fear emotions.

"This may be the mark left by the murderer or something closely related to the case. This symbol is like the murderer's signature left in the dark, waiting for us to decipher." Amy said pensively. Her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she was trying to see through this symbol, with her eyes full of concentration and confusion.

Just as everyone was racking their brains over the meaning of this symbol, time passed by minute by minute. The one - hour deadline was getting closer and closer, and the true face of the murderer was still hidden in the thick fog.

Every second of the passage was like the approaching steps of Death, making people feel extremely oppressive. It was as if the air had become heavy, pressing people so hard that they could hardly breathe.

Suddenly, the golden bronze mirror in Lucy's hand trembled slightly and emitted a faint glow. Lucy was startled. She looked at the bronze mirror and saw some blurry images emerging on it. It seemed to be the scene of the next murder case about to happen.

Lucy's eyes widened in horror, and she said in a trembling voice, "Amy, Jack, this golden bronze mirror... it seems to be warning us that the next murder case is about to happen!"

Amy and Jack's faces instantly became solemn when they heard this. Amy shouted to the players around, "Everyone, listen to me! The golden bronze mirror has given us a hint. The next murder case may happen soon. Let's gather in the living room and not separate. It's relatively safer this way. Everyone must not act alone. The murderer may be among us. Acting alone is too dangerous!"

Jack also echoed, "Yes, let's gather together and look after each other. We have now determined that this is not a simple game but a real life - and - death crisis. Before finding the murderer, we must be careful."

Some guests, hearing this, were full of horror and hurriedly ran towards the living room; some guests were half - believing and half - doubting, but seeing Amy and Jack's solemn expressions, they also slowly moved towards the living room.

"What on earth is going on? Is this golden bronze mirror really so magical?" A guest asked nervously while walking.

Amy replied, "This golden bronze mirror was obtained after we experienced some things. It has magical powers. It has saved our lives before. At this time, we must believe its hint."

After everyone came to the living room, the atmosphere was still very tense. Everyone huddled together, with their eyes vigilantly looking at the people around.

"What should we do now? Just wait like this?" A guest asked uneasily.

Jack said, "We can't just wait. Although gathering together is relatively safe, we still have to continue looking for clues. Everyone can recall the footprints, the black figure, and that strange symbol we found before and see if we can find any connection among them."

At this time, everyone was thinking about the clues of the case while secretly sizing up the people around them. Suspicion spread among the people like a plague. Every smile, every look, and every movement was like a disguised mask, and beneath the mask might hide a cruel heart of a killer.

"Could this symbol be the mark of an organization to which the murderer belongs?" A guest suddenly put forward his own idea.

"It's possible." Amy thought and said, "Then we can start from this direction and see if there are any guests present who are related to this symbol."

Everyone began to examine each other. The living room was filled with a tense and suspicious atmosphere. Every exchange of eyes was like a silent contest. Everyone was trying to find flaws from the other's eyes and find the murderer hidden among the crowd.