chapter33：Mystery House Hunt

In this frigid and snow covered environment, within this living room that seemed secure yet was rife with danger, everyone was preoccupied with their own safety and endeavoring to identify the perpetrator. Meanwhile, the murderer remained hidden in the shadows, like a venomous serpent lurking in the darkness, poised to deliver a lethal blow at any given moment. The entire scene was engulfed by a dense pall of fear, blotting out any glimmer of hope.

"We can't keep suspecting one another in this manner. It will only afford the murderer an opening," Amy broke the silence. "We still need to commence from the existing clues and analyze and deduce rationally." Nevertheless, despite Amy's words, the specter of suspicion still hovered over everyone's minds. Time continued to elapse in this tense ambiance, and the one - hour time limit was drawing ever nearer, while the true identity of the murderer remained concealed within the thick veils of mystery. Danger was like a volcano on the brink of eruption, ready to engulf everyone at any instant.

...Just as everyone was at a standstill, Lucy suddenly recollected something. Her eyes brightened, and she said, "On my way to the living room just now, I noticed a strange stain on the corridor carpet. The shape bore a striking resemblance to a part of the symbol we had seen previously." Hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted. Amy immediately said, "That could be a highly significant clue. We must go and take a look." Jack cautioned prudently, "But let's not become separated. Let's all go together." Thus, a group of people made their way warily towards the corridor.

Upon arriving at the location Lucy had mentioned, they indeed beheld a dark - red stain on the carpet. The shape was contorted and grotesque and did indeed bear some likeness to that enigmatic symbol. Amy crouched down, gingerly dipped her finger into the stain, and sniffed it near her nose. She furrowed her brow and said, "This appears to be a special type of paint, yet it has a hint of a blood - like odor. There must be some connection between the two." A guest said nervously, "Could this be what the murderer used to mark the victims or conceal some information?" "Highly likely," Jack nodded. "Perhaps we can unearth more information about the murderer by following this lead."

At this juncture, the lights in the hall suddenly began to flicker. The flickering lights cast eerie shadows of everyone on the wall. Accompanying the flickering of the lights, a ghastly laugh echoed throughout the villa. "Ah!" A timorous guest shrieked. "What's going on?" Amy shouted, "Everyone, don't panic! This must be the murderer's ploy. He intends to incite panic." However, despite Amy's reassurance, fear still spread among the group. Lucy grasped Amy's arm tightly, her body quivering slightly.

Suddenly, the lights went out completely, and darkness enveloped everything instantaneously. In the darkness, only the taut breathing and uneasy whispers of people could be heard. "Everyone, hold hands and don't get separated!" Jack shouted. Just as everyone was frantically searching for one another, a dull thud was heard in the darkness, followed by a person's anguished cry. "No!" Amy exclaimed. "The murderer has attacked!" "Everyone, quickly head towards the source of the sound!" Jack shouted. He pulled the people beside him and groped his way towards the source of the sound.

When they arrived, by the faint moonlight shining through the window, they saw a guest lying on the ground, his body convulsing, and beside him was a blood - stained sculpture, which was clearly the murder weapon. "He... he's still breathing," a guest tremulously reached out to check the fallen person's breath. "But it's very weak." Amy said angrily, "This murderer is so cruel! We must find him as soon as possible."

At this time, the injured guest laboriously opened his eyes and mumbled something. Amy quickly leaned in and heard him say, "Shadow... shadow..." Then he passed out again. "Shadow? What does he mean by that?" Lucy asked in bewilderment. "This might be the clue regarding the murderer that he glimpsed before losing consciousness," Jack said pensively. "Perhaps the murderer's modus operandi or identity is related to the shadow." Everyone began to contemplate the clues related to the shadow.

Suddenly, a guest said, "I've got it! When we witnessed the gender - switching before, the shadows of those guests seemed abnormal as well, but I didn't pay much attention at the time." Amy's eyes lit up. "This could be a crucial clue. Maybe the murderer utilized some magic or mechanism related to the shadow to effect the gender - switching and conceal his identity." "But how are we going to find the murderer?" A guest asked worriedly. "We can scrutinize everyone's shadows more meticulously," Jack proposed. "Maybe the murderer's shadow will be distinctive in some way."

So, everyone began to observe each other's shadows in the faint light. But after a long while of looking, no particularly obvious anomalies were detected. Time was running out. There were less than twenty minutes remaining until the one - hour time limit. Everyone's anxiety intensified.

Just then, Lucy suddenly noticed that the shape of her shadow on the wall was somewhat strange, as if being tugged by something. She looked up in horror and saw a strange device on the ceiling, emitting a faint glow. "Look!" Lucy shouted. Everyone followed her gaze and showed astonished expressions. Amy thought for a moment and said, "This device might be the key to the abnormal shadows created by the murderer. We need to find a way to bring it down and examine it." Jack looked around and saw a long pole beside him. He picked up the pole and thrust it forcefully at the device. With a burst of sparks, the device fell.

At the moment the device fell, everyone noticed that one person's shadow suddenly became hazy and then swiftly ran towards the door. "He's the murderer!" Amy shouted, and everyone immediately gave chase to that figure. When the murderer reached the door, he found it locked. He turned around, revealing a hideous countenance. "You think you can catch me?" The murderer said malevolently. "Why are you doing this?" Jack demanded. "Humph, you all deserve to die!" The murderer cackled maniacally.

Just as the murderer was about to strike again, Amy suddenly raised the golden bronze mirror and murmured an incantation. The golden bronze mirror emitted a brilliant radiance, shining directly on the murderer. The murderer, enshrouded in the light, was immobilized. "What... what is this?" The murderer cried out in horror. "This is the end of your malevolent deeds," Amy said coldly.

As time passed, the one - hour time limit arrived. Since the murderer had been found, according to the rules, he would lose the most precious thing in his heart. Under the extraction by Ai, the murderer let out a agonized wail and then collapsed to the ground. The other participants, although having endured this harrowing event, also heaved a sigh of relief.

"Finally, it's over," Lucy let out a long sigh of relief, her voice full of the relief of being liberated. "Yes, but this experience was truly terrifying," a guest still had a lingering sense of dread, and his voice was still slightly tremulous.

...Just then, the sound of an iron gate opening rang out abruptly. The "creak" sound was extremely jarring in the silent environment, like some unknown proclamation. The butler slowly came into everyone's view. There was a faint smile on his face, which at this moment seemed rather inscrutable. "Congratulations, you have successfully passed the first level," the butler's voice was steady and calm. Hearing this, weary yet gratified expressions appeared on everyone's faces.

The butler continued, "To celebrate your victory in the first level, I have arranged rewards for you. Each player participating on - site will receive 50,000 points. These 50,000 points will be used in the second - round game. You should know that this second - round game is the pivotal game that determines the real future trajectory of the players."

As soon as the butler's words fell, the living room suddenly plunged into darkness without warning. Immediately after, everyone felt a coolness on their eyes. It turned out that they were covered with electronic blindfolds by Ai. At the same time, everyone's voices also changed under the influence of some mysterious force.

When the players put on the blindfolds, the story scenes emerging in front of them were the things they desired most or regretted most in their hearts.

Jack beheld his father who had been missing for many years. In the picture, his father's figure was indistinctly visible in a fog. There was an anxious look on his face, as if he was seeking something or calling Jack's name. Jack's heart ached. The thoughts of missing, worrying, and countless days and nights of searching for his father since his disappearance flooded his mind instantly. He knew that he only had 15 minutes and must rescue his father before the story ended. "Dad, where are you? I'm coming to find you!" Jack shouted and ran frantically towards his father. The surrounding fog seemed to be alive, constantly impeding his progress, making every step extremely arduous.

Amy saw Tom in a time - displaced situation. Every time, Tom always sacrificed for her. Those harrowing scenes kept replaying in front of her eyes. The picture of Tom lying in a pool of blood was like a sharp blade, piercing her heart repeatedly. Amy's eyes were moist. She clenched her lower lip tightly and ran resolutely towards Tom in the picture. "This time, I must save you, Tom," Amy vowed silently in her heart.

Lucy saw the young man who had been very kind to her when she was young. At that time, she was naive and inexperienced and missed him for various reasons. In the picture, the young man's eyes were full of disappointment and helplessness. His forlorn back seemed to be an indelible scar in Lucy's heart. Lucy's tears streamed down her cheeks. She ran towards the young man without hesitation, murmuring, "This time, I won't let you slip away again."

In this dark space, everyone was striving strenuously for their regrets and desires in their hearts. Their figures darted through their respective story scenes, and time was ticking away second by second.

"Jack, you need to stay calm. This might be a trap," Although in different scenes, Jack still heard Amy's voice. It was like coming from a far - off place, yet extremely distinct.