The detective is dead, I did it.

Chapter 79, Night 1

The women stared at the steaming food on the table, then at the grayish-white piece of meat that was still slowly wriggling at the door, and then at each other.

Emily's stomach growled again, but her disgust overcame her hunger.

After all, these foods all came from the body of the monster in front of them. Although they looked delicious, no one dared to be the first to eat them.

"Please enjoy yourself," the jailer's voice rang out again. "The food is safe. I won't harm you. My job is to maintain the smooth running of the game, not to harm the participants."

Still, no one spoke.

"In a little while, I will take you all back to your respective cells."

After the monster finished speaking, it began to retreat. Its body seemed to be dragged from behind by something, gradually shrinking back into the darkness. The door closed silently behind it.

The aroma of food still lingered in the air, but no one dared to touch it.

So Li Ang took the lead, walked to the round table, picked up a piece of bread, tore off a corner, and put it in his mouth.

"Aren't you...aren't you afraid it's poisonous?" Emily asked cautiously.

"If he wanted to kill us, he wouldn't have needed to poison us," Li Ang said, chewing on his bread. "It tastes like normal food. Don't worry."

Based on the information in that prompt, that thing could turn everyone present into mincemeat in seconds.

But he didn't mention the cue words; he just swallowed the bread and tore off another piece.

Shirley sat down next to him, picked up her fork, and stuffed a large piece of beef into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out like a hamster's, her golden eyes narrowing into crescent moons.

"tasty!"

Caltacia sat down, picked up an apple, wiped it on her clothes, and took a bite.

Lilith poured herself a cup of black tea, held it with both hands, and sipped it slowly. Boudica took a bunch of grapes, leaned back in her chair, and picked and ate them one by one.

Emily carefully picked up the spoon, scooped up a spoonful of soup, swallowed it, and smiled contentedly.

Faibel remained silent, but she still took the half-bread that Emily handed her and ate it in small bites.

Bridget and Charlotte didn't eat; they seemed to have the same idea and planned not to eat tonight in case there was anything wrong with the food.

During the meal, some people started talking quietly.

The discussion wasn't about how to escape, since Leon and Caltacia had previously stated that this was an isolated island prison with nowhere to escape.

Therefore, the women were somewhat inclined to give up. Instead, led by Shirley, they started discussing strange topics such as "This bread is baked really well," "What is the sauce for the beef that smells so good," and "It would be perfect if the butter were a little saltier."

Those seemingly insignificant little things, which would be completely overlooked in daily life, become incredibly precious words at this moment.

Li Ang leaned back in his chair, watching the women eat and chat idly.

He noticed that the distance between some people was shrinking, just like people around a campfire unconsciously moving closer to the firelight.

In this game where they don't know when they'll die, they're searching for people they can trust.

Even if one of them might be a witch.

"It claims to be in charge of this game," Boudica said, putting down her grapes. "Do you think that's believable?"

“It’s believable,” Bridget’s voice came from the other end of the round table. “It has no reason to lie to us. If it wanted to do anything to us, none of us would be sitting here eating now.”

As the only detective present, and an armed detective at that, Li Ang did not choose to make a move, which means that this monster must be terrifyingly strong.

"Then what does it mean by 'daily routine'?" Lilith put down her teacup. "What's our daily routine here? Is it discussing and voting during the day, and waiting for the witch to kill people at night?"

"Perhaps," Charlotte continued, "Perhaps there's something else. But it said it would take us back to our respective cells. One cell each. That means we can't stay together tonight."

"Why?" Emily asked. "Why can't we stay together at night?"

No one can answer this question.

Shirley stuffed the last piece of bread into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's, and mumbled something that no one could hear.

Caltacia pointed with her fork toward the door, signaling for everyone to be quiet.

The jailer reappeared.

"The time has come. Please follow me. Nighttime is for rest; everyone must return to their own cell. No visiting other cells. No leaving."

"A prison cell?" Caltacia put down her fork, the silver cutlery clinking against the plate. "You're sending us back to that kind of place?"

"These are the rules," the jailer said calmly. "At night, everyone must stay in their own room. Anyone who breaks the rules will be considered to be interfering with the game and will be dealt with by the executioner."

It needs to be dealt with. Although I don't know the exact meaning, it certainly isn't something good.

"Let's go." Bridget was the first to stand up, folding her napkin and placing it on the table. "I'll follow your rules. I also hope you'll follow them."

"Don't worry. In this game, everyone needs to follow the rules. I'm no exception."

The jailer turned and left, and everyone stood up and silently followed the lump of something into the darkness.

The monster stopped after passing a cell, and the iron door opened automatically.

"Emily Perrott".

This is clearly Emily's cell.

Emily's body trembled slightly, but she forced herself to walk into the cell.

Next room. "Lilith Riddell."

Lilith took a deep breath, went inside, sat down on the haystack, hugged her knees, and buried her face in them.

One room after another.

Bridget, Boudica, Isabella, Faibel, Cartasia, Elena, Eloi, Sherry.

Before going in, Shirley glanced back at Li Ang, smiled, and gave him a thumbs up. Then the door closed, shutting that blue hue and that smile behind the iron gate.

Each cell was separated by at least dozens of empty cells, as if precisely calculated, making it impossible to communicate across the cells.

"Jon H. Charlotte".

Charlotte paused at the doorway, turned to look at Leon, and said, "See you tomorrow, Detective." Without waiting for his reply, she entered the cell. The iron door closed.

Only Li Ang and the monster remained in the corridor.

"Léon Moriarty".

The last cell is in the deepest part.

As he walked in, the iron gate slowly closed behind him, and the sound of the monster writhing gradually faded away along the corridor.

Li Ang sat down against the iron railing, summoned the black sword from the void, placed it on his knees, and closed his eyes to rest.

And so the first night passed.