Foolish Game of the Gods - Chapter 108

The eavesdropping on the rooftop continued.

But after listening for a while, Qin Chaoge started feeling like she had tuned into the wrong channel.

It sounded less like a crime investigation and more like a comedy of errors.

Cheng Shi had been muttering for ages, talking to himself, and not a single word seemed related to finding the murderer.

What was he even doing?

Completely baffled, she furrowed her brow and shook her head at Li Bola, indicating that she hadn’t gleaned anything useful.

Li Bola, able to control the wind, was also listening to what was happening below. She locked eyes with Qin Chaoge for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.

Now, she was certain: the [War] bard who had falsely claimed responsibility for killing the tour assistant wasn’t the one who had murdered their teammate.

As for how Li Bola knew for sure that Qin Chaoge hadn’t killed the tour assistant, well, that was simple…

Because she had killed the assistant herself.

Her intrusion had alerted the tour assistant, who had opened the door and caught her in the act. To avoid further complications, she had killed the assistant.

Qin Chaoge, with her keen hearing, had clearly heard the noise from the neighboring room. Taking the opportunity, she had claimed responsibility for the murder to observe everyone’s reactions.

But unfortunately, hunters are masters of hiding their traces, and Qin Chaoge hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Now that Li Bola saw Qin Chaoge genuinely trying to find the killer, she ruled out the bard as a suspect for their teammate’s death.

Thinking things through further, Cheng Shi, who had separated himself to conduct the autopsy alone, also didn’t seem like the killer.

This narrowed the suspect pool down to two people.

Today’s Warrior, or the Sage of Life.

Qin Chaoge, frustrated by her failure to gather useful information, noticed that Li Bola’s gaze toward her had softened with trust. She immediately realized that she had been ruled out as a suspect.

But why?

Why would the ranger suddenly clear her of suspicion without any additional information?

There could only be one explanation: her confusion about the killer’s identity had cleared her own name.

But she had admitted to entering the room where the murder occurred. So how could Li Bola be so certain that she hadn’t lied?

No!

It wasn’t that Li Bola was certain she hadn’t lied—she was certain that she had lied.

Li Bola had figured out her lie and knew she hadn’t killed the tour assistant!

A hunter who had determined the facts at the crime scene wouldn’t suddenly overturn her own conclusions.

There was only one answer:

Li Bola knew the killer wasn’t Qin Chaoge.

Or rather, there was a good chance that she herself was the killer!

No wonder Qin Chaoge hadn’t been able to figure out who the murderer was.

Hunters are the best at hiding.

Having reasoned it all out, Qin Chaoge gave Li Bola a furious look and silently mouthed:

“You sneaky fox.”

Li Bola chuckled softly, then grabbed Qin Chaoge’s hand and, ignoring her surprised expression, leaped off the rooftop with her in tow.

…

Well, since I’m already here, I might as well get something out of it.

Cheng Shi stood in front of the dead tour assistant, reluctantly pulling out the brooch once more.

He had a pretty good idea of who had killed the assistant and suspected that the killer wasn’t the same person who had murdered their teammate.

But to be absolutely certain, he activated [Memory of the Departed] again.

This time, there’s no way I’ll mess it up!

As long as I’m right, the cost of three sacrifices won’t be too much!

After preparing himself, Cheng Shi asked his final question for the night:

“The person who killed you is a woman with small braids, correct?”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Two voices, in unison, startled Cheng Shi.

He quickly turned toward the source of the second voice, only to see his two female teammates standing outside the window he had climbed through, smiling and greeting him.

“……”

Alright, alright. So this is how we’re playing?

Even though neither of them had formally admitted it, the moment Cheng Shi saw Qin Chaoge and Li Bola standing together, he instantly pieced together the entire situation.

He shot a glare at Qin Chaoge, silently mouthing:

“You sneaky fox!”

“……”

The trickster has been tricked in turn.

Li Bola laughed aloud. “No need to whisper. There’s no one around.”

As soon as she said that, Qin Chaoge, unwilling to be outdone, retorted:

“What did you just say?”

Cheng Shi chuckled but didn’t respond.

It’s not that I’m afraid to say it again; I just think a grown man like me shouldn’t bicker with women.

Ignoring Qin Chaoge, he turned his serious gaze to Li Bola.

“Alright, ranger. What exactly have you been hiding?”

“Why don’t you tell me how you started to suspect me?” Li Bola asked with a sly smile.

Cheng Shi smirked and pointed at Qin Chaoge.

“When we were chatting in the dungeon, every time the dead tour assistant was mentioned, you unconsciously glanced her way.

Even though you tried to make it seem subtle, I could tell it was deliberate on your part.

But you weren’t trying to hide your gaze; you were trying to signal something to me!

You were telling me that you didn’t believe Qin Chaoge was the one who killed the tour assistant.

I could figure this out because I have this brooch, which can detect lies. But what about you, ranger? You admitted that all the evidence matched her story.

So, the only possible conclusion is this:

You killed the tour assistant. But when Qin Chaoge stepped forward and claimed responsibility, you stayed quiet and began searching for the real killer of our teammate!

Am I right, ranger?”

Hearing Cheng Shi’s analysis, all three of them—inside and outside the chapel—smiled knowingly.

Sometimes, the most meaningful conversations between smart people are conveyed through a simple, shared smile.

Li Bola no longer kept anything hidden and began recounting everything she had experienced since she woke up.

“My room was just one door away from his. The moment I woke up, his room fell completely silent, with not a sound coming from it.

Knowing he was a follower of His, I was curious and went to take a look.”

At this point, Qin Chaoge blinked in confusion.

It turns out the excuse she had made up for herself was actually Li Bola’s reason for entering the room.

Li Bola smiled at her and continued:

“But when I entered the room, he was already dead.

And because of my intrusion, the field of silence collapsed.

The tour assistant opened the door and saw me. To avoid complications, I killed him.”

The way she explained it was almost identical to Qin Chaoge’s earlier explanation.

Qin Chaoge realized now that this was the real problem. Meanwhile, Cheng Shi’s brow furrowed deeply.

This hunter was indeed formidable.

Looking back, even though she had killed someone, when she pointed out the evidence in the room earlier, she had done so in a vaguely affirmative way, carefully avoiding any direct lies.

In fact, she hadn’t told a single lie.

Though credit must also be given to Qin Chaoge for taking the blame so convincingly.

She must have heard everything.

At this point, Li Bola was speaking plainly, without hiding anything. She had indeed only killed the tour assistant.

But this was precisely what made things more troublesome.

The fact that these two women were standing here together clearly meant that they had ruled each other out as suspects. And if they also ruled out Cheng Shi, that left only two people…

Hu Xuan didn’t seem like the killer.

She had no reason to do it, and there was no need for her to go to such extremes.

For her, something as simple as giving a child could solve most problems—killing wasn’t necessary.

So Cheng Shi was left wondering: Could it be that slacker who took his place?

Hopefully, yes—because that would mean the remaining teammates could establish some temporary trust and wouldn’t need to worry about conflicting faiths.

Li Bola, noticing Cheng Shi’s uncertainty, didn’t pursue the issue further. Instead, her attention turned to the brooch in his hand, and she asked curiously:

“I can smell [Death] on that item. Does it help you revive corpses to discern lies?”

Cheng Shi, still mulling over how to explain the brooch, smiled and nodded when he heard her question. He then pointed the brooch at her.

“Are you the one who killed our teammate?”

Li Bola raised an eyebrow, just about to respond when Cheng Shi quickly shifted the brooch toward Qin Chaoge.

Qin Chaoge’s expression twisted as she gritted her teeth and spat:

“Yes!”

A lie.

Hmm. Looks like the killer is indeed one of the other two.

Finally, Cheng Shi could relax.