You said you were going to make games, how did you become the richest man without doing anything?

Chapter 546 Discussions Intensify

Granny Rong smoothed her graying hair with her wrinkled hands, leaned forward slightly, and asked softly, "Will he be executed at Shoudiaosong?"

Qian Jin stood by the window, the rain streaking across the glass, framing his stern profile. His gaze was like a knife, and his voice was emotionless: "It doesn't matter."

Qin Ming leaned against the doorframe, his black windbreaker still wet from the rain. His slender fingers tapped the wooden beams with an inexplicable rhythm, his voice low and magnetic: "...How do I vote?"

Qian Jin pulled a leather-bound notebook from his pocket, his movements brisk and sharp. The light from the oil lamp shone on his glasses, obscuring his gaze. "Starting from the seat of honor, nominate in clockwise order. When nominating, you can briefly explain your nomination." He paused, then continued, "I'll write it down once you've decided who to vote for."

Wang Lina suddenly stood up from the tatami, her voice filled with undisguised fear: "Huh...? A roll call vote? No way, doesn't this mean we have to tell someone to their face and let them die? I can't do that!"

Qian Jin slammed the table, his teacup jumping and spilling onto the table. His voice was filled with undeniable authority: "Enough is enough, Wang Lina. There's no time to indulge you now! It's decided!"

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He turned his gaze to the old man sitting at the head of the table, and his voice softened, "Okay...ah, your name is..."

Tong Xiaoliang pushed up his glasses, a hint of worry flashing behind the lenses: "Grandpa."

Zhao Gang played with the baseball cap in his hand and added, "Master Wolf."

Grandma Rong's face suddenly showed a look of nostalgia, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes relaxed: "Grandpa was already a grandfather when I was a little girl."

Qian Jin leaned forward slightly and spoke in a slow tone, as if he were talking to a lost child: "...Old man, can you understand what I am saying?"

Master Wolf stared at the void with his cloudy eyes and murmured, "Ah." There was a hint of confusion in his old voice.

"Who among us do you think is the wolf?" Qian Jin's voice echoed in the silent Japanese-style room.

Mr. Wolf leaned forward slightly with his hunched body, and pointed his finger, covered with age spots, at Wang Lina with trembling hands: "...Ah..."

Wang Lina's face turned pale instantly, and her lips became even paler: "...Hey, me? Why!?"

Mr. Wolf suddenly grinned, revealing a few yellowed teeth, and his laughter was a bit neurotic: "Wolf, so scary, so scary... Hehehehe..."

Qian Jin quickly wrote down the words in his notebook, his pen making a scratching sound on the paper. "Okay, one vote for Wang Lina..."

Wang Lina's voice was filled with tears, and her whole body was shaking slightly: "Wait! Are you really going to kill someone in such a casual way!?"

Qian Jin's voice was icy cold, like the north wind in the cold winter. "Is there any other way? He's also a participant in the banquet. Who has the right to deprive him of his right to speak?"

Wang Lina turned to Zhao Gang, who had been silent the entire time, with pleading eyes and tears welling up in her eyes: "Brother Gang, please say a few words too!!"

Zhao Gang took off his hat, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and frowned: "...Qin Ming, what do you think?"

Qin Ming closed his eyes, his long eyelashes casting shadows on his face. His tone was terrifyingly calm: "Let's wait and see."

Zhao Gang nodded: "Yes."

Wang Lina's voice was already filled with tears: "...Wait, this kind of thing..."

Granny Rong sighed softly, her eyes revealing a complex mix of emotions: "Is it my turn now... I'll vote for Xiaona too."

Wang Lina looked at the always kind old woman in disbelief, as if she were a stranger: "Why... Granny Rong..."

Granny Rong lowered her head, her voice apologetic: "Sorry, I don't know either... But you were losing your temper just now, and it felt a little strange..."

The oil lamp cast flickering shadows on the table, shrouding the entire Japanese-style room in an eerie atmosphere. A flicker of determination flashed across Qian Jin's deep eyes. He slowly stood up and said in a low, firm voice, "To keep others alive, even if it means sacrificing myself..."

Wang Lina's makeup was smudged by tears, her eyeliner casting a shadow at the corners of her eyes. She bit her lip, her voice shrill, "Okay! Okay! You're right!" She jerked her head up, her eyes gleaming with resentment and anger. "But everyone's life is important, and mine is too!"

Her voice suddenly rose, so sharp that it almost pierced the eardrums: "I know very well that I am not a wolf! Don't think that I will let you execute me obediently-" She suddenly paused in the middle of her words, as if she thought of something terrible.

The sound of rain gradually grew louder, hitting the window lattice with a dense clatter. Wang Lina's shoulders trembled slightly, and the edge in her voice gradually faded. "Forget it, just follow the rules, or you'll just be slaughtered by the wolves. There's really no other way."

She turned to Granny Rong and forced a forced smile. "Okay, Granny Rong, I'm done with my temper. Can you please vote for someone else?"

Granny Rong hunched over, her wrinkled face full of embarrassment: "Hey... what, what should I do..."

Wang Lina lowered her head, her long hair covering her expression: "Well, forget it, I was indeed very suspicious just now."

Qian Jin glanced around the room and said in a calm, emotionless voice, "...Is everything all right? Then it's Zhao Gang's turn."

Zhao Gang played with the baseball cap in his hand, staring sharply at the little girl in the corner: "I voted for Xiaome."

Xiao Mei huddled in the corner, hugging her knees and murmured faintly, "Mei..."

Wang Lina turned to Zhao Gang abruptly, her voice filled with disbelief: "Brother Gang!?"

Hualu's slender fingers tightly grasped the edge of her kimono, her voice as thin as a mosquito: "...you..."

Zhao Gang: "Is there any need to explain? This child, whose origins are unknown and whose parents' names are unknown, is suspicious from head to toe."

He paused and continued, "Although I don't know whether the legend is true or not, the Godhead Valley is probably not a good place. She was found in the Godhead Valley, so of course I would doubt her."

Qin Ming leaned against the door frame, his eyes deep: "Brother Gang, if it's really according to what you said, there's no need to hold such a troublesome banquet."

Tong Xiaoliang pushed his glasses up, his eyes showing some disapproval behind the lenses: "I don't like this reason either..."

Zhao Gang suddenly stood up, his tall figure casting a shadow on the wall. "This child of unknown origin was found in the Divine Valley. That won't change. On the other hand," he said in a low, penetrating voice, "if she were a wolf, your compassion for the child would have led to your utter destruction. Do you understand?"

Qin Ming and Tong Xiaoliang fell silent, with only the sound of rain echoing in the room. Qian Jin glanced at the notebook in his hand and said in a terrifyingly calm voice, "Humph, Zhao Gang's idea is not without reason... It's your turn, Madam Chen Xiang."

Madam Chen Xiang sat upright on the tatami, her slender fingers trembling slightly: "...Gao, Gao Mei."

The atmosphere in the room was so solemn that it almost froze. Qin Ming's eyes were red, and his voice was trembling like fallen leaves blown away by the autumn wind: "Mom!"

Gao Mei's pale face was filled with panic, and her thin body was trembling slightly: "—Why me?"

Mrs. Chen Xiang's carefully styled hair was already a little disheveled. She stared at Gao Mei intently, her voice filled with hysterical anger: "First...explain! Why did you run away today!" Her fingers trembled slightly, and her nails dug deep into her palms. "Isn't it because you killed Grandpa and Qin Yi?! So you feel guilty!?"

Gao Mei staggered back a step, her back against the cold wall: "No - no, you misunderstood!" Her voice was filled with desperate tears.

Chen Xiang's eyes became more fierce: "Then explain it!"

Gao Mei suddenly collapsed and squatted down, holding her head with both hands, her voice filled with fear: "This place is too scary! I don't want to stay in this place!"

"You are lying--!!" Chen Xiang's accusation was like a sharp sword, piercing Gao Mei's heart.

Zhao Gang stood up abruptly, his tall figure blocking the way between the two of them. "Sister Chen Xiang, stop talking!" His voice was low and hoarse. "... It's me, Xiaomei, and everyone is upset about that child." He repeated, "Everyone is upset."

Chen Xiang finally broke down, tears streaming down her face: "Wuwuwu!"

Qian Jin flipped through the notebook in his hand expressionlessly, as if observing a drama that had nothing to do with him: "...Mrs. Chen Xiang, who do you want to vote for?" Seeing that Chen Xiang just kept sobbing, he sighed: "...Then let's follow Gao Mei's record. It's my turn..."

He turned his gaze to the hunched figure in the corner and said, "I'm voting for this old man whose name I don't know."

"Oh." Qin Ming let out a helpless sigh.

Zhao Gang frowned: "Uh..."

Wang Lina bit her lower lip: "...Is there any reason?"

Qian Jin sneered, his voice piercing with chill. "Based on our conversation just now, I can infer that he doesn't have the ability to make rational judgments. We don't need people like him at this banquet."

"This, this is too subjective!" Wang Lina retorted.

Qian Jin's eyes were sharp, as if he could see through people's hearts: "Before the fog came, he said the wolf was coming. Isn't this suspicious? Isn't it subjective?"

Wang Lina opened her mouth, but ultimately could only remain speechless: "..."

Qian Jin continued his analysis, his voice calm and almost cruel: "I think he has gone completely crazy, or he is hiding something. Haven't you thought about it? The Hidden Mist Village should have held a banquet before, and the elderly should have attended it."

Granny Rong raised her dry hands, shaking. "I...I've never participated before! This is my first time in seventy years!"

Qian Jin's eyes swept over the old man's hunched figure. "But who can guarantee that he didn't attend? He's much older than you, isn't he? Whether it's dementia or ill intentions, I believe he concealed information about the banquet."

The light from the oil lamp cast a deep shadow on his stern profile. “I voted for him to force him to confess. If he doesn’t say anything… he’s worthless.”

A sharp glint flashed in Hualu's clear eyes, and her porcelain-white face looked particularly stern in the dim light. She parted her red lips, her voice thick with sarcasm: "Value? As long as there's no value, you can hang the other person to death. Is that what you mean?"

Qian Jin straightened his suit and tie and responded expressionlessly, "Don't say such harsh words. After all, this is for our advantage tomorrow."

Hualu frowned slightly, her slender fingers unconsciously stroking the hem of her kimono: "What do you mean..."

Qian Jin pushed his gold-rimmed glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold light, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth:

"Zhao Gang will continue to use the protection to check identities today, so that we can add one more person to confirm the identity. Spider will continue to protect Zhao Gang. This way, even if the wolf is not found, it will only take three times to confirm the identities of all people."

Gao Mei twisted her fingers nervously, her pale face filled with anxiety. Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's: "Is... is this so?"

Wang Lina pursed her dry lips, her eyes filled with confusion and uncertainty. "Well... well, in one day, one person was hanged, one was killed by a wolf, and one was identified by a snake..." She counted carefully on her fingers, her slender body leaning forward slightly. "... In other words, the identities of three people can be confirmed in one day. Now, besides Brother Gang and Qian Jin, the identities of eleven people are still unconfirmed."

Her voice became softer and softer: "Three or four times...?"

Qian Jin interrupted her thoughts swiftly: "That's it. Just execute them three times." His voice grew increasingly cold, and a certain madness flickered in his eyes. "There's no need to start with those close to you. Just start with those you're not close to and let them sacrifice themselves for the Hidden Mist Village."

Zhao Gang stood up abruptly, his muscular arms clenching subconsciously, his tall figure casting a shadow. "Hey, this kind of thing..."

Qian Jin interrupted him, his voice filled with an almost paranoid fanaticism: "I am only striving for the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people, Gangzi!"

Qin Ming slowly raised his head, his young face filled with a calmness beyond his years. He looked directly at Qian Jin with deep eyes: "Qian Jin, are you serious?"

"What do you mean?" Qian Jin frowned, with a hint of impatience in his tone.

Qin Ming: "Sister Lina's calculations have a premise, which is that the wolf is so honest that it only kills people whose identities have not been verified by the snake." He paused, his eyes sharp, "What if the wolf kills someone whose identity has been confirmed, such as killing you today?"

Qian Jin's expression froze instantly, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead: "..."

Qin Ming's eyes slowly swept over everyone present, as if he wanted to see through their souls: "I cannot agree with this hasty vote based on hasty calculations."

Wang Lina lowered her head, her long hair covering her expression: "..."

Gao Mei bit her lip and dug her nails deep into her palm: "..."

Qian Jin's mask finally cracked, and his voice was filled with panic and anger: "...So, so what? Do you want your family to be executed?"

(End of this chapter)