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

Chapter 560: Huangquan People Will Not Transform into Wolves
The dim candlelight flickered in the assembly hall, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Qian Jin's glasses reflected the flickering flames, and he suddenly stood up from his chair, his emotions nearly uncontrollable:

"Don't joke around. She moved to the Hidden Mist Village on purpose and did her best for it. Is this how the Hidden Mist Village repays her kindness?!" His voice echoed in the empty hall, and his fingers trembled slightly from exerting too much force.

Granny Rong sat hunched in the corner, a hint of hesitation flashing in her cloudy eyes: "...this, this..." Her old voice was full of hesitation and uneasiness.

Qin Ming stood by the window, the moonlight shining through the glass onto his thin profile.

He took a deep breath and tried to keep his tone calm: "Can you listen to me for a few words? Although she is mentally disturbed, my mother can still communicate. There is still a possibility of persuading her."

He turned around, his eyes sweeping over everyone present. "And Hualu... has become a Yellow Springs person, like a wild beast. Mom's situation is different." At this point, his voice choked a little, but he quickly regained his composure. "Even if I hang Mom today, what's the use? Is there a way to restore Hualu to normal tomorrow?"

Qian Jin fell silent. The candlelight danced on his glasses, making it difficult to discern his expression.

"It's decided." Qin Ming's voice was firm.

Suddenly, a strange laugh broke the silence. Qian Jin raised his head and let out a series of almost crazy laughs: "...Huh, huh, hahaha!"

His laughter was filled with sarcasm. "You're so short-sighted! You only know how to protect your own family, and you don't have any sense of the bigger picture!"

Qin Ming frowned: "What do you mean...?"

Qian Jin adjusted his glasses, a cold light flashing across the lenses: "Think about it! Our goal is to eliminate the wolves! This is the highest priority!"

His voice suddenly became cold and rational, "Huangquan people are not wolves, right? In other words, this is enough to prove that Hualu is not a wolf!"

"Huh? That's incomprehensible..." Qin Ming looked confused.

Qian Jin's eyes lit up with a fanatical light: "Think about the content of the legend. The wolf is a Huangquan wolf... a monster contaminated by Huangquan."

He walked up to Granny Rong and said in a voice that carried an undeniable power, "Under this premise, will the wolf then transform into a Huangquan person?"

"Grandma Rong, what do you think?" He stared into the old woman's eyes.

Granny Rong fiddled with the hem of her clothes with trembling hands: "This... this, this... you should be right..."

Qian Jin's voice suddenly became low and dangerous: "Assume that people who are severely polluted will die, just like those two reporters and your brother." His eyes swept over Qin Ming.
"However, if slightly contaminated, they will simply go mad. A mad Protector will turn into a wolf, and a mad Human will turn into a Yellow Springs Man."

There was a strange excitement in his tone: "In other words, if a wolf is contaminated, the only outcome is death; if a human is contaminated, there may be two outcomes: becoming a dead person or dying a violent death."

The air in the assembly hall seemed frozen. The candlelight cast flickering shadows on everyone's face, and outside the window came gusts of shrill wind, as if wailing for the impending fate.

Qin Ming stood there, his fists clenched, his nails digging deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain. His gaze towards Qian Jin was filled with mixed emotions: anger and a hint of indescribable fear.

Qin Ming raised his head abruptly, his voice filled with uncontrollable anger: "This is just your subjective delusion!"

Qian Jin chuckled disdainfully, his eyes flickering strangely behind his glasses. He paced slowly, his leather shoes clacking against the wooden floor. "Yes, there's really no way to prove it right now! But I can come up with more evidence!"

He suddenly turned around, his body tensed beneath his suit, his entire body radiating an aura of near-madness. "If a wolf were to go mad because of pollution, would it become like that? Could a beast in human skin go mad like that?"

Moonlight slanted in through the window, casting a deep shadow on Qian Jin's face. His voice grew increasingly agitated, "I thought a mad wolf would reveal its beastly nature! A beastly, bloodthirsty nature! Is that what Hua Lu looks like? No!"

In the corner, Granny Rong's hunched figure trembled in the candlelight. Her withered fingers kept rubbing the corner of her clothes, and her old voice was hesitant: "...Well...you should be right..." She took a deep breath, as if making up her mind: "Then...let's execute Chen Xiang first..."

"Granny Rong!?" Gao Mei exclaimed, her young face turning pale with shock.

Qin Ming suddenly slammed his hands on the table, his palms slamming heavily on the wooden table with a dull thud. "Qian Jin's assumptions are all based on legends! But this is reality, and people are already dead! This is too absurd!"

A cold glint flashed in Qian Jin's eyes. He quickly walked up to Qin Ming and practically roared, "Who's being ridiculous?! To acknowledge the horror of pollution is to acknowledge the legend itself!" His voice was filled with a certain madness. "Even I admit it...! You want to acknowledge the horror of pollution while denying the legend itself. Isn't this a double standard, huh?!"

Qin Ming was stunned by this sudden questioning and was speechless for a moment. He subconsciously turned to Wang Lina, who had remained silent the entire time: "...Sister Lina...!"

Wang Lina stood by the window, the moonlight casting a silver edge on her thin face. She lowered her eyes and spoke in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible: "...I'm very afraid of the gods."

Her fingers unconsciously stroked the window frame. "I'm really scared of the gods who hold us in their hands and play with us."

"...What do you mean, Sister Lina?" Qin Ming's voice was filled with confusion.

Wang Lina slowly raised her head, the moonlight illuminating her determined eyes. "But even so—no, precisely because of this," her voice gradually grew stronger. "That's why we have to fight fear. To do so, we need weapons."

Suddenly, her eyes became deep: "...Tang Yin..."

Gao Mei wrung her hands nervously: "...Hey, what's wrong, him?"

Wang Lina was silent for a moment, as if she was thinking about something. Finally, she raised her head and looked at everyone with a firm gaze: "I vote for Qin Ming."

"Uh—" Qin Ming stood there in a daze, obviously not expecting this turn of events.

Gao Mei's eyes widened: "——What, what's going on, Sister Lina——?"

Qian Jin's face instantly turned ashen. He stared at Wang Lina intently, his voice filled with suppressed anger: "What do you mean, Wang Lina!?"

Wang Lina stood by the window, her slender figure outlined in the moonlight. Her gaze was as sharp as ice. "Qian Jin, let's start the formal voting. Even if we continue the discussion, it's a waste of time."

Qian Jin's originally tense expression showed a slight relaxation, and he said hesitantly: "Uh...but." Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Qin Ming.

Qin Ming took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down: "...We must make a conclusion. Besides, Sister Lina has already voted. It would be unfair if we don't vote." He paused, and his voice suddenly became low: "But... whether you can forgive me is another matter, Sister Lina...!" Wang Lina's eyes flashed with tenderness: "I know..." There was a hint of fatigue in her voice, but she was still firm.

Qian Jin pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting the candlelight. "I have no objection, so let's officially start the voting."

Wang Lina slowly walked from the window to the center of the room, each step seeming to be carefully considered. "Tell me what I think. I think Qian Jin is only half right. The goal of the banquet is to find out the identity of the wolf."

Her gaze swept over everyone present, as if to see into their hearts. "However, legends really shouldn't be used as evidence. Whether it was Xiao Liang, Master Wolf, or Zhao Gang, they all died at the hands of humans."

The candlelight cast flickering shadows on her face, making her expression seem particularly profound. "I think we should exclude legends and stick to reality."

Suddenly, she changed the subject, her voice sharp: "-First of all, everyone has already decided on the voting priority, right?"

Her eyes fell on Xiao Mei in the corner, where she could hear soft sobs. "Just as Qian Jin said, Xiao Mei is too young to understand. As for Xiao Mei..."

Wang Lina turned to Gao Mei, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "Let's put it this way, she hates Qian Jin, so she will definitely support Qin Ming. She will no matter what, right?"

Gao Mei lowered her head, her cheeks slightly flushed: "...um..." Her fingers twisted together nervously.

"Grandma Rong is the one with the most steadfast faith among us. She will definitely make a decision based on the legend." Wang Lina's voice echoed in the silent space. When Grandma Rong heard this, her hunched body trembled slightly.

Finally, her gaze fell on Qin Ming, and her eyes became soft and compassionate: "Qin Ming, I understand your feelings. Mom is in danger of being hanged. You must be very anxious now."

Qin Ming's pupils suddenly contracted, and his fingers unconsciously grasped the corner of his clothes. Wang Lina continued, "...but, in order to protect Mom, do you want to trick everyone into hanging Hua Lu?"

Her words were like a sharp sword, piercing Qin Ming's heart. "It's indeed easy to trick the people of Kirigakure into hanging the elders, but you also understand the importance of priorities, right?"

The wind howled outside the window, blowing the candlelight and casting eerie shadows on the wall. Wang Lina's voice became more resolute: "This world cannot tolerate people from the underworld... Compared to this sentence, the wolf's threat is more direct, right? We must first find out the wolf's identity."

Finally, her voice was filled with a certain unquestionable power: "The Qin Ming I know would not make unreasonable arguments even if he was desperate."

Qin Ming stood there, the moonlight shining through the window onto him, illuminating his pale face and clenched fists, his inner struggle spreading silently in the darkness.

Qin Ming's hands gripped the wooden back of the chair tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. He raised his head, his eyes gleaming with a complex light: "—Sister Lina."

Sweat dripped down his forehead, and his voice trembled slightly: "I know what you want to say."

The candlelight cast flickering shadows on his face, and his lips trembled: "...I..."

Suddenly, he stood up abruptly, and the chair was pushed to the ground with a loud noise. His emotions were like a flood that broke through the dam: "I just can't forgive him!!"

Qian Jin was so shocked by this sudden outburst that he took a step back: "Huh?"

Qin Ming's gaze was like a poisoned blade, piercing Qian Jin directly. "It's all because of you, this troublemaker! Be it Brother Gang, Qin Yi, or Xiao Liang, they were all killed by you!"

His voice echoed in the assembly hall, filled with bone-chilling hatred: "You actually wanted to kill Mom, I will never forgive you!!"

Gao Mei hurriedly jumped up from her seat and grabbed Qin Ming's sleeve with her slender arm: "Wait, brother! What's wrong? Calm down!" Her voice was full of panic.

Qin Ming shook off his sister's hand, a twisted smile on his face: "Yeah, that's right, I did ignore the priority. I just wanted to teach him a lesson, so I used Xiaomei!"

He turned to Wang Lina, the madness in his eyes was frightening: "Sister Lina, you are right, this is my nature, this is the kind of person I am!"

Moonlight poured in through the window, illuminating his ferocious face: "——Are you satisfied? Sister Lina!"

Wang Lina stood at the junction of moonlight and shadow, her voice still as calm as water: "Really? This is not your style."

She slowly approached Qin Ming, each step carefully considered: "Qin Ming, just think of it as me being suspicious."

Her gaze was like a searchlight, illuminating Qin Ming's heart: "When Aunt Chen Xiang brought the food, you and Xiaomei were not here, right?"

The candlelight flickered, casting eerie shadows on the wall. "If everyone else is wiped out, only you two will be left—and Tang Yin."

There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice: "If you were a wolf, this would be a situation you'd be happy to see, right?"

Qin Ming's body trembled violently, as if struck by lightning: "——"

His face turned pale in an instant: "--You mean, I asked my mother to poison her, Sister Lina--"

A trace of pity flashed in Wang Lina's eyes: "This is just my worst guess."

Her voice echoed in the silent space: "Aunt Chen Xiang must have picked the Aconitum this morning. Apart from this, there is no other opportunity."

Her words, like a stone dropped into a calm lake, stirred up countless ripples. "In other words, she had murderous intentions from the very beginning... If someone instigated her last night, then everything would make sense..."

The assembly hall fell into deathly silence, with only the sound of wind blowing through the window frames, carrying mournful cries.

Qin Ming stood there, the moonlight stretched his shadow very long, like a soul about to collapse.

Gao Mei covered her mouth, tears silently falling. Qian Jin leaned against the wall, his glasses reflecting a cold light, hiding his expression in the shadows.

(End of this chapter)