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

Chapter 602 The Only Answer

The light of the oil lamp reflected on Wang Lina's dignified and beautiful face. She spoke slowly: "We can't guarantee that the people or elders of Baifeng Village are definitely wolves, right? We can't guarantee that it's not you either." She looked directly at Qin Yi with a bit of pity in her eyes.

"Although I disagree with Qian Jin's opinions 90% of the time, I believe he's right on this one." Wang Lina's voice was firm and clear, echoing in the silent assembly hall. Qian Jin lowered his head, remaining silent, his expression dark and unclear.

".I also hope that you are not a wolf, so I want to use this vote to calm you down." Wang Lina's tone softened a little, as if a sister was persuading a willful brother.

Qin Yi slumped in his chair, his face as pale as paper: "Why is this happening?"

"Qin Yi, please be honest and beg everyone, can you please?" Chen Xiang's voice was filled with tears, and her face, which was haggard due to anxiety, was full of pain.

Tong Xiaoliang suddenly interrupted, breaking the heavy atmosphere: "It's okay, Qin Yi won't die so easily. Next, Xiaomei." His tone was a little uncoordinated with its briskness.

Gao Mei sat in a corner, her wary eyes slowly scanning the crowd before finally stopping in one direction: "That person over there." Her slender finger pointed at Tang Yin. Everyone's eyes instantly focused on that silent figure.

"Well, there's nothing I can do if you doubt me." Tang Yin accepted the vote calmly, without any fluctuation on his face.

"Mr. Tang Yin," Hua Lu called softly, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.

"It's Hualu's turn." Wang Lina's voice broke the silence.

The air in the assembly hall seemed frozen. Hua Lu slowly stood up, her delicate face looking exceptionally pale in the candlelight. "I'm voting for myself."

These words were like a stone dropped into a calm lake, stirring up ripples. Everyone stared with wide eyes, unable to believe their ears.

"Uncle Gao, can we do this?" Zhao Gang asked with a frown.

Gao Zhijie turned to Granny Rong and said, "There shouldn't be any prohibition, Granny Rong."

"I've never heard of such a thing, but it shouldn't be prohibited, hmm." Granny Rong's wrinkled face showed a thoughtful look.

".Hua Lu, although I said that just now, you don't have to force yourself like this." Wang Lina's voice was full of worry.

"No, I was just moved by your self-sacrifice, Lina, and then I thought," Hualu's voice was soft but firm, "the only thing I can do is to purify everyone's resentment."

She looked around, her eyes gleaming with determination. "If you don't know who to vote for, vote for me. But I hope you can spare this young child."

The wind howled outside the window, mingled with the cries of crows. Tang Yin clenched his fists, his heart agitated: What should I do now? The atmosphere in the assembly hall grew increasingly solemn, hesitation and struggle written across everyone's face, as if shaken by Hua Lu's words.

The atmosphere in the assembly hall grew increasingly tense. Hualu turned to the little girl cowering in the corner and said softly, "Xiaomei, choose someone you think should be hanged."

Xiao Me raised her childish little face, with a bit of fear and confusion in her eyes: "Brother Qin Yi." Her voice was as thin as a mosquito, but it was clearly audible in the dead silence.

"You little brat!" Qin Yi stood up abruptly, his facial muscles twisted with anger. But before he could continue, Xiao Mei suddenly raised her voice, "Don't bully me!" Her big, round eyes gleamed with stubbornness.

"Next, Tang Yin." Wang Lina interrupted the tense confrontation just in time. The light from the oil lamp danced on her dignified face, adding a touch of drama to the moment.

Tang Yin watched everything unfold in silence. The current situation was clear: Qian Jin had three votes, Qin Yi had three votes, Hua Lu had three votes, Tang Yin had three votes, and Xiao Mei had one vote. This result made him frown slightly, and he immediately asked, "If there's more than one person with the most votes, will there be a runoff vote?"

"Well, except for the person with the most votes, the others will vote again." Gao Zhijie's answer was concise and clear. Tang Yin's mouth curled up slightly, thinking to himself: Oh, if you become a candidate in the runoff vote, you will lose your voting rights, which is interesting. However. This way of operation
".What if the runoff vote is still a tie?" Tang Yin continued to ask, his eyes fixed on Gao Zhijie's weather-beaten face.

"If that's what everyone means, then no one will be hanged." Gao Zhijie's words caused the entire room to fall into a brief silence.

Tang Yin's brain was working rapidly, and a clear logic immediately emerged in his mind: that is, first narrow down the scope of suspects, and then give the final voting rights to those who are not suspected, so as to finally lock in the suspect.

If it is still impossible to choose, then the people with the most votes will be selected for another round of voting. However, if everyone has the same number of votes, then the scope of suspects cannot be further narrowed down, but it is also impossible to go back to the starting point and start again. In other words, voting cannot continue.

It seemed like the current situation was highly technical. Tang Yin's fingers tapped unconsciously on the table as his thoughts continued: Qian Jin, Qin Yi, Hua Lu, and Tang Yin himself all received three votes, tied for first place, followed by Xiao Mee, who only received one vote.

The cold wind outside the window continued to howl, making the window frames creak. Tang Yin's eyes swept over everyone present, and he had already made a calculation in his mind: Normally, in order to survive, he should vote for the other person who received three votes. That way, even if Xia Hui chose him in the final vote, he would not be executed immediately—there would be a runoff vote.

The light from the oil lamp cast a flickering shadow on Tang Yin's face, and his brows were deeply furrowed. No, he shook his head secretly in his heart, he couldn't vote for Qin Yi. That guy was only voted as a punishment for ruining the atmosphere. If he was really hanged like this, everyone would have a psychological trauma. More importantly, once Qin Yi was executed, Madam Chen Xiang would surely fall into madness, and the entire banquet would be pushed into the abyss of chaos. The atmosphere in the assembly hall became increasingly solemn, and Tang Yin's eyes lingered between Qian Jin and Hua Lu. Who should I vote for? His fingers tapped the table unconsciously. If he had to choose between these two people, perhaps voting for Qian Jin would be more appropriate. After all, Qian Jin had already voted for him, and it seemed that Qian Jin would be more willing to accept his own death than to sacrifice the pitiful Hua Lu.

Yet, a voice echoed deep within Tang Yin's heart: Was Qian Jin truly a wolf? There was a glimmer of humanity in those sharp eyes. And was it really appropriate to execute him simply for his hostility towards his elders?

"Xia Hui, what are you going to do?" Tang Yin suddenly spoke, his voice sounding particularly clear in the silent space.

Xia Hui raised her head, confusion written all over her pretty face. "Why do you ask?"

"To be honest, in this situation, no matter who you vote for, there are great risks involved, so I would like to hear your opinion." There was a hint of tentativeness in Tang Yin's tone.

Xia Hui was silent for a long time, and finally spoke: "I will do my best to prevent murder, if possible."

Tang Yin's pupils contracted slightly. It seemed Xia Hui had also discovered that extremely subtle method to avoid execution.

"Isn't this an action that benefits the wolves?" Qin Ming's voice suddenly interrupted, his gloomy face full of disapproval.

"So what? This is the modern world, a society ruled by law, right?" Xia Hui abruptly stood up, her slender figure appearing remarkably resolute in the dim light. "If you intend to condone this kind of criminal behavior, I will resolutely stop you based on my conscience!"

The wind howled outside the window, but Tang Yin's heart was unusually calm. Her argument was quite reasonable.

"To be honest, many of us voted specifically for this situation." Tang Yin looked around, his gaze sweeping across everyone's tense faces. "Otherwise, the votes wouldn't be so evenly distributed, right? If someone were executed under these circumstances, would that death truly be in line with the collective will?"

The flame of the oil lamp swayed in the cold wind, and the shadows on the wall flickered. The entire assembly hall fell into a dead silence, and everyone lowered their heads, as if avoiding this sharp question.

"Hmm, no one responded, huh? I see." Tang Yin's lips curled into a meaningful smile. The situation before him was like a carefully arranged chess game, and everyone was a piece in it, trying to influence the final outcome in their own way.

Tang Yin took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. The light from the oil lamp flickered before his eyes, illuminating his face, a face steeped in thought. If no one was executed, the situation would indeed reach a stalemate. However, he still held a trump card—the Serpent's Blessing. That mysterious power lay dormant within him, waiting for the right moment to reveal itself.

I must at least verify my identity once through the Divine Protection, otherwise this power will be wasted. His fingers drummed unconsciously on the table, his thoughts swirling like a tidal wave. The priority was to survive today, but when I couldn't identify my enemies yet, rashly making enemies would only create more obstacles for my survival tomorrow.

His eyes swept over everyone present. This approach was indeed problematic, and abstaining from voting was pointless. To be honest, Tang Yin wanted to—no, he really wanted to—exploit a loophole in the rules. Just then, a gentle voice interrupted his thoughts.

"If you are struggling, don't vote for Xiaome, just vote for me." Hualu's pale face looked particularly weak in the dim light.

Tang Yin's mind raced. There was no need to worry. Xiao Mei was definitely safe. Even if the next two votes were cast for her, it would only result in a tie for five people, and then a runoff vote would be held. By then, the chosen one would definitely be him or the elders.

His gaze fell on Hualu. In this situation, she, having voted for him, was like a human vote-sucking machine. She was undoubtedly the person closest to death; her actions just now were tantamount to suicide. Could it be that she truly intended to die to prove her point? While she was certainly a bit slow-witted, she wasn't likely to be so foolish.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Tang Yin's mind like lightning. Wait, why did she specifically emphasize not to vote for Xiao Mei at this time?
The wind howled outside the window, seemingly accompanying the mystery he was about to uncover. Tang Yin narrowed his eyes, and a clear answer emerged in his mind: Hualu and Xiaome must not die. This was the only answer.

"I vote for Xiaome." Tang Yin said this calmly, as if announcing an outcome that had already been predetermined.

Xia Hui seemed to understand his intention immediately and followed up without hesitation: "I'll vote for Xiaome too." Her bright eyes gleamed with determination. With these last two votes, five people in the room had received the same three votes.

The atmosphere in the assembly hall grew increasingly tense. The five suspects, each receiving the same number of votes, sat in the front row, like prisoners awaiting trial. Tang Yin's gaze slowly swept across the room, silently counting the number of people present. There were fifteen people present, and according to the rules Elder Gao had just announced, the candidates who advanced to the runoff would lose their right to vote. This meant that only the remaining ten people would be able to participate in the final vote.

The flame of the oil lamp cast dancing shadows on the wall, as if accompanying Tang Yin's thoughts.

This special condition was the key to avoiding execution today. His fingers drummed unconsciously on the table, recalling the scene just now: when it was his turn to vote, four people had already received three votes. If he and Xia Hui had voted for others, there would have been only four candidates in the runoff, and eleven people with the right to vote.

Tang Yin's eyes sharpened. Eleven wasn't divisible by four, which meant there was bound to be a vote difference, drawing ever closer to execution. He scanned the other candidates' nervous faces, mentally calculating various possible outcomes. If the final tally was 2-3-3-3, three of them would still advance to the next round, and the situation would be manageable.

But if the distribution is 1-3-4-4, only two people can advance to the final round. Tang Yin's brow furrowed, and cold sweat broke out in his palms. Whether the number of remaining voters was thirteen or eleven, it was an odd number, which meant that there could be no tie. The cold wind howled outside the window, and Tang Yin sighed silently at this cruel mathematical truth.

Everyone in the assembly hall was lost in their own thoughts, and the air was filled with an indescribable tension. Tang Yin looked around and found that everyone else's expressions were shrouded in a shadow, as if they too were aware of this unsettling possibility.

(End of this chapter)