The weapon by the pillow

Chapter 42 We need to... cut off the spying

"All the jokes... and sins, are my fault!"

Cheng Tan murmured the same sentence over and over again. His gaze involuntarily drifted to the hidden camera in the corner of the room. The red light was still flashing rhythmically, like an evil eye that never tires.

Behind those eyes are millions of "spectators" watching their performance, watching them kill each other.

These poor souls trapped in the room are not just pawns or actors, but now exhibits to be displayed, judged, and even "pre-determined to commit crimes."

We struggle, fear, and distrust one another here, every step potentially leading to death, while those outside treat it as a thrilling reality show, participating in a "game" about life, death, and sin with an entertaining mindset.

This can't go on any longer.

I'm going to break this nightmare!

We must sever these chains of being spied on, manipulated, and played with by an invisible hand.

"No!"

Cheng Tan suddenly let out a low roar, and to everyone's astonishment, he rushed to the broken table in the corner and ripped off the old, crumpled bed sheet that had been covering the camphor wood chest.

He barely paused, then with a powerful swing of his arm, he threw the entire bed sheet out like a fishing net, landing squarely on the hidden camera flashing a red dot under the table!

The fabric fell down, completely covering the camera, instantly blocking the eerie red light, leaving only a blurry bulge under the fabric.

The screen of the hundreds of thousands of viewers in the live broadcast room suddenly went black, leaving only a dark blue fabric texture and the "rustling" noise of the fabric rubbing against the microphone.

Everyone was shocked!

The barrage of comments exploded instantly:

[Holy crap! Where's the footage?!]

[It's blocked! Who did this?!]

It's Cheng Tan! He covered the camera!

He doesn't want us to watch anymore!

Why should we?! We have the right to know the truth!

Remove the cloth immediately! Otherwise, the vote will find you guilty!

[Put him on trial! Cheng Tan obstructed the truth from being revealed! Guilty!]

[Re-vote! Vote! Did Cheng and Tan obstruct justice? (Online version)]

Cheng Tan was unaware that he had ignited a fire of anger!

However, the clamor and anger in cyberspace were temporarily contained by a thin layer of old bed sheet.

In the room, everyone stared in disbelief at Cheng Tan's sudden action.

Lynx opened his mouth wide, Li Kai frowned, Shadow scrutinized Cheng Tan with sharp eyes, Lin Qian seemed thoughtful, Wu Wenbin adjusted his glasses, and A Zhe and Xiao Fei looked blank.

"What are you doing?!" Lynx was the first to react, both anxious and furious. "Are you crazy?! That's a clue! Maybe it can..."

"Maybe what?" Cheng Tan whirled around, interrupting him. His face was still covered in cold sweat, but his eyes were unusually clear, displaying a desperate resolve. "Maybe it will give those onlookers outside more 'hints'? Or maybe it will let them 'vote' and decide who we should suspect next? Lynx, look carefully, we're not playing a game! We're trapped here, our lives could end at any moment! And that camera, those watching the live stream, including the police outside who might be watching the comments right now—we've all become part of this 'show'! Our fear, our suspicions, every word we say, every reaction we make, have become material for their amusement!"

He took a breath. "From the very beginning of my nightmare, we've been led by the nose. Old newspapers, online posts, lotteries, murder weapons, locked rooms, dice, notes… every step felt like it was all planned. The mastermind behind this isn't just manipulating us, but everyone watching the live stream! He's guiding public opinion, manipulating emotions, even… manipulating a distorted sense of 'justice'! Don't you understand yet? While we're here, suspicious of each other and voting, they're also delivering their verdicts! Zhao Jianguo is guilty, Wang Bin is guilty… who's next? Jin Dafu? Zhang Zhiqiang? Or… one of us?"

His words were like ice water poured over everyone's heads.

Everyone snapped back to reality.

"But..." A-Zhe said timidly, "If I block the camera, won't the person controlling the live stream get angry? Will he...?"

"So what if he's angry?" Cheng Tan sneered. "What can he do to us now? Unless he comes in himself. But he wouldn't dare; he'll just operate from the shadows. By cutting off one of his eyes, we can at least break some of his control and give us a chance... to tell the truth."

"Tell the truth?" the lynx asked, puzzled.

Cheng Tan did not answer immediately, but instead raised a finger and gently placed it on his lips, making a "shush" gesture.

His gaze swept over everyone in the room, signaling them to be quiet.

Then, he slowly squatted down, and using the thick layer of dust on the ground, he carefully wrote four characters with his finger:

Peeping through a partition.

The dust was thick, but the writing was clearly visible through it.

It's clear enough for everyone to understand.

Everyone understood this time!

Cheng Tan meant that it's not just about physically blocking the cameras, but also about psychologically blocking the feeling of being watched by countless eyes and having one's judgment affected by invisible pressure.

They need to re-examine the clues and confront each other in a relatively "closed" environment.

A brief silence fell over the room.

Raindrops pounded against the wooden-boarded windows, making a monotonous and dense sound, like countless tiny fingers tapping. The rain came without warning, yet it seemed to wash away all the noise from the outside world, enveloping this isolated, haunted house even more tightly.

After finishing writing, Cheng Tan slowly stood up and glanced at everyone again.

"Okay, everyone, please trust me!"

He lowered his voice, making sure only the people in the room could hear him, "The cameras are temporarily 'out of order.' At least, what we're about to say won't be broadcast live. We can temporarily put aside that feeling of being watched. Now, let's start again."

He looked at Li Kai: "Brother Li, you're a victim's family member, and you've been investigating for thirteen years. We now believe that your sister's death wasn't a simple accident or robbery; it's very likely related to Jincheng Demolition Company, many people, and perhaps even some kind of... distorted ritual. Right?"

Li Kai nodded heavily, his eyes filled with a mixture of pain and hatred.

Cheng Tan then looked at Wu Wenbin: "Teacher Wu, your father was hired to measure this room back then, and he preserved the evidence. Feeling guilty, he hid the items here. You've come here to find out the truth about your father's involvement, haven't you?"

Wu Wenbin nodded silently, hugging the notebook in his arms tightly.

"Lynx, you're an adventurous outdoor enthusiast who was drawn here by the online lottery. You were fully equipped but probably have nothing to do with the old case; you were just looking for thrills. Now, you're probably left with nothing but regret and fear."

The lynx looked grim, but didn't deny it.

"Ah Zhe, Xiao Fei, you know Wang Bin and some of his past. You might have a vague feeling that something was off about his death, so you were drawn here to see if it was related to this old case, or... you're worried about being implicated because you know him?"

A Zhe and Xiao Fei nodded vigorously.

"Lin Qian," Cheng Tan turned to the woman who had been calmly observing him, "you have special intelligence channels and know about Wang Bin's death. You're investigating for someone who might be connected to Li Wan. I'll believe you for now. At least, you haven't shown any obvious malice tonight."

Lin Qian met his gaze and nodded gently.

"Shadow," Cheng Tan finally looked at the most mysterious man, "your identity is unknown, and you are extremely calm and professional. You could be a policeman, a veteran, or someone else entirely. But so far, your actions have not harmed us; in fact, you've been trying to find a way out and protect everyone. For now, I choose to believe you."

The shadow said calmly, "I have indeed received professional training. My purpose is to prevent the worst from happening here and to find out the truth as much as possible."

Cheng Tan took a deep breath: "So, it's me. Cheng Tan, an unlucky guy plagued by bizarre nightmares, possibly being used, or perhaps not even knowing what role I am. My memories are incomplete, my experiences cannot be explained by common sense, but I'm desperately trying to figure it all out."

He paused, then continued, "We have something in common now: First, we all want to leave here alive. Second, we all want to find out the truth about Li Wan's death thirteen years ago, and the truth behind tonight's situation. Third, we could all be targets or pawns of the mastermind behind this."

"So, what's the point of mutual suspicion and voting to decide who's suspicious?" Cheng Tan lowered his voice. "If the killer is really among us, he'd love for us to fight amongst ourselves. If not, our infighting will only make us a laughingstock, and might even lead us to do something irreversible in a panic."

"Then what should we do?" Li Kai asked in a deep voice, gripping the dice even tighter in his hand.

"cooperate."