After drawing cards, the evil god became my source of吐槽 (tu cao, a form of humorous commentary/criti

Chapter 9 Mystery
001's lips suddenly curled up, as if she were smiling.

But the smile wasn't warm; instead, it was like a cold blade slicing a crack in the air.

“This time…” he said slowly, “is really interesting.”

The inspector was taken aback. Before he could speak, 001 had already slowly turned around, his gaze passing through the dimly lit porch and landing on the half-closed door of the villa.

It was extremely quiet.

He stared at the door without moving, as if waiting for something.

"You suspect—" The person who had been leaning against the wall earlier, 012, lowered his voice, his words already tinged with wariness.

“It’s not doubt,” 001 said slowly, “it’s certain.”

One second, two seconds.

He looked away, exhaled at his feet, and chuckled softly.

"013 and 016 have probably been killed long ago."

"What?" Inspector 009 was suddenly shocked.

The person leaning against the wall froze for a few seconds, then their eyes suddenly darkened: "Are you sure?"

001 did not answer, but simply nodded slowly, his expression as calm as if he were talking about the weather.

"Have you forgotten the numbering system for the lamplighters?" he suddenly asked.

Both of them were well-trained activists, so of course they remembered and didn't rush to speak, but just looked at him.

"013, there's a problem, it's obvious."

"016, although there is no objection, is highly suspicious because he came downstairs with 013."

“And I, 001,” he repeated in a low voice, “am the first lamplighter. By the rules, any member with a later number must obey my commands—without exception.”

As he spoke, he lowered his eyes slightly, as if he were pondering or sighing.

"I know what kind of personality 013 has. He's not the kind of person who would disobey orders."

"And I'm not the kind of person who would be held back by a little flesh wound."

“He can withstand pain better than anyone you’ve ever seen. For injuries of that level, he’ll at most frown and won’t suggest ‘staying,’ which goes against the deployment plan.”

"unless--"

He 'must' stay in that room.

"Not because of him, but because that thing is still there."

The moment the words were spoken, the air seemed to be choked shut.

The person leaning against the wall gritted their teeth: "...A disguise?"

“A mysterious disguise.” 001 nodded. “Quite perfect. The actions, tone, and injuries were simulated almost flawlessly.”

"But it's not 013."

"It's not 016 either."

He said this without anger or panic.

Instead, it was as if a curtain had finally been lifted, revealing the clarity and composure of a seasoned veteran, like a sword that had never been drawn in the cold wind, its blade pressed against the throat, yet remaining impassive.

An Jing stood aside, initially listening nervously, but admired how quickly they guessed.

She stood there, stunned, and unconsciously took a step back.

"You noticed it too, didn't you, your teacher?"

001 suddenly turned his head and looked at her.

The look in his eyes was neither oppressive nor accusatory.

Just a calm and sincere confirmation.

An Jing paused for a moment, then nodded.

“I was on the second floor at the time.” Her voice was tight, as if she were wrapped in something. “Right when the magnetic field was just activated, a classmate called out to me for help, and I turned my head to look.”

"From my perspective, I had a clear view of what was happening in the living room. I saw the teacher; he had been knocked down and fell to the ground. It looked like his head had hit the wall, and his back was covered in blood."

"He was surrounded by all sorts of mysteries."

She swallowed and continued:

“I thought he was dead. I remember it very clearly, really. In that situation, it was impossible to survive. Even a person who can run and jump wouldn't survive in that situation, let alone him…”

001 didn't say anything, only nodded slightly.

He already knew she was holding back.

He even noticed something amiss when she reacted with surprise rather than joy upon seeing her living teacher.

“You did a great job,” he suddenly whispered.

An Jing was taken aback and looked at him.

“It’s not hard to notice something is wrong, but to hide it—to remain calm and wait for us to make a judgment—that’s not easy,” 001 said calmly. “You’re calm enough, that’s good.” He didn’t use a tone of praise, nor did he smile, but that “you did a great job” was a very high compliment.

An Jing did not feel happy.

She herself is still keeping something to herself.

“Now everyone understands,” 001 continued, his tone low but carrying a reassuring and stable power. “In that villa, there is another—at least one 'living' mystery.”

“He cut off our contact with the outside world. Perhaps 013 and 016 have already run into trouble. He can even fake communication responses.”

"And now, he must already know that we have become suspicious."

The man leaning against the wall asked, "Should we go back and deal with this?"

“No.” 001 shook his head. “If we go back now, who knows what he’s up to.”

"We chose the only weakness we knew: that it cannot come out. And that it can block communication and control a person's skin."

His gaze fell on the door of the villa, a glimmer of light in his eyes: "But it doesn't know how much we've actually seen through."

001 stared silently at the door for a long time, then slowly tapped her wristwatch with her fingertips, as if she were thinking, or as if she was trying to pin some vague guess to the edge of reality at this moment.

“The problem isn’t just that it’s well disguised,” he finally spoke, his voice as low as the wind passing through a broken window. “It’s not just that it controls 013 and 016.”

"Why hasn't it made a move yet—" He paused, his eyes turning slightly cold.

This is the weirdest place.

If that thing was just ordinary and mysterious, or intended to devour or pollute, then it had plenty of opportunities from the moment everyone fell into the magnetic field and lost contact.

It didn't even stop them when they chose to evacuate and take the only possible survivor with them.

This isn't right.

Mysterious and illogical, yet it always follows "instinct".

Just like animals that will chase after blood and hide at night.

001 didn't say anything, but turned to look at An Jing.

She stood half a step behind him, her head slightly lowered, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes, and her lips were pale.

An Jing remained silent.

But inside, I felt like I was being churned by ice water.

Of course she was worried.

It wasn't the mystery itself that was worrying me, but whether these lamplighters could actually uncover the whole truth.

She knew they were experienced, calm, and had accurate judgment, but mystery was something that human logic could never fully grasp.

That thing is unreasonable; sometimes it can even conjure up rules on the spot to force you to comply.

However, she was not entirely innocent either.

The fact that the magnetic field was not removed could also be related to the system.

She couldn't tell whether the system had any connection to the mysterious creature currently inside the villa.

Even if it says no, she doesn't dare to completely believe it.

So she remained silent.

He was as quiet as a somewhat timid but obedient student.

Keeping silent is her safest strategy right now.

She cannot step forward, nor will she proactively provide the lamplighter with any unnecessary information.

If she reveals even the slightest bit of judgment beyond that of an "ordinary survivor," she will become another "variable" they are watching.

001 took out the portable recording module from the communication terminal, turned it to mute, and began recording quickly:
[Temporary Analysis Record No. 001]

[Event Code: Fourteenth Magnetic Field Anomaly / Core Node of the Villa]

[Presumed Result: A highly sophisticated and mysterious individual exists within the villa, possessing the ability to simulate logic and impersonate personality, and potentially capable of interfering with and disrupting tactical communications.]

[Potential Characteristics Analysis: Proactively avoids conflict; employs manipulative tactics; possesses restraint in actions with unclear objectives]

[Action Recommendation: High-risk level; prohibit individual contact; maintain perimeter monitoring; strictly prohibit returning to the field for probing]

After finishing his notes, he put the module away and looked at 009 and 012: "Don't take any action before we reach a conclusion."

"Yes."

The two immediately carried out the order, without uttering a single unnecessary word.

In that instant, An Jing suddenly realized something.

Why didn't that thing attack them?

Why pretend, why deceive their judgment, even at the extremely high risk of exposing oneself, just to "finish the play"?

What are you looking for? Like the lamplighter?
The thought flashed through her mind for a split second, and her heart skipped a beat.

Looking for...system?
(End of this chapter)