The Inside Man

“Number fifteen… number six… number twelve… number twenty-seven…”

Xiang Qi’s clear, bright eyes flashed with understanding as she came to a halt.

There was no need to walk any further.

“What’s wrong?”

Shu Xun tilted her head, a hint of confusion in her gaze upon seeing Xiang Qi stop.

“There’s a situation.”

Without concealing the information she had gathered, Xiang Qi chose to reveal a portion of what she knew.

They had to act tonight. Xiang Qi could not afford to wait any longer; a day and a half without food or water had already caused her body to malfunction. While it was merely a slight dizziness and weakness, for someone who relied on her intellect, this could prove fatal.

She had overestimated her endurance. Originally, she had intended to hold out for another day to gather more intelligence and, incidentally, force a certain individual to expose themselves.

Now, however, she was compelled to act, lest she completely lose her ability to resist by tomorrow.

The lack of blood sugar made Xiang Qi’s thoughts somewhat sluggish and muddled. Recognizing this, she was unwilling to wait any longer.

Continuing like this would only lead her deeper into a passive situation. For someone whose only asset was her mind, and who was otherwise useless, a clouded intellect could essentially signal her impending doom.

Moreover… Xiang Qi narrowed her eyes slightly, the light purple within them gradually deepening until her entire pupils were almost stained violet.

“There’s an inside man in the team. I suspect the Hunter is hidden among us.”

Her tone was resolute and unequivocal, as if she had concrete evidence to support her judgment.

“You…”

Gu Changqing’s expression flickered, uncertain. The girl’s sudden change in demeanor presented a strong contrast to her previous self, leaving him hesitant.

He instinctively glanced at the other girl, only to find she showed no surprise, as if she had long anticipated this moment.

“How…”

“I know what you want to ask, but now is not the time.” Xiang Qi’s lips curved into an arc, a smile so beautiful it momentarily captivated him.

“Don’t forget, I’m an experienced player too.”

The purple in her eyes rapidly receded. Xiang Qi beckoned, and without waiting for a response from the two behind her, she pushed open the door and stepped inside first.

“Let’s go. What are you still standing around for?”

Shu Xun, the bespectacled girl, initially wanted to pat the man’s shoulder but found she couldn’t reach due to their height difference. She settled for taking his hand instead.

“What exactly is going on?” Gu Changqing frowned, shaking off Shu Xun’s hand. He took two steps back, crossing his arms over his chest in a wary posture.

By now, he realized he had been played by these two. These women had likely kept him in the dark, concealing many things.

‘And here I was, worried about their safety the whole way. Thinking about it now, I truly wasted my concern.’

“Huh, didn’t Sister Xia tell you?”

Shu Xun seemed rather surprised, taking two steps forward.

“Stop. Stay right there.”

Gu Changqing warned, unwilling to let the girl approach. “If you come any closer, I’ll act.”

****

Inside the room, Xiang Qi paid no mind to the commotion outside; her talent had already revealed the answers to her.

Fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, and a faint blush appeared on her fair, delicate face. Even her eyes held a slightly hazy look.

The drain from actively using her talent was greater than Xiang Qi had imagined. She had initially thought it would only cause a slight dizziness, but the reality was far more intense.

Still, it was within an acceptable range. Completing her plan required a reliable enforcer, a role her current body was clearly incapable of fulfilling.

‘The decisions and plans are almost complete. There’s no need to retain so much energy now; I might as well use it to secure a reliable enforcer.’

She seemed to be reassuring herself, as she would never admit her intelligence had faltered. Regardless of Xiang Qi’s thoughts, after piecing together the final part of the map, the previously incomprehensible areas had illuminated, revealing the hidden secrets within.

It was then that she sought out Shu Xun, the bespectacled girl. After deliberately sending Gu Changqing away, she proceeded to ‘brainwash’ her.

Regardless of what Xiang Ke had said to the girl, she was now firmly on Xiang Qi’s side.

Before any misunderstandings, our Miss Xiang’s talent was not some fantastical ability like mind control or spiritual mastery. She simply relied on her persuasive words, coupled with subtle guidance and suggestion, to make the girl implicitly trust her.

The reason for sending Gu Changqing away was partly because he was connected to the blue-haired youth, and partly because one person was always easier to manipulate than two.

This was a rather risky move. Xiang Qi had not originally intended to expose herself to others, hoping instead to remain hidden within the team’s shadows, like a patient old hunter waiting for prey to reveal its claws.

However, the things the system had concealed changed Miss Xiang’s mind.

Speaking of which, the system was truly devious, Xiang Qi’s mouth twitched slightly. She had thought her own personality was bad enough, but the system proved to be even worse.

The rules were flawed, and significantly so. One wrong move, and a person would fall into a trap. Even if you solved the riddle, you could only obediently walk into the snare, with no other path available.

Xiang Qi’s previous guess had not been wrong; there was indeed an inside man in the team. However, it wasn’t the Hunter, but another player, just like the others.

Now, at least two could be confirmed.

She sat down heavily on the floor, disregarding whether her white dress would get dirty. She gave a self-deprecating smile, noticing the two people who had walked in side-by-side.

“Who is the inside man?”

Gu Changqing’s eyes were shadowed, barely suppressing his anger.

Upon hearing the news of a potential inside man, he had actually believed it by a third. He was merely feeling humiliated and annoyed at having been deceived, throwing a tantrum.

After all, the dead body from this morning was suspicious no matter how he looked at it. At the time, he had refrained from acting out of respect for Liu Zhengxuan, but a seed of doubt had been planted in his heart.

How could there be so many coincidences in this world? Why was there precisely one person in the team with a history of heart disease, who then died from a sudden infarction?

After Shu Xun relayed Xiang Qi’s information to Gu Changqing verbatim, he had already accepted the possibility of murder.

He just needed to hear Xiang Qi confirm it personally to feel at ease.

Humans always believe what they want to believe, and they will actively rationalize any inconsistencies for it.

“Liu Zhengxuan.”

Xiang Qi offered no further explanation. Sweat trickled down her pale neck, dripping onto the floor, where it instantly dried and vanished without a trace.