There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

Xu Shuo led the little girl by the hand, walking through the woods.

While one hand was held, the other played idly with the passing leaves and branches, and from time to time, she stealthily picked a wild fruit and popped it into her mouth with lightning speed.

She seemed to taste nothing, chewing calmly before swallowing, then sneakily glanced at Xu Shuo's expression.

After passing through the orchard, the dense underbrush and thorns in the forest increased on the undeveloped hillside, and Xu Shuo picked up the little girl again.

"Uncle Dai, where are we going?" the little girl asked softly and tenderly.

"Do you like this mountain?" Xu Shuo, without answering, squeezed her smooth and delicate cheek and asked back.

"I do!" The little girl nodded earnestly, with no other emotion in her eyes.

"Then do you like this village?"

"I do!"

"Do you like everyone in the village?"

"I do!"

If you wanted her to like something, she would.

Xu Shuo smiled but said nothing more, carrying the little girl to the familiar low hillside, pushing aside the shrubs that blocked the cave entrance.

Behind the cramped and narrow passage lay a small, dim, smelly cave.

The little girl, set down by him, was not afraid at all and ran into the cave joyfully as if playing.

A candle burned inside the cave, where the Old Village Chief was eating a white flour cake. Suddenly seeing a lively little girl run in, he was dumbfounded for a long while.

Shortly after, Xu Shuo followed in.

"Who is this little girl?" the Old Village Chief asked in confusion. He remembered something and burst into a rage, "You unfilial son! Surely you wouldn't stoop to involving such a young child!"

The little girl was startled by his shout and quickly ran back to hide behind Xu Shuo, timidly grabbing onto his trouser leg.

"Her name is Qing; don't scare her," Xu Shuo said while reassuringly patting the little girl's head.

It was no surprise to Xu Shuo that the Old Village Chief did not recognize this orphan living in the ancestral hall since the little girl only truly appeared five months ago.

Yet, in everyone's perception, this girl had been living in the ancestral hall for several years, an orphan without parents, supported by the charity of the villagers.

And the Old Village Chief was the one who had left the village at that time, the only outsider in this affair.

Xu Shuo stepped forward, unlocked the shackles from the Old Village Chief's hands and said, "The matter over there is settled; you can return to the village now."

After saying this, he glanced at his Player's Handbook, his face expressionless.

The Old Village Chief was still somewhat puzzled. He looked from the well-behaved, adorable little girl to his son, who now seemed like a stranger, and finally at the shackles representing his freedom.

The next moment, the Old Village Chief grabbed the hot water kettle and threw it at Xu Shuo, "You unfilial son! I won't let you off!"

Bam!

The water kettle hit the head with a dull thud. Xu Shuo did not dodge; he just frowned at the emptiness.

The little girl beside him was stunned by what she saw and then, filled with anger, raised her little fists to hit the Old Village Chief while anxiously shouting, "Bad guy! You're bullying Uncle Dai!"

"No... I didn't..." Seeing that he did not dodge, the Old Village Chief was stunned too, then he became flustered, "It was clearly him who trapped me here, yet how has it ended with me bullying him? Besides, I am his father; what's wrong with disciplining him a bit..."

"Bad guy, bad guy!" The little girl was relentless, waving her fists, her round eyes starting to redden.

"You little child don't understand..."

"Bad guy!"

"..."

Xu Shuo had been ignoring the drama next to him, focusing only on the progress bar, which hadn't made any headway at all, and sank into deep thought.

Why was there still no change?

The reports to publicize the village had been sent by the journalist, the mural was completed, the monster issue was almost resolved, and the Old Village Chief had been released... So why was there no progress with the Character Card?

[Congratulations to the players for completing all main storyline tasks. The performance will end in one minute. Please prepare yourselves.]

Suddenly, the system voice rang out again, and Xu Shuo's facial expression darkened, his gaze sharpened slightly.

Had he miscalculated something?

If he thought back through the script's storyline, starting with the incident of the Old Village Chief's disappearance as a catalyst, the female journalist, the detective, the painter took their places, and the first night, Elder Huang died...

Wait, no!

In these last few seconds, Xu Shuo's brain spun furiously. He remembered a character that had left the stage too early—

What was the Trench Coat Detective's mission?

He said he came to the village to investigate, following the commission from the Old Village Chief; hence, his task must have been related to the missing Old Village Chief.

The Old Village Chief could not possibly be an irrelevant character sidelined until the end!

And before that, before Xu Shuo obtained the Character Card, he had no idea that the Old Village Chief was still imprisoned on the mountain.

If… he hadn't received the memory of the Character Card, then the Old Village Chief would have starved to death in these days.

Xu Shuo suddenly had an epiphany!

He had joined the game in the afternoon, and the food prepared for the Old Village Chief had long been consumed. How could the Acting Village Chief forget about this? He hadn't sent food the day before, nor had he sent any that morning, starving the old man for a whole day and night!

He was clearly waiting for the Old Village Chief to starve to death!

Xu Shuo could acquire the memories of the character, but not the thoughts. After understanding the situation, he subconsciously continued the character's previous actions and brought food.

But the Acting Village Chief wanted the old man dead, for with his death, he would be able to fully control the village.

"Forget it. I won't quibble with you, a little child. I need to hurry back to the village now—this rebellious son has who knows what sort of mess he's made of the village!"

After finishing his thoughts, the noise beside him grew clearer, and the clamor of the two people entered his ears.

Xu Shuo instantaneously flipped open the Player's Handbook and clicked on a card.

The next moment, his temperament underwent a sudden change. Shedding the rustic simplicity of the rural man, he donned a blood-stained white lab coat.

The tall young man slowly curved his lips into a corner, his face lit with a fierce and twisted, mad smile. The fruit knife he held in reverse grip suddenly flashed with a cold light!

Hiss—!

The Old Village Chief hadn't reacted yet when suddenly his eyes bulged and he fell over stiffly.

At that same moment, the young girl beside him, furious to the extreme, opened her mouth wide. Her fair skin darkened to a bluish hue, revealing Green-Faced Fangs. Her petite body warped and enlarged, and with a gaping maw, she swallowed the Old Village Chief who had died instantly!

The monster chewed discontentedly on the content of its mouth, then quickly turned to the side, its blood-red eyes filled with expectancy, as if seeking praise.

However, it was abruptly startled to a halt. The young man before it was dissipating into white specks.

It lunged forward swiftly, only to pounce on nothing.

In the dark, foul-smelling cave, only the monster with Green-Faced Fangs remained, tilting its head in confusion.

After a long while, the young girl's figure reappeared. She stood alone in the cave, her cute and obedient face filled with innocence and confusion.

"Huh?"

…

[This performance of "Green-Faced Fangs" has concluded.]