Life Game In Other World
Chapter 409: The Final Countdown (Long - Please Subscribe, Bookmark, and Vote for Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 409: Chapter 409: The Final Countdown (Long Chapter Please Subscribe, Bookmark, and Vote for Monthly Tickets)

He Ao’s pace was swift; he entered the dining car within a very short period of time.

The neatly arranged dining tables were now chaotically scattered, and not far from the entrance, Ruoti lay on the ground with eyes wide open, as if he had seen something extremely shocking before his death.

"Ah!"

Lin Chichi was the first to notice He Ao’s movement and the first to arrive. She stood by He Ao’s cheek, and upon seeing the corpse on the floor, she involuntarily let out a scream.

Her gaze shifted slightly, glancing at He Ao’s cheek.

Luo Luo followed closely, standing beside her, with a somber expression on her face as she looked at the body on the ground.

He Ao’s attention quickly fell upon a blank note mixed in with the dried bloodstains. The paper of the note was not from the notebook Luo Luo had taken out earlier; it was a type of paper that no one had ever shown before.

At this moment, Jin Ya also sauntered over, and as everyone observed the corpse, the floor of the dining car appeared to ripple like water. Ruoti’s body slowly sank until it was completely submerged into the floor.

This instant rendered everyone’s expression somewhat silent.

Ruoti, unlike the previously deceased passenger in cabin five, had interacted more deeply with the group during a brief period, allowing them to gain some understanding of him.

The shock of a ’known’ person’s sudden death differed from that of a stranger’s.

Lin Chichi covered her mouth, trembling. She cast a terrified glance at He Ao, shrinking back, momentarily as if she had lost her voice.

Luo Luo looked up and eyed He Ao’s stern profile, finding herself at a loss for words as well.

The passenger in cabin five had a conflict with He Ao and then died; Ruoti had a conflict with He Ao, even accusing him of being the Murderer, and then Ruoti died.

Although, theoretically, the real Murderer wouldn’t likely do something that so obviously exposed themselves, He Ao was so clever that who knew if he would do the opposite.

Jin Ya stared at the scene for a moment, then glanced at He Ao without speaking.

While everyone felt it was unlikely to be He Ao, based on current information, He Ao was the most suspicious ’Murderer.’

Whether it was a scheme by the Murderer to sow discord or not, they had indeed managed to damage the trust among the group.

At this moment, He Ao’s mind was racing.

In the four hours since they had passed through the tunnel, he had considered countless possibilities, but all seemed incongruent with the current situation.

He was somewhat surprised, not by Ruoti’s death, but by the manner of his death.

A multitude of possible conjectures flashed through his mind, and he knew he had to modify his plan.

He slowly began to speak in a soft voice, "When we were passing through the tunnel, especially in the last hour, I heard faint footsteps outside the door. There were footsteps twice, and while the interval between them wasn’t long, the sounds didn’t seem to come from the same person."

This time, the languages were two-fold.

"I also heard roughly the same sequence of footsteps, nothing beyond that,"

Luo Luo spoke up.

Her speaking now indicated that she was aligning herself with the leading role He Ao had established before.

Afterward, the entire dining car fell into a brief silence.

A moment later, Jin Ya slowly began to speak.

"I heard the same, the first set of footsteps lingered in front of my door for a long while, and the second was quicker, more like the footsteps I’d heard before."

Hearing Jin Ya’s voice, Luo Luo breathed a sigh of relief. Although she could not understand what Jin Ya was saying, the fact that Jin Ya spoke up meant she was, for the time being, supporting He Ao.

This implied that the likelihood of He Ao being voted out this round was minimal.

In such an oppressive environment, as time goes on, people become more fragile and extreme, more prone to irrational actions.

Especially when people possess the power to endanger others’ lives.

The absence of voting in the first two instances was due to moral and psychological barriers; as death loomed closer, these mental defenses would crumble.

Luo Luo turned her gaze towards Lin Chichi, who had now shrunk between her and Jin Ya.

Lin Chichi glanced at Luo Luo, then at He Ao, and with a trembling voice, she slowly said, "I too only heard two sets of footsteps, nothing more."

Then, she swallowed hard, her voice quivering as she added, "Sorry, I feel a little unwell, I want to be alone for a bit."

With that, she turned and ran back to her cabin.

Luo Luo looked worriedly after her retreating figure, sighed, and then turned towards where Ruoti’s body had vanished, "So could the first set of footsteps possibly belong to Ruoti? Yet, how did he leave his compartment?"

They had all tried; the compartment doors wouldn’t open.

"I don’t know,"

He Ao walked to where Ruoti’s body had disappeared and surveyed the surroundings. The dining tables around were clean, the leftover steamers and milk cups from the day before had vanished.

The same had happened before; leftovers and utensils would disappear after the passage through a tunnel.

The question was whether it was the Chef who cleared them away or if the car cleaned itself up.

The note He Ao had seen on the ground had also disappeared; the car had not left him any evidence.

But what could the note itself prove? Special paper like that was unlikely something Ruoti had whimsically torn up before death.

Although there were no writings on the note, with He Ao’s puppet avatar’s C-level physical abilities, he could faintly make out extremely subtle marks resembling text on the paper.

The other party must have used some kind of ability to make the ink disappear.

However, although the text is no longer clear, the traces suggest that it seems to be in Central Earth characters.

Someone "deceived" Ruoti out of the compartment into the dining car, and this person understands the Central Earth language.

But how did Ruoti make the other person believe him, and how did Ruoti acquire the ability to leave the compartment?

He Ao remembered the faintly visible white fabric in Ruoti’s hand when he was about to enter the compartment for the last time.

What was that?

He Ao could sense that his time was running out; he had to clarify this matter as quickly as possible and then get the layout ready during this free activity time.

"A glass of milk, a basket of soup dumplings."

Luo Luo rested her arms on the bar, popped her little head out, and spoke to someone inside the pickup counter.

It had been nine hours since He Ao last took Luo Luo to eat, and even she was getting a bit hungry.

She waited for a while, and a basket of soup dumplings was slapped onto the pickup counter.

He Ao watched her petite and cute figure from behind, and at the moment the soup dumplings were slapped onto the counter, he felt as if something that had been clogging his mind was suddenly cleared.

"Did you think of something?"

A somewhat dazed voice came from behind him.

Jin Ya was squatting beside He Ao, also examining the traces on the ground.

"Yeah," He Ao nodded softly and said in Central Earth language, "This bar design is not very kid-friendly, it’s too high."

Luo Luo, who was struggling to reach into the pickup counter and drag out the soup dumplings, stopped her hands and turned back to glare fiercely at He Ao.

The previously tense atmosphere was slightly eased by this joke.

He Ao took a look at the beautiful scenery outside the window, turned back to Jin Ya—who looked bewildered—and smiled in Tia language,

"I’ve got a clue, but the evidence is still too scant."

"Everything will turn out all right."

Jin Ya pondered for a moment and then slowly said.

"Hopefully."

He Ao sighed, and slowly walked towards the compartment cars.

Jin Ya stared at the traces on the ground for a moment, eventually shook her head, and walked over to the pickup counter, ordered a glass of milk and a large loaf of bread.

She quickly finished the bread and then slowly stood up and walked back to the compartment.

······

Compartment No. 4

Knock knock——

Very soft knocking sounds arose.

The girl held the doorknob and pulled open the compartment door.

Intense sunlight streamed through the window and cast onto the person outside, outlining a backlit silhouette.

The girl opened her mouth, about to speak.

The person outside placed a finger on their lips, making a ’shush’ gesture.

·······

Dining Car

Luo Luo stared at the milk in her cup, pinched her nose, and gulped it down.

Then she looked at the now empty steamer basket and sighed.

Now she was the only one left in the entire dining car. She went to the pickup counter, ordered another basket of soup dumplings, a cup of soy milk, and carried the set back to the compartment cars.

There was no one in the corridor; no one cared about the scenery outside anymore.

She went to Chichi’s compartment and knocked on the door.

"Coming."

Chichi’s voice was still somewhat shaky, but she quickly opened the door.

"Chichi, you must be hungry. Have something to eat."

Luo Luo held up the food in her hand, and although she was tiny, at that moment, she seemed more like a gentle big sister.

"Sister Luo Luo,"

Chichi looked at the food in Luo Luo’s hand, suddenly choked up, glanced around to make sure no one was in the corridor, and then suddenly took Luo Luo’s hand and led her to the dining car.

"What’s wrong?"

Luo Luo immediately sensed that something was amiss.

Chichi pulled her into the dining car, leaned against the wall at the end of the kitchen, and whispered,

"Luo Luo, I can’t hold on anymore,"

She held Luo Luo’s shoulders with both hands, her voice tinged with a sobbing tone.

"Don’t panic, don’t panic," Luo Luo became somewhat flustered and quickly comforted her, "It’s not over yet."

"Luo Luo, listen to me," Lin Chichi carefully interrupted her, "My prop is..."

She opened her mouth, but it seemed that in an instant she forgot what she wanted to say, then she paused, as if thinking over her words, and after a moment, she said softly,

"I can check who the Murderer is, but I can only check once, and now I have two guesses, one is Hao Yi..."

"Hao Yi, he is..."

Luo Luo hurriedly explained.

"I know you’re protective of him, Luo Luo, but he’s the most suspicious right now. Luo Luo, I trust that you’re a good person," Lin Chichi quickly said, "I will go to Hao Yi and tell him that I’ll check his identity when I pass through the tunnel. If I die,"

She took a deep breath, leading Luo Luo step by step back to the entrance of the dining car, "Luo Luo, you must be careful."

Then she ran out.

"Don’t be impulsive!"

Luo Luo subconsciously reached out to grab Lin Chichi but realized she was holding something in each hand; she quickly ran forward, blocking Lin Chichi’s path.

At that moment, Lin Chichi, who had just run to the entrance of the dining car, suddenly brightened up and waved, "Brother Hao Yi, can I have a word with you alone?"

Luo Luo turned her head and saw that He Ao had, at some point, already stood in the corridor, chatting with Jin Ya at the doorway of her compartment.

Luo Luo glanced at Lin Chichi and, under Chichi’s firm gaze, eventually stepped aside. She whispered in Lin Chichi’s ear, "Hao Yi is a good person, you’ll be fine."

Lin Chichi nodded vigorously.

Luo Luo handed the milk and soup dumplings to Lin Chichi, then turned and walked back to her own compartment.

By this time, He Ao had also said goodbye to Jin Ya and came over.

He had just asked Jin Ya in detail about the sound she heard when passing through the tunnel.

"What’s the matter?"

He Ao followed Lin Chichi to the innermost part of the restaurant.

"Brother Hao Yi, my..." Lin Chichi lifted her head as if gathering her courage and spoke slowly,

"My ability is to check if someone is the Murderer, but I can only use it once. I want to check you on the next passage through the tunnel. As long as it proves you are a good person, Brother Yi, you won’t be voted to death."

"Check me?"

He Ao was taken aback, then shook his head with a smile, "Well, I hope you don’t check me..."

"What?"

Lin Chichi’s eyes widened as she looked at He Ao.

"It’s okay, just do as you wish."

He Ao smiled and said softly.

Just then, the scenery outside the window changed instantly, and figures in neatly dressed attire appeared outside the window, moving at great speed, rapidly closing the distance to the train.

These people wore uniforms with a blue base and white collars, each bearing a golden emblem of a lush, large tree on their chests.

"What are those?"

Lin Chichi stared dumbfounded at the figures outside the window, running to a window near the corridor to watch these ’superhumans’ whose physical abilities far exceeded those of ordinary people.

"World Tree."

Luo Luo ran out from her compartment, watching the figures outside with a complex expression, a mix of joy and worry. The relationship between the Research Institute and the World Tree wasn’t good,

"We might be saved."

Maybe not...

He Ao shook his head almost imperceptibly.

Jin Ya also came out of her compartment.

Just then, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded.

The train seemed ready to enter the tunnel ahead of schedule.

"Stop it."

Two tall men, dressed in white with golden collars, burst from the crowd.

C-level!

He Ao watched the two people outside the window; he couldn’t hear the sounds from outside the car, but he roughly guessed what they had said.

It was at this moment that the scenery outside the window began to distort and dim.

Within this distortion and dimming, He Ao saw the two C-levels, without any hesitation, charging towards the car, attempting to stop it.

He Ao reached out his hand, signaling them to retreat, not to force their way through.

They saw He Ao’s gesture through the glass but didn’t heed it and instead quickened their pace towards the car.

Crash—

Two bright red blossoms burst open in an instant, smearing the entire car window.

All the scenery was obscured by this crimson dimness.

The radiance inside the car quickly dimmed.

Luo Luo felt somewhat nauseous and covered her mouth.

Lin Chichi took a half step back, her eyes briefly unfocused.

"Let’s go back to the compartment."

He Ao said softly, then left the dining car and walked towards his own compartment.

The power of this car was a bit stronger than he had imagined.

Strong and tenacious.

After all, this was C-level; in the Copy World during the Era of the Great Cataclysm, it was the strongest power that humans could attain.

The next step would be the non-human Angels.

Lin Chichi was awakened somewhat by He Ao’s voice, she looked around blankly, took a deep breath, and followed He Ao out of the dining car.

After everyone had left, the radiance in the entire dining car gradually dimmed.

Bang—

A hand wearing white gloves slowly tapped on the service counter.

...

One after another, compartment doors were closed.

He Ao also shut his own compartment door.

The countdown behind the door began to tick again.

This time it was four hours and ten minutes; the unfinished part of the previous free activity was also included.

He Ao sat on the bed, quietly staring at the compartment door.

He had made a gamble based on his predictions.

If his prediction was wrong, he would be out of the game after passing through the tunnel; if he was correct, the next free time would be the end of everything.

He took a deep breath and quietly waited for the final moments to come.

...

Lin Chichi glanced at the countdown behind the door, took another deep breath, and smiled.

She walked over to the compartment’s shelf and picked up a pristine white drawing board, on which a pencil was embedded.

This drawing board and pencil were disposable; this was her Prop.

’Divination and Drawing Board’

She could perform a ’divination’, asking a question to the unseen ’Divine Being’.

The answer to this question would be either ’yes’ or ’no’.

She could only ask once in the entire game, and after the question was asked, the drawing board would become invalid.

Holding the drawing board, she stood facing the window, leaned the board against her stomach, and held the pencil in her hand, hesitating.

Eventually, she smiled and began to write down her question on the board.

The entire question was quickly completed, the board vibrated slightly, and an answer slowly emerged beneath the question.

The answer appeared exceptionally slowly, transforming from faint ink marks into clear letters.

It was but a single word.

’Yes’

Suddenly, a soft sound of turning the doorknob came from outside the door.

Then, the sound of the lock being unlocked.

Click—

The firmly closed compartment door was slowly opened.