Chapter 16: Unmasking the Killer

Upon receiving Chen Jing's message, Zhang Xiaofan shook his head and replied: “Stop trying to sow discord. I’m not so easily fooled.”
Chen Jing insisted, “I’m telling the truth. Zhu Kai is too twisted. Being with him, I’d rather die.”
Zhang Xiaofan ignored her. After enduring the day, he returned to school the next morning, along with all his classmates, tense and anxious.
They all knew that a killer was hiding among them—a killer who could strike at any moment.
“Quiet, everyone!” Zhu Kai stepped up to the podium. “You’ve all seen the Red Packet Group game. Whoever gained the physical enhancement must kill one of us each day. I want the culprit to step forward, or, if we find you ourselves, you’ll suffer dearly.”
“He’s right.”
“Come forward.”
Of course, no one admitted anything. Zhu Kai snorted, “Fine. If that’s how it is, we’ll find out ourselves.”
He turned to Murong Feng. “Murong Feng, who do you think the killer is?”
Murong Feng shook his head. “If I knew, I’d have posted the name in the group already.” He seemed unwilling to say more, and returned to his book.
Zhu Kai was displeased but let it go, his gaze shifting to Zhang Xiaofan. “Zhang Xiaofan, I’ve heard about you. You’ve survived several Red Packet games thanks to your wits. Who do you think the ghost is this time?”
Zhang Xiaofan replied directly, “To know who it is, we first need to understand what killing power they possess. Only by preparing in advance and preventing further deaths can we survive.”
“Xiaofan makes sense. If nobody dies, the killer won’t be able to succeed.”
“That’s right. The group rules say if the ghost doesn’t kill for a day, the mission fails.”
The students, excited, thought they’d found a loophole. They all agreed to stay in the classroom the whole day, denying the ghost any opportunity.
“Ma Biao’s death was so sudden. Does anyone know who was with him at the time?” someone asked.
“No need to guess. Whoever was with him must be the killer.”
Zhu Kai pressed, “Zhang Xiaofan, don’t you have any suspects?”
“Not at the moment,” Zhang Xiaofan replied gravely.
This killing game was unusually tricky. The killer was hidden among students, and with Zhu Kai and the late Chen Delong joining, the class now had over eighty people, many seated on small stools in the corners.

With so many newcomers, finding the killer grew even harder, especially as many faces were unfamiliar.
Suddenly, Shen Fengxing stood up. “I have an idea.”
“Oh, the vice class monitor finally speaks. Let’s hear it,” Zhu Kai said.
“Has anyone considered why the victim was Ma Biao?” Shen Fengxing asked.
“How would we know?”
“Probably just coincidence?”
“I got it! Someone must have held a grudge against Ma Biao and killed him after gaining the power.”
“Exactly,” Shen Fengxing said, fixing his gaze on Ma Biao's deskmate, Xu Hong. “Xu Hong, you sat beside Ma Biao. You two often argued, threw each other’s books, and he even scared you with toads. Your conflict was the deepest. You had motive.”
Xu Hong was an ordinary-looking girl who rarely paid attention to her appearance, but she was especially headstrong—otherwise, she wouldn’t have clashed with Ma Biao so much.
No matter her temperament, Shen Fengxing’s words made her face turn pale. “Shen Fengxing, you’re crazy. Even if I didn’t get along with Ma Biao, I wouldn’t kill him. I’m not the killer.”
Despite her denial, her classmates hurriedly distanced themselves.
“The vice class monitor’s analysis makes sense. Xu Hong is the most suspicious.”
“Ma Biao was righteous; as far as we know, only Xu Hong had a grudge against him. If anyone’s the killer, it’s probably Xu Hong.”
“Xu Hong, why did you do it?” someone demanded.
Xu Hong was truly desperate. She shook her head frantically. “No, no, it’s not like that. I never wanted to harm anyone. I’m not the killer. I didn’t even grab a red packet.”
“Yeah, now you’re just making excuses.”
“Xu Hong, I didn’t expect you to be so ruthless.”
Xu Hong began to cry in frustration, her classmates’ cold stares and accusations isolating her, especially from Song Feng and Zhu Kai, whose eyes glinted with menace.
“I swear it wasn’t me. Besides, there were so many new students—why not suspect them? Maybe someone among them had a grudge against Ma Biao?” Xu Hong pointed out.
Zhu Kai snorted. “Nonsense! We barely know Ma Biao, don’t even know which class he’s from, so why would we kill him?”

“That’s right, we don’t know Ma Biao,” said several of Chen Delong’s followers.
Xu Hong protested, “This must be a misunderstanding. Let’s investigate further.”
“Nothing left to investigate.”
Song Feng waved his hand. “Grab the killer. I want to see what a ten-thousand-dollar physique looks like.”
Several boys moved menacingly toward her. Suddenly, Xu Hong burst into wild laughter. “Ha! So you found me. If any of you come near, you’ll suffer the same fate as Ma Biao!”
Her demeanor was manic, eyes blazing as she swept her gaze across the room.
Everyone was terrified, retreating in fear.
“Xu Hong, we’re best friends. If you’re going to kill, don’t kill me.”
“Xu Hong, I’ve never wronged you, don’t kill me.”
Xu Hong replied fiercely, “Whoever messes with me, I’ll kill them.”
“Damn it, you’re courting death,” Zhu Kai sneered. “No matter how tough you are, you’re only one person—do you think you can handle all of us? The killer can only kill one a day. You’re not as powerful as you think.”
Xu Hong’s expression changed drastically, and she bolted for the door. With everyone nearby retreating, she easily slipped out, pursued by Zhu Kai and his group, vanishing at the stairwell.
The students watched, still shaken.
“Zhu Kai is impressive, not even afraid of Xu Hong killing him.”
“True, Zhu Kai is strong. Even with a boosted physique, Xu Hong is just a girl.”
Hearing their discussion, Hu Xiaotian whispered to Zhang Xiaofan, “Xiaofan, if Xu Hong really is the killer, why hasn’t anyone messaged Bao Lei? That’s a five-thousand reward, you know.”