Live Or Death Werewolf game [Infinite]

Six cards lay on the rustic table.

Correspondingly, six people sat around it.

A deep, eerie voice emanated from the speakers: "Welcome to the script-based deduction and reasoning game. In front of you are six cards, including the murderer card, detective card, victim card, and ordinary player cards. Please draw a card to determine the role you'll play."

Gu Liang furrowed his brow and picked up a card.

The card had two parts. The first read: "Today's victim is called Boss Bai. You're Zhang, a 32-year-old lawyer. You have an ex-girlfriend named Huang. Huang was sexually assaulted by Boss Bai and coerced into living with him. To rescue Huang, you posed as a lawyer to get close to Boss Bai and plotted his murder."

A domineering CEO's forced love affair? What kind of melodramatic script is this?

Gu Liang raised an eyebrow, continuing to read.

The second part of the card was straightforward.

"At 11:30 AM, you passed by the kitchen and found it empty. You took the chance to add a new type of orally ingestible insulin to the chicken soup, hoping to cause Boss Bai, who doesn't have diabetes, to die from hypoglycemia. You observed for a long time; Boss Bai reliably drank chicken soup every day. So, you believed your plan would undoubtedly succeed."

Insulin orally ingested? Does that even make sense?

With doubts in mind, Gu Liang saw the crucial hints at the bottom of the card.

"1. You might be the true culprit, please conceal your identity."

"2. This script is the simplest beginner experience mode. Survive, and you'll have the chance to experience top-tier difficulty scripts. Have a pleasant gaming experience!"

Yeah, a "pleasant" gaming experience, sure.

Squeezing the card tightly, Gu Liang's pupils slightly contracted.

Five minutes later, seemingly after everyone had finished reading the script, a eerie broadcast resumed: "Now announcing the specific rules."

"First, Boss Bai is indeed the victim of this case, and he will die according to the script."

As soon as the broadcast declared the first rule, a middle-aged bald man sitting diagonally across had collapsed.

His face turned pale, as if he was frightened to unconsciousness.

Broadcast: "Breaking news interruption, the player portraying Boss Bai is in shock and faints. An NPC will provide first aid. Please remain calm. It's not his time to die yet."

So, basically, the broadcast meant, "Sorry, please wait a moment before dying."

Gu Liang squinted, noticing two cloaked figures seemingly materializing out of thin air, providing emergency aid to Boss Bai.

The bald man soon regained consciousness and was carried out of the room by the cloaked figures.

Seems like these two cloaked figures were the NPCs mentioned by the system earlier.

Clad in black from head to toe, with a hood covering their faces in black mist, they were impossible to discern, reminiscent of the Grim Reaper.

The broadcast continued: "Next, announcing the game rules. Second, during the script enactment phase, strict adherence to the scripted content is mandatory. Violators will face consequences."

"Third, the cards are crucial to players, handle them with care. Additionally, no method, including gifting, exchanging, stealing, or any other means, allows viewing other players' script contents. Violators will be escorted off the script premises by the cloaked figures."

"Fourth, the game's end will involve a voting phase to select the murderer. Each person has one voting opportunity, so choose carefully."

"Fifth, the person with the most votes during the voting phase, whether guilty or not, will face the death penalty. The sinner! Pay for the deceased! You're so bad! How could you commit murder? Join the deceased in death! If an innocent is wrongfully killed, the detective will also face the death penalty. It's regrettable indeed. But who let the real culprit escape? If the culprit escapes, who takes responsibility for the deceased? Who takes responsibility for the innocent killed? Detective, you'll pay for your incompetence!"

"Rules announced. Now, there are ten minutes for questions. Feel free to ask!"

---

The broadcast paused, plunging the hall into an eerie silence.

After a while, an around 18-year-old girl raised her hand. Her face was pallid, and her arms trembled incessantly.

She seemed like the type who diligently attends classes, obedient and responsible. Even in fear, she followed the rules and raised her hand to ask a question.

"I... I have a question."

Broadcast: "Children who ask questions are good children. Please ask!"

The girl asked, "If I'm the murderer, do I have to commit the murder as described in the script? Do I actually have to kill? It's not acting?"

Broadcast: "Of course! Strictly adhere to the script!"

The girl trembled all over, "I... I don't want to! Let me out! I didn't willingly join this game! I don't know why I'm here! I don't want to be the murderer!"

After saying this, the girl immediately ran towards the door.

The door opened smoothly, but outside seemed to have an eerie wind blowing.

The girl had just rushed out when the strong wind suddenly lifted her into the air.

She was powerless, spinning in the air like a dry leaf, before plummeting straight to the ground.

After landing, her neck tilted, and she remained motionless.

A silent pool of blood trickled from the back of her head, still warm.

Now Gu Liang understood—during the specified game time, leaving the villa meant death.

Earlier, the broadcast mentioned that checking others' cards was a violation, and violators would be escorted off the script premises. In this script, this place referred to this villa.

It made sense. If players could directly check others' cards' plots, they'd immediately know who the real culprit was. What's the point of the game then?

"Sigh. Someone died even before the game started, such a shame!" the broadcast sighed, "One player short, a temporary NPC will replace her. This is misuse of system resources! We'll deduct your rewards!"

After saying this, an NPC appeared.

She descended from upstairs, somewhat resembling the girl who had just died.

NPC walked up to the group and greeted, "Hello, everyone. I am Boss Bai's maid! My name is Maid Liu!"

The broadcast asked again, "The ten-minute question time isn't over yet. Any more questions?"

Gu Liang raised his hand.

Broadcast: "What's your question?"

Gu Liang: "The script's setting is reasonable without considering real-life factors, right?"

—In the real world, orally ingestible insulin that's unreasonable; not only does it exist in this game, but it's also used for murder?

Broadcast: "Of course, base all reasoning on the script's setting."

After a pause, Gu Liang asked again, "Can we kill the detective?"

Broadcast: "…"

Others: ???

The broadcast's voice sounded more ominous. "Any content not mentioned in the script, of course, you're free to interpret. However, your actions must align with the character."

"This script is a low-difficulty introductory level, not requiring immersive role-playing. Issues with lines and acting won't trigger an Out Of Character (OOC) judgment. However, if a player's actions significantly impact the storyline, the system will make an individual assessment. If a player is judged OOC, they'll face terrible consequences."

The broadcast's implications became clear to Gu Liang.

He had to play it by ear.

"Alright. Question time's over. Please start enacting the script. After the enactment phase, the game will move to the discussion and voting stage. Please wait for further instructions via broadcast."

"Next, a public scenario will be announced. It's currently 9 AM, and everyone is resting in their rooms on the second floor. Please strictly adhere to the script; immediately return to your respective rooms. Violators will be punished!"

After the broadcast ended, the hall fell into silence.

For a moment, no one spoke. Some were immersed in shock at the sight of a lively young girl dying before their eyes. Others seemed to have not yet grasped what had happened and stood staring blankly at their cards, unable to move.

"Ding ding ding!"

Seeing no one moving, an urgent broadcast sounded, "Follow the public scenario immediately, or everyone will trigger violations!"

Gu Liang was the first to act.

After the girl's death, there were four players left, including himself.

Gu Liang's gaze swept over them, and after a brief assessment, he was the first to leave the hall.

Gu Liang was like the initial domino in a chain reaction.

As he moved, the others eventually followed suit and made their way out.

Outside the card drawing hall was a corridor. On the side were a discussion room, further ahead a restroom, and at the far end, the kitchen.

At the end of the corridor was a spacious living room.

At the end of the living room was a garden balcony.

Looking back, on the other side of the living room were the dining room and a bar. The staircase to the second floor was situated between the bar and the living room.

Gu Liang ascended the stairs to the second floor.

He counted—there were a total of seven rooms on the second floor.

The game had six characters, perfectly corresponding to six rooms, with each character's name clearly marked on the doorplates. As for the extra room, the doorplate read "Storage Room."

Gu Liang knew of four characters previously—Boss Bai, Lawyer Zhang, Huang (Girlfriend), and Maid Liu.

Now, by reading the names on the doorplates, Gu Liang discovered the names of the remaining two characters—Boss Bai's Son and Boss Bai's Brother.

The naming convention by the system was straightforward. It wasn't hard to guess that Boss Bai's Son was the deceased's son, while Boss Bai's Brother was his brother.

It seemed like all the characters in this script revolved around Boss Bai.

With a clear understanding, Gu Liang walked straight to the room labeled "Lawyer Zhang," opened the door, and immediately closed it behind him.

The room's decor matched the house's overall 19th-century European retro style, from the bed, sofa, carpet, to the small plate of desserts and tea sets on the square table—everything was exquisitely designed.

Though it might be a luxurious game if these were gaming props in an actual game, Gu Liang had no time to appreciate much. Instead, he meticulously searched the room.

According to the script, the character he portrayed, Lawyer Zhang, was supposed to add insulin to the kitchen at 11:30 AM. However, there was no NPC or character providing him with any props.

Gu Liang pondered; he might have to find them himself.

Sure enough, when he pulled open the bedside drawer, he found a white medicine box labeled "Insulin."

At that moment, a knock came at the door.

"Who's there?" Gu Liang asked.

A man's voice came from outside, deep and pleasing, "Your girlfriend."

Gu Liang frowned, "I don't have a girlfriend."

The man chuckled softly, "Oops, my mistake, ex-girlfriend."

Gu Liang: "I don't have an ex-girlfriend either."

After a pause, the man spoke gently, "I am Huang, your ex-girlfriend. I got the role of a woman, and I'm not thrilled about it."

Gu Liang: "…"

With this encounter, Gu Liang's earlier doubts were resolved.

Considering the characters, there were two female roles—Maid Liu and Huang (Girlfriend). But Gu Liang had counted earlier, and there was only one female player.

Now, he understood that roleplaying could involve gender reversal.

However, he wondered if this visit from "Huang" was part of executing the script's requirements or the player's own action.

With many doubts, Gu Liang closed the drawer and went to open the door.

Outside stood a tall man with striking features, impeccably dressed in a fitted suit and silver-framed glasses, giving off an initial impression of sophistication.

But upon closer inspection, it wasn't the case.

His suit jacket was left unbuttoned, revealing a bit of his collarbone, and the top two buttons of his white shirt were unfastened, hinting at a touch of rebellion and carefreeness.

Hmm, definitely not a proper gentleman.

Gu Liang stood at the door, not indicating any intention to invite the man in.

However, the man circled around him, entering the room without invitation, observing before finally addressing Gu Liang, "When and how are you planning to make your move?"

His behavior was somewhat rude,

"Good citizen? If you were a good citizen, would you end up here?" Yang Ye asked.

As he posed this question, his glasses balanced the sharpness in his gaze perfectly, and the smile on his lips could be considered mild. But still, to Gu Liang, he seemed quite confrontational. Perhaps it was due to the sharpness in his eyes and expression.

"What do you mean?" Gu Liang's gaze turned somewhat serious, but he remained composed, sinking into the softness of the couch, looking lazy and relaxed.

"I don't mean anything. I just have some belief in karma. Otherwise, how would I end up here? I remember I was in the middle of a meeting with my employees, then suddenly lost consciousness and woke up downstairs in the card-drawing hall," Yang Ye explained.

"Oh, are you implying you did something wrong and ended up here as punishment?" Gu Liang inquired.

Yang Ye smiled, placing a finger in front of his lips, wagging it side to side, "Can't tell you that."

"I don't need to know either. And by the way, I've been law-abiding since I was young. Last year, I was even recognized as one of the top ten outstanding youths in our city," Gu Liang maintained his poker face.

"I left for work at 7 in the morning, helped an elderly lady cross the road. After assisting her, I blacked out. If I hadn't ended up here, I would have thought she tricked me," Gu Liang continued nonchalantly.

"..."

After a while, Yang Ye turned to Gu Liang. "Alright. Discussing why we're here doesn't seem meaningful now. Let's talk about the script. From what I gathered, you have intentions against Boss Bai. Because you wanted to save me."

"I'm not saving you. I'm saving Huang's girlfriend," Gu Liang retorted.

"I am Huang's girlfriend," Yang Ye replied.

"Whoever is attacked by Boss Bai, that's who I'll save," Gu Liang said.

"..."

Having outwitted Yang Ye twice, Gu Liang's mood seemed to have improved slightly. He was willing to explain the game's strategy a bit more. "This game is called 'Scripted Murder.' Perhaps you haven't played it before? Let me give you a bit more insight into the game's strategies."

"Many people might have received the 'murderer' card. They all might have intentions against the deceased and taken action. For instance, A might have poisoned, and B might have stabbed. But in the end, to determine who the real culprit is, you need to rely on clues, evidence, and the timeline of each character."

"Speaking of which, I can now be candid with you. I have intentions against Boss Bai, I plan to poison him. But what poison I'll use, the timing, how long it'll take effect, and whether his death is related to my poison... you'll have to find out for yourself."

"Understood. Thanks," Yang Ye nodded.

Gu Liang stopped paying attention to Yang Ye and leaned back on the sofa, gazing upwards as if he were observing the ceiling, or perhaps just staring into space.

After a long while, Gu Liang softly spoke, "The little girl who asked the question downstairs, her task might have been to directly attack Boss Bai. She didn't want to do it, so..."

Having seen a living person die right in front of him, yet more people continued dying in his presence.

Thinking about this, Gu Liang pressed down forcefully on the armrest, causing faint blue veins to appear on his hand.

Noticing Gu Liang's movement, Yang Ye stood quietly, the smile fading from his face, carefully observing him.

Gu Liang was dressed in a light brown windbreaker, sitting on the couch, his arm elegantly resting on the armrest.

A red string on his wrist was quite eye-catching.

His pupils were shallow, a shade of brown, slightly tilting his head upwards, the light revealing a beautiful color.

This color resembled the kind you'd see in autumn, walking through a maple forest, picking up a maple leaf that perfectly catches the sunlight.

—The maple leaf, when illuminated, displayed a semi-transparent golden brown, a sight so beautiful it seemed dreamlike.

Yet, Gu Liang looked too pale, sitting in a 19th-century English-style building, giving off a vampire-like aura.

"Your attitude towards this game seems quite enthusiastic. So—" After a while, Gu Liang turned to look at Yang Ye with a discerning gaze. "Are you the detective?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Ye chuckled, then turned to Gu Liang. He feigned a hint of fear in his voice, lowering it deliberately as he spoke, "Facing someone who threatens to kill the detective, who would dare admit it? If I were to acknowledge being the detective and in case you killed me, what then?"

Gu Liang glanced at Yang Ye, clearly amused; there was not even a hint of fear that he might be the target.

—Was he saying this to play the part of a lamb among wolves, or was he merely entertaining himself?

Gu Liang inclined towards the latter possibility. He cast a glance at him akin to watching a monkey show, before calmly remarking, "Inquiring about that question from the system was merely a probe into the rules of this game. I didn't genuinely intend to kill the detective. While killing the detective is possible, it serves no purpose. Everyone can cast their vote. The murderer killing the detective doesn't mean