"I have an older brother who looks exactly like me, but our personalities are completely different."
"I'm introverted and timid, always doing exactly what my parents tell me. My brother gets into trouble everywhere and has an extremely violent temper."
"One time, my brother got into a fierce argument with our father, and the two of them started fighting. In the chaos, my brother stabbed our father."
"I was there at the time. I never imagined something like that would happen. I tried desperately to stop my brother, but who knew — he wanted to kill me too. In the end, during the struggle, I accidentally stabbed my brother."
"When my mother came home, both my brother and father were already dead. A perfectly good family, torn apart. My mother knew my character — I couldn't possibly lie or kill anyone — so she lied during the police interrogation afterward, pinning all the blame on my brother."
"Everyone in this town has blood on their hands. I'm the only exception, because I never wanted to kill anyone. It was just an accident."
Words from Tenant Number Three flickered across the computer screen. Once he finished speaking, an option popped up at the bottom of the screen — What will you do next?
One: Enter the room and tell him the hotel is dangerous. Tell him to be careful.
Two: Absolutely refuse to enter the room, and have him scout other rooms first.
Three: Ignore him and go to sleep.
Entering the room meant handing your life over to that student. Having him scout other rooms meant sending him to his death. Options One and Two represented good and evil.
"Why not take a gamble? I don't think this student seems like a bad person." Fan Cong had, without realizing it, finished his entire can of Coke. His eyes darted back and forth between
"Gambling my ass — this student is one hundred percent problematic." Chen Ge was utterly decisive. He moved the mouse straight to the third option.
"His killing was self-defense, and look at his expressions and body language — completely different from those bloodshot-eyed maniacs. A bit insecure. A kid like that wouldn't go out of his way to hurt people." This time it was Fan Dade who spoke up, sharing his younger brother's view.
"Insecurity and timidity mean his character has deep flaws. The vast majority of killers spent their childhoods mired in insecurity and cowardice. They're deeply self-loathing, but at the same time desperately crave respect — that's how their personalities gradually become twisted." Chen Ge couldn't be bothered to explain any further. "This student is dangerous. He's not strong enough, so he's far more likely to prey on the weak."
"Are you saying he's lying?" Fan Cong cracked open another can of Coke and took several long gulps. It was the middle of the night, but he wasn't the slightest bit sleepy.
"I can guarantee this student is absolutely lying. Think about it carefully — if his mother really pinned all the blame on his brother, then why would he appear in the middle of the night in a town full of killers?" Chen Ge's voice was low and grim. "I have two theories. First, he killed his brother and father himself, then framed his brother for everything, and using his mother's trust, shifted all the blame onto his brother. Second — this student is actually the older brother in disguise. The brother killed both the father and the younger brother who tried to intervene. To escape prosecution, he disguised himself as the timid younger brother."
After Chen Ge finished speaking, neither Fan Cong nor Fan Dade dared say a word. They simply couldn't find any reason to argue, and a chill crept up the back of their skulls.
"The second theory is more likely." Chen Ge stared at the screen, selected option three, and quickly moved Xiao Bu away. "His appearance in this town in the dead of night suggests he most likely dealt with his mother as well. And the reason for killing his mother is simple — even if they're twins and he mimics the personality perfectly, his own mother might still be able to tell."
After a brief familiarization with the hotel's layout, Chen Ge guided Xiao Bu toward the hotel entrance, planning to let the red-robed ghost in. "There's no one innocent in this hotel. They should be able to buy me enough time."
Chen Ge reached the hotel's main entrance, only to discover a massive fat man standing in the lobby. The man wore a chef's hat and was arranging slices of cake on the dining table.
"That's the hotel's chef. He's a lunatic, but back when I played, I never once saw him kill anyone." Fan Cong whispered from the side.