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[Short Song (Lv3)]: What are you messing around with here?

[Wild Dog (Lv3)]: I'm just raising a reasonable suspicion. If you don't believe me, then show me the evidence.

[Finally no longer needing to take the postgraduate entrance exam (Lv3)]: 6

[Finally, I don't have to take the postgraduate entrance exam (Lv3)]: Confused, have you ever heard of the saying "innocent until proven guilty"? Legal illiteracy is truly terrifying.

[Wild Dog (Lv3)]: Huh? Read more books, why are you showing off your superiority?

[Finally I don’t have to take the postgraduate entrance exam (Lv3)]: Yeah, you are uneducated but you are right

[One Sword Cuts Mountains and Rivers (Lv3)]: No, I think what you said is so damn possible!

[Severing Mountains and Rivers with a Sword (Lv3)]: Do you remember those last few days of the season? Cx330 and Hailan kept taking turns at the top of the leaderboard. You'd be a few million points ahead of me, and I'd be 10 million points behind you. Everyone could smell the tension, and the outcome wasn't decided until the last hour or two.

[One Sword, One Thought (Lv3)]: That makes sense. It's reasonable for me to kill a rival of equal strength.

[Flying Boat (Lv3)]: Hailan has S-level skills, but he may not have them. It's reasonable for him to be jealous and steal the skills, right?

[A Sleepyhead (Lv3)]: srds, don’t you think it’s too subjective?

[Cai Koujiao (Lv3)]: That's right, don't easily define a person, wait until you understand the situation first.

[RERP (Lv3)]: Fuck it, the more I think about it, the angrier I get. I haven't even met Boss Hailan yet.

[Wonderful Dead Leaf Butterfly (Lv3)]: Although I haven't met the boss in person, he is really nice. He always encourages us in the alliance channel, gives us monster hunting plans, shares strategies, etc.

[RERP (Lv3)]: This is what makes me angry! I wouldn't be a human being if I don't take revenge!

[Wild Dog (Lv3)]: 90% chance that Cx330 did it. He has the motive to kill and the ability to do so.

[Wild Dog (Lv3)]: Those who are trying to whitewash Cx330, please stop worrying. I don't know if you are really stupid or just pretending to be stupid. You can only know a person's face but not his heart. I have never hesitated to speculate about a person with the worst malice.

[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: @(Wild Dog), what are you barking about?

[Mr. Bucai Youshan (Lv3)]: When I asked you to report your coordinates before, you didn't dare to say a word. Now you are the one who jumps around the most.

[Wild Dog (Lv3)]: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[Wild Dog (Lv3)]: I'm so eager to join the Sea Tower. Why haven't you joined yet? Don't you like it? Or did you forget to submit your application?

[Luo Shang (Lv3)]: We were ambushed!

[Warriors guard Chris Cannon (Lv3)]: Hey! Tiger, you finally spoke up!

[Lee (Lv3)]: Tell me quickly, what’s going on?

[Luo Shang (Lv3)]: Wait for me to calm down a bit

[Luo Shang (Lv3)]: Well, the eight of us had been teaming up to kill monsters together until the end of the season. Just as we were waiting for the settlement and returning to our ships to rest, a portal suddenly opened on Hailan's ship, the "Wu Weiying," and it was attacked. By the time we got there, Hailan and his first mate had been killed. The killer opened another portal and escaped right under our noses.

[Zhao Hui (Lv3)]: Oh my god, this murderer is too rampant

[Tang Tangyuan (Lv3)]: Killed someone and escaped unscathed...

[Wonderful Dead Leaf Butterfly (Lv3)]: Did you see clearly what the murderer looks like?

[Luo Shang (Lv3)]: The murderer was too fast and it was dark at the time, so I couldn't see his face clearly.

[Luo Shang (Lv3)]: And his only target was Hailan. He didn't even take us into consideration. He didn't bother with us for even a minute.

[Wonderful Dead Leaf Butterfly (Lv3)]: Creepy

[Li Wu (Lv3)]: We don't have many players, why are we still killing each other? Can't we all unite?

[Doraemon (Lv3)]: You know what's the scariest thing? The scariest thing is, the murderer might be watching us chatting on the screen...

[Flammable and Explosive (Lv3)]: At the time, the player's public enemy had the ability to teleport. Cx330 killed the player's public enemy and took away his teleport skill, so he now has the teleport skill. The murderer targeted Hailan, one of the top two ranked players, and his combat power was extremely strong. Isn't this a confrontation?

[Big Bell (Lv3)]: The more I talk about it, the more it sounds like

[One Sword, One Thought (Lv3)]: @(Cx330), is that you?

[One Sword Cuts Mountains and Rivers (Lv3)]: What's the point of not speaking?

[Wild Dog (Lv3)]: Do you remember him threatening me in the world channel? He's capable of anything. I even suspect he's the same type as the original player enemy.

[Coffee Cola (Lv3)]: @(Cx330), come out and give an explanation

[Three Feet of Life (Lv3)]: Let me tell you, our leader has fallen asleep, not because I don't want to respond. We, the members of Hailou, have always been together. The leader has been resting on my ship and has never left. I guarantee this with my integrity.

[Wild Dog (Lv3)]: This alibi is brilliant!

[Three Feet of Life (Lv3)]: Don't forget, Hailan died after the season ended. If we really wanted to kill Hailan, why didn't we do it earlier? Another point: players' coordinates are hidden from each other, and their positions are constantly changing. How could we possibly find Hailan's coordinates?

[Zhizhi (Lv3)]: Everyone, please think rationally and don't be led by people with ulterior motives.

[Severing Mountains and Rivers with a Sword (Lv3)]: Then tell me, how did the murderer find Hailan's location? And how can you prove that you don't know? What if he has mastered some skills? Who can tell?

[Tang Sixi (Lv3)]: What the hell? Why do we have to prove it? Why don't you prove that you are not the murderer? What if you have mastered some skills? Who can tell?

[One Sword Cuts Mountains and Rivers (Lv3)]: Music

[GT (Lv3)]: This is a bit of a sophistry.

[Finally I don't have to take the postgraduate entrance exam (Lv3)]: Actually, she is right. Our country emphasizes the principle of presumption of innocence.

[Wild Dog (Lv3)]: Anyone with eyes can see it, are you blind?

[Flying Boat (Lv3)]: Don't bring the presumption of innocence here, it doesn't apply at all.

[ACE (Lv3)]: You're still suspicious, despite all the useless shit. Hailou has always been suspicious, okay? Besides, the other alliances are full, but Hailou only has four people. Are you afraid that some righteous players will join and expose some conspiracy?

[SAKAURA (Lv3)]: I suggest that we players set up an investigation team. Isn't your Hailou innocent? If you have the guts, report your coordinates and let the investigation team check it out. After all, if you are innocent, you have nothing to fear.

[Flame Demon (Lv3)]: Good idea. Do you dare?

[Tang Sixi (Lv3)]: What a good idea! Reporting coordinates is too risky.

[ACE (Lv3)]: What are you afraid of?

[Wild Dog (Lv3)]: Of course I have something to hide.

[Three Feet of Life (Lv3)]: The most important thing to do now is to find the real murderer instead of wasting time and energy on us!

[ACE (Lv3)]: So what are you afraid of?

[GT (Lv3)]: I think people who are innocent should be eager to get the investigation done as soon as possible to clear their name.

[Promising Youth (Lv3)]: [It’s not me, but you can’t check me] hhhhh

[Flying Boat (Lv3)]: It’s you!

[One Sword Cuts Mountains and Rivers (Lv3)]: Kill someone and you must pay with your life. None of you Hailou can escape!

…

The number of comments from players in the world channel increased dramatically, public opinion began to shift, and the prevailing opinion was powerful.

He Zhaonian and his two companions, along with a few neutral voices, tried to influence public opinion, but even though they tried hard to analyze and argue, they gradually lost the upper hand in the ocean of public opinion until they were completely swallowed up.

Tao Sai woke up from a deep sleep refreshed and turned off the screaming "alarm clock" beside the bed.

Her "alarm clock" was still called a cell phone just a few days ago, but now, with the complete annihilation of signal networks worldwide, only a few built-in functions remain, such as a camera and cached offline maps. The shrill ringer, turned up to full volume and placed under her pillow, barely wakes her. Otherwise, she can only sleep until she wakes naturally, which can sometimes last for ten or twenty hours.

Tao Sai got up from the bed, stretched, and prepared to set off immediately.

She needed to discuss with He Zhaonian and the others whether they should go to Donghai City with her now, or whether they would prefer to develop on their own. Or perhaps they still had to deal with their own unfinished business and reunite after that.

As soon as the door was opened, He Zhaonian, who was dozing off outside the corridor, woke up instantly. He had been waiting anxiously outside the door all night.

"Sister Sai, you are finally awake. Hurry up and watch the world channel. We have been filthy!" He Zhaonian looked haggard, but still very excited.

"What?" Tao Sai frowned slightly when he heard that.

She opened the world channel and quickly browsed the message records. There were thousands of messages, and new messages were still popping up.

While Tao Sai was browsing, He Zhaonian briefly recounted what had happened: "Hai Lan was killed last night. We don't know who did it, but according to the Tiger Guards, the murderer is very powerful and also possesses the ability to teleport. So, we were led astray."

He Zhaonian felt a little guilty. He, Tang Yingxue and Shi Jiahui had been fighting on the world channel almost all night, but the pace was too fast. No matter how many messages they sent, they would be pushed up in an instant.

After public opinion was distorted, no one would believe what they said. Those who were purely trying to stir up trouble mixed with neutral passers-by, and insults, ridicule, sarcasm, and threats came like a tide. Some of the words were so irritating that they could not respond, because if they did, they would be caught and have another crime charged against them.

It’s so fucking frustrating!

Tao Sai turned to the first death notice and her face changed slightly. Hailan, whom she regarded as "someone else's child", was actually murdered.

Browsing down, countless players were solving cases on the public screen. A large number of subjective arguments without substantial evidence filled the news records, pushing Hailou to the forefront of public opinion.

"Sister Sai, I guess the murderer may also be leading the charge, but I don't know who it is." He Zhaonian frowned, and all he wanted to do was curse.

Tao Sai nodded slowly in understanding and fell into deep thought.

Once again, a scum who kills his compatriots has appeared among the players, and this scum is not as arrogant and domineering as "Wei Ai Qu Wu Yi". If Cao Yu is a barking vicious dog, then this scum is a poisonous snake hiding in the dark grass.

The vicious dog, with its green face and fangs, barks and chases relentlessly. If you are bitten, you will either die or be seriously injured. But at least you know where it is, so you can avoid it in advance or ambush it in a targeted manner.

The poisonous snakes hiding in the dark are even more terrifying, because you don’t know when and from which direction they will come out and bite you. The sharp tips of their teeth carry deadly venom and pierce into your flesh, killing you instantly.

Just imagine such a scum, who might even be taking advantage of the situation to stir up public opinion on the world channel.

Tao Sai was very unhappy that someone put the hat of murderer on his head.

The seed of murderous intent quietly sprouted in her heart, quickly took root, sprouted, and grew wildly.

It is not easy to find the real murderer. According to the news records, the murderer escaped by teleportation after killing people. Hailan's fourth-level refuge ship disintegrated, and there was no trace left at the scene, and there was no clue.

The players' coordinates are hidden from each other, and no one knows where anyone is.

However, some reasonable guesses can be made.

The attack on Hailan took place after the points were settled. Choosing this time point was most likely premeditated rather than a spur-of-the-moment decision.

At this point in time, most players have stopped gaining points. They have just come out of their overworked state and are resting exhaustedly waiting for the points to be settled. This is often the time when players are least vigilant, so the murderer chooses this moment of relaxation to strike.

The current bias in public opinion is definitely not the result of natural fermentation. The murderer must be leading the trend, and there may even be more than one person.

When she and Hailan were tied in the standings in the final days of the season, the murderer might have been hatching his plan.

In the eyes of all players, she and Hailan are diametrically opposed rivals. Even though they have no conflicts, some players have already imagined on the world channel that Hailou and Huben are incompatible.

The murderer may have made full use of this background, killing Hailan and smearing her at the same time, focusing all the players' attention on her.

Another point is that, as stated in the message log, Hailan is a level 4 player with a combat-focused S-rank skill. The members of the Tiger Guards haven't revealed what that S-rank skill is, but it can inflict massive damage to insects in a short period of time, so it must be a combat-focused skill.

Hailan climbs the ranks by killing bugs, and it's no exaggeration to say he's the player who kills the most bugs. This way of climbing the ranks is actually more powerful than players like Tao Sai who primarily rescue survivors, because they gain more experience points and gold coins to improve themselves. Experience points can be used to level up, and gold coins can be used to purchase star-up cards and skill blind boxes. His actual combat power is even stronger than Tao Sai's.

Such a powerful player was killed by a sneak attack. The murderer is definitely not a weakling. On the contrary, he should also be at the top of the player pyramid.

Tao Sai browsed the final standings of Season 1, focusing her attention on the top 50 players.

Player nicknames passed by her eyes one by one, and the corresponding remarks of the players on the world channel appeared in her mind. This was the effect of the enhanced memory brought about by upgrading the intelligence attribute points.

"Wild Dog." Tao Sai muttered the nickname to himself.

He seemed to be the first player to start leading her rhythm and the first to draw the fire to himself.

But he shouldn't be a "wild dog". He has not joined any alliance, and he ranks in the middle and lower part of the standings. At most, he is just a talker.

It is impossible to find the murderer only through the speeches on the world channel and intuition, but Tao Sai silently memorized some nicknames. They are ranked high in points and have a lot of momentum. She will pay close attention to their every move in the future.

The murderer must be found, but the situation isn't that urgent. His killing spree hasn't been that severe. From the time Tao Sai eliminated Cao Yu and Yu Er until now, no death notices have appeared on the world channel. This is likely the murderer's first kill, as evidenced by the fact that he fled after killing Hai Lan but didn't attack the other members of the Tiger Guard.

The murderer's real motive was most likely just to obtain the S-level magical skills.

When the time is right, Tao Sai doesn't mind using himself as bait, releasing his S-level skills to lure the murderer into a fight with him.

"Sister Sai, what should we do now? No one will believe what we say. We will be ridiculed if we speak, and we will be criticized if we don't speak." He Zhaonian asked anxiously.

"Even if no one believes you, you have to keep talking and keep going." Tao Sai said lightly.

"Sister Sai?" He Zhaonian was puzzled.

"If you were a murderer, you killed someone and successfully cleared yourself of suspicion, and saw law enforcement officers trying the scapegoat you pushed out and he had no way to defend himself, how would you feel?" Tao Sai asked in return.

He Zhaonian was stunned for two seconds, then thought carefully before saying, "Although I certainly wouldn't do such an immoral thing, if I put myself in their shoes, I'd probably be quite proud of myself."

"You're right." Tao Sai nodded. "Now we're the murderer's scapegoats. He's watching us from afar, condescendingly. The weaker we appear on the world channel, the more indefensible we become, and the more complacent the murderer will become. His complacency will lead him to lose his composure, and the more likely he'll reveal his flaws."

He Zhaonian understood what Tao Sai meant, but he was still depressed. "But, Sister Sai... I feel so aggrieved."

Those people threw dirty water without any distinction, calling black white, slandering and making up stories at will. He really couldn't stand it and wanted to crawl through the Internet and pull all these people out!

"It's okay, you won't lose any weight." Tao Sai comforted, "Xiao He, go get me something to eat, I'm hungry."

"Okay." He Zhaonian calmed himself down and walked towards the warehouse.

Halfway through his walk, he paused and heard Tao Sai say behind him, "It's okay. We will turn the tables. Believe me."

Tao Sai chewed the purple rice bread in big mouthfuls, swallowed it, and then put the straw of the real fruit into his mouth.

The interface projected on the light screen of her retina was the world channel, and public opinion was still righteously condemning Hailou.

[Cx330 (Lv3)]: I was just sleeping, how could I become a murderer? I declare that it was not me. I had no reason to kill Hailan.

[Flying Boat (Lv3)]: How dare you speak like this?

[QDJL (Lv3)]: It's you, stop quibbling

[Wushuang Ghost (Lv3)]: You commit suicide.

[Blue Sky Flame (Lv3)]: How could a scum like you appear?

[Siberian Falcon (Lv3)]: I used to brag about you killing the player's public enemy, it's ridiculous to think about it.

[Cx330 (Lv3)]: What on earth should I do to make you believe me? Can you use your own judgment instead of just following others?

[Cx330 (Lv3)]: I really don't have time. I've been working so hard to gain points. I'm so tired. How can I have the energy to kill people?

[Wild Dog (Lv3)]: Fuck you.

[boom (Lv3)]: Look at your disgusting face

[Cx330 (Lv3)]: Don't say bad words, I'm really innocent

[Son of the Eternal Heaven (Lv3)]: You think you're justified in killing people?

[Justice Knight (Lv3)]: Ugh! You're really disgusting!

Tao Sai exited the world channel and no longer paid attention to subsequent comments because her strategic goal had been achieved.

"It's nothing. Whatever happens, the sky won't fall." She looked up at the people from Hailou sitting around her and changed the subject. "You're all ranked in the top ten. You should have all obtained the designated A-level skills, right?"

"Oh yes, I almost forgot about this. Sister Sai, you have many A-level skills, which one should I choose?" Tang Yingxue said.

"How many A-level skills are there?" Tao Sai asked. She guessed that [Designated Skill·A-level] should also be presented in the form of question mark cards.

"There are fifty." Tang Yingxue counted and came up with an exact number.

"I only have four or five A-rank skills here, so I'm pretty limited in what I can offer you," Tao Sai said. "If you want a teleportation skill, it's called [Space Warp]. If you need combat skills, I have a few of those, too."

Tao Sai did not hide it, because as the game develops, players will continue to accumulate resources and have the opportunity to light up all the skill atlases. It is just a matter of time.

He Zhaonian expressed his thoughts: "I think we should try not to duplicate each other. A-level skills are all quite useful. Sister Sai's teleportation skill is enough for us for now, and Jiahui's [Time Lapse] can also help us grow vegetables quickly. If we develop some other functional skills, perhaps we can help each other better."

"Yes, I think so too. After all, we are a team now." Shi Jiahui agreed.

Tao Sai nodded and said, "Okay, then you can choose randomly."

A minute later, the three people reported their respective skills.

Tang Yingxue's annoyance was swept away as she excitedly exclaimed, "Wow! I turned on invisibility! How cool! It feels like my childhood dream has come true."

"What kind of invisibility is it? Is it just invisible visually, or is the body invisible and cannot be touched?" Tao Sai asked curiously.

"It should only be visual. The skill introduction says that after using this skill, I will not reflect any visible light. If I don't reflect light, then the naked eye can't see me, right?" Tang Yingxue looked at the text on the light screen and read it carefully.

"This game really does follow the laws of physics. It would be too weird if you couldn't touch it directly," said He Zhaonian.

Shi Jiahui said with a complicated expression, "The skill I've used is called [Resuscitation]. Using this skill can heal the target's injuries and repair damaged tissue."

Tang Yingxue's eyes lit up when she heard this: "Zhizhi, you can now help us recover our energy and heal our wounds. You're truly a complete healer!"

Shi Jiahui: "..."

Want to hit her.

He Zhaonian: "My skill looks pretty good, Dispersion. After using this skill, you can disperse your body into a quantum state and restore it to its original state at will."

"What? I don't understand." Tang Yingxue asked in confusion.

"Huh? Dispersion? I've used this skill before when I was playing games," Shi Jiahui's eyes lit up when she heard it. "Dispersion is really useful. It basically turns your entire body into tiny particles. Do you know what that means?"

"Does it mean that his bones will be crushed to dust?" Tang Yingxue continued.

Shi Jiahui: "..."

"Don't curse me!" He Zhaonian warned her, then turned to analyze, "The smallest units that make up matter in nature are molecules or atoms. If I use this skill to transform myself into a quantum state, does that mean I can squeeze between molecules and atoms? Through walls or something?"

"Yes, but it's more than that. In the quantum state, you can perfectly blend into walls, water, air, and all objects. You can pass through them, or you can choose to stay in the objects. You can sense everything around you, but no one knows you exist," said Shi Jiahui.

After listening to this, He Zhaonian rubbed his hands excitedly, OMG, he finally had an incredible skill!

The only downside is, “It’s a shame it only lasts 30 minutes.”

"It feels like you have become a soul." Tang Yingxue said after thinking seriously.

He Zhaonian: “…”