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As several people had evaluated, Chi Xiaoming was a person of intellect and capability. With this in mind, Chi Xiaoming made the right decision, determining that their group was heading north based on the direction they had parted ways with Xu Nuan and the others. Thus, they simply stopped and changed direction.
At the same time, from time to time, someone among Xu Nuan's group would voice an opinion. On the surface, Chi Xiaoming's team members were in complete agreement with his decision and raised no objections. The combined effect of these two factors led to the two teams meeting at a remarkably fast pace.
It was nighttime, pitch black, and heavy rain poured down. Thanks to Chi Xiaoming and his team, they unexpectedly found a cave. It was somewhat of a stretch to call it a cave; it was more like a slight indentation on the side of a slope created by a large rock that had fallen. The group braved the rain and carefully used their tools to enlarge the opening of the indentation, ensuring that it wouldn’t collapse before they took out their moisture-proof mats and assembled a larger area that could accommodate them.
When the two teams met again after parting ways, they wasted no time and quickly collaborated to create a cave. Once all ten of them were squeezed inside, they began their formal greetings, which soon led to probing and sparring.
For Xu Hang and his group, identifying the cause of Xie Huai's condition was crucial. Before Xu Hang could speak, Deng Yinyin shot an unyielding glare at Yu Yu, who appeared handsome with a beaming smile.
"When you snatched the statue and injured Xie Huai, did you poison your knife?"
Yu Yu's group had already seen the unconscious Xie Huai but didn’t expect Deng Yinyin to immediately point fingers at their teammate. Was this an indication that they weren’t planning to cooperate?
Xu Hang stepped in to explain.
"Let’s address this matter separately; we need to resolve this issue before we can calmly proceed to the next step," Xu Hang said seriously, resembling Chi Xiaoming in demeanor. "However, I apologize on behalf of Deng Yinyin for her urgent tone due to concern for her companion. I hope you can understand such urgency."
Xu Nuan felt like giving Xu Hang a thumbs up; he was quite suited for public relations. Reflecting on how Xu Hang used to sulk frequently, she found it incredible how smoothly he spoke now. She secretly attributed this change to his prolonged interaction with Gu Ze.
Although Xu Hang's words were firm yet gentle, they were much more comforting compared to Deng Yinyin's aggressive tone. At least Yu Yu appeared to express this sentiment as he smiled lightly at Deng Yinyin, clearly choosing to pick on someone softer.
"Although I did snatch your statue earlier, I have no reason to poison anyone with my knife. Moreover, the Supply Station didn’t provide any poison; even if I wanted to poison someone, I wouldn’t have any poison available."
Yu Yu’s expression and tone were as innocent as could be. However, Xu Nuan’s attention was not on Yu Yu but rather on He Min’s reaction. Previously, He Min had coincidentally helped Yu Yu explain things three times in a row, which made her uneasy. Although she acknowledged that He Min’s reasons were logical and sufficient at the time, having such coincidences happen consecutively seemed unreasonable. Being sensitive as she was, she wouldn’t overlook any inconsistencies.
What she didn’t notice was the strange expression that appeared on He Min’s face; instead, she caught Gu Ze’s casual glance towards her and quickly withdrew her gaze.
Meanwhile, Deng Yinyin continued to question Xu Hang, who had just softened his tone but still failed to make Deng Yinyin understand or relent.
"There is no poison in the Supply Station, but some trees in the wild are toxic. As long as you know which plants are poisonous, you can make use of them, can't you?"
Hearing this, Yu Yu's smile deepened, while Xu Nuan shook her head and rubbed her forehead. This was a complete disadvantage for them. However, if Yu Yu wanted to conceal something, they had no way to force him to speak. Moreover, they would need to cooperate moving forward, making it even more difficult.
"This makes me feel wronged," Yu Yu said, not engaging in ordinary conversation. "First of all, if the plants in the wild are toxic, then it's very likely that this Xie Huai encountered them himself. You can't shift the blame onto me. Besides, I really don't know which plants are poisonous; my teammates are aware of this."
Yu Yu paused for a moment and then displayed a puzzled expression.
"And if you're so sure that this Xie Huai is poisoned, then give him the Antidote. The Antidote from the Supply Station is still reliable. Unless you gave it to him and he didn't improve?"
Just by exchanging a few words with Deng Yinyin, Yu Yu deduced a lot of information. When he noticed that Deng Yinyin was merely sulking in anger and unable to refute him, he slightly curled his lips.
"If he drank it and didn't get better, then it wouldn't be poisoning. Have you considered what other reasons there might be?"
The few people who had been quietly observing their conversation turned their gazes toward Yu Yu, feeling that his current smile confirmed the saying "ill intentions." Deng Yinyin fell right into his trap.
"What do you mean by that? He has already fainted, and his complexion isn't normal. If it's not poisoning or illness, what else could it be?"
In that moment, Xu Nuan caught a glimpse of the sharpness in Yu Yu's eyes—fleeting yet impactful—as he spoke in a joking tone.
"Have you ever heard the saying? You can never wake someone who pretends to be asleep."
Upon hearing this, Xu Nuan's body stiffened. She even followed Yu Yu's gaze toward the corner where Xie Huai lay unconscious. Not just her; the other individuals in the cave mirrored her actions.
The key point was that Deng Yinyin actually went along with Yu Yu's bold speculation.
"Feigning sleep? Indeed, Xie Huai was fine after taking the Antidote, but for some reason, he fainted again inexplicably."
As Xu Hang and the others were unable to stop it in time, Deng Yinyin voiced the most terrifying speculation.
"Could it be that Xie Huai is pretending to be unconscious to avoid arousing our suspicion about him being the Secret Missioner?"
In fact, after the System announced the mission, everyone became a suspect. However, most people would first suspect those from other teams before turning their suspicion on those around them, which helped avoid awkwardness and maintained team harmony. Yet, Xu Hang and the others had long since lost hope in Deng Yinyin's reasoning. Xu Nuan noticed that Deng Yinyin only seemed clever when it came to matters related to Gu Ze, like when she had previously concealed the Tail Ring incident from her. Other than that, Deng Yinyin's mind seemed to be left unused.
In Chi Xiaoming's team, Zhang Hui was said to be an honest taxi driver, and he readily went along with Deng Yinyin's words.
"If that's the case, then the Secret Missioner must be revealed. Chi Xiaoming, you are the only one among us qualified to input names; why not do it now?"
Chi Xiaoming merely glanced at Zhang Hui and then looked at the smiling Yu Yu without saying a word.
"Your explanation really confirms that saying; I admire your analysis. The person pretending to sleep, trying to evade responsibility, is most likely the Secret Missioner."
Yu Yu even symbolically clapped her hands at Deng Yinyin.
Xu Nuan struggled to pull her gaze away from Xie Huai. She admitted that she had wavered just now; she was no longer worried about whether Xie Huai would meet the same fate as Tang Jingshu. Instead, she hesitated over why they had made such a commotion yet could not wake Xie Huai. It was indeed excessive to say that one could never wake a person feigning sleep. However, if someone in their team had harbored such thoughts from the beginning, it would mean Yu Yu had succeeded. She turned to look at Yu Yu, hoping for some way to salvage the situation when Gu Ze spoke up.
"While your argument has merit, it can also be analyzed from another perspective."
Gu Ze's expression remained calm; he seemed unaffected by what had just been said. No one knew what he truly thought inside as he looked seriously at Yu Yu without being confrontational.
"There is no poison in the Supply Station, but there are some drugs that can be combined to act like poison and cannot be neutralized by the Antidote. Here, no one truly knows you well enough; if you wish to conceal something from us, we have no way of uncovering it."
Yu Yu's gaze sharpened instantly before she quickly masked it again.
"So, if you use that seemingly reasonable statement to make us believe that Xie Huai is the Secret Missioner, then we can also turn it around and say that you are the Secret Missioner, deliberately directing our attention to Xie Huai and wasting our only chance as a group of ten. Do you think my reasoning is valid?"
Gu Ze's tone was unusually calm, yet his analysis was thorough and incisive. Xu Nuan admired him even more, but when she glanced over, she noticed Deng Yinyin looking at Gu Ze with complete admiration, her expression conveying a single thought: Ah, Gu Ze actually helped me out! I'm so happy!
Xu Nuan quickly redirected her gaze to observe Yu Yu's reaction, suppressing her own frustration.
At that moment, it was Fan Beibei who stepped in to explain for Yu Yu. Acting as a decorative background, she spoke with the same effect as Deng Yinyin.
"But Yu was the one who injured Xie Huai in the last round. Does he have some kind of foresight ability to know that a Secret Missioner would appear in this round and intentionally make Xie Huai faint?"
Seeing Xu Hang and Chi Xiaoming's faces growing darker, Xu Nuan hurriedly interjected.
"No, Yu Yu's poisoning of the dagger in the previous round has little to do with the appearance of the Secret Missioner in this round. The former was merely a precaution to ensure he could obtain the statue, while the latter was just a spur-of-the-moment tactic."
Xu Nuan knew her words were adding fuel to the fire, but she also thought of a way to cool things down.
"However, all of this is hypothetical. If he did poison it, if he is the Secret Missioner—if he did none of these things, then please don't take these words to heart; they are inconsequential."
In truth, Xu Nuan realized she had gotten carried away with her words. At least when she saw Fan Beibei glaring at her with beautiful eyes, somewhat acknowledging her words while unable to vent her anger, she felt a sense of delight.
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