HP - Chapter 21

Typhoon Night Murder Files 16

“The truth turned out to be like this.” Xu Shuangyuan looked dazed.

I had thought this murder was revenge for Jiang Zhi’s death a year ago; now I realize Jiang Zhi was only the beginning of the revenge.

But why was there such a long gap in between?

Li Yang was happy to explain: “The original plan was for all of you to die at that gathering a year ago.”

“But Jiang Zhi’s car accident happened to be near where the police were. The police contacted us too quickly — I didn’t have time to act.”

According to the original plan, a year ago you would have been trapped in the hotel where that gathering was held, and then, one by one, die just like today.

“You’re too cruel!” Liang Qing shouted angrily.

Li Yang said softly, “Don’t blame me. I drew the murderer card, so I had to go all out to kill you. That was my condition for clearing the game — I had to finish it. If any of you had drawn the murderer card, you would have done the same.”

Everyone fell silent.

No one knew how they would have behaved if they themselves had drawn the murderer card.

Zhong Xu felt something vibrating in her pocket. She pulled out her phone — the caller ID showed: Captain Chen.

The phone actually had a signal.

“Really sorry — I had an unexpected assignment yesterday and missed the last flight, then the typhoon hit and we lost signal… Now I’ve finally reached you,” said the apologetic voice on the line — it was the “twelfth guest.” “We’ll arrive at Buji Island soon.”

【Drip】

【Congratulations to the civilian players for achieving victory — you not only deduced the truth but also successfully caught the murderer.】

【Number of surviving players at the end: 5 (murderer excluded)】

Dawn came. Morning light pierced the heavy clouds and slanted across the isolated island.

Liang Qing looked utterly spent and collapsed to the ground.

The others were also badly shaken; hearing the game-clear chime finally allowed them to relax, and the tension in their minds eased.

“Hey, the one playing Song Musi,” Li Yang suddenly called, waving at Zhong Xu.

Everyone turned to look.

“As the murderer, my goal was to kill everyone who indirectly caused Mu Xingchao’s death. But I don’t understand — what exactly is your role?” Li Yang frowned, confused. “It seems you didn’t harm Mu Xingchao? Could it be that your role was only to bring us together here and eventually bring in the detective NPC?”

“Curious?” Zhong Xu asked.

“I’m curious,” Li Yang said. “Does your story explain it?” He paused. “Anyway, I’m going to die here — let me be a dying man who understands.”

Zhong Xu looked down and thought for a moment. “I can let you die understanding, but you must answer one question first.”

“You really never give in, do you.” Li Yang sounded helpless. “Fine. Ask.”

“You caused Luo Fang to die from an allergy because his malicious act was swapping the gift for flowers that Mu Xingchao was allergic to; you used a fork to scratch Lin Huaiping as a symbol of a cat scratch because Lin Huaiping’s malicious act was setting Mu Xingchao’s cat free; likewise, the deaths of the Xu siblings and Cui Shuying came from their past malice.” Zhong Xu finished listing the causes of the deaths, then asked, “Was this a necessary condition to clear the game? Or did your choices bring you some benefit?”

Li Yang laughed: “You’re not a veteran player.”

Zhong Xu said nothing, only watched him and waited for an answer.

The others looked surprised — because Zhong Xu’s confident deduction earlier really didn’t look like the work of a newcomer.

“Boss, that was gutsy,” Ji Zhou silently gave a thumbs-up in his mind.

Li Yang praised, “But you’re sharp. If I weren’t going to die, I’d want to team up with you.”

“It’s because this choice brings benefits — it lets you earn more points,” he confirmed Zhong Xu’s guess. “The suitcase was prepared with two kinds of murder props: those that ‘corresponded to the malice’ and those that were ‘straightforward and efficient.’ In the end, I chose the ones corresponding to the malice, and failed… I guess I was too greedy.”

Hearing this, Ji Zhou offered comfort: “An unqualified murderer sounds much more reassuring than a qualified one.”

“…Thanks for your comfort.”

After that, Li Yang waited for Zhong Xu to clear up his confusion.

“Pure speculation — I take no responsibility if it’s wrong.”

“You could have chosen to keep that last part from me.”

【Song Musi】

I am Song Musi.

Before the gathering that day, I managed to snatch up a limited-edition copy of the book Silent Island. I was so happy! It was by an author I really liked. Although hardly anyone knew her, I always felt our inner worlds were very similar.

After buying the book, I went to the gathering.

To be honest, I didn’t want to go, because I had already seen through the true nature of each one of them.

But isn’t it precisely this kind of false bond of friendship that ties people together? Besides, I still had two close friends, Jiang Zhi and Cui Shuying, so I still needed to go.

As it turned out, the typhoon strengthened into a super typhoon that day. In my rush to get home, I actually left Silent Island behind at the villa.

I thought it over, and decided to brave the rain and return to the villa.

But I never expected to witness Mu Xingchao falling into the swimming pool. I stood outside the courtyard, watching him struggle through the fence.

So strange — he clearly knew how to swim, so why couldn’t he climb out?

Should I go help?

But what if I got dragged in too? The wind was so strong, so terrifying…

Forget it. I didn’t like Mu Xingchao anyway; I thought he was hypocritical.

I quietly left.

Afterward, I felt uneasy, constantly wondering whether Mu Xingchao had drowned. I felt a little guilty… and also a little schadenfreude.

A few days later, I contacted Mu Xingchao about Silent Island, but he replied that he hadn’t seen it, and told me he had gone abroad. Later, I received the news that he had been in a car accident.

In the end, I was depressed for a long time. Luckily, I later bought a secondhand copy of Silent Island.

……

【Congratulations, player, for unlocking Song Musi’s character story: The Bystander】

Li Yang suddenly understood: “So that’s how it was. It makes sense — I overlooked it, never thought to connect the book with ‘failing to save a life.’”

At this moment, NPC Captain Chen arrived, directing his team to move away the two large trees blocking the courtyard entrance. “It seems you’ve already caught the real culprit. Thank you. Leave the criminal to us now.”

Li Yang was escorted out of the storage room. Passing by Zhong Xu, he paused, looked at her seriously, and said: “It’s a pity I ran into you in this level. If I can leave alive, I’d like to invite you to join our team.”

Team?

Zhong Xu raised an eyebrow. “This game allows players to form teams and enter other games?”

“Yes.” Li Yang looked at her expectantly. “Would you be willing to join us?”

“No,” Zhong Xu replied with a cold face. “And you won’t survive anyway.”

Li Yang said bitterly: “That’s too cruel. But what if there’s still a chance to live? Don’t be so negative.”

“Don’t worry — if that day ever comes…” Suddenly, another voice cut in. It was Zhou Zhi, who had spoken little until now. “I won’t let you off either.”

Li Yang remembered — Zhou Zhi and Cui Shuying seemed to have gone through the previous level together. They were most likely teammates, or something close to that.

"Can those hands that hold a scalpel still kill?"

With those words, Li Yang brushed past him.

Zhou Zhi’s face was dark, his eyes filled with icy frost.

Just then, Zhong Xu’s voice sounded from behind: "Have you uncovered the truth about Mu Xingchao?"

Li Yang halted mid-step. "There’s more truth about him?"

Zhong Xu: "Captain Chen, quickly take the criminal away."

"?"

"Song Musi! What do you mean?! I kindly invited you to join my team, and now you’re dangling this in front of me before I die? I told you I wanted to die with understanding, and you’re deliberately doing this—you’re too vicious!"

Li Yang’s voice grew more and more distant, and more and more furious.

The others, seeing this, pricked up their ears in curiosity: "The truth about Mu Xingchao?"

Zhong Xu wasn’t in a hurry to speak. Instead, she asked: "If I uncover this truth, will there be additional rewards?"

Zhou Zhi nodded. "Generally, it would unlock a new achievement, which means accumulating points."

"Can these points be used to make wishes?"

"Make wishes?" Zhou Zhi frowned and shook his head. "I’ve never heard of such a thing."

"Really useless."

As Liang Qing sneaked closer, trying to strike up a conversation, Zhou Zhi suddenly spoke: "Boss Song, I’d like to invite you to join my team. This path seems endless, and we all need reliable teammates."

"I know your first instinct will be to refuse, but I still hope you’ll reconsider. This is my nameplate, with my real name. If you agree, you can summon a team-up at any time."

Zhou Zhi handed over an object. It was a plate, metal-like, shimmering with fantastical light, engraved with a serial number and a name.

Qiu Heming.

Ji Zhou was stunned at what he saw. When Qiu Heming handed the nameplate to Zhong Xu, he also offered one to him.

"If you don’t trust me enough yet, we can play another round together—no problem."

Liang Qing glared at him, then also said: "Boss, I invite you too. Let’s team up."

"I don’t need teammates."

As Qiu Heming had expected, Zhong Xu refused.

Standing nearby, Ji Zhou put on a wronged face: Then what does that make our relationship?

Qiu Heming wasn’t discouraged. Smiling, he waved the nameplate. "Then I’ll just leave it in your friend request list. I’m not in a hurry—I can wait."

Ji Zhou, who had always longed to team up, now hesitated: "I need to first understand the rules of the game before I decide."

Qiu Heming nodded knowingly. "No problem."

……

【Mu Xingchao】

I am Mu Xingchao.

I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. By rights, I should have had no great troubles, but in truth, I’ve rarely felt true happiness.

My parents’ divorce filled me with sorrow for my and my brother’s fate. So, for a long time afterward, I decided to be a bad kid. Everyone could see what an obnoxious rich second-generation I would grow into.

Until the day I saw my brother again, after years apart.

I thought Li Yang would be like me, but what I saw was a sunny, graceful young boy. In comparison, I was dim and colorless.

Everyone liked Li Yang. To fight over him, my father and mother—divorced for years—argued several more times. To me, it was a bolt from the blue… I feared being cast out of the Mu family. I feared losing everything.

From then on, I learned to pretend. I became cheerful, warm, outgoing. Gradually, everyone forgot the unruly Mu Xingchao of the past and believed that Mu Xingchao, like Li Yang, had always been a good kid.

But I was not happy. I grew more and more suffocated. Why must I be a sunny person? That personality didn’t suit me at all. Yet I dared not show my true thoughts.

To untangle my confusion, I kept close contact with Li Yang. But instead, I came to understand one thing: I could never become like Li Yang, because at heart, I am cold and indifferent.

What infuriated me most was Li Yang’s kindness. Of course he was kind—he had never suffered any injustice. But that was also his fatal flaw.

Believe me, his integrity looks fragile.

I must destroy Li Yang.

I began, in letters, to exaggerate the malice of friends around him, hinting that kindness might not be rewarded, and that sometimes he should strike back sharply.

Li Yang believed me. He began to resent my friends.

Later, I invited Li Yang back to the country. I began to set the stage—those friends who despised each other, together with Li Yang, would all fall into the trap. Meanwhile, I would walk away unscathed and begin my new life abroad.

I was thrilled. The thought of an upright, promising young man becoming a murderer excited me beyond measure.

I knew Li Yang would step into the abyss I had opened. I knew him—so full of self-righteousness, so full of self-righteous justice.

But there was no hurry. After he returned home, then the plan would begin.

For now, let me check my Weibo… What kind of people are these? They actually doubt that I won my award because of shady dealings?

Am I really that bad?

I worked hard for my photography, you know.

My mood was utterly foul… I might as well drink myself thoroughly drunk tonight.

……

【Congratulations, player, for unlocking the hidden achievement: Abyssal Scheme】

1. 見死不救 (jiàn sǐ bù jiù) - To see someone dying but not save them/failing to save a life.

2. 通關條件 (tōngguān tiáojiàn) - Condition for clearing the game.

3. 兇手牌 (xiōngshǒu pái) - Murderer card,  game item that assigns a player the role of the killer, forcing them to act according to the game's rules to win.

4. 平民玩家 (píngmín wánjiā) - “Civilian player,” the game role for the majority of players who must deduce the murderer's identity to win.

5. 積分 (jīfēn) - Points, In-game currency or metric earned by players' actions, used to measure performance and potentially for rewards.

6. 銘牌 (míngpái) - Nameplate, A physical token, often resembling a military ID tag, used to identify players and facilitate team-forming mechanics within the game world.

7. 含着金湯匙出生 (hánzhe jīn tāngchí chūshēng) - "Born with a gold spoon in one's mouth," the English idiom "born with a silver spoon in one's mouth," denoting inherited wealth and privilege.

Characters (Players)

• 终栩 (Zhōng Xǔ)

  • Role: Protagonist 

  • Game Role: Later assumes the identity of 宋慕思 (Sòng Mùsī), the idealistic guesthouse owner with a hidden agenda tied to her friend’s death.

• 季舟 (Jì Zhōu)

  • Role: Self-proclaimed "萌新" (newbie)

• 老玩家 (Lǎo Wánjiā, Veteran Player)

  • Role: Experienced survivor

• 瘦弱男人 (Shòuruò Nánrén, Thin Man)

  • Role: Terrified newbie

• 眼镜男 (Yǎnjìng Nán, Glasses Man)

  • Role: Silent observer

~~~~~~

• 宋慕思 (Sòng Mùsī) – The protagonist; a quiet, introspective young woman who organized the friends' gathering and owns the 民宿 (guesthouse). Hides complicated past relationships.

• 江栀 (Jiāng Zhī) – Outgoing and sociable; Song Musi’s close friend (闺蜜) but also entangled in a love triangle involving Sang Long. [Been Dead Prior]

• 崔书颖 (Cuī Shūyǐng) – Another extroverted friend in the trio; makes Song Musi feel like a third wheel at times. [Dead]

• 桑隆 (Sāng Lóng) – Jiang Zhi’s current boyfriend and Song Musi’s ex; their past relationship is a hidden source of tension.

• 骆方 (Luò Fāng) – A timid, cowardly classmate whom Song Musi dislikes. Later revealed to have a peanut allergy. [Dead]

• 徐杭泉 (Xú Hángquán) & 徐杭佳 (Xú Hángjiā) – Self-centered siblings; both are classmates disliked by Song Musi. [Dead]

• 周至 (Zhōu Zhì) – A smooth-talking, socially adept classmate (possibly a surgeon); Song Musi finds him insincere.

• 梁青 (Liáng Qīng) – An insecure and overly sensitive classmate; another person Song Musi dislikes.

• 牧星朝 (Mù Xīngcháo) – A hypocritical rich kid (富二代) with a photography hobby; Xu Shuangyuan’s boyfriend. [Been Dead Prior]

• 许双园 (Xǔ Shuāngyuán) – Proud and arrogant; Mu Xingchao’s girlfriend, whom Song Musi resents.

• 林怀平 (Lín Huáipíng) – Jiang Zhi’s cousin who joins the group through her; displays incompetent arrogance, disliked by Song Musi. [Dead]

• 陈警官 (Captain Chen) – A recently acquainted police detective; annoys Song Musi by replying slowly to messages.

Sevyn here ~~~

And that wraps up the second arc.

If you guys like this novel and the infinite flow genre, I highly recommend Oath's translation of Starting with Board Game [on this site]. She just finished up the second arc over there, too.  I'd say that novel is much more technical and game-like, more thought-provoking, I would say. Do check it out, but don't leave me lol