Chapter 111: A Brilliant Werewolf Game of Stealth and Subterfuge
After the initial shock, Ji Ning caught on. If Xing Ye were a Town-aligned role, there was no need for him to claim Secret Admirer. The fact that he did so could only mean he was a wolf.
It all happened in a flash. She quickly schooled her expression to avoid giving away Xing Ye's objective.
Xing Ye had said the Secret Admirer was a wildcard role, and his statement and demeanor were completely unreasonable. Ji Ning scanned the room; most people had no particular reaction, seemingly convinced by the story that she and Xing Ye had swapped identities.
Ji Ning inwardly admired Xing Ye again. His calculation was too precise. He had guessed what happened last night just from the look in her eyes.
The subsequent players, No. 1 and No. 2, offered no useful information and didn't bother with Xing Ye's card. They only said they wanted to see the identity of No. 6—Ji Ning. If the object of her affection was a Town player, then there was no need to worry about No. 12 and No. 6.
Soon, it was No. 4 Sheng Churan's turn. He maintained his usual gentle and calm demeanor, his voice unhurried and exceptionally pleasant to the ear.
"Seer card. No. 6 is my Gold Water; the investigation was based on out-of-character reasons. Badge Stream is 3 then 7; if 7 claims, I'll switch to 1. No. 12 is in love with No. 6, so they are both Town. With six on the Sheriff ballot and six off, I'll play this assuming two wolves on the ballot and two off. Investigating 3 clears the area next to me, locking down position 5. Investigating 7 clears the area next to 6. In a Secret Admirer board, the wolves have no Wolf King. As long as I get the Sheriff Badge, Town is guaranteed to win. Of the two earlier speakers on the ballot, 2 is better than 1, so if No. 7 claims, I'll change my investigation to 1. That's it for now; I might adjust after another round of speeches."
Hearing that she had received Gold Water from Sheng Churan, Ji Ning analyzed the situation secretly. If the others accepted Sheng Churan, her Gold Water status would be established. Then no one would bother with Xing Ye or investigate him, meaning Xing Ye was essentially becoming another Gold Water by riding on the coattails of her verified status.
She had to admit, Xing Ye's adaptability was top-notch. This play was executed perfectly.
And, of course, very lucky.
But then… Ji Ning thought further. Perhaps Xing Ye had seen Sheng Churan run for Sheriff, ruled out the other wolves on the ballot, and deduced that Sheng Churan was the Seer.
With Sheng Churan as the Seer, the most likely first investigation target was Ji Ning. That was why Xing Ye was so confident in stealing her identity.
To have such a complex train of thought in that short amount of time—Xing Ye truly lived up to his reputation as a man who broke the norm to make the leaderboard.
Immediately after, the speaking order reached No. 7, Song Weiyang.
Compared to the other men, Ji Ning had been separated from Song Weiyang the longest. Her gaze shifted to him, and she couldn't help but smile.
Song Weiyang was always so sunny and easygoing; his smile was highly infectious.
Though his smile was restrained as he looked at Ji Ning, the charming dimples it brought out added a few more degrees of warmth to his demeanor.
"No. 6 is also my Gold Water. I investigated her both because she's an upper-seat position and for out-of-character reasons. A double Gold Water identity is the highest in the game; 12 can be trusted. Badge Stream is 8 then 5, aiming to find wolves. I've double-pressed the off-ballot players because among the six on the ballot, we already have two Town and one wolf. It'll be easy to distinguish after another round, so it's better to open up the off-ballot landscape. Guard, protect me tonight. If the Witch is on the ballot, you can choose to poison one of the two remaining ballot players. The probability of hitting a wolf is high. Witch, you should understand this, right? That's the landscape. Over."
Song Weiyang's speaking state was also very relaxed, his credibility on par with Sheng Churan's.
But Ji Ning recalled a detail.
Once before, she had also received double Gold Water when Jiang Ting and Song Weiyang were counterclaiming. At that time, Song Weiyang was the real Seer, and he said Ji Ning was double Gold Water, telling the off-ballot players to vote her the Sheriff Badge.
This time, however, Song Weiyang didn't mention that. This meant he wanted the Sheriff Badge for himself.
Getting the Sheriff Badge, whether as a Seer or a wolf, accelerates the game's progress and benefits one's own faction.
In this round, the Werewolf Faction consisted of four ordinary wolves, putting them at a significant disadvantage against the four Power Role cards plus the Secret Admirer.
Song Weiyang's desire for the Sheriff Badge was the complete opposite of his attitude when he was the real Seer. This could only mean one thing—Song Weiyang was Xing Ye's wolf teammate!
There was another point to support this conclusion.
Song Weiyang told the Witch card to consider poisoning among the remaining players on the ballot. That was because, with his eyes open, he could see that he and Xing Ye were the only two wolves on the ballot.
Xing Ye was the "Secret Admirer." If the Witch believed Song Weiyang, then from the Witch's perspective, No. 12 and No. 7 were both Town. Besides the Seer-claiming No. 4 Sheng Churan and the Witch herself, the remaining two players on the ballot could contain one to two wolves. The Witch would inevitably use her poison.
And that poison would be directed at a real Town player!
Song Weiyang's goal was to use the Witch's hand to eliminate a Town card. This motive strongly corroborated that he was not a Town-aligned role.
Ji Ning glanced secretly at Sheng Churan from the corner of her eye, a growing sense of apology in her heart.
She was the Secret Admirer, and the object of her affection, Xing Ye, was a wolf. Therefore, in this round, she had to help the wolves win.
Adding the Secret Admirer, the Werewolf Faction had five members. If they could secure the Sheriff Badge, guarantee voting dominance, and smoothly incite the Witch to use poison on the ballot, the Werewolf Faction would have essentially sealed their victory in this game.
And Sheng Churan, the real Seer who had given her a Gold Water identity, would not only have to endure the terrible experience of misplaced trust and being outvoted by wolves, but also suffer the pain of betrayal by his own Gold Water.
It was truly too pitiful!
After Song Weiyang's speech, the last player to speak on the ballot, No. 10, stepped forward to claim the Witch card, reporting No. 2 as Silver Water. He then judged that No. 7's Seer speech had more vision than No. 4's, expressing his willingness as the Witch to believe the No. 7 card.
Ji Ning thought to herself, of course wolves have more vision than the Seer. After all, the Seer can't see clearly for any card other than the ones he's verified.
But wolves can see where their three teammates are and can also deduce Town identities to throw suspicion onto them.
Facing wolf cards with the mentality, speech, and logic of players like Xing Ye and Song Weiyang, it was truly difficult for Town to win.
Ji Ning noticed Sheng Churan's gaze drifting between her and Xing Ye, as if he had already sensed something was wrong.
But he was one of the earlier speakers on the ballot. Even if he had keenly realized it now, it was already too late.
After the Sheriff voting phase ended, because the Witch had openly picked a side from the concluding speech position on the ballot, Song Weiyang received votes from No. 5, 6, 8, 9, and 11—five votes in total—and became the Sheriff.
During the off-ballot speeches, Sheng Churan's composure remained remarkably steady. He seemed to have discovered that Ji Ning and Xing Ye had swapped identities, but perhaps because it involved Ji Ning, he didn't rush to expose them.
"I am only addressing the Power Roles, the Guard, and the Witch: think carefully. Playing with the assumption of two wolves on the ballot and two off is just a minor starting point for investigations. It cannot be the basis for reckless poisoning or guarding. What if, in this round, there's only one wolf on the ballot and three off? Major Power Roles usually run for Sheriff. What if the Witch's poison is misdirected and hits the Hunter, silencing their gun? The Witch wastes a poison, and Town directly loses two rounds. No. 4's direction was too arbitrary, exposing his perspective. His perspective tells me that besides him, there are no more wolves on the ballot. So, Witch, if you must use poison, I suggest doing it off-ballot. Choose among 5, 8, 9, and 11. In these four cards, there are two to three wolves. The probability is the same as, or even higher than, what No. 4 pointed you towards. That's all I have to say. I hope the Witch understands. Also, thank you to No. 3 for recognizing me and voting for me even after the Witch took the lead."
Although his words didn't mention Ji Ning, he glanced at her after he finished speaking.
His gaze held a smile, still gentle, without the slightest hint of resentment for Ji Ning's betrayal.
Ji Ning inwardly exclaimed at the brilliance. Sheng Churan's speech was practically textbook-level material on how a Seer who failed to get the Sheriff Badge should speak to win back the Town.
And because he didn't mention Ji Ning, it further confirmed to her that Sheng Churan knew Xing Ye wasn't the Secret Admirer, but a wolf. Since Ji Ning now belonged to the Werewolf Faction, he refrained from pointing her out, lest she become a focal point and receive the Witch's poison.
Sheng Churan's speech was excellent, but ultimately, because the wolf team had five members and held the Sheriff Badge, he was voted out directly in the first round's banishment phase.
With the Seer dead, the Werewolf Faction had no restraints. The game ultimately ended on the third day.
The five-player wolf team consisting of No. 12, No. 7, No. 8, No. 9, plus No. 6 Ji Ning, achieved victory in the Werewolf Game.
Livestream comments:
"Saluting Xing Ye's gameplay, saluting Little Sun's psychological warfare tactics, saluting Sheng Churan's calmness in crisis and his wife-protecting move, saluting Ning-Ning's precise side-picking and decisiveness."
"The Heartthrob may be defeated but his honor remains!"
"That Witch is practically the Wolf Team's Grand Mage. Even a speech like Heartthrob's couldn't sway her; she still wanted to poison No. 1. Not even the gods could save her."
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