Chapter 54: Orphan Resentment (Part 14)

But now they faced a new problem. They needed a legitimate reason to leave the room and go to the dormitory’s first floor for Old Sang’s key.

Shen Qingqiu glanced at Xiao Muyu. After a silent exchange, they left the display board.

They naturally mingled with the children diligently writing and working on problems. Looking at these innocent and pure faces, they recalled the small clues they uncovered earlier. Even Xiao Muyu—who usually prided herself on being unaffected by others’ pessimism—couldn’t help but feel sorrow.

She also vaguely wished they were wrong.

After spending time with the children, Xiao Muyu discovered that Xiao Jiao and the two boys, Xiao Han and Xiao Yan, were the most talkative.

At this age, the girls seemed more mature than the boys, displaying greater composure. Xiao Yue was quiet, and Xiao Qin could only nod, shake her head, or give brief answers due to her congenital condition. It was hard to get much information from them.

Big Xiao Mei stood out from the other children. She was like an invisible leader all the other kids listened to.

Last night, they speculated the doll corresponding to Jia Wenlong was Little Six but had yet to figure out which child matched him.

Most people focused more on finding the doll that corresponded to them, especially Hou Liang, who had a clear target. But in Xiao Muyu’s view, Jia Wenlong—who had passed—was the person they most needed to analyze. After all, they only knew his corresponding doll.

They could exclude Little Six from their suspicions in the upcoming games. However, if they could identify the child who corresponded to Jia Wenlong, then carefully observe and find the connection between that child and Little Six, it would greatly aid their ongoing analysis and reasoning.

Xiao Muyu lingered near the children. She noticed she wasn’t the only one with this idea. Yang Rui and Zhang Yangfeng had already started acting on it with a target in mind.

In front of them was the small, tanned boy named Xiao Qiu. He was quietly reading a storybook with his head lowered, giving him a serene appearance. Because of this, Xiao Muyu couldn’t see his eyes. After searching her memory, she realized she had hardly ever made direct eye contact with this child.

Even though she couldn’t see Xiao Qiu’s eyes, Xiao Muyu found his reading posture somewhat unusual. He tilted his head to the side. Just then, Xiao Yan, sitting to his left, reached over to hand him a pen.

The chubby boy’s movement was a bit clumsy. As it was inconvenient for him to get up, he stretched forward with his belly protruding until the pen was within Xiao Qiu’s reach. Xiao Qiu paused briefly before reaching out to take it.

Zhang Yangfeng was slightly surprised but returned to normal after some thinking. “What do you think?”

“He has a blind spot on his left side; it must be him.”

Zhang Yangfeng nodded in agreement. They also felt certain of it.

Zhang Yangfeng coming back specifically for this child showed he already had a plan. Deciding not to waste energy beating around the bush, Xiao Muyu glanced at Zhang Yangfeng and said casually, “We’ve made some discoveries. Take a look around once you’ve finished observing the child.”

It was a clear hint. Zhang Yangfeng quickly glanced around, catching her drift. He nodded in gratitude. “Thank you.”

As Xiao Muyu was about to turn away, she suddenly paused. Her gaze fell on Xiao Qiu’s hand. Her pupils contracted instantly.

When Xiao Qiu took the pen just now, his sleeve slipped. Xiao Muyu noticed what looked like an ink stain on his arm.

She composed herself and walked over to Xiao Qiu. She crouched beside him, looking at the book he was reading: Pinocchio.

Keeping a respectful distance, Xiao Muyu asked softly, “Do you like this story?”

Xiao Qiu’s finger stopped tracing the words on the page. He nodded after a moment. The book was worn, a sign it had been read many times.

Xiao Qiu shifted his hand, then abruptly added, “If someone lies, their nose will grow longer, and everyone will know they’re lying. They won’t be able to fool anyone anymore.”

He pointed absentmindedly at the black-and-white illustration of a frightened Pinocchio with a long nose.

His clothes didn’t fit him particularly well. The sleeves, a bit too long, covered the back of his hands. With his sleeve slightly pulled up, Xiao Muyu could see the black mark on his skin.

It was a straight line, no more than three or four centimeters, dark in the middle and lighter at the ends.

But Xiao Muyu wasn’t focused on that part. She was moved by what the boy had said, so she continued softly, “Yes, it would be best if it worked that way. In reality, people who lie often deceive others easily. But the deeper they try to bury the truth, the more lies they have to hide. Once someone discovers their lies, the price will be far greater than Pinocchio’s. No lie can remain hidden forever.”

Xiao Qiu, who had been keeping his head down, slowly looked up. The skinny boy had dark skin, and his left eye seemed peculiar.

Xiao Muyu showed no other expression. She looked at him attentively and kindly as if waiting for his reaction.

Xiao Qiu lowered his head again, but this time not as deeply. “Have you ever lied?”

Xiao Muyu blinked, then quickly nodded. “Yes, I have.”

Xiao Qiu tilted his head and stared at her. “And did you pay the price?”

His gaze was sharp and direct, nothing characteristic of a child. When he suddenly lifted his head to look at her after her answer, Xiao Muyu felt a shudder in her chest.

Shen Qingqiu had been subtly watching Xiao Muyu from not far away. She noticed a sudden, strange tension between Xiao Muyu and the little boy. Her heart skipped a beat, and she walked over with an austere expression.

Meanwhile, Xiao Muyu continued looking at Xiao Qiu and nodded once more. “I paid a great price. What about you, Xiao Qiu? Have you ever lied?”

Xiao Qiu’s expression shifted from surprise to confusion, then to slight panic. Finally, he showed a look appropriate for a child of six or seven. He mumbled, “I have… Will I have to pay a big price too?”

Xiao Muyu shook her head. “You’re still a child. Unlike adults, children have some special privileges. Besides, every child makes mistakes, and lying is one of them. You can be forgiven if it hasn’t caused serious harm and you’ve acknowledged and corrected your mistake. Like Pinocchio—he was a good child at heart. He could return his nose to normal once he admitted his mistake, right?”

Xiao Qiu was silent for a long time before he nodded. He didn’t say anything more to Xiao Muyu. However, as she stood up to leave, he glanced at her. A faint glimmer appeared in his right eye.

When Xiao Muyu approached, Shen Qingqiu shifted her gaze away from Xiao Qiu’s face and leaned close. “That kid is the one connected to Jia Wenlong, isn’t he? What did you two talk about? He seemed a bit off just now.”

Xiao Muyu nodded. She glanced back at Xiao Qiu and said calmly, “We didn’t talk about much. He was reading Pinocchio, so we discussed what price liars ultimately must pay.”

Then, she gave Shen Qingqiu a look that held a subtle meaning. But Shen Qingqiu didn’t say anything. She only watched as Xiao Muyu walked past her.

Since the content on the display board contained crucial information, Xiao Muyu didn’t keep it to herself. With her guidance, everyone saw the photographs displayed there. But another look revealed a photo they had almost missed.

It showed a group of men posing together, all dressed in suits and ties. Among them was one man dressed very plainly, with a humble and respectful expression. He stood in the center, shaking hands with the man beside him.

After seeing the photo, everyone’s gaze fell on the pictures of the girls with those men. A heavy silence settled over them. Although the guys weren’t usually sensitive, as men themselves, they understood the look of those men in the photos. It made them frown deeply.

“F*ck… it can’t be what I think it is, can it? Are they monsters?” Huang Junfeng, usually the jokester, couldn’t hide the anger and disgust in his eyes as he cursed.

Yang Rui looked at the children, feeling a painful tightness in her chest. Face paling, she shook her head. “Maybe… maybe it’s not what it seems… I hope it’s not. That would just be too…” She couldn’t finish her sentence. But deep down, she knew, despite this being a game’s storyline, similar things weren’t unheard of in real life.

Because of this clue, a heavy atmosphere settled over the group.

In the silence, everyone took turns checking their interface.

Xiao Muyu reviewed her own. Her points had increased to 21. The extra seven points came from:

1. Completing the connection chain for Player Jia Wenlong: Jia Wenlong → Xiao Qiu → Little Six, which earned 2 points.
2. Discovering key evidence: the photo hidden on the display board, which earned 5 points.

The names missing from the progress log had all been filled in. The information she scored points for also showed up in the blank sections.

Jia Wenlong’s name appeared after the list of Charity Orphanage personnel. The names of the other group members were also included.

However, even though some of them had confirmed their corresponding children, only Jia Wenlong’s complete chain was visible. For instance, no match appeared next to Hou Liang for Xiao Han. It seemed each connection wouldn’t show until all three links in the chain were complete.

“But there’s something strange. The total headcount is still a question mark,” Hou Liang said, puzzled. “Haven’t we already met everyone in the orphanage? Shouldn’t the count be 11?”

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu had already discussed this earlier. Huang Junfeng added, unusually serious, “I suspect that there’s someone here we haven’t found yet, or the number isn’t 11. It might be referring to how many are still alive.”

The others all turned to look at him.

“I’m not wrong, am I? Given the title is ‘Orphan Resentment’, if our guesses are correct, these children may all be vengeful spirits. That auntie is certainly not human, and this director, Qu Muxi, seems strange, too. As for Old Sang, he’s practically a ghost himself, appearing and disappearing at will. Probably none of them are human.”

“Stop speculating. We need more evidence to uncover the truth. The director couldn’t be innocent if what we suspect actually happened in this orphanage. And logically, if those terrible things did happen, the children wouldn’t be so attached to the director.”

Xiao Muyu spoke decisively, always able to pinpoint the crux of the matter. The group fell silent, taking her words in.

Yet, as she stared at that photograph, a thought began forming.

At this point, they found themselves in a deadlock with no clear leads. They struggled to match the children with their corresponding dolls and had no idea which child they were each linked to. So, their top priority now was to find a way to open the cabinet.

The morning passed quickly. Qu Muxi soon pushed the door open and strode in with steady, purposeful steps. She smiled brightly as she thanked everyone.

Xiao Muyu instinctively wrinkled her nose when Qu Muxi passed her. Shen Qingqiu noticed this reaction. While Qu Muxi was busy speaking, she asked, “Did you smell something?”

Xiao Muyu’s expression tightened slightly. “Cigarette smoke.”

Shen Qingqiu looked a bit surprised. Qu Muxi smokes? She didn’t look like the type.

Qu Muxi continued, “Since the orphanage is about to merge, it’s been rather quiet here lately. We hardly have any visitors. The children haven’t seen new faces in a while, so they’re thrilled to have you all here with them today.”

The group glanced at the children sitting quietly behind her. Apart from Xiao Jiao, none of the children appeared ‘thrilled’. Even Xiao Yan and Xiao Han, who had just been playing with them, wore blank expressions as if they’d become different people.

The contrast between the children’s vacant expressions and Qu Muxi’s warm demeanor and words was jarring. At that moment, they felt an invisible wall separating them from those before them. It felt like they were looking at them from outside a picture frame.

Yang Rui couldn’t help wrapping her arms around herself, feeling a chill spread through her body.

But Qu Muxi appeared oblivious. She smiled at the children and asked, “Which brother or sister do you like best to teach you?”

Except for Xiao Qiu, the other seven children raised their hands simultaneously. With standardized smiles and fervent expressions, they each pointed at someone. Not a look typical of children.

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu’s expressions changed instantly. The others were also taken aback. They had been exhausting themselves trying to observe details. Now they received the answers on a silver platter.

However, this unexpected revelation didn’t bring relief but confusion and dread.

If they easily achieved this, did it mean the game was not the most terrifying part? Or perhaps the game was far more horrifying than they had imagined.

Their deductions were correct. Shen Qingqiu corresponded to Xiao Mei, Xiao Muyu to Xiao Jiao, and Hou Liang to Xiao Han. Surprisingly, Liu Pei corresponded to Xiao Qin, the girl with a cleft lip. Yang Rui corresponded to Xiao Mei, Zhang Yangfeng to Xiao Yan, and Huang Junfeng to Xiao Yue, the quiet one. Despite their shock, the experienced players quickly identified the children who had chosen them.

But before they could fully process their surprise, the system issued a notification: “Instance No. 003’s official storyline activated. Instance No. 003’s official storyline activated!”

“What does that mean?” The announcement caught everyone off guard. Official storyline?  What about everything they had experienced so far?