Simulated Crime, This Criminal Doesn’t Seem to Be Acting

The rain in Nan City began to pour again in the evening, torrents of water cascading down, creating a misty, foggy scene when viewed from the alley's entrance, with vapor rising amidst the downpour.

Underneath the black raincoat, Ye Sangsang stood in a corner, her attire blending her into the darkness of the night, unnoticed by anyone.

Counting the days, she had gone through five copies without playing the role of a criminal. Reenacting a criminal once more at the end of the public beta brought a sense of ceremony.

Ye Sangsang knew this wasn't a coincidence. The hyper-intelligent system, now her virtual world companion, understood her preferences too well.

Her hands trembled slightly as she gripped the hammer in her hand, steadying her nerves. It wasn't fear; it was the long-forgotten excitement bubbling up within her.

【Ahhh! Sangsang, you scare me so much!】

【This is always how she is. When she's a criminal, even without any terrifying actions or atmosphere, she still seems terrifying!】

I only like Sangsang's criminal copy because the criminal's counterattack makes those cases less desperate for me!

The live stream's audience quickly surpassed three million and continued to grow rapidly.

Many viewers knew this was wrong, and they were aware they wouldn't become criminals themselves, but that didn't stop them from wanting to see the three demons punished.

Rui Lan sought revenge, whereas those three were simply malicious.

They couldn't take action themselves, but watching was satisfying enough.

It was a kind of cyber venting.

Ye Sangsang held the hammer in her right hand, while her left carried tools, covered in heavy gloves, raincoat, and a mask, concealing her entire figure.

These tools weren't prepared by Ye Sangsang; she merely needed to pick them up at a designated location.

According to the provided location, she waited for the fortunate demon to arrive.

The Zhang family in the village was of average means. They had moved here about a month and a half ago, as families with daughters had been pointing fingers at them.

The three families had several confrontations in the village, relying on their aggressive nature to gain the upper hand. However, despite online harassment—including deliveries of wreaths and urns, and repeated red paint splattering and graffiti—they decided to move closer to Nan City, just a short fifteen-minute drive away.

The pressure from villagers didn't help, either. Three families moved to the city. One family, more resourceful, quickly moved into a previously bought apartment. The other two families, with better economic conditions, rented a residential unit.

The final Zhang family, struggling financially and with debts, could only reside in an old, decrepit flat in the dilapidated old district.

The surroundings were chaotic, with closely packed courtyards and narrow, winding alleys, making it the worst area for public safety.

The first perpetrator to die was from the family that rented the residential unit. He was found hanging from the windowsill, pierced through with knitting needles.

Ye Sangsang had found it quite interesting—she knew this symbolized the victim's family wanting them to feel the agony of being pierced by a thousand arrows.

Since arrows were difficult to find and could be easily traced, they opted for knitting needles that resembled arrows.

Their cherished child had died, succumbing to unimaginable pain.

The perpetrators should feel the same pain they had inflicted.

It was almost kind, as they didn't kill all of them.

However, she wondered, were the Zhangs really so reckless?

Did they dare let Zhang Qiyuan out?

As Ye Sangsang pondered, at the corner of the courtyard where the Zhangs rented, Zhang Qiyuan, unnoticed by the adults, quietly climbed over the wall and headed into the alley.

Lately, those annoying police had been around, warning his parents to keep him indoors, saying he might be in danger.

His parents, fearful, assured the officers they would keep an eye on him, allowing him out only for school.

Zhang Qiyuan scoffed at their naivety, believing they thought he knew nothing.

Didn't they just know how Chen Xiao had died? He was the most cowardly of them, unable to handle it when it came to that family. But Zhang Qiyuan was different.

If confronted, he would kill not only the attacker but the old man too.

After all, he was only twelve, and under the law, he couldn't be held accountable for murder.

That old man he had seen before; when his daughter was hospitalized, he came home to fetch something. Zhang Qiyuan had once blocked his path when no one was looking.

The man nearly choked with anger, his body weak and shaky, hardly worth considering.

If he dared show up, Zhang Qiyuan would stab him once and that would be it.

He patted the knife hidden in his pants, a careless smile on his face.

After climbing over the wall, he glanced around, heading toward his intended destination.

Even if time dragged on for a significant period, within a couple of weeks, most people would forget. No one would remember their faces, especially when news reports would blur them out, leaving even fewer people recognizing them.

Netizens were far from omnipotent; while it was easy to expose them at home, when they moved stealthily overnight, finding them wasn't as simple.

Furthermore, they had reported to the police, which led to their information being deleted or protected.

Thinking of this, a peculiar glimmer flickered in his eyes.

Nothing had harmed them. In fact, life had become even more smoothly unwinding. Given his age, he thought how great it would be to do something again before he turned fourteen.

A few days ago, he had seen a girl about seven years old. He had played near her home before.

He had even asked her grandmother for permission to keep the girl.

The grandmother thought it was a joke! But he meant it.

The old woman's hearing was poor, and her parents were away for work. He figured he could just walk in and take the girl away; the grandmother wouldn't realize it for a while.

Imagining what was to come, Zhang Qiyuan smirked.

His house was behind three alleys from the girl's home. Using the rain as cover, he quickly moved along.

The rain was excellent, as it delayed her grandmother from discovering anything sooner.

He could make it last a long time.

As he took a step forward into another alley, out of the shadowed darkness behind him, two hands stretched out.

Zhang Qiyuan only felt a sudden, fierce pain in his head, followed by the dizziness as the ground came up to meet him.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh..."

He tried to scream, but hands clamped tightly over his mouth.

He stared in terror, his body thrashing on the ground uselessly.

In the next instant, in his endless terror, he was dragged away from the alley.

Those faint traces he left on the flagstones were quickly erased as raindrops splattered onto them.

As Zhang Qiyuan struggled once more, the hammer swung down.

Ye Sangsang, expressionless, retrieved the hammer and bent down to hoist the boy onto her shoulder.

She carried him until they reached the target location before setting him down.

She took out a rope, calmly tying him up, then produced an ordinary gray towel, stuffing most of it into his mouth.

As per the requirements, Ye Sangsang tightly bound Zhang Qiyuan.

The victim’s family would never allow him to die easily, so it definitely wouldn’t end with him being knocked out with a hammer.

Having secured Zhang Qiyuan—laying spread-eagled on a wide, smooth board—Ye Sangsang nodded in satisfaction.

Below the board was an abandoned, dust-covered, remodeled antique wooden bed, with the wide board perfectly fitting between the headboard and the footrest's lower bars.

The rope was tied securely to the headboard and footrest poles, and the bed was sturdy. Even if Zhang Qiyuan woke up and thrashed about, it wouldn’t make excessive noise.

Very good, everything else had been prepared for her.

All she had to do was act, which was very convenient for her.

Next to the bed sat a chair. After arranging her tools, Ye Sangsang sat down to wait for him to wake up.

About half an hour later, Zhang Qiyuan woke up.

Instantly, he began to struggle violently, trying to lift his head to look at Ye Sangsang, wonder who had tied him up.

Simultaneously, he tried to "mmpphh" through his gag, calling for help, desperately hoping someone nearby could hear him.

Ye Sangsang took out a piece of paper, reading aloud, "Zhang Qiyuan, it was you initially who tied up Li Yue, and later, it was you who pinned Li Yue down."

"Mmmphh, mmmphh," Zhang Qiyuan widened his eyes, glaring at Ye Sangsang, a mixture of rage and terror in his gaze.

No trace of his previous arrogance remained.

Smiling, Ye Sangsang folded the paper and tucked it into her inner pocket.

"You were quite the good helper. With which hand did you hold her down?"

Rui Lan, a person with a gentle and warm disposition, spoke in a soft, unhurried tone.

Usually, this would sound fine, but now it seemed eerie.

"What are you doing?"

At this moment, a clear voice rang out.

Ye Sangsang turned her head and saw a girl who was both unfamiliar and somewhat familiar.

As Ye Sangsang looked at her, the girl already approached with curious steps.

Looking at the person on the wooden plank, she lifted her eyes to Ye Sangsang and asked, "Auntie, why did you tie up this brother?"

"Let me untie him for you!"

The girl quickly stepped forward and began trying to untie the ropes.

Ye Sangsang felt a chill run down her spine and hurriedly reached out to stop her, grabbing a knife and raising it.

【Ahhhh! Sangsang, don't!】

【It's an illusion! It's just an illusion!】

【Help, why would such an illusion appear!】

Just as Ye Sangsang was momentarily stunned, a hand gripped her wrist.

"Damn it! How dare you kidnap me! Watch me take care of you!" Zhang Qiyuan's voice echoed in Ye Sangsang's ears.

The girl innocently looked at Ye Sangsang, her eyes filled with confusion and doubt, asking, "Auntie, what's wrong? Auntie, should we call the police?"

Two voices resounded in Ye Sangsang's ears, making it impossible to distinguish who was real.

The live chat was in a frenzy, as the situation had escalated—one side was fiercely struggling while the other was already untying the ropes, the girl's movements swift and deliberate, like that of an adult.

In such circumstances, being unable to distinguish reality from illusion was nearly fatal.

The live chat was panicking.

Ye Sangsang listened and observed the situation around her. After a brief moment of hesitation, she closed her eyes in front of everyone's gaze.

Feeling the grip on her hand and the motion of untying the ropes on the other side, Ye Sangsang paused her own attempt to untie the ropes.

The illusion was making her take on the role of the girl, who had untied Zhang Qiyuan's ropes herself!

As she sensed Zhang Qiyuan about to loosen his grip on her hand, Ye Sangsang's lips curled into a smile. With her other hand, she firmly caught his slipping hand.

With a twist of her right wrist, she easily broke free from the restraint. Her left hand then slammed his hand down onto the wooden plank, placing the knife on a nearby chair. She picked up the rope and retied it tightly around him.

"You damn lunatic! You're insane!"

"What are you doing! Didn't you untie me? Why tie me up again!"

"Help..."

Just as he realized the situation was dire and opened his mouth to shout for help, Ye Sangsang found a towel and stuffed it back into his mouth with force.

Ye ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍Sangsang still kept her eyes closed, hearing his voice turn back into muffled groans. A subtle smile flickered across her lips.

If there were illusions, she'd simply close her eyes and try.

Not only to ward off illusions, but mainly to feel the reality of the situation, to determine what was real and what was fake.

The game instance couldn't be too excessive; after all, players were here to enjoy the game, not to endure the torment of illusions.

Ye Sangsang picked up a hammer and a ten-centimeter-long nail that had been placed ready.

【Damn! Operating with her eyes closed!】

Brings back memories of the blind copy, which scared the hell out of me.

Sangsang's memory is excellent; during the blind copy episode, she relied on sheer recall to counter several attackers. I still revisit that clip sometimes; it's terrifying and thrilling.

The live stream viewers adapted well to Ye Sangsang's actions with her eyes closed, as they knew she'd done even crazier things before.

A psycho not tied up wasn't her match, let alone one bound already.

No matter how much Zhang Qiyuan struggled, it was nothing more than a futile attempt.

He was at the mercy of the chopping block.

As Ye Sangsang approached with the nail and hammer, the intensity of his struggles grew more apparent.

"Your resistance made me choose to act with my eyes closed, lessening my guilt. If I miss the mark, feel free to resist, and let me know I've made a mistake, okay?"

With Ye Sangsang's gentle words, Zhang Qiyuan's eyes burned with hatred, wanting to devour her.

But as Ye Sangsang, wearing gloves, slowly felt her way, his eyes filled with fear, his body tensed, and the ropes around him tightened even further.

Ye Sangsang's hand stopped at his right hand.

The cold, sharp end of the iron nail was aligned with his palm, and the hammer was raised.

"Ah..."

A guttural groan escaped from his mouth, stuffed to the brim, as he shuddered violently from the pain.

Ye Sangsang showed no signs of stopping.

Several times, Zhang Qiyuan lost consciousness, and Ye Sangsang, in her kindness, woke him up again.

After some experimentation, Ye Sangsang concluded that this task required technique.

For instance, for wrists and ankles, to immobilize someone without letting them die immediately, one had to avoid major arteries.

Since she was blindfolded, Ye Sangsang's movements were slower than she expected, and the pace at which she hammered the nails was also slower, as she had to ensure she didn't hit herself with the hammer.

Of course, she was still faster than Rui Lan.

After all, the players playing investigators would inevitably follow the clues and track her down.

Once they realized Zhang Qiyuan was missing, the area would be turned upside down.

After torturing him for a while, Zhang Qiyuan was on the brink of despair, barely clinging to life.

Ye Sangsang stopped, pondering with her eyes still closed.

Zhang Qiyuan thought Ye Sangsang would spare him, a glimmer of hope flickering in his eyes, hoping she would leave now.

Ye Sangsang considered for a moment, then pulled the towel from his mouth.

"Please... look at my young age and... let me go..."

He was frightened, and he promised he wouldn't do such things again.

He didn't dare call for help, terrified that the next moment she would end his life.

Earlier, he had still harbored some luck, thinking that these adults were timid and might not dare to kill him.

So when he was tied up, he dared to shout for help.

But now, he didn't dare. He had only half a life left, and he clearly understood how cold-blooded the person in front of him was.

Ye Sangsang quietly listened, then extended her hand, revealing another long nail.

"Your age doesn't matter; the price for wrongdoing is to pay the price. For instance, now, you're atoning for your sins."

This nail was nearly twice as long as the previous ones.

Zhang Qiyuan's eyes were filled with despair. He wanted to muster all his remaining strength to shout for help.

But the next moment, Ye Sangsang stuffed the towel back into his mouth, and not a single sound escaped him.

His eyes widened in terror, his pupils dilated due to unbearable pain.

A small black dot on his forehead marked the end of his vile life.

He had immobilized Li Yue, subjecting her to endless torment, and now he would become the helpless victim on the butcher's block.

There wasn't much to clean up. Ye Sangsang opened her eyes and confirmed that her gloves, clothes, and body were free of any marks. She then put the hammer back into her bag and turned to leave.

The sky of Nan City seemed to have cracked open, and Ye Sangsang walked into the rain. As the water soaked into the ground, any traces were swiftly washed away.

After walking several hundred meters, she took off her gloves, raincoat, and mask, stuffing them into her bag. She looked around and, upon finding her target, placed the bag into a kitchen waste bin that was half full, as per the instructions on a note.

She unfolded a small folding umbrella from her clothes and, after spending half an hour, entered the hospital stairwell through a back door without surveillance.

Her ward was on the sixth floor. Inside the elevator lobby, Ye Sangsang changed into slippers she had bought earlier from the hospital supermarket, wrapped her shoes in plastic bags, and stuffed them into her spacious jacket before slowly heading upstairs.

The ward was near the stairwell, a blind spot for surveillance, so no one would notice her absence.

Since most people took the elevator, Ye Sangsang wasn't too worried about being seen in the stairwell.

Even if someone spotted her, it wouldn't matter; they'd just assume she was a patient or a relative of a patient taking the stairs.

The heavy rain meant few people were out on the streets, and Ye Sangsang hardly encountered any passersby.

This greatly reduced the chances of her being discovered.

No wonder many criminals chose rainy days for their crimes; the rain provided many conveniences.

Even if caught on surveillance, the heavy downpour would obscure any clear identification.

Ye Sangsang entered her room not long after, and a nurse came in to inform her that she was fine and could be discharged the next day.

Ye Sangsang nodded, agreeing, and picked up her bag containing her wrapped shoes, jacket, and slippers, indicating she would leave now and handle the discharge procedures the next day.

The nurse had no objections, and sometimes, if there were empty beds, they could arrange for other patients to move in earlier.

No matter the era, hospital beds are always in short supply.

Ye Sangsang took a taxi, getting in from the entrance of the inpatient department, and went straight home.

The slippers she bought hadn't even gotten wet from the rain.

After getting home, Ye Sangsang took out her things, cleaned them, and placed them in the drying area to dry.

She wasn’t worried because these items had no bloodstains. Without bloodstains, ordinary detergent could clean away all other traces.

As for the rain gear, the person who left the note was very professional and would handle it impeccably.

Ye Sangsang didn’t fall asleep. Instead, she turned on the lights, the TV, and sat in the living room, taking out her phone to start searching.

She wanted to uncover the truth behind Rui Lan's daughter's death.

In the photos, Yu Linlin had died from a fall. Was there something suspicious about her death?

Ye Sangsang wasn’t sure if such an incident would make the news, but it probably would. After all, such events held educational value, highlighting the importance of parental safety awareness.

Ye Sangsang wasn’t disappointed. The page quickly displayed recent local news events in Nan City.

After scrolling through for a while, she quickly found the fall incident from five months ago.

It had happened in her current neighborhood.

A four-year-old girl had woken up from her nap to find her mother unresponsive. Bored, she started playing in the room. The bedroom curtains swayed in the wind, piquing the child’s curiosity. She stood on the window seat to play with the curtains.

Later, the open window caught her attention, and she leaned on the windowsill to look at the scenery outside.

Normally, this wouldn’t have been an issue because there was an invisible security grate.

But it was such a coincidence that the grate had been poorly made, with inferior quality. After playing with it for a while, the grate snapped under strain.

Due to inertia, the girl fell out of the window and plummeted to the ground.

Police had been alerted, but after inspecting the scene, they concluded that the fall was due to the poor quality of the security grate, and the case was closed.

The news didn’t mention the names of the people involved, but Ye Sangsang compared the blurred images and confirmed the deceased was Yu Linlin.

Rui Lan had reported the case, as she woke up to find her child missing and panicked.

After reading, Ye Sangsang put her phone aside.

It seemed Rui Lan had later discovered that her husband and in-laws were involved in her daughter’s death. Wanting to avoid drawing attention to herself, she opted for a "death swap"?

Or was there another reason?

Ye Sangsang thought there might be more to it, as hiring someone else to do it would have been safer.

Rui Lan’s family wasn’t well-off; her parents were divorced and didn't care about her. After losing her daughter, she had nothing to live for.

Perhaps she thought it better to end it all in one go.

Of course, it was also possible that Rui Lan and her family wanted to survive, to continue living their own lives.

Such an outcome was better than a mutual destruction scenario.

Ye Sangsang didn’t fast-forward through the timeline. By now, the police were likely already conducting a large-scale search for Zhang Qiyuan, who had escaped but hadn't returned.

“Still haven’t found him?”

In the drizzle, a man approached and asked the police officers searching with flashlights in the darkness.

“No, we don’t know where he went,” one officer replied.

“What about the police dogs?”

“Earlier, the rain was too heavy for the dogs. Now that it’s lighter, they’re bringing the dogs down to search.”

As they spoke, the police dogs were led from the vehicle and sprinted forward towards the complex terrain of the houses.

The police took out a piece of clothing from Zhang Qiyuan to scent, and the dogs headed southeast.

Three or four officers followed.

From above, the dogs weaved through several alleys, heading toward a corner.

An inconspicuous broken wooden door appeared before the police.

“It’s here!”

With that, the lock was picked, and the officers, armed with flashlights, filed into the courtyard, quickly spreading out and entering the rundown room.

“Found him!”

With that call, Luo Yu quickly entered and took in the scene, inhaling sharply.

There wasn’t much blood, all of it on the wooden boards, not even splashed on the ground.

But it was inexplicably painful to see. The nails, densely hammered into his body.

No thought was needed to imagine the torture he endured before death.

Over a dozen nails were in his body, none in vital areas.

This meant that during the process, the person was still alive.

The one who did this clearly understood human anatomy.

The fatal blow was to the forehead, a nail driven from between the eyebrows, piercing through his skull and into the wooden board.

In fact, the other nails were similar.

If the board were stood upright, the body might not even fall off.

【That's terrifying. The blurring makes it even scarier than if it were clear.】

【Yes, the pixelation makes it more chilling.】

【After seeing what those three did, I don’t feel bad for them. They deserved it. But I’m very curious, how could the family of the victim, Yu Linlin, be so capable? Could they really do something like this?】

Luo Yu liked to watch the comments and saw this, his brow furrowing.

Like the audience guessed, after checking Li Yue’s family’s background, he found them to be ordinary farmers.

For people like this to carry out such crimes was extremely difficult.

There was another factor: they all had perfect alibis.

So, he was now inclined to believe that some avenger had taken action to help the family get revenge.

But unfortunately, he had no leads.

The only thing he could deduce from the scene was that the person who did it was female.

The most important thing was that out of the five, he didn’t know who the other three were, only that one of them, Li Yue’s mother, had an unknown identity card and was a player.

The rest were unknown.

“This is too difficult. Who could figure this out?” Luo Yu muttered complainfully.

【Don’t worry, the person who did it also had a hard time.】

【Other investigators also have it rough. This game is all about messing with everyone.】

【Luo Yu, don’t complain. I’ve seen all the people in this instance, and you’re not the only one struggling.】

Seeing the comments, Luo Yu’s face showed a bitter smile. He continued to investigate the scene.

“Could it really be Li Yue’s mother? The traces suggest the age and height match. Some nails seem to have been misaligned, with traces of groping and pressing…”

Luo Yu sent people to investigate in the neighborhood, looking for eyewitnesses and anyone who had heard anything.

He also had them check the nearby surveillance footage, reviewing all of it for the past few days, and questioning any suspicious individuals.

A carpet-style search for clues.

Even if they had to dig three feet into the ground, they had to find the person.

What boosted Luo Yu’s spirits was the surveillance footage showing Li Yue’s mother in the area.

Luo Yu quickly took two team members and headed to Li Yue’s home.

The Li household was still shrouded in sorrow. Li Yue sat motionless by the window, like a broken doll.

Luo Yu felt sympathy for the girl and was about to approach when Li Yue’s father stopped him.

“What do you want!?”

Li Yue’s father looked hostile, his eyes fixed on Luo Yu.

To him, the police were useless. Even if they caught the perpetrators, they would let them go, allowing those three beasts to roam free.

Li Yue’s mother entered from outside, her expression cold as she watched Luo Yu.

“You’re not here to tell me you suspect I did something to those three beasts, are you?”

“You need to come with me. Zhang Qiyuan is dead, and we saw your presence near his home…”

Li Yue’s mother and father heard this news, and they laughed. “He’s really dead? That… is great.”

Luo Yu stepped forward, indicating that Li Yue’s mother should follow him.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t met with any resistance. She calmly followed them.

Luo Yu wasn’t sure why, but he had a sense of being trapped in a snare.

Ye Sangsang fast-forwarded to the next morning.

She woke up, washed and dressed, and soon heard a knock on the door.

She looked at her pale reflection in the mirror, thinking about it, she forced a despairing smile, her eyes lifeless.

With that expression, Ye Sangsang opened the door.

Seeing the police outside, she was slightly surprised and asked, “What’s going on?”

"Hello, Ye Sangsang. Yu Qing and Qian Feng have accused you of involvement in the murder of Yu Feng, providing a motive. We would like you to go to the police station and cooperate with our investigation."

"Don't worry, this is just a routine investigation. If everything goes smoothly, you'll be out soon."

Ye Sangsang nodded numbly, looking stunned. She quickly put on some clothes and followed the police officers.

Once again, she found herself riding in a police car, headed toward the station.

At the moment, she couldn't be determined as a suspect, so she couldn't enter the interrogation room. Instead, she was being questioned in a separate room.

She also learned that the young police officer was named Ou Qi.

Following the conventions of the game's copy, this was likely one of the players, specifically the one with the detective role.

"I would like to know why my in-laws insist that I killed Yu Feng. And what was the motive you mentioned at my doorstep? Can you tell me what my motive was supposed to be?"

Rui Lan was a gentle and delicate woman on the surface, but she possessed a rare resilience inside.

Because of her character, she wouldn't dodge the question. Therefore, Ye Sangsang decided to take the initiative and ask.

Ou Qi stared into Ye Sangsang's eyes, trying to detect any hidden emotions.

But there were none.

Ye Sangsang's eyes were completely calm and unflinching, devoid of any guilt for murdering Yu Feng.

According to logic, even if she were a player and had indeed committed the crime, her expression would reveal a hint of guilt in response to such questioning.

After some thought, Ou Qi decided to return to Ye Sangsang's original question. "You want to know the motive?"

"Yes," Ye Sangsang nodded.

Ou Qi pondered for a moment and then said, "We suspect it's because you believe Yu Feng was involved in the death of your daughter, and that's why you killed him."

Ye Sangsang didn't respond immediately. She simply looked at Ou Qi with a mixture of sorrow and confusion.

Indeed, the person in front of him was acting exceptionally well.

Ou Qi was momentarily unsure whether the person in front of him was even a player.

He frowned and continued, "Your in-laws came to the station this morning and told us that you've blamed Yu Feng for the death of your daughter, Yu Linlin. You believe he was the one who killed her."

"Why would he kill his own daughter? A tiger doesn't even eat its cubs," Ye Sangsang retorted without attempting to defend herself, directly refuting the idea that Yu Feng killed Yu Linlin.

Ou Qi's expression turned serious. The person in front of him wasn't trying to defend herself at all.

He narrowed his eyes and suddenly said to Ye Sangsang, "You don't get it, do you?"

Ye Sangsang looked at him with confusion.

"You really don't suspect that your daughter's death was connected to Yu Feng? There are no coincidences in this world. Don't you think your in-laws know something that led them to say this?"

Ye Sangsang's expression disappeared as she stared at Ou Qi.

Ou Qi continued, "I've checked. The security net was only replaced a year ago, and the material, given Yu Feng's financial standing, couldn't possibly have been so poor. And when you couldn't wake up, was it really just because you sleep too lightly?"

"As a mother, your intuition should be strong. You should clearly know that everything is unreasonable."

"But with no evidence, you can't do anything to Yu Feng."

Ye Sangsang closed her eyes and sighed, finally admitting, "I know... that my daughter's death had something to do with Yu Feng."

Ou Qi smiled upon seeing her psychological defenses breaking down. Everything would naturally follow from here.

"I don't want to admit it. I can only fantasize that my daughter is still alive. Fortunately, she's back... You know? She's standing right in front of me, alive and well. Nothing happened at all."

She looked pleasantly surprised, her eyes fixed on Ou Qi, then suddenly her expression changed.

"I really didn't kill Yu Feng. I am truly terrified of him."

As Ye Sangsang said this, she began to sob.

"I'm scared of him. Every time he hit me, I would tremble. Just the sight of him made me think he was about to pull out his belt and beat me..."

"I feel so guilty about my daughter's death, but what can I do... Tell me, what can I do..."

This was genuinely true.

Originally, Ye Sangsang couldn't understand why Rui Lan didn't take matters into her own hands. But later, she realized it was because Rui Lan had been so beaten down that she had developed a physiological fear, making it impossible for her to act calmly. Only by swapping with someone else could she muster the composure to act without leaving any traces.

Moreover, since Li Yue hadn't died, Rui Lan probably wanted to take revenge on that family and then live her life in peace, which was why she agreed to the plan.

Ye Sangsang sobbed into the table, recounting the beatings she endured day and night.

These were parts of the background story that would be unlocked later. If players experienced the truth, the game would unlock some information to help them fill in their character's background.

What Ye Sangsang was recounting was all true.

After hearing Ye Sangsang's words, Ou Qi's expression darkened. The person in front of him was a complete lunatic!

Seeing Ye Sangsang cry in pain, he began to suspect that perhaps the murderer was someone else.

"Next time, don't go and see them. Live your own life. Dwelling on hatred isn't a good thing."

At that moment, a voice came from outside the interrogation room.

Ou Qi looked up.

Ye Sangsang also turned to look, and through the glass window, a woman with a haggard face appeared.

The woman also looked toward her.

The two locked eyes for two seconds before averting their gazes.

Ye Sangsang continued to mumble, talking about how well-behaved her daughter was and how real she felt. She truly believed her daughter wasn't dead.

Ou Qi didn't listen, instead, he exchanged glances with Luo Yu, both recognizing each other's identities.

Ou Qi's gaze lingered on the woman, his brows furrowed, then shifted back to Ye Sangsang, sensing something was off.

If all four of them were players, then who was the fifth?