Chapter 065: The Dismemberment Case in the Woods

“Fine, you win.” Su Mu was no fool; since Zheng Wei had given him an out, there was no need to make things harder for himself.

The next two questions were answered correctly by both, allowing them to ascend to the fifth level—a position of absolute safety.

“The final question: a multiple-choice,” the voice intoned.

“After this game ends, will you continue to be a liar?”

“Please choose: yes or no.”

“In future games, you must not act contrary to your answer, or you will be eliminated.”

This last question wasn’t a test of intelligence, but a binding condition. Although this game was a deadly quiz, it was merely one part of the greater game of Truth or Dare.

With this rule, the pool of suspects for “who is the liar” during the Truth rounds would be greatly reduced, inevitably deepening divisions among us. In the end, the liar would surely be exposed and become the group's common enemy.

“No,” Zheng Wei answered bluntly. Any hesitation now would only arouse suspicion; as long as he chose not to be a liar, he was, for now, in the clear.

Su Mu, quick on the uptake, echoed after Zheng Wei, “No.”

The second deadly quiz concluded with both emerging safely.

The floor returned to normal. Su Mu’s expression was unpleasant—first threatened by Tan Tou, then outmaneuvered by Zheng Wei, who appeared the weakest among us. His discomfort was understandable.

But this time, Zheng Wei did not return to his corner. Instead, he looked at us, as if deciding to stop hiding.

“Zheng Wei, you’re not the medical school’s slacker, are you?” I took a closer look at him: shabby clothes, stained with chemical splashes, hair a tangled mess, eyes dull and lifeless—that had been my impression of him.

I knew medical students often handled chemicals and sometimes burned holes in their clothes by accident. But medical uniforms were expensive; students were careful in lab work, fearful of damaging them. For someone to burn so many holes in his uniform, he’d have to be either hopelessly clumsy or deeply at odds with the medical profession.

Based on his attire, I’d pegged him as an underachiever from the medical school. Combined with his earlier attempts to appear weak, I’d grown increasingly convinced of my assessment.

Now it was clear—this was all smoke and mirrors, a facade Zheng Wei had constructed. I fixed him with a stare. “Isn’t it time you told us who you really are?”

“I haven’t lied to you,” Zheng Wei replied, scratching his head like a child, though a glint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. “At least my name is real.”

“Could you be that infamous genius, Zheng Wei?” Hu Xing’er stepped forward, her tone probing.

A flicker of surprise crossed Zheng Wei’s eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

“Who’s that?” Xu Tingting asked quietly from behind.

“He was a prodigy at the medical school, but he went off the rails,” Hu Xing’er explained. “Back in his senior year, just before graduation, he insisted on conducting live human dissection experiments. The university shut him down immediately.”

“And then there was a murder case. He wasn’t the killer, but a lot of people died,” she continued. “Zheng Wei became the prime suspect and was taken away by campus security. After that, he disappeared.”

“I thought he’d graduated long ago. Never expected to run into him in a death game like this.”

Hu Xing’er spilled everything she knew in one breath. I quickly tried to absorb it all.

Zheng Wei did not deny a word. Instead, he followed her lead, “Who the real murderer was doesn’t matter anymore. At least he helped me complete my live dissection experiment.”

Hearing this, I couldn’t help but recall the gruesome murder case Third Brother had mentioned—the infamous dismemberment at D University.

I’d assumed the forest dismemberment case was just a part of the trial, but it turned out the perpetrators truly existed, and there were two of them.

“If not for those eight people helping me succeed with that experiment, I wouldn’t be here now,” Zheng Wei went on. “Back then, I cut those girls into pieces, one slice at a time.”

“Thinking back, it was exhilarating.” His eyes burned with an unhinged fervor, reminiscent of mad scientists obsessed with their research.

Zheng Wei had become completely possessed by his mania.

The realization that he had been an accomplice in the forest massacre filled me with rage. Perhaps it was my misplaced sense of justice, but I had an overwhelming urge to see this demon brought to justice.

No, I wanted to kill him myself.

Zheng Wei seemed to sense my murderous intent and grew more animated, as if provoking me to act.

“I am the true genius of the medical school,” he declared. “My potions can stitch together bodies from different people and keep them functioning.”

“Though they only survived for a short while, it proved my research was on the right track.”

He laughed maniacally.

I couldn’t fully grasp his ramblings, but I knew nothing good could come from them.

I wasn’t alone—everyone else was sickened too. Someone who treated murder as a game was a grave threat and couldn’t be tolerated.

We’d all killed, one way or another, but only to survive.

Zheng Wei killed purely for pleasure.

Such a person could not be allowed to remain—especially for Hu Xing’er, whose hatred for Zheng Wei was even fiercer than mine.

All eight victims were girls, and each had been dismembered alive. As a woman herself, Hu Xing’er was seething with rage. We were angry too, but dared not act rashly.

We all knew the consequences of wanton murder in this game could be severe.

The best option was to start the next round and hope he perished during a dare.

Su Mu was the host for the third round and chose Truth. It was obvious his question had been discussed with Hu Xing’er and the others beforehand.

“Everyone here, what is your connection to the D University dismemberment case?” he asked.

“None,” Xu Tingting answered first. “But I’ve heard of it.” Perhaps fearing suspicion, she quickly added, “No one at D University hasn’t heard of it.”

Next was Fatty Qian. “No connection. I just transferred here.”

“I can vouch for that,” someone confirmed. Qian’s transfer was little known.

“So, what’s your connection to the case?” Su Mu turned to me.

“I... saw the killer…” My words drew everyone’s attention, so I hastened to clarify, “What, none of you have? He was hiding in the woods.”

“What were you doing in the woods?” Su Mu deliberately lowered his voice, trying to shift suspicion onto me.

“I saw him too,” Tan Tou’s icy voice cut through the tension, sending chills through the room.

Su Mu swallowed nervously and didn’t press me further.

I shot Tan Tou a grateful look, but I was curious—why was he being truthful? Back then, he had been trying to save me.

Only two people remained who hadn’t answered.

Zheng Wei spoke carelessly, “I wasn’t the killer, but I did the dismembering.”

“So, you want to kill me to avenge them?” he sneered. “It’s been years, and you’re still fixated on it.”

Hu Xing’er’s face twisted in fury at his words.

“You’ll die a miserable death, Zheng Wei!” she shouted, pointing at him. Xu Tingting shrank back in shock.

Su Mu hadn’t realized how much the forest dismemberment case meant to Hu Xing’er; she’d never mentioned it before. But then again, he and Hu Xing’er were only temporary allies—who would lay all their cards on the table?

Hu Xing’er composed herself, then pronounced each word with deliberate emphasis:

“One of the victims was my sister.”