19 Countdown
“It looks like a prop card that can save us from dire straits,” Noia chirped.
“Most of the time, when there’s a lone wolf and a good guy, the wolf just wins outright. But with this prop card, we’ve got a glimmer of hope for a comeback!”
In the family version of Werewolf Noia played, good guys could only eliminate wolves through voting or using special character skills.
So in most cases, with just one wolf and one good guy left, it was always the wolf who walked away victorious.
But this live-action interactive game was quite different.
It provided so many information cards and prop cards, all designed to amplify competition among players and immerse them deeper into the game.
“Then, Noia-chan, hang onto that card,” Helena said. “The Princess’s identity is crucial; all of our missions revolve around the Princess, so you absolutely must survive until the end. If there’s still a wolf left at the finish, you can try to turn the tables with that card.”
“Right, right! You hold onto it, sis!” Melkway chimed in support.
Noia nodded and tucked the “Desperate Rebirth” prop card safely away. “Then let’s keep looking for other clues!”
“Okay!”
The three little dragon girls set off again.
The next few tasks yielded utterly bland information cards, just padding the background for each character.
The clues were hazy, like a thin thread that, even if you pulled at it, wouldn’t yield anything substantial.
For an entire evening, the three little ones dashed around completing tasks.
With two hours left before the 8 PM meeting, Noia suggested they head back to the room for a snack before continuing.
Melkway and Helena agreed without hesitation.
But just as the little dragon girls were about to head back, Helena’s Shadow Stone suddenly blared an NPC alert:
“Guard, you’ve been eliminated; Guard, you’ve been eliminated.”
The voice echoed down the corridor, like the Grim Reaper ringing a funeral bell repeatedly.
Just a second ago, the Melkway sisters were happily discussing what to have for dinner, and now they were all frozen in place.
This wasn’t Melkway’s first time witnessing a ‘m*rder’ scene, but after that eerie k*ll announcement, she immediately ducked behind Noia.
Noia’s pupils trembled slightly, staring in disbelief at her best friend.
Helena was just as bewildered, as if she hadn’t absorbed what had just happened.
“I… I got knifed?!”
“But how could that be…? We’ve been working on tasks all afternoon without encountering a fourth person. How could you possibly get knifed…?”
Noia rarely got scared, especially not while playing a game.
But right after Little Light, Helena, too, had been inexplicably eliminated…
That wolf wielding a kn*fe was like a ghost—unseen and untouchable but could be lurking behind anyone.
Before long, the staff arrived at their side.
“Miss Helena, you’ve been eliminated. Please follow me to the heavenly observation room for a brief respite.”
Helena complied with the game rules and followed the staff away.
As she rounded the corner of the hallway, she paused, turning back to Noia.
“Sorry, Your Highness, I can’t protect you anymore.”
Noia managed a bittersweet smile. “You’ve fulfilled your duty, Guard.”
Helena smiled and nodded, waved, then disappeared around the corner.
Once Helena left, Melkway tugged at Noia’s sleeve.
Noia took her sister’s hand right away.
“Sis, what… what do we do now? It feels like we’re about to get knifed by that wolf any moment!”
Noia’s brow furrowed as she bit her lip in thought.
After a moment, she said, “Let’s hold an emergency meeting. We can’t wait until 8 PM; otherwise, we might lose another teammate.”
“Okay.”
…
Ten minutes later, everyone gathered in the meeting room again.
“So… the one who got knifed this time was Helena?”
Claudia immediately noticed her daughter was absent from the meeting.
Noia nodded, “Yeah, I called this emergency meeting. All afternoon, Helena, Melkway, and I worked on tasks, and we didn’t encounter a fourth person. Yet, just now, like Little Light, Helena was inexplicably knifed.”
“Just as I suspected, that wolf has the ability of a long-range killer,” Leon said.
Claudia rubbed her chin thoughtfully, analyzing, “But when Little Light and Helena were knifed, Melkway was always present. Is it possible…?”
“It wasn’t me, Aunt Claudia! I was busy working on tasks!”
Little Light’s tone was extremely earnest, but her words lacked credibility.
But she was just a child, and everyone was here to have fun, so they weren’t about to squeeze her for answers.
Eventually, Leon stepped in to explain for his precious daughter.
“Melkway is part of the ‘Friends Group,’ firmly on the good side, she wouldn’t stab Little Light or Helena.”
Claudia nodded, “Right, that makes sense.”
Isar scanned the room before speaking up.
“Then we can now definitively confirm that this wolf has a long-range killer skill, and we have no means to fight back, not even a clear lead, right?”
The remaining two little dragon girls shook their heads silently.
Claudia’s silence was also an answer for Isar.
Leon and Roswiser exchanged glances, communicating in their couple’s “in-house” language.
Isar keenly picked up on their little exchange.
Her red dragon eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn’t linger on them.
“Actually, Roswiser and I found a clue regarding the ‘Queen’ earlier,” Leon said.
“Me?” Claudia replied, her tone flat.
“Yeah. The information card mentioned that although the Queen loves her daughter, she seems to have other intentions.”
Leon went on, “After that, I teamed up with Melkway and Little Light for a three-person task and obtained another info card. Its content: ‘That thing is a curse, it must be destroyed.’”
“That thing must refer to the Black Holy Stone.”
“And according to the game’s story background, aside from the deceased king and the current princess, the one who knows the Black Holy Stone best should be the Queen.”
“So, this line ‘it must be destroyed’ is likely something the Queen would say.”
“Plus, the info card indicated that ‘the Queen has other intentions’… I have reason to suspect, Claudia, you might be part of the wolf faction, right?”
Leon didn’t outright say Claudia was a wolf, as all of this was still based on his deductions from two info cards and the story background.
There was no tangible evidence.
But this was, thus far, the only relatively effective information they had.
With two good players already out, if they didn’t share clues now and brainstorm together, that wolf with the long-range killing ability was going to claim the title of ‘Killing King’ for this game.
Listening to Leon’s narrative, everyone turned their gaze to Claudia.
The charming woman remained calm, pondering deeply for a moment before responding slowly,
“Since the wolf has the ability to k*ll from a distance, I see no point in being discreet anymore.”
“First off, I’m not a wolf, but I’m also not entirely on the good side.”
“Leon, the info card you and Roswiser found says ‘the Queen has other intentions,’ but let’s not overlook the first part—the Queen deeply loves the Princess.”
“I am indeed on the Princess’s side, aiming to help her find the stolen Black Holy Stone.”
“And once found, I have my own hidden mission—to destroy the Black Holy Stone.”
“In the eyes of the game character ‘Queen,’ the Black Holy Stone is a generational curse that incites fierce competition among various factions, causing countless deaths, to the point where even her beloved ‘Princess’ could fall victim to a scheme involving the Black Holy Stone one day.”
“So, the Queen intends to destroy the Black Holy Stone once she obtains it.”
“My mission card states:”
“If I successfully help the ‘Princess’ find the Black Holy Stone, then all good players, including the ‘Queen,’ win and she will receive the faction bonus.”
“But if the ‘Queen’ gets her hands on it first and uses a prop card to ‘destroy’ it, then she will be the true victor and receive the ultimate game reward—a ‘Black Holy Stone’ made from Night Spirit Crystals.”
“If the ‘destruction of the Black Holy Stone’ ending is triggered, aside from the Queen winning, the Princess faction will also be deemed victorious and receive corresponding prizes.”
At this point, Claudia exhaled slowly, her beautiful eyes turning to Leon, a hint of a smile on her lips.
“In simple terms, I do have my own aims, known as a hidden mission. But I can choose not to fulfill it; as long as Noia wins in the end, I’ll receive other rewards too.”
Leon had deduced from the character’s background, and he was correct—the ‘Queen’ Claudia indeed aimed to destroy the Black Holy Stone.
But because of the information gaps between identities, Claudia’s alternative victory method was something he had no way of knowing.
This was unavoidable; Leon extracting Claudia’s hidden mission was already quite impressive.
“Alright, I misunderstood you, Senpai,” Leon admitted.
“Not really a misunderstanding, since I couldn’t just reveal my entire mission right off the bat, could I?”
Claudia stretched lazily, crossing her long legs while looking at Noia.
“So, my dear Princess, now that you know my hidden mission and winning conditions, are you going to vote me out?”
Noia gazed into those sea-blue eyes.
She could tell that Aunt Claudia wasn’t trying to lead her to a choice; she wanted Noia to decide on her own.
After a moment of contemplation, Noia replied,
“I won’t vote you out, Aunt Claudia. Now that the good side has lost two players, I can’t afford to lose the ‘Queen,’ such a crucial role. Besides… your hidden mission can help secure our victory at a critical moment.”
Destroying the Black Holy Stone means the good side wins.
Clap—
Claudia snapped her fingers, leaning forward to pinch Noia’s soft cheek.
“Such a clever little one.”
“So, we still haven’t found that long-range killer wolf at this meeting,” Roswiser remarked.
“But at least we’ve narrowed down the options.”
Noia looked toward Leon and the others.
“If it’s not Melkway and it’s not Aunt Claudia, then the remaining lone wolves must be between my parents and Aunt Isar. Three choices down to two… seems manageable, right?”
“It’s manageable, Noia, but don’t take Aubergine’s word at face value,” Leon advised.
Noia blinked, pondering and nodding, “Got it, Dad.”
“Well, narrowing down the target range is a step forward; it’s better than buzzing around like headless flies.”
Isar slowly stood up, smiling, “Then let’s leave it at that for now. If someone else gets knifed, we’ll hold an emergency meeting again, which will further narrow our scope.”
Leon observed his eldest sister’s expression and tone when she said that.
Why did it seem like… Isar was really eager for another meeting?
Could it be that after being a leader for so long, she just loved to have little briefings?
“Mhm, okay.”
The rest also stood up one by one, gradually leaving the conference room.
With two good players sniped from a distance, the remaining players had to be extra vigilant.
Even though they knew there wasn’t much point in being cautious; if that wolf wanted to keep killing, they still had no warning methods.
But just as Leon had pointed out, such a supermodel killer ability must have some restrictions.
Now it was Leon’s mission to uncover what that restriction was.
Only by knowing their opponent’s weakness could they counteract it.
And—
Leon was the last to leave the meeting room, hands stuffed in his pockets, standing alone in the vast first-floor hall.
He slowly lifted his gaze to the enormous clock on the wall.
“Six thirty… less than two hours until the next full meeting.”
“I must find that guy before the next meeting.”
