You said you would make games by yourself, but how did you become the richest man by doing nothing?

#632 - Chapter 632

Tang Yin's gaze focused on Chen Xiang's stiff fingers, a thought flashing through his mind—did she twist her arm before using her last bit of strength, using the floor to push her fingers, fixing her hands in that position?

Was this a painful, twisted, meaningless act, or was she conveying some kind of information?

"Mom..."

A low voice suddenly broke the deathly silence. Tang Yin turned his head sharply and saw that Qin Ming was standing at the door, looking complex. His younger brother, Qin Yi, stood next to him, his face full of suppressed anger and sorrow.

Qin Yi sneered, his tone laced with sarcasm: "Is that all the reaction you have?"

Qin Ming slowly raised his head, his eyes coldly sweeping over Qin Yi, his tone so calm it was unsettling: "Do you think you understand how I feel? Would you only be satisfied if I wailed and cried?"

Qin Yi was stunned by his indifferent tone, the anger on his face intensifying.

"I am also sad," Qin Ming said, pausing slightly before continuing, his tone revealing a suppressed calmness, "But I must think. To clear Mom's name."

Qin Ming clenched and unclenched his hands, as if suppressing something, his voice tinged with self-deprecation: "To think hard, to study hard, to make something of myself, to comfort Dad's spirit in heaven—Mom has always taught me this."

"You have it so good," he said, looking at Qin Yi, his eyes filled with complex emotions, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, "You don't have to worry about anything, living however you want. Mom has prepared everything for you."

Qin Yi's breathing became rapid, his clenched fists trembling slightly, but he didn't interrupt Qin Ming.

Qin Ming continued, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes: "In the end, I'm still caught up in trivial, childish things, like a child who never grows up, constantly bothered by them."

"But I still hoped that one day, you would grow up, Mom would become more rational, and all the rifts in our family would disappear." He paused for a moment, his eyes lowered, his voice becoming hoarse, "But it's already impossible."

"Please, stop saying such things, Big Brother!" Qin Yi suddenly shouted, his voice laced with sobs, "Mom is already gone! Big Brother, is there any point in arguing now?"

Qin Ming raised his head, his gaze icy, his voice firm: "I will find the hidden information in Mom's fingers, use my mind to clear her name, and avenge her."

His tone was devoid of any emotion, as if stating an inevitable fact: "Then there will be nothing left for me."

A look of pain appeared on Qin Yi's face, his voice becoming rapid and hoarse: "You're the one Mom loved the most!"

"That's why Mom left this to me!"

Before the words were out of his mouth, Qin Yi pushed Tang Yin away and rushed towards Chen Xiang's body, almost losing control. He knelt in the pool of blood, his trembling hands reaching out, slowly approaching his mother's stiff fingers, tears already streaming down his face.

"Qin Yi!" Tang Yin shouted subconsciously, wanting to stop him, but he stopped in his tracks.

Qin Ming didn't move, standing coldly in place, his eyes filled with complex emotions, but he didn't stop his brother. He just said softly, as if muttering to himself: "Mom, did you leave everything to him..."

Qin Ming's cold voice rang out: "Hey, what are you doing?"

Qin Yi knelt beside Chen Xiang's body, his hands trembling, his face covered in tears. He didn't respond, just repeating: "Mom, I'm sorry... I'm sorry!"

Then, as if suddenly going mad, he reached out and pried open Madam Chen Xiang's mouth, his movements so rough that it was unbearable to watch.

"Damn it, nothing!" he roared, his voice mixed with anger and helplessness, as if driven into a corner.

"Stop it!" Qin Ming took a step forward, his tone revealing a rare anxiety.

At this moment, Tang Yin's voice broke the stalemate between the two brothers: "Did she swallow something?"

Everyone stopped moving, Qin Ming's eyes widening as if this question had struck some secret nerve. Qin Yi didn't answer, his tears falling like broken beads, dripping into the pool of blood. Then, his actions became even more shocking—he trembled as he inserted his fingers into the wound deep in Chen Xiang's throat.

"呜呜呜…found it…" Qin Yi sobbed, his voice intermittent.

When he pulled out that lump from the depths of her throat, Tang Yin's gaze narrowed slightly. It was a small lump of items wrapped in plastic wrap, covered in blood, exuding a nauseating stench.

Qin Yi's fingers trembled, blood staining his knuckles. He handed the thing to Qin Ming, his eyes filled with complex pain and anger: "...Big Brother, you open it."

Qin Ming didn't reach out, but instead took a step back, his voice low but suppressing emotion: "What is this?"

"Mom already guessed that she might die," Qin Yi's voice was hoarse, filled with deep sorrow, "She said, if something happened, she wanted me to tear open her body and give you what I found."

Qin Yi's tears fell again, his voice like a knife, piercing Qin Ming's chest: "You still dare to say she doesn't like you more! Wake up!"

Qin Ming was stunned, his lips trembling slightly, but he didn't refute. His hands hung at his sides, his fingertips trembling slightly, and finally, he said in a low voice: "Tang Yin, I'm sorry, can you help me open it? I... my hands are shaking."

Tang Yin took the sticky lump, lowered his head, carefully peeling off the plastic wrap. The smell of blood was overwhelming, but his expression remained the same, his movements careful and quick. Soon, a small piece of folded note paper was revealed, covered with dense writing in pencil.

[1, Hua Lu]

[2, Wang Lina]

[3, Tong Xiaoliang]

[4, Xiao Mie]

[5, Other]

Tang Yin's gaze swept over the list, continuing down, the handwriting gradually becoming softer, like a mother pouring out her deepest feelings:

"You two brothers should read this note together. I know you care about my attitude towards you. Qin Ming, I hope you can break free from the constraints of Hidden Mist Village and make a name for yourself outside. Qin Yi, I hope you can stay by my side, otherwise, I can't let go."

"I have been raising you with such simple feelings until now. My life should end here, so you must never misunderstand each other again."

"I love you, brothers, live happily together."

Tang Yin raised his head, handing the note to the two brothers, his tone low: "Read it yourselves."

Qin Ming took the paper, his fingers still trembling. He looked down at the familiar handwriting, his expression complex, as if something was collapsing in his heart. His lips moved slightly, but he couldn't say anything.

Qin Yi stood aside, his hands hanging down, his body stiff. His tears were still flowing, but he was silent at this moment.

Tang Yin didn't say anything more. He stood up, turned, and walked towards Chen Xiang's body, looking down at the cold corpse. He knew it was his turn to find answers now.

Tang Yin squatted beside Chen Xiang's body, his gaze calm, his fingers gently stroking her wrist. His gaze stopped at the fingertips of her right hand, seeing the details of her gesture: thumb, index finger, and middle finger straight, the other fingers curled. Only the thumb on the left hand was straight.

He didn't speak immediately, but slowly stood up, walked to the throat of the corpse. He looked down, carefully observing the wound on her throat, his brow furrowed slightly, then reached out, using his fingertips to carefully pry open the cross-section of the wound.

...Only a thick tube.

Tang Yin was silent for a moment, as if quickly piecing together all the clues in his mind into a complete picture. He straightened up, and said softly: "...I see, I understand."

His voice was calm, but there was a hint of certainty in his eyes, as if he had just seen through a core secret. He turned to look at the two brothers standing aside: "Then I'll go downstairs and wait for you with the others."

Without waiting for their response, Tang Yin stepped out of the room.

——

Everyone was gathered at the entrance of the cafeteria.

Zhao Gang and Old Man Gao stood at the front, Zhao Gang clutching a hoe tightly in his hand, the grief on his face barely suppressed. Old Man Gao carried a hunting knife, his expression cold and alert. Obviously, the two of them had patrolled around the village, calling all the villagers over.

"Good morning, everyone." Tang Yin stood at the entrance of the cafeteria, scanning the crowd, his voice low but clear. He paused, his gaze lingering on everyone's face for a moment, "Although the atmosphere is not suitable for pleasantries, I want to say that I roughly understand the truth of the matter."

As soon as he said this, everyone looked at each other, the atmosphere tightening. .

"After the two brothers come downstairs, let's hold the final banquet." Tang Yin said calmly, his tone carrying a kind of unquestionable authority.

The newest novel is first published at Six/Nine/Book/Bar!

Zhao Gang nodded, although grief was still written on his face, he didn't ask any more questions.

——

A full hour later, Qin Ming and Qin Yi finally came down from upstairs. The two men’s eyes were red and swollen, and they had obviously just gone through a long and painful emotional catharsis. The entire cafeteria fell into dead silence. No one spoke, and everyone was waiting for the final decision that was about to come.

Soon after, the group moved to the assembly hall. A heavy sense of oppression filled the air, the candlelight on the table flickered slightly, reflecting on everyone's faces, as if covering them with a layer of dim masks.

Not long after the banquet began, Qin Ming suddenly raised his hand, breaking the silence: "I think Hua Lu and Tong Xiaoliang are the wolves."

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar among the crowd.

Hua Lu suddenly raised her head, her eyes full of anger and shock: "You—"

Tong Xiaoliang looked blank, tilting his head as if he didn't understand the accusation at all: "Huh~?"

Zhao Gang frowned, his tone confused: "Wait, haven't you always believed in Hua Lu?"

Qin Ming sneered, his eyes cold: "She did save Tang Yin's life yesterday, but that doesn't mean we can completely trust her."

"Maybe her purpose was to gain Tang Yin's trust to avoid being identified by Tang Yin through the snake's blessing."

Tang Yin was silent for a moment, then spoke: "...Indeed, I checked Qin Yi's identity last night."

Qin Yi suddenly raised his head, his face full of anger and grievance: "Are you suspecting me?"

Tang Yin shook his head, his tone calm: "He is human."

Qin Ming snorted coldly, his voice filled with unwavering certainty: "That's for sure. The identities of the unknown people are now only Hua Lu, Xiao Mie, Sister Lina, and Xiao Liang."

Qin Ming took a deep breath and slowly took out the note from his pocket.

"However, my mother, Chen Xiang, has already told us the identity of the wolf through her body."

Everyone gathered around, reading the contents of the note word by word. A few short seconds later, the heavy atmosphere solidified in the air, making it difficult for everyone to breathe. Some lowered their heads, some clenched their fists, and some sobbed softly.

Tears fell silently, but everyone knew that tears could not answer the mystery of this killing game.

Qian Jin spoke first, tentatively asking: "What does the list on the note mean?"

Qin Ming raised his head, his voice low but clear: "I'm sure that what is listed above is a list of people my mother suspected, that is, those people whose identities are uncertain."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and continued: "Qin Yi is also excluded because my mother believes in Qin Yi. Moreover, in order to explain the situation in case Tang Yin is a wolf, she also set up the 'Other' option."

"This is the death message left by my mother."

Zhao Gang frowned, as if he understood but didn't fully understand: "Death message... how was it left?"

Qin Ming looked at Tang Yin, his tone with some certainty: "The number of fingers my mother straightened is the choice she made."

Tang Yin nodded, his voice calm but with a trace of contemplation: "...Three fingers on the right hand are straightened, and one finger on the left hand is straightened."

Zhao Gang's expression changed slightly, his tone involuntarily raised: "Confirm the identity of the wolf through the number of fingers?"

"That's right." Qin Ming's voice was firm and calm, "When the wolf entered the room to attack, there was no time to leave such complicated information, so my mother wrote it on the note in advance and swallowed it."

Xiao Mie suddenly spoke, breaking the atmosphere: "Isn't paper not tasty?"

This innocent remark stunned everyone for a moment. Hua Lu frowned slightly and scolded in a low voice: "Don't talk, Xiao Mie."

But Zhao Gang didn't seem to be able to accept this kind of reasoning, and he muttered in a low voice: "Is it necessary to go to this extent?"

Qin Ming turned to look at him, his eyes sharp, his voice with a trace of suppressed anger: "Everyone, think about Xiao Mei's situation at the time. Xiao Mei fell on the bedding without any traces of resistance - my mother's situation was similar to hers."

He paused, his voice low and cold: "I think the wolf killed them in a way that they couldn't resist, and then cruelly destroyed their bodies."

This sentence was like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's hearts. Zhao Gang's face turned pale, Hua Lu's eyes trembled slightly, but Tong Xiaoliang still had that carefree smile.

Qin Ming lowered his eyes, his voice suddenly lowered: "That is to say, at the time of their death, although their bodies were almost unable to move, they saw the face of the wolf."