Chapter 13 - The stowaway (1)

"The stowaways are very smelly. The black tower hates stowaways the most. Eating a stowaway will give a lot of rewards and huge strength. The stowaway's meat is also very tasty. I haven't told anyone this."

The giant mole narrowed its tiny eyes and crushed the turkey bones on the ground. "There is a nasty stowaway among the seven of you. Have them over and I will eat them!"

...

The big mole moved closer.

The cook woke up in a daze and screamed in horror when he looked up and saw the big mole's sharp claws. The big mole screamed loudly and the cook almost fainted.

Tang Mo touched his wrist where the tattoo of the big match had disappeared. According to the mole's words just now, this match could accompany Tang Mo to the second floor. It meant there was definitely a use for it on the first floor. Tang Mo could feel that he hadn't fully used the functions of the match. He just blindly waved it around.

If he had a little more time, he might've been able to make greater preparations.

…Why did the attack on the tower start now?

The name of the stowaway who opened the tower attack game flashed through Tang Mo's mind, but he had no time to complain. He calmly asked, "Who is the stowaway and how can we find them to give to you?"

Li Wen and Lin Qiao's eyes widened as they stared at Tang Mo.

Luo Fengcheng glanced at him and didn't speak. The little girl Peng Liwen looked blankly at Tang Mo, her eyes flickering as if she didn't understand the meaning of his words.

Lin Qiao couldn't help asking, "Are you really going to hand them over? The mole said it would eat…"

Tang Mo looked at her coldly and asked, "Then do you want to replace the stowaway as its dinner?"

Lin Qiao froze.

Then Luo Fengcheng's soft voice was heard. "The stowaway is a murderer. Perhaps they were forced to kill someone or it was in self defense. Based on the laws, they might not be sentenced to death. However, the black tower hates stowaways and has given the death sentence. We are just looking for the stowaway. Anything after that has nothing to do with us."

Li Bin's expression changed and he nodded. "Yes…we just have to find out who the stowaway is."

The big mole grinned. "How should I know who the stowaway is? My cave isn't big enough and all of you are gathered together. The smell of the stowaway fills the cave and I can't determine who it is. I will give you one hour to find the stowaway. If you can't find them, I will eat one human at a time. Then I will definitely find the stowaway." The big mole looked at Tang Mo. "Oh right, your relationship with Mosaic is good and you also lent me the match…I will eat you last."

Tang Mo didn't respond to this gift.

The big mole saw Tang Mo's indifferent appearance and laughed. Then it ran to a corner and started digging. It seemed to want to dig up its own cave. It dug two holes before turning its head. "It has been two minutes. Have you found the stowaway yet?"

The group listened to the words of the big mole and started sweating.

Li Bin looked at everyone and gritted his teeth. "I will ask again. In those three days, did you kill someone?"

Everyone naturally shook their heads.

"I guessed it would be like this." Since entering the cave, the white-collar elite had been the leader and now was no exception. Li Bin calmed down and started to analyze the situation. "As the mole said, the stowaway is a person who eliminated a player by killing them during the three day elimination period. The stowaway will certainly have abilities and will stink. I can't smell it. Do any of you smell it?"

Lin Qiao shook her head. "No. I have always been sensitive to smells and can only smell dirt."

Everyone said no and Li Bin's expression hardened. "This smell might not be something humans can smell. Only they can smell it. Damn, how can we find the stowaway?"

Luo Fengcheng spoke up. "The stowaway has killed someone and they have an ability."

The cook was unconscious for a long time and hadn't heard the big mole's explanation. Therefore, he was behind everone else. "Kill? Ability? Wait, what's going on?"

There was no time to explain to him. "Killing a person and having an ability? So what?" Lin Bin just said this when he suddenly turned to look at Tang Mo. "You must have a power!"

Tang Mo had pulled a big match out of thin hair. This wasn't something a human was capable of and must be an ability.

Li Wen explained for Tang Mo. "The big mole said there are two official players, four reserve players and one stowaway. An official player is someone who participated in a black tower game and logged into the black tower. Tang Mo should be an official player. He knows the person called Mosaic and that mole knew them as well. It certainly has something to do with the black tower game."

Tang Mo confirmed it. "I did participate in the black tower game. According to the big mole, I am an official player."

Li Bin shook his head. "Before today, you might have actually participated in the black tower game. However, nobody can guarantee that you participated in the black tower game in those three days. It has been four days since the black tower issued the 'earth is online' announcement. How can we be certain that you didn't kill someone within those three days and then play the game on the fourth day?"

Tang Mo felt it was a little funny and wanted to refute the accusation. But then Luo Fengcheng said, "He is an official player. The black tower hates stowaways and they are tasty. If he wasn't an official player, he would've been discovered by the big mole's companion before he met the mole. He wouldn't have survived and also obtained the Mosaic's match."

Tang Mo looked at Luo Fengcheng with surprise and the other person stared back.

Both of them didn't speak again and the others present also understood. Li Bin said, "It makes sense. There is a 90% chance that you are really an official player. There is a 10% chance you are a stowaway. But you wouldn't know how to hide your taste and would certainly be discovered by Mosaic."

Li Bin suddenly moved to the centre of the seven people and looked at everyone seriously. "Now I will confess. I am the second official player."

Tang Mo was surprised.

Li Bin smiled wryly and raised his right hand. "My ability isn't very good and I don't want to reveal the specifics of it. It is no use in the current situation. But I can show it to you while hiding the effect of my ability."

The ability was a person's secret and it was understandable if they didn't want to disclose it.

Li Bin squatted on the ground, stretched out a finger on his right hand and started to draw a circle on the ground. A smooth curve gradually appeared on the ground. This was an extremely neat circle. The end neatly aligned with the starting point, forming a perfectly closed circle from beginning to end.

This was a circle drawn with no tools, purely with fingers.

Lin Qiao stared with big eyes. "So round? Does your ability make you capable of drawing a circle without a compass?"

What type of ability was this?

Tang Mo frowned. "The circle is too neat but this doesn't prove you have an ability. You might be a professional and have learnt to draw like this."

Li Bin replied, "Then look again."

Li Bin stuck out his finger and drew another circle next to the first one. It was a full and round circle, completely perfect. He took a closer look.

"Ah! Isn't this the same size as the previous one?" Lin Qiao cried out with surprise.

Li Bin made a helpless expression. "I don't want to talk about my specific ability. But do you believe that I have an ability? I am the other official player."

"You…you have an ability. Why can't you be the stowaway?" The little girl Peng Liwen stood behind Lin Qiao and spoke timidly.

"If I was a stowaway, would I take the initiative to come forward and say I was an official player? Child, the person who is a stowaway would surely be hiding and not letting others know that they have an ability. Out of the seven of us, only this brother is the safest one." Li Bin pointed to Tang Mo. "He is really an official player. The mole said that reserve players can also have abilities, but the odds are low. Then the next person with an ability will have a 50% chance of being the stowaway."

Li Bin seriously analyzed it. "In any case, I took the initiative to come forward and expose my ability. Does this prove I'm not afraid and lying?"

Li Wen interrupted from beside Tang Mo. "You might be using reverse thinking."

Li Bin said, "In that case, let the third person with an ability come forward. As long as he comes out, he must definitely be a stowaway. It is because I know that I haven't killed anyone and I participated in the game. This brother is also an official player. Then the third person with an ability is definitely a stowaway!"

Tang Mo said, "I believe you."

Li Bin had been talking very calmly but his lips had actually been trembling slightly. After hearing Tang Mo's words, he shook with excitement and went straight to Tang Mo's side. "Brother, thank you. I really am an official player. I can tell you the game I played and how I won."

Tang Mo smiled and shook his head. "You don't have to say it specifically. All of us must speak."

In the dim underground cave, a large mole was digging at the ground while whistling cheerfully.

The seven people gathered together to talk about their experiences during those three days.

Luo Fengcheng carefully scanned everyone's faces and said, "The killings in the world, I have roughly divided it into three types."

"The first type is the unexpected killing. This is the most common cause of killing. Many people became emotional and are unable to control themselves. They might've killed someone by mistake, in self-defense or through a careless accident. It is unintentional. If the stowaway among us killed someone by accident, they would be emotionally disturbed. They will feel that they are exposed and show their guilty conscience."

Li Wen cried out with surprise, "Ah, why didn't you say it earlier? It has been too long. Who would remember the reaction from that time?"

Tang Mo spoke up. "I noticed. At that time, everyone's reaction was normal. No one was too agitated."

Luo Fengcheng gazed at Tang Mo. "He is right."

Since entering this cave, Tang Mo hadn't relaxed his vigilance. He experienced a life or death two player game and couldn't trust these unfamiliar 'teammates.'

Luo Fengcheng continued, "Therefore, it is an 80% chance that the stowaway among us didn't commit an accidental crime. They know they killed someone and it was intentional. The second type of killing is a murderous type. The person just kills others and the reason is normally because of their abnormal psychological or physical needs."

Everyone touched their necks, which felt a bit cold.

Such murderers weren't common and serial murderers fell into this category.

However, Tang Mo frowned.

He listened as Luo Fengcheng finally said, "I think the stowaway among us should belong to the third category. They deliberately killed a person, but they aren't bloodthirsty. They know they killed a person, but don't consider themselves a killer. They have a reason to kill. Once this person is exposed, they won't be surprised because they know what they have done and why they did it."

Li Wen gulped. "I also think that there shouldn't be an antisocial crazy murderer among us."

Lin Qiao felt a little cold. "I agree. It should be the third type."

Tang Mo had been quietly listening to Luo Fengcheng speak. Now he walked over to Luo Fengcheng and smiled. "Your words make a lot of sense. Then can we continue with the previous topic? Let's start with you. Mr. Luo, what did you do in those three days? Are you really a game designer? Where do you work?"

Luo Fengcheng raised his head and stared into the eyes of the black-haired young man in front of him.

Tang Mo's expression wasn't too aggressive but there was a hint of suspicions and questions in his eyes.

The two looked at each other for a long time.

Then Luo Fengcheng took out a certificate from his pocket and handed it over. "In those three days, I have been studying the black tower. I am the official leader of Group A of the Shanghai Black Tower Research Institute, Luo Fengcheng."