B U G Arc
Exam God 04
Xin Lan guessed that it was Xiao B because Xiao B’s motive was the most obvious, and among the truths and falsehoods, she had many flaws.
In the information they obtained and their statements, there are three contradictory points.
First, the information says that Xiao B pushed Xiao A down the stairs that morning, but Xiao B claims that she only went to help Xiao A.
Second, the information states that Xiao B and Xiao C had a heated argument that night, but Xiao C vehemently denies it, while Xiao B insists it’s true, saying Xiao C dares not to admit it.
Third, the information reports seeing Xiao A and Xiao D kissing on that day, but Xiao D says, ‘We’re just friends.’
From the second point, it is evident that there is a contradiction between Xiao B and Xiao C, indicating that one of them must be lying.
If we assume that Xiao B is lying and we have already ruled out Xiao D, then Xiao C’s statement must be true. However, Xiao C’s statement contradicts the information obtained, so this possibility doesn’t hold.
One could assume that the information is incorrect, but Xin Lan believes that this assumption is not valid because the information contradicts statements from all three suspects, suggesting the presence of misinformation.
However, since the exam is designed to be misleading, why provide conditions of truth and falsehood in the first place?
Therefore, if we assume that Xiao B is telling the truth, then Xiao C’s statement must be false or partially true and partially false.
However, Xiao C has consistently denied everything, whether it’s the events of that day, the noises at night, or any illicit relationship with Xiao A.
Returning to the conditions, the information from the surveillance on Xiao C as Xiao A’s lover is confirmed.
So, it is highly likely that Xiao C is the one telling a falsehood.
But the premise for this point is that Xiao B is telling the truth.
If Xiao B is telling the truth, then Xiao B contradicts the information again.
This brings us back to contradiction number 1.
So, there’s only one possibility left, the one we initially ruled out, Xiao D.
Therefore, Wan Yan posed questions.
She asked the three of them, B, C, and D.
Her questions were as follows: 1. Are you her best friend? 2. Are you the one Xiao A had an affair with? 3. Have you never kissed Xiao A?
The responses from B, C, and D were as follows: 1. Of course! 2. What are you talking about? 3. We’re just friends, don’t make unfounded claims.
(Originally translated on littlepandatranslations.com, let's go!)
Returning to the issue of truth and falsehood, one person speaks the truth.
One person tells a lie, and one person is somewhere in between, all relative to the statements and responses of B, C, and D.
Wan Yan’s third question was a statement.
It was a negative statement.
However, Xiao D denied the negative statement, and a double negative implies an affirmation. Therefore, in this regard, contradiction number 3 no longer holds.
So, Xiao D is the one telling the truth.
Taking another look at what he said, he mentioned that he didn’t have much contact that day, but it’s not the same as saying no contact at all.
Furthermore, he mentioned hearing noises in the middle of the night but not paying much attention to them.
He lives farthest from Xiao A, yet he heard the noises. In contrast, Xiao B and Xiao C, who live closer to Xiao A, claimed not to have heard anything.
Going back to the previous deduction, Xiao C consistently denied certain facts, but Xiao B admitted to the argument.
In summary, Xiao D is truthful, Xiao C is false, and Xiao B is somewhere in between.
Wan Yan intentionally asked negative statements. If she had asked questions, Xiao D would have likely affirmed them, leading to a new assessment of truth and partial truth, and requiring new questions. This would have been the quickest approach.
Now, returning to the matter of Xiao A’s death.
Xin Lan initially asked if they all believed that Xiao A’s death was a suicide.
All three of them nodded, so the culprit can be ruled out as Xiao D, leaving us with Xiao B and Xiao C as suspects.
Xiao B had a motive to commit murder, and while Xiao C might also have had a motive, it was just less apparent.
Xiao B’s pushing incident, especially when mentioning Xiao A and Xiao D kissing, seemed to surprise her.
It’s unclear whether she was surprised by Xiao D’s response or by Xiao D and Xiao A’s reactions.
Xiao C was the one Xiao A had an affair with but tried hard to conceal this fact, which is understandable since it’s not something to be proud of.
Next, recalling their accounts: Xiao B stated that yesterday evening, Xiao A invited her for drinks, and eventually Xiao A got drunk, so she left.
For now, we don’t know if this is true or false, but Xiao C confirmed that Xiao A had indeed invited Xiao B for drinks, which suggests that this part of the story is false.
However, Xin Lan did detect the smell of alcohol when examining Xiao A’s body.
This implies that the drinking did happen, making Xiao B’s account partially true and partially false. So, when Xiao C claimed that Xiao A had invited Xiao B for drinks, that might have actually been Xiao B inviting Xiao A.
Xiao A’s apparent reluctance when she died indicates that she didn’t jump from the building while heavily intoxicated.
Furthermore, there was a significant bump on the back of Xiao A’s head, suggesting that the perpetrator may not have had enough strength to push her off directly and instead knocked her unconscious before doing so.
While observing the three individuals, Xin Lan noticed something quite interesting.
BCD were standing in alphabetical order, but if B and D were in a romantic relationship, it should have been a BDC arrangement.
Considering safety distance and body orientation, B consistently leaned towards C, indicating a closer relationship between B and C.
Moreover, when discussing the kiss between Xiao A and Xiao D, Xiao B appeared surprised, while Xiao C, the supposed lover of Xiao A, remained remarkably composed.
Thinking back to the intense argument provided in the information involving Xiao B and Xiao C, it’s highly likely that it was related to Xiao A.
Xiao B had a strong motive for murder, so Xin Lan concludes that Xiao B is the culprit, Xiao C is an accomplice with knowledge, and Xiao D appears to be uninformed.
As for the matter of the bloodied clothing, Xin Lan believes it’s definitely not as simple as it appears.
If it were just a minor injury causing a scratch, it wouldn’t have turned an entire piece of clothing into bloodied attire.
When they mentioned the bloodied clothing, Xiao C exhibited some unusual behavior. Xin Lan thinks it might be worth examining Xiao C’s person; perhaps that would yield some answers.
As the answer was filled in, Xin Lan heard that sound echo in her mind.
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“Submit your papers, ten minutes break, proceed to the second examination hall in ten minutes.”
Without a doubt, Wan Yan heard it too.
Next came another dimension.
Xin Lan didn’t even have time to say anything to Tong Zhizi before she was transported to the so-called break room.
Well, I guess everyone has their own destiny.
Before them was a pure white lounge filled with dozens of soft chairs, and in the center, there was a couch that was already occupied.
Xin Lan and Wan Yan had arrived together, and there were already several dozen people in the lounge.
“Hey, two pretty ladies, how’s it going?”
Greeted a round-faced guy to the two of them.
Xin Lan and Wan Yan nodded in response, taking in the situation in the lounge.
On the middle couch lay a man in a white shirt, while others either stood or sat, some engaged in conversation, while others remained silent on the side.
“You can call me Yuanyuan. You just came out of the first examination hall, right?”
Yuanyuan initiated the conversation.
“Yes.”
“I have no idea what this strange exam is all about. I came in right after you guys, just got out of the maze, still feeling a bit dizzy. Fortunately, I have a decent sense of direction.”
“A maze?”
Wan Yan squinted, mentally calculating the data control potential of this apparent “bug.”
“Yeah, didn’t you guys go through it?”
Yuanyuan scratched his head, puzzled by their response.
“We’re trying to guess who the culprit is.”
“It seems like everyone had different content in the first examination hall.”
This also implies that each person’s nine rounds of exams might be different.
Wan Yan sat down on a chair, her brows furrowed in thought.
“Is it going to be challenging?”
Xin Lan sat beside Wan Yan, gazing at Wan Yan’s delicate features.
Certainly, it won’t be entirely different. So, how does this probability of difficulty change, and what’s the operating procedure of this bug?
“It must have awakened its self-will for some reason, reconstructing the world after several mission failures. It couldn’t be erased and instead became more powerful,” Wan Yan arched her eyebrow at Xin Lan, “But to me, it’s still not worth mentioning.”
As she said this, she shed the pseudo-human gentleness, revealing the cold and sharpness typical of a machine.
Xin Lan stared for several seconds before finally blinking.
Quite intriguing.
The ten-minute break time quickly came to an end. It seemed that the people in this space had appeared relatively close to each other, as Xin Lan hadn’t seen anyone disappear until a few seconds ago, when someone’s figure suddenly vanished, and shortly after, it was her turn.
“The second round of the exam is about to begin. Please prepare yourselves, all candidates.”
“This time, there are ten participants in the examination hall, and there will be no replacements for deceased candidates. The duration of this examination is three days.”
“The exam begins.”
Xin Lan felt something in her palm, probably a card.
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She opened her eyes and found herself in a cave.
A fire was burning in the cave, and some people were sitting around it.
At first glance, Xin Lan spotted Wan Yan and exchanged a look with her.
The people sitting around had various reactions. Xin Lan noticed the young man who had introduced himself as Yuanyuan in the lounge earlier and the guy in the white shirt who had been lying on the couch.
Wan Yan walked over and sat beside Xin Lan.
Xin Lan examined her card, and the mission on it was clear and concise.
[Escort the Guzi1 to the sacrificial altar, find the exit, and leave to submit the exam.
Note: If the Guzi dies before reaching the sacrificial altar, it will result in a failed submission.]
Xin Lan and Wan Yan exchanged cards and found that the content was identical.
There were eleven people in the cave, ten of them dressed differently, with varying expressions. Only one person was lying on straw, fast asleep.
“Hey, ladies, what a coincidence,” Yuanyuan waved and approached.
Xin Lan and Wan Yan nodded and introduced themselves.
“It looks like that’s the Guzi we’re supposed to protect, right? To escort it to the sacrificial altar.”
Everyone’s gaze fell upon the person lying on the ground.
It was a boy of about eleven or twelve, with a doll-like appearance, but now he looked pale and frail.
Outside the cave, the wind howled, and snowflakes were carried in, bringing a chilling sensation that made everyone shiver involuntarily.
“Guzi… It’s not the kind of bug I’m thinking of, is it?”
Yuanyuan looked at the young boy and suddenly shivered. His words startled everyone in the room, including some of the men, who all wore peculiar expressions.
“This time, we have three days, and the mission specifically calls for protection. We can only continue searching for the exit after we’ve escorted him to the sacrificial altar. Is there any potential danger in between?”
A girl in a black down jacket spoke up, her face showing some concern.
“What can we do if there’s danger? Deal with it. We can’t run away anyway. If you don’t want to die, just keep going with the exam.”
A middle-aged man snorted, his arms crossed and a visibly sour mood.
They had been living comfortably and peacefully before, and suddenly facing a situation like this, where life and death were uncertain, was unsettling. Who would be happy about it?
Everyone here had passed the first examination hall. If Xin Lan’s guess was correct, they had been matched according to their respective submission speeds. However, with different exam missions and time spent, the ratios must have varied. So, it was likely that teams were matched based on a proportional combination of the mission and time.
Meaning that the further they progressed, the more evenly matched their opponents would be.
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Guzi are often associated with insects or parasites that are used in dark magic or witchcraft, typically for harmful purposes. They are sometimes depicted as small creatures or insects that can cause harm or control others.