There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

[Hmm, got it.]

[As you can see, it's still best to go easy on naughty children.]

[Forget it, forget it, I'm definitely going to get scolded again for saying this, might as well just spank the brat.]

[Red Letter] Idiot.

...

[David:]

[Whether David really can speak is a question.]

[I heard he's an autistic child, and in the time I've been here, I've never heard him speak, but it is said that he was sent to the orphanage because, after being kidnapped, he retaliated by killing the kidnappers, which clearly isn't something an autistic child would normally do.]

[I've tested him, and he's indeed not normal.]

[David likes to play dice games with others, but with his measly little-kid skills, he can't beat me.]

[David's aggressiveness is low, but he loves to play. I suspect his autism is because he is an only child and his parents were too busy with their careers to play with him.]

[As you can see, children do need companionship.]

[Red Letter] The idiot played too much, forgot he could control animals, oh, although those creepy things don't seem like animals.]

[Red Letter] Don't go near those animals.

...

[Korshi:]

[Korshi says his dream is to become a painter, but the things he paints are, well, a bit hard to compliment.]

[I made some token compliments, and the kid got all happy, which shows he's the least dangerous of them all.]

[Having been at the orphanage for so long, Korshi is the only kid who hasn't been beaten up. Even when he first came in, he never experienced any fighting. I hope he can maintain this state.]

[Red Letter] I'm going to give a beating right now.

[Korshi is hard to soothe when he cries, but indeed poses the least threat.]

...

...

"Naughty Child Observation Notebook 1.0" spans dozens of pages, documenting over twenty children at the orphanage.

But unlike a regular notebook, the comparably orderly and normal-toned black ink is set against the messy and wild red ink, filling the entire notebook.

The female social worker stares at it, slightly dazed.

As you can see, the person who wrote this notebook definitely isn't very normal, because, while the two colors of handwriting are different, they can still be recognized as written by the same person.

As you can see, this person probably has a split personality.

As you can see...

Damn.

The female social worker snapped the notebook shut, wearily rubbing her forehead.

How could she feel almost assimilated just by reading a notebook?

However, this probably isn't the [special report] she was looking for. The organization's task specified that the special report is the latest rules investigation for Qiming Orphanage.

The SOA organization carries out regular rule investigations for [Seal Items], an operation established to avoid sudden changes in the rules of the Seal Items without their having a contingency plan ready.

Qiming Orphanage is somewhat special because the last SOA Investigator who came for an investigation is still alive, so the organization didn't dispatch a new investigator.

Hence, the task given was for a social worker from the street office to retrieve the [special report] that the Investigator had left at the orphanage.

Anybody entering the orphanage who follows procedures and doesn't trigger any of the mysterious rules can, under normal circumstances, safely go into the dean's office and retrieve the task's target.

The dean wouldn't initiate an attack on a human either, as long as you don't let him sense a threat from you; even if he's in the office when you take the report, it wouldn't matter.

In fact, in the event of an emergency, the dean would even assist the humans entering the orphanage to leave.

Overall, he makes for a very reliable teammate.

But that's under normal conditions.

In abnormal conditions...

It's probably the dean turning into a madman with confused thoughts, indiscriminately attacking every living thing, object, or entity he sees.

So when the social worker enters the office, she must be absolutely sure the dean is in a normal mental state.

Otherwise, do not enter his territory lightly.

Otherwise, he'll think you're challenging him.

After going through the "Naughty Child Observation Notebook 1.0," the female social worker took the warnings about the character information seriously, especially since the Red Letter Dean seemed to have "beat them up" on his mind.

She didn't want to be swept through the entire orphanage and also get beaten up by the dean, who couldn't be pacified even if the Little Boy in the Picture on the Wall cried.

After stuffing the notebook back in its place, the social worker continued to sort through other notes on the shelf, speeding up her search.

The dean had disappeared somewhere, and she had to finish the task and leave quickly.

Too bad the character information didn't tell her what the [special report] would actually be.

They gave her just a sticky note.

On the sticky note was drawn a cube with eyes crossed out.

So, she focused on searching for the files, notebooks, or books with that symbol.

Ah!

There really were a lot of things!

The social worker furrowed her brows as she quickly flipped through several notebooks and folders, and as her search became more urgent, her gaze caught on a desk not far away.

There was a computer on the desk as well as some spread-out papers.

Could it be there?

The social worker hurried over, first clicking the mouse and the computer tower a few times, then discovering that the computer wouldn't turn on.

However, there was also a printer next to the computer.

Suddenly, a dash of black appeared beside the printer.

The social worker, who was examining the computer, stiffened abruptly. She looked up in a daze at the printer and saw a cat with pitch-black fur and blood-red pupils squatting on it.

Upon seeing those eyes, her own pupils contracted, and her entire body shook as if struck by lightning.

The next moment, the social worker's eyes also turned red.

The crimson pupils spun out concentric patterns, mesmerizing and profound like a kaleidoscope. The social worker stared straight at the cat, radiating a chilly presence.

The cat cocked its head as it looked at her.

The two locked eyes for a long while.

Afterward, the cat gracefully "meowed" and, walking with elegant cat steps, approached and rubbed against the social worker's arm resting on the desk.

The social worker's rigid body slowly relaxed, and she expressionlessly reached out to stroke the cat's head.

After about two minutes, the cat lazily "meowed" again, then smartly jumped off the table and disappeared into the wall.

"Phew..."

After it left, the social worker suddenly gasped for air, slumping powerlessly into the chair.

If she hadn't reacted in time just now, she might have been tainted by those eyes.

Fortunately, this script did not restrict the players' abilities.

[Special Skill "Magic Eye": Are you looking at me? I am looking at you too. In the moment of our gaze, we are the same kind.]

This skill allowed one to alter the perception of the target at the moment of eye contact, but if the opponent's spiritual power was stronger than one's own, the skill might fail.

Moreover, while staring at an Abyss Creature, one might even be assimilated by the power of the Abyss.

It required a tremendously strong will to hold on.

After all, we are the same kind.

This skill was a contest of spiritual power between the viewers; either you assimilate me, or I assimilate you.

The social worker had not dared to try and assimilate the cat just now, so she had simply been holding on to her willpower to keep her consciousness intact; thankfully, the cat had not locked eyes with her for too long.

Otherwise, she might not have been able to hold on.

Now the question arose—

Wasn't it said that the Dean's office was absolutely safe?!

Okay, maybe not absolutely safe, but the information provided indicated that the only danger was the Dean!

And entering the office was only supposed to be done by opening the door in an orderly fashion.

But that cat had just phased through a wall! Find adventures on My Virtual Library Empire

Unless, the rules of Qiming Orphanage had indeed changed.

The social worker's expression turned dark and obscure as she abruptly turned to look at the printer beside her.

...

...

Qiming Orphanage.

Third floor, room 301.

The cat ran out from the wall, deftly jumped onto the little boy's legs, then lay down and contentedly lifted its chin.

Yueshu smiled, put down the Bible he was holding, and scratched its chin.

"What did you see?"

"Meow~"

"Are you sure?"

"Meow meow~"

"I see, I got it."

Yueshu's gaze shifted to the archive room, where the blind girl who had been with the female reporter was now cautiously feeling her way to the door with her white cane.

It wasn't him.

Could it be that he was just overthinking it?

...