The Threshold Between Humanity and Technology

Chapter 9: The Cold Catalyst’s Deduction

[System Notification: Chamber to enter Night Mode. Lights to extinguish in 3 minutes.] A deathly hush fell over the sixteen-person chamber. The air hung thick as gel, every breath feeling like it might rouse some slumbering prey. Lu Zhibai stood in the center of the room and opened her eyes. She scanned the crowd in silence, her gaze moving as if silently cataloging every detail, as if sketching a rapid mental map. She smiled a faint, cold smile. "He never left," she said, her voice clear and steady. "He's among us." A collective jolt of tension shot through the room. No one needed time to react—nerves coiled tight by instinct. Some stumbled back, others white-knuckled the bed rails, a few spun around, scanning for an unseen threat. Ji Yuan stood to his feet, his eyes calm as he assessed their positions in a heartbeat. "Press against the walls. Don't be alone. It's dangerous." Lu Xu shot Lu Zhibai a glance, slipped his notebook into his sleeve in one smooth motion, and hurried to the wall. He muttered to Yi Ran, "Someone just shifted their position… did you notice?" Yi Ran nodded, her words coming faster, sharp with unease. "The one who kept moving between corners yesterday." Xie Chuan crowded over too, his tone feigning nonchalance. "Tch. Knowing someone's gonna stab me in the dark, and I still have to pretend to sleep… this is worse than dying." By the end of his words, his fingers were tangled in his hair, his skull looking like it was on fire. His voice stayed glib, but his hand tugged at his locks relentlessly—a fuse fraying close to ignition. Shen Zheng sat up slowly, his gaze locked on Lu Zhibai like a blade. "You're awfully calm," he said, his voice low and slow, each word sharp as a bite. "Not like someone who's stepped into this chamber for the first time." He thought to himself: She's not among the hunters. She is the hunter. "First time here," Lu Zhibai said flatly. "Not the first time I've thought about it." Her double meaning hung in the air, and the crowd fell silent again. Cui Xun frowned, leaning in to murmur to Shen Zheng, "She's the variable." "Not a variable," Shen Zheng corrected, his voice cold. "A threat. A latent one." [Countdown: 60 seconds][Do not damage lighting equipment. Violations will result in punishment.] The crowd clumped into makeshift alliances—some huddled against the walls with their knees to their chests, others jammed blankets into the gaps under their beds to bar the way. But Lu Zhibai stood alone. She lingered at the edge of the floor where the bloodstains still lingered, unwashed, her face expressionless as she stared at one spot in the room. "…Something's off," she frowned, her eyes fixed on that patch of floor. "The angle was perfect—straight to the heart… not a move made in panic." She paused, tilting her head to look up at the ceiling. "And…" "He evaded the cameras." "This isn't his first time. He's practiced this." Shock rippled through the crowd. Many glanced unconsciously at the dark, empty surveillance apertures in the ceiling, their whispers tight with fear: "So… he's done this before?" "Does that mean he killed to keep someone quiet?" Lu Zhibai went on, her voice unwavering. "The deceased was the only one who rummaged through someone else's locker today." The words jolted everyone into memory. Today… the lockers? Yes, that man had been prying through someone's things. "He must've seen something." Someone frowned, a flicker of recognition crossing their face. "But… he didn't say a word, did he?" Lu Zhibai lifted her gaze. "That's why he became the silent victim." The words hung like frost in the air, stealing every last breath of warmth from the room. In the hush that followed, a hesitant voice cut through: "…But he wasn't the only one who touched the lockers, was he?" It was the boy by the door, his face ashen, his eyes darting wildly. "I… I saw him stop in front of another locker after the first… like he was trying to compare something inside." "Which locker?" someone demanded. He raised a shaking hand, trembling as he pointed to the third locker on the left side of the room. It belonged to a young man in indigo robes. Every eye in the room snapped to him. The man in indigo's expression didn't shift an inch—but he slowly folded the paper in his hand, his movements deliberate and calm. [Countdown: 10 seconds][Maintain silence. Night surveillance fully activated.] Shen Zheng averted his gaze, flicking his eyes unobtrusively between Lu Zhibai and the indigo-robed man—as if measuring the distance between them, as if calculating a move. Ji Yuan rooted himself to the spot, his eyes meeting Lu Zhibai's for a split second before he turned his gaze to the indigo-robed man too. They both knew the truth: she wasn't spinning a dramatic deduction for show. She was warning the real killer. She wasn't guessing. She was confirming. A sharp click. The lights went out. [System Notification: Countdown expired. Night surveillance activated.][Warning: Capture Command Execution Failed.][Warning: Anomaly Unlocked. Current Verdict: System Error.] The announcement sounded unscripted, a glitch in the system's cold routine. "…Capture failed?" someone whispered, repeating the words numbly. "You mean it saw the anomaly… but it couldn't lock onto it?" A low chuckle echoed in the dark, faint enough to miss if you dared to breathe too loud. The next second, a soft footstep sounded between the beds—silent as a cat, slithering like a snake, a desperate dagger gliding through the blackness. Every breath caught. The dark felt alive, creeping closer, its presence heavy on their skin. No one dared move. No one even dared swallow, pressing the urge down until their throats ached. In that endless silence, Lu Zhibai spoke. Her voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the dark, reaching every ear. "He'll strike again. Tonight." She was about to go on when a voice from the corner cut her off, thin with fear: "…How can you be so sure?" It was a girl, her voice trembling. "How can you know for certain?" Lu Zhibai paused, not turning her head. "I'm not sure. But he's terrified I might be." "So who will survive the dark tonight?" The footstep fell silent. And in a corner no one was watching, someone slipped a hand into another person's pocket. A small mirror caught the faint, quick movement of a figure in the shadows. Everyone knew. This was not the end. It was the calm before the next hunt.