Chapter 39: So What If I Speak Like a Bandit?

The moment Chunyu finished speaking, Wang Changsheng immediately grasped his intent.

This guy was likely going to talk himself into a corner, dragging players 3 and 9 down with him in the process. But that didn't matter. If they voted him out, he would use his gun. If they didn't, the vote wouldn't fall on him anyway. The external positions would interpret his push for a tie-vote playoff as a sign of a good-aligned player. The Seer and Zhuangzhuang's Mom, who had received a "guilty" verdict, would view his move to support player 4 as that of a minor wolf. Meanwhile, player 6, the Crow, was already protected by Zhuangzhuang's Mom. Even if player 12, Cheng Xiao, had the skill to identify player 10 as the "hook" wolf, the vote would never land on himself on the first day. After all, had player 10 not "hooked" so deeply, he would look like a big-brother role afraid of death.

A subtle smile flickered in the depths of Wang Changsheng's eyes. Werewolf was, in essence, like Go: you take one step and plan three moves ahead. The difference was that unlike a solitary game of strategy, Werewolf was a team-based game requiring allies to coordinate at every juncture. It was a game of lies, deception, charging, and hooking.

Every move wasn't just to resolve the immediate dilemma, but to anticipate the opponent's next line of thought and strike or defend accordingly. It required an immense amount of cognitive processing. Wang Changsheng, however, had the advantage of his "Hole in the Helmet" skill, which allowed him to know the true identity of every position. Consequently, when calculating how his current statement would affect the following days, his mental workload was significantly lighter than everyone else's.

Chunyu continued his speech: "My Seer-badge flow remains unchanged; I will verify player 3. But what I'm currently wavering on is whether to include player 5, Shancang, in the badge flow."

"I really didn't understand the points he used to attack me. You say you have to listen to my speech to judge if I'm a wolf? Just because you received a 'golden water' (clearance), does that mean I shouldn't listen to your speech?" Chunyu looked perplexed.

"As for your dismantling of my take on 1 and 3, I've already said: even though 3's opinion differs from 1's, he could perfectly well be a werewolf saying that. I think he's a wolf because he told me that players 6 and 8 must be good players as long as they don't jump roles."

"I don't understand the logic behind that, which is why I believe 3 is a wolf. I want to verify him—is there a problem with that? You're all trying to frame me and 3 as a wolf pair, but how is that possible?"

"If you think I'm a wolf, then 3 cannot be a wolf. If you think 3 is a wolf, then I cannot be a wolf. How could you possibly classify us as a wolf pair?"

Player 4 looked anxious, as if he had been struck in a sore spot. Seeing this performance from his "hard-jump" partner, player 12 smiled. Player 8 felt even more certain that 3 was likely 4's wolf teammate, intentionally jumping with a gun and stepping on his own teammate to protect them for a day.

"That's my feedback to you, player 5. Your points of attack are too strange, pure pseudo-logic. So, I'm considering whether to put you into the second Seer-badge flow."

"Let's talk about the wolf pit as I see it now: 8 is my 'guilty' result, 12 is the hard-jumping wolf, and either 5 or 10 has to be a wolf. If there are no wolves in the external positions, and only one is a wolf, then I'll need to listen more."

At this point, Chunyu paused, seemingly contemplating his next words. After a moment of silence, he clicked his tongue.

"How about this: my first Seer-badge flow is 3. For the second, I'll watch how 10 and 5 vote. A tie-vote playoff is actually quite good; it reveals the voting patterns."

"If either 5 or 10 votes for me, I'll verify the other. If they both vote for 12, I'll verify 10. If they both vote for me, I'll verify 5. That should work, right? If they both reveal their roles below the police line and someone counter-jumps, we'll just go after them."

"Or there's another way: one of those two has to be a wolf. If they both vote for 12, I'll verify 10, and the Witch should just poison 5. Report it as 'silver water' the next day—no need to hide. The Guard can just protect me at night. If I die, I'll have at least one more day of Seer-badge flow."

"I am speaking solemnly to the Witch: if the voting pattern is as I said, poison 5 at night. You don't need to hide the next day. If Cheng Xiao and Shancang are a wolf pair, I doubt you'll be able to hide anyway."

"That's all. Regarding the vote, everyone on my side, vote for 8. He's definitely a wolf, maybe even the Evil Merchant!"

"And wasn't his speech just now a total slip-up? Because I left 9 in the Seer-badge flow, he could confirm 9 is a wolf? What kind of perspective is that? I'd like your wolf teammate, 12, to explain that to me later."

"Also, he thinks my attack on 3 is 'wolf-on-wolf' tactics. Does that mean you think you and I are doing the same? 3's speech was bad, and you are my 'guilty' result—there's no 'wolf-on-wolf' nonsense here. Those who side with me, vote for 8. Player 7, although I don't think you're siding with me, you're not necessarily a 'hook' either—after all, 8 attacked you. I want to see your vote later."

"As for those siding with 12, he'll arrange things for you; I don't need to worry about that."

"That's it. Pass."

As his voice faded, Chunyu slumped back, looking as if he had given up. In reality, by the end, there was no logical substance left in his argument; he was simply attacking for the sake of attacking, though his energy level remained high. Still, this performance made many of the good-aligned players in the external positions frown.

[Player 12, please begin your speech.]

Cheng Xiao stretched his neck and cracked it from side to side. As the judge's words fell, he smiled confidently and said: "First of all, player 4, since you didn't kill player 5 during the playoff speech and instead want to wait for the voting pattern and role reveals, you are definitely not the Seer. I believe the good players here can understand that."

"I won't dwell on why I am the Seer. What I'm thinking about is whether we can vote out 4, since he's the wolf with the gun."

"Actually, voting out the wolf with the gun is just like playing against the Wolf King; it's no big deal. They won't be able to use their poison at night, and I think it's better to make him use his gun on the first day."

"If they use the poison, they can gather information for a second round. If they poison the Guard, that's troublesome. Right now, even if he uses his gun, he might not guess who the Guard or the Witch is. If he takes me out, the good side doesn't lose much, given that the situation is basically clear now."