She Outshines Them All

She Outshines 322

The Messenger added some background to the video, saying, “The scene takes place during summer break. A college couple went on a trip into the mountains, and the other four people were also there separately. They all met when they sought shelter from a sudden downpour.

“After the rain stopped, it got dark, and since they couldn’t leave the mountains, they had to spend the night at a small inn together.

“The hotel isn’t spacious with the other rooms all occupied. They can only squeeze in for one night.

“That’s all the background information. The rest can only be found in the video.

“Now, I’ll play it a second time.”

As the video was about to replay, Athena confidently said, “You don’t need to show it again. The woman in the red dress is the ghost, and the guy in the white shirt is the murderer.”

She elaborated, “When they all entered the room, the door opened inward, but when the woman in the red dress left, it opened out into the hallway, which is strange.

The guy with glasses also pulled the door inward when he exited, confirming that the door should swing into the room. It’s clear the woman is a ghost—she can imitate humans, but she doesn’t know how to open the door properly.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Athena pressed on, “Now, as for the guy in the white shirt, I have three reasons to think he’s the murderer.

“First, there were only three channels on the TV—local news, a shopping channel, and an online class. No matter how you look at it, most people will choose the news program.

“He claimed he wanted to buy health products for his parents, but instead of paying attention to the TV, he was too busy flirting with his girlfriend. If he was interested in shopping, he would have been watching that channel instead of ignoring it.

“Well, why would he do that?”

She continued, “He might have avoided the news because it could feature a report about his crime, or even show his face on a wanted poster. That’s why he didn’t want anyone watching it.

Everyone discussed in low voices and then nodded.

Second, when he casually pocketed the remote, that’s just not something most people do. It’s strange behavior, especially since he’s holding onto it despite how boring the shows are.

“It seems to me he was worried someone would switch to the local news.”

They nodded again.

“Third, while he dresses quite plainly, his girlfriend is decked out in expensive clothes that are more suited for a city outing than a mountain trip. I suspect he brought her here to kill her and steal her valuables.”,

Athena glanced around, making sure everyone was following her train of thought.

“And I think that middle–aged man might be a relative of the victim.

“He could have discovered something and followed the killer into the mountains. He was fixated on the remote in the guy’s pocket, likely suspecting him, but didn’t want to reveal his suspicions, which is why he hid in the bathroom. In the final shot,

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you can see his expression in the bathroom mirror, and it looked pretty menacing.”

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Taking a sip of her coffee, she continued, “When they all arrived at the room, it was already past eight in the evening, and since they didn’t have any food with them, they were probably hungry.

“It’s likely they asked the inn staff to bring them something to eat. I’m guessing the ghost doesn’t consume human food or might only eat people. To cover up her true nature, she made up an excuse to go downstairs for instant noodles, avoiding the need to eat with the others.

“And when the woman in the red dress left, the guy with glasses was close enough to notice her weird way of openin he door, which probably made him uneasy, so he found a reason to slip away.”

With a smirk, she concluded, “If I had to guess, this could end in a complete disaster for them all.”

Her analysis had some valid points, but it also mixed in a bit of her imagination. Still, her logic was sound enough that the group nodded in agreement, fully on board with her reasoning.

Even the Messenger, with his gloved hands, clapped and said in a mechanical voice, “Your insight is sharp, and your observations are impressive; I give you a perfect score.”

With that, Athena claimed her fourth gold card, putting her in the lead for now. Only a few participants remained, and the game pressed on.

The players were completely engrossed in the array of puzzles, whether they were intriguing, funny, or challenging, like kids captivated by a brand–new toy, forgetting everything else around them.

No one noticed that behind the dark storage counter, the attendant responsible for watching their phones was deftly tearing open plastic bags, quietly unlocking everyone’s devices, and connecting them to a special data cable.

After another ten minutes, the game came to a close.

Everyone was mentally worn out yet felt energized as if they were still hungry for more fun.

Someone shouted, “The Messenger, what’s next? Let’s do something thrilling!”

The Messenger replied with a hint of laughter, “The next game is a heart–pounding round of Truth or Dare.”

The crowd loved this idea. Some screamed with excitement, while others clapped or banged their hands on the tables, cheering, “This sounds awesome! Let’s get started!”

The Messenger announced, “Take a 15–minute break, then we’ll dive back in.”

With that, the Messenger stood up and headed upstairs.

Participants scattered, stretching their limbs, grabbing snacks, using the restroom, or chatting with one another.

Before long, Athena and Matthew found themselves surrounded by a lively group. “So, are you two a couple? You both were amazing! How about grabbing a drink after the party?”

“Seriously, you guys are so talented! Let’s swap iMessages! I might just speak it out; I know you’ll remember it.”

“Why not exchange numbers and become friends?”

Athena and Matthew simply smiled and politely replied with things like, “If it’s meant to be, we’ll meet again” and “Let’s catch up another time,” avoiding sharing personal details and showing no interest in forming new connections.

In the midst of this, Zoe squeezed her way over to them and whispered, “You two are doing great! If you can snag first place, I promise the prize I give you will be worth even more than the gold cards.”

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Athena stayed quiet, merely nodding in acknowledgment.

To be honest, in this environment, Zoe didn’t seem particularly sharp.

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Many of the earlier questions were timed, and even though she could give the right answers, she often ran out of time and didn’t earn a gold card.

As for buzzing in, she didn’t stand a chance.

She could only hope that the two imposters, Athena and Matthew, would come through for her.

Soon enough, the 15 minutes passed.

The participants with gold cards gathered at one table, while those without settled at another, were separated.

Athena’s table boasted a total of 26 people, and the host was none other than the Messenger, who would also be taking part in this round.

If anyone at Zoe’s table managed to get thr