There's a Traitor Among Us!

Wu Wang sized up the woman who called herself "Mary." He glanced at the cocktail she had mixed and couldn't help but laugh.

Was she serious? Was there anything he wouldn't dare to do?

He strode forward and picked up the glass.

"Then it would be rude of me to refuse. I hope your mixing skills satisfy me."

He smiled faintly, showing no hint of hesitation or fear.

The next second, he switched accounts.

【Yan Shuangying】 online!

Abyss God, you'd better take this one. It's not that I'm scared, just adding some insurance.

Gulp—

As he downed the bright red liquid, Wu Wang's gaze never left Mary. Even though her face was constantly changing, he could still discern a hint of admiration in her eyes.

A Bloody Mary is a cocktail that combines four flavors: sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy. Mixed with vodka, it goes down extremely smoothly, with a slight spiciness that trembles between the tongue and teeth, lingering and poignant.

She had mixed it very well.

"You really are different from the others," Mary said, her voice sounding a bit childish.

The next second, her vocal tone shifted to the pleasant voice of a young girl.

"Why aren't you afraid at all? Do you know what happens when you break the rules on this cruise ship?"

She still believed Wu Wang was fearless simply because he was ignorant.

"Why shouldn't I be afraid? If I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid!" Wu Wang vaulted over the bar, looking for base spirits and tools as he spoke. "The worst that can happen is I die. It's a small matter, no big deal."

For him, death was indeed an insignificant little thing.

But to Mary's ears, it was a display of dauntless courage and charisma.

"Just as I thought. You are today's Warrior."

She mumbled to herself.

Then, she leaned on the bar, watching him start to mix a cocktail.

"Then, may I ask, is The Fool already dead?" she asked curiously.

Sh-sh-shake—

Wu Wang quickly mixed the base spirits and began to shake, the shaker dancing in his hands like an elf.

He even had the breath to ask Mary, "The Fool? If you mean that creepy guy in the bat mask, then he was indeed quite foolish. He's already gone to meet his final warden."

Interesting. The woman's words made Wu Wang think of one of the side quests.

【Figure Out the Identity You Represent】

The Warrior? The Fool? Could these be the identities the instance assigned to the players? Or was it Mary's personal judgment?

If the player's identity was decided by Mary's judgment, didn't that mean he could change his identity by changing her impression of him?

Silence fell between them, broken only by the rhythmic shaking of the cocktail shaker.

Mary eventually grew tired of leaning and stretched lazily.

"So The Fool is dead… Then The Courtesan is next," she said with a hint of regret. "I hope she doesn't suffer too much."

Click—

Just then, Wu Wang finished shaking the drink.

He opened the shaker and slowly poured the liquid out through a strainer.

"Oh? The Courtesan?" he asked in a seemingly careless tone. "You like to role-play? What other roles are attending this ball?"

After adding a few garnishes to the glass, he pushed a similarly bright red cocktail in front of Mary.

She gently swirled the glass.

Watching the liquid inside, she spoke in the tone of a mature noblewoman, "The Fool, The Courtesan, The Monk, The Sinner, The Wise One, The Warrior."

"You will all die tragic deaths, in that order. You are a sacrifice to awaken me… and to awaken all the Marys."

Gulp—

She tilted her head back and downed the cocktail Wu Wang had made in one go, feeling the impact and teasing on her taste buds.

A blush crept onto her face.

"Your Bloody Mary is even better than mine," she remarked with emotion. "Did you add some special ingredient?"

"It's onion! I added onion!" Wu Wang's face took on the sad expression of Stephen Chow in God of Cookery.

"?"

Mary was taken aback for a moment. She hadn't tasted any so-called onion, and of course, she didn't get the joke.

But that didn't stop her from continuing to savor the exquisite cocktail.

Wu Wang, wearing the face of the Number Five Waitress, smiled and asked in feigned confusion, "You only mentioned six roles. Isn't something missing?"

But Mary's next words left him stunned.

"There are only six roles. Among you, one person was not invited onto the ship. In essence, the Fool's death wasn't caused by anyone on this ship."

With that, Mary extended a delicate finger, dipped it into the remaining liquid in the glass, and slid it gently across the bar.

It formed an inverted red triangle symbol.

"!?"

Holy shit, that looks familiar!

When the Yin Fate Great God was dug out of the ground, the pig bone had the same symbol on its forehead. He remembered Xiezhi saying it was the mark of the Calamity Cult.

The Calamity Cult had a presence in this instance!

And it wasn't an NPC. The problem was one of them… one of the players!

Seven players, six roles.

There's a traitor among us!

"A group of people bearing this mark found William," Mary continued. Her tolerance for alcohol didn't seem very high; she was already speaking with a hint of languor. "They made some kind of deal. This might be the last ball."

"William?" Wu Wang heard an unfamiliar name.

Mary chuckled.

"He is the organizer of the ball, Captain Cook's boss, and my lover. Oh, I should say… my former lover."

"!?"

Whoa, sis, being this direct is making me worried! You don't have ulterior motives, do you?

He shifted his position slightly, moving closer to the door. Wu Wang didn't think his personal charisma was great enough to make a woman he'd just met confess everything so readily.

In fact, he was pretty sure he came off as a detestable bastard!

For her to reveal the mystery so bluntly… was there some kind of trap waiting for him?

"Mr. Mask, there's no need to be so guarded." Mary was still chuckling. "I'm telling you these things because I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"?"

Wu Wang took another two steps back.

"I want you to kill William, seize this Mary Cruise Ship from his hands, and pull me out of this endless abyss."

The moment she finished speaking, Mary was startled to see that the figure who had nearly backed out the door suddenly reappeared right in front of her.

He took her hand with great enthusiasm. His eyes filled with sincerity.

"How could I bear to let a beautiful lady like you suffer? It's just killing the ball's organizer, right? Let me handle it! I am The Warrior! I am exceptionally valiant today!"

That's right, sis!

You should have just said you wanted to kill the ball's organizer! You had me misunderstanding for so long. Turns out we're on the same side after all!

"So, why do you want to kill your own husband… oh, I mean, your ex-hubby?"

Faced with Wu Wang's rapid change in attitude, Mary was a little slow to react. This strange guest's behavior was simply too erratic; he could jump from one line of thought to a completely different one in an instant.

After hearing his question, she was silent for three seconds.

Finally, she shook her head.

"I don't know."

"?"

Wu Wang let go of her hand and took two steps back.

Are you messing with me?

"I am only one of the Marys," she immediately continued to explain. "I've told you everything I can remember. You were the one who woke me, and you're currently the only one who can enter the Back Kitchen."

"Why am I the only one who can?"

"Because you are The Warrior."

"…"

Meanwhile, back on the cruise ship, lunch had just ended.

The players all gathered together. They stood with grave expressions inside a spa called "Coral Day Spa."

There were only four people standing.

Another was lying on a spa couch.

The skin and hair on her face had completely rotted away, revealing the flesh hanging from stark white bones, threatening to fall off at any moment.

Beside her lay an exquisite mask engraved with a blooming rose.

Miss Rose was dead.