Thriller Paradise Chapter 327: Invading Brain Cells (27) - Novel Cool

Chapter 327: Invading Brain Cells (27)

Chapter 327: Invading Brain Cells (27)

"Allow me to continue", Sherlock Holmes said, temporarily setting down his pipe and gazing at the table. "Deduction—Professor Moriarty is an idiot."

This statement left all four players momentarily questioning their own hearing.

Only Professor Moriarty himself remained unfazed, his expression as calm as still water.

"Nice try", the professor remarked casually.

Holmes smiled and shrugged, mimicking Feng Bu Jue's earlier tone. "It doesn't cost a thing to try."

The players had no idea what these two were playing at, but the cards on the table moved as expected. A card bearing the word "Deduction" on its back slid toward Sherlock Holmes.

The detective didn't pick up the card. Instead, he flipped it over on the table, revealing its front side.

The card depicted a Bomb—a classic cartoon-style black spherical Bomb.

Holmes glanced at the card, then stood and stepped back several paces, distancing himself from the table.

He began rummaging through his pockets. When his hand reached the left pocket of his coat, his expression shifted slightly. "Ah, here it is", he said, pulling out a black spherical Bomb slightly larger than an orange.

The Bomb was an exact replica of the one on the card, complete with a lit fuse. The moment it left his pocket, the fuse was already burning down.

Boom—

The explosion occurred before the four players could process what was happening. Three of them stared in shock, while Feng Bu Jue simply grinned.

The Bomb's blast radius was modest, affecting only a one-meter area. A spherical cloud of thick black smoke engulfed Holmes' upper body, obscuring everyone's view.

Professor Moriarty remained seated like an immovable mountain, not even bothering to glance sideways.

After a moment, the smoke dissipated. Sherlock Holmes stood unharmed, casually brushing dust from his clothes before striding back to the table and picking up his pipe. "Gentlemen, please continue."

"Hey... What the hell was that? Was your punishment just a trick of the eye?" Qiu Feng demanded, clearly annoyed.

"No, that was a real explosion", Holmes replied. "If I'd stayed at the table, it might have injured all of you."

"Hmph... If it wasn't an illusion, that means they're extremely powerful in this Space, and punishments can't harm them", Hong Hu observed.

"Correct", Holmes confirmed, biting down on his pipe.

"Excuse me", Ji Chang interjected. "I just realized there's a key question you haven't explained yet." He looked at both Moriarty and Holmes. "How does this game determine a winner?"

Professor Moriarty answered, "If any of you four deduces the Truth, you win."

"And if we all die before discovering the Truth, that's a victory for the 'Knower' side", Feng Bu Jue added, finishing Moriarty's sentence.

"Understood. Your turn", Moriarty said to Feng Bu Jue.

"Since the 'Ignorant' side's first move is automatically an 'Implication'..." Feng Bu Jue set down his knife and leaned forward. "From this round onward, I must declare whether my move is 'Inquiry,' 'Speculation,' or 'Deduction' before speaking, correct?"

"Exactly", Moriarty confirmed.

"Quick question", Feng Bu Jue added. "What happens if I declare 'Implication' again now?"

"Before Round Five, any repeated declaration will be invalid", Moriarty explained. "Your turn will continue until you make a valid declaration."

"Oh, one more thing", Feng Bu Jue pointed at the table. "What if I try to flip these unopened cards, or tear or damage them?"

"Nothing more than instant death", Holmes interrupted casually.

Upon hearing this, Feng Bu Jue shook his head thoughtfully for a moment before suddenly slamming the table and shouting, "Inquiry!"

"Ask away, but why the dramatics?" Hong Hu muttered.

"Yeah, I have a weak heart", Qiu Feng said, pointing at the sword handle protruding from his chest.

Feng Bu Jue ignored them and posed his question: "What are the actual rules governing this Space?"

This question, in essence, meant "Tell me the answer so I can win." He knew it wouldn't be that simple, but he wanted to test the waters and pave the way for his teammates' turns.

As expected, none of the cards on the table moved after he asked.

Professor Moriarty explained promptly, "When you make an Inquiry, the opposing side can choose to answer or not."

Holmes continued, "If they choose not to answer, you gain one Exemption right."

Moriarty added, "If they do answer, the Round Table will evaluate the response. If the questioner can extract useful intelligence from the answer, the Inquiry is considered valuable. Otherwise, it's deemed meaningless, and the questioner will be punished."

Holmes took a puff of his pipe while speaking, then added, "Also, the same question cannot be asked twice. Even rephrasing it with the same meaning is prohibited and will result in punishment."

Moriarty shrugged. "As for your current question, we'll naturally... choose not to answer."

As he spoke these words, a card with "Inquiry" on its back flipped over and moved toward Feng Bu Jue. The front of the card was blank except for the black-and-white word "Exemption."

"Hey, hey, hey..." Qiu Feng couldn't resist interrupting. "If you keep choosing not to answer, won't the 'Inquiry' option become useless for us once all meaningful questions are exhausted?" His question reflected the thoughts of the other players.

"That's why you should use Inquiry to gain Exemption rights while there are still meaningful questions left", Moriarty explained.

Holmes added with a carefree attitude, "You could also try setting traps—using seemingly meaningless questions to lure us into revealing useful information." He smiled. "No need to worry about us lying. Once we choose to answer, we must tell the truth."

"Then... could the two of you explain the rules for Speculation and Deduction before I draw my card?" Hong Hu asked.

"Speculation involves proposing a hypothesis", Holmes responded. "If the Speculation is completely unrelated to uncovering the Truth, the speculator will immediately draw a punishment card." He paused. "However, reasonable and constructive Speculations will reveal a blank card. At that point, Professor and I must respond to your Speculation—telling you 'correct,' 'incorrect,' or 'inconclusive.'"

"Deduction means stating a 'conclusion' that the Round Table will evaluate. If correct, it's a blank card. If wrong... the punishment will be fatal", Moriarty added. "Of course, Sherlock Holmes was punished simply because his conclusion had nothing to do with the Truth. As you previously deduced, the Ignorant's 'Implication' is meaningless, while the Knower's 'Deduction' can only produce irrelevant or incorrect conclusions."

After this explanation, the room fell into silence.

All four players were thinking as hard as they could. They understood how serious their situation was.

This Round Table Game was unprecedented in complexity and difficulty. Their two opponents were god-tier wise sages, nearly invincible within this scenario.

To win, they had to use "language" to gather enough intelligence within limited time and strict rules, then deduce the "Truth"—some hidden law governing this Space.

"I'll go with Inquiry", Hong Hu decided without much hesitation. He knew time was precious. This round, he'd play it safe and secure an Exemption card.

His teammates understood his reasoning. Since Qiu Feng was bleeding, wasting time could mean losing a player. Each elimination reduced the Ignorant side's available turns.

"Inquiry—Mr. Sherlock Holmes, why weren't you killed in that explosion?"

Strategist Hong Hu lived up to his reputation. This question would certainly earn an Exemption right, as the bosses' abilities were tied to this Space's rules. Answering this question was impossible.

"Haha... How delightful", Holmes said to Professor Moriarty beside him. He took a puff of his pipe and pointed the stem toward Hong Hu. "Professor, the guests you've invited today are truly interesting... This one, for instance, possesses not only exceptional intelligence but also keen observational skills and reasoning ability."

Moriarty replied in a calm tone, "Indeed. Take that young man over there, for example." His gaze shifted to Feng Bu Jue. "He's much like you—exceptionally sharp and methodical in thought, yet extremely arrogant, impulsive, and unrestrained."

"Will you answer or not?" Hong Hu pressed. He didn't consider it an honor to be praised by these two virtual game characters. He only knew their evasive conversation was wasting time.

"Hey, don't be in such a hurry", Qiu Feng suddenly interjected. "Next, they'll probably start complimenting Ji Chang and me, so let them finish."

"Brother Qiu Feng, you really don't know when to fear death..." Ji Chang adjusted his stylish hair. "If it weren't for that sword in your chest, we wouldn't need to race against time."

"Hahahaha..." Qiu Feng couldn't help laughing. "Don't talk to me right now. Seeing your current appearance makes me want to laugh too hard."

"Hmph", Holmes turned to face Qiu Feng beside him. "I see they're worried about this..." As he spoke, he raised his hand and flicked his fingers.

Suddenly, the sword in Qiu Feng's chest let out a hiss and shot backward, hovering in midair for two seconds before falling to the ground.

Qiu Feng reacted quickly, pressing his hand against his wound. He opened his menu and observed for over a minute. While the bleeding status remained, the loss of vitality had stopped. As long as he kept pressure on the wound, the bleeding wouldn't resume.

Moriarty glanced at Holmes. "Was that really necessary?"

Holmes smiled. "Panicked opponents make the game less enjoyable."

"Hmph..." Moriarty scoffed, looking at the players. "Gentlemen, you've heard it now. Take your time to think. Don't rush."

(End of Chapter)

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