TEFSCBSS Chapter 45

Chapter 45: The Quota Competition (Part 2)

Several people bid on the invitation for the new game, mostly young lords and ladies, including Su Yao.

After all, joining the competition and fighting for a spot alongside commoners was beneath them. Winning would be fine, but losing? That would be utterly humiliating. Unlike Zhao Wen, not everyone had a father like the Minister of Justice, forcing them to participate. So, with an extra spot available for purchase, it was a golden opportunity.

A small auction quickly unfolded on the spot, and in the end, Wu Fei’s invitation was bought by a mysterious bidder—someone who never showed up in person, instead sending a servant to handle the transaction. Strange.

Finally, once the chaos settled, Su Li emerged, her face dark. “Next time you all want to auction invitations, do it somewhere else.”

Hmph. Watching someone make money right in front of her made her itch with discomfort. But did Wu Fei care? No. Not at all.

He had just made twenty taels of silver. Even after covering his game expenses at the script shop, he still had a hefty amount left. The monks at Vajra Temple would have a warm winter this year!

Brimming with joy, Wu Fei swiftly returned to the competition lineup.

Seeing this, Su Li had no choice but to move forward with the main event.

“I’m sure many of you have played quite a few rounds of Werewolf recently. However, aside from ranking up on the leaderboard, no one knows how skilled they truly are. So, for today’s competition, we will determine victory through a game of Werewolf!”

“With the number of participants, we’ll divide into four groups. To keep things fair, the preliminary rounds will consist of three matches, with players randomly assigned each time. After three rounds, the seven highest-scoring players will advance to the final round—one match to determine the winners.”

“The audience will vote based on performance, awarding points accordingly. Combined with the players’ in-game points, the top three will win spots for tomorrow’s new game session!”

Wang Qingmu wasn’t competing this time. Instead, Su Li had entrusted him with hosting one of the preliminary matches. Zhao Si, Chun Ya, and Su Li herself would each oversee the other matches.

However, Wang Qingmu had a feeling that this round of Werewolf would be much tougher than the ones played at the shop. It wasn’t just about strategy now—finalists also had to impress the audience. And in a game like this, public perception was key.

Being smart wasn’t enough. If a player lacked finesse, relied on brute-force arguments like Liu Butcher, or simply lacked charisma, they would struggle to win over the crowd.

Thinking about this, Wang Qingmu smirked and shot a glance of pity at Liu Butcher.

Liu Butcher: This damn scholar must be jealous again! Hmph! Who would’ve thought—the only one from Xilou’s workforce able to enter the quota competition is me? The rest? Still stuck working!

Hahaha! This is all thanks to Boss Zhao recognizing my talents. He must see me as the smartest, most promising contestant!

If Su Li had known what was going through Liu Butcher’s mind, she would have sneered. Really? How clueless can you be?

Anyway, the first round of preliminaries soon began.

Su Li’s group, unfortunately, included some familiar faces.

Liu Butcher, brimming with self-confidence.
Wan Niang, a mysterious woman she had only heard about but never met in person.
Zhao Wen, was reluctantly thrown into the competition by his father.
And four random players—A, B, C, and D—make a total of seven.

“Now, let me distribute your role cards,” Su Li announced.

Roles:

• Werewolves: Wan Niang, Zhao Wen
• Hunter: Liu Butcher
• Seer: Player A
• Healer: Player B
• Villagers: Players C, D

Liu Butcher beamed at his card. Ha! I finally have a role of importance! This round, I’ll make sure to protect Wan Niang’s deadly charm!

But things didn’t go as planned.

Everyone knew Liu Butcher was loud, unpredictable, and overly enthusiastic. No way would they let him survive the first night.

“Dawn breaks. Unfortunately, someone was eliminated during the night—Liu Butcher, please deliver your last words.”

???

What?! I didn’t even get a chance to do anything! Who killed me?!

He glared around, searching for the culprits, but everyone looked completely clueless. Zhao Wen, trained from birth as the son of the Minister of Justice, played his role flawlessly—confused and innocent.

Wan Niang, on the other hand, had a look of sympathy, as if mourning Liu Butcher’s untimely demise. In her heart, she simply muttered: Forgive me, forgive me…

Liu Butcher, undeterred, pounded his chest. “Wan Niang, don’t be afraid! Even though I’m dead, I’m a Hunter! I get to take one person down with me!”

“Hmph! That Zhao guy—I’ve never seen him before, so he must be a newbie. No way it’s him. That means it has to be one of the rest of you!”

He locked eyes on Player B. “You! You look suspicious! I’m taking you down with me!”

Liu Butcher had always clashed with Player B in past Werewolf games, so this time, he made sure to drag him down too—whether guilty or not.

“I swear, this is personal!” Player B protested. “Why would I kill you?!”

But Liu Butcher was unmoved. In the end, both he and Player B were eliminated.

Now, only Wan Niang and Zhao Wen remained as werewolves, along with the Seer (Player A) and two villagers.

With the Hunter and Healer gone, it was the Seer’s turn to speak.

Player A raised his eyes and stared at Liu Butcher. “I’m the Seer. Last night, I checked Player B—he was a good guy.”

Liu Butcher…

No regrets.

Player B: Just wait, butcher! If I get another chance, I’ll make sure you’re the first to go!

The rest of the game played out with twists and turns, but Zhao Wen, despite being a newcomer, stuck to the “newbie survival strategy.” He acted confused, asked innocent questions, and played the role of a clueless player perfectly. No one suspected him of being a werewolf.

Eventually, the first vote eliminated an innocent villager. The werewolves won.

“Tsk, tsk. This game fell apart because of Liu Butcher.”

“No kidding. He plays like an absolute disaster.”

“Yeah, but what can we do? He lives at the script shop now. If you don’t let him play, he’ll just stalk people outside and force his way in.”

“You too?”

“Of course!”

The audience shared their collective suffering—victims of Liu Butcher’s chaotic gameplay.

Meanwhile, in a private room upstairs, a group of young nobles and ladies watched with keen interest.

“This Werewolf game is quite something.”

“Agreed. Despite the crowd, you can tell it’s a game of wit and persuasion. We should buy a set and play together sometime.”

“Indeed. This suits us far more than that Monopoly game from yesterday.”

“Hey! I love Monopoly! The thrill of upgrading and collecting—you all just don’t get it!”

Laughter filled the room. Whether it was Werewolf or Monopoly, these fresh new games were an exciting break from their usual entertainment.

Su Yao, however, was fuming.

Just look at them! They’re all captivated by Su Li’s nonsense! Have they never played a game before?!

Her eyes flickered with resentment. She turned to her maid, Cui Zhu, and whispered, “Has the plan been set in motion?”