The lights on the trial platform were still so cold, and less than half of the people had left, making the originally full station a little more awkward.

Merlin was also standing on the stage, constantly looking around in the cramped atmosphere. When he saw Sheldon, he found that his "father" was also looking at him.

"It's okay." Sheldon smiled gently, "But I'm really sorry for this trip."

"Yeah." Merlin didn't know how to answer. After all, he finally realized that he was still a very, very young child. He put on an innocent look, smiled back at Sheldon, and refused to continue.

In response, he turned his head.

"After a day, everyone should have something in mind." Barbatos looked at everyone condescendingly, "Then, do you still need time to argue?"

No one answered.

"Then," the puppet sitting on the stage seemed different from before, and the red light in his eyes became even deeper and suffocating, "just start voting."

Unsurprisingly, everyone voted for the dead Houston. What's even more interesting is that the icon representing Houston is actually gray and white. Sheldon hadn't noticed it before, and everyone at the trial could even put it in his mind.

Vote for the dead. This certainly does not violate the rules set by nightmares. After all, premeditated suicide is considered murder.

Quickly, the white lights rotated and finally gathered in one place. Bright silver rune spots appeared out of thin air and were arranged in sequence in front of everyone, forming familiar words.

[Congratulations...everyone! The murderer in this case is: No. 1!]

[Since the perpetrator is himself, he cannot be punished as he deserves. I’m very sorry.]

"What an unexpected result. I think back then, when he sealed me, he was really full of glory~" Barbatos joked, "I caught him and became my nourishment! The great Barbatos

Si, the King of Nightmares!"

"Bullshit!" Nightmare yelled in Merlin's sea of ​​consciousness, "It's such a shame to be a Nightmare..."

"Okay..." Marquez was already used to it, "How is the magic absorbed?"

"It's as expected, just so-so." Merlin said easily, "It's very easy to kill this Barbatos instantly."

"..." Marquez has never seen Nightmare speak like this, "Then can I use your magic power?"

"You can, you can, but now is not the time. I have blocked your perception of magic. It will not be too late to turn it on again then. If you want to take action, I will help you."

Anyway, this power is ultimately controlled by Nightmare, and Marquez can't say anything more.

"Also, your body is different from that of ordinary people." Nightmare reminded, "Your body and mine are now in a semi-spiritual state, which is also a semi-magic state."

"What does this mean?" Merlin clenched his fist. He could easily feel the presence of his body.

"The two of us now share the control of the body, and of course you are the master." Nightmare explained, "You are now equivalent to giving me part of the rights, mainly to control the magic. If you want

There is nothing I can do if you force it back, but I advise you not to do it."

"What is semi-magic transformation?"

"This is a word I made up myself because it is more intuitive." Merlin continued to explain, "That is to say, your current body can switch between the physical body and the more random nightmare body. Of course, the nightmare body also has many restrictions.

, at most it just makes your body more elastic and can isolate most of the impacts. Don’t think about it, we are not a nightmare now after all.”

"Of course, not human either."

"But... if you switch frequently, your own body may be infected by the power of runes, and it may become extremely fragile. I don't know it myself." Nightmare hit Marquez on the head with a blow.

Staring at Venus, "The body has its limits, and the magic power of our nightmares has no limits. When the body and magic power continue to merge, your body may undergo a series of changes... I only know this."

Marquez was still a little confused: "So? What do you want to tell me?"

"Please take good care of your body! If you are gone, I will disappear!" Nightmare said angrily, "So, it is better for me to handle some things."

"I didn't say I wouldn't let you do it...I haven't tried to feel as relaxed as you." Marquez said shamelessly.

"Come on, take care of yourself first." Nightmare snorted softly.

Since there is no execution, the significance of Barbatos staying here is open to question. So, the puppet stood up from its own seat, and its wooden mouth kept opening and closing: "But this game is almost

It’s the end, if we continue like this, I believe the [murderer] himself will have nothing to do, right?”

Only then did the remaining people realize that there was a "murderer" coming, and they couldn't help but turn their heads, glance sideways, and keep looking at everyone around them.

"However, this is also a matter left to you and has nothing to do with me." Barbatos said coldly, "But there is still one last part of this trial. Are you willing to sacrifice one of you as the price for leaving the dream world?"

The puppet raised his hand, and his hard shell glowed a cool yellowish color under the pale light. As the oil shone, a dark red light lit up in his obsidian-black eyes.

"Haha..." There was naked ridicule in his smile.

No. 8 immediately clicked the button on the table. His choice was [Reject]. In an instant, everyone turned their heads to him, and they didn’t look good on his face. Although Sheldon knew that most of the votes would be given out this time.

There will be no results, but this rejection is too quick!

"I don't want to be the one who dies." No. 8's voice was hoarse, as if he had a mouthful of thick phlegm, "That's all."

At this point, everyone wanted to say something, but for some reason the words stuck in their throats, like extremely strong wine that they couldn't bear to swallow, making people's hair stand on end.

There was no hesitation in his voice, and it no longer had the same timidity as before. Instead, it was as sharp as a blade. It seemed that he could appear next to everyone in the next second, insert the dagger into the opponent's chest, and then kill without mercy.

Pull it out and draw dizzy blood stains.

"So..." Peiman's cheeks twitched. This was the first time he took the initiative to talk to the controller of the dream world. "Is there anything else?"

The puppet laughed loudly, and his body lifted up strangely, as if it was being pulled by a string. Then he clapped his hands, and the crooked lights in the sky gradually rotated out, and the entire trial stage shrieked and shrank back.

"Of course - nothing happened." Barbatos tilted his head and said jokingly, "Speaking of which, you are so attentive. You didn't wait until there were no more rooms to kill you like this... It's really courageous~"

Sheldon immediately picked up Merlin and showed around that he was not a [murderer], but his face tightened. He did not hesitate at all, and strode out before Barbatos finished speaking. His leather shoes hit the ground,

It made a thumping sound and swirled silently in the small corridor.

"Okay..." Barbatos said aggrievedly, "Since you don't want to listen to me so much, then there is no need for me to stay with you any longer. After all...there are other people here.

Wait for me. Cuck! Cuck!"

"The murderer is now in a very disadvantageous situation," Nightmare said next to Marquez's consciousness. "Using the characteristic of killing people by touching them and being harmless at the same time, he can completely murder without anyone noticing, and it's

Murder without revealing any clues."

"Why do you say it's unfavorable now?" Marquez was a little confused, "Can't he kill people in the same way?"

"Because as the number of people decreases, the identity of the murderer is becoming clearer and clearer." Nightmare said, "Of course, this has nothing to do with walking out of the dream world. This problem is basically unsolvable."

"Okay..." Marquez now has full self-knowledge.

He had been telling himself before that his body was still a child, his body was still a child, his body was still a child!

"I don't know where your father is taking you, probably to the guest room."

As expected from the nightmare, he was taken to a brand new guest room. Sheldon carried him to the center of the bed, sat down on it, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Sheldon himself didn't have much confidence, and he was actually scared to death. You know, when he first thought he had committed a murder, he almost rolled his eyes and fainted. However, his concern for Merlin finally made him

Rescued. Of course, what Sheldon was thinking at that time was, if he died, who should he be entrusted to?

The reason he brought the child back was because Merlin looked too tired, which made him a little worried whether the child would fall down in the next second.

"Phew! It's okay...it's okay!" Sheldon stretched out contentedly, like a child who had successfully defended himself. "Do you want to take a nap? After all, you have been struggling for so long before.

.”

"Okay..." Merlin was indeed tired. He had spent a lot of energy running around before, "I'm really tired..."

"Haha..." Sheldon did not rest with Merlin in the end. He sat with Merlin for a while, then quickly climbed out of bed and carefully checked everything in the guest room. He placed the weapons that would be provided in the guest room.

Stuff it into the drawer, take out a book from the bookshelf, and prepare to read it roughly.

Boom! Boom!

There was a knock on the door. It seemed that someone was looking for him or his child. Of course, the possibility of looking for his child was very small. After carefully weighing the possibility that the other party might rush in and commit murder, Sheldon entered the guest room.

He put the rationed weapons into his pocket, tiptoed to the door, and opened the wooden door.

"Shh!" After opening the door and seeing Martin, the first thing Sheldon did was to put his index finger in front of his mouth to signal the other person to speak softly, "The child is resting."

Martin nodded, and after receiving Sheldon's permission, he quietly closed the door, and the two started talking quietly outside the door.

"But it's so hard for you. It makes me wonder if I should ask for a wife and have children. Think about it, milk costs money, clothes cost money, food costs money, toys cost money...

..Everything costs money! How can I support myself with such a dead salary... The cost of dipping is one gold coin! It’s a money grab! Does that guy Charlie know what a gold coin is? Can he bite a curve in one bite?

That kind of gold coin! No one accepts the privately minted junk..."

"If you have a wife, it won't be so hard... Besides, it's easier for two of us to take care of the children than for me alone." Sheldon was speechless.

"You have money, but I don't!" Martin's tone was decisive. He paused, raised the corners of his mouth, and raised his eyebrows slightly, "Brother, how about you give me some money? In this way, you might be able to buy a house sooner and help.

Am I free from the misery of assigned dormitories?"

"Come on, instead of daydreaming here, why not think about how to get out of the dream world now." Sheldon laughed, and the tension he had accumulated on weekdays finally relaxed a little at this moment, "There are no people now.

There are several, and what Barbatos said is absolutely correct. The [murderer] hasn’t taken action yet, but there have been so many people lost. With so many murders, we can already preliminarily infer which ones.

This individual may be a [murderer]."

Seeing that Sheldon had no intention of picking up his topic, Martin sighed and kept turning the corner of his mouth: "Okay, let's talk as we walk. The director has personally invited everyone to the restaurant to have a small meeting again.

, it should be about the identity of the [murderer]."

"Then nothing will happen to my son...since everyone is going." Sheldon nodded. On the contrary, his staying in the room might be a hindrance to Merlin's rest. "

But in the end, someone will definitely die, because the trial must be held after a murder occurs, which means that if no one is killed, the remaining guest rooms will be devoured by the monsters in the dream world.

We also have to finish playing."

"Then aren't we stuck in an infinite loop?" Martin asked doubtfully, "Isn't there any solution?"

"Yes," Sheldon said easily, "there are many ways, it just depends on the price."

First, use brute force to destroy the entire dream world, or tear a hole to allow people to enter and exit. However, this cost is usually too high to bear, and the torn dream world is often quickly repaired. In Xie

According to Dun's guess, he can usually only go out once, and if he opens it again, he has to open it again. He doesn't know if he has this ability now. Besides, even if he does, he must take his son out.

.Secondly, he is still the comprehensive affairs management consultant of the Dream Division. Wouldn’t it be too heartless to run away by himself?

The second method is a very common murder trial. Usually two people have to die at a time. If you want to go out, you have to sacrifice an additional member. But here is the problem. Several people have been tried in succession, but no one

I am willing to be the victim.

"I believe you also want to live." Sheldon smiled and patted his shoulder affectionately, "Don't worry, you are my subordinate now."

"Well..." Martin was a little confused at this time, "But it's really hard on you. Your son is also involved... I don't know what Mengsi will do this time.

What has it become?"

"Just take it one step at a time." Sheldon said calmly, "You should also know the third method, which is that the last person alive wins."

There are fewer and fewer members now. Although the definition of the murderer is becoming clearer, the motivation for killing is getting stronger and stronger. You know, according to Barbatos, [the murderer] basically kills people.

It won't make any noise, and will die at the first touch. If there are only two people left in the end, one of them is a murderer, and the other is a low-level warlock with nothing, then what capital does the other party have to fight against the murderer?

"That's right," Martin hunched his back in frustration. He had no strength and could only sigh, "I don't want to die either... I still have so much good time..."

"Let's go and take a look first. After all, there is only one [murderer], and we still have the advantage in numbers." Sheldon was much more relaxed than before. "Everyone was present in the meeting. Once someone touches murder, it will definitely

You will be able to identify the [murderer]... Let’s see how No. 3 arranges it then.”

Martin nodded and said nothing. The two stopped talking, quickened their pace, walked through the crimson carpet, and walked through the gaps between roses. They walked down the familiar stairs again, their perspectives kept changing, and they understood each other.

Without announcing it, all that can be maintained now is solid silence.

The two of them heard the hustle and bustle inside the restaurant not far from the door. It must have been quite lively. Sheldon opened the door first, and Peiman, who was standing at the door, also turned his head first, and the chattering sounds followed them.

came to a sudden stop.

"Welcome." Peiman extended his hand and greeted them both, "Then take a seat."

"I just sent my son to the guest room to rest. He is really tired." Sheldon sat down and said in a voice that everyone could hear, "So, what are we going to do next?"

"

"We also believe that a child of one, two, or three years old should not be able to do anything harmful to the world." Peyman originally wanted to use this sentence to ease the tense atmosphere during the previous argument, "We were talking before,

What should we do next? Time and the number of people left are running out. Although there is nothing we can do now, it is still important to discuss countermeasures."

"The main reason is that the identity of [the murderer] has not been exposed yet..." Sheldon muttered softly. When he looked around, he suddenly realized that there seemed to be one less person here, "Wait, is there anyone else?"

not coming?"

"Yes..." Peiman said with some embarrassment, "No. 8 refuses to come no matter how much I try to persuade him. Looking at that attitude, I believe there is nothing you can do against him."

"Indeed." Sheldon agreed, "I just hope he is not a [murderer]. It's not too late now..."

"Now that everyone is here, let's start with the previous topic. In other words, if another murder occurs, what should we do next?" Peiman clapped his hands and used it as a reminder.

The leader with a long tone said, "If you want to speak, you can raise your hand."

I don’t know why, but as soon as Sheldon and Martin arrived, the atmosphere of the conversation seemed to have changed. It was as if a smelly sock was stuffed in the middle of the salted fish.

Find something useful among the nonsense.

So far, the most convincing thing is that the murderer will be forgiven, but it will be used as the price for others to walk out of the dream world. Sheldon proposed that now they just assume that the act of [forgiveness] can continue to finally walk out of the dream world.

When it comes to the world, if you find out later that nothing happens after you forgive, it will be troublesome. After the person dies, nothing is accomplished, which is really a headache. Not to mention whether it can be successful if it is really done.

It's still an unknown number. But this matter has finally made some progress.

There is still a lot of time today, they can talk here after dinner, and it is okay to continue arguing after dinner.

"Ho...ho...ho..."

Unexpectedly, on the other side of the closed restaurant door, No. 8, whose eyes were full of bloodshot eyes, pressed his left ear against the cold door, and cold sweat continued to fall down. He believed that no one would observe more carefully than himself. He suppressed his breathing

To the extreme, I used my peripheral vision to peek into the conversation between the people in the crack of the door, and my Adam's apple kept turning up and down. If someone stopped to watch, the first thought that popped into their mind was: This person has already reached the extreme level of hysteria.

The end point of fear is boundless coldness and sharpness.

There is no point in listening any more.

"Huh...huh..." Very quiet, yet extremely noisy breathing.

Close his eyes, open his eyes, close his eyes again, and open his eyes again. He had expected it. He was the [murderer].

He trotted all the way, climbing up the spiral stairs with ease. He kept panting, but infinite fire-like heat surged from inside his body, rushing to his limbs and bones, urging him to keep moving forward.

squeak--

The first door was opened. No. 8 used the soles of his feet to grind the blood-red carpet into the guest room. He carefully peeked inside and found nothing, so he exited angrily.

The second door, the third door...

finally......

"Ho...ho...!" It was a kind of morbid excitement, and the sharp breathing sound deep in No. 8's throat was like a mute rooster, tinny and messy.

"Huh..." Only one head of Merlin was exposed in the middle of the quilt. His blond hair was scattered, his face was breakable, and his cheeks were slightly red.

Merlin is sleeping soundly.

He was really tired, and he didn't even notice such a big person walking quietly beside him.

"Haha...haha!" No. 8 stretched out his right hand and slowly grabbed Merlin's neck.

Just a gentle squeeze and the little guy in front of you will die.

He had no choice.

At this time, in Merlin's sea of ​​consciousness, the nightmare was panicking around the sleeping Marquez.

"Hey! Marquez! Wake up!" The nightmare stretched out its illusory tentacles and shook the soul belonging to Marquez vigorously - the nightmare did not even think that they could actually touch each other in their souls!

And now Marquez shows no sign of wanting to wake up, he still sleeps like a dead pig.

"Hey! Wake up--" Nightmare turned around and looked at where Link Merlin's vision was.

That's too late.

"Haha! Hahahaha!" Merlin's body was like a chicken waiting to be slaughtered, allowed to be lifted up by No. 8's thin arms.

He felt it... He felt it! A force emerged in his body!

The moment No. 8 touched Merlin, countless dark golden lines lit up on his skin, like lively fish swimming in the water. They all jumped up and down, bumping left and right, and finally concentrated on his right hand.

fingertip.

嗗——!!

"Uh--!" Merlin's long golden hair floated freely in the air without any wind, and ripples swayed around him one after another, causing the surrounding space to tremble.

The powerful force was transmitted from No. 8's right hand to the poor boy's neck, and immediately turned into golden roots, extending inwards on his body unscrupulously!

This was decay visible to the naked eye, and the nightmare watched helplessly as the vitality in Merlin's body rapidly overflowed!

"Get out of my way!" Merlin roughly pushed away Marquez's seat. Before the little owner of the body could react, he had to do something.

Merlin's skin was rapidly loosening and wrinkled, his hands and feet were becoming crooked, and his hair gradually became haggard from the original shiny golden color, and finally washed away and turned into the weakest pale color.

If Merlin's body was no longer a human body, he would have died long ago.

"Cough...cough!" Under No. 8's surprised gaze, the baby in front of him coughed twice and slowly opened his eyes!

It was a deep purple that penetrated to the bone marrow and pierced the soul. It was strange, terrifying, and full of infinite possibilities.

At this time, No. 8 felt that the powerful force emerging from his body was being forced back by a strange barrier, like a snowball encountering a roaring flame, they were constantly fleeing!

Wherever the golden lines came from, they returned there. They hurriedly exited the unfathomable body in front of them, and finally flowed back into No. 8's body, disappearing without a trace.

"How, how is that possible!" No. 8 watched helplessly as Merlin's body quickly changed back to its original shape, and the way the other person looked at him was like looking at a dead person.

His skin became plump again, his bones were regenerated, and his bruised lips became rosy.

However, Merlin's hair did not return to its original golden color. The tips of the pale hair were dyed a very light purple for some reason.

"So what! Go to hell!" No. 8 grabbed the baby's neck with his left hand and exerted great pressure on each of his fingertips.

"Uh! Gaaah——!" The next moment, Merlin's originally purple eyes suddenly turned into a clear golden color!

"Uhhhhh——!" Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the nightmare that was thrown out by the powerful impact hit the barrier of nothingness and finally slid down dejectedly.

As the master of the body, Marquez finally woke up. He naturally took the place of the nightmare and took the lead.

But what awaited him was the pressure on his neck, forcing his eyes to roll upward, and the endless fear of death.

"Hurry up! Let me take over - uh - cough cough -" The soul of the nightmare quickly ran towards the soul of Marquez, who was covering his neck and kneeling down - at this time, the nightmare was also affected by a strange oppression.

Feeling stumbled and lost direction.

So this is the feeling of suffocation...

In critical moments, the touch on the body can actually be transmitted between two souls!

Merlin's short limbs were feebly waving in the air. His crystal-clear and sticky saliva could not help but fall from the corners of his mouth. His golden eyes turned up weakly, and his long, flying hair also fell like raindrops one after another.

"No matter what kind of monster you are, you have to die——!" No. 8 roared hoarsely, and all the fear and anger accumulated in his heart burst out in an instant.

The next second, the body that was twisting in his hands hung down feebly. He could clearly feel that the body in his hands was becoming limp and inactive.

"Haha-ah uh!"

He was choked by a pair of invisible hands.

Soon, the pressure on his neck gradually increased. Under No. 8's weak kicks, he found that his body was floating in the air involuntarily.

He no longer had the strength to hold the baby in front of him.

Because the "baby" opposite is strangling his own throat with his seemingly tiny hands.

The opponent's hands were clasped in front of him, his face showed no expression at all, and his purple eyes were still so arrogant.

"Goodbye." Merlin raised his eyes and said hoarsely.

Click!

What he saw was that the world was spinning and his eyes were filled with a dazzling red.

That was what he was most afraid of seeing.

That was scarlet blood spurting out from his neck.

"Heh...this is what you owe me..."

Before losing consciousness, the corners of Merlin's mouth curled up slightly, and the purple light in his eyes faded away, leaving only the dull golden color.
Chapter completed!