Meng Qiyan instantly understood and stepped forward without hesitation, lifting Rong Rong's long skirt up to mid-thigh. Beneath a hastily applied bandage was a horrifying gash, with flesh visibly turned out at the edges.

“Wow… she really went hard on herself,” Liu Mang murmured, visibly shocked.

Once the evidence was confirmed, the men in the room respectfully turned their gazes away.

“I… I cut myself by accident…” Rong Rong muttered, her face filled with shame, her voice barely squeezing out.

“With something that could slice this deep? Need us to match it with an axe for confirmation?” Lu Wanting immediately changed her stance.

“And besides, all of this is based on the claim that there’s an eleventh axe,” Rong Rong protested, clinging to her defense. “If you can’t find it…”

“Found it!” A loud voice rang out at the door.

Li Duo strode in, holding up the axe. “Just like you said, it was buried right beneath Zhang Bin’s body.”

In that instant, all the color drained from Rong Rong’s face.

“How did you figure that out?” Li Duo slapped the bloody weapon onto the table, setting the two identical, bloodstained axes side by side. One carried Zhang Bin’s blood, the other, Rong Rong’s.

“The ground in the forest is firm and hard. If anything was buried there, the soil would loosen and show signs of disturbance,” Fang Chen explained calmly.

Li Duo scratched his head, a light bulb going off. “Oh… so using the body to cover it was the best way to hide it.”

“Guess hell hath no fury like a woman,” Bai Li muttered, seizing his chance to retaliate after being wrongfully accused.

“But…” Meng Qiyan’s confusion only grew. “I still don’t get how Zhang Bin could have been convinced to go along with it. Wouldn’t he have been suspicious under these circumstances?”

“Only she can answer that,” Fang Chen replied. At this point, he couldn’t completely piece together all the details, but he knew it wasn’t necessary to understand every facet to identify the Tribute.

With all the evidence laid out, Rong Rong opened her mouth as if to resist further, but no words came out. After a long pause, she exhaled, her former bitterness vanishing entirely.

“Of course Ah Bin would cooperate with me. After all, this was his plan.”

Her words hit the room like a stone dropped in a lake, creating waves of shock.

Meng Qiyan’s jaw dropped in disbelief.

No wonder, she realized. During the partner selection, Zhang Bin had insisted on same-gender pairings, all to create a flawless alibi for Rong Rong.

“He brought the axe back that night, saying it was for protection. I never thought the weapon he got to protect me would end up killing him.”

“When I drew the Tribute lot, I was terrified. I didn’t want to die. I told Ah Bin, and he just smiled gently and assured me that everything would be fine.”

Rong Rong stared blankly ahead, her gaze piercing through the air, as if she could see someone beyond the void.

“No matter what, one of us had to make it out alive.”

“The plan was his idea; he was the one who taught me how to use an axe. Last night, he held my hand and rehearsed it with me over and over.”

“Exactly how I managed to lift the axe and bring it down on him—I can’t even remember anymore.”

Rong Rong looked down at her trembling hands. “It’s terrifying. How did I become so selfish? I’m scared to die, yet I had the courage to kill the one I loved most.”

Then, a look of bitter resignation crossed her face as she turned her gaze to Yan Xuan. “Though, I am surprised… I thought no one else knew about the axe. Are you a deep diver?”

Yan Xuan gave her a gentlemanly smile, offering no response.

"Ah Bin said that the moment he decided to become a Deep Diver, he was ready to die at any time. He just wanted me to make it out alive; otherwise, everything would be meaningless."

Rong Rong licked her dry lips, her voice raspy from crying for so long. "Maybe that’s why I could never become a Deep Diver. I could never sacrifice myself for someone else, no matter what."

"So I deserve to die… is that it?" She wiped away her tear stains, looking at everyone with a hint of pleading in her eyes.

"I was truly forced into this."

"I’ll reflect on myself… When I get out, I’ll do good deeds to make up for it. Can you not vote for me?"

"Ah Bin wouldn’t want me dead. We both agreed to this."

"It’s not that I’m just afraid of death… I have reasons I must survive… No, no, that’s not entirely true. I’m scared too." Her logic became increasingly muddled as she spiraled into confusion.

Rong Rong’s voice grew quieter, her head lowered further, her entire body curling up as if she might kneel before everyone at any moment.

Meng Qiyan bit her fingertip, unconsciously putting herself in Rong Rong’s shoes.

In a twisted game like this, did conventional morality still hold?

If she had drawn the Tribute lot, could she really be noble enough to willingly sacrifice herself for others?

None of them could guarantee it.

In reality, this judgment was not fair or equal.

As far as the voting outcome went, even if the Tribute slipped through, the others wouldn’t be punished.

On the other hand, if they found the Tribute and watched them die based on their accusation, they’d face the haunting question, "Does this make me a murderer?"

This vote wasn’t just a judgment of the Tribute; it weighed human relationships and tested the limits of their sense of justice.

Rong Rong’s sobbing struck at everyone’s heart, and the atmosphere grew tense. Even Bai Li, who had been wrongfully accused, stayed silent.

As the scales began to tip—

"Like you said yourself, 'A life for a life.' It's only fair," Fang Chen spoke up indifferently. "If we spare you this time and you draw the Tribute lot again in the next round, would you spare us?"

No matter how pitiful she seemed, there was no room for misplaced sympathy here.

Once the seed of selfishness took root, it would only lead to ruthless, malicious acts to ensure survival at any cost.

"I had no choice! Who would do this if it weren’t for this cursed game? If any of you were in my place, it’d be the same outcome!" Rong Rong’s voice suddenly grew intense, her face filled with incredulity as she looked around, her grievances pouring out.

"You’re only judging me because you weren’t chosen as the Tribute. You’re just luckier than I am, and now you’re acting all righteous, standing on a moral high ground to condemn me?"

"Ah Bin tried so hard—"

"Judgment time!" The carpenter’s voice, sharp and gleeful, cut through her pleading, ending the outburst.