Part 27: Sevens High

Another route down, another bonus update.

This route was, well, the Snake Route, and the endings in question are the 7s cards. Once again, roughly 50% of the votes voted for this one- I think people just liked the number because of how close to the middle it was. Themis has gone on record saying they feel like this route is better if you hit it early just because of the information gathered through it; additionally, while this obviously isn't the only route where we'll have to deal with murder occurring, Snake is pretty unique in how put together he is during the whole thing- even when Mouse is breaking down her theories on how he committed the murders, he doesn't break.

Snake's route is another one that's laid out pretty straightforward- avoid some binary good/bad choices, and then the end is based on if you can successfully deduce everything surrounding the series of murders. That said, there were some endings we missed, so let's not waste any time and get to it! The first ending we avoided was if Mouse decides she's too suspicious of Bunny and decides to search by herself...

[Search alone.]

[BGM: Silence]


I think we could cover more ground if we searched separately, you know? Plus, and no offense, but I'm not completely comfortable being alone with someone else at this time. You understand, right?

No no, I get it, totally got it. Well then, I wish you luck in your search.

2 more trinkets.

2 more trinkets.

And with that, Bunny left. It felt bad rejecting his offer, but... something about it made me uneasy.

[BGM: Mousetrap]


Something about Bunny's demeanor gave me the impression that he was hiding something. I wasn't sure he was the killer, but I also wasn't sure he wasn't. Best to work by myself for now. I decided searching the third floor would be best for now, so I went up the stairs and entered the closest classroom. These classrooms were all starting to blend together... but I couldn't give up hope.

I checked my tablet and realized that Round 7 had started. Should I make a move now? It was possible we would find the needed Minor Trinkets before the end of the round and begin to move with them. There was no need to rush things. As I was contemplating this, I thought I heard something behind me. However, before I could turn around, I felt a tightness around my neck. A thin metal wire, choking me.

[BGM: Silence]


The shitty thing about being choked to death is that you know exactly that you're about to die as you're dying. I tried to lash out behind me, to disrupt my assailant whatsoever. But I didn't manage to land a single hit before going limp. And just like that, I was the fourth victim. Likely not the last.



Ending - 7 of Clubs

The Origami Cat Killer won't stop killing until there are at least four victims. If Mouse decides to keep searching for Trinkets on her own, she's liable to become a target.

And if Mouse dies, it's likely that there will only be one survivor in this Race. Now that's certainly not ideal, is it?

The second ending we avoided is when we decided to break from the agreed plan and hitch a ride on Ox instead. Ultimately, this is what saved the group, but what happens if we go through with the agreed-upon plan?

[Hitch a ride on Snake.]

[BGM: Silence]


Of course. Of course I'd stick to the plan. Even if it was dangerous, I'd believe in the group. I couldn't betray Ox and Bunny and Snake just to try and save my own skin. Even if I hitched a ride on Ox, I still couldn't win the race anyways. So my best chance to survive is to stick to the plan.

I clicked ACT and selected Snake.

And with that, I walked to the cafeteria with confidence.



I noticed that pretty much everyone else had gathered as well. Snake must have succeeded in bringing everyone together.

Hey everybody!

Mouse.

Did you find a Minor Trinket?

I'm worried that by the tone of that question, no one else has.

So we all failed, huh?

Hey, we don't need to worry. After Snake brings things together, we can search as a group! We still have time.

I'm not sure about that.



Let's keep things optimistic, okay? We can't give up hope!

For now, let's turn our attention to the screen. I believe the round is about to commence.

Snake was right; the speakers kicked on moments later.



Round 9 has ended. Now, let us see how the race has progressed.



The Rat has hitched a SNEAKY RIDE on Snake.

The Ox has begun to STAMPEDE and moved to the 14th space.

The Tiger has failed to make a move.



The Bunny has begun to HOP and moved four spaces.

The Dragon has failed to make a move.



The Snake has attempted to SERPENTINE. The SERPENTINE is successful!



The Snake has moved to the finish line.



Thanks to the SNEAKY RIDE, the Rat also moves 1 space.

The Horse has RUN one space.

The Sheep has failed to make a move.

The Monkey has RUN one space.

The Rooster has RUN one space.

The Dog has failed to make a move.

The Pig has RUN one space.





The finish line has been crossed. The winners are MOUSE and SNAKE. Congratulations! Anyone who has not won has lost. Prepare for execution.

[BGM: Mousetrap]


No sooner had the Jade Emperor said that did I hear the panicked cries start to shout. To my left and to my right, everyone started clawing at their throats, started losing their balance. Everyone's faces were a mixture of pain and fear. Well, almost everyone's. Except for the man standing right in front of me, unphased.

Snake... What the hell is this?! What happened?



Ah, Mouse. So you decided to listen to me. That's nice. It would be awfully tragic were I the only survivor. And if I were to choose anybody to bring with me to the end, it would be you.

I could barely see Snake straight, I was so boiling with rage. Instead of addressing me, Snake turned to the others.

Apologies for everything, everyone, but I believe this was the only way. With things in the state that they were, you don't seriously think there was some way for us all to escape together?

Trust me, if I thought that outcome possible I'd have eagerly strove towards it. I admit I wasn't truthful in what my ability actually did. But would you have cooperated if I had told the truth?



No, I don't think that likely. But people, believe me when I say this: I truly am mournful. Whoever put us in this game will pay. This ending will assure that. ...But I guess that's hollow consolation.

You've every right to curse me from hell. I imagine it won't be long before I join you.

But until then, there are a few things left unfinished that I ought to sort out. Before then, I wasn't content to just die. And so, and I say this with sincerity-



See you on the other side.

For many, those were the last words they heard. Their bodies, now thrashing on the floor, stopped moving for good. And I was left just standing there. There with this... murderer. This demon.

I suspect that my explanation didn't convince you?

…

Very well. You're one of the few with whom I can speak candidly about everything. I suppose then, we should have a talk.

And have a talk we did. A long, not-very-friendly talk. And I heard a lot of surprising things. But no matter what was said, one thing was the case. 10 people were dead in this school. And I wasn't.

[BGM: Silence]


Ending - 7 of Diamonds

Snake is an incredibly shrewd man who values artistry and logic equally. He is more than capable of orchestrating the race to play out how he wants it, especially with everyone so fear-struck by the Origami Cat Killer.

Mouse is perhaps the only one who can catch on to the contradictions in Snake's story. If she fails to, Snake will be the only survivor in this race. Not quite the worst case scenario, but awfully close.

And, lastly, the ending we get if we fail the deduction at the end of the Snake route.

[Fail to deduce the truth behind the Origami Cat Murders.]

This one's kind of different in that it's not one binary choice like the others, but rather multiple different points where you can make a mistake. We'll go over each point before showing what happens when you get something wrong.

[BGM: Dance of the Snakes]


The correct option here was that we need to prove that Snake has been manipulating some of the other participants into using their abilities- we have no way of proving Snake lied about his ability without first proving why he would want to manipulate the others.

That said, if you get it wrong...

I'm going to prove that you lied about your ability with evidence!

And what evidence would that be?

Well, you know... You were hiding it before!

So I could use it, yes. How does this prove anything?

Um, well...

Shit, this isn't right!

... The next deduction point is when Mouse asserts that there was a false assumption we've been operating under this whole time.

[BGM: Constriction]


The correct answer is that Sheep was not dead when Dragon and Snake discovered the body- they had no actual way of checking her body when it was first found. The other two options are obviously incorrect- the chain was tested to be solid, and there was an obvious injection mark on the body which is the only obvious possible cause of death.

That said, if you get this one wrong...

Just because there was a chain lock doesn't mean you couldn't get in.

Oh? And how do you figure that?

All locks can be picked! You have lock-picking experience, don't you!

My, what a hefty claim. I'm sad to say, but I do not know how to pick locks. And even if I did, what would that change?

You can pick a lock open, but it would be exceedingly hard to pick a lock closed.

Well, that's...

If it was as simple a matter of picking locks, any one of us could be the killer. Mouse, you're just making things up now, aren't you?

No, I'm...

Shit. I didn't think things through!

And the other wrong choice...



It's a mistake to think Sheep was poisoned to death!

Oh? How so? Because as I recall it, the only injury she outwardly sustained was an injection. A vial of instant-acting poison also went missing, yes?

That could all be a diversion! Really, Sheep was killed like Dog- with electricity! She was taking a nap on the other end of the room, and you lassoed a plugged-in wire over to her feet through the gap! That's what really happened!

No, no I don't think that is what happened.

...Uh, actually, you might be right.

... The next deduction point is when the topic of Dragon's death comes up.



The right answer is obviously that Snake made it a locked room from inside the room, mostly because the other option is, again, provably false- there's no conceivable way someone could make a stack of books right at the door and then also manage to leave the room without disturbing them.

That said, if we get this wrong...

You were able to stack those books from outside!

Wow! What an impressive feat! Tell me, how exactly did I manage that?

The thing about that is, um... I don't really know how exactly.

What?

But there's probably a number of tricks you could use! Magicians can do all sorts of things! The human brain is limitless!

The human brain might be, but yours certainly has limits. You've reached them.

I'm no magician, Mouse. If there was some trick, surely evidence would have been left behind, yes? But you found none of it. Admit it, you don't have an answer to this mystery.

That's... well...

Shit. He was right.

... The last deduction point is when the topic of Tiger's death comes up.



This one's a little harder unless you got the first ending where Snake strangles Mouse to death with some kind of wire, at which point it becomes obvious the killer has that kind of tool. The main way to get this right is simply that the other two options are already eliminated- the tablet obviously wasn't what killed her, Mouse and Bunny heard the knives enter her neck themselves, and poison was already ruled out as her cause of death.

That said, if we get this wrong...

She wasn't strangled, she was poisoned! You injected her with the instant-acting poison, and then after she died you strangled her with the wire to confuse us!

But you didn't find an injection point, did you?

Well, we might not have noticed it!

That seems like a major oversight on your point if that was the case.

Uh, that is... Maybe she wasn't injected, she might have drank it!

Drank it?

You could've given her a bottle of water, but the water was poisoned. Tiger was gullible like that!

Mouse, where on earth would I get a bottle of water here? And Tiger may have been gullible, but she wasn't completely stupid. With three dead, do you really think she would accept a random bottle of water?

She might!

I doubt it.

...You might be right.

And the other wrong choice...



You used the tablet to kill her!

The tablet? How on earth could I use a tablet for murder? You're not saying she was actually executed, are you?

No, I'm saying that you strangled her while she was busy looking at her tablet.

In that case, she should've been able to fight back, right? Tiger is both taller and stronger than me, and she's the type that easily lashes out. Even with a weapon and the element of surprise, you can't expect me to take her out that easily.

Well, that's...

Shit! He had a point.

The moment you make any wrong deduction, it's over. You have to get all four of these deductions correct in order to get the ending we saw last update. As for if you get something wrong...

[BGM: Silence]


Snake started to walk towards me.

Mouse, please. I realize that things are hectic now, and you're eager to pin blame on someone. It's a perfectly natural reaction. But it's unhelpful. Clearly you haven't even thought everything through yourself.

Well, maybe not, but-

He grabbed my hand.



Look into my eyes. Are those the eyes of a killer?

His stare was piercing. He looked deeply offended that I would suspect him. Was I in the wrong? I was doing a lot of guesswork...

Just as I thought that, Snake jerked my hand towards him. Before I realized what was going on, his other hand was around my neck-

No. It wasn't a hand.

[BGM: Mousetrap]


It was a golden knife!

What?!

Snake, you bastard!

You...

Everyone, settle down, settle down. We wouldn't want any accidents, now would we?

I felt his knife trace a line on my neck.

Snake, what the hell?!



I must commend you, Mouse, for being the smartest one in the room. Unfortunately for you, you weren't quite able to see through my work.

Your work?

Look, I take no more pleasure in this than you. But it is how it is, okay? I must do what I must do.

The hell kind of excuse is that?

What do you want?

Want? I want nothing. I'm simply going to retreat with Mouse to a nearby room and continue strategizing.

Honestly, if I thought my survival too unlikely, I planned on surrendering.



In this case, an ugly victory really would be worse than a beautiful defeat.

When you started accusing me, Mouse, I really thought it was the end of the line. But I believe there actually is a line of play for me left.

Like hell I'm going along with your plans!

I started struggling in his arms. He was stronger than I'd have thought, but not too strong.

Settle down, will you? Look, if you play along, there's a decent chance you can actually survive with me! Don't make me-

I tried stomping on his foot to break away. ...Unfortunately, that hit made him jerk his hand unevenly. The hand with the knife by my throat. Before I knew what was happening, I felt a wet dripping on my chest.

[BGM: Silence]


Oh dear. Look what you've done. This is the worst outcome for both of us. A most unfortunate fate.

Those words paired with the horrified looks from my allies were the last sensations that entered my brain before my knees buckled. At the very least, Snake would likely be captured by the group after my death.

A hollow victory.



Ending - 7 of Hearts

Snake is not an easy opponent to face down. Mouse's logic needs to be flawless to convince the group and corner Snake.

If there's room for doubt, Snake will try something, and it will almost certainly lead to violence one way or another. A sub-optimal path can easily be avoided if Mouse can correctly piece together the past.

Next update, we start on a different path towards a different route!