บท 17: Chapter 17 The Manor Owner's Criminal Evidence
After investigating the kitchen, the detective's expression was inscrutable. He then moved with the others to sit on the couch. The detective began to inquire about the stranded travelers who had come to seek shelter.
"I've already met Miss Zhan," the detective said, lounging with one leg over the other, "but what about the rest of you? What brings you here?" he asked, spreading his hands to the few people opposite him.
The players quietly rolled their eyes. Tan Xiaohe said with an innocent look, "I really was just hiking with my boyfriend when we got lost in a thunderstorm. We happened to see this house, so we came here to stay."
The detective raised an eyebrow and leaned in with a smile, "Little sister, you know - you shouldn't climb up stairs you see in the forest, and similarly, when you see a house in the mountains, it's best not to go in so casually~"
His bizarre comment left the girl stunned, but then the detective suddenly asked, "Right, where's your boyfriend?"
"He's picky with beds. He didn't sleep well all night and hasn't gotten up yet," Tan Xiaohe muttered.
"Eh~ is that so? He wouldn't by any chance be hiding in his room doing something shady, would he?" The detective rubbed his chin with a strange smile that was incredibly irritating.
Tan Xiaohe clenched her fist secretly; she smiled awkwardly but politely, "He's really still sleeping, or else I would go wake him up now."
However, the detective quickly waved his hand and shouted, "No, no, no, there's no need for that. I wouldn't want to be inhospitable and deprive someone of sleep."
Tan Xiaohe twitched the corner of her mouth and no longer wanted to deal with him. He didn't seem like a proper detective at all.
Apart from the mysticist who had been invited, the reasons the others gave for their stay sounded reasonable at first but strange upon further thought. However, after hearing their self-defenses, the detective didn't make any judgments.
He slightly bowed his head, tapping his hat with a magnifying glass as if in thought.
After a while, he stood up suddenly, saying that the manor's servants hadn't yet been questioned, especially the maid who had taken Mr. Guo's bowl.
The butler led the way with an expressionless face to find the maid, and the photographer, who had also been in thought, rose to his feet, "I'll help too, don't worry, I won't touch anything else."
The detective smiled indifferently, "Sure, the ladies can come along too~"
Unfortunately, the three girls had no desire to follow. Tan Xiaohe's task was only to find the treasure. As for reconstructing the plot, that was best left to the professionals.
Zhan Qian showed no reaction, as she was also lost in her own thoughts.
Miss Painter said lightly, "If there's nothing else at the moment, I'd like to paint in the courtyard. The scenery here is quite nice."
As she got up to leave, Zhan Qian suddenly looked up at her and then stood up to follow, seeming to have something to discuss with her.
Suddenly, the only person left on the couch was Tan Xiaohe. She glanced over to see the chef player playing with their phone and eating the breakfast meant for the guests, seemingly the most relaxed person in the whole game.
The photographer's eager truth-seeking might have had something to do with his task.
Zhan Qian, though mysterious in her demeanor, didn't prevent speculation that her task might also involve reconstructing the plot and uncovering some truth.
The player with the painter persona was even more peculiar, saying little from the start but seemingly knowing quite a bit about the manor's affairs.
Tan Xiaohe stared at the chef, thinking that if there was a murderer among the players, he seemed like a likely suspect.
Because only the murderer would want to do nothing but cover up the fact that he was the murderer.
After all, the murder had already taken place.
But then, what did that have to do with her task?
At that thought, she laid back on the couch facing the dining area and called out, "Hey!"
Xu Shuo looked up with a puzzled expression.
"As a chef, do you hear any rumors, like about a treasure hidden in the manor or something?" Tan Xiaohe asked, blinking her eyes.
Upon hearing this, Xu Shuo pointed outside the villa and said, "I've never heard about any treasure, but there is actually a basement in the courtyard, which is a wine cellar."
Tan Xiaohe paused, narrowing her eyes slightly, "You're really telling me this?"
"We're all teammates, what can't we talk about? Besides, a wine cellar isn't a secret." Xu Shuo, while eating shrimp dumplings, said casually, "But I didn't expect you to have an interest in exploration?"
"This big old manor, set up in a place with no village in front and no shop behind, three years ago Mr. Guo inexplicably fired all the servants and hired a new batch; now he suddenly dies out of the blue, don't you wonder if something valuable is hidden here?"
"Murder for profit? You might find it more persuasive to think it was a crime of passion."
"Did the butler kill Mr. Guo over money or love?"
Xu Shuo: "..."
He felt that there was no need to communicate with this girl who's thinking was extremely erratic. Anyway, he had already given away the location; useful or not, she would probably go take a look.
What he was more worried about now was whether the detective could find the iron box.
...
At this moment, in the maid's room—since the butler had gone out to find someone—only the detective and the photographer were present.
The detective looked around the neat room, searched casually for a while, then, unselfconsciously, sat on the girl's bed and said, "You didn't infiltrate the manor this time to investigate the incident from three years ago, did you?"
The photographer hesitated, then responded indifferently, "Yes, I am quite concerned about that matter. Although Mr. Guo has concealed it well, it doesn't stop him from being the prime suspect."
"Actually, concerning Mr. Guo's case, we're just short of evidence. His group has been failing for a long time; as soon as we present the evidence, we could immediately arrest him." The detective stroked his chin and said, "There are many people from the police force here this time, and they actually plan to thoroughly investigate this manor."
"Too bad, he's already dead."
The detective ended with a disdainful "tsk."
For a detective, catching a hidden criminal is their pursuit, not waiting for the truth to come out after the criminal is long gone.
There's no sense of accomplishment in that.
The photographer didn't reply, pondering silently. The reason he could keep up with the detective's conversation was that his other assignment was: [Find evidence of the manor owner Mr. Guo's crimes].
Now, from the detective's few words, the photographer roughly guessed his own identity—an undercover detective in the manor.
No wonder he disguised himself as a photographer. Was it because carrying a camera made it easier to store evidence?
And indeed, the task he received was very much in line with a detective's role.
"Hey, hey—"
The detective's voice rang in his ear. The photographer snapped back to reality, only to hear him say, "What are you daydreaming about, Yao An? Did you find anything in your investigation here?"
Upon hearing this, the photographer thought for a moment; he had already figured out his role name.
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