Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Women shouldn’t make things so hard for other women.
Qin Nan really hadn’t expected Lin Junruo to be the first to attack Xu Tian. Or rather, it wasn’t so much Lin Junruo as-Qin Nan’s gaze swept over Mu Xin.
Jian Fan wasn’t the only one who noticed something was off with Xu Tian. Mu Xin, who was even better at masking her intentions, clearly saw it more clearly. Even though Xu Tian’s suspicion had lessened thanks to Qin Nan’s testimony, she could have still doubled back to the crime scene, just as Lin Junruo had suggested.
Mu Xin had used Lin Junruo as her mouthpiece.
Xu Tian didn’t panic. “It’s not just me. Qin Nan, or anyone else for that matter, could have appeared at the crime scene after Qin Nan left.”
“Then everything is back to square one,” Qin Weiyi concluded.
Xia Zeqin smiled. “Not necessarily. I have a solid alibi.”
“How about this: everyone should first state where they were and what they were doing on the night of the murder. Once we’ve finished our self-confessions, we can share the information we just gathered,” Qin Weiyi suggested.
If they shared their findings first, no one would mention the things they hadn’t managed to uncover. By confessing first, there was a high chance they could trick someone into revealing information they hadn’t obtained from the NPCs.
Qin Nan was the first to agree. “I’m completely in favor. After all, I’ve already set the example.”
Xu Tian said, “I’ve already finished my piece.”
Xia Zeqin raised an eyebrow. “Mine is even simpler. I was in my own courtyard all night, reading in the study. When I got tired, I went back to rest.”
Lu Jing, who had been following Qin Weiyi’s lead closely, spoke up. “I have no objection.”
Jian Fan looked up and scanned the room. “Same here.”
The others didn’t voice their stance yet.
“Okay, six votes. Majority rules. Since Xia Zeqin, Qin Nan, and Xu Tian have already spoken, I’ll start,” Qin Weiyi said, taking the lead. “On the night of the murder, I also stayed in my room. I pulled one of the household servants aside and had him play leaf cards with me all night. He can testify for me.”
Qin Nan’s lips quirked.
Xia Zeqin had left his study door open so the passing servants could see him, while Qin Weiyi had simply grabbed a servant to forcibly manufacture an alibi.
Impressive.
Aside from that, he had nothing else to say.
Lu Jing followed immediately after. “I also stayed in my courtyard the whole time. The servants there can vouch for me. I spent most of the night practicing my martial arts and only went back to rest when I was tired.”
He had received a warning from Qin Weiyi long ago. Thus, he hadn’t been surprised when he realized he had returned to the night of the murder. He had immediately gone out to observe his surroundings. Along the way, he had encountered an NPC whose words seemed designed to lure him to the deceased’s courtyard.
Lu Jing didn’t care about any of that. He simply did as Qin Weiyi told him: don’t go to the crime scene, don’t get involved, and ideally, find a clear alibi.
He wasn’t the smartest person, but making it known that he hadn’t gone to the deceased’s courtyard was simple enough. He had decided to just practice his forms in the courtyard, treating it as a training session.
After Lu Jing finished, the room fell into a brief silence.
Seeing that no one was speaking, Jian Fan finally spoke up slowly. “If no one else is going, I will.” As he spoke, his gaze bypassed everyone else and landed directly on Lin Junruo.
Sensing Jian Fan’s gaze, Lin Junruo looked up. Her heart gave a jolt, but it was already too late.
“On the night of the murder, I went to the Eldest Miss’s courtyard first,” Jian Fan said. “I saw the Eldest Miss heading out alone, seemingly in the direction of the Master’s courtyard.”
Lin Junruo’s face suddenly turned pale.
Jian Fan continued, “After confirming the Eldest Miss’s whereabouts, I returned to my quarters.”
“No alibi?” Qin Nan was somewhat surprised.
Jian Fan gave a brief grunt of affirmation.
Qin Nan felt he needed to adjust his way of thinking. This wasn’t like any Murder Mystery Game he had played before; although some rules were similar, there were still many differences.
And these differences directly influenced how the Players handled things, as well as their reasoning.
In the environment of this Script, even if Jian Fan had no witness to prove his alibi, both Qin Weiyi and Xia Zeqin would believe his story.
This group of high-IQ Players wouldn’t risk choosing to become the killer in this Script. Between the killer and an ordinary Player, the latter clearly had a higher chance of success and a much better opportunity to earn more Points. At the same time, picking the wrong killer meant death, so they wouldn’t waste such a precious vote on testing their own kind.
Xia Zeqin and Qin Weiyi might still be willing to go the extra mile to ensure their own innocence, but Jian Fan was likely just too lazy to bother.
In this game, those with high intelligence would ultimately hold the power of discourse. As for whether the other Players suspected him, it didn’t matter. The final analysis would be firmly in the hands of their group, so Jian Fan was certain of his own safety.
To survive longer in the Realm of Death, Qin Nan had to discard some of his past perceptions and familiarize himself with this environment.
“The Eldest Miss went to the Master’s courtyard.” Qin Weiyi accepted Jian Fan’s statement as a matter of course and shifted his gaze to Lin Junruo.
Lin Junruo panicked slightly. “I… I just went to Father’s courtyard to take a look, but I turned back halfway. I didn’t actually enter Father’s courtyard in the end, really.”
“Do you have a witness?” Xia Zeqin asked.
Lin Junruo shook her head, her face pale.
“Eldest Miss, if you aren’t the killer, hiding things won’t do you any good,” Xia Zeqin reminded her.
Lin Junruo forced herself to remain calm. “I’m telling the truth. I’m not hiding anything. Besides, I have no reason to kill Father. As I said, Father doted on me. Why would I kill him? I have no motive.”
Xia Zeqin gave a cold sneer. “Fine. Who’s next?”
Mu Xin, who had been acting timid all along, looked up and said, “I was also in the courtyard the whole time. I had a fight with the Third Young Master, and after that, I stayed in my room sulking. I never left. The servants in the courtyard should be able to testify for me.”
As soon as she finished, the Player acting as the Third Young Master spoke up immediately. “Yes, she suddenly started a fight with me for no reason. I was completely baffled.”
Qin Nan’s gaze swept over Mu Xin and the Third Young Master’s Player, feeling a bit confused.
“So, what happened after the fight? The Third Young Lady went back to her room, but what did the Third Young Master do next?” Qin Weiyi questioned.
The Third Young Master’s expression stiffened slightly before he broke into a smile. “What could I do? I just stayed in my own courtyard.”
“Is that so?” Qin Weiyi’s tone was meaningful.
The Third Young Master steadied his emotions and nodded. “Yes. At the very least, I didn’t go to Father’s courtyard. I am not the one who killed Father. Although I have some grievances against him, I’m not so heartless that I would strike down my own biological father.”
Qin Weiyi let out a low chuckle.