Chapter 66: How could I kill someone?

Translator: Abo Dammen

☆

Case Four: Sicilian Defense

In the middle of the night, a terrifying event occurred.

Xu Pei needed to use the toilet.

He tried to hypnotize himself into believing the pressure in his bladder was just an illusion, but the more he tried to ignore it, the more he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Finally, physiological need triumphed over his fear of ghosts. He abruptly sat up in bed. 

He Yixun was sleeping soundly beside him, his jawline sinking into the soft pillow, his relaxed lips smoothing away the usual sharpness. His sleeping posture was so proper it was almost rigid, with his hands folded over his abdomen, like a prince in a fairy tale waiting to be awakened by a kiss.

After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Pei decided not to wake He Yixun.

As a scientific researcher, how could he be afraid of ghosts and supernatural tales?

So, Xu Pei tremblingly opened the bedroom door and walked towards the bathroom at the end of the corridor, looking over his shoulder every few steps. 

The green wooden door glowed with an eerie light under the dim wall sconces, like a moldy pond. Where the paint had peeled off, greyish wood was exposed, resembling human bones protruding from rotting skin.

His fingers touched the door handle. The metal’s chill shot up his fingertips. Steeling himself, Xu Pei pushed the door open, praying that any passing spirits wouldn’t scare him. Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out, startling him so much his soul almost left his body.

The sound came from the first floor. To be accurate, it wasn’t a scream, but a loudly exclaimed “So that’s it!” The female voice sounded familiar. It seemed to be the cryptographer, Zhong Qiaoyi.

Making an exclamation like that probably meant she’d had a breakthrough, right? 

The thought that someone was still downstairs emboldened Xu Pei considerably. He quickly used the toilet and then went down to the first-floor study.

It was already 2 AM. Cai Jia and Xing Yong had returned to their rooms. Only Zhong Qiaoyi and Gu Yan remained in the study, still working hard.

Zhong Qiaoyi clearly had an idea. She was half-kneeling beside the chessboard, looking at the bookshelf, then moving a piece. Xu Pei followed her gaze to the bookshelf but couldn’t see anything significant. “Have you cracked it?”

“No,” Zhong Qiaoyi answered. “Just trying things randomly.” 

“We can only rely on you now,” Gu Yan said, yawning. “I can’t hold on any longer. I’m going back to sleep.”

Watching Gu Yan’s retreating figure, Xu Pei felt a flicker of strangeness, but didn’t dwell on it. He stayed by the chessboard, waiting for Zhong Qiaoyi to try and produce a result. However, when Zhong Qiaoyi slowed her pace, holding her breath as she made the final move, the chessboard remained completely unchanged.

“Damn it.” Perhaps having pondered for a full day, her patience was long gone. Zhong Qiaoyi stood up and kicked over the pieces on the chessboard with her foot.

Xu Pei had thought he might witness the vault opening and was somewhat disappointed. He comforted her, “Try again tomorrow.” 

“No, I can’t sleep if the puzzle isn’t solved,” Zhong Qiaoyi let out a breath, reset the pieces, and continued observing the bookshelf.

Xu Pei naturally wouldn’t spend his time here. Leaving an encouraging “Good luck,” he returned upstairs. Just as he stepped onto the staircase, he saw He Yixun come out of their room. Spotting Xu Pei, He Yixun stopped by the doorway. Clearly, he had come out looking for him.

“Why are you awake?” Xu Pei asked as he reached He Yixun.

He Yixun didn’t say that he couldn’t sleep properly without someone’s limbs weighing him down. Instead, he asked, “You went downstairs?” 

“I thought Zhong Qiaoyi was close to solving it,” Xu Pei said, glancing at the bedrooms on either side of the corridor; no light showed under the doors. “Let’s go in.”

The next morning, Xu Pei was awakened by the sound of birds chirping outside the window. The sound was sharp and urgent, forcibly dragging him out of his dreams.

The space beside him was empty. He Yixun was already fully dressed, standing by the window scrolling through news. Luo You’s energetic voice sounded in the corridor, “Everyone, breakfast is ready!”

The young master was really being a dutiful host. 

Xu Pei stretched, rolled out of bed, and started changing clothes while asking, “What if the vault still can’t be opened today?”

That would mean the two of them had come for nothing.

He Yixun didn’t seem to mind. “She’ll always find someone to open it eventually.”

The two went to the dining room. Breakfast was a buffet. The variety wasn’t lavish, but there were eggs, dairy, and bread. The others arrived one after another. Xing Yong and Cai Jia looked lazy, as if they had already given up on the vault. Zhou Ye was still in his suit, looking proper. Lin Mei kept scrolling on her phone, seeming very busy, but she didn’t forget to ask Xing Yong and Cai Jia, “How’s the progress with the chess game?” 

Cai Jia had changed his outfit, still head-to-toe designer labels. He shrugged. “I’m out of ideas.”

Xing Yong had also basically given up. “We can only count on those two now.”

A hint of displeasure appeared between Lin Mei’s brows. Xu Pei seemed to read the word “useless” there.

“Pei Pei-ge, how did you sleep last night?” Luo You carried his plate over and sat down next to Xu Pei, leaning in mysteriously. “Did you meet any ghosts?” 

He Yixun, on the other side, said mildly, “I think you’re the ghost.”

Luo You made a face at He Yixun and asked the others, “Did you all sleep well last night?”

“It’s alright. The bed was a bit hard,” Cai Jia said, taking a bite of bread and then throwing it back onto his plate as if it tasted bad. “Is there anything fun to do in the manor?”

“Aren’t you going to try cracking the vault anymore?” Luo You asked. 

“Can’t drill, can’t smash. It’s boring,” said Cai Jia.

Like a child who couldn’t accept that his game wasn’t appealing, Luo You said, “Then the prize money will belong to someone else.”

Cai Jia crossed his legs casually. “This young master isn’t short on money anyway.”

Xing Yong, drinking his coffee, chimed in, “So, exactly how much money is in that vault?” 

“Just the gold bars alone weigh a ton, not to mention other cash and such,” Luo You answered.

“Is it all the Progressive Society’s money?” Xing Yong asked.

Lin Mei, who had been looking at her phone, raised her eyelids upon hearing this. Her sharp gaze shot directly towards Xing Yong. “Who told you it’s the Progressive Society’s money?”

The invitation only mentioned a vault buried beneath the manor, not the origin of the wealth. 

“Isn’t that what everyone’s saying?” Xing Yong looked at the others as if seeking agreement. “That the Chief Justice hid the Progressive Society’s wealth in the manor or something.”

“Don’t meddle in things that aren’t your concern,” Lin Mei said coldly.

Xing Yong awkwardly averted his gaze and focused on eating his breakfast.

Luo You used his knife to cut a croissant and noticed the butter wasn’t nearby. He said to Zhou Ye at the end of the table, “Lawyer Zhou, pass me some butter.” 

“Of course, Mr. Luo,” Zhou Ye immediately stood up and brought the butter to Luo You’s side. “Do you need anything else?”

“No, thank you,” said Luo You.

“Just call if you need anything.”

In Xu Pei’s impression, Zhou Ye, as He Maohu’s right-hand man, had been quite authoritative on the cruise ship. When did he become such a boot-licker? Forced by circumstances, perhaps. 

As Luo You spread butter, he looked around and said, puzzled, “Huh? Where are the other two?”

Xu Pei also noticed Zhong Qiaoyi and Gu Yan were absent. He said, not too concerned, “Probably still in bed. They slept very late last night.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a piercing scream came from the direction of the separate wing. Everyone instantly stopped what they were doing and instinctively looked that way. He Yixun was the first to stand up. “I’ll go check.”

“Me too,” Xu Pei said. 

In the end, everyone followed to the separate wing and ran into the servant who had rushed out of the study in a panic. “D-dead! There’s a dead person!”

He Yixun quickly entered the study. Books from the entire bookshelf were scattered on the floor, piled into a small mountain. At one corner of the pile, a section of an arm was starkly visible.

The older servant clutched her chest, speaking incoherently: “I-I saw the study was a mess and thought I’d tidy up, but then-there was actually a hand underneath!”

Luo You craned his neck to look past He Yixun’s shoulder into the room. Terrified, he grabbed Xu Pei’s arm. “I told you this manor is haunted!” 

“Nonsense,” Lin Mei scolded Luo You. As if accustomed to seeing corpses, she walked to the book pile, bent down, and examined it. “It seems to be Zhong Qiaoyi.”

The exposed arm was clad in a woman’s suit jacket, the very one Zhong Qiaoyi had worn yesterday.

She was about to remove the books covering the arm when He Yixun stopped her. “This is a crime scene. Don’t touch anything.”

Lin Mei withdrew her hand, displeased at being lectured, and frowned. “What if she’s not dead?” 

He Yixun instructed Xu Pei to call the police, then crouched by the book pile and felt the arm. It was already cold.

“She’s dead,” He Yixun affirmed.

“Damn, someone really died?” Cai Jia stood at the back of the crowd, peering in, looking like he wanted to join the commotion but didn’t dare get too close. “Where’s the other one?”

“Oh right, where’s Gu Yan?” Luo You looked around and said to the butler, “Go see if he’s upstairs.” 

The butler nodded and, taking the other servant who wasn’t as shaken, went to the second floor. Xing Yong pushed through the crowd to the book pile. Observing the exposed arm, he said, “There seems to be a lot of blood under here.”

Xu Pei had smelled it on the way over, an extremely strong smell of blood, constantly assaulting his nose. Even after adjusting his blocker to the highest setting, he couldn’t block out the discomfort.

The butler soon came downstairs and said to everyone, “Mr. Gu is not in his room. His bed is made. It seems he did not return to his room last night.”

“What?” Luo You looked in surprise at the book pile. “He’s not buried under there too, is he?” 

“It doesn’t look like it. This pile of books is only enough for one person,” Xing Yong responded. He’s indeed a private detective, already analyzing the scene. “The books were definitely piled up like this deliberately by the killer. Why? Never mind that for now, we all went to bed early last night. It’s possible Gu Yan did this.”

Luo You, as if a new idea had opened, said with sudden realization, “That makes so much sense.”

“Wait, there’s something here,” said Xing Yong, lying flat on the floor and looking sideways at Zhong Qiaoyi’s hand. “There’s a symbol underneath.

“It’s a dying message.” 

Xing Yong scrambled up and said to He Yixun, “Sir He, you should take a look.”

He Yixun took a handkerchief from his inner suit pocket, used it to lift Zhong Qiaoyi’s hand, and saw a symbol drawn in blood on the floor: ♀.

“The killer is a woman!” Luo You exclaimed, immediately scanning the crowd for females. He first looked at the butler and the servants. These three combined were nearly 180 years old. While they couldn’t be ruled out, they didn’t seem likely. So he shifted his gaze to the other female present.

The others simultaneously looked in the same direction. 

Lin Mei found it utterly absurd. “Are you all insane? How could I kill someone?”

Leaving aside whether Lin Mei had anything to do with Zhong Qiaoyi’s death, that single sentence was enough to make He Yixun recall some unpleasant memories.

He was just about to ask everyone to evacuate the crime scene when Xu Pei suddenly staggered, leaning on the sofa for support, and reached out a hand towards him. “He Yixun, I don’t feel well…”

He Yixun hurried forward and caught the falling Xu Pei. “What’s wrong?” 

It was too overpowering.

Not just the smell of blood, but also the musty odor of books, the acidic tang of pen ink, the perfume from the others… All the smells rushed into Xu Pei’s nose at once, making it feel like a screw was being driven into the space between his eyebrows, a twisting pain.

He twisted the blocker on his left pinky finger, but the smells kept flooding in relentlessly. Xu Pei glanced down and saw the blocker flashing a red light indicating low battery.

Oh no. 

Panic surged in Xu Pei’s heart. He quickly adjusted the blocker to low-power mode. Thankfully, apart from the smell of blood, the other odors disappeared. Covering his nose, he said to He Yixun, “My scent blocker is almost out of power.”

He had almost forgotten, he was different from the people here. Without the blocker, with his sensitive sense of smell, he simply couldn’t live normally here