Scanning the jostling passengers, it was clear they were really strapped for cash.
“Alright, alright, alright,” Zhou Qi’an looked at the banknotes in his hand. This whole situation was truly brought back to life with money.
He looked at the last two remaining suspects and subtly raised an eyebrow. “Pretend, why aren’t you pretending anymore?”
Unlike conventional murder mystery games where everyone tries their best to clear themselves of suspicion, the people here seemed to be playing coy, even eager to add drama to their roles.
This “adding drama” would seriously affect the detective’s judgment.
However…
“What’s ‘adding drama’?” Even though his eyes were almost shut, Zhou Qi’an looked even more arrogant. “Adding money is what’s truly impressive.”
Showing respect for the elderly, Zhou Qi’an turned to the old lady: “You speak first.”
The old lady coughed several times. Zhou Qi’an, however, wasn’t going to humor those trying to stall for time and immediately turned his head to ask the next person.
Noticing his intent, the old lady didn’t play coy anymore and pointed at the female passenger who claimed to be heartbroken: “I saw this girl arguing with someone. When she ran out of the alley, she even knocked over my granddaughter.”
Her granddaughter nodded in agreement: “At that time, the hot tea in my hand spilled onto her hand.”
A part of the heartbroken female passenger’s skirt had an obvious stain, and she also had a blister on her hand.
Old lady: “She definitely didn’t come out to relax because of a breakup; she might have just broken up and chose to kill in anger.”
The system displayed a prompt:
[Clue 4: Testimony from the old lady.]
Zhou Qi’an’s heart sank. It was just a clue, not critical identification evidence.
The heartbroken woman still looked fragile, but her eyes were sinister, mixed with a faint hint of triumph, saying, “I was just in a bad mood and had a conflict with someone.”
Zhou Qi’an directly handed the old lady a thousand yuan, then, to everyone’s surprise, he opened the car window and extended half of his hand out.
Since Zhou Qi’an was almost too sleepy to stand, the money in his hand seemed like it could be blown away by the wind at any moment. If anyone was thinking of looting his body after he died, there was no need.
The surrounding passengers stared at him indignantly.
Zhou Qi’an continued, “What I need are crucial clues, ones that can directly identify the murderer.”
Child with a black mark: “In the ancient city, I saw a sister wearing black sunglasses give the deceased uncle a bottle of water, and she apologized, saying she was too impulsive. See if she has sunglasses in her bag. But I’m not sure about the style of the sunglasses.”
[Clue 5: Testimony from the child.]
“Good boy,” Zhou Qi’an handed him two banknotes. “No need for clues like that.”
Not enough value.
At the current speed, they would pass through the tunnel again in less than a minute. Zhou Qi’an had no choice but to urge them again: “Please recall carefully.”
Neither his energy nor his time allowed him to play games with these NPCs to find clues.
“I know you’re in a hurry, but don’t rush,” the young couple was recovering photos from their cloud drive. “We’re even more in a hurry than you.”
In a hurry to get the money.
Another uncle was also racking his brains. Zhou Qi’an watched as these people sweated in urgency, each one like an ant on a hot griddle.
“…”
For money, you truly struggled.
“Found it.” All the photos from the cloud were recovered. This time, the young couple showed him their phone: “Look at this one!”
This angle clearly captured the heartbroken woman with her arm linked to the deceased, her swollen eyes a sharp contrast to the man’s impatient expression.
[Crucial Evidence 1: Photo]
Zhou Qi’an stuffed the remaining four thousand yuan into the young couple’s pocket: “It’s yours.”
Then, he looked at the heartbroken woman with a half-smile: “This is your ‘don’t know him’?”
After this piece of evidence emerged, the tunnel ahead, which they were about to enter, strangely seemed to get further away.
The bus still showed no signs of stopping.
The heartbroken woman calmly said, “I was heartbroken and wanted to self-destruct, so I just casually entangled myself with someone.”
This time, her gaze no longer rested on Zhou Qi’an, but seemed to pierce through the windshield, looking at the distant tunnel with a slightly neurotic urge to rub her perfectly manicured nails, as if she couldn’t wait any longer.
Zhou Qi’an knew she was waiting, waiting for the next tunnel.
“Life is very precious,” the heartbroken woman said softly. “You must hurry and seek justice for the deceased.”
“Of course,” Zhou Qi’an nodded, then pulled out another stack of money with a flick of his wrist.
The heartbroken woman was stunned, then her eyes widened: “You…”
How do you still have money?!
Among other things, Zhou Qi’an had reaped quite a bit from the [Ghost Money] in the previous instance.
He smiled shyly: “I’m so poor, all I have left is money.”
Good news: After years of graduating, he finally became a rich man through his own efforts.
Bad news: It was all hell money.
The young couple was happily counting their banknotes, a sight that undoubtedly stimulated the others, and a flurry of chatter erupted.
Passengers almost lined up to offer their input, Zhou Qi’an: “Next.”
It was his favorite part: playing cards face up. You know I’m the detective, and I know you’re the murderer. Let’s see who dies first.
Zhou Qi’an felt it definitely wouldn’t be himself. He had money, and he was terrifyingly strong now.
“It was probably yesterday, she came to my shop and bought a souvenir, specifically picking out a necklace with the letter ‘C’ on it.”
This matched the English name on the tattoo.
[Clue 6: Letter Necklace.]
[Hint: Collecting seven ordinary clues can be converted into critical evidence.]
[Hint: Collecting two important clues can be converted into critical evidence.]
[Please remember the secret to acting: quantitative change leads to qualitative change]
Zhou Qi’an’s mood brightened. In that case, with one more NPC speaking, he would win for sure. He looked at the heartbroken woman who was still waiting for the tunnel, his gaze carrying a hint of judgment.
I-am-going-to-win.
His lips moved silently, then Zhou Qi’an couldn’t help but yawn lazily.
The heartbroken woman’s chest heaved violently, and her body began to tremble. Her pale face became distorted and vicious. The moment her contemptuous gaze met Zhou Qi’an’s, the string in her mind snapped completely, and she lunged forward, her sharp teeth aiming for the young man’s most vulnerable throat.
Zhou Qi’an gasped.
The last player who violated the game rules and attacked without cause was Xun Er.
When an NPC attacks a player without cause, their power will be greatly weakened by the game. Zhou Qi’an, with the gaze of a hunter, faced the out-of-control murderer, calmly raised his cane, and struck with elegant force.
With a fierce blow, the heartbroken woman was knocked to the ground.
[You have successfully captured the true culprit]
The heartbroken woman struggled to get up, but the cane strike had almost broken her waist. She lay on her arm, lifting half her face, which was filled with intense resentment and unwillingness.
“He lied to me, and he wanted to abandon me, he deserved to die!”
“He deserved to die!”
Amidst the curses, the deep, bottomless tunnel in the distance disappeared along with his sleepiness. Zhou Qi’an pressed one end of his cane on the woman’s injured spot to prevent the murderer’s desperate counterattack, and casually stuffed the remaining money back into his pocket.
The young couple were the first to recover, their eyes shining as they looked at Zhou Qi’an: “You’re amazing! A long time ago, there was also an excellent investigator like you!”
Zhou Qi’an didn’t respond, recalling the photos the young couple had taken.
Actually, there was one more strange thing.
In the second set of photos provided by the young couple, there was a pocket watch chain hanging from a button on the deceased’s chest. But when he had previously examined the body, Zhou Qi’an was certain he hadn’t seen a pocket watch.
Tick, tock, tick.
A clear clock ticking sound seemed to interrupt Zhou Qi’an’s thoughts. He felt as if the chime was drifting from the distant ancient city, yet also resonating directly in his mind.
“The first act of ‘Bell Toll’ [Bus Murder Case] has concluded.”
“You have participated perfectly.”
[Side Quest Two: Getting into Character, completed.]
[Aftermath: Cathy sobbed, expressing her hatred for the deceased, saying that when they broke up, she only then learned that he already had a wife. The scumbag had lied to her that the letters tattooed on his wife were of his deceased great-grandmother, and that he was going back to his hometown for a family memorial. So Cathy simply sent him back to his hometown to visit his relatives, truly reuniting with his underground relatives.
What a melodramatic love triangle, you thought expressionlessly.
But what you truly cared about was that pocket watch. Why did the pocket watch that was hanging on the deceased in the photo suddenly disappear?
Just then, a loud bang echoed inside the bus—]
Bang!
Just as Zhou Qi’an finished reading the last word, the bus window suddenly shattered, and cold wind furiously poured in. The female passenger who had been talking nonsense and diverting attention earlier suddenly jumped out the window.
He subconsciously summoned his white sash, wanting to pull her back, but he was just a hair’s breadth short. An airbag, like something from an anime, popped out of the woman.
The whole scene was childlike and absurd.
She chewed gum, floating away like a broken kite, her voice, defying common sense, clearly reaching Zhou Qi’an’s ears.
“If I don’t leave now, I, a thief, might be exposed.”
“Goodbye, smart, oh, no, wealthy fortune teller. The true death knell is only just beginning to toll.”
[Evaluating your performance…]
[Score: 9.0
Evaluation: A unique acting style, bringing in capital is truly terrifying.]
[Performance reward issued]
[Reward: Clue to the King of Drama]
[King of Drama: A cruel, lonely, sociopathic playwright. Collect clues and find him! Otherwise, you will face increasingly absurd dramas.]
[Clue 1 about the King of Drama: He loves flowers. His house and garden are filled with flowers. He spends his days surrounded by fresh flowers. Beneath those blossoming desires, lie buried decaying corpses.]
The car suddenly braked hard.
The driver’s angry voice came through: “I’m going to refuel the car! You all tie up the murderer! Later, I’ll take her to the city to the law enforcement and report the case.”
“…That damned woman who dared to smash my car window, she better not be caught by me.”
The rear door slowly opened, and Zhou Qi’an saw the familiar Huagu Bus Station.
Just like the first day, people were coming and going, including some familiar travelers who had been buying tickets and lingering since the first day, and were still doing so today.
His phone vibrated three times.
When Zhou Qi’an jumped off the bus, he found one unread message. The message’s sent time showed twenty minutes ago, but he had just received it.
[Brother Zhou, did you successfully return to the bus station?]
A new message suddenly appeared.
[Brother Zhou, please call me anytime after you see this message.]
Zhou Qi’an dialed the number. After just a second of ringing, the other side immediately picked up: “Hello, Brother Zhou, are you okay? Not hearing from you for so long scared me to death.”
Interrupting the other party’s nonsense, Zhou Qi’an: “Are you still in the ancient city?”
The college student finally learned to get to the point: “Yes, everyone just gathered for lunch. Their money-making tasks mostly start at night.”
“Alright, put it on speakerphone.”
The college student unhesitatingly did as he said.
Ms. Qi had been following him not too far behind since getting off the bus. Zhou Qi’an frowned, quickly lowering his voice: “I’ve got a bit of a lead. I suspect this instance is composed of a series of continuous dramas.”
The play he had just participated in was only the first act; there must be other acts.
When he said this, he clearly felt a significant silence on the other end.
“The playwright is the King of Drama. If we can find him, we can leave this instance,” Zhou Qi’an continued: “I just triggered the first act of a script called ‘Bell Toll’.”
He quickly summarized the plot, and Ms. Qi’s gaze seemed to permeate through his pores. Zhou Qi’an spoke briefly: “Since you’re still in the ancient city, try to see if you can trigger the other acts.”
After saying that, he hung up directly.
Ms. Qi had already walked from behind to his side: “Mr. Zhou, you might need to go to the ancient city later to cooperate with the police statement.”
Zhou Qi’an: “I’ll wait for the police to contact me.”
A trace of surprise appeared on Ms. Qi’s almost professional smile, as if she was astonished by his refusal. She had handled many clients, and under normal circumstances, clients would definitely follow the bus back to the ancient city.
Zhou Qi’an knew what she was thinking without even looking, and said expressionlessly: “My workload for today is overloaded.”
“?”
Zhou Qi’an didn’t have the virtue of “the more capable, the more work,” otherwise, he wouldn’t consistently aim for only 70-80% quality in his planning.
In the previous role-play, the system hinted that seven clues could lead to a qualitative change, identifying the final culprit. If this rule was universal, then this instance had at least seven plays in total.
“Let someone else be the drama queen.”
Zhou Qi’an bought a drink from the vending machine and returned to the waiting area to borrow paper and a pen from the ticket office.
With no other players around, Zhou Qi’an became the sole entertainment for everyone at the bus station. The security staff nonchalantly fiddled with the detector, their eyes having already scanned him three times.
Zhou Qi’an remained calm.
After roughly understanding his situation, he successfully desensitized himself. So what if he was being watched? At work, there were two cameras behind him and a persistent boss. Compared to that kind of supervised labor, what were these NPCs?
At this moment, Zhou Qi’an was looking down, writing something on a white paper, his expression very serious.
From a bystander’s perspective, the young man’s profile from his cheek to his neck was almost perfectly smooth, and the hand holding the pen even had a faint pinkish tint to its fingernails. If the blood vessels under the light could burst at this moment, it would be the most perfect ink wash painting.
Unfortunately, a bloody scene did not unfold due to the enthusiastic gazes of these NPCs.
…
Ancient City.
The players had now dispersed again.
The calm man led his team deeper into the ancient city, the foreign man and his teammate turned into an alley and disappeared, and the rollerblading player seemed to still be observing the ancient city, stopping and going.
Zhou Mu was sleepy after lunch and was still resting in the hotel private room. She squinted, her sleepy appearance remarkably similar to Zhou Qi’an’s.
Only three people remained in the hotel.
Shen Zhiyi sat beside her, quietly drinking tea, appearing gentle and amiable. Those who didn’t know him might mistake him for a good-tempered person.
The college student couldn’t help but say, “I feel like none of them are really trying for the task.”
Since Zhou Qi’an had provided the information earlier, their meal expenses were covered by others, indicating that some of those people must have already completed their money-making tasks.
If they truly intended to trigger the other acts, they would at least inquire and discuss more, or at least ask them to call Brother Zhou for specific information. It was impossible for them to leave so easily.
“It’s a waste of Brother Zhou’s kind reminder to them, it’s really kindness wasted on…” The college student couldn’t bring himself to say “wasted on dogs,” finally huffing indignantly: “These people are heartless.”
While others were feeling indignant on behalf of her son, Zhou Mu was completely unconcerned, her thoughts elsewhere.
She was in a very good mood now.
The young people in this city were so adorable. Not only did they actively seek her out and propose a bunch of harsh conditions, but they also declared they would kill her if they couldn’t find a partner. This desperate desire for marriage deeply pleased her.
Of course, Zhou Mu did not disappoint these people’s expectations.
Being in a good mood, Zhou Mu said with a strangely amiable tone: “Even the best things lose their value if given for free.”
The college student seemed to understand something. Generally, people who receive such important intelligence wouldn’t share it.
“They think Brother Zhou was forced to share the clues?”
If constant participation was required, one person alone couldn’t complete it. Other players might be aiming for internal strife; the forum said that the more people who died, the lower the game difficulty would be. Or perhaps they were waiting for Zhou Qi’an to proactively share more.
The college student only guessed half right. The team led by the calm man and the foreign man’s team had entered this instance for a common goal and were in an absolutely opposing relationship. Rashly participating in a play, any attrition could be seized by the other side for a complete wipeout.
Anyway, it was only the first day of the game. Before finding more clues, stability was paramount.
The college student couldn’t help but frown. Brother Zhou was definitely more comprehensive than he had imagined. Knowing this would happen, why would he give away information for free?
Shen Zhiyi lowered his eyes, staring at the leftover fish on the table, a smile fleeting across his lips.
“Just fishing.”
There’s no such thing as a free lunch. If he hadn’t actively shared, these players might have stumbled into triggering and participating in the dramas. Once he told them, a group of people with ulterior motives would instead intentionally avoid it.
The college student was utterly confused.
Shen Zhiyi casually threw out a few words: “Task two.”
The college student initially didn’t react, secretly wondering how it related to Task Two again.
However, years of schooling weren’t in vain. His inherent reading comprehension skills gradually made him realize something was off. After about a minute or two, the college student finally thought of something, his body trembling slightly.
Then, a strong sense of dread washed over him.
The first task was to choose clothes, constantly implying that clothes represented professions.
The second task naturally led players to earn money by fulfilling their duties.
In the ancient city, food, clothing, housing, and transportation indeed required money. Ms. Qi also reminded them of the importance of earning money, so players came into contact with NPCs, triggering part-time job tasks.
After that, players discovered the time conspiracy.
So the current focus of everyone was how to earn enough money and successfully return to the bus station to check in.
The subtle leading gradually made them overlook one thing.
Side quest two was “getting into character,” not “earning money.”
The first sentence of the mission content released by the game was also “life is like a play, play is like life.”
If they didn’t participate in the plays, wouldn’t that mean the [Getting into Character] quest failed? In other words, players shouldn’t avoid triggering plots, but rather vie to get into character.
He couldn’t help but glance at Shen Zhiyi, who had his eyes half-closed, showing no immediate intention of leaving the restaurant, seemingly waiting for something.
“Then us…”
Shen Zhiyi coldly interrupted: “Wait.”
The college student didn’t dare to speak nonsense, obediently sitting back in his original spot, his mind a tangled mess. In such a large ancient city, how could they trigger the plot?
And what were they waiting for?
In his anxious apprehension, his phone suddenly vibrated a few times.
Shen Zhiyi opened his eyes and picked up his phone.
It was an MMS message from Zhou Qi’an. The college student also received it.
The MMS content was composed of realistic comic strips. With just a few strokes, each character appeared vividly on the paper, showcasing the terrifying skill of the artist.
Zhou Qi’an had drawn all the scenes from the first act and sent them to them.
Unlike an oral description, the drawings clearly showed the specific appearances of the passengers on the bus, especially the physical characteristics of the female thief.
The instance only had two important maps: the ancient city and the bus station. The thief would most likely return to the ancient city to fence stolen goods or something similar.
PS: [I’m off work now. If you find her, you’re very likely to trigger the second act.]
The college student gasped. His Brother Zhou had planned everything, inside and out!
__
Author’s Note:
Zhou Qi’an [smiling.jpg]: Unity is strength. I will proactively share clues with all players. I call this the Flame Plan, where many hands make light work.
college student [meekly]: Are you sure it’s not the Cleaner Plan?
Shen Zhiyi: You are not allowed to insult his kindness.
college student: …
