Who Is the Killer?

The voice came considerately through the monitors in every room, as if afraid someone might not hear it.

Still unwilling to give up, Luo Ningsang asked, "You really can't get out?"

This time, Lu Changfeng's face really darkened. "I can't."

He had thought that the people who disliked him had hired someone to hack into the Jinglan Imperial Residence's system and sabotage Lu Xianchang's family recognition banquet to put him in his place. But this person hadn't come for him? And had even brazenly hacked into his system and threatened him into taking part in some boring detective game?!

How was that any different from climbing onto his head and taking a shit?

Luo Ningsang had already parked downstairs. A crowd of onlookers was pointing at the electrified wire mesh that filled their view, winding around the building like vines growing alongside it. One curious person had stepped forward and touched it, only to convulse and foam at the mouth from the shock. Fortunately, a girl had pulled him away with a wooden stick, or paralysis would have been the least of his problems.

Xu Shenzheng led his people in putting up a police cordon and clearing the curious onlookers out of the danger zone.

Shen Yu reassured the anxious Luo Ningsang, then suddenly noticed that the other end had gone quiet. He pulled his phone away and saw that the call had automatically disconnected. The words "no signal" stood out in the upper-right corner.

...Why did every one of them like carrying signal jammers so much?

Lu Changfeng, who had been calling for backup, listened to the beeping in his ear, his face growing even darker.

"I'm going to the first floor. Are you coming?" Shen Yu checked the time, rummaged through his backpack for his pills, and swallowed them with the water provided in the room.

Lu Changfeng clearly hadn't been paying attention to what he said. Instead, he asked, "Are you... sick?"

Shen Yu: "...?"

Seeing Shen Yu look at him as though he were a mentally challenged child, Lu Changfeng realized what the hell he had just asked. He was about to rephrase it when Shen Yu understood what he meant.

"Oh, that. I was kidnapped before, and I haven't fully recovered yet."

"Didn't you kill your captor instead?"

"? How did you know?"

"Lu Xianchang came to beg me to send someone to save you."

Shen Yu was speechless for a moment. It took him quite a while to come back to his senses, and he lowered his eyes.

The clues all came together.

Lu Xianchang hadn't visited him at the hospital or contacted him, and had said it was his own choice...

"So he chose to stay with the Lu Family?"

Lu Changfeng denied it. "No, he chose to stay by my side."

"Restricting his personal freedom is illegal."

"He did it of his own free will."

"And I haven't stopped him from leaving or placed any restrictions on him."

Except for blocking you, his stray little brother.

...He didn't even have his contact information.

Lu Changfeng looked again at Shen Yu, who was visibly a little angry. The young man's unconsciously puffed-out cheeks and tightly pressed lips were a pleasing sight.

I want to kiss him.

Lu Changfeng was startled by his own thought.

His heart was beating a little fast. He pressed a hand to his chest, trying to slow it down, and turned sideways to cut off Shen Yu's questioning gaze, rather like burying his head in the sand.

"Weren't you going to the first floor? Let's go."

Shen Yu took the weapon Luo Ningsang had left him for self-defense out of his backpack, concealed it on his person, and followed Lu Changfeng. Then he saw a QR code held out in front of him.

Scan to add as a friend.

Shen Yu looked up at him in confusion.

Of course, Lu Changfeng wouldn't admit that he wanted to add him as a friend, so he casually made up an excuse. "Since we're looking for the killer, shouldn't we share information? Otherwise, how are we supposed to pick the killer out from the hundreds of people in this building in half an hour?"

Shen Yu looked at him as though he were an idiot.

Lu Changfeng was about to ask what was wrong when he suddenly remembered—the signal was gone.

How were they supposed to pass messages?

Shen Yu didn't refuse, though. He took a photo. "I'll add you when we get out."

Lu Changfeng put his phone away.

That works too.

In any case, he had gotten himself a friend.

He suddenly felt... that raising this stray little brother together with Lu Xianchang didn't seem so bad.

Using the private elevator, the two went straight to the first floor. The place was buzzing with voices, and even the area around the fountain was packed with people discussing the killer game they had just heard about. None of the people present were fools, nor were they clueless hotheads.

While Shen Yu and Lu Changfeng had been talking, someone had already dragged a waiter over to test whether the wire mesh blocking them was really electrified. The result was obvious.

"We really can't get out. What are we supposed to do?"

"You should be worried about the person causing trouble right now. Stirring up trouble on Lu Changfeng's turf—he really must have a death wish." The speaker suddenly lowered his voice. "Not to mention this is that person's family recognition banquet."

"As long as you know. Keep your mouth shut."

"Wasn't that Sun Family brat especially fond of wearing masks when he played around? Maybe he has a silvery-white angel mask. He couldn't even clean up after himself and had to drag me into it. This is a real pain in the ass; I've got things to do this afternoon!"

"At least he knew to wear a mask to hide his face, so he knew what he did was shameful, huh? What the hell was he thinking when he did it?"

"But who's capable enough to mess with the Lu Family's building? And aren't you worried about that fireworks show? Human-blood fireworks—he's not going to blow us up, is he?"

The room fell silent at once.

"N-no way, right? Who could bring in that huge pile of explosives right under the Lu Family's nose?"

If word got out, how could Lu Changfeng show his face again?

The man who spoke had his back to the elevator. When no one responded, he inexplicably felt a chill down his spine, as though he had been caught talking behind someone's back. He turned stiffly around... and found himself face-to-face with Lu Changfeng, whose expression was no different from usual, except that his eyelids were slightly lowered as he looked down at him as though he were a piece of trash.

He said nothing, but the man's knees gave out and he dropped to the floor with a thud, his lips trembling as he tried to say something.

Lu Changfeng had no time to listen to his nonsense. He turned and headed for an empty table beside the banquet area—a spot in the front row that had been specially cleared when people saw him coming.

Shen Yu followed right behind him. All kinds of complicated, discreet, appraising gazes fell on him, but he paid them no mind. Being looked at wouldn't cost him a piece of flesh.

Not far away, someone's eyes lit up at the sight of him, and he hurried over. "Mas... Brother Shen! Where did you go? I went to your room after changing, but you weren't there. I didn't go looking around blindly. When I heard everyone had to gather on the first floor, I came here to wait for you. Brother Shen, why didn't you wait for me?"

Looking pitiful, Jiang Qianyu grabbed the hem of Shen Yu's clothes and shook it incessantly.

Then he saw the bandaged wound on Shen Yu's hand, and his eyes instantly misted over. "...Brother Shen, you're hurt. Who did it?! Tell me, I'll go kill him!"

Shen Yu raised a hand and rubbed the top of his head. Hiss, it really does feel good to rub. No wonder those people all like rubbing my hair. Seeing that Jiang Qianyu seemed ready to explain himself, Shen Yu brushed him off earnestly. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."

Jiang Qianyu wanted to press him further, but Shen Yu had already followed Lu Changfeng to a seat, showing no intention of explaining anything to him.

He gritted his teeth.

Why won't he tell me? Why doesn't he take care of himself at all? We were only apart for a little while, and he already managed to get himself hurt? How can he act like it doesn't matter!?

Huffing with anger, Jiang Qianyu followed and sat down beside Shen Yu.