Besides...
Thinking of that "Detective" sinking into the Swamp, the Hell Puppeteer's emotions churned. Though he could not make out many details in the dim light, when he had stood atop the tree, he had seen the fake Detective's general movements.
"As long as it's a puppet, there will definitely be unnatural details. Those flaws can't escape the eyes of a professional like me. But that 'Detective' just now moved exactly like a real person, which was why I didn't realize that the 'Jiang Xia' following me had already been replaced... Whoever was controlling that puppet from the shadows was far better at it than I was. Who exactly was he?"
"Could it be that High School Detective..."
Thinking of Jiang Xia's face now, the "Hell Puppeteer" felt a faint chill rise in his heart. But reason quickly told him something was wrong: Jiang Xia's voice had been too far away just now. From that distance, there was no way he could manipulate a puppet with such precision.
Even if Jiang Xia had used a recording when he called out just now...
"I looked at their hands before. Jiang Xia's fingers showed no signs of years spent manipulating strings, much less the calluses left by practicing magic.
"Besides the 'Detective,' there was also that sudden gunshot. The shooter probably mistook Mouri Ran's puppet for me. His eyesight may be poor, but in that kind of lighting, he still managed to land a headshot in a single shot..."
Someone who could manipulate puppets and was also skilled with a gun—why had such a person suddenly appeared in this perfectly ordinary little forest?
"Forget it. I'll kill that Detective next time I get the chance." The "Hell Puppeteer" sighed. "I never expected such a small hotel to have waters this deep... If