The Truth

"You already have an answer?"

The host was inexplicably astonished.

His astonishment stemmed from the fact that the fragmented information was fundamentally insufficient to construct a complete deduction, yet Jiang Qian claimed to have already reached a conclusion.

The three beautiful suspects, having removed their noise-canceling headsets, also stared at Jiang Qian in disbelief.

The audience below was even more fired up, straining their voices to demand the revelation of the truth...

"Impossible, impossible..."

The host shook his head vigorously, muttering to himself:

"The broken corridor surveillance, the stolen spare key, no witnesses, and no alibis. If I may be blunt, every one of them had the opportunity to commit the crime... How could you possibly identify the killer?"

"They told me." Jiang Qian smiled, looking toward the three women.

The three exchanged glances, and Li Tian'er was the first to succumb to her curiosity: "What did we tell you?"

"You first told me that Liu Xiao could not be the killer."

As soon as Jiang Qian finished speaking, the expressions on the three women's faces became quite colorful.

Liu Xiao herself, in particular, revealed a cryptic, ambiguous smile: "Why couldn't it be me?"

"It's simple: process of elimination."

Jiang Qian continued: "We must start with the process of the crime. Ahem... as the 'victim' of this case, I am extremely sensitive to the 'sound of the door opening' right before my eyes. This made me take it for granted that the killer broke in from the hallway to commit the murder. But that was not the case."

"During my interactions with Li Tian'er and Yu Xuan, certain details led me to suspect that the killer might have been hiding inside Room 8001 from the very beginning, most likely in the bathroom. Therefore, the 'sound of the door opening' I heard was not from the entrance, but the noise the killer made when emerging from the bathroom."

"I remember that when I entered 8001 that night, the bathroom door was shut tight, but when Yu Xuan discovered my body, the door was wide open. Who came into this room during that interval? And for what purpose would they open the bathroom door? The answer is obvious: it could only be the killer."

"Looking at it this way, the killer was already in 8001 when I came out of Liu Xiao's room. From this, I can deduce that Liu Xiao could not be the killer."

Yu Xuan raised an objection: "What if Liu Xiao intentionally tried to mislead us?"

"You mean, she entered the room to commit the murder after I fainted? And in the process, seeing the closed bathroom door, she had a flash of inspiration and intentionally pulled it open to create the illusion that the killer was hiding in the room? Hmm, while far-fetched, one cannot deny the possibility."

Jiang Qian analyzed patiently: "But even so, Liu Xiao is still excluded. This is what Li Tian'er told me."

"How is it me?" Li Tian'er looked at Jiang Qian innocently.

Jiang Qian wore a look of calculated cunning: "Because you told me that after hearing the argument, you paid special attention to the movements on both sides. Yet, for a long time after that, you didn't hear any suspicious noises until Yu Xuan discovered the body."

"Doesn't this tell me that after Liu Xiao slammed the door, she stayed in her own room and never left?"

"Based on the rule that only the killer can lie among the three of you, if Liu Xiao were the killer, Li Tian'er's words would necessarily be true, and Li Tian'er's testimony would indirectly prove that Liu Xiao is not the killer—this logic is a paradox. If Li Tian'er were the killer, then Liu Xiao's words would necessarily be true."

"In summary, Liu Xiao cannot be the killer."

When information is incomplete, use the instance rules to construct your own information-screening mechanism and "take a shortcut" straight to the truth.

At the end, Jiang Qian added nonchalantly: "This logic is much simpler than high school math."

The entire room fell silent.

Jiang Qian was indeed not conducting a conventional investigation; he was treating it like a math problem, using the given rules to integrate the known and deduce the unknown.

Yu Xuan smiled, breaking the silence: "So you think the killer is between me and Li Tian'er?"

"It's not what I think; it's what I've confirmed."

"And the conclusion?" Yu Xuan rested her chin on her fair arm, which was propped on the table, looking at Jiang Qian with a smile. "Am I the killer, or is it Li Tian'er?"

"Heh, in my opinion, both of you had ample opportunity, making it truly difficult to distinguish. But what ultimately made me decide was something else entirely."

At this point, Yu Xuan, Li Tian'er, and Liu Xiao all pricked up their ears, focusing intently on Jiang Qian's final verdict.

"Remember that trivial little question?" Jiang Qian laughed.

When he questioned Li Tian'er, Liu Xiao, and Yu Xuan individually, he ended each conversation with the same question: Without considering the evidence, who do you think is most likely to harm me?

Faced with this question, the three women's answers were "each unique in their own way"!

It not only showed Jiang Qian how fragile their "plastic sisterhood" was but also brought an "unexpected surprise."

"So, who is it? Tell us!"

Li Tian'er was flushed with excitement, the smile at the corners of her mouth stretching exaggeratedly toward her ears.

"Stop playing games, hurry up and tell us, little handsome!"

Liu Xiao could no longer contain herself within the constraints of her tight-fitting outfit, looking ready to shed her restraints and return to her true nature.

Only Yu Xuan remained elegant, gazing affectionately at her younger brother.

"Remember? Sister..." Jiang Qian mimicked the way Yu Xuan had spoken earlier, repeating: "She loves you but cannot have you, so she will definitely want to destroy you."

The eyes of the entire audience were fixed on the siblings.

"What, is there a problem with that?" Yu Xuan remained composed.

"There's no problem with the words. Liu Xiao has an extreme personality; she does indeed seem like the type of woman who would turn love into hate and be highly destructive," Jiang Qian interpreted calmly.

"But the problem is the logic, Sister. How did you know Liu Xiao 'loves me but cannot have me'?"

Upon hearing this, the corners of Yu Xuan's mouth stiffened slightly.

"Liu Xiao and I only met after you left, Sister. How did you know that I rejected her in her room and was kicked out? Could it be that you were nearby when it happened?"

The barrage of questions left the entire room in shock.

Only Yu Xuan's expression grew increasingly gloomy.

Jiang Qian confirmed his answer: it was the True Love Woman, no doubt about it.

She had tried to use my trust in her to hide her wicked hand.

Unfortunately, she failed.

Jiang Qian glanced at the "himself" lying dead on the stage and said expressionlessly: "To go along with the plot, should I ask you now, Sister, what kind of mentality drove you to commit such an unrighteous act?"

"..."

Yu Xuan lowered her head, offering no response.

The scene fell into an awkward silence.

The audience below was so surprised they forgot to cheer.

It seemed no one had expected the game to end so cleanly and decisively, as if it had been effortless!

"Student Jiang, you know our rules. Once the answer is wrong, it's possible... your head might move to a new location. Would you like to think about it again?"

"That won't be necessary."

Jiang Qian's expression was calmer than anyone else's.

He ignored the host's "friendly reminder" and looked at Yu Xuan: "The one who tried to kill me is you, Sister."

[Prompt: Confirm answer?]

Jiang Qian was about to speak.

At that moment, the magnificent lights went out, and the grand, luxurious stage instantly twisted and tore apart. The audience below, who had been full of life, revealed their true forms, becoming nothing more than walking corpses—students, office workers, socialites, scavengers...

These people were the very "mummified corpses" Jiang Qian had seen in the renovated corridor.

Including the host!

The host was now transforming into a hypocritical male corpse, struggling to crawl off the stage to escape.

Li Tian'er, Yu Xuan, and Liu Xiao, who remained on stage, also revealed their true forms!

Just as Jiang Qian had hypothesized, the three skins were inhabited by the Joy Woman, the True Love Woman, and the Lust Woman from the "Seven Emotions."

Li Tian'er's "entity" possessed wings, the frequency of their flapping like jumping musical notes; her true form flickered in and out of existence in sync with that vibration.

The Lust Woman's "entity" was easier to deconstruct: simply put, a naked woman whose lower limbs had degenerated into a fish tail.

As for the True Love Woman, her "entity" resembled a deep-rooted tree!

The moment she revealed her form, whether due to the anger of being exposed or resentment toward Jiang Qian's attitude, the tree's roots shot up from the ground, instantly wrapping around Jiang Qian and hoisting him into mid-air!

"You're quite arrogant, little brother?" An affectionate voice emanated from the tree-like monster.

Agonizing pain swept through his body. Jiang Qian gritted his teeth, and before he could be torn apart, he shouted his conclusion to the instance:

"But you failed to kill me! The corpse was a forgery. I am not dead, and this absurd hearing does not contain a real 'killer'..."

As soon as these words were spoken, time seemed to freeze.

The tree roots attacking Jiang Qian stopped moving. The True Love Woman, the Joy Woman, and the Lust Woman wore expressions of shock, and the walking-corpse-like students, office workers, socialites, and scavengers below all froze in place, dumbfounded.

"How did you..."

At this point, the True Love Woman, whose appearance no longer resembled his sister at all, asked in a trembling voice.

"How did I know?"

Jiang Qian was hanging upside down in mid-air, but his expression lacked any of the embarrassment of being restrained. He continued with a clear train of thought:

"Actually, from the moment I saw the body, I anticipated this result."

"Because I know very well that stabbing three inches below the left shoulder will not hit the heart. You can see that the knife didn't go in deep enough. It was only 20 minutes from the time I left the elevator to when the death was discovered. Without the knife being pulled out, it shouldn't have caused that exaggerated state of blood loss."

Having experienced the stimulation of "Judgment," Jiang Qian paid special attention to such details. Combined with the anatomical knowledge he had acquired through personal interest, seeing through the flaws in the corpse was not difficult for him.

"Don't trust easily, right? Then the host's words must also be questioned."

Jiang Qian smiled:

"Of course, if you insist on attributing it to 'errors caused by stage makeup,' I have no way to argue."

As a trial-taker, he had stated all the truths he could deduce: according to the game's rules, he had used the preset conditions to find the killer, and for the sake of insurance, he had also pointed out the flaws in the crime scene.

The Joy Woman, the Lust Woman, and the True Love Woman were speechless.

Immediately after, Jiang Qian finally heard the verdict:

[Judgment result: Answer... completely correct!]

Then, like the conclusion of a murder mystery game, the instance provided the storyline for this level:

[Plot Choice: Incestuous Love]

[Plot Summary: The sister, a superstar, harbors deep-rooted feelings for her brother, with whom she shares no biological relation. This incestuous love is secret and overwhelming, extremely repelling all external "intruders." The innocent brother, unaware, has already met with misfortune.]

Tonight, Sister brought Brother to a social gathering within their circle, where young and beautiful bodies arrived in droves. Watching Brother maneuver among different pretty girls, flirting everywhere with effortless ease, Sister grew angry.

She felt dejected, her mind filled with scenes of Brother frolicking in pleasure with others; these distracting thoughts caused her to miss out on an important role.

She bid a hasty farewell to the director, and on her way back, she happened to see Brother walking toward someone else's boudoir. With disappointment piling up, she returned to her room with a dim expression, locked herself in the bathroom to cry, and made a decision: to ensure Brother would never be snatched away. And death would forge eternity.

In a flash of thought, the butcher knife in her hand was already pointed at Brother.

But she immediately realized that Brother had never lost his virginity; everything had been her own baseless speculation! In a state of extreme breakdown, she descended into a true demon, killing for "Love" from then on.

What kind of bizarre values are these? I really... Jiang Qian endured the pain to complain.

If he had chosen to accept the invitation from Joy Woman or Lust Woman, would the "cause of death" have been arranged differently?

Choosing Sister represented an incestuous love... would the ending with Li Tian'er have been joy turning into sorrow? Then choosing Liu Xiao, it would probably have been death by overindulgence, right?

Vulgar...

Give me a refund, damn it!!

Jiang Qian roared silently.

However, the plot ushered in a reversal in the second half:

[Fortunately, Brother was not killed by the knife; he was still alive.]

[Medical personnel arrived in time to perform emergency treatment, Brother's injuries were brought under control, and eventually, he recovered in the hospital. This attempted murder case was also left unsettled for various reasons.]

[Everything returned to normal, and the recovered Brother continued to live happily with Sister.]

[Only, whenever Brother saw Sister smile gently, he always inexplicably felt an invisible tug-of-war between them, as if countless roots were constantly growing and entwining between the two...]

They were actually still twisting the knife... Jiang Qian sank his breath into his dantian, his roar coming from the bottom of his heart:

"Refund!!!"

The next second, the excruciating pain of being entangled and suspended by tree roots dissipated, and his body returned to the ground.

The lights around him came on, and Jiang Qian was pleasantly surprised to find that he was already in the corridor of the Abyss Video Hall.

Beside his ears, a nearly beautiful notification sound rang out:

[Main quest updated: Arrive at "Abyss Video Hall", complete your exclusive viewing task (7/7)]

[Verdict: Main quest completed!]

[Verdict: "Whispers of the Inner Demon" dungeon cleared successfully!]

[Transmission expected after "Settlement", do you wish to enter settlement?]

Thanks to: White Robe King, Distant Nebula Honey, and book friends 160105185450922 for the recommendation votes!

Thanks to all the book friends for following the read in the early stages. Every footprint and data point of yours is a great encouragement to this little author, thank you~