Newbie Scenario · Class Reunion (6)

"I finished tidying up at around 11:30. Then I saw the victim go upstairs, but his bedroom was on the first floor. I had no idea what he went upstairs for.

"My room was on the first floor too, so I kept waiting for the victim to come back because he told me to wait for him. He didn't return until around 12:30. I was already super sleepy by then, so we just chatted about a few things before calling it a night.

"After that, I went back to my room to sleep. Then in the morning, I found Doctor Zhen and the victim. I screamed. That's it."

It was an extremely trivial yet very detailed timeline. Basketball Qiao had even voluntarily admitted that he had met the victim alone after the banquet. He was very likely the last person to have seen the victim alive.

Still, Zhen Liu could guess that, given last night's circumstances, everyone must have met the victim alone. He had too. That was the only way everyone would have had a chance to make a move. How exactly the victim had died was still uncertain. At first glance, the victim had collapsed in a pool of blood with a knife wound on his body. But whether that was the fatal wound, no one could say.

After Basketball Qiao came Zhen Liu's self-introduction.

Just as Zhen Liu had been observing and analyzing everyone else earlier, now that it was his turn, everyone was evaluating him in their hearts as well.

"Doctor Zhen, thirty-four years old, surgeon. At present, I should count as the first witness at the murder scene. Normally, this would be when I called the police and became the person reporting the case.

"I'm used to getting up early. I remembered I had something to discuss with the victim, so I went downstairs and knocked on his door. But he didn't respond. Then I noticed the door was ajar, so I instinctively pushed it open and went inside. I saw the victim, and not long after that, Basketball Qiao and Professor Lu arrived."

Professor Lu, who had been spacing out the whole time, suddenly responded. He nodded. "Actually, I came downstairs right behind Doctor Zhen. We both stayed on the third floor. Once we got to the first floor, I went to the kitchen to make breakfast. I was just about to take down the bananas I'd hung up yesterday, and the milk in the microwave hadn't even finished heating when I heard the scream, so I rushed over."

What he meant, inside and outside his words, was that as the first witness, Zhen Liu had little possibility of committing the crime on the spot. After all, Professor Lu's statement could be corroborated by the microwave's usage records in the kitchen.

Smart homes were forever the best.

"Why did you hang up bananas?" Basketball Qiao asked the question on everyone's mind. His eyes were full of curiosity. Zhen Liu believed he had asked not because he suspected Professor Lu, but simply because he wanted to know why.

This time, Professor Lu answered Basketball Qiao. "That way, the bananas will think they aren't ripe yet. Once you take them down, you can eat the freshest bananas whenever you want."

Basketball Qiao was completely dumbfounded. "???" Are you serious?

But Zhen Liu was thinking about why Professor Lu had suddenly helped him just then. Generally speaking, the first witness was the easiest target of suspicion, a position any killer would want to argue against.

[Because of love!]

[So this really is a romance scenario!]

[Didn't this player say earlier that he wanted to choose the person he loved?]

[Forget about your crush, Little Liu. Look at Professor Lu beside you! When others speak, he doesn't respond at all. When you speak, he immediately testifies for you. And given the current situation, you two need to stick together. The other three are obviously forming a group. If you don't unite, you'll definitely lose. If the good guys get voted out, points will be deducted.]

[Bananas and milk—pretty healthy, actually.]

Zhen Liu still couldn't see the comments. Out of habit, he drew circles around Professor Lu's name as he thought. By coincidence, he wrote on the light screen at that exact moment: "He's helping me to hide himself."

Comments: [???] There's something wrong with you, friend.

Author's note:

Nonsense Theater:

Zhen the bottom: There's no love in a detective scenario!

Newbie Scenario · Class Reunion (6)

No matter what Professor Lu's reason had been for testifying to Zhen Liu's timeline, in Zhen Liu's eyes, Professor Lu's actions were an attempt to exonerate himself by explaining things for Zhen Liu.

Of course, even if Professor Lu had done that, it didn't necessarily mean he was highly suspicious. From the perspective of human nature, this was a game of opposing factions where the minority obeyed the majority. With the other three clearly showing signs of banding together, it was understandable that Professor Lu might want to find himself a teammate.

Humans were social animals by nature. No matter how much they enjoyed solitude, the sense of crisis engraved in their DNA still made them seek support when they felt isolated and helpless.

That was probably how the suspension bridge effect came about.

Zhen Liu would not take the initiative to align himself with anyone, but neither would he reject someone who approached him first under these circumstances.

The hulking, baby-faced Basketball Qiao, a veritable Barbie Hercules, nodded along without the slightest awareness, further corroborating the three people's timelines that morning. "Right, right, right. When I came out of my room this morning, I happened to see Professor Lu in the kitchen. Then I went into the victim's room. Once I started screaming, Professor Lu quickly ran over too."

Soon, the last player, Lawyer Jin, began his self-introduction.

Lawyer Jin was a young man with a fair face and delicate features. He wore

a vest

, a tie, and today, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. Strangely enough, glasses softened some of the sharpness in Professor Lu's gaze, while Lawyer Jin looked even more like an elite with them on.

Whether in his words and actions or his attire, this veteran player embodied the role perfectly—a refined scum.

After everyone turned to look at Lawyer Jin, he remained unhurried and confident, clearing his throat leisurely.

"My name is Lawyer Jin. I'm thirty-five, a successful lawyer well known in this city.

"We're all classmates. It may sound boastful, but I feel that I have a pretty good relationship with everyone, including the victim."

"My timeline from last night is simple."