"Bang!"
The gunshot rang out, startling everyone sitting in the lounge.
"W-what's going on?"
A plump, middle-aged woman rose uneasily, looking around in alarm.
"W-was that a gunshot just now?"
"Yes, it was definitely a gunshot."
The butler remained stern and composed, as though it were nothing worth worrying about. Still, he stood up and watched their surroundings warily.
"Did something happen to the detectives?"
The maid grew nervous too, clutching her skirt tightly, her face pale.
"Everyone, stay calm!"
Katie stood up as well, looking at the three of them as she spoke reassuringly.
"With Mr. Li Wei there, everything will be fine!"
"B-but that gunshot..."
"It's fine. There was only one shot, wasn't there? If they were fighting, there would have been more than one."
"Miss Katie is right."
The butler nodded too.
"If they had encountered an enemy, there would have been more than one shot. I believe something unexpected may simply have happened."
"Do you know a lot about this sort of thing, sir?"
Hearing his answer, Katie looked curiously at the butler. Still standing perfectly straight, he gave her a slight smile.
"I served in the army once, so I do know a little about such matters."
"Oh, I see..."
"Thud!"
But just as the two were talking, a violent impact suddenly struck the lounge door, interrupting their conversation.
"Thud!"
It sounded less like knocking and more like someone ramming the door. Fortunately, all the doors here dated back to the building's days as a prison and were thick and sturdy to prevent prisoner riots. After all, the people locked up here had not been ordinary prisoners, but condemned criminals, the sort who might do anything to stay alive.
The prison had been designed with strict precautions to prevent those inmates from banding together and