Perhaps the painter Mia knew that the alleged theft of the painting was not just a rumor, but a warning she had received.

An outsider with no background, who has recently been in contact with the person in charge of the art exhibition.

Thus, they became the chosen bait.

The death of player Qi Kangle may have stemmed from this—

It was an attack by someone with malicious intent who wanted to steal the painting.

Yes, from the painter Mia's perspective, the five players were bait located in the "half-light, half-dark" area.

Their meeting with the butler, Fils, appeared to take place in the shadows, unnoticed by anyone.

However, to those with ulterior motives, their seemingly clandestine, "half-open, half-closed" contact is more likely to attract their attention.

In this light, all five of them were bait, chosen by Mia to lure out the real artist who intended to steal the painting.

On the other hand, from the perspective of the sheriff.

He had contacted Fels, secretly inquired about the painter Mia, and suspected that his "accomplice" had died tragically due to a dispute over the division of spoils.

The five of them seemed to have become the perfect natural targets for framing.

Thinking about it this way, the player's identity this time seems pretty pathetic.

At this moment, Gu Xinghe suddenly realized that this might be the reason why the game system did not indicate the player's identity in the mission.

Instead, it simply stated that their main mission was to help the art exhibition run smoothly.

...

Two seemingly lazy sheriffs stood guard at the entrance of the police station.

Gu Xinghe followed two sheriffs into the interrogation room, where the flickering, pale light occasionally shone on the somewhat yellowed walls.

[Interrogation room! I'm getting excited! I'm getting excited! Do you have any torture devices or anything?]

[Then I suggest you just look at the players next door who are already suffering terribly.]

However, contrary to the wishes of the viewers in the live broadcast room, Gu Xinghe was not subjected to any restraint measures due to the various reasons mentioned earlier.

Unlike what he now learns in the same live stream—

Meanwhile, the three surviving players on the other side seemed to have begun to use direct beatings and torture to extract confessions.

The two police officers who brought Gu Xinghe to the police station were now sitting opposite him.

The sheriff who had spoken with him before was in charge of the questioning.

The other sheriff who entered his room to search appeared to be in charge of taking notes.

"Sir, what is your name?"

"Gu Xinghe".

It must be said that Gu Xinghe, who was law-abiding in the world before his transmigration, would never have imagined—

After being transported to another world, he unexpectedly entered a "police station" for the first time in his life.

And this was a much more polite inquiry than the others.

Gu Xinghe, who was still not in a daze and seemed a bit crazy, suddenly became excited.

On another level, he even looked forward to the possibility of a fight between himself and the two people in front of him that might happen later.

"Yes, Mr. Gu Xinghe."

As he said this, the sheriff pressed his hands on the table, as if issuing a threat and warning.

"As I have previously stated, the police department found an adult male dead on the street this morning after being stabbed multiple times."

Our investigation revealed that he was one of the five people who had just appeared in the town yesterday.

Meanwhile, we learned this morning that one of the paintings at the upcoming exhibition of artist Mia, which will be held in the town soon, has also been stolen.

Perhaps you can tell me why your group had a private meeting with Mr. Fils yesterday, and secretly inquired about the painter Miss Mia's deeds, and why you discovered these two incidents this morning?

The sheriff's words were practically saying—

Too many coincidences make us suspect that you five are a gang of thieves.

Despite this, Gu Xinghe's expression remained calm and composed.

"The painting was stolen? This is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing."

Although Gu Xinghe had already heard the sheriff's thoughts before.

But this was indeed the first time he had been told about this in real life.

"Although it might be against professional ethics to say it directly, Mr. Fils is actually my employer."

He briefly explained his relationship with Fels to the two people in front of him.

Gu Xinghe at this moment vividly demonstrated what it means to be an "underground intelligence agent" with zero professional ethics.

Oh... embezzlement by the person in charge, that makes perfect sense.

But after these words, Gu Xinghe's image seemed to become more "three-dimensional" in the mind of the sheriff in front of him.

Gu Xinghe, who had already planned his "escape route," immediately changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, I still don't know your names, Sheriffs."

"White."

After a moment of silence, the sheriff in front of Gu Xinghe finally said his name, and then pointed to the person next to him who was in charge of taking notes.

“Green”.

In this era, the lack of surveillance in the interrogation room made Gu Xinghe's actions even more convenient.

Indeed, there is nothing in this world that money cannot solve.

If so, it means you haven't spent enough money on in-game purchases.

“Okay, Sheriff White, Sheriff Green, so you two don’t think I’m the so-called ’murderer’, do you?”

As he said this, Gu Xinghe took out a stack of banknotes from his pocket, just like he had done in the hotel yesterday.

With a gentle placing motion on the table, he pushed it toward the two people sitting opposite him.

[That's amazing!]

[After mastering the romance strategy, Brother Gu has now discovered the art of the money offensive!]

[Actually, I'd already used this trick somewhat in the Tavern of Misfortune, but now... it's like reviewing old skills!]

This action shocked the people in the live broadcast room, while Gu Xinghe casually adjusted the cuffs of his clothes.

Compared to his previous accidental exposure at the Tavern of Misfortune, his actions now appear much more proactive.

Wearing cufflinks on the shirt sleeves were naturally cufflinks with the emblem of the Rose Estate.

In this town with a strong artistic atmosphere, the name Rose Manor is actually quite unique in the eyes of many people.

The goat mask that was once controlled at a banquet in the Rose Manor.

Mr. Moncalli was also the first customer of bartender Gu Xinghe at the Tavern of Misfortune.

After being taken into custody, he diligently developed the wine business at Rose Estate.

Annecy is a town with a strong artistic atmosphere.

Most artists drink alcohol when they are inspired.

Therefore, Moncalli's actions have made the wines from Château de la Rose even more famous here.

Although the previously imagined solution of direct military force has not been realized, and it requires spending money instead, I am somewhat annoyed.

But Gu Xinghe's remaining rationality told him that this was indeed the best option at present.