Chapter 29: The Secret Room Open to All
The sound of gunfire continued, and in the light snow, dozens of people here all stood still, as if looking forward to a good show that was about to happen.
"So, you not only deduced the truth and knew who the real murderer was, but also found decisive evidence?" Situ Xin was a little skeptical.
"Tell me quickly! Who killed my brother?" Shen Xi frowned and glared at Yin Chuan and shouted.
"Everyone, please calm down. Can we put down our weapons first? If something goes off accidentally, it will be bad for everyone." Yin Chuan glanced around. Wan Jianjun and Shen Xi hesitated for a moment, then had their men put away their guns and lowered the bolts. "Hey, that's right."
"Tell me, what is the truth?" Shen Xi was still a little impatient.
Yin Chuan was not in a hurry. He glanced at Situ Xin on the left and at General Wan on the right. His meaning was self-evident.
"Just speak up, we're all ears," said Situ Xin.
"Well, please follow me to the scene of the crime."
Yin Chuan and Lin Lang walked in front, followed by dozens of people, all coming to the barracks where the crime occurred. Yin Chuan let Lin Lang go into the barracks first, as if to prepare himself, and then faced all the soldiers who followed him alone.
"My dear soldiers, if you still remember the scene where Captain Shen was killed three days ago, you should remember what everyone saw at that time, right?"
Chen Xi pointed at the barracks and said, "Of course, it was in this barracks in front that my brother was beheaded and died on the spot!"
"Commander Situ, what about you?"
"Although I arrived later, from what I saw when I went in, this is what happened."
"Indeed, this was a shocking scene I witnessed with my own eyes, and the scene in the room also confirmed this." Yin Chuan continued, "Moreover, the doors and windows of the barracks were tightly closed, and there were no footprints on the surrounding snow. In plain sight, no one saw the murderer enter or leave. This is a typical closed-room murder case. But... have you ever considered that everyone actually only saw an image, as if a head suddenly fell to the ground, but who could have seen clearly whether that person was Chen Hui?"
As soon as he said this, everyone present widened their eyes.
"Not my brother?" Shen Xi asked in confusion.
"Are you saying that what so many of us saw was just an illusion? Impossible! You and I entered the room together at that time, and the corpse and head inside were undoubtedly Captain Shen. You yourself had no doubt about it." Situ Xin questioned.
"Yes, the body and the head were Captain Shen, but the murder process that happened before our eyes may not be true!"
It might not be true? Situ Xin, Shen Xi and others looked puzzled, not knowing what Yin Chuan was up to.
Just as everyone was waiting for Yin Chuan to continue explaining, all the lights in the military camp, which was originally brightly lit, suddenly went out, and it was suddenly pitch black.
"What's going on? Who turned off all the lights?" Situ Xin shouted.
"Adjutant, go see what happened!" Shen Xi quickly gave the order.
The adjutant agreed, but before he could leave, Chen Hui's barracks suddenly became brightly lit. A silhouette appeared on the tent wall; it looked like Ou Ye Linlang, who had just entered. Just as everyone outside was still confused, Ou Ye Linlang's head suddenly fell off, as if slashed by a sharp blade, leaving everyone stunned.
"What happened in there? Yin Chuan! Did you see it?" Situ Xin exclaimed.
"Someone come! Someone come! Go in and take a look!" Shen Xi called to his men.
Just when they were panicking for a moment, Yin Chuan did not react at all. He stood calmly by their side with a slight smile on his face.
A crowd gathered around the barracks, their guns drawn. Just as they were about to break in to see what was happening, the walls suddenly collapsed, leaving only the four corner pillars supporting the roof, exposing the entire interior. Where was the beheaded Ou Ye Linlang in the wide-open secret room? It was clearly Du Yunzhang, who hadn't been seen in a long time, standing with his hands on his hips, grinning as he gazed at the stunned crowd.
"I say...are you guys traveling around the country performing magic tricks?" Shen Xi asked in shock and anger.
"Yin Chuan, what are you doing? What is going on?" Situ Xin was also very surprised.
"Deputy Commander Situ, you'd better call all the officers above the battalion level here. I will explain to everyone what exactly happened in this incredible case." Yin Chuan replied.
"Impossible," Situ Xin flatly refused. "Didn't you hear the gunfire outside the barracks? All the battalions are fighting the bandits right now. Why would I ask them to come here when the fighting is at its cusp?"
"Really? Your reason is a bit far-fetched. Let's count. The Second Battalion Commander, Shen Xi, is here right now. The Third Battalion Commander, Wu Ziqing, is temporarily detained by you. The only one in the barracks who can lead the troops to fight the enemy is the First Battalion Commander, Li Huaide."
"But even so, Captain Li can't easily leave his frontline post. Otherwise, there will be no one to command the defense line. If the bandits attack, who will be responsible?"
Yin Chuan didn't answer, but Du Yunzhang laughed heartily. "Don't worry about that," he said, pulling out a pistol from his waist and firing three shots into the air. To everyone's surprise, the gunfire outside the camp gradually faded and soon ceased.
What was going on? Situ Xin and Shen Xi were both baffled.
"Can we call the two battalion commanders Wu and Li now?"
Situ Xin was silent for a moment, then called over the messenger and gave him a few instructions. The messenger then left. Not long after, Li Huaide and Wu Ziqing arrived. Li Huaide was still covered in dust and smoke, looking like he had just been in battle.
"Deputy Captain, what do you want from us?"
"How's the war going outside?"
"They are firing at full speed, but they don't seem to be in an offensive posture. And just when we heard gunshots from here, the bandits outside stopped firing. I don't know what they are up to." Li Huaide replied.
When Situ Xin heard that the fighting outside had died down, he said to Yin Chuan, "Now that everyone you asked to call is here, can we start now?"
Before Yin Chuan could say anything, Du Yunzhang suddenly chuckled, "Don't bother Old Yin, I can explain the case clearly! Everyone sees this secret room with four doors open. I thought it should have been my other partner Ou Ye Linlang, but now it's me. In fact, this is not a very clever trick. The murderer designed the murder room much more clever than ours. What do you think, am I right?" Du Yunzhang's eyes fell on one of the soldiers.
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