Chapter 114 Voluntary Exit
The "doctor" died suddenly. If this is a game brought together by transcendents, then they are the players who participate in it. How can players die so easily? Especially those who are favored by the organizers.
The origin of the "doctor" is by no means simple. In Edogawa Ranpo's observation of him, his words and actions were flawless, making it impossible for him to judge where he came from. This is incredible. In Edogawa Ranpo's past, he often only needed to look at a person for one or two seconds to dig out all his information. His overly sharp insight often allowed him to completely see through a person before he himself had time to react.
How could such a person, whose identity in real life might be extremely special, die in a mystery story, especially when the story just begins?
His gaze fell on his peaceful face. Even though a dagger was stabbed into his heart, he showed no pain at all. He even had a hint of a smile on his face. Combined with what he and "Long Yi" had deduced before, this is it... If this is the case, then it makes sense.
The maid Morishima Ai's face was filled with horror. She was the one who screamed just now. She shook her body, as if she couldn't bear the scene before her. She said with a pale face, "Why..."
This was the second dead person in the old house. His death was quite strange, especially the smile on his face, as if he was mocking someone. After them, other people also rushed here. The butler made the sign of the cross on his chest with a pale face, the maids were panicked, and the last "player" did not need to come because he was already here before they arrived.
He squatted in front of the "doctor's" body and fiddled with his body with something in his hand. He didn't seem to be examining it, but rather curious about his death, and he seemed very interested in it.
"Long Yi" noticed this and wanted to step forward: "Wait, don't destroy the scene..."
Edogawa Ranpo held him back, and when "Ryuichi" looked back in confusion, he shook his head and whispered, "Think about it again."
"Look at his face and his hands," Edogawa Ranpo reminded. "Long Yi" looked back thoughtfully and noticed the strange posture of the corpse. He paused for a moment, as if he realized something, and a look of surprise flashed across his face.
"Yes, he committed suicide on purpose." Edogawa Ranpo emphasized the words "on purpose" and "committed suicide."
“You mean, he chose to die in order to prevent us from finding out anything from him?” “Long Yi” also had a complicated expression.
"He's not really dead," Edogawa Ranpo sneered, with a hint of mockery in his emerald eyes: "Death in the story doesn't mean death in reality. Do you remember what he said to us when he first came?"
"'...I still have work to do, and I was suddenly invited here...'" "Long Yi" suddenly remembered the words that the man said when he was first introduced. He lowered his eyes and said softly: "He chose to leave on his own initiative."
"Moreover," Edogawa Ranpo bared his teeth, "all the clues leading to him have been cut off. No matter how much we want to know, and how much we want to discover from his identity and memories, it's all in vain!"
"Just because he has left doesn't mean he won't cause trouble for us. Do you believe it? Even if we continue to look for him now, we won't find anything we want." Edogawa Ranpo exhaled, "Leaving is what he wants. He can accomplish this and open up a new path for us to solve the case. This is the best of both worlds for him."
"In fact, you see," Edogawa Ranpo looked at the expression on the corpse's face and said indifferently, "He doesn't even want to act."
"Even if it's fake, death is not something that everyone can accept." "Long Yi" was calmer. He sighed and said, "Besides, are we really so sure that death here will not affect reality? That gentleman is a transcendent. I can't imagine or understand what he can do, but when it comes to death, who can really not worry?"
"Also," Long Yi's gaze shifted to the dagger: "He chose death, but he didn't commit suicide by himself. There was another murderer here. He just didn't choose to resist when that person wanted to kill him. This is his 'suicide'."
His eyes swept across the crowd, the butler, the maid, the servants... and finally "Kyosuke", the "companion" who came with them but whose presence was always low, could it be him? He began to think.
The investigation has come to a standstill. They all have guesses about the murderer, but the death of the "doctor" has tightly closed the door for them to find evidence. Even if they really re-deduce the course of the crime, without the most important link, they will not be able to completely solve the case in a short time.
More darkness came, and they seemed like a group of people trapped here, unable to find a way out. Leaving, leaving, is leaving really a relief?
“Is it still possible?” The raccoon outside the book danced with joy, “Why didn’t the people I trapped inside do this… What a bunch of idiots… No, once they die, they’re really dead. It’s different from here, where it’s… twisted… death… twisted before death… Hululu, they didn’t use their own bodies to get in at the beginning… Is it that easy for them to multiply?”
"Horrible, really terrible," the raccoon, who had lost his mind, shuddered as if he had thought of something. "If it is completely released, eh... never!" He seemed to be frightened. He looked around in panic and saw red everywhere. He raised his head in confusion and saw the red moon hanging above his head. His confusion disappeared and he laughed out loud. "Yes, it is confined here, isn't it? Not to mention that there are opposing superpowers at work. That gentleman is really extraordinary. He has no great reputation, but what he has done has saved countless people."
He did not question why his thoughts were so smooth afterwards, and he even figured out some things he had never known before. As if it was natural, he developed an unreserved trust in the owner of this place. His body became bigger, even fatter, and a tearful little raccoon hung on him, its limbs sunk into his body, its eyes closed, as if it had become a part of him.
Countless books that he threw out suddenly moved without wind, and they flipped the pages in front of him. Every page and every word was dyed with red light. Looking closely, countless chains flashed in them. They gathered together and surrounded the oversized raccoon.
"Well, should we do this?" Hearing the sound, the raccoon was also surprised, but soon he lost himself in the past, with crazy excitement flashing in his eyes: "Yes, why have I never thought of doing this before, writing one book after another, one book after another..."
Elliot saw off the other guests and returned to his cabin. Outside was the lush woods that remained as peaceful as before. He stood by the window, his long emerald curly hair emitting vibrant colors under the never-ending sunshine, and his pupils seemed to reflect everything. No one could have imagined that that strange and dangerous space belonged to him. A slight smile appeared on his face, and this little world that seemed like a fairy tale seemed to come alive.
Edogawa Ranpo walked up to "Kyosuke", took a deep breath and asked: "Why did you come here?"
Now they have examined the "doctor's" body. Unlike Harue Eisai, the "doctor" died in the front hall, where anyone could come. When he died, "Ryuichi" and Edogawa Ranpo were at the previous crime scene and did not notice the movement of people outside at all.
"After dinner, I went to the kitchen to clean up. The chef in the kitchen should have seen me." The maid Morishima Ai recalled her whereabouts: "And then, I went to prepare some fruit, but there was no fruit in the refrigerator. I remembered that there were some apples in the warehouse..."
"That is to say, in the next ten minutes or so, no one could provide you with an alibi, right?" "Long Yi" asked seriously.
"What, no?" Morishima Ai said in a panic, "I definitely didn't kill anyone. I, I just wanted to send some fruit to each guest to help them digest their food after the meal. This is what the butler ordered..."
"Where else can I go?" Komachi Koyuki was much better than her. She tilted her head and said, "I'm going to clean up the room. The work in the villa is actually quite heavy. Dagger? No, I haven't seen anything like that."
While "Ryuichi" was talking to them, Edogawa Ranpo was waiting for "Kyosuke"'s answer.
"Are you also like that 'doctor' who feels bored here and just leaves?" Edogawa Ranpo said tentatively, seemingly angry.
"Kyosuke" is a very strange person. His strangeness is not only reflected in his aloofness. He seems to have his own rhythm and does not come with the same purpose as them. Edogawa Ranpo knew the limits of Edgar Allan Poe. If a story is transformed into reality and the characters cannot be carefully carved out with words, the characters will appear flat and abrupt, and this time is no exception.
That guy is not a director, so he cannot pile up a person's past in one moment. He uses stories to trap a person, relying on the game of "intelligence" rather than on the rendering of "truth" or "emotion". He had experienced it before, so he didn't think it was strange.
But this time it was strange. Because this is what Poe wanted, but it is not what that person wanted. He had predicted that this was just the beginning, and now, his premonition has not changed. He thought he'd better move faster.
Kyosuke no longer maintained his poor disguise. He looked up at the sky and said, "It's true. But you and I both know that this is the first attempt by that gentleman, so some shortcomings are inevitable. Am I right?"
Edogawa Ranpo narrowed his eyes: "It seems that you do know something. What else do you know?" He asked bluntly.
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