Chapter 181
What?
Just as Captain Xu was about to ask more questions, Xie Xubai withdrew his hand and spoke in a clear and organized manner.
"The advertising copy emphasizes that the games in the amusement park are carefully designed with the goal of 'having fun for participants,' so there won't be too much useless information."
Assuming the information we see in the newspaper is the key to this dodgeball game, then there are four possibilities for the "real players."
"The first is the male victim of the car accident, the second is the driver who caused the accident, the third is the car owner whose lock was broken, and the fourth is the first-floor resident who illegally opened up the basement."
These four categories are ranked according to the importance of the clues, with the hit-and-run driver having the highest priority because the newspaper contained an arrest warrant for him, followed by the victims.
"Then let's deduce the current location of the driver who caused the accident."
Xie Xubai took off his watch and handed it to Captain Xu.
As the game progresses into its later stages, daily resources become relatively less scarce.
Flashlights, multi-functional military entrenching tools, compressed food, mechanical watches and other timekeeping tools have long been standard equipment for experienced hobbyists.
Although it will disappear or malfunction for no reason most of the time, it's not a waste if it works even once.
Captain Xu then read out the time: "...2:23?"
Xie Xubai: "I checked the time before coming in. It was around 10:40 a.m. Although the tunnel we just passed through was very long, it shouldn't have taken fifteen hours to walk through. Otherwise, with my stamina and leg strength, my legs would have gone numb long ago."
"The newspaper said the accident happened at around 2:30 a.m., so we can infer one possibility:"
The time displayed on the watch was "corrected" to the crucial time of the crime after entering this alternate dimension—the period before and after the perpetrator committed the attack.
"Before or after the attack? Given the bloodstains and crushed flesh on the ground, I lean towards the latter."
The fact that no one was in the driver's seat of any of the vehicles meant that the perpetrator had left the car and was fleeing the scene.
"No body was left at the scene, which may be because the game hid it to increase the difficulty, but this does not conform to the rationality of the game design and the story."
So another possibility is that the perpetrator moved the body to avoid being discovered too quickly or for other personal reasons, which can also be confirmed by the unnatural bloodstains on the ground.
Upon closer inspection, there's a roughly circular indentation at the edge of the blood, extending in that direction along several distinct long drag marks—these are drag marks. The perpetrator used a body bag or similar container to carry the body, and during transport, the blood accidentally got on it. The drag marks point in the direction they fled.
Xie Xubai raised his eyes and said calmly, "He deliberately wore clothes that could cover his body, wore a mask and hat to cover his face, and even prepared a body bag. This was not an accident, but a premeditated murder."
The young man spoke slowly and deliberately, keeping his volume at a comfortable level. His intonation was also perfectly controlled, making his words clear without sounding drawn out.
Most importantly, the emotions conveyed in his tone were positive and uplifting, confident and determined without being ostentatious, gentle yet composed.
This way of speaking is very infectious; even if the person is talking about trivial things, it will make people want to keep listening.
Captain Xu outwardly pondered the logical flaws in these words, but inwardly he was somewhat convinced: "Hmm... go on."
"He was carrying a body, so he couldn't possibly have gone to the surface. Because of the surveillance cameras, even if the patrolling security guards were negligent, he couldn't linger for too long. There should be a shortcut nearby that could shorten his escape time and allow him to reach the illegally constructed basement as quickly as possible. It could be a secret door or the ventilation duct mentioned in the newspaper."
Xie Xubai: "But the theory of a hidden door can be basically ruled out."
Before they knew it, most of the players had gathered around Xie Xubai, listening intently, including the [Gravity] players.
Upon hearing Xie Xubai's words, someone instinctively asked, "Why wouldn't there be a hidden door?"
"Are you stupid?" someone chimed in. "You secretly built a basement, fine, but you even went so far as to chisel a door connecting it to a busy underground parking garage full of surveillance cameras. Are you afraid of being discovered?"
Someone immediately understood: "So, the murderer left through the access door in the manhole?"
The impatient players, upon hearing Xie Xubai mention the escape route, had already rushed towards the stairwell, where they discovered the maintenance door and excitedly called out to everyone, "Come and see, isn't this the door?"
The group gathered around and indeed saw a small, closed, silver-white metal door! There was a trace of blood on the edge!
Locks are no problem; players have plenty of ways to break in. Various sharp weapons smash down, and with a series of clanging sounds, the metal door, unable to withstand the heavy blows, snaps open with a crack, and the door creaks open a crack.
The player opens the door.
A dark ventilation duct was suddenly exposed in front of them.
A damp, musty smell mixed with the stench of blood wafted over, making everyone want to vomit, and they involuntarily took a step back.
Narrow, dark places are always terrifying, making you wonder if something is blocking the way at the end, making it impossible to escape.
Someone gritted their teeth, mustered their courage, and said, "Never mind, we have to catch up quickly. What if he gets away?"
Xie Xubai reassured them at the right moment: "Don't worry, Rule 5 clearly states that once the match begins, players are not allowed to leave the field midway unless a winner is determined. The real players cannot leave this underground parking garage until we lose."
Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed once again.
It was at this moment that the [Gravity] player finally couldn't hold back anymore.
His hands, throbbing with bulging veins, trembled as he squeezed out, "So, when you guys were discussing this, couldn't you at least think of a way to hang yourselves on the wall? Didn't you bring any climbing gear? I'm just a B-rank, you know QAQ!"
Everyone then came to their senses and looked at the [Gravity] player, who was covered in sweat.
Seeing his exhausted and pale face, he finally had a change of heart and hurriedly took out various tools to hang himself on the wall.
Even if we can't afford the equipment, we still have climbing ropes and hooks.
Xie Xubai also received a friendly donation from Captain Xu: a prop shaped like a frog's webbed feet.
Once you put it on, it will adhere to the wall and stick to it.
However, before he could use it, the [Gravity] player floated over, panting.
He looked at Xie Xubai with a slightly resentful expression because Xie Xubai had walked away, but when he saw Xie Xubai give him a "you're awesome" look, he immediately perked up and enthusiastically came over: "It's okay, big boss, you don't need to. I can carry your weight."
He looked up at the ventilation ducts and sighed, "These ducts are all over the place, and it's pitch black inside. We're not the plumbing repairmen for this community. If we get lost, it'll take forever to find them. If only we could pinpoint the exact location of the basement from the outside."
After he finished speaking, he subconsciously glanced at Xie Xubai.
This is a subconscious admiration; he secretly hopes that the other person can once again display their prowess and provide an answer.
Captain Xu had never experienced a car dripping with gasoline rushing towards his face, his mind going blank, his whole body stiffening, despair reaching his ears, then being rescued with a slap on the head, and the excitement and relief of surviving a near-death experience with his heart pounding so hard he almost cried.
Therefore, he could not understand the [Gravity] players' attentiveness and dependence on Xie Xubai.
Looking around at the underground parking garage where there were no other clues, I subconsciously felt that it was impossible.
The young man's analysis was quick and reasonable, proving that he was very quick-witted.
But that's all there is to it.
The ventilation duct is a key clue, but this key clue is written on a piece of paper that everyone can see, so the young man is most likely using the answer to deduce the process.
To deduce the exact location from appearance is to fabricate something out of nothing, and Yan Chuyi doesn't have X-ray vision...etc.
Captain Xu's brows suddenly relaxed.
He remembered that one of the team members seemed to have brought a prop with X-ray vision capabilities.
It was at this moment that Xie Xubai said, "Yes, we can narrow it down to a general location."
The player by the maintenance door, who had just put on his lighting helmet and was still huffing and puffing as he crawled inside, immediately stopped upon hearing the sound and poked his head out, exclaiming in surprise, "Really? Where is it?"
Xie Xubai touched the wall: "First of all, there are ten stairwells here, corresponding to ten buildings, and a basement was illegally built on the first floor of one of the buildings."
"This is an old residential area. Judging from the wear and tear on the structure, it should be almost 20 years old. The lack of property management, the lax surveillance, and the security guards just going through the motions are what allowed the murderer to take advantage of the situation. Naturally, a residential area like this would not take security checks and maintenance seriously."
As he spoke, he picked a small piece of grayish-black concrete debris from the peeling paint with his fingertips, and crushed it into tiny pieces with a little pressure, letting it fall through his fingers: "So this building is definitely not near a load-bearing wall. With this level of looseness, it would collapse as soon as it's dug up."
"Even if it could hold up under normal circumstances and barely prevent collapse, the loud noise of the car explosion just now would have caused it to collapse. Based on this, we can rule out four buildings."
"Because the sound insulation is poor, if someone is secretly working on one side, the other side can definitely hear it. The chances of not being reported are very small, so it can only be a detached building. These four buildings that are closely packed together can also be ruled out."
"As for the remaining two buildings, let's look at the topographical map here," Xie Xubai said, pointing to the parking space plan. "Generally, construction considers regularity and aesthetics, and also avoids feng shui taboos caused by uneven structures. But here, not only is there a large recessed area, but the buildings that should have been built symmetrically have also been forced to move to the side. Either this area has topographical problems, such as being a river, a cliff, or a slope, or it has been designated as someone else's construction site, and they also want to start construction. Or there are problems such as buried national cables underneath."
Regardless of the reason, the possibility of having the space to build a basement is very small.
"So only one option remains."
Xie Xubai bent his slender fingers and tapped lightly on the symbol of the remaining building on the floor plan, as if making a definitive statement: "The basement where the murderer was hidden is right here."
"..."
A moment of silence fell, broken only by the soft, rising and falling of breaths. No one spoke; you could hear a pin drop.
Xie Xubai turned his head and met the shocked expressions of everyone, as if their jaws had dropped.
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