Chapter 5: The Mysterious Man in Black
I'd like to proudly introduce the members participating in this real-life Werewolf game:
A, an innocent passerby who claims to be simply passing by; B, a grieving girlfriend who seems to have a deep affection for the deceased; C, a close friend who appears dazed upon hearing the tragic news; and D, an ordinary-looking but exhausted office worker.
Of course, the host, Comrade Xiaocha, and the deceased, Q, who was lying on the ground, were equally indispensable throughout the entire segment.
Last night, the civilian Q was killed by the werewolf. Now, the remaining players will use several rounds of questioning and mutual revelation to find the ruthless werewolf hiding among them, so that the soul of the deceased civilian Q can rest in peace.
There is one point that everyone present should pay extra attention to: the number of werewolves who committed the murder last night has not yet been determined. It is possible that there were multiple werewolves who cooperated in the murder and colluded to fabricate testimonies, or that they thought they were real werewolves but were actually fake werewolves who missed the fatal blow.
Of course, there is another possibility: the werewolf is currently at large, has not been summoned to the police station, and is not among the people present.
After all, the complexities of reality are never a simple game; anything is possible.
Perhaps the only saving grace is that the four suspects will only have two identities: the werewolf who committed the crime and the civilian who did not commit the crime (maybe just not yet or not yet?). The identity cards are relatively clean and clear.
...Okay, the above descriptions are all from Nekono Ikuya's lighthearted and playful works, and are for reference only. Please refer to the actual situation for details.
However, the actual situation was not much different from Nekono Ikuya's description. The police officers were questioning the four suspects one by one, and Nekono Ikuya quietly pricked up her ears and listened with great interest.
Of course, what Nekono Ikuya remembers is definitely what interests him, while what doesn't interest him is simply ignored!
Police: Why did you pass through the alley last night?
Innocent passerby A: I was just passing by... What? You never used this route before, why did you suddenly take it last night? Well, there's an important match in my career coming up soon, and I'm under a lot of pressure. I didn't pay attention to the time yesterday and accidentally practiced until very late. I'm a single father with a child at home, and in a moment of panic, I climbed over the wall to take a shortcut.
Officer, when can I leave? The championship match is this afternoon, and I need to get there early to warm up! (He keeps checking his watch, looking anxious.)
Nekono Yuya munched on potato chips: That's definitely a hurry.
Grief-stricken girlfriend B: Waaah, how could this happen... Why did I pass by the alley? Because I arranged to meet Q at the park this evening to talk about trust issues, but he didn't come at the agreed time. I thought he deliberately stood me up, so I was very angry and wandered around the area to clear my head. Maybe I accidentally passed by the alley?
Officer, is Q really dead? (Incredulous, with a faint glimmer of hope in his eyes)
Nekono Yuumi gulped down her cola: "Feelings don't seem like acting. Judging from the time of death, the man most likely did intentionally release the pigeon."
Close friend C: This is so sudden! How could Q suddenly die... What, she passed through the alley?! I... I didn't notice, but I might have actually passed through it? Because I'm looking for B. I'm friends with both of them. I don't know what happened last night, but B was walking around alone at night, and I was worried, so I went to look for her.
Officer, how is B now? (His expression was initially dazed, but quickly turned worried.)
Nekono Ikuya kept munching on potato chips: "Your wife, I'll take care of her?" Why does he seem to be experiencing a mix of joy and sorrow?
Colleague D, a corporate slave: Huh, Q died... Why did she walk through the alley? No special reason, I worked too late yesterday, the tram stopped running, and taxis were too expensive, so I had to walk home. That's it... Damn company!
(Five hundred words of muttered complaints about the company omitted here.) (Numb expression, gritting teeth)
Nekono Yuya sadly drinks cola: Is this what a miserable corporate slave is like? You can tell he's really having a hard time.
Police: Our investigation revealed some conflict between you and the deceased?
Innocent passerby A: Contradictory? No way! What connection do I, a boxer, have with an office worker? I don't even know him! (Surprised and doubtful, seemingly genuine)
What?! Q's friend said Q holds a grudge against me behind my back?! Why?! Just because I beat his boxing idol in the ring?! Oh, please, I have so many defeated opponents and so many fans, why would I specifically target a hater?
...You said that Q had cursed me privately many times, hoping that I would not be able to participate in the championship, and you suspect that he wanted to take extreme action against me last night?
So he succeeded. The timing and location of his death were so coincidental, now I'm a prime suspect, right? The championship is this afternoon, it's hard to find the murderer in such a short time, and you won't let a murder suspect go. I might really not make it to the competition! (bitter smile)
However, I still want to say that even so, I would never kill someone and ruin my career at such a critical moment. It really wasn't me!
While it was still fresh, Nekono Yuuya quickly started unwrapping the ribbon from the dessert box: someone even more unfortunate had appeared; what a sudden and unexpected disaster!
Grief-stricken girlfriend B: Conflict? There's no conflict between us, just a slight crisis of trust.
It's nothing, Q just suspects I'm cheating... but I'm not! I love him! It's just a misunderstanding! Q found a gift from the president at my house, but actually all the female employees in the company have received gifts from the president, it wasn't just me.
I'm very angry that Q doesn't trust me, but not to the point of killing him. I met with Q last night to explain this to him.
Besides, how could a weak woman like me kill him... I did practice Taekwondo, but only when I was very young, and I gave it up a long time ago.
Nekono Ikuya arranged the desserts on a plate with great ceremony: You're being suspected innocently, and you're not even scolding him?
Close friend C: Conflict? We are best friends. We may have had arguments, but nothing serious.
A financial dispute? Yes, Q does owe me a lot of money, but if you had investigated my financial situation, you would know that it's nothing to me, certainly not enough to kill him over such a small amount.
Nekono Ikuya picked up her knife and fork and stabbed a piece of cake: Look at this person's nonchalant attitude, listen to his contemptuous and disdainful tone towards money, it's really enviable... Luckily, I'm not short of money either!
Colleague D, a typical office worker: Contradictory? Does competing for the same promotion position count? How could someone kill someone over that?
Yes, there are rumors that Q used some unfair competitive practices, and I know that's true, but I wouldn't choose to kill someone because of that.
Ha, to be honest, I don't care whether I get promoted or not. My current salary is enough to live on. In fact, with so much work every day, I simply don't have time to spend money.
Moreover, although the company has many problems, such as high work pressure, frequent overtime, and cold relationships with colleagues, the president is generous with money and does not like employees to use underhanded means to get promoted. When Q's unfair competition became known to everyone, I knew I didn't have to worry about him.
Nekono Ikuya threw away the empty box and took out the next dessert: Why does it seem like he's not that dissatisfied with his job?
However, issues such as anti-fan behavior, emotional crises, financial disputes, and workplace competition...
It seems like Q is covered in death flags, and most of them are his own fault. He doesn't seem to have much luck. Is it fair that he died this time?
Although there were some disputes between all the suspects and the deceased, none of the conflicts seemed to have escalated to the point where they had to take the risk of killing each other.
Everyone is a suspect, and everyone can explain themselves and show their innocence.
However, if we include variables such as extreme behavior by anti-fans in Q, such as betraying a girlfriend (fake), a friend dying to settle debts, or physically eliminating a competitor, and the resulting counterattacks, the possibilities become much greater.
Nekono Ikuya blinked. So what is the truth of the matter?
Just then, a strange sound came from afar. Nekono Ikumi's ears twitched, and she turned her head sharply. She immediately saw a police chief with an unusual uniform and a rank that was obviously higher than the others. Surrounded by a group of police officers, he picked up a phone and communicated with the other end.
Not knowing what the person on the other end was saying, he first raised an eyebrow in surprise, then his expression became more and more serious, and his brows furrowed more and more tightly.
No way, something else happened? Could it be... that the killer is someone else entirely?
At this moment, the sheriff, who was in the center of everyone's attention, had no time to pay attention to other people's gazes. He was holding the phone and listening carefully to his subordinates' reports.
"Inspector, the crime scene has been protectively cordoned off, and preliminary investigation and evidence collection are underway. We arrived in time; the crime scene is well preserved and has not been seriously damaged, and the condition of the body is basically consistent with the photos we received earlier."
Upon hearing this, a hint of satisfaction flashed in the sheriff's eyes, and Nekono Ikuya, who had pricked up his ears, nodded to himself.
That's great! It's wonderful that the crime scene wasn't disturbed. Nekono Ikuya deserves a huge credit!
However, Nekono Ikuya also had some doubts. He glanced at the four suspects who had been rapidly locked onto and summoned to the police station as if they had been given an accelerator, and who were now being questioned by the police.
Something's not right. Aren't you still investigating the scene and collecting evidence? How come the four suspects are already here?
How were they found? There wasn't even enough time in such a short period to investigate the deceased's relationships with others.
Was it really found solely based on valuable clues provided by concerned citizens? Was it found entirely by visual identification?
Although Nekono Ikuya at the police station witnessed firsthand how a clue bamboo skewer was rapidly strung together with four hawthorns to form a candied hawthorn skewer, he still found it incredible. The last time he felt this incredible was back in kindergarten.
Nekono Ikuya's surprise and confusion clearly had no effect on the police officers outside the scene who were talking to the inspector.
The voice coming through the receiver was noticeably more serious than before: "However, we have made other discoveries."
"What was discovered?" The sheriff's tone, influenced by the officer's, became equally serious.
"During our field visits to nearby residents, many concerned residents claimed that they had recently seen a large number of mysterious men in black loitering in the vicinity, behaving suspiciously. Some of our colleagues also observed a large number of unidentified individuals."
Are there a large number of mysterious men dressed in black loitering nearby? Could there be some hidden secrets behind this case?
Gang fight? Fiend killing? The surrounding police officers were in an uproar.
A man in black?!
Oh no, Blake!!!
Upon hearing this, Nekono Ikuya, who had been eavesdropping, froze, and the cake in her hand suddenly lost its appeal.
His gaze drifted, and he slowly put down his knife and fork, sitting up straight guiltily.
Haha, oh no, it seems like he's completely forgotten about something very important!
A note from the author:
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