Not a detective

Page 245

However, what was unusual was that all these instruments were turned off, the screens were dark, just like the lights in the room, and there was no sound, not even the beeping of the monitoring system.

It was as quiet as death.

Xu Qishi was sitting next to the hospital bed. At first, Qianchuan Lu didn't recognize her because she had grown up a lot and her appearance had changed.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. Eighteen years have passed in reality, and she is no longer that young girl, but a middle-aged woman in her thirties.

But Xu Qishi's beauty is still as stunning as ever; her delicate features still retain traces of her youth, only now she is without makeup, her face is solemn, and her eyes are as empty as if she were dead.

She looked extremely haggard, and even older.

She stood quietly by the bedside, saying nothing, as if waiting for someone who would never return.

Darkness enveloped her, and also the person on the bed.

Lu Chuanqian, his face was covered with a white cloth.

His face was not visible, nor were there any signs of breathing or heartbeat. He was originally a person with vital signs, but he was in a vegetative state and could not wake up.

“But now, he’s dead.” Asukai Shi said calmly, her expression almost identical to Xu Qishi’s: “Asa is dead, the plan has failed.”

"What……"

Lu Chuanqian was stunned. He looked at everything and never expected the story to take such a turn.

No wonder when I saw Shinobu Asukai again, she was hiding there crying alone, looking very sad.

"A-Qian died about three years ago. I was unaware of this and continued this futile plan. But in reality, even if you transfer your soul and consciousness into a corpse, it won't make any difference. The real world is beyond my control. A person in a vegetative state can be revived, but a dead person can never be brought back to life. This plan has failed."

Asukai Shi repeated herself, gritting her teeth, seemingly very unwilling to accept the result:

"How did he die? Nobody knows. His vital signs were all normal. The doctor said that as long as the machines were running, he would be fine. Nobody interfered with his condition. Xu Qishi stayed by his side the whole time. Nothing unexpected happened. He just suddenly passed away, in the blink of an eye. Even the doctors couldn't find any clues. No one else had entered the room, there was no power outage, no poison, no assassination attempt. How could he have died? This is practically a locked-room murder!"

"Murder in a locked room..."

Asakawa Riku was startled by her sudden agitation: "It doesn't have to be that serious, does it? Perhaps it was just a normal death from old age?"

After all, a person in a vegetative state who has been lying in a hospital bed for so long is extremely weak and could lose their life at any time, which is quite normal.

He had finally found a glimmer of hope, so he advised:

"Since this plan has failed, why not let go of the obsession and start a new life?"

If we can persuade Shii Asukai, we might have a chance to survive.

"No, no!"

However, Asukai Shi raised her eyes resentfully and said through gritted teeth:

“I can’t understand it, and neither can Xu Qishi. Both families can accept it, after all, he has been lying in the hospital bed for eighteen years, and it’s time for him to let go. They say that leaving sooner is a relief, but I can’t accept it. Why did I work so hard, and when the plan was almost complete, everything fell apart? I’m not reconciled! So Xu Qishi made a scene, refusing to let A Qian be cremated and buried, and instead stayed in this hospital room, waiting for a miracle to happen… Call me crazy if you want, I need an answer.”

"Asakawa Riku...senpai, let's play the 'Red and Blue Words Game' one last time. Help me find out the truth behind this case and who the murderer is."

"If you can answer the question successfully, then I will let you go back, heal your body here, and let you start a new life."

"But if you can't figure it out, please stay here until we find the answer together."

Winter of Man: Chapter Eighteen - The Final Red and Blue Game

"Red and Blue Words Game?"

"Yes, just like the game we played in the mystery club."

Asu nods: "This time, however, the roles are reversed. I have the clues, and you're the one who deciphers them. This time, you're the [detective], and you're the one who uncovers the truth."

Asakawa Riku was silent for a while:

"But can you be sure that Lu Chuanqian's death was murder? Is there really a killer? What if all my searching is in vain..."

"I can confirm that Lu Chuanqian's death was a homicide, not a suicide, illness, or accident."

she spoke.

Asakawa Riku was surprised to find that the words spoken by Asukai Shi condensed into characters in the air, eventually leaving a red mark in front of his eyes.

[Red text: Lu Chuanqian's death was a homicide, not suicide, death from natural causes, or accidental death.]

“Red text…”

He murmured, meaning that the statement was taken as true.

"In this game, the rule of red and blue text still applies. As long as it is red text, it can be trusted unconditionally without further investigation."

Asukai Shi said seriously, "This is an idealized detective environment. Come on, let me see if you can unravel the truth."

Asakawa Riku's expression also turned serious.

A paralyzed, vegetative patient, whose body was unable to move normally and who had no independent consciousness, lay in the ward the whole time, but suddenly died.

The first reaction would naturally be that the disease suddenly worsened, and life naturally came to an end, or that the medical equipment suddenly malfunctioned, leading to death by a twist of fate.

However, the scarlet letter in Asukai Shi's writing ruled out all these possibilities, leading to the conclusion of "homicide."

This is where things get complicated.

Who exactly wants to kill a "vegetative state" patient lying in a hospital bed? Lu Chuanqian has already suffered enough, who else would refuse to let him go and insist on delivering the final blow?

Asakawa Riku immediately thought of those thugs from before. Could it be that their remnants had been released from prison, or were there other people outside who still wanted to seek revenge?

But he also felt it was unlikely. Eighteen years had passed since that incident, and most of the main culprits were dead. Why would he still be so fixated on revenge?

If we were going to take action, we would have done it long ago... Why wait until now?

"When did Lu Chuanqian die?"

As soon as Asakawa Riku asked the question, he discovered that his language had also been transformed into writing, imprinted in blue and written before his eyes.

[Blue text: When did Lu Chuanqian die?]

This must be the power of Shizuka Asu, who transformed the game between the two into reality.

It's very convenient; you don't need to write anything, just have a conversation, and it turns into a battle of red and blue text.

"【Red text: April 1, 2024】, To this day, Xu Qishi still believes that was an April Fool's joke."

Asukai Shi gave a calm reply.

...That was two years ago, no, almost three years ago.

Asakawa Riku almost forgot that he had also been lying in a hospital bed for several months, and winter was almost over; it was now almost 2027.

So... Xu Qishi actually stayed by the hospital bedside for three years, guarding a lifeless corpse for three years, during which time it might have rotted and smelled, and might have already turned into bones...

But Xu Qishi remained unmoved, silently believing that he would wake up, her face covered with a white cloth, as if he didn't exist.

This perseverance and persistence can no longer be called obsession; it's practically a faith.

Asakawa Riku could only sigh, unable to utter a single word.

Perhaps finding the "truth" and the "real culprit" himself could give her some relief, and now he had a motivation for his mission.

“I need to know, [blue text: Xu Qishi’s eyewitness testimony on April 1, 2024, at the time of the incident].”

Asakawa Riku was very skilled at the game; after all, he had played with Asukai Shi more than once and knew it like the back of his hand.

"[Red text: Everything was normal that day. As usual, the doctor came to check on her at 8:00 AM and gave the same conclusion as always. The nurses and caregivers came twice in the morning, around 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM respectively. At noon, Lu Chuanqian's mother brought her lunch. After Xu Qishi ate, the two chatted for a while before the aunt left. At 1:00 PM, Xu Qishi prepared to take her usual half-hour nap, but was awakened by a sharp alarm more than ten minutes later. Lu Chuanqian's life monitor was alarming wildly. She was pushed away by the rushing emergency doctors and nurses. A group of people performed first aid and defibrillation for about half an hour. Both sets of parents also arrived. Finally, she was pronounced dead in front of her family at 1:44 PM.]"

"[Blue text: I'd like to confirm who entered and exited this ward that day: the doctor, nurses, caregivers, my mother, and Xu Qishi, who has been here the whole time, right?]"

"So they've already identified the suspects so quickly... Yes, [red text: These are the people]. As for the others who came later, that happened after he died."

Asuji Shi shook her head: "But I have to pour cold water on you. This line of reasoning is wrong. I've already verified that the murderer is not among these people."

"I can't be sure unless you say it in scarlet."

Asakawa Riku frowned, lost in deep thought.

He also felt that the person on the suspect list who seemed capable of taking action probably didn't exist, but it would be more reasonable to suspect those who were present that day.

Then, upon further reflection, he thought of a new possibility:

"[Blue text: So yesterday, March 31, 2024, the day before the incident, who were in this ward?]"

"【Red text: It's the same people, the same doctors and nurses, and the same family members who come to visit】."

Asuji Shi shook her head: "Senior, you have to understand, this is not an ordinary red and blue word game. This is a real case that happened in real life. [Red word: The method of killing someone a day later is not valid because Lu Chuanqian's life monitoring device will provide real-time feedback on his condition, including his death.] Therefore, there is no need to test that kind of narrative trick.

Asakawa Riku understood what she meant.

Although this is a red and blue word game, it is no longer the "game" it used to be, but a serious case investigation.

He initially thought that this might be the same method as the previous "millionaire's dismemberment in a locked room" case, where the killer was concealed by committing the murder the following day.

In reality, Shii Asukai is not his enemy, but a detective on the same side who wants to find out the truth. She only provides clues and does not deliberately hide details.

There would be no more backstabbing, wordplay, or deceptive tricks and scams involving manipulating words.

This is a real-life "case"... not just a game of theory.

"I understand……"

Asakawa Riku sat back in the imaginary chair and began to reorganize his thoughts.

Winter of Man: Chapter Nineteen Exclusion

Upon closer examination, the last sentence in red that Asukai Shi gave was crucial.

[Red text: The method of killing someone a day later is not feasible, because Lu Chuanqian's life monitoring device would provide real-time feedback on his condition, including his death.]

"In other words, can I confirm that [the blue text: Lu Chuanqian was murdered between 13:00 and 13:15 on April 1st, which is the time Xu Qishi was taking a nap?]"

As she said, if the medical equipment was not malfunctioning, then the moment the alarm was sounded and the doctors rushed in to wake Xu Qishi, Lu Chuanqian was already dead!

In just over ten minutes.

"【Red text: That's right, the life detection equipment is not malfunctioning】."

Asukai Shi affirmed his question in red, and the question suddenly became clear.

Her expression relaxed a bit, and through her guidance, she finally led Asakawa Riku onto the right path.

But ahead, the road ahead remains shrouded in mist.

"Then it's very simple. [Blue text: The murderer sneaked in while Xu Qishi was asleep, killed Lu Chuanqian, and then fled, committing the crime without anyone witnessing it]."

Riku Asakawa presented the first "hypothesis".

At that time, besides Lu Chuanqian, who was lying in bed unconscious, the only other person in the ward was Xu Qishi, who was taking a nap.

Xu Qishi takes care of patients every day and must be very tired. She might not notice anything when she falls asleep, and even if someone sneaks in, she wouldn't be able to detect it.

She was asleep at the time. If the murderer acted quickly and quietly, he could have killed Lu Chuanqian silently.

Asukai's poem neither affirms nor denies, but rather asks a rhetorical question:

"As mentioned before, Lu Chuanqian's vital signs are being monitored by instruments, and an alarm will be triggered immediately if she dies. The murderer will definitely be noticed by Xu Qishi when she wakes up. How will she escape?"

Asakawa Riku had already devised a plan: "It's simple. [Blue text: As long as he's also a doctor, that's fine. The murderer is wearing a white coat, or he himself is a doctor at the hospital. After the alarm goes off, many doctors and nurses rush in. As long as he blends in with the crowd of people trying to save lives, he can slip away unnoticed."]

A doctor-looking murderer would be very difficult to detect in that chaotic situation, especially since Xu Qishi had just woken up and would definitely be a little dazed.

In addition, she must have been very anxious, and her concern made her confused, so she might not have been able to figure out who the murderer was.

This method is feasible.

"The idea is good, but unfortunately, it's too simplistic."

However, Asukai Shi quickly refuted this: "[Red text: There are surveillance cameras in the hospital corridor. The cameras show that no one opened that door while Xu Qishi was asleep. By the time the rescuers rushed in, Asakawa Riku's life support had already sounded the alarm, indicating he was already dead. In other words, during that time, there were only the two of them in the room. I'll mention this in passing: the windows also have bars, the ventilation openings are too narrow for a person to squeeze through, and no one was hiding in the room beforehand... In other words...]"

"In other words... that ward was a [secret room] during that time period."

"【Red text: That ward, during that time period, was a locked room】."

The two said almost in unison.

Asakawa Riku almost stood up, speechless with astonishment.

He never expected that it really was... a locked room, a classic element in detective novels that was repeatedly mentioned in those incidents.

Unexpectedly, it happened again in the end.

Moreover, can there be locked-room murders in the "real world"?

Asukai Shi looked at his surprised expression and spread her hands: