The Demon's Menu-Chapter 969: Sorry, I Saw the Answer Directly While You Were Solving the Problem (2)
But Hui Lijing did not immediately confirm her thoughts; she turned her head to look at Jason.
Jason still maintained his previous posture, gazing at the entire river.
Under Hui Lijing’s scrutiny, Jason finally turned around.
However, he did not look towards the three new arrivals but at Ryosuke.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
Finally, Ryosuke couldn’t bear it anymore and opened his eyes.
"When did you notice it?"
Ryosuke, unharmed, propped himself up off the ground and stood up, his gaze fixed on Jason.
"When you just woke up."
Jason answered like this.
"Is it because of the breathing?"
Ryosuke asked again.
"Yes."
Jason did not deny it, although he had realized it because he heard the other’s heartbeat skip twice.
"Being with someone like you, no amount of caution is enough."
Muttering words like this, Ryosuke first nodded to Hui Lijing before finally looking towards the three individuals.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am a police officer."
"This is my police badge."
"May I trouble you to take me to see the body?"
Ryosuke showed his police badge.
Immediately, the office worker, shop assistant, and female student visibly relaxed.
"Of course, officer."
The office worker immediately said.
The shop assistant and female student also nodded.
Ryosuke turned his head towards Jason.
"Although I don’t know how this river appeared, I think the body that just surfaced is the key to why we are here; if we want to leave, we must examine that body."
Ryosuke said.
Jason did not deny it.
Hui Lijing did not deny it either.
But Hui Lijing did have this doubt.
She was wondering why Jason had been watching the river for so long.
What exactly is in the river?
Or rather, what is it that Jason cares so much about?
Could it be the fish in the river?
It couldn’t possibly be a monster in the river, right?
Hui Lijing thought.
Then, she inexplicably thought of that half-human, half-skeleton who claimed to be a novice monk… maybe it wasn’t impossible, since the whole street had become weird after dusk.
No matter what appeared next, Hui Lijing would be able to accept it.
She did not walk at the very front of the group.
Nor did she walk side by side with those three.
Hui Lijing stayed as close to Jason’s side as possible as they moved forward.
’How to survive on the battlefield?’
’Follow the veterans.’
That was what the instructor at the training camp had told her when they parted ways.
And this advice had saved her more than once.
Although this was not a battlefield.
It still applied.
She was a rookie facing the ’Mystical Side,’ naturally, she should follow a veteran like Jason.
"Do I need to do anything later?"
Hui Lijing quietly asked Jason, looking at Officer Ryosuke walking behind the three people.
"Wait and see."
Jason said indifferently.
"Okay."
Hui Lijing immediately nodded.
From three people, it became a group of six: Hui Lijing carrying a lantern and Jason walking last, while the female student, shop assistant, and office worker walked at the front, with Ryosuke providing light with his portable flashlight.
The street market was not long, and very soon, they returned to the entrance of Tongshou Temple.
Then, they immediately saw the body hanging in front of Tongshou Temple’s gate.
The body’s face was half-covered in shadows under the temple lights, and blood flowed from the body, pooling at the feet.
The moment he saw the body, Ryosuke’s face turned pale.
"Yan Xia!"
The middle-aged officer blurted out.
Then, the middle-aged officer rushed forward; he needed to confirm the person’s identity.
Indeed it was that bastard!
Moments later, the middle-aged officer had his definite answer.
But...
Hadn’t he been exchanging gunfire with that person earlier?
Afterward, not only was he shot, but he also hit his head on something.
Then, he passed out.
However, one thing was certain before he lost consciousness; Yan Xia was still alive, he shot him in the chest, but it didn’t penetrate the heart, and the person fell to the ground severely wounded.
Beyond that...
He had no recollection.
He woke up to see Jason and Hui Lijing.
Subconsciously, Ryosuke looked toward Jason and Hui Lijing.
"It has nothing to do with us!"
"We just found you here!"
"Then, preparing to leave, we took you with us!"
Hui Lijing, facing Ryosuke’s scrutinizing gaze, immediately said.
"Sorry, it’s just a habit."
"Can you help me put the body down?"
Ryosuke said.
Hui Lijing looked at Jason and, seeing that he had no objections, immediately said.
"Yes."
After Hui Lijing spoke, she nimbly stepped on the wall and climbed up to the eaves, then squatting down near the crossbeam of Tongshou Temple’s gate.
Made entirely of solid wood, squarely shaped, about 20 centimeters wide, above which are the roof eaves, signs, and other decorations.
From Hui Lijing’s current angle, she could clearly see the body was hanging by one end of a rope knotted around the neck, suspended on the crossbeam of the temple gate, wrapped around the neck once and around the beam once, tied in a dead knot.
About 30 centimeters of space was left between the beam and the neck of the body.
But the knot did not sway.
There were also no traces of friction-induced bloodstains on the neck of the body.
This proves that the body was hung here after death.
However, the fresh blood on the floor was only underneath the body; there was none around.
And the reason the body bled profusely was not due to the gunshot wound in the chest but the knife wound in the back.
A narrow, smooth knife wound that pierced through the heart.
"The condition of the wound in the chest was likely severe, incapacitating or rendering the victim unconscious, then the murderer appeared behind the deceased and finished him off with a stab."
"No trembling, no hesitation."
"A skilled knife user."
"But... why are there no traces near the beam?"
Hui Lijing observed the beam; Tongshou Temple was very clean, evidently the monks cleaned often, but there were places they couldn’t reach.
Such as: the house beams.
Thus, there was a layer of fine dust on the house beam.
But what’s strange is here, apart from the dust under the rope being rubbed off, the surrounding dust was untouched. freēnovelkiss.com
It looked as if the rope had wound itself around the beam automatically. f
But...
How could that be possible?
From the ground to the beam, it was about 3 meters high, what kind of rope could wind itself automatically?
Even if it was thrown over, how would the dead knot be tied?
It couldn’t possibly have been tied out of thin air, could it?
Driven by detective instinct, Hui Lijing couldn’t help but think.
"Can you bring down the body?"
Ryosuke asked from below.
"The rope is tied in a dead knot, it needs to be cut."
Hui Lijing answered.
Ryosuke frowned.
Knowing not to disturb the crime scene as a criminal investigator.
It couldn’t be brought down directly...
Ryosuke took a few steps back, then with a sudden sprint,
He lifted his uninjured arm, with difficulty, pulling himself up onto the wall.
Since it can’t be brought down, then it’s up to go.
Squatting on the wall, Ryosuke carefully examined the body of Yan Xia and the knot, then he too fell into the same confusion as Hui Lijing.
Huh!
The light from the portable flashlight swept across the signboard of Tongshou Temple.
The shadow behind the signboard caught Ryosuke’s attention.
"What is that?"
Ryosuke asked.
"It seems like a box?"
Hui Lijing answered uncertainly.
Then, Hui Lijing reached out her arm, trying to pull out the thing behind the signboard, but due to the distance, she couldn’t reach it at all.
Even bracing one hand on the eaves and stretching out the other didn’t work.
Hui Lijing couldn’t reach, and the injured Ryosuke obviously couldn’t either.
"I’ll go find a ladder."
Ryosuke said as such, then jumped down from the wall.
A temple like Tongshou Temple would definitely have a ladder.
Office workers, clerks, schoolgirls watching Ryosuke jump down stood obediently in their places without moving.
Seeming at a loss.
Seemingly overwhelmed with panic.
Jason looked at the three people, then looked at Ryosuke coming out with the ladder, and looked at Hui Lijing who was inquisitive, sighing inwardly.
He also wanted to rely on superior observation and meticulous logic to find the murderer.
But he couldn’t do it!
Tomb Guardian’s [Perception of Death Qi] allowed him to see the murderer at a glance.
Watching Ryosuke about to climb the ladder, Jason stepped forward and stood in front of the office workers, clerk, and schoolgirl.
His gaze sweeping over the three people, he said—
"The murderer is…"
