Chapter 192: Chapter 180 Story Eight Chapter 192: Chapter 180 Story Eight Indeed, something big had happened…

The camera followed Andrew and Chief Paine as they rushed into the apartment building, up the dilapidated staircase with its peeling, moldy walls. Guided by the terror mixed with curiosity in the residents’ eyes, it was easy to find the starting point of the incident.

In front of a bachelor’s room on the third floor, a crowd had gathered. Their eyes brimmed with curiosity and they drew near to the ajar door, only to retreat in panic, their expressions betraying a fear as if their souls had been scared away. A few even staged a dramatic fall to the ground… And for those who hadn’t seen yet, they pushed forward with all their might, eager to witness a scene only found in TV dramas, as it would add a little spice to their dull lives as dinner conversation.

“Dammit! Get out of the way!” Chief Paine yelled, disregarding the surrounding grumblings about the unwritten rules of onlookers. He pushed through the crowd forcefully and quickly reached the door that was already wide open, with Mr. Andrew right behind him.

The camera also followed closely, extending into the apartment.

This was arguably the most rundown room in the entire building: a mattress full of holes lay on the floor, and in the corner were countless empty bottles of alcohol, undoubtedly the dwelling of an alcoholic evolving into a vagrant… There was not a single piece of decent furniture to be seen, you could take in the whole room at a glance. Oh, right, the reason this place attracted such a crowd was because of the ceiling fan overhead, missing several blades. And hanging from it was a person, feet dangling, swinging slightly, accompanied by groaning “creaks” under the strain.

It’s worth mentioning that this person… was the drunk who had claimed to be a witness!

…

…

The case was over.

Without any warning… it was even a bit absurd, like two nations at war, the armies at the gates, a battle destined to change history about to erupt, but suddenly, the enemy king dies of plague with a gurgle, followed by a collective betrayal across the nation. The city gates flung open, lights bright, streets adorned with flowers, the sound of drums and gongs filled the city, with citizens lining up to welcome the conquerors.

If this were indeed a movie, that screenwriter would probably be cursed so much they’d be embarrassed to have their graves grow grass…

But really, it had ended just like that.

In that bachelor apartment, a blood-stained yellow raincoat was found, along with a bloodied dagger. After a simple blood type comparison at the police station, it was confirmed that the bloodstains matched those of the deceased. This was almost like conclusive evidence.

It should have been that way. The victim was just a vagrant, with no friends or family. Even if he hadn’t died by the knife, perhaps he would have fallen into a well or frozen to death on the streets the next time he drank too much!

No one cared about his death… except for those extraordinarily bored media.

Andrew’s name was included in the list of collaborators with the police station… and it made the newspapers, just like mentioned before. On the third day after the case happened, an unheard-of private detective had solved a murder case on his own before the police did. This news was certainly headline material for those dull newspapers. As for the relationship between the murderer and the vagrant, or his motive for killing, issues like these became meaningless with the killer’s suicide out of guilt.

And why he claimed to be a witness before his suicide, if you think about it, perhaps he had intended to turn himself in that day, but due to Chief Paine’s interference, he changed his mind. His binge drinking in the bar that day was probably his last hurrah before death, a behaviour quite fitting for a drunkard.

…

The case was over… but the story hadn’t ended yet. After these scenes were quickly summarized by a montage, our view shifted to a bar, the very one where Mr. Paine had taken the drunken witness to meet Mr. Andrew. The same perspective was used again, blurry and indistinct in the distance. Andrew had changed into a new outfit, combed his messy hair, and looked more refreshed, although his eyes still showed worry.

After another drink, he placed a bill on the table and stood up.

The camera remained focused on his back, swaying slightly as it moved past several tables, then came to a door that looked strangely familiar. He hesitated for a few seconds before pushing it open.

Outside was an alley, deep into the night, very dark, with the sound of passing cars on the road faintly audible. It took a few seconds for the camera to adjust to the dim light, and then as it turned, we finally saw the full view of the alley – the very place where the vagrant had died.

Andrew looked at the scene before him and smiled faintly.

The picture suddenly cut to black.

In the darkness, a ring of a telephone resonated, followed by Andrew’s voice…

“Hello…”

…

…

And after that!

“The story is over!” The voice from the television set announced, and that face made up of lines appeared on the screen again. ヽ(•̀ω•́)ゝ

“Huh?”

“Nani?”

Chen Xiao and Yuto exclaimed in unison.

“What the hell, it’s over just like that?” Chen Xiao complained loudly.

The television set confidently declared, “Of course! The story is all finished!” ╰(*´︶`*)╯

Yuto-kun also hurriedly asked, “So, does that mean clues from the story can no longer be purchased?”

“Yes!” replied the television set. “Because the rules stated earlier that if the scene changes, then the problems showcased in the previous scene can no longer be bought.”

“Hmm… it seems they don’t want contestants to bid on the content of this last phone call, but… what about the remaining 300 or so chips I have? How should I use them?” Yuto-kun asked.

“Yeah, right, I also have over 300 points left, how can I use them?” Chen Xiao also joined in shamelessly.

The television interrupted them, “Although clues from the story are no longer up for auction, you can still ask questions, though the answers you’ll get are limited to ‘yes’ or ‘no’ only!

Plus, according to my calculations, Mr. Chen Xiao’s remaining chips should only be 238 points.”

“Uh~ I know, I was just rounding up a bit.” Chen Xiao shamelessly explained without losing face.

The television, seemingly too lazy to bother with him, continued, “However, since the story has now ended, after every question is asked, you must present an overview of the story, and if the narrative is incorrect, the right to question and narrate will switch to the other party, back and forth, until the true story is deduced! Of course, the one who ultimately uncovers the truth will be the victor of this competition!”

…

…

“Heh, so that’s how it is. Well, it seems like it’s time to decide the winner then…” Yuto-kun said with a smile, then raised his hand and shouted, “Question!”

This should have been a moment to fight for the right to narrate, but Chen Xiao hesitated then spread his hands with a ‘be my guest’ gesture.

Yuto-kun was taken aback: “Hehe, I see… then, I won’t hold back.” With that, he asked, “Did Chief Paine help Detective Andrew because of money?”

“50 points!” came the reply from the television set, and right after, Yuto-kun’s phone buzzed with the answer — it seemed that questions were no longer about whether to purchase but were directly deducting chips and delivering responses.

Yuto-kun glanced at the answer on his phone and smirked cunningly; just as I thought: “So, now it’s time for me to tell the story.”

He dramatically cleared his throat before starting.

“You all heard the question I just asked, and the answer I received was ‘yes.’ This pretty much lifts the veil on the mystery,

Chief Paine needed money, for he was nearing 50, an age hardly suitable for a police officer always on the frontline without any promotions; he was getting too old for this. He knew that once his time came, he would lose his financial standing and the chance of winning his daughter’s custody, relegated to a lonely man living off his pension… Oh, right, I forgot there’s someone here who doesn’t know about Chief Paine. Ha ha.”

He looked mockingly at Chen Xiao: “So, let me briefly explain out of the goodness of my heart. Chief Paine is divorced, left with nothing, and he probably hasn’t seen his daughter for a long time, which has been a sore point for him over the years.

Now, to the part of the story we’ve witnessed. Before his retirement, he found a third-rate detective with no fame—Mr. Andrew, and promised to make him a famous detective. In exchange, once he became renowned, every case would have a cut for himself or just give him a lump-sum of money, the specifics of the deal don’t really matter anymore…. In any case, Mr. Andrew, the third-rate detective, must have been thrilled to accept the offer.

What Chief Paine didn’t expect was that for a long time afterward, his district became unexpectedly quiet with no major cases, and petty issues barely roused any interest from Mr. Andrew…

As time slipped away, Chief Paine’s departure from his job approached, so… he panicked.

Work left him with nothing; he lived alone in a bachelor apartment, lost his family, lost his happiness, and was about to lose his job, too. All his emotions were invested in his daughter, and if he were to lose that as well, what meaning would his life have left?

This thought made him reckless.

Eventually, he staged a “murder.”

That’s why the victim was a vagrant with no friends or family! Who would kill such a person for no reason? The reason was… nobody would truly investigate the cause of his death.

After that, he found a drunkard as desperate as him, the witness, and had him meet with Mr. Andrew in a bar, creating the illusion of a man who “wanted to confess before his death but was indecisive and resorted to drinking instead,”

In reality, the testimony he gave was taught by Chief Paine, not only giving Mr. Andrew a heads-up but also finding a scapegoat.

The next morning after leaving the bar, Chief Paine met with the drunkard witness in the dilapidated apartment building, probably under the pretext of paying him off. Then, he killed the man and staged it to look like suicide, even deliberately leaving the door ajar so neighbors would discover the body. Following that, Paine called Andrew, and what unfolded next was as seen in the scene in the café across the street until the body was found. The yellow trench coat and the bloodied murder weapon were also part of his fabrication—it was simple for the chief of police overseeing the case to get some of the corpse’s blood, and Andrew, with his detective skills, simply couldn’t compare to Chief Paine, who had been scraping by on the crime frontline.

So, Chief Paine put on a one-man show, killing two social underbelly nobodies nobody cared about, creating a detective, gaining some cash, and on top of that, clearing his own name, and that last phone call was undoubtedly from Chief Paine himself, a celebration of such a successful plan… But of course, it’s more plausible to say he was demanding his dues.”

Yuto-kun finished narrating the whole story with a laugh, and his delivery indeed deserved the phrase “vivid and engaging.”

But just as he was about to pose as the triumphant winner,

“Plot incorrect… now the right to narrate switches to the opposing contestant to ask questions…”