Chapter 168： ultimate challenge

"There is one last day," Lu Shijin said in a faint voice, "the game is over. If you win, what will you do after you go back?"

Rongzhi said bluntly: "I thought about it, many times."

"I think you are also unwilling to die so silently," Lu Shijin smiled clearly, looked at him sideways, and suddenly asked, "Mr. Pei, in the real world, do you have someone you like? ?"

Lu Shijin's "Mr. Pei" made Rong Zhi stunned for a moment, and his stern face loosened for a moment, as if he was caught in a certain memory.

"No," Rongzhi came back to deny it, and said lightly, "I used to be busy with work and didn't have time to like someone."

Lu Shijin raised his eyebrows and smiled, expressing his surprise.

Rongzhi's dark pupils looked at him, and the corner of his mouth moved slightly, "What about you? Do you have someone you like?"

Lu Shijin shook his head, "I'm gay."

Rongzhi's eyes deepened.

Lu Shijin shrugged: "But I don't dare to come out. My parents have been teachers of the people all their lives, and they are stubborn and conservative. They definitely can't accept that their son likes men, so they don't like people either."

Rongzhi raised his eyebrows, "Really?" His tone sounded inexplicably regretful.

Lu Shijin casually twitched the corners of his mouth: "But after this time, I understand that people only live once in their lives, so what is the most important thing to do, being happy is the most important thing, so—"

"So what?" Rong Zhi asked.

Lu Shijin's eyes moved down naturally along the man's face, and he lowered his head and said softly, "So if I can go back smoothly this time, if I meet the right one, I won't have so many worries anymore, and I don't want to leave behind in my life. Regret."

Rongzhi's shoe toe stretched out towards Lu Shijin, hesitated for a while, then raised his hand and patted Lu Shijin's shoulder, "We will go back, definitely."

Lu Shijin lowered his head and didn't raise his head, and asked himself in his heart: Will it be possible? Really?

But why, the closer to the truth, he became more and more panic?

——

Not only Lu Shijin was panicking, but other players were equally nervous.

The most nervous person is Mrs. Feng, because if according to the law of the last round of murderers, the people who conspired to commit the crime would all die, and the next one who would die is likely to be her!

She hopes to find someone to accompany her to spend this night, but her life is at stake. Everyone chooses to protect themselves and does not want to be implicated by a prey who may have been targeted by the murderer. No one is willing to help this poor woman, indifferently After leaving room 202, I was going to go to the crime scene on the third floor to continue searching for evidence.

Surrounded by despair and fear, Mrs. Feng felt that the outside world was full of dangers and did not dare to go out. After the people left, she immediately locked the door and pulled the sofa behind the door to block the door.

She still didn't feel safe enough, took a fruit knife and got into the quilt on the bed, cursing everyone in a low voice, while shivering and waiting to meet the unknown fate...

When the crime scene finally opened, others rushed to Mr. Lu's bedroom on the third floor to search for clues.

Lu Shijin followed behind the crowd to take a look. Except for a pool of blood stains that had condensed into dark red on the quilt on the bed, everything in the room had not moved as it was, including the glass of red wine he poured for the old man last night. It was also placed on the coffee table, and there was nothing missing. It seems that after he left, the old man did not drink.

Although Lu Shijin had already determined that he would not be the murderer, he didn't say anything. Others rummaged through boxes and cabinets in the room, like bandits entering the village, looking for clues.

When he opened the drawer, there was a thick stack of documents. Lu Shijin picked up the documents and flipped through them at will. They were all reports about the company, and there was nothing special about them.

Just when he was about to close the drawer, Lu Shijin noticed that something seemed to be pressed under the document. Before anyone came to the study, Lu Shijin quickly took out the piece of paper and looked down, it turned out to be a photo.

The photo shows a woman and two little boys no more than four years old.

The color of the photo is slightly yellowed, and the corners are also a little wrinkled. It should be taken out for viewing from time to time. There are several small characters in the lower right corner of the photo, "taken in H City in 1995".

Lu Shijin turned the photo over, and wrote a line of words on the back of the blank with a pen.

"I have a good time with my child, don't read, don't come to me."

What does it mean?

Who are the woman and child in the photo? Who was this photo sent to?

A bunch of doubts have not been solved yet, and new ones have come, and Lu Shijin feels a big head.

Suddenly hearing footsteps coming from the door of the study, Lu Shijin quickly folded the photo and hid it in his pocket. Seeing Lu Zhongze who came in, he asked casually, "Did you find any clues?"

"No," Lu Zhongze strolled around in the study, "what about you? Have you found any clues?"

"No, I just came in not long ago." Lu Shijin said.

Lu Zhongze looked at him suspiciously: "I kindly remind you that it's time for you. It's no good for you to hide clues. If you find something, it's better to say it."

Lu Shijin pretended to be confused and asked with a smile, "Why?"

Lu Zhongze walked up to him, lowered his voice and said, "Now that the situation is so clear, why do you still ask? The murderer is among you, the nanny and the illegitimate child. You have to prove that you are not the murderer! Of course, I believe it. You are not, but others don't believe it."

"You believe I'm not, then who do you think is?" Lu Shijin asked deliberately.

Lu Zhongze glanced up, obviously trying to make a speech, "I know you know the illegitimate child, but do you really believe him? You said in the last round that you didn't vote with him, so who is Mr. Feng's vote? Voted? Nanny? But the nanny now seems to be the least motive for murder, so I think there is a high probability that one of you has lied, what do you think?"

"You're right," Lu Shijin patted the sleeves of his suit and smiled, "but guesswork is just guesswork, and evidence is required for everything. If there is no conclusive evidence, we can't just guess at the murderer, right? This is the last chance. ,To take advantage of."

"It seems that you still want to defend him," Lu Zhongze stopped pretending to be a good person, tore off the mask of hypocrisy, and said sarcastically, "It's really a deep brotherhood, it's very touching, then I'll wait and see, if I find evidence in the end Prove that one of you is the murderer, then will the other choose to die together, or rush to betray your friends to survive hahaha!"

The speaker has no intention, but the listener has a heart. When Lu Shijin heard the words "brotherly love" coming out of Lu Zhongze's mouth, his heart skipped a beat, as if he was about to catch some key clue, but he couldn't think of it for a while. So come out.

Lu Shijin didn't want to listen to Lu Zhongze's nonsense anymore, so he walked out of the study. Rongzhi, who was searching for evidence outside, saw him coming out of the study, came over and asked in a low voice, "Did you find anything?"

When Lu Shijin saw Rongzhi, his mind suddenly became clear, he knew what was going on!

The photos in the study will never appear there for no reason, they must be important clues.

And the woman and child in the photo must have a great relationship with Mr. Lu. It is very likely that Mr. Lu's death has no hidden meaning!

Although Lu Shijin doesn't know the woman in the photo, the two children are probably also on the boat now, among them!

The photo was taken in 1995, almost twenty-five years ago, so the two children should be in their thirties by now.

Among the ten people on the boat, there were six men. Excluding Mr. Li, nephew Li, and Mr. Feng, who were not of the same age, he, Lu Zhongze, and Rongzhi were left.

And Lu Zhongze is Mr. Lu's nephew. The characters introduce him as the only child, and he has no siblings. No matter how romantic the old man is, he can't have anything with his sister-in-law, right? So Lu Zhongze can also rule it out.

Then the rest is Rongzhi and him... Could it be?

Lu Shijin looked at Rongzhi with complicated eyes, but he was hesitant to say anything. How should he explain to Rongzhi that they were actually "brothers" who had been separated for many years?

This is too ridiculous!

"I didn't find anything. I'm a little anxious. I'll go back to my room and go to the toilet." Lu Shijin was not sure about the relationship, so he wanted to find other clues and slipped out of the room by urinating.

He is a little dizzy now. If he and Rongzhi's two characters are "brothers", how can they explain that one of them is Mr. Lu's adopted son, and the other is Mr. Lu's illegitimate son?

There is no reason for the old man to recognize only one of his two sons.

Could it be... a half-sister? In this way, it can be explained.

Lu Shijin remembered that he had not yet solved his motive for murder, could it be related to this clue?

It's a pity that the old man is already dead, so I can't take the photo and ask him what the relationship between the people above is and him... Wait!

Lu Shijin's mind flashed, besides the old man, there is another person who might know the inside story!

housekeeper! The housekeeper has been with the old man for decades, and the old man trusts him very much, so the housekeeper should know everything about the old man!

Damn, how could you forget such an important NPC?

Lu Shijin was about to take the photo to the housekeeper to ask about the situation, when suddenly the phone in his pocket vibrated.

It was already four o'clock in the afternoon, and everyone received a notification on their mobile phones at the same time, which was the result of Mr. Lu's autopsy.

"After inspection, Mr. Lu's death was between 1 and 2 in the morning on the 2nd. The cause of death was due to severe heart hemorrhage due to a sharp instrument. The components of the anesthetic were detected in the blood."

It's exactly the same as what the convenience store told him before.

Lu Shijin's heart clenched tightly. He seemed to be getting closer and closer to the truth, and he was about to touch the veil covering the truth.

But the closer he got to the truth, the more afraid he became, afraid that the truth would be unbearable to him.

He took a deep breath, forget it, no matter what the truth is, let's figure it out first, there is no reason to come this far and back off.

He was about to go downstairs, when suddenly he heard a "Puuuuuu" sound in the corner next to him. He followed the sound and saw that Xu Chen was hiding in the corner, showing half of his head, and moved to Lu Shijin mysteriously. wave.

Xu Chen: "Come here."

Lu Shijin walked over, "Why are you here?"

Xu Chen rolled his eyes: "I'm not worried about you. Have you found any clues?"

Lu Shijin frowned, with a heavy heart, "I found it, but I don't have a clue."

"What's the matter? Are you not happy to find the clue?" Xu Chen asked strangely, seeing his depressed look.

Lu Shijin looked at him blankly, "Convenience store, what should I do if Rongzhi is the murderer?"

"Huh?" Xu Chen's eyes widened in surprise, and his voice rose abruptly. In response, he was afraid that people would find out, so he hurriedly covered his mouth and lowered his voice before speaking, "No way?! So unlucky? He is the murderer? Are you sure?"

"I'm not sure yet, I'm just asking you, if so," Lu Shijin looked at Xu Chen with a look of hope, "Is there anything you can do?"

Xu Chen raised his hand and wiped his sweat: "...What can I do about this? I'm just an ordinary person here, and I can't change anything."

Lu Shijin's eyes dimmed a little, and he sighed, "I see."

Xu Chen has accompanied Lu Shijin as a system for so long, but this is the first time he sees such a sadness on Lu Shijin's face as if the sky is falling: "Don't be discouraged, you didn't say it all, you're not sure, then Look for clues, what if you guess wrong?"

"Well," Lu Shijin reluctantly picked himself up and wiped his face, "Do you know where the housekeeper is?"

Xu Chen patted his chest, "You're asking the right person, I know, come with me!"

Xu Chen took Lu Shijin to the first floor, where all the servants and ship's staff had their rooms.

Finding the room where the housekeeper lived, Lu Shijin knocked on the door, but no one responded, the housekeeper should not be in the room.

If he is not in the room, where would he be an NPC?

Lu Shijin decided to stay outside the housekeeper's room and wait for him to come back.

Anyway, there was nothing to do. Lu Shijin took out the photos and discussed with Xu Chen while waiting. Now, apart from the convenience store he believed in, he couldn't find anyone else to discuss.

"I found a photo in a drawer in Mr. Lu's study."

Xu Chen glanced at him, "Who is the person above?"

"I guess the child is me and Rongzhi. If a woman is a woman, it should be the role of a mother." Lu Shijin said concisely.

Xu Chen: "How do you know?"

Lu Shijin: "Don't care how I know it, I now think that the death of the old man should not only be as simple as someone trying to make money and kill his life, there may be other secrets, as long as we solve this secret, we may be able to unlock the truth. ."

Xu Chen put his arms around his chest and frowned, "This game is so complicated. Look, I didn't lie to you, right? The ultimate challenge is not that easy."

"What I'm worried about now is that if I ask the housekeeper, the housekeeper may not be willing to tell me the truth. After all, I'm also one of the suspects." Lu Shijin said distressedly.

Xu Chen's eyes lit up, and he snapped his fingers, "It's simple, you can give me the photo, and I'll help you ask if it's okay."

"You?" Lu Shijin sneered, "Why do you think he will tell you?"

"I'm a forensic doctor," Xu Chen clapped his hands. "I was asked by the captain to help investigate the case. I asked the relevant personnel for clues. Isn't this normal?"

It sounds reasonable, but I can't think of a better way for the time being, so I can only let Xu Chen try it.

In order to prevent the housekeeper from seeing him and arousing his suspicions, the two decided after discussing that Lu Shijin would hide first, and Xu Chen would chat with the housekeeper alone.

But the strange thing is that the two waited outside the housekeeper's room for a full hour. The storm outside stopped, and the housekeeper had not yet returned.

The old man is dead, and the housekeeper has no other person to serve. What can he do alone and need to go out for so long?

Lu Shijin felt more and more that the NPC of the housekeeper was not simple.

After waiting for almost an hour and a half, I finally heard footsteps outside the corridor. It was almost until the two people who were dozing off immediately regained their energy. Lu Shijin hurriedly ducked to the corner to hide, and Xu Chen came forward to deal with the housekeeper.

"Doctor Xu, why are you here?" the butler asked strangely.

Xu Chen: "It's Mr. Steward like this. The captain is concerned about the progress of the case of Mr. Lu's death. Let me ask you a few questions. Is it convenient for you?"

The housekeeper said friendly: "Of course it's convenient, then come into my room and have a cup of tea and chat slowly."

Lu Shijin heard the sound of a door opening, followed by footsteps, and the door was gently closed again, making sure that there was no movement in the corridor, and then he leaned out from the corner.

The sound insulation of the room is very good, and the voices of the people inside are so low that it is impossible to hear what is being said outside the door. Lu Shijin can only stare outside.

But Xu Chen went in for so long and didn't come out, which means that he still had some chats with the housekeeper.

Lu Shijin was a little relieved.

He left the corridor and went to the balcony on the first floor. The storm outside the cabin had stopped, and the sky was as blue as it had been washed with water, with a few wisps of clouds floating.

It was already evening, and the night gradually filled in from the west, and the sea was calm, but Lu Shijin knew that the calm was just an appearance, and that hidden below the sea level was the power that could destroy all things.

The phone suddenly vibrated again, and Lu Shijin opened it to see that it was Rongzhi who sent a message asking him where he went.

Lu Shijin: [I'm on the first floor, I have something to do, are you finished? What did you find? 】

Rong Zhi: [No special findings, the autopsy result said that Mr. Lu died from the fruit knife, but everyone confessed the way of killing, but no one admitted that it was a knife. 】

Lu Shijin: [If I were the murderer, of course I wouldn't admit it. By the way, how did Lu Zhongze and Miss Gao plan to kill people? 】

Rong Zhi: [I changed the rhetoric from what they said before. They admitted that they gave Mr. Lu mandala pollen, but they also did not admit to killing people with a knife. 】

Lu Shijin sneered at the phone when he saw the message, and he knew that Lu Zhongze, the grandson, had not told the truth from the beginning.

If he hadn't confirmed that he was not the murderer now, he would never have been able to say how he killed.

However, he knew that Lu Zhongze would not be the murderer, he was the role of a **** stirrer in the game.

I was stunned for a while and didn't reply to the message, and the phone vibrated twice.

Rongzhi: [You haven't finished your work yet? 】

Lu Shijin: [What's wrong? Is there a problem? 】

Rongzhi: [It's getting dark, it's more dangerous outside. 】

Lu Shijin couldn't help smiling at the phone, and Rongzhi spoke in a tone that sounded like a parent urging their children to go home before dark.

Lu Shijin started to tease him.

Lu Shijin: [Dangerous outside, where is the safety? in your room? 】

Rongzhi: [If you are afraid of being alone, I can share my room with you. 】

Lu Shijin typed with a smile: [Okay, then wait for me, I'll be right back. 】

Rongzhi: [Hmm. 】

Lu Shijin: [However, you are not afraid that I am the murderer, you have led the wolf into the room? 】

It took a while for Rongzhi to reply: [Then I can only recognize it. 】

Lu Shijin: [What do you recognize? 】

Rongzhi: [Your acting is so good, I can only admit it. 】

After Xu Chen asked the housekeeper what to say, when he came out of the housekeeper's room to find Lu Shijin, he saw Lu Shijin holding his mobile phone and smiling happily.

"Who are you chatting with? You smile like a sunflower." Xu Chen emerged from behind Lu Shijin and asked coolly.

Lu Shijin put away the phone, his face returned to a serious face, "I want you to take care of it, you only have sunflowers on your face."

"Oh, don't worry about me, then I'll go."

Xu Chen was about to leave, but Lu Shijin hurriedly held him back and said with a smile, "Oh, what a convenience store, I'm joking, tell me, what did the housekeeper tell you?"

Xu Chen: "He didn't say who the person in the photo was, but he just told me a story about the old man when he was young..."

About thirty years ago, Mr. Lu's father was seriously ill and asked Mr. Lu, who was studying overseas at the time, to return to inherit the family business.

After Mr. Lu came back, under his father's arrangement, he married another wealthy family, but he didn't actually love his wife. He devoted all his energy to his career and often traveled around the world.

One time when I was talking about business abroad, the foreign gangs would be bad for Mr. Lu. Fortunately, a man rescued Mr. Lu. In order to express his gratitude, Mr. Lu promised that men could come to him in the future in any difficulties.

Not long after, the man was caught for an economic crime and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

The man asked a lawyer to find Mr. Lu and asked him to help take care of his pregnant wife until he was released from prison. Of course, Mr. Lu obliged.

The man's wife is a gentle and beautiful woman, and she is also knowledgeable. She and Mr. Lu once studied in the same school. Of course, the two have a lot in common.

Gradually, in the process of taking care of a man's wife, Mr. Lu fell in love with the wife of his savior, just like many stories in novels. Mr. gave birth to a child.

But the paper couldn't contain the fire. In the end, the matter between the two was discovered by Mr. Lu's original partner. The original partner came to the door, and the woman felt ashamed herself, so she left Mr. Lu with the child and went to live in other cities, and did not let her Mr. Lu came to find her.

It was not until a few years later that Mr. Lu suddenly knew that the woman had contracted the disease and died. He rushed to the city where the woman was located and wanted to take care of the two children, but the two children had already entered the orphanage. Among them, Mr. Lu's own child had just been taken care of. After the adoption, Mr. Lu could only bring back the remaining one who claimed to be the adopted son, but he has not stopped searching for his own flesh and blood...

"You guessed it right," Xu Chen finished the story and looked at Lu Shijin sympathetically, "You two are really half-brothers, hey, it's a godsend."

Although Lu Shijin had a hunch in his heart, he couldn't help but feel regret.

It seemed that the two of them were alone tonight, and his plans to do something went awry.