The trivial affection between the lovers unexpectedly became the key to clearing up the suspicions.
Jian Jing calmly turned her thoughts around and realized that after eliminating Axu and Coach Yin, there were still two suspects left.
One was Yao Yao. She had the advantage of location. The other one was Ai Lina. She had spent a long time together with Yao Yao, so stealing her room key wouldn't have been difficult.
Jian Jing had already investigated the former, so she decided to go to room #9 where Ai Lina was staying and take a look.
Surprisingly, Ai Lina wasn't in the room.
Jian Jing sneaked in quietly.
The room was very dark. She carefully shined her flashlight at the shoe rack and flipped over the soles of the shoes. She wore soft, flat casual shoes, with some traces of gravel and grass blades on them, all very normal. The only thing that caught Jian Jing's attention was that there were spots of something white around the edges of the shoes.
She studied it for a while and even smelled it. She was shocked to discover that it was actually paint.
There was only one place that could get paint on it in the entire waterside villa.
The westernmost Room #12.
Mermaid Island was Si Yingjie's uncle's private island. He left a will giving the island to his cousin, but specifically required that the westernmost Room #12 be kept vacant for no one else to live in.
An unused room tends to deteriorate easily. The tropical sunshine was intense, and occasional typhoons were inevitable, causing damages.
On the first day Si Yingjie came to the island, he took a look around Room #12. Annoyed by the poor upkeep by the staff, he told them to refurbish it.
What was Ai Lina doing in Room #12?
Full of doubts, Jian Jing walked into the bedroom.
Ai Lina's bedroom was very tidy. Luggage was piled up in the wardrobe with some clothes hanging. On the dressing table was a cosmetic bag with small bottles of skincare products neatly arranged inside.
The makeup bag was also simple, containing only powder, lipstick and an eyeshadow palette.
Judging by her made-up look, one would never expect her tools to be so minimalist, yet her skills were so advanced... No, something was wrong.
Jian Jing asked herself, she wasn't a woman who loved makeup that much, but even so, she wouldn't take so little makeup when going on a trip. All kinds of situations could happen during travel, so more items would definitely be needed for coordination.
Especially sunscreen.
Ai Lina only had a little bit left, completely inconsistent with her claim of learning scuba diving.
The sunshine at sea was the most intense.
What was in the safe?
She hesitated for a moment, and turned on the X-ray vision device built into her glasses - this special black tech could only be used during missions.
The safes in the waterside villas were just for guests to store personal belongings, and did not have strong anti-theft capabilities at all. They were no match for the X-ray vision device.
Jian Jing immediately recognized what was inside.
A gun.
Judging by the shape of the bullets, it was not a XX.
She shifted her vision, and was about to turn off the X-ray vision device (it was expensive to use), when she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye. She quickly focused to take a careful look.
Under the powder case there was a hidden compartment, inside which were several capsules. And the lipstick - goodness, the rotating base at the bottom was a USB port.
Jian Jing turned off the X-ray vision device, with a lingering thought swirling in her mind: Could there be special agents in this world? Like James Bond?
Would Ai Lina hurt others?
Did she kill Yang Xiao?
What was she trying to do?
Jian Jing felt a tingling scalp, revisiting the shock she felt when she first arrived in this world.
Just then, she heard someone talking downstairs: "Ai Lina, why didn't you take an umbrella?"
It was Zong Xunmei's voice.
"It wasn't raining when I went out," Ai Lina said lightly, "I came back as soon as I could. But Mr. Zong, why are you out walking in such wind and rain?"
"Who said I was taking a walk?" Zong Xunmei laughed. "Maybe I have a date with a beauty."
Ai Lina said, "Then I won't keep you."
Then came the sounds of the door opening, taking off shoes, and going upstairs.
Jian Jing made a decisive action - she immediately dived into the bathroom and opened the window, about to jump down, but saw a figure standing below holding an umbrella signaling: "Hurry!"
In an emergency, there was no time to ask about details. Jian Jing grabbed the window sill, struggled with both feet for a while, and finally stepped on the wall half a meter away. Before she could steady herself, she immediately jumped forward again.
Nimbly passing the obstacle, she luckily landed on the stone path, avoiding leaving footprints in the damp soil.
Jian Jing breathed a sigh of relief, but Zong Xunmei made a hushing gesture and pushed her down behind the low wall. He himself walked forward nonchalantly.
"Swish", the window upstairs was pulled wide open.
Ai Lina stuck her head out and looked meaningfully at Zong Xunmei: "How strange, how did you get around to this side?"
Zong Xunmei said, "The road ahead was flooded so I took the back road, anything wrong with that?"
Ai Lina's gaze was piercing as she scanned every inch of the ground below, but the area behind the short wall was a blind spot in her line of sight. Crouching against the wall, Jian Jing completely shielded herself from view.
Ai Lina found nothing.
No footprints, no fingerprints, no hair.
But Ai Lina remembered very clearly that the bathroom window was closed, and her key had never left her side. Although she didn't know who it was, someone had definitely been inside.
Who was it?
Another guest, or a staff member?
"Not bad." Ai Lina was full of suspicion, but her face remained calm and tranquil. She flicked her hair casually and closed the window as if nothing had happened.
Outside, Zong Xunmei tilted his umbrella and said in a low voice, "Wait a while before leaving."
Jian Jing nodded.
He strolled away leisurely. Five minutes later, Ai Lina's face reappeared in the glass window. She stood silently for a moment, then quietly went downstairs.
Such slight sounds would be completely undetectable under the wind and rain, in ordinary circumstances.
- Except to those who had hearing cards activated.
As soon as Ai Lina went downstairs, Jian Jing knew it was time to act. She swiftly disappeared from the vicinity of Room #9. And around here, there was only one place she could hide her tracks.
Zong Xunmei's Room #10.
He brought her a dry towel to wipe her hair, a smile in his eyes. "It looks like you discovered Ai Lina's little secret."
Drenched by rain for several minutes, Jian Jing was chilled all over. "You call that a little secret?"
"Don't be nervous. She's not a difficult person to deal with." Zong Xunmei said, "You don't need to be afraid of her harming Si Yingjie either."
Jian Jing raised her eyebrows. "Are you a mind reader?"
"Just like your reasoning ability, a tiny bit of talent." He said, "Let me tell you, Yang Xiao was probably not killed by Ai Lina. On the contrary, that girl called Yao Yao is very suspicious."
Nothing could astonish Jian Jing more than this.
She had investigated the scene for a long time and checked each person's room one by one before locking onto Yao Yao. Zong Xunmei hadn't done anything today, where did he get this conclusion from?
And it was exactly the same as hers?
Zong Xunmei: "Oh, I seem to have said too much. You've already found clues yourself."
"I want to hear your reasoning." Jian Jing's reply was terse.
Zong Xunmei smiled and his answer was also brief: "She likes Si Yingjie."
Jian Jing was rendered speechless, as if being drenched in dog blood. Her heart thumped uncomfortably.
What kind of plot twist was this, adding a new branch to the ancient battlefield?
"I said before that Yang Xiao was well-liked by everyone and had no conflicts with them, so it must have been a romantic dispute."
Zong Xunmei recounted each person's behavior: "Si Yingjie was entangled with her, evasive in action but his eyes never left her side, obviously still in love. Kang Mu Cheng was indifferent towards other women, only exceptionally attentive to you. Axu and Coach Yin were immersed in their passionate romance. Ai Lina deliberately befriended Lin Yao with ulterior motives, while you... you are very interested in me, aren't you?"
Without waiting for an answer, he went on: "As for Lin Yao, you may not have noticed, she is always on Si Yingjie's right or front left, with her better-looking left side facing him."
Jian Jing was silent. Was there really such a thing? She didn't notice at all.
"Once or twice could be a coincidence, but every single time, it's definitely not accidental. Also, last night, she and Yang Xiao both made baked goods. She deliberately said the flower-shaped ones were made by Yang Xiao, but the water drop-shaped ones she arranged on the plate in front of Si Yingjie were actually her own making."
Zong Xunmei recounted in detail, as if clues were everywhere.
But Jian Jing knew clearly in her heart, people with such observant ability were rare in the world. Her intermediate observation card was not yet at such a level.
Just what was this guy's background?
"It makes sense." She looked up, murmuring, "But I remember you only came after everyone finished eating last night. How did you know about this?"
Zong Xunmei said, "No matter how I came to know it, this clue should be somewhat valuable, right?"
Jian Jing did not deny it.
Jian Jing had a secret crush on Si Yingjie, so she had the greatest motive and the most convenient opportunity for committing the crime. Next, she just needed to figure out the murder weapon she used and when.
Lost in thought, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed as a fierce wind howled.
Jian Jing wanted to send Kang Mu Cheng a message to ask about his progress over there, but she couldn't send it out several times as the network signal grew weaker and weaker. As soon as she stepped outside, it became a dead zone.
Damn useless network, damn useless infrastructure. The island just wasn't reliable.
After cursing to herself for a while, she had no choice but to head back first.
Zong Xunmei saw her to the door.
At that moment, Jian Jing suddenly stopped and hid herself in the shadows behind the door, observing Zong Xunmei: "What was your purpose in coming here?"
"It has nothing to do with any of you." He answered.
Jian Jing paused for a moment, not saying whether she believed him or not, then turned and left.
However, Zong Xunmei saw that instead of choosing to rest in her own room, she went back to Villa 9 again and knocked on Ai Lina's door casually as if nothing had happened.
He couldn't help praising her in his heart - staying in Villa 9 allowed her to both keep an eye on Ai Lina and monitor him, killing two birds with one stone. Not just anyone had the courage to go knocking right after escaping danger from the other side while still keeping a straight face.
*
Villa 9.
Ai Lina looked at the person outside the door, wary yet surprised: "Why did you come again?"
"Regarding what happened last night, I wanted to ask you some more details," Jian Jing was deeply cunning and had just secretly snuck into someone else's room not long ago, yet could still act as nonchalant as ever, "You don't mind, do you?"
Ai Lina said: "It's too late, can't we do this tomorrow?"
Jian Jing looked at the time on her phone, feigning surprise: "It's only a little past 8, you want to sleep already?"
Ai Lina responded expressionlessly: "The wind is howling and the rain is pouring, there's nothing else to do, might as well rest early."
"Then let me keep you company with some drinks," Jian Jing enthusiastically suggested, "It's perfect, I've got no one to drink with either, I'm bored to death. Yao Yao is with Brother Yingjie today, so let's keep each other company."
As she spoke, she walked inside.
Pushing her back out would likely arouse her suspicions, making her think it had to do with the murder. Ai Lina pondered and reluctantly made way.
The bars in the villas were all stocked with liquor, and each took a glass and filled it with champagne.
Jian Jing said: "You really enjoy drinking, just can't hold your liquor well. I remember last night you and Yao Yao got drunk after just one bottle of white wine."
Ai Lina smiled perfunctorily and took a sip of her drink.
Jian Jing also drank a mouthful, silently chanting to draw a card.
[Drawing ordinary card...]
[Draw complete]
[Name: Prop Card - Sobering Medicine (10/10)]
[Description: Strong sobering agent, instantly sober, lets you drink thousands of cups without getting drunk]
[Note: Looks like you don't want to experience drunkenness again~~]
Very good, the system was as reliable as ever, sending over an appropriate prop.
Let's see who can't help pretending to be drunk first tonight.
