438: 8.38 W-What The Fudge?!

8.38 W-What The Fudge?!

Of course, that was all but a speculation. But at this rate, Lu Yizhou was going to be so paranoid and suspect everyone. He might even come to doubt the protagonists sooner or later despite knowing that it was impossible. They were the protagonists for a reason. Killing a teammate was an act so heinous that it could only be done by the most despicable person.  2

But why…? Of all people, why was Diana the one who's killed?

"Wait—Wait a minute," Olivia finally marched into the room, her eyes firmly trained on Ailín. "You're a police officer?"

"I…" Ailín seemed to hesitate a bit but then his shoulder deflated as he admitted, "I was fired recently but yes, I used to be a police officer."

"You…!" Olivia looked at him up and down, hating that iron couldn't become steel[1]. In the end, she just threw her hands up in the air and blurted out in an accusing tone, "So how could you become like this?! All you do all day is drink, drink and drink! You didn't even know if your roommate was alive or not! It certainly wasn't because you didn't pay attention but you were too wasted to care, am I right?! If you had just been a little more alert, then she wouldn't have died right now!"

All colors drained from Ailín's face at that barrage of words. Heavy silence reigned in the room and the only sound was Olivia's heavy breathing.

Bravo, Miss Olivia. If the situation had not been so serious, Lu Yizhou would have clapped to show his appreciation. Olivia might be rude, bratty and standoffish but she always wore her heart on her sleeves, did not hesitate to convey her thoughts and was more straightforward than anyone. She was just the perfect person Lu Yizhou needed to gauge Ailín's reaction.

Certainly, Ailín hadn't expected to be blamed out right in the open after the remorse he had shown. If a person had the slightest bit of tact, then they would have sympathized with him and tried to cheer him up. But unfortunately, he met Olivia, this no-nonsense, poisonous tongued woman with a surprisingly sharp instinct. 

Lu Yizhou carefully stepped aside to observe Ailín's reaction — no, he was not alone. He had two additional pairs of eyes to help him analyze.

'Hmm… His pupils are dilated, hands clenched into fists, mouth agape, he is genuinely surprised meow~'

[666: Right, right, he looks so guilty, Host! Was it the guilt for not being able to save Diana or the guilt for killing her?]

"Guys, calm down!" Ji Yan stepped in between them and spread his arms to separate the two arguing parties. His eyes were red with unshed tears. "We have lost one teammate. Let's… Let's not fight anymore, okay? It's not entirely Ailín's fault. We are all lulled by the fact that last night was supposed to be a safe period. It's a common rule to take a full rest on the very first day. Who knows that… Who knows that…" He glanced at Diana's figure, unable to force the words out of his throat.

"Is there something wrong, Misses?"

Everyone, including Lu Yizhou, jumped when Baines suddenly appeared on the doorway. What the fuck?! Lu Yizhou cursed. He did not hear this man's footsteps at all! Did he just float here without his feet touching the ground?! 

Baines had both hands clasped on his back, a polite smile on his face. He asked again, "Is there something wrong, Misses?"

"Ah, that…" Ji Yan gestured vaguely toward the direction of Diana's body. "One of the doctors just had an accident…"

Baines took one look at Diana and let out a soft, "Ah, is Lady Diana sick?"

Ji Yan, Olivia and Ailín's faces got even paler. "No, she—"

Knowing that they wouldn't be able to force the words out, Lu Yizhou took the matter into his own hands. "She's dead. In this room, during her sleep. There's no sign of anyone breaking in nor are there any visible wounds on her body. It's really strange… Do you know something about that, Baines?"

Baines' murky gray eyes slid to him and Lu Yizhou stared back at him right in the eye. He recalled how Baines had dragged the two women away in a sack. Where did he even bring them to? Had he buried them alive? If so… then there might be a possibility that Lu Yizhou could get something if he were to dig around the garden later. He reminded himself to do it later when he had time to spare.

"I apologize that I can't be of help, Lady Irene." Baines replied without even any fluctuation in his voice. He did not seem surprised at all to hear that one of the doctors had just died on the very first night of her arrival. "If it can help you, I might be able to deal with the body—"

"No!" Ji Yan and Olivia exclaimed at the same time. Startled, they looked at each other before Ji Yan fumbled to explain. "T–There's no need to bother you about this kind of thing, Baines. We will deal with our fellow doctor by ourselves. There's still something strange about the circumstances of her death so can I ask you to open the next room so we can place her body there temporarily?"

"Very well." Baines inclined his head slightly and reached into his inner pocket to pull out a bunch of keys held together in a metal keychain. He chose one and nodded toward them. "Please follow me."

Lu Yizhou eyed the keys with narrowed eyes. How huge was the possibility of him stealing that away? No doubt Baines would have the keys to every room in this house. If Lu Yizhou could have that, his investigation would be much smoother. He shelved the idea to the back of his mind and followed along as Ji Yan and Ailín carried Diana out, one holding her armpits while the other holding her legs. 

They placed her next door, covered her body with the blanket and locked the door with the key. With Ji Yan's glib tongue, they managed to pocket the key themselves. 

Baines certainly held no complaints to have a corpse inside one of the guest rooms. "Shall we go?" He suggested politely. "Master has been waiting for you to have breakfast together."

Breakfast… They gulped simultaneously. 

Just thinking that he had to go through a meal like last night was enough to make Lu Yizhou's stomach churned. Fortunately he still had four health potions in the time of emergency. 

The walk to the dining room was spent in heavy silence. Ji Yan, Olivia and Ailín were still caught up with Diana's death and fortunately, forgot to ask Lu Yizhou how he could have pushed the game completion to 42% in just one night, which he was grateful of. Lu Yizhou couldn't imagine having to explain everything to them. He did not care that he would be a hindrance to the others, he was just… unwilling to let others know about Ella and Ellie.

Like yesterday, Baines knocked on the door, effectively ending the chatters inside. "Master, I have brought the guests."

"Ah, my good Baines. Just in time. Please invite them in, will you?" Luca's voice drifted out in answer. Lu Yizhou raised a brow. He sounded normal, unlike the way Lu Yizhou heard him last night. 

Baines pushed the double door open and gestured for them to enter. 

Ji Yan fell into steps beside him. "Psst, Miss Irene. Are you going to sit beside Master Knox again? Honestly, I…" He swallowed with a bitter look. "After what I have heard from Olivia yesterday, I am not sure if—"

"I will sit in the same place as yesterday," Lu Yizhou said firmly. There was something about Luca Knox he needed to check. The discoloration on his arm, his jerky movements, and also, the dark shadows he had seen bursting out through the master bedroom last night. Lu Yizhou grimaced, he should have finished reading Ella's diary last night instead of falling asleep. What had happened after Ellie went to confront Master Knox? He had a hunch that something had definitely happened after that. "So if you want to sit further back, it's fine with—"

Lu Yizhou froze in his tracks, eyes going wide.

"M–Miss Irene?" Ji Yan called out, surprised and confused. "Is there something wrong?"

Yes, something was really, really wrong here. 

In addition to Luca who was sitting on the head of the table, seven of the chairs were already filled…

…including the two women who were supposed to die last night. They looked completely fine, laughing softly and chattering with the others as if what Lu Yizhou had seen last night did not transpire at all.

On his shoulder, Bianca's fur bristled, 'What the f—fudge! They… How can they still be here?!'

[666: A–A–Ah, ghost! It's a GHOST!!!]

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[1] Iron couldn't become steel: couldn't become the way we want/did not fulfill an expectation 

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