The second round of discussions concluded.

  Despite the progress made with several clues, the identity of the murderer remained uncertain.

  The butler reappeared, instructing everyone to return to their rooms for some rest. The next round of evidence gathering would commence after lunch. The players dispersed, seeking their respective partners.

  Noticing that Mu Xin might become a new ally, Qin Nan paid closer attention to her.

  Mu Xin was with Zheng Jueming and Lin Junru.

  This was no different from before, but Qin Nan sensed that Mu Xin seemed to be keeping a distance from Zheng Jueming, as if she were wary of him.

  Zheng Jueming was indeed suspicious. However, Mu Xin’s attitude hinted at deeper issues.

  “Let’s go,” Jian Fan called out to Qin Nan.

  Qin Nan quickly withdrew his gaze and raised an eyebrow at Jian Fan. “I’m flattered.”

  Jian Fan replied, “…”

  “I’m just trying to get used to it,” Jian Fan said.

  “Keep it up,” Qin Nan said, patting Jian Fan on the shoulder.

  The two left the main hall together.

  “Jian Fan, do you think we’ve figured out who the murderer is yet?” Qin Nan asked. Logically, they should have identified the killer since they had essentially rewound time to just before the murder. If he could see himself knocking out the victim, then the murderer must also have seen themselves commit the act.

  But just to be safe, he needed to confirm.

  “Hmm,” Jian Fan replied.

  “Who do you think it could be?” Qin Nan asked.

  Jian Fan didn’t answer immediately. “What’s your take?”

  “Let’s eliminate some suspects first: Xia Zeqin, Qin Wei Yi, Lu Jing, and Mu Xin. They all have alibis. You and I can be excluded, leaving us with five suspects. I don’t think the Second Master lied, and Xu Tian is likely the one who injured the victim, which reduces her chances. That leaves Lin Junru, Zheng Jueming, and whoever drew the Third Young Master’s identity.”

  With that analysis, the potential murderer was nearly narrowed down.

  “Among the remaining three, one must be the one who castrated the victim. But since the victim wasn’t stabbed or bludgeoned, it shouldn’t be due to castration. So, what was the cause of death?” Qin Nan suddenly questioned.

  Jian Fan furrowed his brow. “In the next round of evidence gathering, we should probably examine the body again.”

  Qin Nan nodded. “There might be some discoveries. If we overlook this, I personally think that castration is more likely something a woman would do. So, it should be Lin Junru who castrated the victim, which means the murderer must be one of the last two suspects.”

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  “Do you think my analysis makes sense?” Qin Nan looked at Jian Fan expectantly.

  Jian Fan smiled slightly. “If nothing goes wrong.”

  Hearing this, Qin Nan felt a bit more relaxed.

  With a choice between two suspects, the difficulty was significantly reduced. Perhaps in the next evidence-gathering session, they would obtain further clues. Moreover, Mu Xin clearly seemed to be starting to suspect Zheng Jueming. If she could gather more evidence, they might be able to clear the game world soon.

  Dreams are always beautiful, but reality tends to be harsher.

  Qin Nan and Jian Fan quickly parted ways and returned to their rooms.

  Not long after returning, a line of text appeared before Qin Nan.

  “Five years ago.”

  Having learned from his previous experience, Qin Nan remained calm this time. He had accepted this process: first gathering evidence, then discussing, and finally making personal choices. It was essentially a cycle of these three steps until the murderer was identified and the world ended.

  However, this time, the time rewind felt somewhat different.

  Last time, Qin Nan was a participant until he made a choice and became an observer. This time, he was an observer from the very beginning.

  Soon, the faceless figure representing him appeared.

  He was sitting at a desk, writing a letter.

  Qin Nan stepped closer to read what he was writing.

  He was composing a letter to the girl he loved.

  The Second Master was a scholar, and even his expressions of love were rather indirect. If Qin Nan hadn’t done some light research due to work, he might not have understood it at all.

  At the end of the letter, the Second Master informed his beloved that he intended to discuss their marriage with his father, asking her to wait for good news.

  Upon seeing this, Qin Nan realized the problem.

  The identity of the Second Master had not married by the time the victim was murdered.

  After finishing the letter, the faceless figure sealed it in an envelope and began to wait anxiously, pacing the room from time to time. Eventually, a voice called from outside: “The nephew is here.”

  Nephew?

  Qin Wei Yi’s character?

  A strange feeling rose in Qin Nan’s heart.

  Soon, a faceless figure emerged from outside. Although faceless, the height and attire indeed matched Qin Wei Yi’s character. The two seemed to have interactions with each other, likely related to the Second Master’s beloved.

  The actions of the Second Master quickly confirmed Qin Nan’s suspicions.

  He handed the letter to the faceless figure, who resembled Qin Wei Yi.

  After receiving the letter, the nephew quickly departed, and then the scene jumped forward rapidly.

  The Second Master received a reply from his beloved and, filled with anticipation, prepared to approach the victim to seek permission for their marriage.

  Qin Nan followed the faceless figure to the victim's study, which was empty, and then moved to the victim’s courtyard.

  The elderly woman he had seen earlier appeared again, stopping the faceless figure.

  “Second Master, the old master is busy. Please come back later,” the elderly woman said.

  The Second Master hesitated and asked, “When will my father be free?”

  “I’m not sure, but I will inform the old master that you came by once he is done,” the elderly woman replied.

  The Second Master, feeling helpless, gazed longingly at the victim’s room before turning to leave.

  Time quickly jumped to nine o'clock that evening.

  The Second Master in the script began to feel restless.

  He had sought the victim earlier in the afternoon, but now it was already nine o'clock, and still no word from the victim. The Second Master started to hesitate about whether to wait until the next day or go find the victim now.

  Qin Nan faced a second choice.

  He hesitated.

  The prolonged absence of the victim indicated something unusual; what could keep the victim so busy that he couldn’t even spare time to see his own son? This was clearly suspicious.

  If he chose to go, he would undoubtedly encounter something. Conversely, waiting until the next day might lead to nothing happening at all.

  Jian Fan hadn’t told him what to do in this situation.

  Qin Nan decided to take a risk.

  Fortune favors the bold, and even if past events might affect the relationships in the script, they shouldn’t directly make him the murderer. Logically, the murderer should have already been identified in the rewind from last night, so his focus now should be on gathering more clues.

  Qin Nan chose to go find the victim now.

  Once he made his choice, the Second Master began to act, heading once again to the victim’s courtyard.