Card Room

Chapter 34 - Bloody Maple Leaf: The Truth is Clear

Due to the large number of human bones found in the maple forest, the police quickly blocked off Maple Forest High School and no teachers or students were allowed to go out.

The excavated human bones were taken back by the forensic doctor to test the DNA and restore the skull. The bones were quickly identified as the three people who disappeared in recent years.

This case attracted the attention of the criminal police and not long after, a police car drove onto the campus. The police station had sent four more people to support and a total of eight police officers started to search the school’s library and the teachers’ offices.

They soon found the original French Count of Monte Cristo in Zhang Qing’s drawer and the homework and photo in Lin Yueran’s drawer.

Yu Hanjiang avoided the gaze of the police officers and sneaked through the office building, throwing the shoes they found yesterday into a trash can in the corridor.

Xiao Lou saw him do this and couldn’t help wondering, “Can we interfere with the progress of the police investigation?”

According to the original plot, if Yu Hanjiang hadn’t gone to the garbage bin yesterday, it would’ve been taken away by the garbage truck and the shoes that created the fake footprints on the rooftop would’ve been disposed of. The police investigation would be missing evidence and the timing of the case delayed.

However, Yu Hanjiang found the key physical evidence and placed it under the eyes of the police. Once the police found the shoes, it was equivalent to Yu Hanjiang rewriting the plot of this secret room.

Yu Hanjiang speculated, “Since this secret room has a police presence who helps the challengers find clues, the challengers should also help the police solve the case.”

Xiao Lou carefully pondered on it before nodding. “It makes sense. After all, this is only a C-grade secret room. Without the help of the police, many challengers wouldn’t be able to pass the instance.”

Yu Hanjiang added, “A challenger with insufficient reasoning ability might be able to pass the instance with the help of the police.”

The police would catch the murderer. They just needed to follow the police and it wouldn’t be difficult to pass the instance. However, the conditions to perfectly clear this secret room were still undetermined. Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou didn’t know if they had missed an important clue.

Xiao Lou looked in the direction of the office and was thoughtful. “The police sent reinforcements and the entire school is blocked. Doesn’t this mean many students and teachers won’t be able to go home at night? Will the police interrogate the suspects this afternoon.”

“It should be. The Si Han case occurred five years ago and the current students were junior high school students at the time. The probability of them participating in the Si Han care is extremely low. The police should have key questions for the three suspects Xie Xinghe, Zhang Qing and Lin Yueran as well as the school leaders and faculty who knew the three missing people.”

No wonder why the police sent four people as reinforcements. The workload this afternoon was huge and the police would be too busy.

Xiao Lou frowned. “We have run out of uses for our invisibility cloaks. How can we eavesdrop on the interrogation?”

The invisibility cloak could only be used once a day.

In the morning, Yu Hanjiang wore the cloak and went with the police to the principal’s office. Xiao Lou wore the cloak to follow the forensic doctor to the maple forest to check the bones. Their cloaks couldn’t be used anyone and the most critical suspects would be interrogated in the afternoon... what should they do?

Just then, a prompt appeared on the two people’s floating boxes at the same time.

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[Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang’s score in the Hearts secret room has exceeded 800 points and you can choose a reward:

A. Reset the cooldown time of the secret room limited card and modify the second room limited card to a ‘no limit’ state. After the instance clearance, it can be brought out of the 3 of Hearts secret room.

B. Get 500,000 gold coins instantly.

Xiao Lou saw these two options and felt very complicated. “I want it all.”

Yu Hanjiang, “...” He thought so as well.

The two people urgently needed option A but option B’s one million gold coins was too attractive. In particular, for the poor ghosts who had barely eaten for two consecutive days, half a million would make their days pass in a plentiful manner and would definitely help in the future Clubs rooms.

It was just... a limited card was changed to a no limits state and they could bring the invisibility cloak out of the secret room. This secret reward wasn’t bad. In the long run, gold coins could be earned again while cards were actually the most valuable thing in the world.

Xiao Lou gritted his teeth. “Choose A.”

Yu Hanjiang looked serious. “Yes, clear this secret room first.”

Both of them selected A at the same time.

The two invisibility cloaks became visible and the ‘limited room’ description on the card was removed. As long as the instance was cleared, they could take the invisibility cloak out of the 3 of Hearts room and could become invisible for 30 minutes in other secret rooms.

Together, the two cards could be used for an hour and that should be enough to hear the afternoon interrogation.

Xiao Lou touched the gold coins in his pocket and was a bit distressed by the one million he missed out on.

Yu Hanjiang comforted him. “Money can be earned again.”

Xiao Lou smiled. “Yes, so we won’t have lunch today.”

Meanwhile, it was the time between classes. After the reinforcements searched the office building, they visited various classes.

Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang quietly followed them from a distance.

As Yu Hanjiang expected, most of the students didn’t know Si Han and hadn’t heard her name. After all, they were part of Maple Forest High School five years ago. The students also expressed unfamiliarity with the three people who went missing in recent years.

The police finished visiting the students and took advantage of the lunch break to conduct investigations on the school leaders, security guards and teachers. The unrelated students were allowed to go home on a collective holiday and only Xie Xinghe was left behind.

Xie Xinghe’s face was somewhat unnaturally pale but his expression remained calm.

Today the police sent reinforcements and in the afternoon, two interrogation rooms were opened simultaneously. One interrogation should be about Ying Xiaoya’s case while the other interrogation was about Si Han’s fall and the maple forest bones case. Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang each wore an invisibility cloak and went to listen.

The police officer asked, “Xie Xinghe, in last Wednesday’s chemistry laboratory class, did the teacher tell you about the dosage, harmful effects and first aid in organic phosphate poisoning?”

Xie Xinghe pushed up his glasses. “Yes.”

“After class, you and the chemistry teacher organized the instruments, the materials and finally you locked the door?”

“Yes.”

The police officer finally got to the key point. “After leaving the laboratory, did you go back and pry open the door lock, taking half of the bottle of organic phosphate?”

Xie Xinghe was silently before suddenly replying coldly, “Yes. I put it in the chocolates as well.”

This guy just admitted it?

Yu Hanjiang found this very unexpected. He frowned and came in front of Xie Xinghe, carefully observing Xie Xinghe’s expression.

The policeman asked, “Why did you do this?”

Xie Xinghe answered quietly, “I wanted to do an experiment to verify that the chemistry teacher is right. That dosage would at most poison a mouse and people would be okay when eating it. I only intentionally injured someone, not attempted murder, right? You can arrest me.”

The police officer stared at him with consternation. He apparently didn’t expect a middle school student to be so bold!

Xie Xinghe’s face tried to maintain his calm but his clenched fists and slightly trembling fingertips betrayed him.

Until now, he still refused to say the real reason. There was only one explanation. The person who killed Ying Xiaoya should be very important to him. He wanted to save Ying Xiaoya but he didn’t want to harm the murderer. He was caught in a dilemma and his heart felt very contradictory.

The idea of doing an experiment was a statement he had long thought of.

No matter how many angles the police officers came at him from, Xie Xinghe insisted that he was doing an experiment out of curiosity. Then they held up the Count of Monte Cristo and the connection with the English teacher’s book. His explanation was, “It is probably a coincidence. Many people in the world read it.”

The police officer was so angry that he almost hit the table. Finally, he could only put Xie Xinghe in handcuffs and let his colleague take this hard-working guy away.

The next one to be questioned was Lin Yueran.

The female teacher came in with a dazed expression. It was unknown if her acting was too good or if she was really innocent.

The police officer asked, “Teacher Lin, you once taught Ying Xiaoya and Xie Xinghe and keep a group photo of the students in your drawer. Why?”

Lin Yueran replied, “They are the best students I have ever thought. Is it strange to keep a photo of them?”

“Then why did you kept their texts?”

Lin Yueran’s face was bewildered. “Ying Xiaoya and Xie Xinghe are the two students who wrote the best in my class. Ying Xiaoya’s words are very correct and almost like they are printed. Meanwhile, Xie Xinghe’s words are elegant. I kept their texts as a commemoration.”

The police officer asked, “It is that simple?”

Lin Yueran nodded. “Yes, I have collected the words of several students who participated in the essay competition and put them up at home in commemoration. If you don’t believe me, you can go to my house to search.”

The two police officers looked at each other and asked, “On the day of the incident, the class teacher of Class 3 took Ying Xiaoya away to ask questions. Why did you go in and interrupt him.”

“I just went back to the office and didn’t know they were talking.”

“It wasn’t you who wrote out Ying Xiaoya’s suicide note?”

Lin Yueran’s expression was a bit ugly. “Police officer, I don’t know what you mean. I have a copy of Ying Xiaoya’s writing because I previously taught her. Writing a suicide note in her handwriting? It is ridiculous! She and I don’t have a bad relationship. According to your logic, will I also copy Xie Xinghe’s handwriting to write a suicide note?”

Yu Hanjiang carefully examined her face. Her anger and nervousness didn’t seem to be acting. Most wronged suspects looked like this. Moreover, her words made sense. Her drawer contained not only Ying Xiaoya’s handwriting but Xie Xinghe’s as well. If it was judged that she wrote Ying Xiaoya’s suicide note, what was her motive for killing?

The two students did write well and it made sense that she kept the texts as commemoration.

Perhaps the text she left behind was taken by others?

The police had also thought of this and asked, “The texts you kept, did you give it to any other teachers to read?”

Lin Yueran thought about it carefully before her eyes suddenly lit up. “I remember! On Wednesday, Teacher Zhang asked to borrow Ying Xiaoya’s text. She said she wanted to see the Chinese composition of this student since the student’s English composition is so poor.”

The police quickly jotted down this key point. “How is your relationship with Zhang Qing?”

“We went to the same middle school and I am her school sister. I often saw her in various competitions. Our relationship isn’t particularly good. I guess you can say we are ordinary friends? After all, we are alumni. If assigned to the same area then we must take care of each other.”

“What type of person is she based on your impression?”

Lin Yueran spoke emotionally, “She is very good and also works hard. In middle school, she was always first in the year and received all types of awards in competitions. I honestly admire her. At that time, she was admitted to a famous foreign school and became the legend of our school.”

Lin Yueran paused and her eyes suddenly widened. “Surely you aren’t doubting her?”

The policeman didn’t answer her question and frowned. “Do you know Zhang Qing’s family situation?”

Lin Yueran shook her head. “I don’t know... she has always been alone. We occasionally eat and talk about school. She had never mentioned her family.”

The police let Lin Yueran go back and finally brought in Zhang Qing.

Zhang Qing’s face was very calm as she walked into the interrogation room. She wore a red thin sweater with pencil pants. She had a tall and thin body and her long black hair hung down her back. Her goose egg-shaped face was exquisite and beautiful, making her stand out in a crowd.

The police asked her about the French version of the Count of Monte Cristo in her drawer. She only said that she liked the book and after learning French, she bought the original book. Once asked if there was anyone in her family, she said that her parents were both dead and she was an orphan. She had no relatives.

This lasted until the police brought out the shoes they had picked up from the trash can.

The white canvas shoes might be stained with some dirt but they looked very new. They were the same style as the shoes Ying Xiaoya wore on the day she fell.

Zhang Qing’s face suddenly paled!

Yu Hanjiang, who was wearing the invisibility cloak and watching her performance, had an answer in his heart.

The murderer was her.

The shoes she threw into the garbage bin and would’ve been taken away by the garbage truck had been found by Yu Hanjiang and placed in a trash can on this floor. The police had found this key physical evidence when searching.

Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou reasoned ahead of time, split apart the case of Ying Xiaoya and successfully found evidence, helping the police solve the case and arrest the murderer in advance.

Zhang Qing was brought back by the police officers to be investigated.

Before she left, Yu Hanjiang approached her and carefully observed the necklace around her neck.

Three pieces of bones cut into the shape of a wolf’s teeth were strung on a necklace. If he wasn’t wrong, they should be the bones of the three murderers she killed.