INSIDER Chapter 124

Lu Chu pulled down the broad hand of 7, which was resting on his own head, and intertwined their fingers, looking into each other’s eyes: “Let’s go, I want to take another look at the crime scene.”

7 naturally followed him.

So, the two returned to the deck of the cruise ship.

The lights at the bow of the ship were turned on, making the deck much brighter than before. From a distance, they could see the body lying near the edge of the ship, sitting in a pool of blood.

Lu Chu was very concerned about the state of the deceased. When he first appeared at the scene, he didn’t have time to think much. Later, when Aili and a man approached, it interrupted his thoughts. Now that the others had dispersed, Lu Chu’s concern for the dead person whose legs had been severed grew stronger.

The security personnel hired by the cruise were professionals who had seen bloodshed and faced danger. Despite the gruesome scene, they remained calm and followed Captain Shen’s orders, cordoning off the crime scene with yellow tape and sealing off the area.

“I knew you would want to look at the crime scene again.” That’s why 7 had the body and the surrounding area cordoned off to prevent anyone from tampering with the scene.

Lu Chu was touched.

7 was always like this, noticing everything about him without saying a word, paving the way for him, removing obstacles beyond his abilities, yet never restricting him, but rather guiding him in the right direction.

Lu Chu tightened his grip on 7’s hand before letting go and squatting down in front of the body.

The last knife wound on the legless man was inflicted by Lu Chu.

At that time, the man was tormented by pain and blood loss, beyond saving. Even if Lu Chu hadn’t ended his suffering, the man would have died slowly and painfully. A quick death was a kinder option.

While examining the man’s wounds, Lu Chu asked 7, “I heard from Aili that this is the third unnatural death on the cruise. What happened to the first two?”

By rights, Lu Chu and 7 should have arrived in this game simultaneously—more precisely, Lu Chu would arrive first, followed by 7 using his “Cleaner” status to track him. But 7 always seemed to know more about each round than Lu Chu did.

The reason was twofold: firstly, 7 had already cleared these solo quests; secondly, unlike ordinary players, he could access the memories of the person he became.

7 briefly described the victims and their times of death: “The first victim died yesterday morning, a French woman, bled to death in her room after having her wrist and ankle arteries slashed; the second died at lunchtime, a French man, who hanged himself in his room amidst the panic over the first death.”

Lu Chu nodded thoughtfully.

Recalling the whispers of some people earlier, Lu Chu asked, “Were the first two victims a couple?”

During the earlier banquet, amidst the panic, someone mentioned that the two victims had been confirmed to have died in a crime of passion.

7 nodded: “It’s said that the day before, they had a quarrel.”

So, everyone simply believed the man killed the woman in a fit of passion and then committed suicide out of guilt.

“That makes sense for a crime of passion.” Lu Chu continued to analyze, “But their deaths might have been accidental. Generally, the important plot points in a ‘game’ start after players arrive, with deaths officially occurring post-arrival…”

Unable to make sense of it, Lu Chu set aside his doubts for now and continued investigating the scene. As he was about to touch the body, 7 stopped him.

Lu Chu looked at 7 in confusion, who took a pair of gloves from his uniform pocket and carefully put them on Lu Chu’s hands, saying calmly, “Don’t dirty your hands.”

Lu Chu smiled: “I just held a knife and ended his suffering bare-handed.”

7 gazed at him, gently brushing the hair from his temple: “That was because I wasn’t here.”

Hearing this, Lu Chu couldn’t help but smile, obediently wearing the gloves and bending down to continue examining the body. Suddenly, Lu Chu froze. After confirming what he saw, he reached under the body and pulled out a strip of cloth with words written in black marker.

The cloth was soaked in dark red blood, obscuring its original color, but the elegant handwriting was still legible.

Frowning, Lu Chu read aloud: “The hungry tiger will bring its servants and devour everyone.”

The term “tiger” was straightforward, symbolizing a ferocious predator. Given the clues and hints in this round, the “servants” likely referred to “zombie-like ghosts”—souls who became the tiger’s servants after being eaten, luring others to be devoured by the tiger.

Initially, Lu Chu thought he might encounter actual tigers and ghosts, but now it seemed the “tiger” and “ghosts” were metaphors—the “tiger” representing the ruthless killer, and the “ghosts” being the victims turned into accomplices who helped the “tiger” find more victims.

Assuming this hypothesis, to complete the “survival” task, they needed to identify and eliminate the killer and the accomplices before becoming their targets.

Lu Chu shared his thoughts with 7.

Afterward, Lu Chu added, “But we can’t be sure yet. The information is incomplete; I feel like I’m missing something.”

“No rush,” 7 took the cloth from him and handed it to a nearby security officer, then helped him remove the gloves, cleaning his hands, “Investigate the truth at your own pace.”

Lu Chu felt a bit embarrassed by his actions, his face slightly flushed. He diverted his attention: “What should we do with the body?”

Now that the search was complete, leaving the body there would only result in decay and an unpleasant sight and smell. “We can’t just let it rot here.”

7 replied, “Dispose of it properly.”

“Wait…” Lu Chu thought for a moment, biting his pale lower lip, “How many people are on this cruise?”

7, his gaze lingering on Lu Chu’s reddened lip, answered, “Including me, there are 543 crew members; including the three deceased, there are 2132 passengers.”

Indeed, a luxury cruise, Lu Chu thought.

He suggested, “With so many people on board, there might be police, detectives, or forensic experts who can help solve the case. We should ask around and see if anyone is willing to assist.”

7 agreed and instructed some crew members to inquire if there were any willing professionals among the passengers.

Once the crew left, having temporarily dealt with the situation, Lu Chu looked again at the cruise ship’s interior.

Seeing his curiosity, 7 pointed out the different areas: “The entrance is the banquet hall, which you’ve seen. Next to it are the high-end restaurants and various entertainment venues, leading to the crew’s quarters and control room. The lower two levels have standard rooms, dining areas, and other facilities, with the lowest level being the cargo hold. The upper two levels have premium accommodations and luxury suites, including a swimming pool.”

Lu Chu took out his room card and, seeing the number, knew his room was on an upper level.

7 took his card and led him up to the cruise’s upper levels, where the luxury suites were located. Unlike buildings on land, space on a ship was limited. Standard rooms were cramped, but the luxury suites were larger, though there were only a few, and they were extremely expensive, not affordable for the average person.

Lu Chu’s current identity seemed to be someone wealthy or powerful.

However, in this situation, drifting in the vast blue ocean, wealth and power were of little use in the face of danger.

7 led Lu Chu up but didn’t stop at the luxury suite level. Instead, he opened a small compartment requiring fingerprint and iris verification, revealing another set of stairs leading upward.

Lu Chu glanced at the nearby room numbers and then at his own, confirming his room should be nearby. He asked, “Where are we going?”

“To the top deck, the captain’s private lounge.”

Lu Chu was surprised, “Aren’t we going to my room?”

7, still holding his hand and looking ahead, smiled, “Captain Shen’s room is your room.”

Hearing this, Lu Chu’s ears burned, warmth spreading through him, as he silently followed 7 to the captain’s private lounge.

7 verified his fingerprint and iris again to enter the room. Lu Chu curiously tried to look inside. But as soon as he stepped in, he was pinned against the door by a tall, strong figure.

With a restrained, cherished touch, 7 gently kissed Lu Chu’s neck: “It’s been two hours, five minutes, and sixteen seconds.”

Lu Chu, one arm around 7’s broad back and the other resting on his shoulder, asked in confusion, “Huh?”

“The time you’ve been back in the ‘game’ without me.”

7 wrapped Lu Chu in his arms, his head buried in his neck, breathing in his warmth like the morning sun, “I missed you.”