INSIDER Chapter 126

The entire ship’s two thousand plus passengers and crew fell into panic in an instant.

Amid their fear, everyone began to speculate: Did the killer damage the cruise ship’s navigation system? Why did the killer murder the victim? Was it out of hatred, or simply to satisfy a sadistic pleasure? If it was the latter, then they were all in great danger…

Lu Chu had already anticipated that the passengers and crew on the ship would fall into panic and fear, but if they continued to be afraid, wouldn’t they be playing right into the killer’s hands?

So, after 7 finished speaking, Lu Chu bent down to the microphone and slowly said in a voice as gentle as a spring day: “Please stay calm, do not panic, and do not overly suspect each other. Before the killer is found, everyone should stay in their rooms as much as possible, except for meals. We will conduct a thorough search of all crew and passengers to find evidence and identify the killer. We ask for everyone’s cooperation.”

After repeating his and 7’s announcements twice, Lu Chu finally turned off the broadcast.

Having done all this, Lu Chu exhaled and said to 7, “Let’s go check the crew and passengers.”

7 responded, taking a clean set of crew uniforms from a nearby cabinet and handing them to Lu Chu: “Put this on; it will be easier to investigate together.”

Lu Chu smiled, “Sure, Captain Shen always thinks ahead.”

7 ruffled his hair.

Lu Chu changed into the uniform, finding it fit perfectly, as if tailored for him. The comfortable, smooth fabric clung to his body, outlining his sleek physique. Lu Chu’s proportions were excellent, with a slightly narrower waist than average. Wearing the uniform made him look tall and handsome.

7 observed him, a dark gleam flashing in his eyes before he quickly suppressed it.

“It fits well,” 7 praised.

Lu Chu shook his head with a smile, “You picked it well.”

“Alright, everything is ready,” Lu Chu continued, “Let’s go. With over two thousand people to check, who knows how long it will take.”

7 nodded, “Let’s start with the crew.”

Lu Chu agreed, “The crew are considered our own. If the killer is among them, things will become quite troublesome and dangerous.”

So, the two gathered all the crew members, searched them one by one, and then went to their quarters to continue the search—but found no potential murder weapon.

By the time they finished this step, it was already evening.

In the meantime, distant dark clouds approached, and as expected, a torrential rain began to pour down.

The cruise ship rocked with the wind and waves. The crew busied themselves, and everyone stayed in their rooms, watching the lightning and hearing the thunder outside, feeling the ship sway with the storm. Their mood grew increasingly heavy and depressed.

Due to the large number of passengers, when it came time to search them, Lu Chu and 7 selected a few crew members to help, speeding up the process somewhat, but not by much. Ordinary passengers were cooperative enough, but some VIP passengers refused, insisting on their innocence. After several rounds of fussing, they finally finished checking everyone by early morning.

Lu Chu, along with 7 and the crew, checked everyone on board, from crew to passengers, leaving no one out. Using his extraordinary sense of smell and memory, he roughly remembered the unique scent of everyone, so he could later identify the killer from the scent if another victim appeared. This was actually their primary goal in the search.

If the killer in each game could be found simply through “searching,” this quest would be too easy.

The “rules” were intelligent and systematic; they wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen. Therefore, the most important aspect of this search was giving Lu Chu the chance to remember everyone’s scent. The killer’s fun in killing wouldn’t stop here; more people would surely fall victim later, and Lu Chu’s ability would then come into play.

However, this time Lu Chu’s ability hit a bottleneck.

In the past, whether the killer was human or ghost, Lu Chu could always detect suspicious scents around the victim. Yesterday, he had smelled an unfamiliar scent on the victim, but after checking the more than two thousand crew members and passengers, he confirmed that the unfamiliar scent came from the victim’s friends, who had joined him on this seven-day cruise.

And those people all had perfect alibis.

“It’s very tricky,” Lu Chu said, rubbing his temples.

By now it was early morning. They had been busy all day, eating only hurried meals. 7 still showed no signs of fatigue, but Lu Chu was a bit worn out.

7 took Lu Chu’s hand, massaging his temples in his stead: “Don’t worry, the truth will slowly come to light.”

Lu Chu sighed, “But the task of this game is ‘to survive.’ If we don’t find out who the ‘tiger’ and the ‘ghost’ are, and don’t track them down, how can we survive until the end?”

“Of course we can,” 7 said firmly.

Hearing 7’s simple yet confident and steady words, Lu Chu felt a sudden calm.

“Get some rest; you’re too tired today,” 7 said.

7 was used to not sleeping like a robot, but Lu Chu couldn’t afford to; excessive fatigue would sharply decrease his physical performance.

Lu Chu nodded, “I’ll take a shower first.”

7 smiled, “Need my help?”

Lu Chu’s ears turned slightly red, and he shook his head with a gentle smile, “No need, I’ll be quick.”

After showering, Lu Chu found 7 also freshened up, and they lay down together.

Today had been exhausting. Despite the rain and the rocking of the cruise ship, Lu Chu quickly fell into a deep sleep while 7 remained awake.

.

The next morning.

The fierce wind and rain outside had somewhat subsided, no longer as dark and oppressive as yesterday, like a monster devouring everyone. But the clouds still covered the sky, and the sun had not appeared.

Lu Chu woke up, still drowsy, nestled in the white blanket, with only his bright eyes showing. He blinked occasionally, looking very cute.

7 watched him and couldn’t resist bending down to gently kiss his eyes: “Rest a bit more.”

Lu Chu buried his eyes in the blanket, nodding slightly.

Just then, sounds of people arguing came from outside, followed by a call on the communication device by 7’s bedside.

7 answered. It was a crew member, and after a brief conversation, he hung up.

Lu Chu emerged from the covers, “Is something happening outside?”

“Yes,” 7 replied calmly, as if it wasn’t a big deal, “someone else has been killed.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Chu perked up and began dressing, “Let’s go check it out.”

7 also got dressed.

After washing up, for easy identification, one wore the captain’s uniform while the other wore a crew uniform.

.

According to the crew, many people had gathered in the banquet hall, waiting for the captain to explain the situation.

When Lu Chu and 7 arrived at the banquet hall, they were immediately surrounded by people. The crew tried to stop them but failed. With a glance, 7 made everyone stop in their tracks, too scared to take another step forward.

“Tell me what happened,” 7 said.

A middle-aged woman with red, swollen eyes stepped out of the crowd, crying, “My brother and sister-in-law have been killed…”

This time, there were two victims.

Lu Chu asked, “When did you discover this?”

“Just now,” the woman sobbed, “I went to call them for breakfast, but there was no response. I thought they might have gone ahead, but then I saw blood seeping from under their door…”

Lu Chu frowned. The time of death should be early morning.

The woman continued, “I was terrified and didn’t know what to do. A neighbor came out for breakfast and helped me break down the door, and then… then I saw…”

At this point, the woman couldn’t continue, collapsing to the ground in tears.

Lu Chu didn’t press her further but helped her up and entrusted her to others for care, then turned to the knowledgeable crew member, “Take us to the crime scene.”

7 addressed the crowd, “Passengers, please return to your rooms. We and the crew will go to the scene to investigate.”

The police, doctor, and detective from the previous day volunteered, “We’d like to help if we can.”

Lu Chu agreed. Any help was welcome and could aid in the investigation.

The victims this time were passengers from the ordinary area. Following the crew member who knew the scene, they reached the destination. The door had been broken down, the lock damaged, and blood oozed from underneath.

The crew member stepped forward and opened the door.

Instantly, the stench of blood and rotting flesh filled the air.

Rotting flesh? The victims were killed early this morning, so the bodies should still be fresh. How could there be a rotting smell?

Lu Chu looked inside and understood. The two bodies lay twisted on the bed, their neck arteries cut, blood covering the floor. Their skin had been doused with boiling oil, erasing any trace of their original color and shape.