PTYS Chapter 93

The scene fell silent after Chen Kaijie left, as everyone pondered the current dilemma.

There was a hint about the plot completion, but the exact calculation remained unknown, making it quite challenging.

Xiao Muyu began recalling the information she had seen and heard in recent days, hoping to find some clues.

The culprit wasn’t Liu Ya, but Liu Ya’s behavior was too normal, so the culprit must be Lin Xue. This matched the clue that the culprit had a connection with Liu Ya, making everything seem clear.

“I remembered something. When I was looking for Lin Xue’s name on the list, I had to look twice before finding it,” Xiao Muyu suddenly spoke up.

Su Jin and the others were puzzled for a moment, then opened the list to check. They quickly found Lin Xue, with no problem.

Shen Qingqiu rubbed her chin, “I trust Muyu. With her sharpness, there’s no way she’d need to look twice to find Lin Xue’s name. There’s definitely something wrong. This further supports the conclusion that Lin Xue is dead.”

“In normal circumstances, if Lin Xue had died, her name wouldn’t be there, which is why Muyu didn’t see it at first. The system probably didn’t anticipate us checking the list so meticulously.”

“That makes sense.”

Xiao Muyu clasped her hands under her chin, looking serious. “Tonight will be dangerous. I hope everyone is well-prepared. So far, I can’t deduce more information, so let’s gather more clues before dark, focusing on finding evidence that Lin Xue is the culprit.”

Su Jin was silent for a moment, then spoke up, “Classes are suspended today. Most students are either studying in class or engaging in free activities. I want to take this chance to investigate Liu Ya and Lin Xue’s belongings. We might find additional clues.”

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu exchanged a glance, then nodded, but still reminded, “Don’t push too hard, and avoid being discovered by them. It might provoke them.”

“Understood.”

With that, the four split up to act.

Soon, Chen Kaijie called back, sounding disappointed, “I found nothing. The fire brigade’s records for January were deleted.”

Xiao Muyu fell silent, while Zuo Tiantian grumbled, “I feel like the system is deliberately increasing the game’s difficulty. Lin Xue and Liu Ya are always in the classroom, giving us no chance. Even though we’ve deduced it, the system won’t provide any evidence.”

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu were searching around the school, thinking that if Lin Xue had been burned to death, there should be a crime scene.

Even if the students of Class Seven were extremely cruel, they wouldn’t set someone on fire directly; there should be a fire scene.

Even though the curse made people forget the incident, the fire site would have been rebuilt.

The places frequently visited by students include the restroom, classroom, dormitory, and library.

As they were about to check the dormitory, Shen Qingqiu noticed something and slowed down.

She had sharp eyes and saw numbers on a faint display screen. Shen Qingqiu recognized it as a fire alarm smoke detector.

According to regulations, each dormitory should have a smoke detector, and this recorder shows which room triggered an alarm, also emitting a warning sound.

Xiao Muyu noticed her stopping and was about to ask when she saw it and suddenly realized something, walking over.

The alarm wasn’t sounding, but Xiao Muyu saw the alarm record, indicating a fire at 20:05 the previous night in room 409. It displayed “first alarm, smoke and light.”

“Did the alarm go off last night?” Xiao Muyu asked.

Shen Qingqiu shook her head decisively, “No, the fire alarm is sharp and piercing. The teaching building is just over a hundred meters away, so we would have heard it.”

“I remember Chen Kaijie’s second alarm record was at 20:29,” Xiao Muyu said, pressing the up button to find alarms at the same time two days ago, and more.

“This is definitely a problem,” Shen Qingqiu said, her face serious.

Xiao Muyu frowned, thinking for a moment before heading to the dorm manager’s window and knocking.

After a few knocks, the dorm manager looked out impatiently, “No classes today, what’s the matter?”

“Auntie, we just saw the smoke alarm flashing, indicating a fire in room 409. Should we check it out?” Xiao Muyu pretended to be anxious.

The dorm manager scoffed, “That thing is broken. It often shows smoke alarms in room 409 and sometimes even sounds at night, scaring people. When it’s supposed to sound, it doesn’t. Just go back to your studies, don’t loiter around.”

“Is it too sensitive? Why hasn’t the school fixed it? Have you checked it, Auntie? What if something really happens?” Shen Qingqiu asked nonchalantly, looking like a rebellious student.

The dorm manager glanced at her and shut the window, saying, “What’s there to check? No one lives in 409, so who can trigger the smoke alarm?”

Xiao Muyu understood.

“If no one lives there but the fire alarm keeps going off, it must be a ghost. This might mean the girl who was burned to death died there,” Su Jin said, shivering.

Chen Kaijie also felt uneasy but a bit excited due to his fear-induced adrenaline. “But what if it’s really broken? Can we use this as key evidence?”

Zuo Tiantian hesitated, noting their progress hadn’t changed and the system remained silent.

“It’s not broken,” Xiao Muyu said firmly. “A broken detector wouldn’t consistently trigger at the same time every day, at 20:02. Also, the January 8 alarm call was at 20:29. That timing during class indicates something happened!”

“Exactly, but I think it really is broken,” Shen Qingqiu added, surprising Xiao Muyu.

Raising her eyebrows, Xiao Muyu glanced at Shen Qingqiu.

“The 20:02 alarm indicated smoke and light, not just a false trigger. At 20:02, people would be awake, and a fire alarm would alert everyone quickly. The school is well-equipped with fire extinguishers and hydrants, not just recently.”

She concluded, “The alarm must have been broken.”

Shen Qingqiu’s clear logic convinced Chen Kaijie, who nodded repeatedly, “Yes, the fire department is only two kilometers away, they would’ve arrived quickly.”

“No wonder she’s so vengeful. Those people must have cut off all her escape routes. How could they be so cruel?” Su Jin felt deeply saddened.

“Ding!”

“Plot progress 50%, keep it up!” The system’s reaction delighted Su Jin and the others. “It means our logic is correct, we’ve found the crime scene. What’s next?”

Shen Qingqiu leaned lazily against a pavilion pillar, looking at the fourth floor of the girls’ dormitory with a smile, “Next, we explore room 409.”

As Shen Qingqiu spoke, everyone watched her. During investigations, Xiao Muyu was the leader, but for fights and mischief, Shen Qingqiu took charge.

Shen Qingqiu looked at the others and rolled her eyes, “Stop staring.”

Xiao Muyu averted her gaze, but Shen Qingqiu grabbed her hand, smiling, “Not you, you can look all you want. We’ll sneak in while the dorm manager isn’t watching; going at night is too risky.”

Su Jin and the others were speechless.

Chen Kaijie, being a guy, stayed outside the girls’ dormitory, using a card to keep in contact.

The dorm manager was distracted by her knitting and phone, allowing them to sneak in easily.

The four disappeared around the staircase corner, and the dorm manager continued knitting, her eyes tightly shut as if burned together.

Reaching the fourth floor, Class Seven had 23 girls in six rooms, some four to a room, some mixed with other classes, on the third and fourth floors.

Room 409 was at the end of the corridor, near the washroom.

With most students taken home by parents and the rest studying, especially Class Seven’s students avoiding the dormitory at night, it was quiet.

Standing before room 409, everything seemed normal, with no signs of burning or even dust.

Xiao Muyu wiped the door lightly, finding it clean.

“An unoccupied room being this clean feels wrong,” Su Jin whispered.

“Yes, but we need to find a way inside.” Xiao Muyu tried the door handle, finding it locked.

Shen Qingqiu examined the lock, whispering, “Get ready, step back.”

Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian stepped back, while Xiao Muyu stepped closer, watching the door seriously.

Shen Qingqiu glanced at Xiao Muyu, smiled, and said nothing more.

Using a dagger, Shen Qingqiu inserted its tip into the lock, twisting with great strength. The old lock gave way quickly, and the door opened.

Shen Qingqiu cautiously entered, checking the room before declaring it safe. She then expertly sheathed her dagger, turning back.

As expected, only Xiao Muyu remained calm, while Zuo Tiantian and Su Jin were stunned.

“That was impressive.”

Shen Qingqiu shrugged, “This works only on old locks. Many others can’t be forced open.”

The door revealed an empty, dusty room, genuinely unoccupied.

Shen Qingqiu held Xiao Muyu back, slowly entering. Nothing happened.

Xiao Muyu told Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian, “Stay outside for now.”

Su Jin looked tense but complied.

Inside, Xiao Muyu sniffed the air, sensing something off.

“She died here. There must be a secret,” Shen Qingqiu said softly.

Xiao Muyu nodded, “The window seems normal, no recent fire marks. Liu Ya is still a person, after all.”

Shen Qingqiu closed the door, motioning Xiao Muyu to sit, and quietly examined the room.

Opening the closet, Shen Qingqiu found nothing.

“Sometimes it’s too clean,” Shen Qingqiu said, staring into Xiao Muyu’s eyes.

“Are you feeling okay?” Xiao Muyu asked, tilting her head.

“I think something’s here. You sensed it too,” Shen Qingqiu said, her eyes focused.

Xiao Muyu, surprised, said softly, “You sensed it?”

Shen Qingqiu smiled, “Do you trust me?”

Without hesitation, Xiao Muyu nodded, “I trust you.”

Shen Qingqiu pulled Xiao Muyu close, “Close your eyes.”

Xiao Muyu complied, and Shen Qingqiu whispered, “Relax, just feel.”

Feeling a gentle touch, Xiao Muyu’s thoughts cleared. She started seeing something in the dark, feeling a cold hand brushing her face, leaving a burning mark.

Shen Qingqiu, sensing Xiao Muyu’s change, suddenly felt a sharp pain in her back.

“Be careful!” Shen Qingqiu suddenly shouted, pushing Xiao Muyu away.

A loud noise startled Xiao Muyu. Opening her eyes, she saw Shen Qingqiu shielding her, a blade sticking out from Shen Qingqiu’s back.