TEFSCBSS Chapter 128

Chapter 128: Is Butcher Liu the Culprit?

Even though Number Five furrowed his brows, something still felt off. Sure, they had discovered Su Li was missing, but no one knew when she disappeared.

That timing was hard to pin down.

After Zhao Si finished explaining what he knew, the group began investigating the small coffin.

“Wow, I didn’t expect our boss to be this dedicated—sleeping in a coffin. No wonder she writes such chilling ghost stories.”

“Right? Wait, if you think about it, the killer must have known she sleeps here!”

Someone in the crowd blurted that out, sparking an idea. Everyone’s attention immediately turned to Su Li’s close friends, who often came to the script store.

People like Han Yueyi, Wang Bokao, Zhao Wen, and a few of the store’s actors quickly became suspects.

Zhao Wen quickly waved his hands. “I had no idea about this. I’m just a customer—at most, I hang out in the main hall. How would I know where she sleeps?”

Wang Bokao and the others nodded in agreement—they didn’t know anything about Su Li’s sleeping arrangements either.

That left only Zhao Si and Chun Ya, who knew Su Li slept in the coffin.

Would the killer report the crime themselves? That’d be gutsy.

But both Zhao Si and Chun Ya shook their heads in denial. Whether people believed them was another matter.

…

While inspecting the coffin, Number Five found nothing but a thin blanket and a pillow—until he discovered a scroll tucked beneath the blanket.

?!

When he carefully pulled it out, everyone instinctively took a step back. The scroll looked eerily familiar.

Number Five solemnly opened the scroll with the help of Number Two. Sure enough—it was the same painting of the weeping noblewoman from before.

Once again, the woman had blood tears, and in the corner—beside the little figure representing Zhao Xiaogou—there was now another figure that resembled Su Li.

“Oh no! Su Li’s been pulled into the painting too!”

Everyone stayed far back, not daring to approach, whispering and pointing from a distance.

Even though they logically knew it might be man-made, it still looked like someone had been dragged into the painting.

Number Five said in a low voice, “This is just day one. The killer might strike again.”

Everyone nodded grimly.

Two disappearances had already occurred in such a short time. Besides the creepy painting, the only other clue was Butcher Liu’s cleaver. Nothing else.

The group fell into deep thought.

“The first crime scene in the bookstore was easy to explain—we even recreated it earlier,” Number Five said. “There weren’t many people around at the time, so Zhao Xiaogou’s disappearance seemed plausible. But…” He stared at the wide-open gate of the ‘Huai Tree Village’ set and fell silent.

This time, someone had been stationed outside. How did the killer manage to escape?

“A locked room?” Chun Ya, who’d just caught her breath, looked surprised. “Wait… this might not be a true locked room…”

Everyone turned to her.

She swallowed nervously, then stepped toward the coffin.

“This script—most players know this already—has a basement beneath the coffin.”

As she spoke, she pulled out a key and opened the coffin lid, revealing stairs beneath.

“We already checked it earlier, but didn’t find Su Li.”

“However… our boss recently expanded the space. She dug a tunnel from the basement so I, as the ghost character, could more easily move between scenes… It connects to the other sets—and also to the backyard.”

Most players didn’t know about this, but the store’s actors did.

Immediately, suspicion toward the actors intensified. Chun Ya looked visibly uncomfortable. When the participants first arrived, she had panicked and completely forgotten about the underground passage.

The contestants quickly descended into the basement and, following Chun Ya’s instructions, opened a hidden door in the wall. Sure enough—a dim passage stretched out before them.

Number Two said, “Let’s split up. Some of us will search the sets, others the backyard.”

Everyone agreed and moved out.

Number Five figured that if the killer had abducted Su Li, they’d need a way to get her out discreetly. The windowless sets didn’t seem like a likely choice.

He and Number Two headed toward the backyard.

The passage was narrow, and Number Five searched carefully for any clues.

And just before they reached the backyard entrance, he found a hair tie.

!!!

“Wait, isn’t this… Butcher Liu’s hair tie?”

Number Five was very familiar with Liu, even down to the colors of his pants. He knew which hair ties Liu owned.

Plus, this one had a distinct smell—raw pork and alcohol. Just like the scent on Liu’s cleaver.

Number Five’s face darkened. Something felt wrong.

Before he could think further, Number Two and the others returned from the backyard.

“There’s no one back there. The retired soldiers must be out helping keep order—or maybe they were following Su Li.”

“The Gu siblings aren’t around either. No idea where they went.”

“The ground’s covered in footprints—too many to tell when they were made. Doors and windows are all shut. Oh, but the back door wasn’t locked.”

Chun Ya stepped up quickly. “The back door usually isn’t locked during the day. The retired soldiers, the Gu siblings, and writers or collaborators all come in through it.”

“We only lock it at night…”

Her voice grew smaller with each word. She blamed herself—if she had locked the door, maybe none of this would’ve happened.

Zhao Si tried to comfort her, though his expression remained worried.

Han Yueyi stood to the side, silently analyzing everyone who frequented the script shop.

He hadn’t been to the store recently, but had heard Zhao Wen and Su Li had grown closer because of the event.

When choosing a murderer, it had to be someone trustworthy. Wang Bokao could be ruled out immediately. The store’s actors probably lacked the guts. Butcher Liu didn’t have the brains to set up a mystery…

Which left only Zhao Wen, who loved escape room puzzles and knew the place inside and out.

Han Yueyi locked eyes with Zhao Wen but said nothing.

After all, he wasn’t a contestant. He was a representative of the Jin Kingdom’s envoy delegation. He’d have to ask Zhao Wen privately.

Meanwhile, Zhao Wen had no clue. Frowning, he was still working with Number Five and the challenge team to analyze the clues.

He pointed at the cleaver and the hair tie. “Why are Butcher Liu’s things here? Is he the killer—or…”

“Or has he also been kidnapped?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Yeah, the whole thing with Butcher Liu was really weird.

“There’s alcohol on this hair tie. Who was drinking with him last night? Or did anyone see him drinking?”

Number Five held the hair tie up and asked the crowd.