Chapter 3: Investigation

Chapter 3: Investigation

Dorm 103.

This dormitory originally housed five people, but after the second victim committed suicide, it became four.

The second victim was named Zhou Nansong.

Her belongings were still in their original places, including her bedding and books. Her family had come to collect some important items, but the rest of her remains were left behind.

At the insistence of her roommates, the school did not dispose of these remains. Instead, they were left in place to be handled after graduation.

When Qiong Cang entered the dorm, it was empty. Lunchtime was brief, and her roommates had likely gone straight back to the classroom for self-study after lunch.

Qiong Cang found Wang Dongyan's bed and rummaged through a small compartment for a while, pulling out a small key from an obvious spot, which she used to open the wardrobe beside it.

The wooden cabinet in the school carried a damp, musty smell. At the same time, there was a strong scent of camphor balls. The mixture of the two smells rushed out of the cabinet, creating a dizzying pungency.

Qiong Cang opened the wardrobe door wide to let some of the smell dissipate.

Wang Dongyan's items were arranged very neatly. Everything was clear at a glance. Personal care items were stored on the bottom shelf, clothes were neatly folded on the left, categorized by season, and pants were arranged on the right. A bag of snacks hung on the cabinet door. Clearly, Wang Dongyan was a relatively disciplined and tidy girl who valued cleanliness.

Near the door of the cabinet, there was a crystal storage box containing various hair clips, headbands, as well as bracelets and pendants.

Qiong Cang found a red string bracelet with a small metal block attached to it. The front of the block was engraved with the letters 'XY.'

Qiong Cang: "..."

She knew she deserved to be single.

The human subconscious is terrifying.

Qiong Cang took out her phone and took a picture of the red string, using the scan feature to find the same item on a certain online platform.

...It wasn't anything too extraordinary, just a red string charm from the XXX Matchmaking Temple.

Qiong Cang: "..."

Fair enough. It suggested that Wang Dongyan appreciated beauty and had a refined taste in life.

Qiong Cang put the jewelry box aside and began rummaging through the clothes.

Wang Dongyan didn't have many personal clothes; after all, No.1 High School required uniforms. Halfway through moving things around, Qiong Cang saw a small red pouch.

When she opened it, she found a yellow talisman inside.

Qiong Cang didn't know what was depicted on the talisman, but the back of it read 'Rest in Peace,' making its purpose self-evident.

Qiong Cang scanned it with her phone and made an astonishing discovery.

This item was actually a hot-selling product on a certain online platform, priced at 25 yuan with monthly sales exceeding 10,000. The most popular ones were wealth-praying talisman packs.

...People are fundamentally the same.

However, this talisman probably worked best for the seller.

Qiong Cang sighed and returned everything to its original position, then went to check the desk directly opposite, which belonged to Zhou Nansong.

This time, she didn’t rummage through anything but stood by the side, scanning the desk and under the bed.

On Zhou Nansong’s desk, there was a photo. The two girls in the photo were wearing identical clothes, standing close together, making gestures and laughing heartily. They were the previous two suicide victims.

There was nothing else particularly noticeable—just books, exam papers, and a large cup of pens.

Qiong Cang, maintaining a calm expression, took a picture of it.

·

At this moment, the live stream room was buzzing. What excited the viewers the most was this scene that hinted at something while trying to conceal it.

“I was wondering what she was doing, even searching through clothes. It’s not like she’s scavenging. I didn’t expect her to actually find a crucial clue. [I’m too naïve]”

“I remember this scenario. In the last playthrough, the player acted subserviently for two days in front of the NPC, asking about important plot points, but it turned out to be false information, causing the suicide progress to skyrocket. There’s a lot of misleading information in this scenario… Based on this, I have a feeling this player will also fall into a trap. [Sympathy of the prophet]”

“[Thinking] Zhou Nansong is dead, yet Wang Dongyan prayed for her soul to rest in peace. This suggests they had a good relationship.”

“Doesn’t the school do any scientific and ideological education? Why would Wang Dongyan buy charms?”

“The great detective is here! Wang Dongyan and Zhou Nansong were good roommates, and Zhou Nansong and Tian Yun were best friends. The three sisters had a strong bond, and they all committed suicide in succession. This has to be a conspiracy. Maybe they witnessed some illegal activity and were threatened or retaliated against.”

“Can we keep the speculation about school life simpler? Why are you guys turning this into a thriller?”

“Not all famous detectives are called Kogoro. Some might be called the Three Stooges. Like you guys. [Doge]”

·

While the netizens were still focused on the photo, Qiong Cang had already turned to the balcony.

She half-leaned on the balcony railing, pressing the back of her neck with her hand, rotating her head vigorously. After stretching her neck, she pressed her fingers hard, creating a crisp cracking sound from her joints.

After preparing, Qiong Cang took out her phone and started typing a message to He Jueyun.

The content on her phone was projected on the right side of the screen for the audience to see.

Qiong Cang: Regarding the deduction of the relationships among the three deceased.

Qiong Cang: Victim one, Tian Yun, had an intimate relationship with victim two, Zhou Nansong. “Image·Photo”

Qiong Cang: As for Zhou Nansong and Wang Dongyan, roommates, they had a poor relationship.

When the first two lines appeared, the netizens found them reasonable, but when the third line showed up, many were confused.

“?”

“Huh?”

“I knew it! What student who has received compulsory education would buy a soul-resting charm because of sisterly affection? It’s too strange! Unless they have a guilty conscience! Boss, great minds think alike!”

“There’s no concrete evidence to support this, is there? Just because of the charm isn’t enough. Many people just buy these things casually. The small pouch is quite well-made. Many superstitious people in our country just believe in them casually.”

He Jueyun quickly replied.

He Jueyun: What’s your reasoning?

Qiong Cang typed quickly.

Qiong Cang: The stationery, magazines, decorations, cups, and other items on their desks don’t overlap or have any similarities. However, both of them have matching series of items with other roommates.

Qiong Cang: "Image" Wang Dongyan's flip-flops are of the same style and material as those of the other roommates, suggesting they were purchased from the same store. Zhou Nansong's water cup also belongs to a self-printed series with hand-drawn patterns, similar in style to those of the other roommates.

Qiong Cang: Based on their deliberate avoidance of the same items despite living in the same dorm, it suggests their relationship was quite tense. Wang Dongyan liked to take photos, but there were no pictures of her and Zhou Nansong together in the photo album, which further supports this inference.

He Jueyun: That’s reasonable.

Qiong Cang: "Image·Charm" No other religious items were found among Wang Dongyan's personal belongings, and her phone showed no related information either. The yellow charm was a bestseller from a particular online store, with a unique design. Wang Dongyan probably engaged in casual and opportunistic metaphysical beliefs.

He Jueyun: Agreed.

Qiong Cang: Considering their strained relationship, it’s unusual that Wang Dongyan bought such a charm with sensitive functions and kept it in her wardrobe. This might suggest she was subconsciously seeking psychological comfort. I speculate that Wang Dongyan may have been involved in Zhou Nansong’s suicide, possibly out of guilt. It could be direct involvement or simply knowledge of the circumstances.

He Jueyun: That does make sense.

Compared to the lively conversation between the two, the comments in the live stream chat room began to slow down. The confident statements made just moments ago were quickly replaced by the sound of being slapped in the face. Only a group of people were sending laughing emojis, silently mocking those who had spoken so confidently earlier.

However, the netizens soon shook off their embarrassment.

The best way to cover up mistakes is to praise your opponent, so the netizens in the comment section began to half-heartedly praise Qiong Cang for her keen observations. Then, pretending nothing had happened, they continued to speculate on the situation.

As seasoned netizens, they needed to maintain some composure.

On the screen, the two were still communicating.

He Jueyun: Anything else?

Qiong Cang: I’ll tell you more after I finish grading the assignments.

He Jueyun: ? What assignments?

Qiong Cang: Daily practice, the ‘Five-Three’ series, and ‘Approaching Meng Jianping.’

He Jueyun: ...

When Qiong Cang said she would review assignments, she meant it literally.

Many people have the habit of doodling, especially when they are bored. Given Wang Dongyan’s strong suicidal tendencies and lack of someone to confide in, she might have left some clues in unexpected places. Assignments and draft papers can reveal a student’s psychological state.

Especially draft papers.

People will do anything when they are bored.

There were numerous exercise books for high school seniors, covering various subjects, editions, and brands. Qiong Cang sifted through the books on the desk, selecting science-related textbooks and flipping through them page by page.

Qiong Cang flipped through the pages quickly, every few seconds, as if skimming through. Yet, she looked at each page carefully.

In the game, time passes faster when there is no ongoing plot. By sunset, Qiong Cang had finished reviewing the contents of several exercise books.

Her expression was too calm, and the netizens had no idea what she had discovered after spending half the day on it. However, she did not stop her actions and began searching through other books.

She found an annotated composition book on the desk, containing the ten essays required during the winter break.

This was a completely silent video. Qiong Cang was almost fully absorbed in reading the book, with only minor movements, making the scene look like a replay with no changes. The only break was when she went out for a meal halfway through.

The director even zoomed in on the exercises in the assignments, allowing the audience to share in the "joy of learning."

The netizens had never experienced such a tedious live crime scene broadcast and were amazed. Even more surprising was that quite a few bored viewers had actually persevered through it.

If diary entries written just to complete assignments might offer some clues, then when Qiong Cang started searching for draft papers, the netizens who had been struggling through the ordeal could no longer remain calm.

"Seeing her put down the book, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I thought I had won. Then she took out the draft papers that she had just cleared into a corner. [Smile] What the hell kind of torture is this?"

"Awesome! She's a tough one! I give up, okay?"

"I just came to watch a livestream to relax, why are you doing this to me? [Haggard] What happened to the funny game? Girl, shouldn't you be flirting with the NPCs?"

"Do we really need to search for evidence so thoroughly? We actually have to start with the draft papers?"

"Relying on conversations for evidence can lead to lies, so these physical evidences are indeed more reliable."

"Her reading speed is too fast. If it weren't for her high reviews, I would've thought she was just faking it."

"Why does it feel like it's not working? She's gathering clues too slowly. There’s probably nothing useful in the textbooks or assignments, which is why she's moving to the drafts, right? Maybe there’s nothing in the drafts either!"

The netizens groaned collectively, while Qiong Cang flipped through the draft book much faster than before.

Her patience was almost scary.

High school students usually use their draft books quite randomly, without any discernible pattern. Qiong Cang flipped through them much faster than before.

Halfway through, she saw a pencil-sketched cartoon character on a stack of bound white draft papers.

The character's lines were rough, but the expression was quite lively, showing someone eating with puffed-up cheeks. Clearly, it was something Wang Dongyan drew when bored, yet she seemed to have some affection for it.

Qiong Cang's fingers paused for a moment, feeling oddly familiar with the drawing. She took a closer look at the character’s face, tore it out, and placed it beside her, continuing to flip through the rest.

Soon, she saw another sketch of a yawning male figure.

Qiong Cang quickened her pace, and near the end of the book, she saw a third image—several boys playing a stacking game, but only one had facial features.

The last two images had distinctive poses, and Qiong Cang immediately remembered something.

Qiong Cang took photos of each one and sent them to He Jueyun.

Qiong Cang: "Image·Drawing"

He Jueyun: What's this? What does it mean? Does Wang Dongyan like comics?

Qiong Cang: Do you know what XY is?

He Jueyun: Chromosome?

He Jueyun: Could Wang Dongyan actually be male?!

Qiong Cang was stunned for a moment.

Qiong Cang: ??

Qiong Cang: You're something, you really dare to think.

He Jueyun: ……No. I once handled a male criminal who had undergone breast augmentation and disguised himself as a woman to commit sexual crimes. It left quite an impression.

Qiong Cang read He Jueyun's reply three times, her mind going blank.

……She had just learned something that could enrich her life experience but was utterly useless.

It left a deep impression on her now, too.

Qiong Cang shook off the strange thought in her head and switched to her phone's photo gallery.

Today, when she was browsing through the photo album on her phone in the classroom, she found over 500 photos. Some were selfies, some were screenshots, and others were photos taken in the classroom.

At that time, Qiong Cang paid particular attention to several classmates who appeared in the photos, suspecting they were likely close friends of Wang Dongyan. After all, Wang Dongyan was unlikely to take photos of people she disliked and keep them in her album.

But at the time, she couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong, assuming they were just typical high school snapshots.

Qiong Cang: “Pictures.”

Qiong Cang: Look at the boy in the background.

She sent him three photos in a row.

In each photo, while a different girl was the main subject, the camera ‘inadvertently’ captured half of a boy’s figure.

That boy was Xu You.

Xu You yawning.

Xu You eating.

Xu You playing stacking games with other boys on the ground.

The actions matched those of the cartoon-style male character perfectly.

Xu You’s eye corner had a mole, and the cartoon character had a mole in the same spot.

Numerous details indicated that this girl was subtly expressing her crush.

Qiong Cang: Xu You is the boy who confronted me this afternoon. When I first loaded the scenario, he even hit my head.

Qiong Cang: “Picture·Red String” Bought from the same Taobao store as Wang Dongyan.

Qiong Cang: XY.

Qiong Cang: Yohoo.

This “yohoo” had a very expressive quality to it.

He Jueyun sensed a hint of pride in her tone.

The netizens were also thrilled by this discovery, shaking off their lethargy and becoming more alert.

“Damn! She figured out the plot way too soon! The player I watched only found out about this right before they died!”

“Sigh, young people.”

“Given Xu You’s attitude towards her… This story is already heading for a bad ending from the start.”

“To be able to spot a character occupying less than a quarter of the screen in so many photos? [Pupil earthquake] Is she some kind of human system that can automatically analyze images?”

“It really does have the feel of a 92-point discovery! Shout out loud and say ‘I can do it!’”

“I thought this scenario was about school bullying, but you’re telling me it’s actually a coming-of-age romance?”

“Wait, but didn’t the player previously conclude that Wang Dongyan’s suicide wasn’t related to Xu You’s actions?”

“Perhaps because she was already used to it, the data didn’t show any fluctuations. It’s common to make incorrect inferences before and after in [Crime Scene Analysis].”