When the two arrived, Rita was being helped out of Adolf’s room by a maid, looking confused and disoriented.
Shen Siwei approached the door and glanced inside. He saw Adolf, dressed in casual clothes, slumped on the sofa, and the carpet under him stained red with his blood. Medical personnel surrounded the sofa, examining his body, while guards searched for any clues around.
“Captain Shen,” Rita said, stopping beside Shen Siwei, “Adolf is dead.”
It was an obvious fact, but judging by Rita’s appearance, she seemed unable to believe that such a thing could happen.
Shen Siwei withdrew his gaze from the room and looked at the surveillance cameras in the corridor, asking without much hope, “Did they capture the killer?”
“No,” the personal guard of Adolf stepped forward and said, “The killer must have entered and exited through the window.”
“What about the surveillance cameras in the courtyard?” Shen Siwei asked again.
“They didn’t capture anything either,” the guard said, “The killer seems to be familiar with blind spots in the surveillance.”
Adolf had mentioned before that the Miller’s must have entered and exited through the window too. It seemed that although the deaths of those two individuals were different, it was likely the work of the same person.
“I know who the killer is,” Rita moved her lips and said.
This statement sounded familiar because she had previously accused Adolf of being the killer. Shen Siwei followed her words and asked, “Who?”
“Amor,” Rita said, with a clear look of fear in her eyes, unable to hide her fear even with her delicate makeup.
“Amor?” Shen Siwei raised an eyebrow unexpectedly. “But didn’t he leave?”
“It can only be him,” Rita said solemnly, “He has always been at odds with his family, and this time, with what happened to Moran, he must have been greatly disturbed.”
“But—” Wasn’t this conclusion too random?
“Just think about it, Captain Shen,” Rita interrupted Shen Siwei, “Someone bears a grudge against Miller, someone bears a grudge against Adolf. That’s normal. But who bears a grudge against both Miller and Adolf?”
From the motive standpoint, the killer must have had resentment toward both individuals, which narrowed down the possibilities significantly.
“But Amor wouldn’t kill,” Shen Siwei said.
“How do you know?” Rita asked, “Do you know him well?”
Shen Siwei had only met Amor twice, once at Moran’s house and once at Miller’s funeral. However, Shen Siwei always felt like he had known him for a long time, perhaps because he had read Amor’s diary.
At least from Amor’s diary, he seemed mature and had a broad understanding of things.
Because of his own identity concerns, even though he had some criticisms of the existing social system, he wouldn’t show it in class but silently wrote it in his diary.
“He is a university professor,” Shen Siwei thought for a moment and said, “Does he know how to kill?”
“When a person is cornered, they can do anything,” Rita said. Then she corrected herself, “No, it’s not being cornered, it’s being driven crazy.”
Crazy? Shen Siwei recalled Amor’s state and it didn’t seem like what Rita described.
“He changed when he came back this time,” Rita continued, “He took the initiative to talk to me and even told me to take care of myself.”
“And that’s called madness?” Shen Siwei looked at Rita strangely, beginning to doubt who among those two was truly insane.
“He never used to initiate conversations with me, and he would even avoid making eye contact. You know those people with social anxiety? He’s probably like that, trying to avoid social interactions as much as possible. I thought he wouldn’t attend Miller’s funeral.”
Shen Siwei didn’t think Amor had any problems with his social abilities. Everyone has different sides to them. Perhaps Amor simply didn’t want to talk to Rita or stay in that house.
“Captain Shen,” Rita’s tone became somewhat anxious when she saw Shen Siwei’s lack of response, “if he is truly the killer, then I might be his next target. He deliberately told me to ‘take care,’ isn’t that a death threat?”
Upon hearing this, Shen Siwei finally realized why Rita looked so terrified. It wasn’t because she was frightened by Adolf’s body, but because she was worried that she might be the next victim.
“Amor also told me to take care before he left. Could that also be a death threat?” Shen Siwei comforted her, “Don’t think too much, it might just be a normal farewell.”
“No, you don’t understand. He’s really different now,” Rita shook her head, “I remember him smiling at me during Miller’s funeral, but it was clearly a sinister smile.”
“Madam,” the maid beside Rita couldn’t help but advise, “perhaps you’re thinking too much.”
Shen Siwei thought the same.
At that moment, a guard received a message. He projected the contents of the message into the air and said, “This is Amor’s access record.”
Every entrance and exit leading to the lower levels had records, accurately showing the time someone entered or left the top floor.
In the recent access records, it showed that Amor first left the top floor before Miller was killed, and he returned after the funeral this morning. Approximately two hours later, he left the top floor again.
“He didn’t have the time to commit the crime,” Shen Siwei said.
Rita still seemed skeptical and repeatedly checked the access records.
“This is Amor’s current location,” the guard opened another projection window and said, “Currently, his coordinates are in the western district of the lower level. If he had just killed Adolf, unless he can teleport, it’s impossible for him to reach the western district in such a short time.”
Rita breathed a sigh of relief for the time being, but her expression still carried a hint of doubt. “Could it be that I was just overthinking?”
“Now that Amor’s suspicion is ruled out,” Shen Siwei continued, “can you think of anyone else who might have killed Adolf?”
Rita shook her head in confusion, “I don’t know. Could it be a servant or a guard?”
“One thing we can be sure of,” Shen Siwei said, “the killer is definitely not an outsider.”
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have such a thorough understanding of the blind spots in the surveillance.
“And there’s the weapon,” Klet, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke up, “When I first came up, all the weapons were confiscated. Since Adolf was shot, it means the killer had access to a gun.”
“So, it could be a guard?” Rita asked.
“I can investigate if any of the guards have lost their firearms,” the guard said, “If necessary, we can also compare the projections.”
“Alright,” Rita nodded.
The guard received the order and quickly left the room. The medical personnel on the other side also had a result; Adolf’s body showed no other abnormal conditions, only a gunshot wound.
Shen Siwei couldn’t help but start thinking about who else might have had a motive. Just then, Rita suddenly received a message. She glanced at it and her eyes widened in anger, completely losing the absent-minded look from earlier.
“Did you reveal Klet’s identity?” Rita closed the communicator and looked at Shen Siwei and Klet.
“Yes,” Shen Siwei calmly replied.
“The announcement was made after Adolf’s death,” Rita scrutinized them warily, “Did you plan it in advance?”
“What plan?” Klet retorted with a low, husky voice full of confusion.
“You planned to kill Adolf and let Klet inherit the inheritance in a legitimate manner,” Rita said, her gaze gradually turning cold, “Captain Shen, I underestimated you. I didn’t expect you to be so scheming.”
Shen Siwei: “…”
He twitched the corner of his mouth, “Huh?”
“How long have you been planning this? Was saving Amor also part of your plan?” Rita coldly asked, “I know you have a connection with Nightingale. Is all of this your doing?”
It was getting more and more absurd.
If Shen Siwei had the ability to manipulate power like that, would he just settle for being a soldier?
This Rita was truly a remarkable person. She had been quite frightened by the Amor incident just a moment ago, but as soon as it came to the issue of inheritance, she immediately regained her fighting spirit.
“We didn’t kill Adolf,” Shen Siwei calmly stated, “If we wanted to seize power using such means—if anyone stood in our way, we would kill them—then you, as well as everyone at the top, would have died long ago.”
After a pause, he added, “If you don’t understand my capabilities, you can ask around.”
Rita’s body slightly leaned back, and she withdrew the imposing aura she had just displayed. It seemed that only now did she realize that if Shen Siwei and Klet wanted to kill her, it would be even more terrifying than Amor.
“But,” she took a deep breath and looked at Klet, pretending to remain calm, “After Adolf’s death, you are the one who benefits the most.”
“I’ve said it many times,” Klet furrowed his brow, looking impatient, “I don’t care about the fucking inheritance.”
Shen Siwei, afraid that Klet might reveal that what he cared about was just getting married, quickly continued, “Revealing the identity was only to push for the public vote. No one wants your inheritance.”
Rita’s tense shoulders finally relaxed, but she appeared confused, “Then who else could it be?”
With all this going back and forth, she seemed to be on the verge of going crazy.
Shen Siwei said, “Let’s wait for the results of the investigation.”
After parting ways with Rita, Shen Siwei and Klet strolled around the lawn outside.
The surveillance cameras already had extensive coverage, but there were many landscaping features on the lawn. With some effort, it was still possible to find a route that avoided all the cameras.
The two of them found a bench and sat down, looking at the brightly lit villa in the distance. Klet asked, “Who do you think the killer is?”
Shen Siwei exhaled heavily and honestly said, “I don’t know.”
“It could be Rita,” Klet stretched his arms, resting them on the back of the bench, “Maybe she was just acting earlier.”
“That’s not entirely impossible,” Shen Siwei raised his head, his temples throbbing. He leaned his head on Klet’s arm.
“It could also be Amor,” Klet continued, “This place is suitable for hide-and-seek; he must have known how to avoid surveillance since he was a child.”
“Perhaps,” Shen Siwei said, “But how do you explain his travel records?”
“I don’t know,” Klet shrugged, “Just speculating.”
“Honey , don’t make things more chaotic.”
When Shen Siwei said “honey ,” he only intended to make Klet calm down and not further confuse his thoughts.
But who knew Klet wouldn’t stay calm. Instead, he sat up straight and looked at Shen Siwei, asking, “What did you call me?”
“It’s nothing.” The arm behind his neck moved, and Shen Siwei had to raise his head.
“I heard it,” Klet frowned.
“If you heard it, why are you asking?”
“I want to hear it again.”
“It’s gone once it’s over.”
Clearly, Klet wouldn’t give up easily. He leaned closer to Shen Siwei, as if swearing not to give up. But at that moment, his communicator vibrated, interrupting his action.
He lowered his eyes and glanced at it, then leaned back against the chair, activating the speaker function. The next second, Malken’s voice came through.
“Is tomorrow’s arrangement confirmed?” Malken asked, “Leizher and I will arrive on the third floor around 9:30, and the meeting will start at 10:00. Will you and klet attend, or should I attend?”
Klet looked at Shen Siwei next to him and said, “We’ll attend.”
“OK!” Malken said, “I just checked the comments. Akleet’s voice is very high right now. I hope everything goes well tomorrow!”
“You’re calling me Ak—”
“Alright, see you tomorrow. Bye-bye!”
Before Klet could finish speaking, Malken had already hung up. Klet had a dark expression on his face, as if he wanted to punch someone. Shen Siwei chuckled and pinched his cheek, saying, “Don’t be angry, honey.”
Klet’s anger visibly reduced.
“There’s a lot going on tomorrow,” Shen Siwei said again, “Since we’re going to the third floor, I want to find Dr. Chen. Moran mentioned before that he might be able to restore my cardiopulmonary function.”
“Fully restore it?” Klet asked.
“Yes,” Shen Siwei replied.
Klet slightly furrowed his brow, “Then you won’t need me to give you artificial respiration anymore.”
Shen Siwei visibly flustered: “…you are so silly?”
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