There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

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He immediately asked, "May I ask where your husband is right now, madam?"

Upon hearing this, the lady's expression froze, and then she said indignantly, "My husband didn't come to the Five-star Hotel. I was originally just meeting a friend here today, but I never expected to run into the current situation. My husband must be frantic not getting any news from me!" Discover hidden stories at empire

Xu Shuo sighed, "This is indeed troublesome. I've heard that the military has locked down the hotel because someone died upstairs. Who knows when they'll find the murderer."

"It's not just about finding the murderer, is it?"

Suddenly, the lady lowered her voice and said to him, "I just heard that the person who died seems to be related to military secrets."

Then, a few women who were sitting at the same table chatting with the lady also spoke up, "Speaking of which, Manager Zhang's female companion, being a witness, has already been taken into separate custody by the military."

"Right, right. Last night, my husband also received a call from someone higher up. I heard that the military has lost something very important."

"They say they have found a spy active within the territory, but in fact, it's probably been stolen by the spy already, hasn't it?"

"And it's taken them so long to find this murderer."

"The military is so useless!"

The women chatted casually, not forgetting to complain about the military forces in District 13.

Xu Shuo only smiled, not agreeing with them, glancing cryptically at Manager Zhang whom they had been discussing earlier.

As the general manager of Tengxing Trading Company, he was surrounded mostly by businessmen. Instead of waiting idly and wasting time, the businessmen took the opportunity to network and talk business.

Now that they were all trapped in the hotel by the military, they even developed a sense of camaraderie, like fellow sufferers in a foreign land.

...

...

Third floor of the hotel.

After checking the last room, the two military officers still hadn't found any substantial clues, though they had dug up quite a few matters that some guests were reluctant to mention.

The aide-de-camp frowned, "Would they really conduct the exchange in a Five-star Hotel?"

The Capital Commandant's expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, "There's still a group of people below that we haven't searched one by one."

They had only learned about the staying guests in general, but it was possible that the spy had come to the hotel and had not yet had time to check in.

Or perhaps, there was no need to check in at all, the purpose being merely to meet and complete the exchange.

Either scenario was possible.

Even the possibility that the deceased might have been the contact for this occasion wasn't ruled out.

If one continued to speculate, the contact person's mysterious death at the meeting place could mean that the spy either simply decided to leave or might stay to investigate further.

The Capital Commandant still used the same two words: "No rush."

The aide-de-camp shrugged his shoulders, not looking particularly worried.

But just as the two were about to go down, a voice called out "Major Commandant" not far away.

A woman, standing in the hallway, was wearing a strictly tailored camel-colored coat, with a dignified and elegant poise. She curved the corners of her mouth as she said: "Major Commandant, I have something I'd like to discuss with you. May I?"

This woman, who was staying in room 304, was a Special Envoy from the Parliament of District 10.

Moreover, her entry into the country was officially approved; she had a permit, and a delicate brooch pinned on her clothes was the emblem of District 10.

The Major Commandant looked at her coldly, "If you have anything important to say, madam, you can go directly to the general to discuss it after this incident is over."

The woman smoothed the curls that had fallen over her forehead, "It's not about official business. It's a personal matter."

This statement sparked a flicker of gossipy interest in the aide-de-camp's eyes.

It seems, ever since their first encounter, the woman had a somewhat different attitude towards the Capital Commandant.

But then he saw the woman's gaze sweep over him unintentionally and then firmly set back on the Capital Commandant.

The aide-de-camp's eyebrows twitched, "What, I need to leave now?"

After staring into the woman's eyes for a moment, the Capital Commandant seemed to accept the conversation, stepping forward toward her direction without paying attention to the aide beside him.

The aide who was left behind: "..."

He clicked his tongue in displeasure, saying, "Fine, you two talk. I'll go downstairs and check on those two suspects."

The Special Envoy from District 10 opened the door to room 304, and as the Major Commandant stepped in, the closed door hid their figures from view.

...

The aide's originally frivolous demeanor became slightly reserved as he looked meaningfully at room 304 before turning to go downstairs, heading straight for room 214 on the second floor.

This was an unoccupied room, now used to guard the two eyewitnesses.

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The maid was a mere civilian, so she obediently sat here, waiting for the interrogation, while Manager Zhang's companion had calmed down to await questioning only after smashing everything in the room that could be smashed.

The hotel manager had sent over snacks and drinks several times, hoping to soothe the guests' mood, but they were destroyed over and over again.

Now he could only grimace and wait outside the door.

After the adjutant arrived, the hotel manager saw him as a savior and just hoped the military would resolve the situation quickly.

The door was opened again, and only the maid instinctively looked up, while the lady sprawling on the sofa playing with her nails couldn't even be bothered to glance over, assuming it was the hotel manager again.

The adjutant dismissed the manager and closed the door again.

Sensing that the atmosphere was somewhat different, the lady barely turned her head to look.

"What now?" she said sarcastically, "Has your military found the murderer, or are you planning to pin this on someone because you've come up empty-handed?"

Hearing this, the maid's expression became very uneasy.

Because Miss Merlin was not only a hotel guest but also Manager Zhang's companion from Tengxing Trading Company—if someone had to take the fall, it definitely wouldn't be her.

The adjutant smiled, walked up close, and flirtatiously lifted a lock of the lady's hair, gazing into her eyes as he said, "What is Miss Merlin talking about? We in District 13 always act fairly and justly. If you are not involved, we certainly wouldn't slander you without cause."

The maid quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the lady, unmoved, let out a cold laugh, "Then what's this confinement all about?"

"Like I said, it's only to protect you," the adjutant's fingertips twirled her hair as he spoke persuasively, "After all, you might have seen the murderer, right?"

"We really didn't see anything!" the maid hurriedly exclaimed.

"But what if the murderer thinks you did, he will surely come to kill you to silence you," the adjutant spoke slowly.

"This..." the maid paused, her expression a mix of fear.

The lady said nothing, merely narrowing her eyes slightly.

The adjutant released her hair, shrugged nonchalantly, and then sprawled on the sofa, crossing his legs and speaking with frivolous amusement, "Of course, maybe there's really nothing, and we're just overthinking everything."

But clearly, the maid had believed his words; as the first eyewitness to the victim, it was very possible the murderer would come to silence her.

She was still very afraid.

The adjutant took a sip of the drink from the table and continued, "Miss Merlin, as Manager Zhang's companion, we definitely won't restrict your freedom for too long, after all, District 13 has quite a few transactions with Tengxing Trading Company."

The lady snorted, "Oh?"

"So you are free to leave now," the adjutant said with a smile, gesturing towards the door.

"You're not going to claim I'm fleeing from my crimes as soon as I leave this door, are you?" the lady retorted sarcastically.

"Ah, not at all~"

The adjutant spread his hands, looking somewhat helpless.

The lady eyed him strangely for a moment, then stood up and walked toward the door, but she suddenly turned her head back sharply as she was about to open it.

All she saw was the man nonchalantly drinking his beverage, not even glancing her way.

The lady walked out the door directly.

The soldiers guarding the door didn't stop her either.

The door to room 214 closed again.

The adjutant turned to look at the maid sitting opposite, who was visibly anxious.

His gaze suddenly became deep, and his tone carried a strange, bewitching quality, low and slow.

"Don't be afraid, I definitely won't hurt you, you know my character well," he said.

The maid appeared startled, her demeanor changing in an instant, suddenly trusting the man before her.

Still, she was a little uneasy, "Sir, I won't really be targeted by the murderer to be silenced, will I?"

The adjutant smiled, "Of course not, just do as I say next, and I will soon catch the murderer. But remember, you mustn't tell anyone."

The maid nodded, "Okay."

The adjutant's smile was satisfied as he tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the sofa, his gaze thoughtful.

What to do when the go-between is dead?

Find a new go-between, of course.

...