The Photographer let out a terrified scream.
Because the severed head in his hands looked far too real… just like an actual human head.
He threw the head back into the Director’s arms.
The Director held the head, turning it over and over for a long time, frowning deeply:
“When did our crew get such an amazing Prop Master?”
“……”
Everyone around fell silent.
“Director, do you think it’s possible this isn’t a prop?”
Not a prop?
.
“Law Enforcement Officer on duty! Clear the way!”
We finally arrived at the scene.
“Chi Xiaoyuan! Are you okay?” Shi Tian dashed over to Chi Xiaoyuan and checked her condition.
Fortunately, she was unharmed.
Seeing Teacher Xiao Yuan safe, we all breathed a sigh of relief.
Chi Xiaoyuan was still shaken. She hugged Sister Xinyue and our boxes tightly.
If the person who had gone through that door just now hadn’t been “Miyasu” but herself, then the body lying here now… could it have been her own?
A step’s difference.
Life and death.
Shi Tian had already begun examining the corpse:
“One precise strike to the neck, a skilled technique, instantly beheading the victim. The victim had no chance to resist.”
“But there are no marks of restraint or binding on the victim,” I climbed out from the box and began searching the scene for clues, “It seems the victim willingly allowed the beheading, without any resistance at all…”
“Hmm, either the attacker was extremely fast, or the victim never even saw them coming.”
We fell into deep thought.
“Look here,” I pointed at the victim’s wrists, “there are bloodstains—cut marks.”
Both wrists bore the wounds, located between the back of the hands and the elbows.
The cuts were deep enough to expose bone, but their significance was unclear.
“Could it be that the killer tried to sever the victim’s hands as well, but lacked the strength to finish the job? Does that mean the killer has very little physical power?”
“How could someone with little strength manage to decapitate the victim with a single blow? The neck…”
That was a problem.
By now, Shi Tian had stopped examining the corpse and shifted his attention to the decomposed limbs scattered around.
“These are victims from ten years ago,” Shi Tian noted as he compared with files, “All their skulls are missing, and some have lost both hands. It seems those parts were taken as trophies by the killer…”
“What a pervert.”
“But today, the killer piled up these limbs here and created a new victim. What’s the purpose? Showing off? Or some kind of religious ritual?”
The killer’s motive was hard to guess, and their identity difficult to deduce.
Because this may not be a traditional mystery case. Since the awakening of the Spirit Beings, various methods exist beyond traditional scientific analysis… For example, criminals might be able to fly, leaving no footprints behind. Some might even teleport, killing and vanishing instantly, thus creating a perfect alibi.
Assassinations have become much easier in this era, making finding the culprit much harder. That’s why many Law Enforcement Officers have adopted a lax attitude towards homicide cases.
Deduction? Classic logical reasoning cases only exist now in entertainment.
“What’s this?” Shi Tian frowned as he pulled a fresh note from the pile of corpses.
The note read:
[I did not use Spirit Beings]
[The clues are already given to you]
[Deduce, and find me]
[Or else, someone else will die tonight]
[No cheating! No looking for that Fortune Teller Streamer!!!]
[Break the rules, and I’ll kill more!]
? That Fortune Teller Streamer… is that referring to me?
Should I be honored that a ruthless killer has taken notice of me?
Well, fine. Since you say you didn’t use Spirit Beings and left enough clues, I won’t waste time observing aura. I want to sleep peacefully tonight.
“Transporting this many decomposed bodies wasn’t easy. Only someone inside the crew had the opportunity to move them,” Shi Tian decided to start investigating the crew’s timeline. “I’ll investigate their timeline. You guys go back with Teacher Xiao Yuan. This isn’t a matter for children or outsiders.”
Looking down on us, huh?
Although we understood Shi Tian was concerned for our safety, we felt quite indignant.
“The incident happened within the crew. I’m involved too and shouldn’t leave,” Chi Xiaoyuan refused the suggestion, “Besides, I’m the Qingluan Lord. You arrogant fool, do you think you’re the only one who can fight here?!”
“But you really can’t beat me.”
“Fine, you stinky Shi Tian! Two days without seeing you, and you’ve already forgotten camaraderie? Want to spar?”
“You should stick to being a Star. Investigation is my specialty. Careful you don’t ruin your genteel image with all this fighting,” Shi Tian grumbled.
“You…” Chi Xiaoyuan was so angry her breathing quickened, her fury making her forget the danger of the situation, “Do you dare to compete with me? Let’s see if these ‘outsiders’ find the killer first or if you ‘Professional’ do!”
“Boring competition… you don’t stand a chance.”
“Let’s go! We’ll see!”
Teacher Xiao Yuan stormed off angrily with us in the opposite direction.
Shi Tian went to question the crew members.
“That self-righteous idiot. Today, let him see the aftermath caused by us ‘outsiders’!”
Shi Tian and Baba teamed up, forming the Boys Team to investigate the timeline.
Teacher Xiao Yuan, furious, led us to search for clues as the Girls Team.
What started as a normal investigation suddenly took on a competitive edge.
I got interested too. Neither side wanted to lose.
“Oh, right!”
I recalled the clue Baba gave: “Ring, Teacher Xiao Yuan, do you know if the crew has anything ring-shaped?”
“Ring? There are plenty. The Props Group has all sorts of weird items—like the Crescent Moon Blade, the Hanging Rope, even plastic Pizza Edges, Funeral Painting Circles… all rings.”
“Take us to see them. Maybe we can find something.”
We entered the Props Group’s warehouse. The chaotic mix of strange items gave us headaches.
But to win this investigation, we patiently searched.
By evening, time had slipped away.
“Have you found anything?”
“No, not even anything with bloodstains.”
“Same here.”
Unfortunately, we came up empty-handed.
At first, I suspected the killer might have hidden the “ring” among the chaotic props, since no one would suspect such a place.
But apparently not.
“Are we looking in the wrong direction? Maybe the ring is just an unimportant object, or perhaps… just the moon in the night sky?”
That night was indeed a full moon.
But a full moon, not a lunar halo. It shouldn’t be connected to the description “ring” at all.
After a tiring afternoon of searching, we left the crew, starving.
But since the killer said there would be more murders tonight, we didn’t eat. We had to think quickly.
“What could it be? A bowl? A plate? The edge of a white trash can?”
We’d become obsessed with the ring.
“Let’s eat. I’m so hungry I can’t walk properly. This isn’t helping the investigation at all,” Sister Xinyue suggested.
Gurgle. The Treasure Chest Monster’s little stomach growled in protest.
“Fine.” Teacher Xiao Yuan reluctantly led us out of the soundstage, “There’s a decent restaurant nearby that many internet celebrities check in at for content… Luckily, it’s a weekday and not crowded. Let’s eat there.”
We entered the restaurant and found a seat.
At that moment, a popular Mukbang Host sat beside us.
She skillfully unpacked her equipment bag and pulled out a camera, tripod, and ring light.
Switching on the ring light, its soft white glow illuminated her face, making her complexion appear radiant.
Filming is about seventy percent appearance, and ninety-three percent lighting and beauty filters. This specialized white Circle Ring Light is designed for portrait shooting. Its light is soft and even, providing excellent fill light.
Staring at that light, my mouth slowly dropped open. A rush of shocked thoughts flooded my mind, and suddenly everything made sense!
“Teacher Xiao Yuan, what kind of fill lights does your crew use? Are they very bright?”
“Hmm?” Chi Xiaoyuan noticed the circular ring light too, her eyes widening, “Our crew… uses all kinds of fill lights to suit different shooting environments, and brightness can be adjusted greatly. You mean…”
“Fill light! The ring is a fill light!”
We hurriedly got up to pay.
“The killer is the Lighting Technician!”
Just then the food arrived, and we hadn’t even taken a bite.
The Treasure Chest Monster looked wistfully at the food, thought for a moment, then suddenly stretched eight tentacles out of the box, pulling the food back inside.
We regrouped with Shi Tian at the soundstage.
“Got any leads?” Shi Tian challenged, raising his chin.
“Of course. When we catch the killer, don’t slyly say ‘I knew it all along’!” Chi Xiaoyuan shot back.
“No, because I haven’t figured out who the killer is,” Shi Tian admitted with a shrug, “But this is serious. Don’t wrong the innocent. We don’t have much time.”
“Hmph.”
Teacher Xiao Yuan crossed her arms.
Facing the nearby camera, she wore a proud and confident expression.
Then she turned to me and whispered, “So why do you think the killer is the Lighting Technician???”
… So you don’t know anything at all?!
I rolled my eyes. I thought Teacher Xiao Yuan had reasoned out the killer’s method with me, but all this fierce posturing was just for show.
“Hehe~ I’ve got Xiao Luo Xian with me~” Teacher Xiao Yuan winked desperately at me, “Do you have that voice-changing bow? I can pretend to sleep a bit.”
“No such thing!!!”
“No worries, I have a Bluetooth Speaker. We can use AI Voice Changer on the phone.” Sister Xinyue pulled out the speaker from Storage Police like Doraemon’s gadget.
“……”
Who’s actually investigating here?!