The Novelist Forced to Become Famous

Chapter 262

A new day began, and the crew members were searching everywhere for the bronze statue.

It was a challenging task as the yacht had hundreds of rooms, divided into different functional areas, and adorned with decorations made of the same material, making it impossible to use detection devices.

Tina paused the services in multiple areas such as the cinema, bar, sauna, and swimming pool, and assigned around twenty staff members to start the search from the fifth floor onwards.

The result, of course, was fruitless.

Jian Jing suspected that Kidd had infiltrated among the guests.

The smoke that night was a professional prop, acting quickly and spreading rapidly, with almost no lingering effects. The ship's doctor examined the bodies of the four bodyguards and found no traces of drugs.

It couldn't have been sourced randomly from the ship.

The thief came prepared and most likely had targeted the bronze statue long ago.

But there was one thing she couldn't understand: after the theft of the bronze statue, the ship would definitely undergo a thorough inspection once it docked, and the guests' luggage couldn't have bypassed the security check. How could such a large bronze statue remain hidden?

If Jian Jing were the thief, she would either have prepared a replica in advance, swapping the real one with a fake and throwing the genuine article into the sea, then retrieving it when things calmed down. Alternatively, she would have targeted a buyer and ambushed them during the transfer of the collection, making a swift escape after succeeding.

Just look at Kidd. In a place like the ocean, one wouldn't dare to be so bold without a hang glider.

Why would a thief go to such lengths?

Could it be that their original target wasn't the bronze statue?

It was... the seller.

The most worrisome aspect of the bronze statue's theft was the seller. If the thief's goal wasn't the statue itself and they didn't care about taking it away, then everything made sense.

But why would they look for the seller?

Out of hatred? But more than a hundred years had passed since the bronze statue was stolen, changing hands countless times. Killing the seller would be meaningless unless they were an extremely radical person.

Moreover, during these past few days, she hadn't come across anyone like that.

It was strange, too strange.

Jian Jing felt as if she had stumbled into a mysterious trap, where everyone had their own hidden agenda, and she was the only one utterly confused.

A whole morning was wasted, and during lunchtime, the guests gathered in the living room, inquiring about the search results.

Tina apologetically informed everyone that they hadn't found anything.

Shen Hou couldn't contain his temper and erupted in anger, "Nothing found? For something so precious, you're saying it's all over with just a single sentence?"

Xu Gou was restless.

Chou Niu, Yin Hu, and Chen Long wore serious expressions.

Wei Yang, Wu Ma, You Ji, and Si She remained calm.

However, Hai Zhu had doubts and aggressively questioned, "For such a large statue, as long as it hasn't sunk into the sea, how could you not find it? Could it be that you all conspired to embezzle it?"

Tina reacted strongly and protested angrily, "There is absolutely no such thing!"

"Then why couldn't you find it?" Hai Zhu was very agitated. "An auction, a dead person, missing items—what kind of trickery is this?"

He threw down the cutlery in his hand and pointed his finger at Jian Jing, "You were investigating, weren't you? Have you found anything? I don't think you're capable. It's better to dock early and call the police."

"Cough." Mentioned by name, Jian Jing couldn't pretend anymore and cleared her throat, "Alright, since we have this opportunity, let's confront each other."

She said, "First, there is the death of Zi Shu. Two bodyguards can testify that around nine o'clock in the evening, Zi Shu instructed them to bring some fruits, which were the fruits on the tray at the crime scene. The weapon used to kill him was a fruit knife. Based on my observation, there are a total of five suspects: Yin Hu, Si She, Chen Long, Xu Gou, and Hai Zhu."

Jian Jing finished listing the names and asked, "I want to ask, when you saw the deceased, was he still alive?"

Yin Hu replied, "When I went, he was definitely still alive."

Jian Jing continued, "Was there a fruit tray on the table?"

Yin Hu frowned and thought for a while before saying, "I didn't pay attention, it seems like there wasn't."

Si She said, "When I went at 9:30, Zi Shu was still alive."

Yin Hu's expression relaxed, "That's right, it wasn't me who killed Mr. Zi Shu."

Jian Jing politely said, "You also left at 22:10, so we can't rule out your suspicion. What about you, Chen Long?"

Chen Long hesitated for a moment and nodded, "I went at 9:50, and he was still alive then."

Jian Jing nodded, reducing Si She's suspicion. She then asked Xu Gou, "Did you see the deceased after 22:00?"

"Of course not," Xu Gou answered firmly, "I just went to the restroom."

Jian Jing looked at Yin Hu again, "And you?"

Yin Hu replied, "Restroom."

"Pardon me for asking, big or small?"

"I had a bit of diarrhea."

"What about Mr. Hai Zhu?"

"Restroom," Hai Zhu replied.

"Big or small?"

"For urination's sake! It's annoying."

"Okay, Yin Hu was in the restroom from 22:10 to 22:20, and Hai Zhu was there from 22:15 to 22:25." Jian Jing stood up and stood between the two, preventing them from communicating. "Since both of you were in the restroom, did you happen to meet each other? On the count of three, please answer!"

"We met."

"I didn't see him."

Completely opposite answers.

Jian Jing looked at the two with satisfaction, "Yin Hu?"

Yin Hu remained calm and said, "I heard someone outside, but I wasn't sure if it was him."

Hai Zhu also said, "I was urinating and didn't notice who was in the stall."

"Yin Hu returned to the lobby in 20 minutes. Using the toilet, putting on pants, washing hands. Yin Hu, you are a very clean person, right? Does it take three minutes?" Jian Jing's speech speed increased. "Hai Zhu, clarify this for me. You left at 15 minutes and definitely went to the restroom at 16 minutes, right? You two didn't run into each other?"

She pressed on, "One didn't see clearly, the other didn't see at all. Are you playing games with me? Tell me, where did you go?"

The gaze of everyone focused on the two of them.

Hai Zhu seemed unfazed, raising his hands and being evasive.

It was Yin Hu who couldn't handle it. After a moment of silence, he said, "I didn't lie, I just concealed some things to avoid trouble."

Jian Jing replied, "Not speaking up is the trouble."

He sighed and admitted, "I went to the auction house to revise my bid. I really wanted the second item. I have prepared a beautiful courtyard, and if I could acquire the bronze statue, I would be able to recreate the enchanting scene of the hydraulic clock in the courtyard. For this, I am willing to pay a high price."

"When you went to the auction house, was the deceased still alive?" Jian Jing asked.

Yin Hu replied, "I don't know. The door was locked, and I called out for a while, but Mr. Zi Shu didn't respond. I thought he was refusing my request, so I had no choice but to leave."

"Are you saying that I killed him?" Chen Long sneered, "That's absurd."

Yin Hu calmly said, "I didn't say that. I just truthfully described what I saw."

Jian Jing nodded and then asked Hai Zhu, "Did you really not go?"

This is where the advantage of being shameless comes into play. Hai Zhu changed his tune without any pressure, "I also went to take a look. The door was closed, and I called out twice, but there was no response, so I came back."

"But just ten minutes later, you angrily rushed over and knocked on the door. Did you already know that the person was dead?" Jian Jing dug a pit.

Hai Zhu hesitated for a moment, then denied it firmly, "Of course not! I was anxious waiting for him. He didn't come out for a long time, and I was eager to know the result."

Jian Jing said, "Okay, now think back carefully, how long did each of you stay in front of the door?"

Yin Hu pondered for a moment and replied, "I knocked three times, three knocks each time, with an interval of about 10-20 seconds. I think it didn't exceed two minutes." He paused and emphasized, "I didn't lie before. After leaving, I did go to the restroom."

Hai Zhu said, "I did about the same. I called out twice, but there was no response, so I came back. What's the point of asking about this?"

"From the lobby to the auction room, it takes two minutes to walk slowly, and 30 seconds is enough if you run." Jian Jing explained, "I just want to solve a doubt—why did the killer create a sealed room?"

Si She seemed to have an understanding, "Are you saying that perhaps someone arrived there, and the killer was still in the room and didn't leave? So they had to create a sealed room to hide the time?"

"Yes," Jian Jing gave an example, "Let's suppose Hai Zhu arrived at 22:16 and left at 22:19. In that case, the killer could easily return to the lobby around 22:20. Both of them were in a hurry to get there, and there are three entrances and exits. Even if it's unlikely, there is indeed a possibility."

Yin Hu asked in a deep voice, "Are you suspecting me as the killer or..." he looked at Xu Gou, his eyes full of doubt.

Xu Gou angrily retorted, "Why are you looking at me? I have no suspicion whatsoever."

"Please calm down. I'm just discussing the modus operandi," Jian Jing appeared completely innocent, as if she had no intention of suspecting anyone, calmly diverting the topic, "Now let's talk about the missing item number 2."

She pondered, "Based on the current analysis, the crew members all have alibis. Unless they worked together as a group, but Miss Tina said that the staff either had many years of experience or were recruited from different places by the deceased. It's difficult for them to collude."

Si She coughed with effort and hoarsely said, "So, the thief is among us?"

"It's highly probable," Jian Jing replied. "Did any of you hear any unusual noises around 2 a.m. last night?"

The group exchanged puzzled looks and shook their heads.

Only Si She pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "I was coughing heavily and couldn't sleep, but I faintly heard the sound of a door opening and closing."

"Are you sure?" Jian Jing asked, surprised.

"Absolutely," he said. "Although it was very faint, I did hear it. If I'm not mistaken, it should be one of the people around me."

The cabins were arranged according to code names, roughly as follows:

Chou Niu..Mao Tu..Stairs..Si She..Wei Yang..Stairs..You Ji..Hai Zhu

Yin Hu..Chen Long..Stairs..Wu Ma..Shen Hou..Stairs..Xu Gou..Empty Room

Si She's ability to hear slight noises proved that it was either Wei Yang or Wu Ma.

"Did you hear any other sounds?" Jian Jing asked.

He thought for a moment and then said, "After a while, it seemed like there were footsteps, but I couldn't hear them clearly. Then the staff came to wake me up."

However, Wei Yang said, "It wasn't me. I slept soundly. By the way, I had sleep monitoring software running. Do you want to see?"

As she spoke, she opened the software on her phone and showed them the records. The sleep time started at midnight and ended at two minutes past two.

Wu Ma couldn't sit still any longer. "Are you suggesting it was me? I have no interest in bronze heads."

"I only said I heard a sound... cough, cough, cough..." Si She coughed violently, unable to stop for a while.

Jian Jing handed him a glass of lemon water. "Take it easy. Do you want me to call a doctor and get you some medication?"

Si She shook his head, took a sip of water, and slowly said, "I remember now. I only heard the sound of a door closing previously, but I didn't hear any footsteps. The footsteps came much later... cough, cough, it's strange."

"You didn't hear any footsteps? Could someone have entered someone else's room?" You Ji remained quiet but always had a sharp tongue. "Did anyone else lose anything?"

Wei Yang shuddered. "Could someone have entered my room and stolen something? But my belongings are already stored in the safe deposit box, so there shouldn't be anything missing."

After pondering for a moment, Jian Jing said, "I suggest everyone go back and check. Expensive items are stored in the safe deposit box, and since the thief hasn't been caught, they might strike again."

The others agreed wholeheartedly and left one after another.

However, it was a bit too late.

Not long after the meeting dispersed, Chen Long, who had never cooperated with the investigation, took the initiative to come forward and said his jade carving was stolen.

Jian Jing asked, "I remember you stored your belongings in the safe deposit box, right?"

He nodded anxiously, "You must find out who took my things."

"When did you put them in there?"

"Yesterday evening."