The three stood beneath the Queen’s statue, each more handsome and captivating than the other, occasionally drawing the attention of passing visitors.
Dr. Garner felt that their objective was somewhat obvious standing there, so he led the two towards a secluded corner. As they walked by, tourists passed them and with his keen hearing, Bai Lixin faintly caught snippets of the tourists’ conversation.
“The exhibits in this museum are truly breathtaking. It’s impossible to see everything in a day. Unfortunately, I have to leave tomorrow. It would be great if the Imperial Capital Museum opened at night. District-level museums stay open late, so why does the national museum clear out everyone by 4:30?”
“Shh, keep your voice down. I heard it’s because it’s haunted at night that they close before dark.”
“Haunted? Really?”
“I don’t know if it’s true. I just heard of it. But they say someone died!”
“Hiss, it must be a lie, right? In such a solemn museum, and Queen Elizabeth’s soul guarding it, how could any evil spirits dare to cause trouble here?”
“I said I just heard about it, I didn’t say it’s absolutely true.”
The gossiping tourists gradually moved away.
Bai Lixin always felt a gaze behind him. He turned subtly and saw a suspicious figure quickly retracting into a blind spot at the corner.
He calmly shifted his attention back and, when he locked eyes with Lin Xiao, he heard him whisper, “I heard about the rumor of hauntings at night the second day I came here. I secretly entered the museum for the next two nights but didn’t find any supernatural events. So, I can’t confirm the truth of that statement.”
Bai Lixin: “Doesn’t the Orderly know the secrets of the copy?”
Lin Xiao: “In the end, the Orderly is a player transformed. Besides, I’m a player NPC who has been eliminated. It’s impossible for me to know everything.”
Bai Lixin observed the expressionless man in front of him, his gaze falling on the other party’s head. He pointed to his own head with his index finger. “Do you have a system too?”
Lin Xiao hesitated for two seconds and gave a negative answer, “I don’t.”
Dr. Garner couldn’t understand the conversation between the two and was getting anxious, “What silent riddles are you playing? What do you mean by coming at night without any supernatural events happening? Do you sneak into the museum at night? Such behavior is a serious crime in our country, you know? This is a blasphemy against Queen Elizabeth’s soul and the cultural relics.”
Lin Xiao pursed her lips and glanced sideways at Dr. Garner, with a sharp look in his eyes, “Putting these civilizational relics here is the greatest blasphemy to civilization.”
The fleeting sharp gaze made Dr. Garner’s heart skip a beat. But when he looked again, the unfamiliar man had already put on that expressionless, lifeless face.
Dr. Garner blushed. He felt insulted, but with nowhere to vent, he could only sulk with a puffed-up face.
He felt somewhat humiliated.
He listened to the Warden because he respected the Warden. He helped Mr. X because Mr. X had saved him, and he harbored a certain affection for Mr. X.
But what about this ordinary civilian man?
Being a Count, even princes and princesses should show him respect. Yet, this man was so arrogant and disrespectful, showing no regard for him.
If Mr. X weren’t present, he would have already given this unreasonable and cold man a beating.
The two looked at each other secretly, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Bai Lixin calmly glanced back and forth between the two of them, and became somewhat interested in Lin Xiao.
Lin Xiao’s initially calm demeanor seemed to fluctuate in this museum. To provoke such emotional responses from a player who was almost as emotionless as a robot showed that something was wrong.
However, he was still very discerning. He silently took two steps back without saying a word or interfering, intending to let the two confrontational individuals handle the heightened emotions themselves.
Lin Xiao noticed Bai Lixin’s small action first. After giving Dr. Garner a threatening gaze, Lin Xiao adjusted his sleeves and returned to his usual robotic demeanor. “Next… let’s move forward.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Is it over?
He wanted to see if Lin Xiao could show any other flaws!
The standoff stopped abruptly. Still bewildered, Dr. Garner blinked a couple of times. When he regained his senses, he saw the object of his admiration and the man he disliked walking several meters away, almost reaching a dark and shadowy place.
Dr. Garner gritted his teeth and hurriedly caught up.
Even though the Lord Warden suddenly changed from his love to love rival overnight, and even though he felt that the Lord Warden wasn’t worthy of Mr. X, it didn’t stop him from subjectively affirming that the Lord Warden and Mr. X were a match made in heaven.
Dr. Garner found that his emotions quite complicated, and even a little neurotic.
Even though he was now a love rival, he had followed this person for so long. Watching Mr. X with the Lord Warden, he felt a bizarre sentiment, to like a mother watching her children in love.
As for this Lin Xiao that suddenly appeared, speaking words he couldn’t understand and constantly getting close to Mr. X ….Mr. X didn’t show any signs of rejection, even tacitly accepting these actions.
And looking back at Mr. X and the Lord Warden.
One doesn’t want the other to leave, and the other just wants to escape.
No matter how you look at it, Lin Xiao was like a fly staring at an egg… No, a fly following an egg.
Dr. Garner felt very complicated.
In prison, he and the Lord Warden were in a competitive relationship. When he saw the Warden lock up Mr. X like a dog, he just wanted to take him away.
But after leaving prison and seeing someone else get close to Mr. X, he suddenly felt that being locked in a small dark room by the Warden wasn’t that bad.
If you can’t get someone, you should be willing to admire them from afar, and you shouldn’t compare yourself to someone who can have him.
When told this wild man who come from nowhere that it was his turn?
These two seem to have a tacit understanding.
He couldn’t understand anything they were speaking.
Could it be that Mr. X left prison and came here because of this wild man?
No wonder the Lord Warden insisted I follow Mr. X; it turns out, he was guarding against this situation.
Dr. Garner felt like he was facing a formidable enemy and cried out in his heart.
‘Lord Warden, your wife is about to be abducted!’
No, he can’t tolerate such a thing happening; he must defend the love of his love rival.
Dr. Garner surveyed the surroundings, his eyes rolling in their sockets. He caught up with Bai Lixin’s pace in three quick steps and said, “X, I suddenly remembered something the Warden said before leaving.”
Bai Lixin’s steps paused slightly, and he looked at Dr. Garner curiously.
Dr. Garner quickly coughed twice, imitating Dijia’s serious expression, “I think about you all the time, X. I hope you don’t forget that you’re a man with a family. Don’t easily let yourself be seduced by any attentive cat or dog.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
If he didn’t know that Dijia wouldn’t call him “X,” he would have thought it was Dijia making such possessive remarks.
Lin Xiao: “…”
‘Attentive cats and dogs?
What the hell?’
In the distant prison, the Lord Warden sneezed, startling the guards nearby.
“Oh my, the Lord Warden actually sneezed. Did he get sick and caught a cold?”
“Who says sneezing must mean being sick with a cold? Maybe someone is thinking about the Lord Warden.”
The guard’s shoulders shook and his eyes widened, “Who, who is it? Is there really someone who misses the Lord Warden?!”
‘Who is so crazy?!’
“Shh!” The guard next to him hurriedly tugged the sleeve of the clueless companion. “Keep it down! What if the Lord Warden hears!”
After the two of them finished speaking, they sneakily glanced at the man’s silhouette ten meters away in the corridor. Once they confirmed that the tall and majestic man had no reaction, they both secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The Warden in the distance tilted his head, strands of silver hair covering his slightly reddened cheeks.
‘Who?
Who else could it be but him?’
…
Bai Lixin didn’t expect the serious topic to take such an abrupt turn and end up burning him, the spectator.
He felt that Dr. Garner might have a slightly abnormal mind, but because the other party was still useful, he tried to steer the conversation back to the central line: “Let’s first sort through the clues.”
Dr. Garner secretly glared at Lin Xiao and said angrily. “In the world of love, three is a crowd. Two is just right. You and the Lord Warden are a match made in heaven.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
His mouth twitched and he tried a bit harder, “Getting done to work is more important. Let’s go to a corner where no one is paying attention…”
Dr. Garner’s eyes went wide, “Is there anything that can’t be done openly and honestly? Why sneak into a secluded corner? Are you planning to betray the Lord Warden?”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Are you sick?’
Lin Xiao looked at Bai Lixin and Dr. Garner with cold eyes, “Although I don’t know what kind of novel game you two are playing, don’t drag me into it. My lover is someone else.”
Bai Lixin felt like he might also have been labeled “lunatic” by the other party, and his face was a bit hot: “…”
A few minutes later, the three finally reached a secluded corner, and Bai Lixin could still feel that monitoring gaze.
Dr. Garner scratched his head in embarrassment, “So, you guys are just friends? I misunderstood. Sorry, sorry.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Your misunderstanding is way off!’
Bai Lixin looked towards the area the gaze was coming from. The sneaky black shadow seemed to be getting fatter and showed no intention of retracting its head this time.
The escape system, which hadn’t shown up for a long time, couldn’t hold back anymore: [Does this person really think we haven’t noticed him? He’s becoming more blatant!]
Bai Lixin: [Is it a player?]
Escape system: [After detection, I confirm it’s a player. What are they trying to do sneaking around like this? Do they plan to harm Master Bai Lixin?]
S419M: [Using psychological analysis, in a situation where their own safety is uncertain, they should have temporarily given up harming the Lord Host. There’s a little over a day until the deadline, and they still haven’t found any clues. They’re not stupid.]
[Since they are secretly observing Lord Host, it means they’re probably placing their last hope on Lord Host, hoping he can find the answers and lead them.]
The Escape system was shocked: [Are there such shameless people in the world?]
S419M sighed: [It’s not just one or two such people, but eight!]
The Escape system shouted: [Damn it! If a tiger doesn’t show its might, they’ll think it’s a mere bean! We must show them some color!]
S419M: [Rest assured, Sister System, I’m here. They won’t have an easy time.]
Escape system: [Wow, Brother M, you’re so heroic. No wonder I love you so much.]
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘I feel a bit redundant.’
“Don’t worry about them.” Lin Xiao had actually noticed the person following them long ago and said without much emotion, “Before they find the correct answer, they won’t dare to act against you. After all, you are the group’s only hope now.”
Dr. Garner still couldn’t understand what they were talking about, but he also spotted the sneaky black shadow. “Should I get someone to arrest him?”
Bai Lixin glanced at that direction, “No need. I’ll handle things between us.”
Dr. Garner didn’t say more.
From Bai Lixin’s tone, he and that black shadow should know each other, not as allies like Lin Xiao but in an adversarial relationship.
Thinking of the Lord Warden’s instructions, Dr. Garner hesitated for two seconds, “If you need anything, just tell me and I will take care of it.”
The three heads huddled together, and Bai Lixin began to weave the plot based on key points from the known information.
He took out a notebook and a pen from his backpack, flipping to a blank page and jotting down a few details.
[Imperial Capital Museum, closes at 4:30.]
[Stolen item: Kiss of the Sun diamond crown, Exhibition Hall 35 on the 3rd floor.]
[Time of theft: January 30, S1988, between 4:00-4:10 PM, 5 days ago.]
[Known testimonies: Guard team A claims the handover of patrol personnel was completed, Team B denies the handover.]
After writing this, Bai Lixin temporarily stopped writing. “Aside from coordinating with personnel, isn’t there a fixed time for guard handovers? Like, say, at four in the afternoon?”
Dr. Garner replied, “Yes, it’s not a secret at all. Anyone with some interest can know. The handover time is 4:00 PM.”
Bai Lixin stared at the notebook in thought, “But the guard team from Group B discovered that the crown was missing at 4:10 PM, so were they ten minutes late?”
Dr. Garner added, “But they claim they arrived at exactly 4:00 PM. They seem genuinely wronged, not understanding how, when they entered the exhibition hall at 4:00, it became 4:10 when they looked up at the clock.”
“At present, it seems they’re more at fault, but guard team A, who left without waiting for the replacement, also bear an undeniable responsibility.”
Bai Lixin remembered that each exhibition hall had a clock on the wall.
He briefly noted down a few details on the notebook, lightly tapping the spine with his slender index finger. “When the guards are on duty in the exhibition hall, they are positioned at the four corners. Handovers are also done in full view of everyone. If Group A says they completed the handover, and Group B insists they weren’t late, what did the witnesses say? With such a conspicuous action as changing shifts, others shouldn’t have missed it, right?”
Once he finished speaking, Dr. Garner looked at him strangely.
Only then did Bai Lixin remember that he was one of the “witnesses”!
“Uh.” Bai Lixin tried to defend himself, “My attention was focused on the exhibits at that time. I really didn’t notice.”
Dr. Garner’s expression became even stranger. He licked his lips, gulped, and whispered, “The witnesses’ reactions are just like yours.”
After saying that, he glanced at Lin Xiao beside him.
Under Bai Lixin’s puzzled gaze, Lin Xiao nodded in admission, “Yes, except for the ten of us outsiders who don’t know what happened at the time, none of the other ten people noticed the guard’s shift change. They all seemed to be distracted by the exhibits. So, until now, the testimonies of both guard groups remain doubtful, as there are no eyewitnesses.”
Bai Lixin stopped tapping the notebook, “This is getting supernatural.”
It’s understandable when one or two people don’t notice, but everyone not seeing it… Could it be their eyes were just for show?
Before this, he had been thinking that the theft might be a suspenseful case artificially created by humans. However, at this point, he could almost confirm that this matter was closely related to the “supernatural.”
No wonder, after more than three days, the nine people still had no clues.
Human actions usually have some logic or motive, leaving traces or clues. But supernatural events are different.
The motive, time, and place of what happened are all unclear.
Dr. Garner had deep psychological trauma from those terrifying ghosts in the tunnels, and hearing the word “supernatural” from Bai Lixin’s mouth made him gulp, “How about… we just not investigate?”
“Why bother with something thankless? Even if something happens, the Lord Warden will handle it for you. Why go through all this trouble?”
Lin Xiao glanced at Dr. Garner, “Is searching for a lost national treasure unnecessary for you?”
“After the Kiss of the Sun was stolen, the museum was not closed for a serious search, and the Queen did not send any force to search for it. She just arrested a suspect perfunctorily.”
“Did you steal so many treasures that you don’t care about this one at all, or did you not lose the Kiss of the Sun at all?”
Lin Xiao’s words were so aggressive. Dr. Garner couldn’t help but take two steps back, and his cheeks turned slightly red as he stammered, “I’m just one person with limited power. What can I do by myself? So many people can’t find the whereabouts of the Kiss of the Sun. Why should I be in a hurry?”
Lin Xiao retorted, “ The world is in turmoil. Since you are a member of this country, you should do something, not to mention you are a count. If everyone is indifferent like you, the country will perish. Then what about the common people below? If everyone is as apathetic as you, the nation will surely collapse.”
Garner widened his eyes, “Are you insane? Are you actually cursing our country to perish? Shut up. If someone else had heard this, you’d already be in prison.”
Lin Xiao crossed his arms across his chest and turned his head away from Dr. Garner.
Dr. Garner was about to explode.
If this Lin Xiao wasn’t Mr. X’s friend, he wouldn’t bother talking to him.
He had hostility from the moment they met, as if they had some irreconcilable feud.
How could someone as good as Mr. X know such a person?
Bai Lixin silently observed Lin Xiao.
This was the second time Lin Xiao lost his composure today.
Lin Xiao, who usually remained calm about everything, seemed particularly moved by the “relics of civilization.”
As the atmosphere gradually calmed down, Bai Lixin wrote another piece of information in his notebook.
[Queen]
“There is one point Lin Xiao mentioned that is also quite puzzling.” Bai Lixin tapped his index finger on the notebook. “Usually, in the case of a crime scene, they would close it off to protect the evidence. But this museum continues to open its doors to the public without sufficient collection of clues. What could be the reason?”
Dr. Garner replied with a touch of annoyance, “Do you want the whole world to know that Queen Elizabeth’s crown is missing? Stirring up trouble and causing panic among the people?”
“Doing so is, of course, to maintain order.”
“Losing a couple of relics in a museum would cause a commotion. Not to mention the legendary crown of Queen Elizabeth.”
“Her Majesty isn’t indifferent. It’s just that this matter cannot cause a sensation. It needs to be investigated quietly.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
This reason makes sense too.
The three stood beneath the Queen’s statue, each more handsome and captivating than the other, occasionally drawing the attention of passing visitors.
Dr. Garner felt that their objective was somewhat obvious standing there, so he led the two towards a secluded corner. As they walked by, tourists passed them and with his keen hearing, Bai Lixin faintly caught snippets of the tourists’ conversation.
“The exhibits in this museum are truly breathtaking. It’s impossible to see everything in a day. Unfortunately, I have to leave tomorrow. It would be great if the Imperial Capital Museum opened at night. District-level museums stay open late, so why does the national museum clear out everyone by 4:30?”
“Shh, keep your voice down. I heard it’s because it’s haunted at night that they close before dark.”
“Haunted? Really?”
“I don’t know if it’s true. I just heard of it. But they say someone died!”
“Hiss, it must be a lie, right? In such a solemn museum, and Queen Elizabeth’s soul guarding it, how could any evil spirits dare to cause trouble here?”
“I said I just heard about it, I didn’t say it’s absolutely true.”
The gossiping tourists gradually moved away.
Bai Lixin always felt a gaze behind him. He turned subtly and saw a suspicious figure quickly retracting into a blind spot at the corner.
He calmly shifted his attention back and, when he locked eyes with Lin Xiao, he heard him whisper, “I heard about the rumor of hauntings at night the second day I came here. I secretly entered the museum for the next two nights but didn’t find any supernatural events. So, I can’t confirm the truth of that statement.”
Bai Lixin: “Doesn’t the Orderly know the secrets of the copy?”
Lin Xiao: “In the end, the Orderly is a player transformed. Besides, I’m a player NPC who has been eliminated. It’s impossible for me to know everything.”
Bai Lixin observed the expressionless man in front of him, his gaze falling on the other party’s head. He pointed to his own head with his index finger. “Do you have a system too?”
Lin Xiao hesitated for two seconds and gave a negative answer, “I don’t.”
Dr. Garner couldn’t understand the conversation between the two and was getting anxious, “What silent riddles are you playing? What do you mean by coming at night without any supernatural events happening? Do you sneak into the museum at night? Such behavior is a serious crime in our country, you know? This is a blasphemy against Queen Elizabeth’s soul and the cultural relics.”
Lin Xiao pursed her lips and glanced sideways at Dr. Garner, with a sharp look in his eyes, “Putting these civilizational relics here is the greatest blasphemy to civilization.”
The fleeting sharp gaze made Dr. Garner’s heart skip a beat. But when he looked again, the unfamiliar man had already put on that expressionless, lifeless face.
Dr. Garner blushed. He felt insulted, but with nowhere to vent, he could only sulk with a puffed-up face.
He felt somewhat humiliated.
He listened to the Warden because he respected the Warden. He helped Mr. X because Mr. X had saved him, and he harbored a certain affection for Mr. X.
But what about this ordinary civilian man?
Being a Count, even princes and princesses should show him respect. Yet, this man was so arrogant and disrespectful, showing no regard for him.
If Mr. X weren’t present, he would have already given this unreasonable and cold man a beating.
The two looked at each other secretly, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Bai Lixin calmly glanced back and forth between the two of them, and became somewhat interested in Lin Xiao.
Lin Xiao’s initially calm demeanor seemed to fluctuate in this museum. To provoke such emotional responses from a player who was almost as emotionless as a robot showed that something was wrong.
However, he was still very discerning. He silently took two steps back without saying a word or interfering, intending to let the two confrontational individuals handle the heightened emotions themselves.
Lin Xiao noticed Bai Lixin’s small action first. After giving Dr. Garner a threatening gaze, Lin Xiao adjusted his sleeves and returned to his usual robotic demeanor. “Next… let’s move forward.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Is it over?
He wanted to see if Lin Xiao could show any other flaws!
The standoff stopped abruptly. Still bewildered, Dr. Garner blinked a couple of times. When he regained his senses, he saw the object of his admiration and the man he disliked walking several meters away, almost reaching a dark and shadowy place.
Dr. Garner gritted his teeth and hurriedly caught up.
Even though the Lord Warden suddenly changed from his love to love rival overnight, and even though he felt that the Lord Warden wasn’t worthy of Mr. X, it didn’t stop him from subjectively affirming that the Lord Warden and Mr. X were a match made in heaven.
Dr. Garner found that his emotions quite complicated, and even a little neurotic.
Even though he was now a love rival, he had followed this person for so long. Watching Mr. X with the Lord Warden, he felt a bizarre sentiment, to like a mother watching her children in love.
As for this Lin Xiao that suddenly appeared, speaking words he couldn’t understand and constantly getting close to Mr. X ….Mr. X didn’t show any signs of rejection, even tacitly accepting these actions.
And looking back at Mr. X and the Lord Warden.
One doesn’t want the other to leave, and the other just wants to escape.
No matter how you look at it, Lin Xiao was like a fly staring at an egg… No, a fly following an egg.
Dr. Garner felt very complicated.
In prison, he and the Lord Warden were in a competitive relationship. When he saw the Warden lock up Mr. X like a dog, he just wanted to take him away.
But after leaving prison and seeing someone else get close to Mr. X, he suddenly felt that being locked in a small dark room by the Warden wasn’t that bad.
If you can’t get someone, you should be willing to admire them from afar, and you shouldn’t compare yourself to someone who can have him.
When told this wild man who come from nowhere that it was his turn?
These two seem to have a tacit understanding.
He couldn’t understand anything they were speaking.
Could it be that Mr. X left prison and came here because of this wild man?
No wonder the Lord Warden insisted I follow Mr. X; it turns out, he was guarding against this situation.
Dr. Garner felt like he was facing a formidable enemy and cried out in his heart.
‘Lord Warden, your wife is about to be abducted!’
No, he can’t tolerate such a thing happening; he must defend the love of his love rival.
Dr. Garner surveyed the surroundings, his eyes rolling in their sockets. He caught up with Bai Lixin’s pace in three quick steps and said, “X, I suddenly remembered something the Warden said before leaving.”
Bai Lixin’s steps paused slightly, and he looked at Dr. Garner curiously.
Dr. Garner quickly coughed twice, imitating Dijia’s serious expression, “I think about you all the time, X. I hope you don’t forget that you’re a man with a family. Don’t easily let yourself be seduced by any attentive cat or dog.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
If he didn’t know that Dijia wouldn’t call him “X,” he would have thought it was Dijia making such possessive remarks.
Lin Xiao: “…”
‘Attentive cats and dogs?
What the hell?’
In the distant prison, the Lord Warden sneezed, startling the guards nearby.
“Oh my, the Lord Warden actually sneezed. Did he get sick and caught a cold?”
“Who says sneezing must mean being sick with a cold? Maybe someone is thinking about the Lord Warden.”
The guard’s shoulders shook and his eyes widened, “Who, who is it? Is there really someone who misses the Lord Warden?!”
‘Who is so crazy?!’
“Shh!” The guard next to him hurriedly tugged the sleeve of the clueless companion. “Keep it down! What if the Lord Warden hears!”
After the two of them finished speaking, they sneakily glanced at the man’s silhouette ten meters away in the corridor. Once they confirmed that the tall and majestic man had no reaction, they both secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The Warden in the distance tilted his head, strands of silver hair covering his slightly reddened cheeks.
‘Who?
Who else could it be but him?’
…
Bai Lixin didn’t expect the serious topic to take such an abrupt turn and end up burning him, the spectator.
He felt that Dr. Garner might have a slightly abnormal mind, but because the other party was still useful, he tried to steer the conversation back to the central line: “Let’s first sort through the clues.”
Dr. Garner secretly glared at Lin Xiao and said angrily. “In the world of love, three is a crowd. Two is just right. You and the Lord Warden are a match made in heaven.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
His mouth twitched and he tried a bit harder, “Getting done to work is more important. Let’s go to a corner where no one is paying attention…”
Dr. Garner’s eyes went wide, “Is there anything that can’t be done openly and honestly? Why sneak into a secluded corner? Are you planning to betray the Lord Warden?”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Are you sick?’
Lin Xiao looked at Bai Lixin and Dr. Garner with cold eyes, “Although I don’t know what kind of novel game you two are playing, don’t drag me into it. My lover is someone else.”
Bai Lixin felt like he might also have been labeled “lunatic” by the other party, and his face was a bit hot: “…”
A few minutes later, the three finally reached a secluded corner, and Bai Lixin could still feel that monitoring gaze.
Dr. Garner scratched his head in embarrassment, “So, you guys are just friends? I misunderstood. Sorry, sorry.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Your misunderstanding is way off!’
Bai Lixin looked towards the area the gaze was coming from. The sneaky black shadow seemed to be getting fatter and showed no intention of retracting its head this time.
The escape system, which hadn’t shown up for a long time, couldn’t hold back anymore: [Does this person really think we haven’t noticed him? He’s becoming more blatant!]
Bai Lixin: [Is it a player?]
Escape system: [After detection, I confirm it’s a player. What are they trying to do sneaking around like this? Do they plan to harm Master Bai Lixin?]
S419M: [Using psychological analysis, in a situation where their own safety is uncertain, they should have temporarily given up harming the Lord Host. There’s a little over a day until the deadline, and they still haven’t found any clues. They’re not stupid.]
[Since they are secretly observing Lord Host, it means they’re probably placing their last hope on Lord Host, hoping he can find the answers and lead them.]
The Escape system was shocked: [Are there such shameless people in the world?]
S419M sighed: [It’s not just one or two such people, but eight!]
The Escape system shouted: [Damn it! If a tiger doesn’t show its might, they’ll think it’s a mere bean! We must show them some color!]
S419M: [Rest assured, Sister System, I’m here. They won’t have an easy time.]
Escape system: [Wow, Brother M, you’re so heroic. No wonder I love you so much.]
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘I feel a bit redundant.’
“Don’t worry about them.” Lin Xiao had actually noticed the person following them long ago and said without much emotion, “Before they find the correct answer, they won’t dare to act against you. After all, you are the group’s only hope now.”
Dr. Garner still couldn’t understand what they were talking about, but he also spotted the sneaky black shadow. “Should I get someone to arrest him?”
Bai Lixin glanced at that direction, “No need. I’ll handle things between us.”
Dr. Garner didn’t say more.
From Bai Lixin’s tone, he and that black shadow should know each other, not as allies like Lin Xiao but in an adversarial relationship.
Thinking of the Lord Warden’s instructions, Dr. Garner hesitated for two seconds, “If you need anything, just tell me and I will take care of it.”
The three heads huddled together, and Bai Lixin began to weave the plot based on key points from the known information.
He took out a notebook and a pen from his backpack, flipping to a blank page and jotting down a few details.
[Imperial Capital Museum, closes at 4:30.]
[Stolen item: Kiss of the Sun diamond crown, Exhibition Hall 35 on the 3rd floor.]
[Time of theft: January 30, S1988, between 4:00-4:10 PM, 5 days ago.]
[Known testimonies: Guard team A claims the handover of patrol personnel was completed, Team B denies the handover.]
After writing this, Bai Lixin temporarily stopped writing. “Aside from coordinating with personnel, isn’t there a fixed time for guard handovers? Like, say, at four in the afternoon?”
Dr. Garner replied, “Yes, it’s not a secret at all. Anyone with some interest can know. The handover time is 4:00 PM.”
Bai Lixin stared at the notebook in thought, “But the guard team from Group B discovered that the crown was missing at 4:10 PM, so were they ten minutes late?”
Dr. Garner added, “But they claim they arrived at exactly 4:00 PM. They seem genuinely wronged, not understanding how, when they entered the exhibition hall at 4:00, it became 4:10 when they looked up at the clock.”
“At present, it seems they’re more at fault, but guard team A, who left without waiting for the replacement, also bear an undeniable responsibility.”
Bai Lixin remembered that each exhibition hall had a clock on the wall.
He briefly noted down a few details on the notebook, lightly tapping the spine with his slender index finger. “When the guards are on duty in the exhibition hall, they are positioned at the four corners. Handovers are also done in full view of everyone. If Group A says they completed the handover, and Group B insists they weren’t late, what did the witnesses say? With such a conspicuous action as changing shifts, others shouldn’t have missed it, right?”
Once he finished speaking, Dr. Garner looked at him strangely.
Only then did Bai Lixin remember that he was one of the “witnesses”!
“Uh.” Bai Lixin tried to defend himself, “My attention was focused on the exhibits at that time. I really didn’t notice.”
Dr. Garner’s expression became even stranger. He licked his lips, gulped, and whispered, “The witnesses’ reactions are just like yours.”
After saying that, he glanced at Lin Xiao beside him.
Under Bai Lixin’s puzzled gaze, Lin Xiao nodded in admission, “Yes, except for the ten of us outsiders who don’t know what happened at the time, none of the other ten people noticed the guard’s shift change. They all seemed to be distracted by the exhibits. So, until now, the testimonies of both guard groups remain doubtful, as there are no eyewitnesses.”
Bai Lixin stopped tapping the notebook, “This is getting supernatural.”
It’s understandable when one or two people don’t notice, but everyone not seeing it… Could it be their eyes were just for show?
Before this, he had been thinking that the theft might be a suspenseful case artificially created by humans. However, at this point, he could almost confirm that this matter was closely related to the “supernatural.”
No wonder, after more than three days, the nine people still had no clues.
Human actions usually have some logic or motive, leaving traces or clues. But supernatural events are different.
The motive, time, and place of what happened are all unclear.
Dr. Garner had deep psychological trauma from those terrifying ghosts in the tunnels, and hearing the word “supernatural” from Bai Lixin’s mouth made him gulp, “How about… we just not investigate?”
“Why bother with something thankless? Even if something happens, the Lord Warden will handle it for you. Why go through all this trouble?”
Lin Xiao glanced at Dr. Garner, “Is searching for a lost national treasure unnecessary for you?”
“After the Kiss of the Sun was stolen, the museum was not closed for a serious search, and the Queen did not send any force to search for it. She just arrested a suspect perfunctorily.”
“Did you steal so many treasures that you don’t care about this one at all, or did you not lose the Kiss of the Sun at all?”
Lin Xiao’s words were so aggressive. Dr. Garner couldn’t help but take two steps back, and his cheeks turned slightly red as he stammered, “I’m just one person with limited power. What can I do by myself? So many people can’t find the whereabouts of the Kiss of the Sun. Why should I be in a hurry?”
Lin Xiao retorted, “ The world is in turmoil. Since you are a member of this country, you should do something, not to mention you are a count. If everyone is indifferent like you, the country will perish. Then what about the common people below? If everyone is as apathetic as you, the nation will surely collapse.”
Garner widened his eyes, “Are you insane? Are you actually cursing our country to perish? Shut up. If someone else had heard this, you’d already be in prison.”
Lin Xiao crossed his arms across his chest and turned his head away from Dr. Garner.
Dr. Garner was about to explode.
If this Lin Xiao wasn’t Mr. X’s friend, he wouldn’t bother talking to him.
He had hostility from the moment they met, as if they had some irreconcilable feud.
How could someone as good as Mr. X know such a person?
Bai Lixin silently observed Lin Xiao.
This was the second time Lin Xiao lost his composure today.
Lin Xiao, who usually remained calm about everything, seemed particularly moved by the “relics of civilization.”
As the atmosphere gradually calmed down, Bai Lixin wrote another piece of information in his notebook.
[Queen]
“There is one point Lin Xiao mentioned that is also quite puzzling.” Bai Lixin tapped his index finger on the notebook. “Usually, in the case of a crime scene, they would close it off to protect the evidence. But this museum continues to open its doors to the public without sufficient collection of clues. What could be the reason?”
Dr. Garner replied with a touch of annoyance, “Do you want the whole world to know that Queen Elizabeth’s crown is missing? Stirring up trouble and causing panic among the people?”
“Doing so is, of course, to maintain order.”
“Losing a couple of relics in a museum would cause a commotion. Not to mention the legendary crown of Queen Elizabeth.”
“Her Majesty isn’t indifferent. It’s just that this matter cannot cause a sensation. It needs to be investigated quietly.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
This reason makes sense too.
