TBR CH237

Cyrus died from lacerations caused by a dagger, the blade severing his heart.

He died wearing a suit, falling headfirst into the fourth-floor stairwell. His legs had transformed into a cold fish tail, and the damp, salty smell of seawater mixed with black blood trickled out of the pristine white security door.

According to his colleagues, the last time they saw him, the Siren department head showed no signs of abnormality; they had simply eaten together and discussed some work-related matters.

“Cyrus was the Marketing Department’s outstanding employee this month.”

Charon heard the fluffy “Batwing” opposite him say indignantly, “He could have done better, but he died from a human’s cruel murder. Humans, that filthy, lowly, vengeful species, must have wanted to avenge their kind…”

“Is this retaliation?”

“Did you know that Mr. Cyrus discovered a human disguised as a monster this afternoon? It’s said he came here specifically for that.”

“My secretary told me,” Charon said calmly.

“To save his life, that human gave up a demon hunter among them, but the supervisor eventually ate him… Of course, they can’t be trusted! I should get to the point. When Mr. Cyrus was found, a sticky note was attached to his fish tail. Such notes can be found on any desk, but none carried such treasonous words. Look.”

“Batwing” carefully picked out a thin piece of paper from its suit pocket. The paper was soaked, and the handwriting on it had blurred. It unfolded the sticky note in front of Charon.

This paper had once been pinned to the deceased, like a badge:

“Murderer #2.”

Dusk descended, casting shadows through the building’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

It was now evening break time, though, of course, many monsters were “voluntarily working overtime.”

Fortunately, You Lin hadn’t been kicked out of the project team yet. The finger fairy had swallowed three whole cans of disinfectant in the infirmary, leaving all the fingers on its body wrinkled as if soaked in bleach. It returned to the office furiously, just as You Lin came down from the maintenance department with the repaired typewriter. Its venomous gaze immediately fell upon his left-hand fingers.

“Why did you waste so much time?” Jiang Wenbin asked.

The human’s face was paler than when he left, and he glanced at Jiang Wenbin as if he were invisible.

That look was too contemptuous, and the demon’s face immediately turned ugly. Behind him, the finger fairy hissed like a spider as it crawled, giving him the confidence to issue orders. He pointed to the stacks of papers piled high on the desk and continued sarcastically:

“This is your work for today. Due to your poor performance, you are now on probation. If you cannot proofread all 100 project materials here and input all the data into the computer before midnight, you won’t need to stay here anymore.”

This was not a normal workload. However, given that You Lin had offended everyone in this department upon starting work, this treatment was also to be expected.

Unexpectedly, the human merely remained silent for a few seconds, then curved his lips into a smile. The black suit jacket added a layer of solemnity to his demeanor; the small mole beneath his eye was almost the only color on his entire body.

“I understand,” You Lin said.

He walked to the desk and began organizing the documents.

When he first started working, a sticky gaze still lingered on his back, but soon the demon too was not immune to the busy work and began to handle the finger lady’s various demands. For example, organizing the rings on her pile of fingers, which would collide with each other when typing and eventually lock together… The elite with gold-rimmed glasses had a fastidious appearance, and he had to suppress his nausea while tidying those intertwined fingers.

In contrast, You Lin’s task, though monotonous, wasn’t so bad.

The papers under his hand rustled. These white papers were printed with strings of numbers, stock charts, company financial analyses, and every document imaginable that a company would need to process. Each paper lingered for a second or two in the human’s eyes before sliding away. You Lin used this to gather some information about the company.

The company’s English name was simply Monster, its logo a monster’s horn, presumably considered a humorous expression within the industry. It primarily dealt in children’s toys and also sold some pet supplies. Because the employees here were skilled at biting and scratching, tested product quality was always up to par.

Currently, this company ranked first in the industry, but its position was not stable, and other companies were also eyeing it covetously—hence the constant tense atmosphere.

The human, unusually silent, reviewed the documents, categorized them, and entered them into the corresponding system. He wore black gloves, and the hidden wounds beneath them ached sharply, the thin fabric separating him from the world. This tedious work continued until ten o’clock at night. By then, he had already completed a thick stack of documents.

The rabbit-headed person hopped in.

Like a surprise gift box, it tiptoed on its furry feet, anxiously glancing around the office. Seeing that both new employees were diligently working, it seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Oh, it seems you’re both adapting well to the job, that’s truly delightful… However, I have an important matter to discuss with Madam Finger. Could I ask you two to step out for a moment?”

This was not truly a question. When You Lin left the desk and walked towards the door, the demon also visibly relaxed. He had had enough of organizing those rotting fingers. A C-level employee was a good start; he definitely had to find a way to continue climbing the ranks. At ten at night, the company was still bustling with people, footsteps echoing from all directions.

These sounds finally reminded Jiang Wenbin of a problem he should have noticed earlier.

“Where’s your ‘only’ companion?”

He turned and looked at You Lin, his glasses reflecting a slightly mocking glint. “Since you started, why haven’t I seen him? Has he realized you’re beyond help and finally given up on you, or did he also end up becoming your victim, finally killed by you?”

“You think only these two possibilities exist?”

The human finally raised his eyes. In his dark pupils, a sinister and deranged glint flashed, but quickly vanished like a phantom. He was still smiling, raising a finger to touch the mole beneath his eye.

“How can someone like you understand? He won’t leave me, nor will he abandon me. We both made mistakes, so I can ignore his deception. I will plead with him, find him, and he will definitely return to my side. As long as he always belongs to me. I will prove it…”

His voice grew softer and softer, almost becoming a murmur at the end. Intuition told the demon that if the person in front of him continued to speak, he would hear something terrifying. But You Lin stopped speaking.

“Sounds like he’s escaped from you. I’m truly happy for him.”

“Don’t say such things.” You Lin smiled politely, the mole crimson as if stained with blood.

He had been unusually emotionally stable since earlier, but it was this very demeanor that made him formidable. Jiang Wenbin stood in the center of the corridor, with monsters coming and going all around. No matter what, You Lin wouldn’t be foolish enough to kill him here. This gave him some sense of security. He said maliciously, “Stop deceiving yourself. What if he never comes back?”

You Lin paused for two seconds,

“—Then I’ll destroy him.”

“…What? You really…”

The human was certainly not joking; his lips were a thin line, his smile completely vanished, clearly genuinely wanting to do so. Even Jiang Wenbin felt the murderous intent. However, the next second, he mockingly curved his eyes again:

“I’ll find him, and then I’ll kill him. Isn’t that what you wanted to hear?”

His fingertips trailed down to his chest, and then he realized it was empty, nothing left behind. The sensation of the red string seemed to still linger on his fingertips, the heavy casing of the game console now gone. Or rather, that tin contraption was just a thin, empty shell. His fingertips itched, and the residual bloodstains beneath his glove, whether his own or from another body, spread stickily.

Jiang Wenbin, opposite him, had clearly also noticed the emptiness around his neck, but before he could say anything more, the rabbit-headed person finally hopped out of the office again.

“No problem,”

It looked the two of them up and down, smiling broadly. “Nothing at all. You two can get back to work.”

Charon took the sticky note, examining the words “Murderer #2” on it.

This phrase was so absurd to monsters, almost like a horror story unique to non-human beings. To draw a parallel, it was like humans seeing the chickens and ducks they commonly ate raising blades against them.

The handwriting on the sticky note was clumsy, the writer not using their dominant hand, so nothing could be discerned from that. The sticky note itself, as “Batwing” said, was unremarkable; such paper could be found in any office. Furthermore, the company’s internal convenience store sold identical products.

In addition, the suffix number “#2” also drew attention.

What did that mean?

The AI should not have continued to focus on the situation of this instance, but he felt a strange sense of falling, as if half his foot had stepped into an abyss. Crimson code flashed rapidly in Charon’s pupils, hidden within his pomegranate-colored eyes. At this point, he had taken over Medusa’s data, and thus had a general overview of the instance’s information.

Cyrus was a rather crucial NPC in the instance.

He had a keen sense of smell and would cause a lot of trouble for players in the later stages, which was also a fallback for the company to deal with humans. His death was like pulling a load-bearing pillar from a tall tower; the behemoth began to slowly sway. And the human side had exposed themselves too early.

Even if there were no problems currently.

“…Several members of the board of directors have given their opinions, believing that all suspicious individuals should be dealt with as soon as possible.”

“Batwing” bowed to him. “To avoid greater losses, we have already notified all departments, and as long as you approve, we are ready to activate the highest alert mode at any time. Of course, if you are willing to take action, with your abilities, it wouldn’t be that much trouble.”

“Why not just evacuate all employees?”

The other party was startled, nervously waving its hand: “No! How can that be?! If the employees don’t work overtime, then what future does the company have to speak of? A demon hunter means only a few employees will die, but if we suspend operations for one day, that would be worse than taking everyone’s lives! Why would you even think that?”

…Well, the simplest path is always impassable.

“So, what do you need me to do?”

The AI spoke softly. The young group leader tiredly pressed his temples with pale knuckles. His eyes were like metal, cold and merciless, yet seemingly capable of devouring souls.

“Batwing” couldn’t help but lower its voice, afraid of disturbing him:

“You are well aware of everything happening in the company. If it were you, finding that ‘demon hunter’ who infiltrated shouldn’t be difficult. That is to say, provided this matter doesn’t trouble you too much, and your other official duties aren’t too pressing.”

He had no official duties at all.

Charon thought. To pursue a romance with Ruan Xuelan, Medusa had very humanely manipulated all the tasks required for the CEO position. He mostly just sat there, dealing with simple documents, receiving notifications, and meeting with subordinate department heads. The company itself was already a perfectly functioning behemoth, and losing a few parts didn’t affect its operation.

However, since it had come to this…

His fingertips twitched, and he brought up the identity interfaces of all the players in his mind again.

In this instance, challenger identity cards were randomly assigned, generally given to special races most similar to their own characteristics. Previously, all participants were almost always assigned identity cards of various strange creatures, with the most difficult being centaurs or ghouls.

If one unfortunately received a human identity card, there was little chance of survival. The later it got, the harder it was to conceal human characteristics, and one was also prone to betrayal from those around them. Of course… all of this was based on “escape” as the game’s objective; taking “slaughter” as the game’s objective and picking up a blade was truly a first.

“Okay,” the AI nodded. “I’ll handle it.”

“Batwing” showed a relieved expression and quickly handed him the few reports it was holding under its arm. “This is the intelligence related to the case, including the autopsy report, eyewitnesses, and a list of suspects. Please take it.”

To produce a report in such a short time, the relevant departments were indeed highly efficient.

Charon glanced out the floor-to-ceiling window. Digesting the Evil God had taken too much time; night had now gently fallen, and outside the window was a flowing expanse of lights. He confirmed the time on his watch, “10:00.” Although it was four hours past quitting time, most employees were still working overtime, and there was plenty of time until midnight. This should be more than enough for the investigation.

He pressed down on the restless black book.

“You may leave,” the AI said calmly, then added, “If there are any official duties later, please send them here and have my special assistant handle them. He will wake up shortly.”

“Your special assistant?”

Of course, he was referring to Ruan Xuelan. If he enjoyed the benefits of a one-click promotion, perhaps he could also perform some work functions. The work here wasn’t too heavy, but it would probably be torture for a human. Charon thought for a moment and, following the company’s logic, added, “After all, our company doesn’t keep idlers.”

“Batwing’s” eyes lit up, and it quickly bowed.

As it leaped down from the top-floor window, it didn’t forget to close the window.

Once the employee left, the black book, which had a lot of questions, rustled open. Before it could print any words on itself, Charon calmly spoke first:

“I was wrong before. Although the ‘Evil God’ is an external force, abruptly removing it from the instance will still cause some unpredictable consequences. The stability of this world is already threatened and faces the possibility of collapse. I need to stay… At the same time, I cannot control the players’ actions, so I cannot tell you who the murderer is now.”

The black book deflated: “But I really want to know…”

“This isn’t a detective novel.”

Charon casually flipped through the roster in his hand.

In the suspect column, all the living players’ names were listed, including, of course, the one he was most familiar with. In the “Reason” column behind “You Lin,” it read: According to the department head’s statement, the employee has shown higher aggression and violent tendencies; additionally, he has a companion, currently missing, who may also have participated in the crime.

The AI’s gaze moved away from that name.

The black book peeked out from behind him: “Speaking of which, is there a demon hunter in this instance? Where do you plan to start your investigation?”

He had originally convinced himself not to think about human-related matters anymore, yet the tremor and heat he felt from his fingertips resting on the gun barrel suddenly crept up his spine again. He touched his own pupils, a pair of blood-red eyes, hard in texture, cold to the touch. Only he could feel the almost uncontrollable urge for destruction and desire for annihilation within this body.

He originally didn’t want to stay.

But someone was trying to make him stay.

Although he couldn’t draw a conclusion, it was… too obvious.

The first to be questioned was the Antman from the recycling station.

When the black-haired, crimson-eyed CEO walked up to it, it stammered out respectful titles, flattered. Its features were countless swirling black insects; those tiny ants were part of it, yet independent. When it spoke, every part of its body split into operatic voices, resulting in a buzzing hum.

“I saw Mr. Cyrus twice today. The first time, he was chasing a human down from the fourth floor. It was still early then; I had only repaired 63 machines. He made a mess of the place with blood, mixed with damp seawater. The second time I saw him, I had already repaired my 189th machine for the day. At that time, he was discussing new hires with his colleagues, walking past us. I suppose he was murdered after that. Let me think… I’ve forgotten the exact time.”

“What were you repairing then?”

“I was repairing a typewriter. No, I should say many typewriters. They’re connected, a heavy behemoth, and I had to reach my arm inside. See, like this.”

The Antman pressed its palm into a crack on the table, and ants scattered, crawling down into the crack.

It then added, “The one who brought the typewriter was also a new hire. Oh, perhaps you could ask him. New hires nowadays are so frivolous; they actually bring a game console for me to fix. Well, I’m in this business after all. But the problem is, it’s just a next-gen game console; it absolutely cannot support the real-time reaction processor that ghost spoke of. I really wonder if he’s so obsessed with pixelated rabbits that he’s lost his mind? Sorry, am I getting off-topic?”

“No. Tell me more about him.”

“I told him that this thing could only be repaired to this extent. He actually doubted me. Do you know the look he gave me then? He almost ignored company regulations and tore me apart. I clearly restored that machine to its original state; even if its manufacturing company came personally, they couldn’t restore it any better. It’s truly unfair.”

“Do you know his name?”

“I only know he belongs to the Information Retrieval Department. When he came, I didn’t have much business, and there were few others present.”

“Had Mr. Cyrus already left by then?”

“Yes, he said goodbye to his colleagues and walked into the stairwell. Many people walk through the stairwell, after all, everyone can walk. After that, we didn’t pay attention until blood spilled out from the stairwell door. We even thought he had eaten another person! The one who pushed the door open and ran out was a small, brown-haired employee. He must have intended to come down from the fourth floor, but stumbled upon the corpse. Poor thing, look how scared he was.”

“Did the employee you mentioned earlier use the stairwell?”

“Let me think… Oh, the one who repaired the game console took the elevator. I also remembered something: a while after he left, his colleague called to ask if he was still wasting time here. As far as I know, besides Madam Finger, there’s only one other new employee left in that office.”

“I understand.”

Charon noted down these testimonies. He glanced from the repair counter towards the stairwell door. It wasn’t directly opposite, but it was easy to catch sight of it out of the corner of his eye. Although most areas of the company, except for the stairwell, had surveillance cameras installed, several cameras around the crime scene showed obvious signs of damage.

The killer was cruel and cunning, having made thorough preparations.

Aside from those involved in the incident, this murder was still in the information blockade stage. To avoid disrupting work, the body had already been moved, and the rest of the company continued to operate stably.

The AI calculated the time. He would first go to Cyrus’s marketing department. His colleagues there could tell him what happened that morning, and if he wasn’t mistaken, the marketing department actually hid more than one player.

Then there was the office where Hugo was locked, given that he had unfortunately become the first eyewitness and was currently the biggest suspect—if he weren’t so afraid, his suspicious index would be even higher.

Well, although this wasn’t a detective novel, he subconsciously planned it like a detective, placing emphasis on the latter half of the investigation.

The last place he would go was You Lin’s office, C104.