The traces in the manor had been well preserved. There were some scattered footprints on the ground, which should be the traces left by the person who had discovered the crime scene. They appeared to have been in a state of panic and overwhelming fear.
Song Que squatted on the ground to examine closely.
Wei Shu looked at him curiously and squatted down as well, imitating his actions.
Song Que chuckled : “What are you doing?”
Wei Shu replied: “Looking at the ground, what about you?”
Song Que said: “Looking at the footprints.”
Wei Shu approached Song Que, her face so close that it seemed distorted in Song Que’s eyes.
“Come on, we’ve known each other so well, do you really expect me to understand everything just from that one sentence? Please explain it to me.”
Song Que chuckled and said: “It’s my fault, I overestimated your ability to understand.”
Wei Shu’s face darkened. Although she achieved her goal, it felt like she had been mocked by Song Que.
Song Que stood up and walked further inside. As he walked, he said: “The murderer has killed sixty-nine people. It’s impossible for him to have killed people from high up. He must have walked through this manor. And during the killings, the victims spurted out a lot of blood. It’s very likely he got blood on him while walking, so there are probably footprints left in certain places. Sometimes, even incomplete footprints can reveal something.”
Wei Shu was a little confused: “Why are you investigating this? Isn’t the murderer Xiao Lingfeng?”
Song Que was taken aback for a moment, patted his head and said: “It’s a professional habit, sorry. But I still want to check the scene, maybe there are some clues?”
At this point, Wei Shu became interested and asked : “What exactly do you do? A police officer?”
Song Que replied: “A forensic doctor.”
Wei Shu’s eyes lit up, looking impressed, but then she heard Song Que say: “I’m just kidding, Can you keep a little skepticism? Come on, let’s get to work.”
Wei Shu frowned. It was because of this that she couldn’t bring herself to admire him. Though she thought this, she still went over to help, searching inch by inch on the ground. As she searched, she asked: “These footprints could also belong to the victims. Even if we find them, it will be hard to distinguish, right?”
Song Que then said, “Have you noticed that there are almost no traces of struggle throughout the entire manor except for the training grounds? But the bloodstains from the bodies are scattered all over the manor, as if those people didn’t resist at all.”
Wei Shu saw that it was indeed the case, but still hesitated and said: “What if these details are just something the game company didn’t include?”
Song Que said, “It’s possible, but if the Shi family manor only meant to serve as a backdrop for Xiao Lingfeng’s evil deeds, then why make this location truly exist? Wouldn’t it be better if we just said that times have changed and the manor was replaced by new buildings?”
Wei Shu said: “For the sake of realism?”
Song Que asked back: “They emphasize realism but don’t pay attention to the details of the fights? Andbased on the performance of this quest so far, do you think the game company would neglect these details?”
Wei Shu fell silent for a while, but finally gave in and made up her mind not to argue with him anymore. After all, She would have to listen to him in the end and arguing would only make her seem less intelligent.
“Then why do you think they didn’t resist? Were they drugged?”
Song Que nodded and said: “It’s very likely. The people in the Shi family manor are all skilled in martial arts. Even if they aren’t the best, and even if the killer’s martial arts were strong enough to leave them unable to resist, it’s unlikely that not a single person managed to escape. It’s sixty-nine people, not just nine. Killing takes time. ”
Wei Shu nodded.
Song Que continued: “So, here’s the problem, a man who deceived others and stole a martial arts manual to improve his skills in order to get revenge, why did he resort to using drugs in the end?”
Wei Shu thought for a moment and said: “Perhaps he wasn’t confident that he could wipe out the entire family without using drugs.”
Song Que said: “Or perhaps he didn’t dare to leave any survivors, afraid of exposing his martial arts style. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to successfully frame someone else for the crime.”
Wei Shu said, “You mean the murderer is not Xiao Lingfeng? But how do you know it’s the second possibility and not the one I mentioned?”
Song Que shook his head and said, “I don’t know, so I want to look for footprints or any other possible clues.”
Wei Shu tried her best to help him search, but did not forget to complain again: “Once again, I bet this part wasn’t passed using your method. But whatever, this is much more interesting.”
Song Que flashed her a smile.
The footprints inside the room were much cleaner. It was obvious that the person who discovered the body didn’t dare to go further inside. Only those handling the aftermath had come in to move the body.
But there were still various footprints on the ground, some left by the person who dragged the bodies, and others left by the victims. However, since the victims were drugged, their footprints were few. But finding the correct one among the remaining footprints was still quite a challenge.
After Song Que looked at the marks several times, he said to Wei Shu: “The disciples of the Shi family manor seem to be wearing uniform attire. I’ve seen this type of mark a few times. The sizes vary, so it’s likely from the same kind of shoe sole. As for the wide shoe prints, they extend from the door and should be from someone dragging a corpse. If you see anything different, call me.”
The two of them had nearly turned the entire Shi family manor upside down, and finally found a small clue. The footprint looked utterly ordinary, and Wei Shu went from the joy of finding the print to frustration. What could this possibly reveal?
Song Que focused on the footprint for a moment, then said: “This person seems to have one leg shorter than the other. Look, he tends to put more pressure on his right foot; the sole of the right shoe is worn down much more severely. The comparison between the two footprints is very clear, and the wear exceeds what would be normal. His uneven legs are visibly noticeable, which is a distinguishing feature. Although the print isn’t complete, we can make a rough estimate: this person is probably around 1.73 to 1.76 meters tall. To rule out the possibility that this is one of the disciples not wearing the prescribed shoes, we should check at the yamen to see if any disciple fits this description. ”
Wei Shu no longer wanted to comment on his far-fetched ideas. Does the yamen really have something like that?
“There are plenty of NPCs with uneven legs. The doorman of our manor is even a cripple. Wouldn’t searching for someone based on just this be like looking for a needle in a haystack?”
Song Que looked at her in disbelief, making Wei Shu feel uneasy. He said with a sharp expression: “What are you staring at?”
Song Que said: “I’m looking at a girl who’s overly obsessed with virtual games. This is a game. If there really is a mastermind behind it, the planner would have used all kinds of ways to push him to us. By the way, why do you think the traces of the scene are still as clear as they were sixteen years ago?”
Wei Shu: “!”
How embarrassing! As a player with plenty of gaming experience, this was really shameful! It was all Song Que’s fault. She had subconsciously started to think of this as the real world.
However, Song Que didn’t get to gloat for long. As soon as he went out, an NPC grabbed onto his leg. Although he noticed someone rushing towards him, their speed and strength seemed negligible, so Song Que didn’t pay much attention. He merely sidestepped, but ended up being caught. The speed was even faster than Yue Ping’s. When he looked down, he saw an old and frail woman with a “weak” status above her head. It was obvious that this was a trick played by the system. If it was set to grab him, there was no way Song Que could dodge it.
The old woman cried out: “Divine doctor, please save us.”
Wei Shu chuckled. After being provoked by Song Que just now, her sensitivity to the game returned: “It must be the “Divine Doctor” title on you that triggered a quest. Let’s go take a look.”
Wei Shu was a typical gamer. Any hidden quest that was suddenly triggered would arouse her interest, but she didn’t feel the need to complete one quest chain before moving on to the next. Seeing that she had clearly put aside the Shi family matter, Song Que sighed. Looking at the elderly woman still clinging to his leg and pleading desperately, he nodded.
So Song Que started a free clinic. Although calling it a “free clinic” wasn’t entirely accurate, the NPCs would still offer rewards. However, it was completely different from the generous rewards Wei Shu had imagined. Today, he was given a chicken, and tomorrow, she might bring a duck.
Wei Shu watched from the side and laughed. She saw Song Que with a frustrated expression, trying to maintain his noble dignity as he repeatedly waved his hands, refusing to accept. In the end, under the excessive enthusiasm of the patients, he could only act like his name – accept the gifts with reluctant courtesy.
[Song Que’s name in the game is 卻之不恭了 (que zhi bu gong le) which can be translated as Reluctantly accepting or Accepting with feigned reluctance]
Seeing Song Que accepting the chickens and ducks and putting them into his backpack with a numb expression on his face. Wei Shu felt that she could continue to do nothing as long as she got to watch Song Que make a fool of himself.
After seeing a hundred patients, Song Que’s backpack was filled with chickens, ducks, fish, meat, and various vegetables. The symptoms of these patients were not difficult to treat, so the sudden appearance of these people must have been for more than just his title.
As Song Que was pondering the reason behind it, he saw an elderly man with a white beard and big belly walking over carrying a medical box.
The man had a “Divine Doctor” title above his head.
Song Que thought for a moment about why something that looked like a title would appear in the name field, and just as he was pondering, the Divine Doctor spoke up: “I see you have an exceptional bone structure. Would you like to learn medicine from me?”
Song Que said, somewhat helplessly: “Did these patients come from you, senior?”
The Divine Doctor chuckled and nodded. “I’ve heard from Doctor Xu about your skill in setting bones and restoring tendons. Now, I’ve used these hundred patients with minor ailments to assess your character and foundation, and I am very satisfied with the results. You have such natural talent; to not further develop it would be a waste. If you’re willing to become my disciple, I am more than happy to pass on my years of experience to you.”
Song Que was genuinely curious about how the NPCs in the game would teach him. Would they give him a skill? Or would they simply add some reputation and a title?
The former seemed unlikely. After all, his role wasn’t that of a healer, and acquiring a healing skill would be too much of a bug.
After Song Que chose to accept, the Divine Doctor took out two books and gave them to Song Que with a smile, and said: “Read these books first and make sure you are familiar with the contents before you come to seek me as your master.”
Song Que took the medical books and asked, “Master, I haven’t had the honor of learning your name yet?”
The Divine Doctor said, “My surname is Shen, and my given name is Yi. In the martial world, I am one of a kind.”
[神医 (shen yi) the literal translation is Divine Doctor]
Even Song Que was left speechless for a moment.
When Wei Shu saw that Song Que had accepted another learning quest. Feeling utterly bored, she said: “Why do you have another quest? I’m so bored.”
Song Que said, “Then why don’t you go learn some cooking skills?”
Before Wei Shu could respond, the Divine Doctor raised his eyebrows and said: “If your sweetheart wants to learn cooking, I have a candidate in mind. Although the old guy has a very annoying personality, the things he makes are really delicious.”
Wei Shu fell into deep hesitation, in the end she couldn’t resist the temptation of becoming a disciple of a renowned master.
Seeing this, Song Que stuffed the entire pile of chickens, ducks, fish, and meat into her hands. In a succinct manner, said, “Ingredients.”
Wei Shu was annoyed, but she really did need the ingredients. So she reluctantly accepted them and prepared to go find the renowned chef mentioned by the Divine Doctor.
Song Que couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile. Although the “Life and Death Together” achievement had always been a pain, whenever NPCs saw the two of them, they would mumble that they were a somewhat frustrating couple. But seeing Wei Shu look so exasperated was definitely worth it..
Song Que opened the two books given by the Divine Doctor and found that one was “Biochemistry and Molecular Biology” and the other was “Pathophysiology”..
