innocence method

?At dawn the next day, the wolf had stopped looking for birds at all.Even the breath of the bird he had been looking for was gone from him.

The monkey woke up with a big appetite, and sat at the dining table with Qi, gulping down pumpkin porridge and grabbing meatloaf, while the dog sat beside him and watched with folded arms.The wolf leaned against the wall, and looked at it with arms folded in the same posture.

"Is it over?" The monkey raised the bowl high and pulled the rice grains on the wall of the bowl into his mouth with a spoon.

"Ok?"

"This game. There is no winner—the organizer must have won." He put down the bowl with a "clang" and held his stomach contentedly.As if wearing a layer of skin, he returned to the posture he had just entered the game.

"No, it's not over yet," Seven said.

The wolves who stood aside did not participate in their conversation, but just stood.

"Sorry," he turned his head towards the dog suddenly, and everyone in the room was startled: "Dog, can you bring that for me?"

"that?"

"Yeah", Qi nodded, and slightly lowered his eyes - "It's on the table in the next room."

"..." The dog glanced at him, and the corners of his mouth looked unhappy.

"Understood." After all, he stood up and walked into the cooking room next to him through the side door.

The moment he went out, Seven stood up.But before he could move, the wolf standing by the door lazily straightened his upper body, click—the wolf locked the door leading to the room where the dog was in for Qi.

The dog's reaction was not very quick, but for the next few minutes, the three people in the room had to endure thunderous knocks-whether it was from the main door to the courtyard that Seven had locked earlier or There by the side door.

"Sorry! Please stay over there for a while—!"—Seven had to yell to make sure the dog could hear him.

It's not time for you to show up yet.

...although it was so noisy, which was rare - not even the wolf made his trademark "tsk" sound.

As alert as any other predator, the wolf looked in Qi's direction and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Finally—are you going to start? Huh," he said at the corner of his mouth—"It's just what I want."

"what?"

"Brother, it won't be good if you keep pretending." Monkey said, licking his lips like eating dessert, and pulled out the cake knife with a dazzling light from his back waist. "Although I don't know why you drove that guy out... In this venue, only you and his 'identities' are complete, and it's all here. Are your identities and your goals still unclear? "

"No, the two of you misunderstood." Qi closed his eyes with a hint of complacency, looking like an idiot.

Unresponsive to the eagerness of the wolf and the monkey, he continued to sit in the center of the room, and made the next statement that astonished the two men, but was so honest:

"My identity is the same as the two, both 'detective'."

Then--

"I—Code Name Seven, committed a crime of homicide; from now on, I will deduce the whole story of the five homicides of sheep, fish, cow, jelly and bird."

"So... that woman is indeed dead."

"Yes, the bird is dead."

"Hey, how do you know? Where is that woman's body?"

"Isn't the cause of death of Jelly and Niu very clear, don't you want to say that they didn't kill each other?"

"Little devil, don't let me avoid the important things and take the lightest ones—aren't you the one who did the sheep and fish?"

"...I didn't kill anyone!"

Seven frowned slightly.

"It's meaningless to continue talking, do you remember the rules about the end of the game?"

"'All'true culprits' have been seen through, and the end-of-game condition has been met..."

"Yes." Seven nodded. "You can judge whether my reasoning is correct according to whether the game ends after I finish my reasoning, right? If I am wrong, one of me and the dog is a murderer and the other is a detective; if the dog is a murderer, we will be locked up. He who is outside the door can't kill you; if I were the murderer, you two can also deal with me together-the rules say that you can defend yourself-so there is no harm in hearing what I have to say next ?”

Both the wolf and the monkey acquiesced, and Qi nodded.

"Well, let's start with the death of the sheep first."

"About the death of the sheep, the first thing to explain is that Jelly is lying. Neither the murderer of the sheep nor the fish was a monkey."

"I already said that!"

"—You shut up." The wolf raised his eyes, "You mean you can prove the kid's reasoning is wrong?"

"It's not that reasoning is wrong," Seven shook his head, "Jel didn't intend to 'reason' from the beginning. What he did was to use the existing conditions to fabricate a kind of 'fact' that he didn't even think was a fact." So Monkey, Jelly didn't have any particular malice towards you; not only that, he should have identified you as a murderer based on the fact that "Monkey said, even if he is a murderer, he won't be too angry with me", you Just forgive him."

Hou stared blankly at Qi for a moment, but soon came back to his senses: "No, why did Jelly have to do that?"

"That's right - you will be punished for wrong reasoning." The wolf also pointed out the unreasonableness - "How could someone do what you said?"

"Maybe, if it's to 'cover up the real murderer'."

"Hmph." The wolf closed his eyes. To some extent, he already took Qi's words as a joke. "Speaking of it, who is this 'real murderer' you're talking about?"

"Dog." Qizhi poked the ground and looked at the two of them: "The real culprits who killed the sheep and fish are all dogs."

No one spoke for a while, and even the outside of the house seemed extremely quiet, and a warm halo slowly flowed on the floor of the room.In the sunlight that is gradually approaching noon, the flow of time also appears ambiguous.

"...Brother, are you kidding? We were still together at 28:25, and you and the dog were already there when I arrived at the gym at 6:[-]. The door of the conference room was not closed until [-]:[-]. Leave. Are you going to say that during the five or six minutes from [-]:[-] to [-]:[-], the dog killed someone, hid the body, and entered the gym before you?"

"Tut." Seven said.

"Monkey, this is a very old technique, think again."

"..."

"I understand. Your memory of that day is not very clear, right? Let me sort it out for you. That day, you should have come to the main entrance of the gym first. Why didn't you just eavesdrop at the main entrance like that?"

"Well..." the monkey snapped its fingers, "Because you were there!"

"Wait," interrupted the wolf on the side, "You mean, it was monkeys who eavesdropped outside the gym that day, not cows?"

——Still asking this question even now. "That's right. I'm sure because I noticed the monkey."

"Hiss—you actually saw me—?" the monkey showed a mischievous expression.

Seven nodded calmly.

"And then, when I got into the gym, I said, 'You came here earlier than me'?"

"..."

Seven sighed. "Don't remember. That's okay. Then, after I made fun of the dog, did I say something shocking?"

"...Ah!" Speaking of this, Hou was very impressed—Qi said that the crime that the dog was prosecuted for was not the homicide he had self-reported before, and he also revealed the real crime of the dog in person.

"That speech was really long and engaging, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." But, while the monkey nodded, "Hi!" the wolf called to stop him. "Could it be—" There was a cold light in his eyes.

"Well, you figured it out."

"what?"

"Tsk." I couldn't help but slap the monkey on the back of the head, "Idiot. The door of the gym has no windows, so you can only rely on listening, right? ——Have you heard the dog talking since just now? "

"Ah." Monkey hugged his head, "but—but at that time I was—"

"You did hear the 'dog' sound, didn't you?"

As if the memory was playing a joke on the monkey, he shook his head.Seven decided to help him again—"Did you hear the sound of someone using fitness equipment—?"

what.

The truth is out in the open.

That day, Qi was the first to arrive at the gym.After turning on the lights, he went back to the entrance of the gym facing the courtyard and waited until the monkey appeared; after confirming that the monkey had taken its place at the entrance of the infirmary, Seven entered the gym.While twisting the steel wire to disguise the sound of operating fitness equipment, he talked to himself to make the illusion of talking to the dog.After pretending to have a long conversation with the dog, the dog stepped into the gym—"Hey, how do you feel?" Seven said.

"The feeling is—how do you want to die?" replied the dog.Nothing unnatural at all.

"But—even so, it will be more than 20 minutes at most—"

"Twenty minutes is enough."

"Monkey, I remember you once said—'If anyone can kill a person in seven or eight minutes, it's only that guy'."

After saying this, it was like closing the lid of a box, including Qi himself, who fell silent.Was it overwhelmed by the strength of the dog?Still shocked by the simple truth.

"Really..."

"What is it! It's your lack of brain!" The wolf gave the monkey another blow on the back of the head.

"It's indeed a very old technique." Qi recognized a cowardly smile.

"However, I have one more question, otherwise this whole scheme will not make sense." Wolf said sullenly, "You acted... as if you knew in advance that the dog would need an 'alibi'." His subtext was very clear —Did you already know that dogs can kill?After that, even he shrugged in disbelief: "How is it possible!"

"Ah, I already know."

"Varied--!"

"Because, the time and method of killing the sheep, and the matter of putting the corpse in the conference room-I told the dog. I asked him to kill the sheep."

"You...the two of you weren't in the same group at that time? Besides, how did you—we were all together before then!"

"I believe he will agree in the end. As for the method... use another ancient method—passing a note."

"How could no one see doing that kind of thing!"

But the wolf did not speak.His eyes widened unknowingly, as if he saw black ghosts gathering above the head of the calmly smiling boy.

Yes.

It was at that time——

Under everyone's noses——

"You killed the mink with this pen, I am very clear about it—" Qi said, picked up the ballpoint pen with a tissue pad and handed it to the dog, "—but I still want to be with you." The dog. He stared there for three seconds, and then took the things in the boy's hand along with the tissues.

At that point in time, the gate of the living quarters hadn't been opened, the dog and Qi hadn't formed a team yet, and the concept of rules hadn't even been warmed up in everyone's minds.Who was so calm, so decisive, and so reckless in picking on the irresistible old man?

"At that time, it was great that the organizer didn't confiscate the pen I was carrying, and it was really great that the dog snatched the pen that wasn't mine and killed someone—" Seven breathed out heartfeltly. "—Otherwise I wouldn't be able to write him the method of killing."

"... Tsk," said the wolf.

So confident.

"He'll do what he says on paper—I've got confidence in that. Because—"

"That guy's the real thing—'Vicious Dog'."

"Oh-oh, I finally figured it out." The monkey who hadn't spoken for a while and seemed to have been meditating raised his head:

"That's why the fish said 'Where were you hiding at that time'. ——In addition to the analysis between me and Jelly, there is actually a third possibility for what the fish said."

"Well." Qi verified his words: "The fish said 'at that time' did not mean when you saw the jelly and the fish, but when you eavesdropped on my conversation with the dog. After the description, Yu was even more suspicious that I made the dog's alibi, so he asked whether you were hiding at the main entrance or the side entrance—this was his original intention."

At that time, the fish had already understood that if the monkey was allowed to hide outside the main entrance and eavesdrop, he would bump into the dog who actually entered the house later, so Qi stood at the door of the gym and pretended to look inward. In order to "guide" the monkey to the correct eavesdropping position - to prepare for the subsequent "alibi".

And—the place where the monkey was staying at that time, there was probably no angle from which the main entrance of the gym could be seen from the window—I am afraid that even this kind of place has been counted, that brat.thought the wolf.The shadow between his brows deepened.

"Then it's about the 'death of the fish'. Your claim is that the fish has figured out that the dog was the real murderer of the sheep—the dog had no choice but to kill him—right?" he said. ask.

"Ah."

"Then before you start, let me ask you a question."

"Excuse me."

"You...didn't teach the dog how to use the 'cold medicine' that jelly said?"

"Ah, no."

"Good then. Interesting. You tell me the trick that will explain that 'contradiction'."

"The 'contradiction'?" Qi showed a genuinely confused expression.

"How should I put it, it can be called a 'defenseless' contradiction."

"'Unguarded Contradictions'—?" said the monkey, "what is that—?"

"Remember, didn't jelly rule out dogs like that back then - no one would sit 'defenseless' with their backs to a dog in a room with a knife. My question is: since you said The dog didn't use cold medicine to put the fish to sleep and then attack him the moment he woke up - how did the dog leave the fish 'defenseless' when he was awake?"

Um--?Seven froze for a moment, then——

"Hahaha, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, Qi smiled tremblingly: "I just think it's impossible, how can there be someone who can 'defenselessly' turn his back on that guy!"

"That--?"

"This is really a very simple trick. You are all 'fooled' by the so-called rules." However, someone told him not to believe that the rules are "perfect".Crossing her ten fingers on the table, Qi still maintained a faint smile: "It's impossible to be 'defenseless' against a dog, but it's another thing to be defenseless against me."

"What's the use of being unprepared for you? Didn't you say that the murderer who killed the fish was a dog. Besides, the fish already knew that you were the mastermind who planned to kill the sheep. How could it be unprepared for you?"

"—That's because the fish is really smart——at that point in time, he already saw through my identity as a 'detective'."

"The 'Detective' can't kill... so the question comes back. Even if the fish is defenseless against you, how did the dog slit the fish's throat when the fish was defenseless?"

This goes on forever.

"I was the one who 'cut the fish's throat when it was unsuspecting' and it was the dog who killed the fish - how about that?"

Facing the puzzled eyes of the two, Qi smiled slightly:

"The rules say—"Detective" can't kill people, but it doesn't say—"Detective" can't hurt people!"

Various things happened that day, and the timeline was a bit confusing, Seven tried to sort it out as follows:

First, after everyone separated——Seven saw the fish and the monkey talking in the yard——then, when Seven came to the corridor, he bumped into the bird and the wolf——back to the yard, the conversation between the fish and the monkey was over, and the fish confronted Seven.Note that the fish already knows that the dog is the real culprit in the sheep killing case!But he thought that the "detective" couldn't kill people, so he didn't take any precautions against Qi; The fish came out, but it was not fatal. The fish struggled, forming a scene where the throat was cut without any precaution-the dog hiding outside the door came in at this time, picked up a kitchen knife and killed it with one knife.

Later, in order to cover up the non-fatal wound caused by the razor, the two cut the fish's throat multiple times - after killing the fish, let the dog go back to the room first, and Qi stayed by himself to deal with the aftermath - on the way back Saw the monkey and jelly, then entered the room—

"Hey! Is there anything wrong?" asked the dog, who was lying on the bed with his arms crossed.

Seven shook his head.

——Finally the monkey and jelly found the corpse together.

Neither the monkey nor the wolf spoke.

"...I only have one question." After a long while, the wolf said in a very low voice, as if he didn't want to believe it, but he couldn't do anything:

"Why do you have to use such a laborious method?"

"There's no need to talk about it. In order to get rid of the dog's suspicion."

"What about yourself?"

Seven didn't answer. "I've made up my mind after the dog promised me to play with me in the gym — to get that guy an 'acquittal.'" Smiling nonchalantly, he crossed his arms.

"Excuse me, what's the sentence for 'that guy'?"

"One hundred and six years."

One hundred and six years.A mere one hundred and six years.This kid just-

The wolf looked at the empty tables and chairs in the dining room, which were supposed to serve ten people.

"I can't help it. Isn't the wolf also clear that the murderer can't get 'acquittal' by himself, and there is no exemption clause."—Yes, so it is extremely difficult.

Fortunately, I am not fighting alone. ?