The Novelist Forced to Become Famous

"Yes." Jian Jing admitted frankly, "That was my first reaction. Is the body really Dan's? Could someone be hoping I'd testify that Dan was already dead by 12:30? So the time of the crime would be before that, when in fact it was the opposite - he was still alive then, and the killer acted after I did."

"But according to the witch's diary, the ritual had to be performed at midnight," said Zhang Xue'er.

Jian Jing: "That's a clue we only got this afternoon. Now I've basically ruled out Kojima's suspicion."

She sat up straight, stretched, and continued.

"There's also the seventh point, which I mentioned earliest - perhaps the killer left clues on the head, so they had no choice but to decapitate. And cutting off the witch's head was to cover up this fact."

Wu Lie asked, "So which do you think is most likely?"

"Witchcraft concerns, concealing clues, showing off skills - all three make sense," she pondered. "So, to doubt the first point, we need to analyze each person's situation specifically. The second point requires returning to the scene, and the third point depends on how well we understand each other."

It was now 7 PM, with 3 hours left until the 10 PM vote.

Jian Jing: "Let's not waste time. I plan to go check out the scene. What about you all?"

Min-cheol Park: "I want to chat with everyone individually."

"My head is about to explode. I'd better go to the deck for some fresh air," Liu Sau-chi said with a wry smile. "Everything's a mess right now."

Connor Lee: "Alright, let's each do our own thing."

The group dispersed.

――

Liu Sau-chi arrived on the deck. It was already dark, with a starry sky overhead.

He sat at the bar by the pool and ordered a martini.

The waiter brought over the tray, blocking the camera with his body as his lips moved silently a few times.

Liu Sau-chi nodded imperceptibly.

-

Hiroto Ishikawa walked to the end of the corridor and waved at the cameraman.

The cameraman understood, temporarily pausing the live broadcast to switch to commercials.

Hiroto Ishikawa entered the bathroom and ran into a staff member.

"Mr. Ishikawa, I'm a huge fan of your performance," the staff member said enthusiastically. "Could I get your autograph?"

Hiroto Ishikawa was a bit surprised but quickly agreed: "Of course."

The staff member handed over a prepared pen and paper.

He took the pen, suddenly noticing a line of text on the paper. He froze for a moment, but within a second, he signed his name as if nothing had happened.

"Thank you," he said.

Staff member: "I'm Japanese. I hope my country wins."

Hiroto Ishikawa: "I'll make sure of it."

――

At the buffet.

Connor Lee was holding a plate waiting for steak when he saw Wu Lie approach. He smiled, "I'm starving. My brain can't function normally at all. Want some?"

"Sure, I'll have the same," Wu Lie told the chef.

While waiting, the two chatted casually.

"The xiaolongbao this morning was really good. I wonder if they'll have it again tomorrow," Wu Lie said. "When I was little and visited my grandmother's house, xiaolongbao left the deepest impression on me."

Connor Lee: "It's hard to find authentic Chinese food in America."

The two chatted about food. The cameraman wouldn't follow them constantly - that would be too tiring. In the restaurant or conference room, they generally used fixed cameras with just a few angles, which also allowed for some rest.

Now, the cameraman gestured to them and sat down at a distance to continue broadcasting.

Connor Lee glanced at the camera and mouthed something.

Wu Lie smiled and nodded helplessly.

Connor Lee continued as if nothing had happened: "I usually cook at home, but it never tastes quite the same as before."

"I know a good Chinese restaurant in New York..." Wu Lie also showed no signs of anything unusual.

――

At 8:30, the main event began.

The thirteen guests gathered in the conference room, with an atmosphere as heavy as the Last Supper.

"Ahem." Min-cheol Park habitually spoke first, "Everyone should have some thoughts by now. I suggest we take turns speaking. Who wants to go first?"

He looked at Jian Jing, but for some reason, she seemed distracted and showed no intention of speaking.

Connor Lee took the initiative: "I'll start by sharing my thoughts. The motive for this murder is undoubtedly the reincarnation ritual. From the clues we've gathered, I believe the killer is the person chosen by Dan. Considering the infant mortality rate, I rule out the children, which leaves me, the third son, and the nephew.

"I know it's not me, and the nephew's behavior has been a bit strange. He said he didn't go to find Dan, which I didn't believe at first, but thinking carefully, if Dan had chosen him, he would surely have named him as his heir to facilitate the takeover and lower his guard. However, we haven't found any clues in this regard.

"So I think the third son is still the most likely candidate. A father passing on to his son is natural. As for the talk of fate, it's always been him saying it, and we haven't found any evidence, so I can't believe it."

This speech was concise, logical, and quite convincing, setting a good start.

"My thoughts are similar to Lee's," Wu Lie said. "What concerns me most is actually the decapitation. Although Professor Jian and Kojima gave a long list of things about headless corpses, it all seems too... how should I put it, unrealistic. I think the killer's purpose in decapitating was simple: venting anger. He hated Dan, and among all of us, the only one who really hated him and is suspected of being the vessel is the third son."

Min-cheol Park received two votes, suddenly under great pressure.

He had to defend himself: "I'm not the killer. I've thought about it carefully, and the killer probably decapitated to guard against witchcraft, including the witch's head, which proves he doesn't know everything, just bits and pieces. But one thing is certain - he knows about the secret room, so the range narrows down to family members.

"Something Professor Jian said earlier reminded me that the killer might not be the vessel themselves, but someone who deeply loves the vessel, or someone with related interests.

"Allow me to remind everyone that in the rooms of the wife, eldest daughter-in-law, and second daughter, there were witchcraft-related items. They belong to the group with partial knowledge. So, would the wife's interests be harmed after Dan's death? No, on the contrary, she could be with her lover. What about the second daughter? No, Dan wouldn't choose her or her husband, and the child isn't born yet, too risky. So, in the eldest daughter-in-law's view, the most likely candidate would be her husband.

"If the eldest son became Dan, she would certainly not accept it emotionally. Moreover, the couple has been childless for years but hasn't divorced, proving their deep affection. She wants to protect her husband and maintain her own status, so choosing to kill Dan isn't surprising."

He took a breath and continued.

"Regarding the decapitation, I agree with Professor Jian's guess that the killer wanted to conceal evidence. In case of death by suffocation, strangling requires strength, and the back of the hands could easily be injured. Strangulation is more logical, but this might leave certain marks on the neck - a ring, which only married people wear on their fingers."

Min-cheol Park looked at Valeriya's finger, which bore a large diamond.

The eldest daughter-in-law received the first vote.

Valeriya was completely unprepared to become a suspect and immediately defended herself: "I find this accusation entirely unreasonable."

She gathered her thoughts: "What's relevant to my interests is my marriage, not my husband's soul. Even if Dan became the eldest son, it wouldn't be a loss for me. I agree with the ring theory, but I'm not the only one wearing a ring. Others are just as suspicious, so it's strange to conclude it's me based on just that."

Min-cheol Park nodded: "Perhaps the evidence isn't sufficient, but I have another reason for focusing on you. Throughout the entire investigation, you've had very little presence. Although you seem to have been actively participating, you rarely express clear opinions, just following others' speculations. Earlier, you even tried to clear your name by making us think the suspect was one of the vessel candidates, diverting our attention from those closest to them."

Valeriya pressed her lips together: "Everyone has their own way of playing."

"True, but my instinct tells me the killer is hiding very deep," Min-cheol Park said.

The air was quiet for a moment.

The next to speak was Hiroto Ishikawa.

He said, "Unlike Park's idea, I think we've overcomplicated the case. The situation is very clear now. Dan wanted to reincarnate into someone else's body to achieve immortality but was killed instead. Think about it, everyone. The ritual was scheduled for midnight, and the butler said Dan usually rested at that time. If he called someone over, wouldn't they be suspicious? Especially the third son, given their strained father-son relationship.

"Considering that choosing a female is unlikely—his wife isn't blood-related, his daughter has a different surname, and it would be strange to call the eldest daughter-in-law in the middle of the night—I believe the only person who would go see him without suspicion is his nephew. Think about it: Dan knew he was going to die, and he saw so many relatives before his death, but not his nephew? He's lying."

Hiroto Ishikawa spoke the last few words with particular certainty.

Jian Jing couldn't help but glance at him, noticing confidence emanating from every hair on his head.

She frowned.

Jiang BaiYan said, "You say I'm lying, but do you have any evidence? You think Dan would see me, but have you considered that I had already talked to him before the dinner? Besides, he saw others because they had problems, which I didn't. Moreover, Dan knew he would reincarnate into someone else, so was there any need to give last words to everyone?"

Hiroto Ishikawa shrugged, not arguing further, but also not changing his mind.

The next to speak was Andrei.

He said frankly, "You've all said what I was thinking. Either the third son or the nephew is possible. I need to think more about which one specifically, but it's definitely one of you two."

Kumiko Terauchi: "I'm sorry, but I might have a different perspective—the witch's diary never mentioned that the vessel must be present at the scene. If I were Dan, why would I call the vessel over? What if they resisted? The safest approach would be to let them stay in their room, unaware, waiting for the ritual to complete."

Several people looked thoughtful.

She continued, "So, the nephew saying he didn't go there not only isn't a lie but actually proves that he was Dan's chosen vessel. However, he's not the killer."

Kumiko was beautiful, gentle, and graceful, appearing at first glance to be an ordinary Japanese woman. But after spending some time with her, one could easily discover her intelligence and attentiveness, often noticing small details.

Therefore, everyone listened attentively to her speech.

"I believe the killer is his father. Although Mr. Wu said he went there at 10:30, that's just his side of the story. Perhaps he wanted to borrow money from Dan but accidentally overheard everything. To protect his only child—remember, the original child was seriously ill and wouldn't live long—and to transfer Dan's assets to the child, he decided to kill Dan."

Kumiko Terauchi calmly continued, "Most importantly, there's that phone call. I've been wondering for a long time why the killer would call the dining room. I couldn't figure it out until I looked at the phone book and suddenly realized I was wrong. The call might not have been made by the killer, but by Dan."

"Why would Dan call the dining room?" everyone wondered.

She said, "Dan wanted to make the killer think he had hastily dialed the wrong number in an attempt to call for help but failed, so the killer wouldn't be suspicious."

"Ah," Wataru Kojima exclaimed, as if suddenly enlightened, "It's the internal extension number."

Kumiko Terauchi nodded: "The dining room has an automatic answering system. We all heard, 'Hello, this is the dining room, connecting your call'... The killer breathed a sigh of relief, not realizing that the dining room's internal extension number is—56."

"56, Wu Lie," Zhang Xue'er gasped, suddenly understanding.

Wu Lie objected: "Anyone could have made that call. Why couldn't it be the killer trying to frame me?"

"I don't have conclusive evidence," Kumiko admitted frankly. "I'm just filtering based on possibilities, and you fit the profile best. If someone were to give you a hint, the killer must understand Chinese."

Jiang BaiYan: "The pronunciation of Arabic numerals is similar in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, you know."

"The possibility of it being a Chinese person is still higher," Ran-er Kim argued.

Andrei and Valeriya exchanged glances, both feeling less suspicious: numbers aren't pronounced that way in Russian.