Seeing my earnest explanation, Liu Yuning's mood finally calmed down a bit. "Are you sure you're not just lying to cover up your mistake?"
"Of course not. Don't you know what kind of person I've been all these years?"
"But you're not the same anymore... you're not the same as you were before!"
"Even so, my feelings for you haven't changed, so don't worry about it. If someone were really planning to make a move here, Watanabe Yumi or others would be in danger. What we need to do now is to be vigilant."
"That's true. After all, one wouldn't casually say such a terrifying thing if it weren't true."
Liu Yuning let out a sigh of relief, then suddenly tensed up again. Just then, we heard Zhou Zijuan's voice from outside, coming from the loudspeaker: "Everyone, it's almost time for dinner. Please come to the dining hall. After eating, you'll have free time."
We were already starting to feel hungry, and hearing that there was food, we naturally wouldn't refuse. We exchanged glances and walked out of the corridor. The others appeared at the same time, and we headed in the same direction. The restaurant of the hot spring villa was located in a suite, quite large and oval-shaped. A long, rectangular red table was placed there, laden with countless delicacies we usually wouldn't get to eat. This reminded me of that "lonely tourist spot." This time, due to the situation and having been poisoned again, if it weren't for Watanabe Yumi, I might not have been so cautious.
Regardless, she had reminded us. Seeing that the silver needle hadn't changed color, I gave everyone a signal. At this moment, Zhou Zijuan arrived, sat down at a seat, and prepared to eat with us. It was then that I took a closer look at her.
Her appearance and figure were, of course, not to be mentioned, and she didn't seem at all strange. Instead, she was very natural, her demeanor like a proprietor facing her guests, always gentle and refined. While eating, she politely said to us, "Please, don't be shy, eat as much as you like. You'll have free time afterward, but it's best not to go out after midnight."
I thought that since this place was an isolated island, there might be wild beasts roaming around. Zhou Zijuan asking us not to go out too late was likely just for our safety, and that was undeniable. Before eating, I glanced at Watanabe Yumi, who gave an awkward smile. For some reason, she suddenly stood up, came to my side, and pushed me. "You shouldn't sit in this seat?"
"What's wrong?" I asked her curiously. She pointed to the chewing gum on the floor. I quickly stood up. I really didn't expect so much. I looked at Zhou Zijuan, "Is the hygiene here always like this?"
"Uh, I'm sorry. I'll have someone come and clean it up immediately!"
An aunt was called over by Zhou Zijuan. After the cleaning, the late veteran, unaware of the chewing gum there earlier, sat down. I didn't really want to sit in that seat either, but since he sat there, I didn't care anymore.
At this moment, Liu Yuning was next to me, and then it was his turn. The others took their seats and began to eat. However, just as the veteran picked up his cutlery, preparing to eat, something suddenly fell from above!
Before I could even look up, the man's head was cleaved open by a sharp axe!
It went directly from the top of his skull, splitting his head neatly, and got stuck at the neck.
The people nearby all stood up, but Xie Chuchu and I, who were not far away, were splattered with blood on our clothes. Although we were police officers, anyone would be terrified in such a situation. Zhou Zijuan covered her mouth and screamed.
At that moment, we all cautiously distanced ourselves from the veteran. I looked up at the spot where the axe had fallen and remembered Watanabe Yumi's earlier warning not to sit in that seat...
Liu Yuning, of course, realized this as well. Her eyes immediately turned red, and she tightly hugged me from behind. "Just now, if it weren't for her..."
I was also terrified. If I hadn't moved, I would have been the one to die!
In just a few seconds, I had escaped from the clutches of death.
At this moment, Zhou Zijuan slowly calmed down and came to our side. "What exactly happened?"
At this, the female painter glared at Zhou Zijuan and scolded her, "This is your place, and you're asking us what happened? Hahaha!"
"I really don't know. I never imagined that something like this would happen here. We've never had such an accident here before!"
This Zhou Zijuan was different from Du Qitai. There was no pretense in her expression; it was clear she was genuinely unaware. However, others didn't think so. They all glared at the proprietress of the hot spring villa with sharp eyes.
At this moment, Xiao Yuande stepped forward. "Everyone, let's not jump to conclusions. Now that there's a murder, we need to stay calm and protect the scene. Xiahou, go and check the surveillance!"
"Yes!" Xiahou was about to set off, but the old woman beside him pulled him back. "You can't go either. Do you think you're a police officer? Investigate what surveillance? Let's call the police!"
We quickly took out our police IDs and revealed our identities. Upon knowing we were police officers, the old woman said, "Even if you're police, you're still suspects. You know we were all next to the man!"
"No, this axe was clearly a mechanism, and a timed one. If I'm not mistaken, it must have been placed above long ago, and then when someone..." Dao Zhiyong paused here, then looked at me before continuing, "When someone sat down, after a while, the axe would fall."
"In other words, before the incident, someone must have set up the scene here in advance, predicted the time, and the falling axe from this height should not have deviated. So the preparation time was at most 10 minutes. At this height, if the person was about 1.8 meters tall, they could have done it by standing on the dining table and raising their hand. The ceiling height in this hall is not even 3 meters," Xia Xiaoling analyzed.
He Xin and Xie Chuchu nodded in agreement, believing their analysis was correct. Liu Yuning had someone bring a ladder immediately. Xiao Yuande climbed up and retrieved a trigger mechanism from the ceiling, placing it on the dining table. Dao Zhiyong, who seemed quite knowledgeable, leaned in to examine it.