Evan, as a detective, excelled at observing people's expressions.
When someone lied, there would be subtle flaws in their eyes, actions, and tone. Yet the two people before him were completely open from start to finish without any abnormalities. It was obvious they truly did not know Edmond.
Looking at Evan's exhausted appearance, Bai Ci pondered for a moment before speaking slowly, offering her own conjecture. “Evan, I have a theory. Would you like to hear it?”
Evan looked up at Bai Ci. “Go ahead.”
“The other two mail carriers from their batch, Zhao Yu and Zhou Kai, committed suicide in the hospital not long ago. Before they died, they left a note saying they had prepared a big surprise for them.”
Bai Ci paused briefly before adding, “I saw Edmond and Zhao Yu together on the commercial street earlier. Zhao Yu even had his arm around Edmond's shoulder, and they seemed to have an unusual relationship. So, I suspect Edmond's death might have something to do with Zhao Yu and his partner.”
“Who exactly is Edmond?” Lin Wan finally couldn't help but ask, her face full of confusion. “Why would Zhao Yu treat his death as a big surprise? Does he have any connection to what we are currently investigating?”
Bai Ci did not answer immediately. Instead, she turned to look at Evan with an inquiring gaze, silently asking if she could reveal Edmond's situation.
After all, this was Evan's private business and his own investigative lead; it wouldn't be appropriate for her to disclose it without permission.
Furthermore, having Evan tell the story himself would give him a chance to communicate with Lin Wan and Chen Mo, which would also help ease the tension between them.
Noticing Bai Ci's gaze, Evan fell silent for a moment before saying, “Since everyone is trying to uncover the truth, I have nothing to hide.”
Evan repeated the past events he had previously told Bai Ci to Lin Wan and Chen Mo. In addition, he also shared his findings regarding the investigation into the plague.
Based on the information currently at hand, Postmaster Byrne could no longer clear himself of the suspicion of being the mastermind.
The sheer volume of information in Evan's words left Lin Wan and Chen Mo temporarily stunned.
Just then, Chen Mo, who seemed to have realized something, suddenly slammed his fist onto the table. The force rattled the water cups, sending ripples through the liquid inside. His expression turned extremely ugly, and a stream of curses was right on the tip of his tongue, on the verge of spilling out.
“Brother Mo!” Lin Wan acted quickly, pressing down on his arm and shaking her head firmly to signal him to calm down. “Drink some water. Here, have a sip.”
She knew that Chen Mo must have realized something for him to become so emotional.
Chen Mo took a deep breath, gulped down another cup of water, and forced the curses back down. Only after a long while did he gradually calm down. He looked at everyone, his tone cold and heavy. “I know what Zhao Yu wanted to do.”
“Based on my understanding of Zhao Yu, he is the type of person who loves nothing more than watching the world burn. He enjoys doing things that harm others without benefiting himself. He is also extremely calculating; though his actions seem erratic, every step actually has a purpose.”
Chen Mo spoke through gritted teeth. “He has likely already figured out the source of the curse, as well as the situation with Isabella and Edmond. He killed Edmond specifically to cut off any path toward a peaceful resolution.”
At this point, he paused and added, a trace of regret in his voice as if reopening an old wound, “At the very beginning, I was fooled by him. I thought he was a good person, so I teamed up with him for a while.”
“After spending some time together, I saw his true colors. He doesn't care about surviving at all; he simply enjoys the thrill of throwing everything into chaos. Afterward, I went my separate way and never associated with him again.”
Chen Mo didn't explain the details, but Bai Ci understood. He had met Zhao Yu very early on after entering the game, and they had teamed up for a while before parting ways due to differing ideals.
Due to the unique rules of the Anomalous Infection, joining a team required an invitation, but leaving only required a unilateral decision. Once a player left the team and deleted their contact info, others wouldn't be able to find their personal independent space, effectively cutting off all ties.
It was relatively easy for Chen Mo to rid himself of Zhao Yu, but he was simply unlucky to have run into him again in this instance.
Everyone fell silent, and the atmosphere in the living room became exceptionally heavy.
Evan kept his head lowered, his hands clenched tightly into fists. After their conversation, he no longer suspected Chen Mo and Lin Wan, and he had come to trust their words to some extent. Consequently, his heart was filled with rage.
He had never expected his best friend to die at the hands of someone like Zhao Yu, and to die so needlessly.
Lin Wan frowned, carefully processing Chen Mo's words. Her tone carried a hint of confusion. “So, Zhao Yu smashing the statue in the attic, killing Edmond, and leaving behind that bizarre note about a big surprise were all for the same purpose—to make it impossible for us to resolve this peacefully?”
“Zhao Yu has always been like that. Once he uncovers the truth, he acts recklessly without ever considering the consequences, let alone caring whether others live or die.”
“And his favorite thing to do is add fuel to the fire, throwing everything into a complete mess. He gets off on watching everyone struggle in a crisis.” Chen Mo nodded, his tone certain.
Sitting to the side, Bai Ci's mind worked rapidly as she synthesized all the information provided.
If Zhao Yu really had figured out the entire truth of the matter...
“The root of everything is Isabella. And she is very likely still alive,” Bai Ci spoke up. Piecing all the clues together, this was the only logical conclusion she could deduce.
She looked up at everyone, tracing the thread of Zhao Yu's logic that Chen Mo had provided. “If Zhao Yu's goal was indeed to cut off any path to a peaceful resolution, why did he have to kill Edmond of all people?”
“Edmond was just an ordinary man who wanted to find his lover. He posed absolutely no threat to the curse or the plague. Unless... Edmond's existence would have affected the progression of a certain event.”
“Therefore, I dare to guess that the root of everything is actually Isabella, and she is likely still alive. Even if she isn't alive in the conventional sense, at the very least, her will still remains.”
“If Isabella's will no longer existed, then Zhao Yu killing Edmond would be completely meaningless. Even if Edmond were alive, he would at most only be able to find out the cause of Isabella's death, and he wouldn't be able to change anything.”
“Zhao Yu killed Edmond to make Isabella lose all hope, or rather, to prevent anyone from using Edmond to restrain Isabella.”
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