The content of this volume is based on the movie Murder by Telephone directed by Hitchcock and the short story The Second-rate Detective and the Cat written by Three Days and Two Sleeps (that's me).
If there is any similarity … well, even if I don't point it out, you won't be able to tell.
…
"Hehehe … Welcome to Thriller Paradise …"
This was a familiar opening for the players, but at that moment, Feng Bujue, who heard it, felt a strong sense of unease.
Because the speaker's voice and tone, as well as the signature 'hehehe' chuckle, were warning him that the scenario before him was a devil's trap …
"Download complete. You are currently playing Single Player Survival Mode (Nightmare).
"A scenario introduction is provided in this mode, and there is a chance of triggering hidden side missions and special world-building.
"Reward for clearing the scenario: Double the basic EXP gained from clearing the scenario.
"The scenario introduction is about to play. The game will start immediately after that."
The introductory cinematic started immediately. The first thing that entered Brother Jue's eyes was a blue sky and white clouds. Then, he saw a cruise ship.
"You are a famous detective with a strange personality."
"Hey, hey … that sounds familiar." Brother Jue, who had already noticed the anomaly, pulled out a similar line from his memory when he heard the voice-over. "Could the next sentence be 'one day in October'?"
"One afternoon in October, you decided to go out on a long journey."
But before he could finish his inner grumble, the voice-over finished the second sentence.
"So, even the wording is the same …" Feng Bujue immediately said, "But based on this cinematic, there should be a change to the third sentence, right?"
His speculation was not wrong. After all, they were at sea. What happened next would not turn into a 'detective driving a cheap rental car into the middle of nowhere' plot.
"You came to a small town near the sea and wandered around aimlessly.
"That night, in the town's bar, you struck up a conversation with a gentleman who liked to smoke and soon became friends.
"Those who go with the flow usually have good luck. The gentleman happened to be a captain. His ship, Bulldog, was docked at the port and would depart tomorrow morning.
"The captain invited you on board and promised to take you to his destination for free — a small island not far from the coast of Wales.
"During this period, the captain would arrange food and accommodation for you. Even though the conditions were only slightly better than the sailors, at least you had your own room.
[In the end, under your insistence, the captain symbolically charged you some fees and happily had a toast with you.]
"The next day, your journey to the island began."
The voice-over ended there, and the cinematic cut to a scene at a pier.
The next second, Feng Bujue regained the ability to move.
He looked left and right and realized that he was in an empty space not far from the pier. Behind him was the Bulldog, and before him was a large billboard. The billboard had a very exaggerated slogan — "Welcome to Kcochctih Island." Below the large slogan was a smaller one — "This place has the best tuna in Western Europe."
After confirming the location, he started to look for clues related to 'time'.
From the buildings on the island, the public facilities, the clothing of the passersby, and the electronic devices they were holding, this scenario was set in the twenty-first century, but it was hard to tell exactly what year it was. After all, this was an 'island town', so it was not surprising that the standard of living was eight to ten years away from a first-tier city.
"Important Hint: You are unable to use any items brought in from outside the scenario in this scenario. Your inventory is locked. Your skill tab is locked. Before leaving the scenario, your attire will be temporarily changed to match the style of the plot character, and your physical fitness will be adjusted to match the standard of real life."
Just as Brother Jue was doing his preliminary observation of the environment, another familiar announcement rang in his ears.
Almost at the same time as the system announcement, Feng Bujue lowered his head to look. His outfit had turned into a very normal casual outfit, the kind that he could wear in the real world without feeling out of place.
He then searched his pockets and found a phone, a charger that came with the phone, a wallet, and a passport.
Brother Jue first picked up the phone and realized that it was a smartphone that was quite popular in the 2010s. Even though he did not know the password, he used his fingerprint to unlock the screen.
He used one minute to confirm that there was only one useful piece of information inside the phone, and that was — the phone owner's username was' fengbujue '. Other than that, the phone was basically the same as it had been when it was made.
Then, Brother Jue looked through the wallet. It was filled with US dollars and pounds of various denominations. Based on the exchange rate of the 2010s, the total value was about two thousand RMB. Other than the cash, there were only two credit cards left in the wallet. There were no other random cards.
With regards to the passport … the system had blurred it out, and the words on it were impossible to read in Feng Bujue's eyes. Even with the data view, he could not read it clearly. Therefore, he had no idea about the nationality, age, or validity of the passport of the character that he was playing.
Overall, he had very little information on him, and all of it added up together, it was not that valuable.
Of course, Brother Jue did not mind that because by then … he had basically figured out the nature of this scenario.
"If I'm not mistaken … the main quest of this dungeon should be …" Just as Feng Bujue was mumbling to himself, a voice suddenly rang out.
The system's voice suddenly sounded like it wanted to continue his sentence. "The main mission has been triggered."
Brother Jue heard it, opened the game menu, and looked at the mission panel.
"Use thirty-three chapters to complete the scenario." This line of words and the mission below it — [Check into the Alfred Hotel] — appeared in Brother Jue's sight.
"Sigh …" Feng Bujue finished reading the two lines of words and sighed. He then looked up at the sky. "What should come … will come in the end …"
…
A skillful murderer, an impeccable secret room, and an elusive motive.
A bizarre case that would normally take at least ten chapters to complete was made very simple by the appearance of a person and a cat.
With the help of a "second-rate detective and a cat", this kind of case could be solved in ten chapters …
The stress of life, the exhaustion of the manuscript.
The turning point of life, the distortion of inspiration.
At the critical moment before the book's ending …
The despairing author had finally awoken the legendary detective sealed in the darkness once again …
The man who had to complete the thirty-three chapters had returned!
The constant emergence of strange theories, the increasing number of suspects, and the detective who kept disrupting the investigation. Could the real murderer be brought to justice?
This … was the legend of "Chapter 33: The Detective VS The Second-rate Detective and the Cat"!
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