Chapter 6: The Apartment Murder Case

She stood at the door but didn’t hurry to open it.

“How can you prove you are Ji Yuanyuan?”

The peephole was pitch black, making it impossible to see outside.

Ji Yuanyuan was momentarily taken aback, her tone anxious. “Do I really need to prove it? Don’t you recognize my voice? Yaoyao, we’re best friends!”

“That’s true,” Jiang Yao suddenly shifted her tone, “Since we’re best friends… can you lend me fifty thousand yuan?”

“...What?”

Ji Yuanyuan was caught off guard and awkwardly explained, “But… I don’t have that much money right now.”

Jiang Yao played the unreasonable card, sneering coldly, “See, I knew you never considered me a real friend! It’s just fifty thousand yuan, only half a month’s living expenses. What’s wrong with starving for half a month? Stop making excuses! And you still call me your best friend!”

What a master of reverse psychology!

Ji Yuanyuan was stunned by her shamelessness.

She had seen shameless people before, but never anyone quite like this!

“Stop joking, Yaoyao. Let me in quickly, that killer is coming! Are you going to just watch me die?”

Jiang Yao folded her arms and said faintly, “Oh, now you’re trying moral coercion, but what if I have no morals?”

There was silence outside again. She sighed, “Do you really think I don’t read those mystery novels on a certain platform? That kind of plot is a dime a dozen—completely outdated!”

Jiang Yao loved suspense stories but had no patience for lengthy ones. She had spent a fortune subscribing to a certain platform, and she had read at least five novels with that same cliché. She could predict the plot with her eyes closed!

“Ji Yuanyuan” finally dropped the disguise and threatened ominously, “Do you think I can’t get in if you don’t open the door?”

It twisted its limbs and pressed tightly against the door, peering inside through the peephole, and let out two eerie chuckles. “I’m coming in~”

Footsteps sounded from inside. She could almost imagine the panic on the other side. A flicker of pleasure flashed in her eyes.

The footsteps approached again, and the next moment a calm female voice spoke out, “Then come in, if you can.”

A laser beam suddenly shot straight into its spying eye. It instinctively covered its eyes and howled!

Jiang Yao toyed with the laser pointer in her hand, imagining the other party’s frustration, a slight smirk curling her lips.

“You! Just you wait!”

The voice shouted a threat, then heavy footsteps gradually receded.

The peephole returned to normal. She guessed that the earlier darkness was caused by someone peering in through the peephole.

---

Seeing this, she had spontaneously shone the laser pointer.

Jiang Yao looked out through the peephole; the corridor was empty.

However, based on her experience with novels, things probably wouldn’t end so easily. Perhaps the killer was hiding somewhere, waiting to trap her, so she did not open the door rashly.

What exam was this system talking about?

A thoughtful gleam crossed Jiang Yao’s eyes as she opened her phone’s dialing keypad and entered a string of numbers.

Huh? It actually connected?

That was unexpected.

...

Twenty minutes later, Jiang Yao’s door was knocked on again.

She was munching on a plate of cut fruit as she approached.

“Hello, we received your emergency call reporting an attempted illegal intrusion with intent to kill. Please open the door and cooperate with the police investigation.”

Jiang Yao looked through the peephole at two uniformed officers standing outside, their expressions serious and upright.

She examined their attire carefully. Police investigations required at least two officers, so the conditions were met.

She didn’t open immediately, her voice crisp: “Please show your identification and provide your badge numbers. Thank you.”

The two officers exchanged a glance, then presented their IDs and announced their badge numbers.

Jiang Yao cleared her throat. “Sorry, officers, I’m in my pajamas. Please wait a moment while I change.”

They showed understanding, displaying no impatience.

Jiang Yao paced inside, hearing the corridor outside grow noisy, indicating she wasn’t the only resident here.

Notably, she also heard the voices of Ji Yuanyuan and Xiang Yu.

Finally, Jiang Yao moved forward to open the door, leaving the lock handle near the entrance so she could grab it with a turn.

She immediately spotted Ji Yuanyuan and Xiang Yu, who saw her too and stepped forward with delighted looks. “Yaoyao!”

Relieved to see Xiang Yu safe, Jiang Yao quickly interrupted their reunion, “What happened?”

Her gaze shifted to the young man beside them. He was tall, with striking, chiseled features, dressed in a smoky gray sweater and casual pants, exuding a relaxed, leisurely vibe.

Noticing her scrutiny, he squinted slightly and nodded in greeting, casual but polite.

Jiang Yao returned a polite smile and withdrew her gaze, silently reflecting.

She hadn’t expected to encounter the renowned heartthrob of the medical school here — Xie Huaili.

Xie Huaili was famous not just for his looks but also for his mercilessly sharp tongue. Rumor had it that the number of rejected suitors he had could form a basketball team.

However, Jiang Yao’s interaction with him was limited to one semester of an elective course; he might not even remember her.

Besides them, she observed a nervous young couple standing close together nearby.

A middle-aged couple was also present; the man stood with hands on hips, clearly impatient, while the woman appeared timid and withdrawn.

There was also a quiet young man wearing a hat.

One of the officers spoke: “Alright, all residents on the sixth floor are accounted for. I now solemnly inform you that a heinous murder has occurred on this floor just moments ago!”

“The victim was the resident of apartment 608. Our colleagues have already reviewed the community surveillance footage, including the elevators. Everything appears normal except for this floor, where the cameras were deliberately damaged. Therefore, we suspect the culprit is among you. We ask everyone to cooperate fully with the police to identify the murderer as soon as possible!”

After the announcement, everyone exchanged uneasy glances.

At the same time, the candidates present all heard the system’s mission announcement:

[Story Background: A shocking murder has taken place on your floor, and the killer is very likely among you!]

[Exam Task: Cooperate with the police investigation and identify the murderer within three hours! Reward: Skill upgrade.]

Following the two officers, the group approached the door of apartment 608.

The door was wide open. A man lay sprawled boldly in a pool of blood, his eyes wide open in death, blood staining his waist and abdomen, his face marked with several fierce scratch wounds.

Seeing this, all present turned pale.

Only Xie Huaili remained composed, pulling gloves from his pocket, donning them with calm, and stepping forward to examine the body.

Just as the officers were about to speak, he took the initiative: “I’m a forensic pathologist.”

They immediately fell silent.

The man from the middle-aged couple looked skeptical. “Medical school takes at least five years, right? You look so young—have you graduated?”

Jiang Yao thought to herself: Oh no, he actually got that right.