"Qi Xia," Zhang Chenze said with his arms crossed, expressionless. "Han Yimo called out your name first after he was injured. Did you know each other before?"
Qi Xia didn't even lift his eyelids, resting his right hand on his forehead as he replied, "No."
"Then do you have any clues about his death?" Zhang Chenze continued.
Qi Xia didn't answer but instead scrutinized the giant sword embedded in Han Yimo's body.
The sword had an ancient style, looking like a fine piece of art.
It bore many battle scars, suggesting it had been through numerous fights.
But who would carry such a giant sword for fighting in this day and age?
"Qi Xia, I'm talking to you," Zhang Chenze said irritably. "Aren't you going to explain anything?"
"What do I need to explain?" Qi Xia asked. "Are you implying that I killed Han Yimo?"
"Whether or not you're the killer, don't you think you should say something to clear your name?"
Qi Xia remained silent and reached out to pull the sword.
"Hey!" Officer Li rushed over when he saw this. "Qi Xia, regardless of whether you're the killer, we need to preserve the crime scene! Otherwise..."
"Otherwise what?" Qi Xia interrupted. "Otherwise, when the police come to investigate, evidence might be lost?"
Officer Li's mouth moved slightly, speechless.
There was no point in waiting for the police to investigate; the question now was whether they could survive and get out of here.
Seeing Officer Li fall silent, Qi Xia used both hands to continue pulling the sword.
He exerted all his strength to finally pull the sword completely out of the ground.
Qiao Jiajin also came to help and realized that the giant sword was even heavier than expected. This pitch-black ancient sword, made of some unknown metal, weighed around 150 pounds, equivalent to a strong adult man.
Qi Xia panted heavily, tossing the iron sword onto the ground with a loud noise.
After a while, Qi Xia steadied his breathing and finally spoke to Zhang Chenze. "Mr. Lawyer, let me confirm with you. This iron sword is six feet long and weighs over 150 pounds. You suspect that I lifted this sword silently at dawn and killed Han Yimo, who couldn't move, and then deeply embedded the sword into the ground?"
Zhang Chenze pursed his lips, his face grimacing.
"And before that, to avoid being discovered, you hid this sword in your pants pocket, right?" Qi Xia added.
Seeing the atmosphere turning sour, Officer Li stepped in to mediate. "Qi Xia, since you didn't kill Han Yimo, why must you pull out the sword?"
Qi Xia didn't argue with Zhang Chenze but instead looked down at the bloodstained giant sword.
He examined it carefully, shook his head, and turned the sword over.
Sure enough, on the other side of the hilt were the small words "Seven Black Sword."
From Han Yimo's final words, there wasn't much useful information. He seemed to be trying to accept something, but unfortunately, he never figured it out before dying.
The only thing Qi Xia remembered clearly was the phrase "Seven Black Sword."
"This sword is called 'Seven Black Sword'?" Qiao Jiajin asked from the side.
Qi Xia gently stroked his chin, murmuring, "These three characters are on the other side of Han Yimo's body. That means he shouldn't have known the sword's name when he was stabbed. So why did he mention 'Seven Black Sword'?"
"I think your reasoning is quite unconventional," Officer Li shook his head. "Why focus on the name of a murder weapon? Shouldn't we be considering the cause of Han Yimo's death?"
Qi Xia glanced at Officer Li and continued, "When Han Yimo was stabbed, it was already dawn. Even if he was asleep, such severe trauma would definitely wake him up. Logically, he should have seen the killer, yet he mentioned nothing about the killer's identity, only twice mentioning 'Seven Black Sword.' Isn't that strange?"
"But he called out your name..." Xiao Ran whispered from the side. "Regardless of what kind of sword it is, Han Yimo indeed called out your name first..."
"So what?" Qi Xia asked.
"So you're the killer..." Xiao Ran trembled, hiding behind Officer Li, too scared to look at Qi Xia.
Qi Xia didn't defend himself but stared at Xiao Ran, seemingly trying to determine whether she was truly the killer or just plain stupid.
"And our companion died, yet you showed no grief, calmly analyzing everything instead. But you're a liar! What's the use of your analysis?!" Xiao Ran almost cried, "Who among us would believe you?"
"'Grief'?" Qi Xia frowned, seeming puzzled. "Are you saying... I should grieve for someone I've known for less than a day?"
"You're so cold-blooded, which is why I think you're the killer!" Xiao Ran's voice grew louder. "Weren't you planning to leave last night? Why stay overnight? If you think about it, you stayed deliberately to commit the murder, didn't you?"
By now, Qi Xia had mostly understood that this woman wasn't necessarily the killer, but she was certainly foolish.
She had previously shouted things like "Why should we trust this liar?" in the initial room.
To her, logic was useless; she only believed what she wanted to believe.
Qiao Jiajin couldn't bear it anymore and said to Xiao Ran, "Hey, dumb girl, if you don't like thinking, don't interrupt others. I think Swindler's analysis makes sense."
"But you three aren't good people anyway!" Xiao Ran protested tearfully. "With a death among us, you three are the most suspicious, aren't you? So what if I'm dumb? I wouldn't do bad things!"
This statement targeted not only Qi Xia but also Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian.
Yes, the three of them weren't exactly good people.
Qi Xia nodded, replying, "You're right."
He gave up examining the body and the giant sword and slowly stood up. "There's no point in continuing to look. I am the killer."
Everyone heard Qi Xia's confession and remained expressionless.
Only Xiao Ran seemed somewhat agitated. "See! He admitted it himself! All that talk earlier was just to divert attention with the sword's name!"
Officer Li frowned, deep in thought.
"Hey! Swindler!" Qiao Jiajin couldn't understand. "Even if you admit it, who would believe you? Not to mention, even if you and I tried to move that sword together, it would make noise."
Qi Xia waved his hand and walked out of the convenience store.
"It doesn't matter. We only have ten days anyway. What difference does it make if I'm labeled a murderer? Besides, I don't like arguing with stupid people."
Hearing Qi Xia's words, Qiao Jiajin also shrugged and followed.
Tian Tian, who had decided from the start to follow Qi Xia and Qiao Jiajin, naturally had no reason to stay either.
Lin Qin turned back and gave Officer Li a meaningful look, as if wanting to say something but ultimately deciding against it. She shook her head and left.
The group of eight split into two teams.
The four who stayed behind had complex expressions, but Xiao Ran seemed relieved. "Great... those bad-looking people are finally gone..."
"Xiao Ran, I think we forgot something..." Doctor Zhao whispered to Xiao Ran.
...
Xiao Ran ran out of the house and stopped the four.
"Hold it!"
Qi Xia turned his cold gaze back, unsure of what she intended.
"Did you forget something?" Xiao Ran asked. "What about the 'Dao'?"
"'Dao'?"
"Yes, the four 'Dao,' the ones we risked our lives to win back. You can't take them all, can you?"