Card simulation, starting with the Goblin Deserter

In the dark and gloomy dungeon

The handwriting transformed into an arrow in the air, pointing towards the cell where the C group detectives were located.

At this moment, the four people in the dungeon had different expressions. The timid Gentry hugged the butler tightly, his lips trembling.

"What does 'retreat' mean?"

"They can't be..."

Hayes looked at the arrow in the air and uttered two words: "Dead."

In an instant, the temperature inside the dungeon seemed to drop a few degrees.

Soraka, her face growing paler, stood behind Hayes. Only at this moment did she realize just how terrifying those real "wilderness secret realms" truly were, once they were outside the protective circle of the academy's secret realm.

This is not a game; people can die.

However, Hayes, who had died more than twenty times, didn't feel anything about it. He just stared at the arrow thoughtfully, his mind replaying the applause and laughter that had just appeared out of nowhere.

It sounded a bit like the voice from the comedy TV shows he watched in his previous life.

Combined with the name of this secret realm—Goblin Detective.

Are they currently appearing in a "variety show" or "program" for some audience to watch?

In short, let's go check out Group C first, following the direction of the arrow. You can't get anything done if you just think about it but don't do anything.

Hayes hoisted the stick onto his shoulder, called out to Soraka, and then followed the arrow.

Gentry and the butler watched their departing figures, hesitated for a moment, then gritted their teeth and followed.

On the way, Hayes remained silent, still pondering matters related to the secret realm, while Soraka, after barely suppressing her fear, looked at him curiously.

"Hays... can I ask you a question?"

"Okay, you go ahead."

"Yeah, why don't you seem scared at all?"

Upon hearing this, Hayes turned to look at her, while Soraka quickly waved her hand to explain.

"Because, because from the moment you entered the secret realm until now, you've always seemed so reliable..."

"Whether it's a deck being banned or news of Group C's elimination, you're not afraid at all! That's amazing!"

As Hayes met the girl's adoring gaze, he fell into deep thought.

How should he answer? He can't exactly say that he dies two or three times every night and is immune to these things, can he?

He thought for a moment and then said, "If being afraid were useful, I would have started to be afraid long ago."

After saying that, Hayes, fearing that Soraka would question him further, quickly turned around and quickened his pace.

What he didn't expect was that the excuse he came up with on the spot actually made Soraka look incredibly cool!

She stood there, muttering to herself, "If being afraid was useful, I would have started being afraid long ago..."

"So cool! So amazing!"

"I want to say that to others when I have the chance!"

"Wait for me, Hayes!"

"..."

Behind them, Gentry, who had witnessed their laughter and chatter, frowned deeply and said sourly.

"What kind of time is this for these two to still be laughing? Aren't they scared at all?!"

The butler beside him nodded in approval: "No wonder they're students of Zuma Academy; they're just different from ordinary people!"

"Uh... Young Master, I wasn't talking about you. You almost passed the written exam last year, so you'd practically be a student at Zuma Academy too!"

"Brand, if you can't speak properly, then don't speak."

"Yes, young master."

-

The dungeon wasn't very large; after walking for about ten minutes, the four of them saw the outline of a cell.

Smelling the blood in the air, Hayes quickened his pace, stood in front of the cell bars, and looked inside.

The cells were configured exactly the same as the other two, except for one thing—

There was a corpse on the bed with its head wrapped in a sheet, and another one lying on the floor by the wall, with undried blood slowly dripping from the dark wall.

Hayes frowned, deep in thought.

It appears that one of them pinned the other to the bed and strangled them with a sheet, before slamming their head against the wall and committing suicide...

But he's not a real "detective," and his conclusions are likely wrong.

Soraka, suppressing her fear, stood beside Hayes and, after observing him for a moment, gave the same opinion as him.

Gentry and his butler, who were not far behind, also rushed over. They were both stunned when they saw the scene inside the cell.

"Seriously? Does something this simple really require reasoning?"

"The person on the floor must have strangled the person on the bed and then committed suicide by banging their head against the wall. What's the point of this deduction?"

Gentry grumbled, half in dissatisfaction and half in boasting, while glancing at Soraka with his small eyes.

No, it shouldn't be that simple. Or rather, the goblin king wants them to deduce more than just this.

Hayes gripped the railing, bent it again, and went in first, with Soraka following closely behind.

The two stood in front of the bed, and Hayes slowly lifted the sheet, revealing a corpse with a purplish-black face, yet faintly tinged with crimson.

Soraka covered her mouth in horror and whispered, "She was definitely strangled..."

Hayes then examined the bodies on the ground and found that both of their clothes were torn and ripped, as if they had just been in a battle.

Could it be that after entering the secret realm, a dispute arose, and after a struggle, this person strangled the other to death before committing suicide by banging their head against a wall...?

Or perhaps the two were originally enemies, and were caught up in the fight outside the secret realm...

But if these are the two scenarios, why would the person lying on the ground commit suicide by banging their head against the wall?

The problem is that neither Hayes, who is fearless of death, nor Soraka, who has excellent grades, has the ability to perform autopsies, nor are they real detectives.

Even with two corpses right in front of them, they couldn't glean any more detailed information and could only guess based on their intuition...

Just as Hayes and Soraka were deep in thought, the butler entered the cell at some point. He looked at their backs and hesitated.

"Um...may I examine the body? To be honest, before becoming a butler, I was a doctor!"

"What the hell?"

Before Hayes and the other man could even express their opinions, Gentry, who couldn't fit into the cell due to his size, was shocked.

"Brand, you used to be a doctor?!"

The butler chuckled twice, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "More than twenty years ago, I accidentally prescribed the wrong medicine to a patient with a severe cold, and he died from it..."

"Later, due to medical disputes and other issues, my reputation was ruined, and I could no longer work as a doctor. That's why I switched careers and became a housekeeper at the Jin family's company..."

Hayes & Soraka & Gentry: ? ? ?

Killing a patient with a severe cold isn't called "medical disturbance," it's called "acting on behalf of heaven"!

Hayes had already made room for the butler in front of the corpse, but he became tense the moment he heard about the other man's past.

"You're not going to kill them both again, are you?"

The butler confidently replied, "Don't worry, they're both dead. Nothing will happen!"

Three people:...

Half a minute later, Brand, who was standing by the bed, took a deep breath, as if he had returned to the small clinic more than 20 years ago.

He didn't touch the body directly, but carefully opened the deceased's eyelids and mouth, and then sniffed it.

Hayes and Soraka watched with bated breath, while Gentry outside the cell turned his face away in disgust, yet couldn't help but steal glances.

To them, Brand's movements were unfamiliar, yet carried an unsettling sense of ritual!

"No, this is very wrong!"

Brand murmured, pressing his fingertips against the dead man's skin, and then carefully examining the neck, hands, and feet.

He raised his head, his expression becoming focused, his eyes revealing a look that belonged to someone else entirely!

"Gentlemen, this person wasn't just strangled!"