Kisaragi's Long-Strange Collection Notes

"It's you!" Ash exclaimed in a low voice.

Chen Meimei smiled and said, "I came in a hurry and didn't bring a gift, but as long as the thought is there, I don't think you'll mind, right?"

Chen Meimei, like a friend, slowly pushed Ash's wheelchair.

"I haven't found it yet, give me some more time."

Ash's first words were a direct statement about the current situation, as she feared that if she spoke too slowly, the hand pushing her wheelchair behind her would snap her neck.

"I'll ask, you answer."

"Okay," Ash replied quickly.

"How did you know my whereabouts that night, and even pinpoint my exact location to be room 1803 in the South Building?"

"Actually, I don't know who you are. My mission is to kill the people in room 1803 of the South Building, no matter who they are."

"So, you didn't know before you went that you were going to kill not just me, Chen Meimei, but anyone else in 1803 at the time?"

"Yes."

"How did you get in?"

"The person who gave me the quest gave me the key."

"What state was I in when you went in?"

"He was unconscious in that small bedroom."

"Did you pour the water on the table?"

"No, I won't do anything unnecessary."

"So you didn't know the water was poisonous?"

"I knew the water was abnormal, but I thought it was some kind of drug, since you were unconscious right there."

"Why did you kill me with nails? Where did you get the nails?"

"This is what the employer requested, and the nails were also provided by the employer. When I accepted the task, I said that I couldn't guarantee this, but the employer said that you would be unconscious, so I reluctantly agreed."

"After you killed me the first time, why didn't you leave immediately? What were you doing in the other room?"

"I was replying to messages and preparing to leave when I received a message from my employer. He asked me how things were going and inquired about the situation at the scene. I exchanged a few words with him."

"You're lying to me! Why did you go to another room to reply to the message?" Chen Meimei gently placed her hand on Ash's shoulder.

"Why would I lie to you? It's just my personal habit. I like to contact people in empty rooms. At that time, your room was connected to the living room. Even though you were 'dead,' you were still human. I subconsciously went to the other room."

Chen Meimei thought about it and felt that this statement was not very true, but it was not outrageous either.

In the world before the time travel, some people would subconsciously go to a secluded place when they answered a phone call, even if the call didn't involve anything private.

Of course, Chen Meimei didn't completely trust a killer who had killed her.

Why are you wearing a cross-city delivery worker's uniform?

"That's how assassins are. It makes their movements easier, and encountering people while going up or down stairs is considered reasonable."

At this point, Chen Meimei's previous questions have been basically answered.

Ash, the assassin, was nothing more than a tool.

But a new problem arises: if the real mastermind could knock Chen Meimei unconscious and move her away, why would they go to the trouble of hiring an assassin to do it?

Is the person behind this the same mysterious person who collects packages at the Paradise Building?

"It's been over ten days already, how far have you gotten in your investigation?"

"The person who issued the task and gave me the keys and nails was a patient at this clinic. That patient is now dead."

"How did he die?" Chen Meimei frowned. Had the clues gone cold again?

"The patient's cause of death was 'incurable,' not an accident. I think the attending physician who made that diagnosis is problematic. Even if he didn't do it, he may be someone who knows about it. I'm investigating him."

Chen Meimei was a little puzzled: "If it's that doctor, then as the person behind it all, he should know you. How could you possibly find out anything by sneaking in like this, right under his nose?"

"I didn't fake illness to sneak in. My leg is really badly injured, and I was also assassinated. They probably wanted to silence me."

"That doesn't make sense. If it really were that doctor, wouldn't you be handing yourself over to the wolves?"

"Mr. Chen Meimei, I am sorry for trying to assassinate you. This is my profession. Even if I hadn't gone that night, someone else would have. But please believe me, I have made a vow under the moon that we are now truly on the same side."

I'm just an ordinary person who once graduated from [mystery], stuck at 0.99. I only accept missions to kill ordinary people. Now, someone is hunting me down. If I can't find out who's behind this as soon as possible and provide clues to you, the graduated mystery person, to help you take down the culprit, I'll be silenced one day.

So, I came here using myself as bait. If I really am that doctor, and he didn't kill me, I can follow the clues and investigate further.

Of course, if I unfortunately get killed, there's nothing I can do; what happens after I'm gone is none of my concern.

Chen Meimei temporarily believed Ash.

He had received tutoring.

The vow Ash made under the moon on the night of the assassination was an oath that could not be broken.

It's not that making a vow under the moon always works so well, but rather that Chen Meimei represented Hengyue in making the vow.

The veins of the ash heart are wrapped with threads of moonlight; to break the oath is to commit suicide.

Although the oath did not specify a timeframe for uncovering the truth, this timeframe is certainly not indefinite.

Because she temporarily trusted Ash, Chen Meimei did not intend to stay long.

If Ash's suspicions are true, then this clinic belongs to the other party's home turf.

He shouldn't have too much contact with the ash here, as being discovered could affect the investigation of the ash.

Just as Chen Meimei was about to leave, she suddenly seemed to remember something: "Who is that doctor you were talking about?"

"Dr. Hua."

"How many doctors with the surname Hua are there at this clinic?"

"There's only one, and he's very famous."

"How did you become famous?"

"He is running for the next director of the clinic, and he is also the private doctor of the Jiang family, a family of collectors."