Chapter 243 Red Eyes, Silver Hair, Black Stockings, Single-Turbo Duck? Oh, I'm Dead!
The appearance of these characters took the audience by surprise. Seeing Raven and Jackal appearing together caused more than a few players to slowly type out a question mark.
[Is this... a World Serpent and Anti-Entropy team-building event?]
[Jackal and Raven are here, so Gray Serpent will probably show up too, right?]
[The classic 'The Three of Us'?]
[Eh! I can't help but wonder if Raven in this parallel world also has an island villa that was ruined by the Honkai?]
[Seriously, is it fun to keep bringing up Raven's island villa every single day? Is persecuting my poor 'Island-Boom-Raven' really that entertaining?]
[Of course it's not fun—I mean, it's too fun! Increase the intensity!]
Thinking about these characters, who are usually hostile in the main storyline, being tossed together into a "mishmash" created a very subtle feeling. Senti, meanwhile, directly posed a suggestion to her viewers.
"How about we guess who gets killed first? Since it's a serial murder case, we need a good start..." Her proposal earned a round of eye-rolls from the audience.
[Streamer, why are your thoughts getting scarier and scarier?]
[She's been tormented by the Old Thief for too long; she's slowly turning into him!]
['When I grow up, I'll become you~']
"I think Jackal will be the first to go. If you ask me why, I'll just say those who know, know; those who don't, it's useless to explain." Senti gave her "insight." Of course, she hadn't actually analyzed anything; she just found Jackal the most annoying of the bunch. It was a classic case of "guilt by association" regarding her feelings for the character.
As for these strange guests, Tesla didn't hesitate to explain to Doyle's group that they were there for the inheritance left by Joyce.
["That honey-skinned woman is called Jackal, and the one in the cloak is Raven. They serve as the young lady's tutor and bodyguard, at least on the surface."]
["Meaning they are colleagues of the two doctors?"]
["Who are you calling colleagues! we are respectable scientists!"]
Tesla wore a look of utter disgust. Einstein smoothed things over, saying Jackal was a researcher who had cooperated with Schicksal, and Raven was a mercenary with an unknown resume... but the sharp-eyed Doyle sensed they were hiding something.
"Little Jo" (Joachim) was the only blood descendant left by Walter and a legal heir. The other heir was the "young lady" supported by Jackal and Raven. she was traveling with Joachim and was about to arrive in St. Fontaine.
[Is this 'young lady' Bronya?]
[It has to be. The girl who died at the start was clearly Seele; who else could her 'sister' be but Bronya?]
[Joachim? Isn't that Mr. Welt's name? So it's Mr. Welt escorting Bronya?]
[Beyond that, what I care about is... since it's a serial murder case, there must be a killer among them. I wonder who did it.]
[I think we can rule out 'Bird's Nest Hair' (Einstein) and Tesla first... I can't imagine those two as murderers.]
[Because they're 'frail researchers,' right? From that perspective, the beast behind a serial murder case must have skill and strength, especially since no one here is a pushover.]
The audience discussed the plot heatedly while Elysia chose to talk to the guests to gather intel.
Talking to Dr. Tesla, Doyle learned of a bizarre legend in St. Fontaine: the "Ghost of St. Fontaine." This wasn't just a simple urban legend; Tesla and Einstein had personally witnessed it on surveillance. Furthermore, Schicksal had recently sent an elite Valkyrie squad to assist, but they vanished overnight while trying to capture the "Ghost." clearly, they had met with disaster.
In her conversation with Einstein and Joachim, Doyle heard about the "young lady," Bronya. She was a survivor of the Catastrophe five years ago and Mr. Walter's adopted daughter. Her guardian was Joyce's assistant, Joachim. Joachim was an honest, naive man, while Bronya was an overly intelligent child. Just as the news of Joyce's death broke, Jackal the tutor rushed here with a guard. Their intentions were so obvious that no deduction was needed. Einstein worried that the young Bronya might be deceived by outsiders, leading to a feud over the inheritance.
Since this was Joyce's family matter, Doyle could only promise Einstein that he would find the killer as quickly as possible. When talking to Jackal, Doyle felt the aura of a "mad scientist." she immediately asked to study the great detective's brain. Mentioning Walter, Jackal's expression was subtle.
["In fact, I only came to personally confirm if that fellow is truly dead."]
["Unless Walter can return in another body, he is as dead as can be."]
Jackal provided little intel, so Doyle turned to Sora and Raven. Raven refused to speak, but Sora told him that Raven brought her here in hopes of curing her rare disease. Joyce had the ability to cure her, and though he was dead, his "research data" remained. Sora also mentioned a line from Jackal upon seeing Raven: "Are you planning to pay for the sins you committed in the past?" which caught Doyle's attention.
After the rounds of dialogue, "Detective Elysia" rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Mhm~ so far, there aren't many clues about the killer~ but this research data and the Ghost of St. Fontaine... Ellie is quite interested~ ♪ As expected, these suspenseful detective stories are irresistible~ ♪"
Theresa looked at her strangely. "Since when did you become a fan of detective novels?" Elysia blinked. "Starting today, is that not allowed?" Theresa was speechless. she had heard enough of Elysia's "glorious deeds" to know that she probably preferred romance novels or manga over mysteries.
Before the next stage, an [Interlude]from Jackal's perspective was inserted. Senti's words proved prophetic—the first victim appeared.
[The sudden darkness did not cause the woman to panic.]
[This was her final mistake, for this darkness was a graveyard prepared specifically for her.]
[Fatal steel drew a cold flash, like a heartless and realistic proclamation.]
[Blood, like a liquid prisoner breaking out of jail, rushed joyfully into the air; it took several seconds before the woman felt the agony.]
[she fell. Blood pooled beneath her like a macabre carpet.]
["who... is it?"]
[Is it her? even if they were companions now, it was only a bond driven by profit.]
[And the 'accomplices' from five years ago... that was just a history she didn't want to recall...]
[No, impossible. she had stayed alert; she couldn't be stabbed from the front.]
[Then, who? who would want my life?]
[The woman's clear thoughts only lasted this far. As her blood drained rapidly, her thinking began to freeze.]
[Using the last of her strength, she looked up.]
[she saw that figure—it was her Grim Reaper.]
[The Reaper smiled cruelly. Footsteps approached as the Reaper leaned down beside her.]
["who are you really..."]
["Gray... Serpent..."]
[The woman spat out the last two words with resentment before losing consciousness forever.]
Jackal was dead. The appearance of the first victim sent Senti's livestream into a frenzy.
[Whoa? Streamer is a true prophet?]
[Jackal really did get served? Streamer, how did you deduce that?]
[What deduction? I bet she didn't even think about it!]
[Pure intuition, clearly.]
With her guess coming true, the audience joked about "knifing" Senti for being a prophet. Others raised new questions.
[What did Jackal mean by 'sins committed five years ago'?]
[Five years ago was the Catastrophe that turned St. Fontaine into a Desolate City, right? was Jackal involved?]
[Definitely. There's a direct or indirect connection...]
[The person who killed Jackal was Gray Serpent?]
[Wait, why Gray Serpent again? his appearance rate lately is a bit too high, isn't it?]
Many remembered "Gray Serpent" from The Day You and the Stars Disappeared. Although that wasn't the real one, the classic image was being reused. Does the wish-granting machine Golem just default to Gray Serpent as the villain?
Senti, however, wasn't acting smug. she stared at the screen, watching the fallen Jackal and the Gray Serpent in the dark. "The killer already appeared? what kind of detective novel is this? revealing the killer right at the start?" she couldn't help but roast. "No, no, this is wrong! what mystery novel reveals the true culprit in the first act? There must be a massive trap here."
[But Gray Serpent killing Jackal is a fact, right?]
[But what Jackal said before she died is suspicious. she knew it was Gray Serpent, but still asked 'who are you?' Does that mean this 'Gray Serpent' is an impostor?]
[Possible! no one knows what Gray Serpent really looks like. with the mask and black clothes, anyone can be him.]
[True!]
Amidst the speculation, the game shifted back to Doyle's party. He followed Tesla and Einstein to investigate the crime scene. They learned that when Joyce was killed, someone else was there who was stabbed in the back—Gray Serpent was at the scene. But his body had mysteriously vanished, which baffled the doctors.
Doyle provided his analysis: Gray Serpent was likely the killer, and the wound on his back was from Joyce's resistance. The disappearance suggested he might still be alive and lurking in the manor. He intended to gather everyone and explain, but the manor suddenly lost power, plunging them into darkness.
A scream from Sora echoed from downstairs. Doyle's group rushed back to the hall to find chaos. When the lights returned, Sora was gone. A frantic Raven interrogated everyone, but Doyle urged her to stay calm. And just then...
["What on earth is happening?"]
A strange girl's voice made them turn. Beyond Fu Hua, two new faces entered. One was a petite silver-haired girl, and the other was a middle-aged man with a scholarly air. clearly, the girl in the black dress was Bronya, and the man was Joachim.
"Bronya looks too good in that outfit!" Elysia's eyes went wide. "Su Mu has great taste, hehe. I suddenly want to see the real Bronya in those clothes~ ♪"
[Ah, red eyes! Ah, silver hair! Ah! Duckie!]
[you can say the Old Thief loves torturing players and isn't human, but you can't say he lacks aesthetic sense!]
[And I remember this dress skin was free from an event, right?]
[This is why we love Honkai 3rd. Everyone can find their favorite skin, and quality like this is even given away for free. Is there any dev as 'kind-hearted' as the Old Thief?]
[I'm going to grind like crazy for this skin!!]
[The Old Thief knows what we want. This side-ponytail spiral Duck is way too pretty!]
The viewers were excited by Bronya's appearance. Su Mu understood their reaction. In the past, his biggest pain was seeing so many great skins but having no coupons, or skins that couldn't even be bought with coupons due to the "marketing maneuvers." That feeling of "watching from afar" was torture.
In the subsequent plot, Doyle finally convinced Raven not to rush out, but Einstein's voice rang out from the second floor.
["Hey, that... is that... Jackal?"]
[Her voice trembled. Since meeting her, Doyle had never seen her so weak.]
[Everyone looked where she pointed.]
[In a corner of the hall, a woman was sprawled on the floor. A dagger was buried deep in her back, right up to the hilt.]
Beside her body, the word "Rache" was written in blood—German for "Revenge."
Jackal's death heralded the start of the serial murders. Doyle began collecting testimonies. He was surprised to find "Little Jo" was not as introverted or shy as he seemed; his testimony was clear, logical, and far beyond his apparent age. But before he could ponder this subtle dissonance, Doyle fell into a terrifying "sleep paralysis" experience. He found himself in a strange laboratory, and a suffering girl appeared before him, begging for help.
Though the in-game Doyle didn't know who she was, the viewers recognized her instantly.
—Seele.
Undoubtedly, the girl who supposedly died in the Catastrophe five years ago. Yet she appeared before Doyle, pleading for aid... but as Doyle tried to ask for details, Seele's attitude shifted drastically.
["Rose is red. Is blue..."]she stopped asking for help and fell into a state of gloom and rage. ["Won't... let... you... hinder us!"]
A chilling hostility washed over him. Doyle tried to resist the sudden attack, but his body remained frozen! At this critical second, a silhouette appeared before him.
["Hehe, you look troubled."]
The sudden arrival of Irene Adler turned Seele's whispers into a piercing scream.
["It seems you don't intend to back down either. Silly child. This time, you've chosen the wrong prey."]
END OF CHAPTER
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