There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

Osmanthus Village is surrounded by mountains on all sides, presenting a square depression with the main back mountain being quite high and a large range of mountains extending behind it.

The village is planted with many osmanthus trees, and this season is just when the osmanthus is about to bloom, with clusters of white blossoms floating among the twigs and leaves, close to the courtyards of every household.

The bushes are not tall, and they are planted quite regularly, so standing on the hillside, one can almost take in the whole village at a glance.

The houses are neat, the pathways crisscrossing.

Xu Shuo likes such high vantage points.

The village chief gestured beside him, "That first house at the foot of the mountain is the Old Li family's. Since it's close by, it would have been no problem for the killer to murder someone and then directly come over to your side by climbing through the window."

To recreate the crime scene for Xu Shuo, the two of them now stood on a large rock halfway up the hillside, pointing and gesturing toward the houses below.

Upon hearing this, Xu Shuo said, "I can assert with certainty that the killer did not come over to my side at that time."

Because this script is a Mutant Script, aside from skills and props of level three and above, there are no restrictions on Xu Shuo's other abilities.

And ever since he obtained the Alpha Character Card, by utilizing the game master's abilities, Xu Shuo has become increasingly adept at controlling his spiritual power.

Therefore, he could be sure that while he was engrossed in cooking, no one approached the hillside.

So the killer ran toward the village.

The village chief continued, "At that time, Old Li's daughter-in-law was also cooking, her son was sleeping on the kang, and after Old Li returned from the fields, he found his son dead on the bed and his daughter-in-law hacked to death in front of the stove."

Xu Shuo paused, "Is Old Li the first eyewitness to the incident?"

The village chief nodded, "After Old Li shouted, other people in the village also ran over."

Therefore, the first piercing scream that was heard on the hillside was Old Li's outcry upon discovering his wife and child brutally killed, followed by the shouts of the villagers who rushed over to watch.

Afterward, upon hearing Old Li's description of the killer, the villagers quickly zeroed in on Wang Tiezhu, who lived halfway up the hill.

After all, whether it was his build, his weapon, or where he lived, Wang Tiezhu fit the profile of the murderer.

But just as everyone was about to go up and denounce Wang Tiezhu, the village chief intervened, stopping them, and sent the swift-footed Ergou to check up on Wang Tiezhu at home first.

Then the village chief dispersed the crowd.

After listening to the course of events, Xu Shuo thoughtfully said, "Why are you so sure that the killer will strike again?"

The village chief snorted with a laugh, "The act of splashing dirty water is too obvious. If he bears a grudge against you, he will strike again; if he's indiscriminately killing... there's no need to pin it on you."

Aside from Old Li, no one else had seen the killer.

The village chief gazed at the houses below the hill, his eyes focused on the house of Old Li's family, hidden behind the osmanthus trees, his expression inscrutable.

Xu Shuo also looked toward that house, "Can I go take a look at the crime scene now?"

The village chief shook his head, "The villagers have a high hostility toward you right now. It's best if you don't go down. I was only able to calm those people temporarily with the help of Mr. Wang the Major Landlord."

Mr. Wang is the Major Landlord of Osmanthus Village.

The fields the villagers work are mostly rented out by Mr. Wang, so his influence in Osmanthus Village carries even more weight than the village chief's authority.

Although Wang Tiezhu was not closely related to Mr. Wang's main family, he still had that bit of the Wang bloodline.

In the past, Mr. Wang didn't care much for this distant relative; otherwise, he wouldn't have let the boy live alone on the mountain.

But now, for some reason, Mr. Wang actually took the initiative to speak up for Wang Tiezhu, and that's how the village chief had the opportunity to stabilize the enraged villagers.

"So what you mean is..."

Xu Shuo said indifferently, "I'll just stay at home as if nothing had happened and wait to see if the killer will come over to kill me to silence me tonight, or rather, wait for him to kill another person and see what happens?"

The village chief nodded, "That's right."

Xu Shuo waved his hand and turned back toward the courtyard, saying, "Then I wish you find the killer soon."

After all, he would not be staying inside his house tonight.

He still needed to find where the bride's body was.

Watching his back, the village chief couldn't help but call out, "It will be very dangerous at night; don't stay alone, and it's best not to go out."

Xu Shuo stopped in his tracks and looked back at him.

After making eye contact with Xu Shuo for a moment, the village chief seemed somewhat embarrassed as he said, "How about I stay here with you tonight? Seeing you is like seeing my grandson; it feels very close to my heart."

Xu Shuo's mouth twitched slightly, "Okay."

This old guy, coming over and talking so much, that's probably his real motive, right?

So why is he so intent on getting close to Wang Tiezhu?

The village chief's eagerness to find the killer seemed genuine, so perhaps the killer truly had a connection with his "main quest." But what role could Wang Tiezhu play in all this?

Xu Shuo reviewed the Character Card information several times, concluding that Wang Tiezhu was nothing more than an oaf who went hunting in the mountains every day.

However, there wouldn't be characters unrelated to the plot in the script.

So Wang Tiezhu... might have some connection with the central figure of the script, the bride?

After all, this is a Mutant Script.

...

...

At nightfall.

Wang Tiezhu's home was small, with just one courtyard, one kitchen cum storeroom, a simple outhouse, and a room with a heated brick bed that constituted all there was.

The wall of the kitchen was another side of the brick bed, which was three meters wide and four meters long, built up against the wall.