Chapter 41: Desperation! Deadly Barrage!

No?
How could there be nothing?
Chen Yu stood rigidly at the front of the stage, fixing his gaze on the pile of photographs that had been turned over countless times, his mind a complete blank.
The information traced back by the system could not possibly be wrong. He had personally heard Luo Xiangdong’s desperate scream of the name “Wind”—the hatred and agony in that voice was unmistakably real.
Could it be that I was wrong?
Where exactly did things go awry?
The studio was deathly silent.
Countless eyes focused on Chen Yu, their expressions shifting from anticipation to doubt and confusion.
“Hahahahaha!”
Suddenly, an exaggerated burst of laughter shattered the oppressive quiet.
Foer!
The man whom Chen Yu had previously forced into a corner now appeared invigorated, his eyes blazing with the joy of revenge.
He slammed the table and sprang to his feet, pointing at Chen Yu.
“Where’s your evidence, Zombie Brother? Show us your proof!”
“I told you! All that talk about premeditated murder, a lovers’ quarrel between men—it’s all nonsense!”
Foer turned to face the camera, launching into his “comeback” with righteous indignation:
“Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve all seen it! This is your so-called great detective? Spouting baseless nonsense just to attract attention! He’s smeared the reputation of an innocent man who’s been dead for eleven years—what an insult to the deceased!”
“There is only one truth! Luo Xiangdong’s death was an accident! An old door latch, falling by chance in the wind, trapped him in the locked room—exactly as I, Foer, have maintained from the start!”
The more Foer spoke, the more impassioned he became, releasing all the humiliation he had endured.
In the studio, the other contestants exchanged uncertain glances.
The Pipe and Bubble Girl, who had once placed hope in Chen Yu’s theories, could now only shake their heads in resignation in the face of such ironclad evidence.
On the judges’ bench, Yan Zheng’s brows knit tightly together. He had never doubted Chen Yu’s abilities, but this situation…
In the control room, Director Wang was practically bouncing with excitement.
He yelled into the intercom,
“Lin Bing! Quick! Pick up where Foer left off, announce the result! End the show! Wrap it up while the tension’s still hot!”
The director’s frantic voice crackled in her earpiece, and Lin Bing’s palms broke into a sweat.
She looked at the silent Chen Yu, torn between her conflicting duties.
As the host, she ought to pick up the microphone and declare Foer the winner, bringing this farce to a close.
But…
She remembered all the miracles Chen Yu had pulled off before, the man who could always turn the tide at the brink of defeat.
Perhaps… she should give him a little more time?
“Lin Bing! What are you waiting for? Now!” The director’s shouts grew more urgent.
Lin Bing bit her lip, but in the end, she didn’t pick up the microphone.
Meanwhile, chaos had erupted in the streaming room.

The live chat scrolled by like a blizzard:
“What’s this? You’ve talked for hours and have no evidence?”
“Zombie Brother’s crashed? I thought he had some big move!”
“Told you he was just guessing, and now he’s exposed!”
“Foer’s right, this is just stringing the viewers along!”
“Refund! Refund! You’ve wasted my feelings!”
On the other side, Zombie Brother’s supporters continued to resist:
“No way! Zombie Brother must have a backup plan!”
“Give him a bit more time! He never fights unprepared!”
“There has to be something! Maybe something’s wrong with the photos!”
“I believe in Zombie Brother! He’ll turn it around!”
The war of words in the chat reached a fever pitch, every inch of the screen flooded with color.
On stage, Chen Yu still stood unmoving.
His brain raced, all the information in turmoil.
The system’s abilities couldn’t be wrong; the problem must lie elsewhere.
Were the photos incomplete?
Or was the person simply not in any of these group shots?
Or perhaps…

“Chen Yu!”
Foer’s voice rang out again, brimming with a victor’s arrogance.
“Still pretending to be deep? Admit it, you’re a fraud! You know nothing!”
“Ladies and gentlemen, now you see the truth! So-called detective work and reasoning—just a façade! Real detectives back up their claims with evidence!”
Foer’s words were like knives, stabbing into Chen Yu with every syllable.
Worse, even his most devoted fans began to waver.
“Zombie Brother… is this really the end?”
“Maybe we were just overthinking it…”
“Forget it, next time we’ll support you…”
The chat’s mood had fully swung in Foer’s favor. The victory that should have been his was slipping away, and for the first time, Chen Yu felt a crushing sense of defeat.
Was he truly going to fail?
Just then—

A golden message suddenly appeared at the top of the chat.
It was pinned, eclipsing all the other messages, standing out in the chaotic sea of text.
Strangely, the moment it appeared, the entire chat seemed to pause, as if time itself had frozen for a few seconds.
[“I didn’t expect you to dig this deep, kid. Seems I underestimated you! Looks like it’s time for something more interesting!”]

After a brief silence, the chat exploded:
“Whoa! Who is that?”
“That message is golden!”
“Has the real one arrived?”
“Damn, the ID is black—can’t be traced!”
“What does it mean? What does ‘something more interesting’ mean?”
“That tone… could it be the real culprit?!”
“Creepy! Gives me goosebumps!”
“Is this variety show for real?”
Everyone was stunned by the sudden, mysterious message.
Its appearance instantly transformed the atmosphere in the live room.
The doubts and ridicule vanished, replaced by a strange tension and excitement.
In the studio, Chen Yu’s pupils contracted sharply when he saw the message!
That familiar arrogant tone, that voice looking down on the world…
It was him!
The very “Wind” whom Luo Xiangdong had cursed in despair in the locked room!
He was watching the livestream!
And he had revealed himself!
Chen Yu’s heart pounded, adrenaline surging through his body.
Which meant—
He—hadn’t guessed wrong!
All the frustration vanished instantly, replaced by the thrill of a hunter spotting his prey.
“Interesting…” Chen Yu murmured, the fire of battle rekindling in his eyes.
If that message truly came from “Wind,” then something he’d said had struck a nerve.
At the very least, one of his points had forced the man to show himself!
If he kept investigating along this path, he would surely uncover the truth soon.
Wind had revealed himself only to stir up more trouble, to disrupt the investigation!
Well! Since you’re so quick to lose your composure, let’s see what tricks you’ll play next!
As Chen Yu’s thoughts raced, a second golden message popped up in the livestream:
[“Zombie Brother! Shall we… play a game?”]