As the host, Zi Shu's arrangements were almost impeccable.
The guests ate and drank in the hall, those who wanted to chat could talk freely, those who wanted to relax could listen to the band playing classic tunes, and those who wanted to shop could of course go to the auction room to negotiate prices.
Jian Jing was very concerned about the results of this auction, and was also very curious to know who it would end up in the hands of, so she paid close attention to when each person left.
With her perceptiveness and her infallible high-tech watch, the timeline she pieced together was absolutely real and reliable.
7:00 PM, Zi Shu explained the rules and the auction began.
7:05 PM, after a symbolic start of the banquet, Hai Zhu was the first who couldn't sit still and left the hall.
7:15 PM, Yin Hu left.
7:20 PM, Xu Gou left.
7:27 PM, Hai Zhu returned.
7:30 PM, Yin Hu came back.
7:36 PM, Xu Gou returned.
7:40 PM, Wei Yang asked a waiter where the restroom was, then left.
7:50 PM, You Ji and Shen Hou left together.
7:52 PM, Chou Niu left.
8:05 PM, You Ji returned. Jian Jing asked her if she went to place a bid.
You Ji replied, "Yes, Mr. Hou and I discussed it and I placed a bid, no matter what, just to do my part."
Jian Jing asked, "What about Shen Hou?"
You Ji said, "He said he wanted to check out other items."
8:10 PM, Wei Yang returned.
8:15 PM, Wu Ma left.
8:30 PM, Chou Niu returned.
8:33 PM, Shen Hou came back.
8:40 PM, Yin Hu left again.
9:00 PM, Wu Ma returned and attempted to chat up Jian Jing.
Jian Jing asked, "Did you place a bid too?"
Wu Ma smiled and said, "Placing a bid for someone else - looks like someone is determined to win."
9:20 PM, Yin Hu returned.
9:30 PM, Si She left.
9:50 PM, Chen Long left.
9:55 PM, Si She returned.
10:00 PM, Chen Long returned.
The auction ended.
Zi Shu's secretary said, "Please take a short break, the boss will notify everyone of the results in half an hour."
It was a very long 30 minutes.
Jian Jing did not participate in the bidding, she was only concerned with who was able to win the bid, her state of mind was very calm. The others were not so, it was as if they had a bunch of restless mice under them, simply unable to sit still.
Everyone left for a while - the specific timeline will be listed later - then at 10:30 PM, everyone gathered back in the hall again to await the results.
But Zi Shu still did not show up.
The secretary was questioned by the guests, "Where is he? Didn't you say he would announce it right away?"
"That’s what the boss said," the secretary replied. "Let me go ask."
She hurried off, and five minutes later rushed back, saying, "I knocked but the boss didn't respond. But security said he hasn't left the room."
Jian Jing's eyelid twitched.
Hai Zhu couldn't hold back his impatience anymore. Like an enraged wild boar, he shouted loudly, "What is this, is he still in his room? I’m going to get him out here."
He strode towards the auction room with a mighty momentum, those who didn't know better might have thought he was going to duel with someone.
Jian Jing decided to follow him.
She hadn't been inside before, and only now discovered that there was a restroom in the corridor leading from the hall to the waiting room, about 30 feet away. Right after that was the waiting room.
It was a small, isolated room with 3 sensor lights on the display representing the 3 secure rooms, showing whether there was anyone inside.
Right now, the middle Room 2 light was red.
She could only access Room 1.
When she came out of the waiting room into Room 1, she saw that all the surveillance cameras were dismantled, the collectibles were securely locked away in sealed display cases with no gaps.
The other sensor door was closed, not allowing her to exit. But the door quality was quite ordinary, Jian Jing gave it a hard yank, breaking the lock and exposing the corridor behind it.
She walked to the auction room entrance, Hai Zhu was banging loudly on the door and yelling at the secretary to open it.
[System: New mission released]
[Mission name: Murder on the Luxury Yacht]
[Content description: The host was mysteriously killed on a luxury yacht sailing on the open seas. Behind the priceless antiques lies the sinister scheming of fickle human hearts. Please uncover the truth of this case.]
[Mission reward/penalty: 20 courage points for success, lose one level of fame for failure]
Jian Jing sighed, "Alas."
She stepped forward and said to the secretary, "Give me the key."
The secretary replied, "There is no external key to open the auction room door, it can only be unlocked from inside."
Jian Jing responded with an "Oh" very calmly and said, "Then get me a saw."
The secretary was shocked, "That...that doesn't seem right."
"Mr. Zi Shu seems quite advanced in years, does he have any heart conditions or high blood pressure issues?" Jian Jing smoothly concocted an excuse.
The secretary immediately changed her tune, "I understand."
She went to find a saw. In the meantime, the other guests gradually arrived at the door, asking, "What's going on here?"
Jian Jing scanned each person's face and was certain all 11 guests were present. "Maybe he's fallen ill."
Five minutes later, the secretary and a crew member hurried over, without a saw but with professional unlocking tools. The crew member easily cracked the lock core in seconds and opened the auction room door.
What met their eyes was an antique screen, tightly obstructing everyone's view. Behind the screen, Zi Shu was lying flat on his back on the floor with a dagger stuck in his chest.
He was already dead.
Jian Jing heard Wei Yang give a clear gasp. "What happened?"
"He was killed," Jian Jing said, grabbing Hai Zhu by the collar. This sturdily built tycoon wanted to break free but surprisingly failed, nearly stumbling over himself.
"What are you doing?" he asked angrily.
"Preserving the scene, no one take another step forward." Jian Jing smoothly made arrangements from muscle memory built up over time working such cases. "Secretary miss, please call the police and notify the yacht to sail back."
"Please wait a moment," Yin Hu politely but stiffly interrupted her. "What were the results of the covert auction?"
Jian Jing replied, "How would I know?"
Yin Hu immediately said, "I suggest we resolve the auction issue first."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"The buyers and sellers involved in the trade are all club members," Yin Hu stated. "Miss Secretary, do you know who the anonymous seller is? What will happen to the 3 collectibles?"
The secretary responded blankly, "I'm not sure." She explained, "All this was arranged by the boss himself, we just had to follow his orders."
"The secure display cases have been locked right?" Chou Niu chimed in, eyes shifting about. "Can you open them?"
The secretary shook her head.
"We need someone who can make decisions here," Shen Hou said impatiently. "If you can't, then who can?"
The secretary responded, "I can contact Mr. Gu, he is the boss's proxy."
"Hurry up then."
Seizing the interval, Jian Jing asked Shen Hou to confirm, "The seller must be a club member?"
"Of course, the club would never accept an outsider's consignment," he replied.
She asked again, "So is the seller here?"
"Not necessarily, but even if the person isn't here themselves, for such precious collectibles being auctioned here, there should be an agent representative among us," elderly lady You Ji added. "This person is among us."
But Wu Ma was concerned with another issue, "I'm very curious who killed Zi Shu and why?"
"The auction," Si She said slowly. "Someone...was not hap..happy with the covert auction re..results, *cough cough*, killing Zi Shu and messing up the deal is the simplest way."
Jian Jing involuntarily glanced at him.
She was unfamiliar with Si She, an inconspicuous ordinary looking lean man. His complexion was slightly pale, seeming to have asthma but she had never witnessed him having an attack before.
"Are you sick?" she deliberately asked.
Si She replied hoarsely, "Sore throat, sorry about that." Followed by a violent coughing fit.
After about 15 minutes, the secretary rushed over breathlessly for the nth time, announcing, "Mr. Gu has a message for everyone."
She opened up her laptop, revealing a video call interface. On the other end was a home office scene with a man in a dress shirt.
"I am Mr. Zi Shu's proxy. According to the letter of authorization he signed, I can handle all matters on his behalf should he become incapacitated to act.
Mr. Gu showed an authorization letter, his tone calm: "The situation on the yacht is very special now. I will head to the yacht immediately. Before I arrive, Miss Tina can handle ordinary matters on the yacht."
Miss Tina reminded: "The guests hope to deal with the secret photography issue."
"I know. Next I will explain this matter," Mr. Gu spoke powerfully. "First, I regret to tell everyone that I am not a member of the Antique Club. Mr. Zi Shu has fully fulfilled his obligations and did not introduce the participants this time to me. I do not know who the seller of the three anonymous trading collectibles is."
There was an uproar among the crowd, their eyes shifting around.
He made a gesture to "calm down a bit", and continued: "However, the seller has commission letters in duplicate. After I arrive, as long as you hand over the commission letter for my inspection, I will be responsible for returning the collectibles. I have full authority over the password to the safe room, please rest assured."
After a pause, his expression became serious: "But I think the most important thing is not this - Mr. Zi Shu was killed. Considering the closed environment of the yacht, the murderer is obviously still on the ship. For everyone's safety, and to give my employer an explanation, I hope everyone can cooperate with the investigation and find out the truth as soon as possible."
The foreign noblewoman, Miss Xu Gou, interrupted him and said in English: "The Chinese police have no right to investigate this matter. This is international waters! I demand to contact lawyers and the embassy."
Mr. Gu coldly retorted: "The yacht is registered in China. They have the right to intervene in cases that occur here. However, considering your foreign identities, I have a suggestion - let the people on board investigate in a neutral capacity."
Chou Niu said: "Who on the ship does not have suspicions?"
"The safe room, auction room, and waiting room have no surveillance, but the hall where you gather does," Mr. Gu said. "I have already viewed the footage. Between 7 pm and 10:30 pm, there was one person who never left the hall. I'm right aren't I, Miss Jian Jing?"
Jian Jing slowly replied: "Yes."
"Are you willing to accept my commission to investigate the murder of my employer?" he asked.
Jian Jing said: "Of course, I would be happy to."
Mr. Gu said: "Then it's settled. Miss Tina, please cooperate with Miss Jian Jing's investigation. Contact me anytime if necessary. I will fly to the scene the day after tomorrow to handle follow-up matters."
Miss Tina breathed a sigh of relief and resumed her shrewd efficiency: "No problem."
"Good, go confirm the safe room immediately and arrange for someone to stand guard there around the clock in shifts," Mr. Gu considered very carefully. "We cannot allow anything unexpected to happen to the collectibles."
Tina: "Yes."
Mr. Gu looked at Jian Jing, his stern expression revealing a trace of inscrutable depth: "See you then."