Watching Jia Rengui's hurried departure, and the head, still sealed with white cream and with its eyes shut tight, Duan Chen remained silent.
He not only said nothing, but the smile on his lips didn't change at all.
Some of the head chefs and apprentices in the kitchen stood with pale faces, their teeth chattering. They bit their tongues tightly, preventing themselves from screaming.
They felt they had stumbled upon a major murder case.
No one knew how this cake was made, nor how Jia Mengmeng's head was buried in it so quickly.
Everyone knew in their hearts that something bizarre was likely involved.
Heretics were no longer mere legends; they were incredibly close to everyday life.
News on television had long shifted from murder cases to more instances of heretics attacking humans.
"What about him?"
Yuan Qingqing gazed thoughtfully at Wang Fugui, who had fainted on the ground, a hint of disgust in her eyes.
Wang Fugui on the ground, his eyes rolling back, had fainted. There were even wet patches on his trousers; it was clear he had wet himself from fear.
She had never seen such a spineless man.
A flicker of disdain crossed Duan Chen's eyes. He felt rather exasperated but ultimately did not leave Wang Fugui to fend for himself.
He raised his hand and beckoned two nearby apprentices.
"Take your young master to a guest room where he belongs."
The two apprentices dared not refuse. They hurried forward, lifting their young master by his arms and legs, carrying him like a pig to a guest room.
Duan Chen, meanwhile, had bodyguards escorting them back to their rooms.
The so-called escort was merely surveillance.
But Duan Chen didn't seem to mind; his expression remained unchanged.
The bodyguards found it peculiar.
When Jia Rengui instructed them to escort Duan Chen and his group back to their rooms, he had specifically told them to pay close attention to any conversations Duan Chen's people had. To their surprise, they hadn't spoken a word during the journey.
When they escorted Duan Chen and his group to the guest rooms and had to leave, the bodyguards were still bewildered.
Were the people they were escorting so taciturn?
They hadn't even exchanged glances the entire way, which was frustrating. They hadn't been able to gather the information their master required, and they didn't know what punishment awaited them.
They felt uneasy.
But that was no longer Duan Chen's concern.
Back in their rooms, Duan Chen closed the door.
Each of them had their own room, but it was clear they hadn't all returned to their individual chambers.
It was evident that Jia Rengui was merely putting on a show and didn't truly intend to imprison them, as that would involve far more complications.
And inside their rooms…
"Are there any listening devices here?"
Yuan Qingqing's voice echoed in Duan Chen's mind.
Yuan Yuan carefully scanned their surroundings, then calmly fiddled with the doll in her hands.
"Four."
"Can you tell what was used to dismember Miss Jia's body?"
Duan Chen asked.
He was not a professional forensic examiner.
He was asking Hill.
Hill had been the closest; if there was anything unusual, she should have been the first to notice.
Hill's voice was soft and childlike.
On the surface, she appeared to be in standby mode.
"It was dismembered with a sharp weapon, similar to a long bone knife. With just a light stroke, Miss Jia's head was severed. The perpetrator must be very skilled with blades."
Skilled with blades.
Duan Chen frowned slightly.
Generally, merfolk did not use weapons, or rather, the weapons they commonly used were entirely different from those used by humans.
Merfolk weapons had a specific crafting method, making them easily distinguishable.
However, the weapon Hill described was clearly one used by humans.
"Was it a human who did it?"
The moment this thought crossed Duan Chen's mind, he dismissed it.
Because he knew very clearly that it couldn't have been a human. If it were a human, Miss Jia's body wouldn't have been found so easily.
Indeed, it was found very easily, almost boastfully.
He thought of the refrigerator again.
He hadn't stood directly in front of the refrigerator then, but he had seen what was inside.
"No organs..."
Duan Chen became even more certain of his thoughts. He reached out and gently stroked his chin. None of the limbs in the refrigerator contained any internal organs, which was even more characteristic of merfolk.
But if that were the case...
"How many people in the Jia family do you think have already been infiltrated by merfolk?"
He suddenly asked this question without any apparent reason.
On the surface, however, Duan Chen leaned against the window, his gaze deep as he looked out at the blooming flowers and the glittering lights.
The others were also busy with their own tasks but responded to his question in a lively discussion.
"I think there's over a fifty percent chance."
"Not just fifty percent? If it were only fifty percent, I wouldn't feel such a sense of crisis. I personally think it's over seventy percent."
"Seventy percent is a bit too high... Shall I guess sixty percent?"
"Could we be bolder? Eighty percent!"
Duan Chen listened to their heated discussion with a smile.
Qin Nanyuan, sensitive to the smile on Duan Chen's face, had an almost unbelievable thought.
She asked hesitantly, with no hope.
"Captain, what do you think the percentage is?"
However, to everyone's surprise, Duan Chen firmly uttered two words.
"One hundred percent."
"One hundred percent? How is that possible!"
This was an unbelievable number.
They squinted, trying to find examples.
"Captain, are you including Jia family blood relatives? But Jia Rengui's reaction doesn't seem like he's been taken over by a merfolk?"
Even Jun Ci frowned slightly.
He refuted Duan Chen's statement.
"One hundred percent is still too far-fetched. I personally lean towards ninety percent."
But Duan Chen merely smiled slightly, lost in thought and hinting at something.
"Then we shall wait and see."