Chapter 10 More Than Ten Minutes Later

A little over ten minutes later, Feng Bujue led Schofield and the officer who had originally been guarding outside the villa to his guest room, ready to demonstrate the locked room layout.

This room was basically a mirror image of the crime scene. Besides the perfectly symmetrical arrangement, the structure and materials of the door and windows were also identical, making it ideal for reenacting the case.

Schofield was naturally full of anticipation. He wanted to see with his own eyes how this famous detective would solve the riddle before him.

Feng Bujue had already obtained the owner's consent to retrieve an object similar to the murder weapon from the storage room—a broken piano string. Now, he took it out, walked to the middle of the room, and turned back to the two officers, "Since the conditions are sufficient and we won't damage the real scene, why don't we reenact the crime first?"

"So, you mean…" Schofield responded, "the three of us will re-enact the whole process of the crime?"

"Two will do," Feng Bujue said, "I'll play the murderer." He turned his gaze to the officer beside Schofield, "This…"

"Dempsey, sir." Officer Dempsey slightly raised the brim of his hat with his hand, introducing himself. He was a rather tall young officer, with the same small mustache as Dennis, but his appearance and temperament were much more approachable.

"Officer Dempsey, your build is similar to the victim's, so you can play the deceased," Feng Bujue said.

Dempsey exchanged glances with his superior beside him. After receiving his approval, he took half a step forward and replied, "Gladly, sir."

"Then… let's begin," Feng Bujue gestured towards the chair, saying to Dempsey, "Please sit in that armchair."

Dempsey strode over and bent down to sit.

Feng Bujue said, "Please try to sit as naturally as possible."

Dempsey replied, "Okay." As he spoke, he leaned back in the chair.

"Before Dennis was murdered, he was sitting in the armchair, smoking a cigarette, like this," Feng Bujue began to explain, "And the murderer was in the same room with him." He took a few steps and came to Dempsey's side, slightly behind him. "This side of the room was completely in Dennis's blind spot. There's a closet, a table, a cabinet, and the door to the bathroom."

"Without Dennis being vigilant, the murderer had many ways to reach this area without being noticed," Feng Bujue exemplified, "Possibility one, while talking to Dennis, pacing back and forth, slowly reaching behind him; possibility two, claiming they need to use the restroom (the bathroom is the restroom); and another possibility, the murderer pretends to take something from the cabinet…" As he spoke, he walked, unknowingly circling behind Schofield, "See, it's very easy."

"Ah! When did you…" Schofield stammered. He had been concentrating on thinking about what Feng Bujue was saying, and only now realized that the famous detective had already demonstrated the first example.

Feng Bujue shrugged and walked back to the armchair, "When people are unprepared and relaxed, they are easily ambushed. It can be said that most people in this world are in an undefended state most of the time."

He gave another example, "For example, you are sitting in a restaurant you frequent, eating a meal. Suddenly, a waiter or a customer walks past you in a hurry. At this time, will your brain remind you: 'Be careful, this guy might pull a knife out of his sleeve and split your head open.'

Or, for example, you are sitting in your warm and comfortable home, after taking a bath, browsing a serialized novel. At this time, will you consider… outside the window to your side, someone is aiming at you with a sniper rifle."

Hearing these words, Schofield and Dempsey both instinctively glanced towards the window of the room…

Feng Bujue raised his right hand and gently tapped his temple with his index finger, "Our brains cannot bear that kind of long-term, uninterrupted, hysterical vigilance. So, as long as they mentally believe that the environment they are in is safe, people will drop their 'unnecessary defenses.'" He paused for a moment, "Looking at this case again… when Dennis was murdered, he was in the guest room of his father's mountain villa, and in the same room with someone he knew. In his mind, of course, he wouldn't be wary of 'the other party suddenly taking out a steel wire and strangling me to death,' but he never expected…"

Speaking to this point, Feng Bujue picked up the piano string with both hands and walked towards Dempsey. Although the latter knew that this was just to recreate the killing process, he couldn't help but feel nervous. Jue-ge's various bizarre remarks and the cold-blooded tone he used when saying them made the officer feel a chill run down his spine.

"The victim's build is very similar to yours, and the back of his neck can just rest on the upper end of the back of the armchair. For the murderer, this is a very suitable and ideal height to exert force," Feng Bujue said, patting Dempsey on the shoulder, "Please experience what it feels like to be suddenly strangled from behind."

"Um…" Before Dempsey could respond, Feng Bujue put the piano string in front of his chin, "Assuming your neck has been strangled by me at this moment, the strong sense of congestion and suffocation above your neck is taking your life. Then, in that only one minute before you lose consciousness, what will you do in panic and pain?"

"I will try to untie the restraints on my neck, and at the same time…" Dempsey thought for a while and replied, "Desperately push my body backwards."

Hearing this, Schofield looked at Jue-ge and said, "The marks on the carpet at the scene, and the scratches on the victim's neck, all corroborate these reactions."

"What else?" Feng Bujue motioned for Officer Dempsey to continue.

Dempsey experienced it again, and suddenly thought of something, exclaiming, "I think I would try to grab the murderer's arm or body."

"Hmm… that's right," Feng Bujue nodded, pondering, "But… sitting in an armchair with a solid base and a heavy weight, and on a carpet that's difficult to gain leverage from, if someone strangles your neck from behind with a steel wire in this state… even if the victim reaches back desperately, it's difficult to reach the murderer's body."

"Forearm!" Schofield suddenly realized and chimed in from the side, "During the struggle, the victim may very well leave scratches on the murderer's hands, wrists, or even forearms!"

"Hmm," Feng Bujue continued, "And that's not all…" He paused for a moment, "Generally speaking, to strangle a two-hundred-pound adult male to death, the movements must be quick and forceful. However, the murderer in this case used a weapon like a steel wire, which is the best tool for strangulation, not only is it easy to hide, but it also doesn't require much strength from the perpetrator. Even women or minors can use this thing to kill a strong man. Professional killers often choose this method of killing."

As Jue-ge spoke, he slowly raised his hands, palms forward, "However… the thing to note when using this is that if you don't take protective measures, your own hands can easily get hurt."