Chapter 1 “Wow… That… is quite surprising.” After a few seconds, Sam replied with a slightly exaggerated expression, “I don’t think I know any detectives.”

“That’s normal. Private detectives are a dying breed,” Feng Bujue said. “After all, criminal investigation technology is advanced now, and most countries have very competent police forces.” He answered casually, then steered the conversation back on track. “Speaking of police… where was I?” He paused, then continued, “Oh… right, apart from what I just said, there are actually many signs that prove that security guard worked the night shift for a long time. If you’re as observant as I am, you’ll notice his thermos, his collar, his jaw… they all point to the same conclusion; of course, the most obvious evidence is the uniform he picked up from the island’s only dry cleaner this evening…”

Jue Ge said, smiling, “The laundry tag was still in his shirt pocket, with just a little bit sticking out, but he obviously didn’t notice.”

Sam swallowed at this point… Although he couldn’t verify whether Jue Ge’s reasoning was correct, judging from the latter’s confident and articulate demeanor, the words "very competent" weren't just bragging.

On the other side, Jue Ge, with his strong ability to read people, had already understood Sam’s inner changes completely, but he still didn’t expose them. He just continued to say nonchalantly, “So, the question is… why didn’t he notice? Did he forget for a moment? Or… is he just a very careless person?” Feng Bujue answered himself, “No, he isn’t. His age and position both indicate that he isn’t, but he was negligent on this small matter today. Why? In my opinion, the biggest possibility is… today, just when he arrived at his post and just changed his clothes, something happened… some very urgent and significant event, that made him unable to care about other trivial matters.”

“Are you saying… he just changed into his uniform and sat down when the police arrived?” Sam followed Jue Ge’s train of thought.

“The attendance sheet on the wall behind him records the security guards’ work hours. If I didn’t see it wrong… the night shift security guard’s working hours are from 11:40 p.m. to 7:40 a.m. the next morning,” Feng Bujue continued. “Old employees like him generally arrive a little early, so if nothing unexpected happens, he should arrive to take over the shift at 11:30 p.m., or even earlier; assuming the incident happened when you called… around 11:00 p.m.… then, from John's internal struggle, to him calling the police chief, to the chief rushing over, this time frame is just right.”

The short stone path came to an end as the two of them spoke.

When they arrived in front of the Herbert family’s mansion, a man who looked over fifty years old, with graying temples, came to greet them.

“Long time no see, Sam.” Judging from the impolite tone of this person's speech, he shouldn’t be a member of the Herbert family. “You’ve changed so much, I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“But you seem to be the same as always, Chief,” Sam responded, his tone also unkind.

From just this first meeting, it was clear that these two hadn’t had a very pleasant relationship in the past.

“Humph…” The chief snorted coldly, then shifted his gaze to Feng Bujue. “So… who is this?”

“This Mr. Feng is a friend of mine,” Sam said. “It just so happens…” His tone changed slightly, “…that he is also a detective. I think he should be able to help with tonight’s events.”

“Detective?” The chief raised an eyebrow and glanced at Jue Ge, his eyes full of disdain. “Heh… a private detective, I presume…” He shrugged. “I don’t think these guys who make a living by stalking and taking photos of extramarital affairs can provide any ‘help’ to us professionals.”

His mockery was quite sharp, and his tone revealed a sense of superiority and contempt for the person in front of him.

And Feng Bujue… as someone who "might go out of his way to provoke others even if they don't provoke him," was naturally very happy to retort in the face of this kind of provocation that came to his door.

“What the Chief said is very true…” Jue Ge didn’t even think about it, just blurted out, “We private detectives are best at taking photos of extramarital affairs.” His gaze moved slowly, and the value of his expression and tone’s cheapness rose sharply. “Judging from the mark on your left ring finger where a ring used to be, and your shabby clothes, you must have had contact with one of my colleagues; hmm… considering your profession, the possibility of going to court after being caught with evidence of an affair is close to zero, so you can only accept all the unreasonable demands made by the woman’s lawyer… If I’m not mistaken, the high alimony after the divorce has made your current life miserable, and in order to alleviate this dual pressure of economic and mental burden… being a lackey for some financial magnates, and throwing your weight around as a low-level civil servant on a small island like this, are all good choices.”

“You… you…” Halfway through this passage, our Chief was already red in the face with anger. By the time Jue Ge finished speaking, the Chief looked like he wanted to pull out his gun and shoot someone.

His annoyance… had its reasons. Feng Bujue’s reasoning hit the mark every time, and those vicious words were like bullets, each one hitting the Chief’s fragile self-esteem directly.

“Don’t make such a scary face, Chief,” Feng Bujue said with a smile, spreading his hands out after two seconds. “I’m just kidding… haha… However, I think you now have a certain understanding of my level as a detective and my ‘terrifying personal charm’ as a person, so I believe you won’t hold it against this ‘unprofessional’ person like me, right?”

“Ugh…” The Chief made a beastly growl in his throat. Although he wanted to explode, he couldn’t find a "breaking point" other than being embarrassed and angry because everything Jue Ge said was true. Helpless, he could only suppress his anger, and snorted coldly in a low voice, “Hmph… Smart aleck…”

“Hehe…” Feng Bujue smiled easily, pretending not to hear anything, and instead said, “Alright, time is of the essence, let’s go in together and see what exactly happened.”

As he said that, he exchanged glances with Sam, signaling the other to follow, and then walked towards the door of the mansion.

Unexpectedly, the Chief took a step in front of them at this moment, and said, “Hold on.” He put on a poker face of "official business," and said coldly, “Who said you could go in?”