Chapter 172

Chapter 1072 “Deduction”

In the darkness of night, the steam train continued to roar forward relentlessly. The peaceful night on the train was shattered by a sharp scream, revealing a bloody crime scene to everyone present.

The conductor, with dark skin and in the process of grooming his mustache, was urgently called out from his office by the train attendant. He put on his hat while being guided by the attendant to the scene of the incident, which occurred in one of the cabins in Carriage Three.

“Please make way.”

Pushing through the crowd, the conductor arrived at the cabin. As the train attendant had said, he saw a male corpse covered in bl**d inside the cabin.

“It’s really a dead man…”

Looking at the corpse, the conductor muttered. Then, his eyes narrowed as he noticed another living man in the cabin, who was currently examining the body closely, investigating the crime scene.

“Hey, who are you?”

The conductor asked the man at the crime scene directly, while the attendant beside him helped answer.

“Conductor sir, this Mr. Ed claims to be a detective. He said right away that there was a m*rder here and asked us to call you.”

“Detective?” The conductor couldn’t help but look doubtful hearing what the attendant said. At this moment, the man named Ed in the cabin stood up and turned to face the conductor.

“Good evening, Conductor sir. My name is Ed, a detective. I have already conducted an initial examination of the scene and confirmed some information. I fear I will need your assistance soon?”

Edric said politely to the conductor, who responded after a brief pause.

“Detective sir, what did you confirm?”

“Some basic information, such as the cause of d*ath of the victim, which was due to a fatal wound to the chest and abdomen. From the wounds, the weapon used was likely a dagger or small kn*fe. Judging from rigor mortis and body temperature, the victim died within the last hour.”

Edric pointed to the ground where several severed fingers and a pistol were found.

“The victim’s fingers were cut off, and a pistol with bloodied grip was discovered under the sofa. This shows that the victim fought back before dying, holding the g*n for self-defense. The murderer chopped off his fingers and knocked the g*n out of his hand before killing him.”

“I think we’re dealing with a ruthless murderer, Conductor sir.”

Standing at the door of the cabin, Edric pointed to the scene inside, speaking calmly and composedly. His demeanor exuded professionalism, leaving everyone, including the conductor, stunned.

“Holding a Hudson-24 and still being killed by a kn*fe, indeed the murderer is quite ruthless. So, Detective sir, what should we do now?”

The slightly intimidated conductor asked Edric, who was also at a loss on how to handle such a situation. Meeting a professional was a relief.

Hearing the conductor’s words, Edric asked seriously.

“Conductor sir, when is the next stop?”

“We’ll be arriving at Cedar Town shortly. We’ll stop there for a short rest,” the conductor replied frankly. Edric immediately spoke up.

“No stops, Conductor sir. If we stop now, the murderer might escape through the window. Until we reach a major city with enough police force to take over this train, we cannot stop.”

“Conductor sir, even if we can’t help the police catch the murderer, we must keep him on the train. It’s our duty as citizens of the Kingdom. We cannot allow evil to go unchecked.”

Edric stated firmly. The conductor nodded in agreement.

“Yes, you make a good point, Detective sir. We won’t stop at Cedar Town then. The next city is Montoya. If we continue like this, we’ll arrive in about four hours. I’ll send a telegram to Montoya Station, asking them to alert the police and prepare accordingly.”

The conductor answered, and behind the crowd, Dorothy smiled.

‘Now you’re trapped for a while.’

Smiling, Dorothy continued to control Edric, addressing the conductor.

“Conductor sir, having a murderer on board makes me uneasy. I want to try to find him. If possible, please cooperate with me, crew members.”

“If we could find that crazy person, that would be best. But Detective sir, do you really have the ability?” the conductor asked with a hint of doubt. He couldn’t trust a stranger claiming to be a detective so easily, let alone ask the entire crew to assist.

Facing the conductor’s skepticism, Edric smiled and replied.

“Of course, you can trust me, sir. An Army officer who participated in the Ufeiga continent colonization war.”

Hearing Edric’s words, the conductor was surprised and asked.

“How did you know?”

‘Because my puppet found your framed military photo on your office desk. It clearly lists all your information…’

Behind the crowd, Dorothy thought. She had guessed that she needed to show something to convince the conductor, so she sent a small zombie puppet to sneak into his office beforehand.

“Hehe, just some minor deductions, nothing special.”

Edric laughed in response. The conductor continued.

“Amazing, Mr. Ed. I did serve in Ufeiga. How did you deduce my information?”

“Ahh… How did I deduce it…”

Caught off guard by the conductor’s question, Dorothy quickly controlled Edric to look at the conductor, fabricating the deduction process based on the result.

“Conductor sir, your skin tone is darker on your face and hands, but paler under your chin. Such a phenomenon wouldn’t occur working on a train. This suggests you once worked outdoors under intense sunlight, and given your current position as conductor, you probably didn’t work as a laborer or farmer.

“When you came over, I noticed your demeanor was resolute and unyielding, very much like a soldier. Your calmness in the face of such a gruesome corpse shows you’ve seen many similar scenes. Also, you mentioned the type of the victim’s pistol, indicating familiarity with weapons.

“Therefore, I concluded you were a military officer who served in a hot region. Only the Ufeiga continent fits this description. Regular soldiers rarely become conductors after retirement, so you are more likely an officer.”

After considerable effort, Dorothy finally had Edric reverse-engineer the deduction process based on the outcome, even incorporating unreliable factors like demeanor. Fortunately, she had read works like Sherlock Holmes and knew how to construct plausible scenarios. After this so-called “deduction,” murmurs of amazement arose among the crowd, and the conductor nodded repeatedly.

“Yes, yes. I did serve as a lieutenant in Ufeiga, Mr. Ed. Please forgive my previous doubts about your abilities. Now, the crew is willing to fully assist you in apprehending the murderer.”

Sighing in relief, Dorothy continued controlling Edric.

“Then, please gather tickets from all passengers.”