Chapter 364

Again, Huohuo? She's so eager to write her own death.

"「Oh, God of Merriment above, if you keep wrecking my act, I swear I'll kick your ass hard! 」 The sheriff was so furious he couldn't even hide Huohuo's natural voice."

——

DC Universe

"That Miss Huohuo's sense of humor reminds me of some… old pals in Arkham Asylum."

"Whenever I watch Miss Huohuo's "performance" on the skyline, Bruce Wayne always feels a strange sense of déjà vu. If she dared come to Gotham City, this kind of "talent" would definitely be a shoo-in for Arkham Asylum."

"Accompanied by the striking of the clock, A'erfuleide stood at the study door holding a silver tray. In the night, Pinokangni's light and shadow filtered through the stained glass, casting eerie patches on the oak floor."

"「Young master, you're not thinking of that green‑haired gentleman, are you? 」 the old butler said, placing the red tea gently on Bruce's desk. 「Speaking of which, in terms of conduct, Miss Huohuo is somewhat similar to him. 」"

"「You mean the Joker? 」 Bruce shook his head. 「That guy at least has a curtain call, but Miss Huohuo seems to have no intention of taking a bow. After solving this murder case, we'll probably have to keep playing with the Black Swan. 」"

"A'erfuleide set down the teapot without changing expression: 「But at least it's not that dangerous. 」"

"「That's true, the Joker seeks chaos and disorder, while Huohuo and these Fools just want to have some fun for themselves; as long as they don't really blow up Pinokangni, Xingqiri should still tolerate them. 」"

——

"「The sheriff said Huohuo was strangled while buying a tie, and the three suspects at the scene are still the old acquaintances Ayou, Zhongshan, and Zorro. 」"

"「「Finally, based on the surveillance footage, eyewitness testimony, and all kinds of miscellaneous evidence, the killer must be among these three people—and they are definitely not accomplices. 」」"

"「Sanbo crossed his arms, unimpressed: 「You've completely given up on making sense, huh? 」」"

"「「Oh, God of Merriment above, even speaking another word to you defiles my noble, pure soul! 」」"

"「After the deputy sheriff informed the Black Swan of the three old acquaintances' information, he urged her to investigate. The two found a tie specially made for Huohuo by the roadside, but aside from that there was no other evidence; it seems, like last time, it was hidden in the arcade machine. 」"

"「Huohuo's mask suddenly appeared, speaking in a coquettish tone: 「Lady Huohuo doesn't want to disturb the investigation~」」"

"「「What a fine claim of not wanting to disturb the investigation—Huohuo truly is a law‑abiding good citizen—so why doesn't she turn herself in? 」」"

"「The two incarnated as the Hanu brothers and entered the arcade world, finding only a small stool and… a fish. Sanbo waved his hand in disgust: 「「……What smell is this—why is there a smoked fish on the ground? 」」"

"「「Mr. Sanbo, take a close look… this is a prime 【smoked red pomfret】. 」」"

"「Sanbo shivered and trembled: 「Help, this joke is really freezing…」」"

"「The Black Swan smiled amusedly: 「Even among the Fools I know, Miss Huohuo's sense of humor is truly one‑of‑a‑kind. 」」"

——

Teyvat

"「That not‑so‑funny joke reminds me of a…… friend. 」"

"「「Uh, me too……」 Kaveh wanted to speak but stopped. 」"

"「You're probably thinking of the same person; I guess…… he must really like playing Seven Sacred Summons? 」 Alhaitham flipped through his book without looking up."

"In the Academia café, whenever Tighnari hears the word 「joke, 」 the hairs on his tail stand on end one by one. The surrounding temperature unconsciously drops twenty degrees, giving a piercing chill."

"「You know——」"

"A low, boyish voice suddenly sounded from the doorway, like water‑soaked wood in the rainy season, unable to produce a clear ring. This voice seemed to carry a hint of biting chill, instantly making everyone present feel a shiver down their spines."

"「Why isn't Huohuo's red pomfret popular with Sanbo? 」"

"A dark‑skinned boy wearing a jackal‑ear hood walked slowly toward them, his footsteps on the floor sounding like a countdown."

"「「——Because it would fill the scene with the aura of 'fish' (fool) stupidity. 」 Cyno kept a straight face, earnestly relating his joke: 「This is a joke I just came up with—what do you think? 」」"

"「「Uh……」 Kaveh's whole face showed the dazed stupor after being violently pummeled by a pun—he wanted to retort but didn't know where to start. 」"

"「「……Cyno, when did you arrive? 」」"

"「「Well, just now, as I was about to enter the doorway I saw the clue Huohuo left behind, and inspiration struck. 」 Cyno's tone was a bit proud, 「「Speaking of which, what do you think of my joke just now? If it's good, I plan to tell it to the Traveler next time. 」」"

"「「It's rather profound; probably only the Dendro Archon herself could understand. 」 Alhaitham lowered his head and took a sip of coffee, 「「If you ever get a chance to meet the Dendro Archon next time, you might as well tell her first. 」」"

——

"「「The final piece of evidence is a ring; once collected, the Black Swan has already noticed that this riddle is a bit odd, and plans to first report to the sheriff. 」」"

"「「「Oh! God of Merriment above! I didn't expect Detective Black Swan to return so quickly! How is it? Did you catch the culprit? 」」"

"「「「Well, I suppose so. 」 the Black Swan said flatly. 」"

"「「「Oh~ truly worthy of BlackSwan Detective, you're as sharp as the nest of magpies on the roof of my Uncle Frank's garage! 」」"

"「「Sanbo couldn't help but laugh: 「Good fellow, you've just swapped one bird for another. 」」"

"「「The Black Swan handed the tie to the sheriff, indicating that this murder case has no killer at all. According to the sheriff, Huohuo died because she triggered the tie's anti‑theft device, was strangled, and before dying swallowed the ring to keep her breathing clear… in short, her death was utterly abstract. 」」"

"「「Sanbo frowned: 「Uh… isn't this wrong? This is too simple, isn't it? Even though the first case wasn't hard either, but this……」」"

"「「The Black Swan said this is a prank by Huohuo; no matter what evidence you submit, it will always be correct. 」」"

"「「「Why take it so seriously? Lady Huohuo is a Fool, not a genius; if you want a challenging puzzle, go right out the door to the Academia of Wisdom—we only provide a maximally entertaining deduction experience. 」」"

"「「Having said that, he then shared the next riddle with the two of them. 」」"

"「「Along the way, Sanbo couldn't help but say: 「As you said, solving the mystery is just a pretext; that girl is purely using us for fun. What now? Should we just keep letting her lead us by the nose? 」」"

"「「Miss Huohuo is truly an interesting person. Her inner self seems chaotic yet easy to understand, like a stage performer, and also like a child longing to be seen. 」」