The Secrets of Oil Painting

At six o'clock on Friday afternoon, Su Mo arrived at the bullet train station, and the first person he saw was Little Fatty. Why was Little Fatty the first person he saw? Because this guy, for some unknown reason, was wearing a Kaitou Kid cosplay outfit. He was only missing a monocle. It was simply ridiculous.

"Haha, buddy, we meet again. Did you miss me?" Little Fatty said with a loud laugh.

Su Mo's mouth twitched. "Oh, it's an honor to be able to learn detective skills from you again, brother."

Little Fatty adjusted his top hat and smiled. "Don't worry. This time, brother will properly demonstrate my detective skills to you. Just one word: steady."

"Mm hmm, I'm looking forward to it. Let's go, the train is about to leave," Su Mo replied.

Under the gaze of the crowd, the two boarded the bullet train heading towards Yunhu. Of course, everyone was looking at Little Fatty. An older lady covered her mouth and whispered to her friend next to her,

"Kids these days all like to play cosplay. I even ran into a girl dressed in a bunny costume earlier. Ah, the morals of society are deteriorating!"

What a coincidence. Li Danting happened to be sitting in her seat spacing out when a familiar scent wafted by. She turned her head to look, and was met with an equally astonished face staring back at her. This was a face she would never forget in her life. It was none other than the scumbag who had bullied her, Su Mo!

By chance, Su Mo and Little Fatty's seats happened to be next to Li Danting's. Li Danting was on the left, Little Fatty in the middle, and Su Mo on the right.

When Little Fatty saw that it was a beauty, he was naturally elated and about to happily sit down when Su Mo said,

"Brother, let's switch seats."

Little Fatty froze for a moment, then looked at Su Mo. He sensed that Su Mo's temperament had changed, and it made him feel a bit afraid. He nodded without thinking. "Alright, brother."

And so, Su Mo ended up sitting next to Li Danting.

Neither of them spoke. They acted as if they didn't recognize each other. Li Danting had her head tilted to one side, seemingly resentful but also somewhat coquettish. It was quite amusing.

Su Mo closed his eyes slightly and started to rest. He had switched seats because he didn't want this woman spouting any nonsense. Sitting together allowed him to control things better. As for whether they talked or not, it didn't matter. Not talking was even better. They could pretend not to know each other.

Although not very bright, Little Fatty could sense the awkward atmosphere. He didn't understand what was going on, so he instinctively felt that keeping silent was the best option right now. And so, he also remained quiet.

The bullet train departed, heading towards Yunhu City. The carriage was very peaceful. Occasionally, someone would speak in low voices, but it wouldn't last long. It seemed like everyone was tired and resting.

The three hour ride went by quickly. It remained silent for most of the journey, with only the odd comment from Little Fatty here and there, but not many.

"The train has arrived at the station. Please take all your belongings with you..."

The broadcast rang out. Su Mo stood up and followed Little Fatty off the carriage. As for Li Danting, she didn't say a word, just watched Su Mo's back view and lightly bit her lip.

Meeting Li Danting was just a small interlude. After leaving the train station, the two went straight to their hotel, preparing to rest up properly and investigate matters relating to the case tomorrow.

Neither were in a rush. Little Fatty knew what had happened with the case and was perfectly calm, thinking about how to show off. As for Su Mo, he just needed to tag along and find the perpetrator and Number 7, then take care of it.

Of course, wanting to deal with Number 7 this time would probably not be so easy. After all, the disciple was not to be trifled with and certainly had skills, otherwise he wouldn't have been battling wits with the police for so many years.

Early the next morning, Wang Fatty took Su Mo to Yunhu Police Station. This guy was walking with an exaggerated swagger, head held high, giving off an aura as if he were the second in command after God.

When they reached the entrance of the police station, Wang Fatty smiled and said, "Brother, go in and tell them Little Rogue Detective is here. I know how to crack this case."

Naturally, Su Mo did as he was told. After all, his current identity was Wang Fatty's assistant. Running errands was to be expected.

A few minutes later, a middle-aged police officer with a stern face came out and solemnly said, "You know how to crack this case? Let me tell you, falsely reporting clues is against the law!"

Wang Fatty disdainfully replied, "Let me make this clear. I am known online as Key to Come. I am a professional private investigator. You must have heard of the Longhu Murder Case. I participated in that back then too.

For this current case, I dare say, no one apart from me can solve it."

Originally, seeing Wang Fatty's bizarre outfit, Officer Li thought he was a nutcase. But seeing his attitude, Li felt that maybe there really was something to it. So he said, "Come inside and talk."

Recently, Li Kui had been under immense pressure. This case had received attention high up and there were very few clues. He hadn't slept properly for days. Now someone had voluntarily come forward with clues, so he had to at least give it a try, even though this person looked very unreliable.

Inside the office, Wang Fatty sat cockily on the sofa. Li Kui asked, "For this case, what clues do you know?"

"Clues? No no no, I know everything. What I need is for the police to cooperate with my investigation," Wang Fatty arrogantly replied.

Seeing the other party's boldness, Li Kui became even more interested. "Go on," he urged.

Sensing his chance, Wang Fatty glanced at Su Mo. His eyes seemed to say "Watch me shine."

Wang Fatty then cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. Righteously, he began:

"The key to this case lies in the mystery behind the corpse's appearance. It's actually just a visual deception. Of course, I can see through it, but ordinary people can't.

Officer Li, do you understand art? Oil paintings?"

Li Kui frowned and shook his head. "No."

"No wonder. First, let me talk about oil paintings. A good oil painting is lifelike, not just in artistic accomplishment but also containing the charm to draw you into its world.

For example, if there is a perfect oil painting with a pumpkin in it. When I place this painting on a table, you might feel that there is a real pumpkin on the table rather than a painting.

It's the same principle here. The appearance of the corpse wasn't actually sudden. It had been there the whole time.

It's just that oil paintings that blend into the environment had been placed around the corpse.

So no matter how many people were present, it wouldn't be discovered. Because without getting close, you can't tell from afar. That's why the bodies were always found against walls." Wang Fatty pretentiously explained.

Although Wang Fatty's expression was very irritating, his words made Li Kui's eyes light up.

Upon hearing this, Li Kui slapped his thighs in realization. "So that's why! Why didn't I think of that?"

But after a few seconds, he frowned again and murmured,

"No, that can't be right. If that's the case, at least three oil paintings would be needed to completely cover up the corpse. Then, then how did those paintings disappear? We didn't find anything later on in our investigations!"