Chapter 2360

"Oh, I saw that cleaning lady crying over there. I found out that her son was deceived by a woman and is now missing. Such a pity," the elderly man added. "Did you see anyone else after that?" Warick asked.

The old man shook his head. "No, I stayed in my room."

"Last one... Mr. Laica, right?"

Zenon Laica nodded, seemingly indifferent to Warick. He was lounging with his legs crossed and chewing gum, an image of a delinquent.

"Yes."

Warick asked him a few routine questions, to which Zenon responded in his usual manner.

"I hadn't woken up yet. I was up playing games all night and only went to bed in the early morning."

"Did you notice anything strange?"

"Does falling out of bed and waking myself up count? Can we wrap this up? This is really troublesome," Zenon replied dismissively.

...

The questioning ended with no significant findings. However, as time dragged on, the situation became more and more severe. Warick sensed the growing tension. Aside from a few with stronger nerves, the rest were starting to get anxious. Many guests began to check out.

Warick knew that if they dragged this out any longer, the situation might get out of hand.

At that moment, he received a call from Astin.

"Hello?"

"Guess what I've discovered?"

"What?"

"Perhaps the true cause of the victim's death."

...

The three of them returned to the room. They donned gloves, and Astin turned the doorknob a few times before smiling slightly.

Warick asked, "What did you mean by that? Hasn't the victim's death been

determined preliminarily to be due to suffocation from syrup?"

Astin nodded and then held out his hand, asking, "Warick, can you see what I'm holding?"

Warick shook his head.

Astin then turned to Charlotte. "What about you, Charlotte?"

Charlotte nodded. "A thin thread."

Astin smiled. "It's just as I thought. Bringing you along was the right decision."

Astin explained, "True energy. That's what it's called, right? I once read about it in a book. It refers to the energy and vitality inherent in people, which is why we sometimes feel energetic and other times drained. True energy is actually a medium that can take on various forms."

As he spoke, Astin stretched the thin thread.

"True energy can be a means of transmitting energy. That's why you didn't deduce the real cause of death." He tied one end of the thread to the door handle and held the other end himself. Then, he said to Warick, "Now, try turning the handle."

Though confused, Warick complied. He barely turned the handle when he was shocked by an electric jolt.

"Ah! It hurts!"

Astin smiled. "Just as I thought."

Warick was still bewildered. "How did you do that? There's nothing around that should cause..."

Astin pointed to the door handle. "It's that thing."

"The door handle?"

Astin nodded and continued, "Static electricity. Normally, it wouldn't cause significant harm, but it can cause a small shock like the one you just experienced."

"So?" Warick asked.