There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

Given his previous experience of accidentally landing in the wrong character's body, Xu Shuo wasn't quite sure whether his transformation into the deceased was part of the script or if he had made a mistake again?

As he got a clear view of his own body in that instant, the dance studio, eerily quiet and sticky, suddenly felt as if it had returned to reality.

The glass windows on the left let in a faint light, illuminating the dim dance studio; outside, neon lights flickered, light rain drizzled, and raindrops pattered against the window, leaving streaks of moisture.

Xu Shuo loosened his neck and walked over to the window to look outside.

The dance studio was in a high-rise building, with rows of windows on one side and huge floor-to-ceiling mirrors on the other, reflecting the petite silhouette of the girl.

There was a clock on the wall, and it was now nine o'clock in the evening.

How come she was still practicing alone in the dance studio so late?

Xu Shuo withdrew his gaze from the window and casually drew the white curtains closed, then looked around the large dance studio in the darkness.

There was a rest area in the corner, presumably where the dancers changed clothes. Xu Shuo went over and turned on the light, instantly brightening the interior, revealing several rows of benches for resting and a set of lockers.

Inside the rest area, there was also a restroom.

Xu Shuo went in to wash the blood off of himself, then took a rag to wipe the bloodstains on the dance studio floor. Only after erasing the traces of his own death did he carefully examine the body.

Apart from the absence of a heartbeat and the cold, pale complexion of the skin, at first glance, one wouldn't think it was a dead person.

Xu Shuo breathed onto the mirror, and a warm foggy patch appeared.

He could still breathe.

So why had this body come back to life?

Was it because a player had entered, or was it due to some other strange occurrence here?

Xu Shuo stared into the mirror, lost in thought, as the girl's features bore a seven-tenths resemblance to his own, like a gender-swapped version of himself, or one might even say—Xu Xi.

There seemed to be nothing wrong with looking like one's biological sister if it involved a gender swap, it was just a bit weird to be in a girl's body.

Xu Shuo graciously twirled in front of the mirror; his body felt unusually light, and as he spun, he naturally rose up onto his toes as if it were an instinct.

The girl wore pointe shoes, different from regular dance shoes, having a small, flat front that could be stood upon.

This was Xu Shuo's first encounter with such footwear, but it did not feel unfamiliar to him.

He suddenly felt a bit embarrassed...

He stopped twirling and went back to the rest area to continue looking for clues. The lockers had the names of their users on them and keys inserted in the locks.

However, inside the girl's locker, apart from the clothes that had been changed out, there was nothing else; it was spotlessly clean and tidy, with some pretty cartoon stickers on the inside of the locker door.

She seemed like a lively girl, didn't she?

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Having looked at her reflection in the mirror earlier, Xu Shuo estimated she was only about sixteen years old, the prime of her youth.

What a pity to have died so inexplicably here.

Xu Shuo touched the dark red dance outfit, sticky due to the blood that had seeped into the collar's edge. Wanting to change out of the figure-hugging suit, he wasn't sure how to go about it...

After pondering a bit, he decided to brave his discomfort, so he lifted the fluffy skirt, preparing to take off his clothes.

Ah, what? This outfit is attached at the bottom?

The bodysuit-style dance outfit fitted closely, and the bottom half was a very short white tutu. Xu Shuo had thought the outfit was two pieces, but to his surprise, it was a one-piece!

No wonder he felt a bit tight down there...

How was he supposed to take it off?

Should I start with the shoulders?

...

In the silent and dimly lit dance studio, only the incandescent light from the rest area brought a corner of brightness.

Just as the girl was struggling with changing clothes inside, suddenly, a commotion came from outside the dance studio, and the door was violently kicked open!

Bang!

As soon as the messy steps started, Xu Shuo looked up, and then, with a loud crash, the dance studio's door was slammed against the wall, and a nimble figure quickly rushed in, instinctively looking towards the brightly lit area in the darkness.

Xu Shuo sat on the resting chair, half-facing the door, and was caught off guard to meet the eyes of the person who came in, who stared back, dumbfounded.

Suddenly, silence fell within the room, with an awkwardness permeating the air.

Xu Shuo silently covered herself with the clothes she had only half put on.

"Officer Zhang, what's the situation inside—"

The clamor came in from outside, and as a few people attempted to burst into the studio as well, the woman who entered first quickly realized and turned around, spreading her hands to block the doorway.

"Wait!" the female officer, her face flushed with embarrassment yet still serious, said, "Don't come in, wait outside!"

Although the people blocked outside were surprised and puzzled, they still obeyed their superior's instruction and also prevented the security guard trying to peek inside.

Officer Zhang closed the door of the dance studio and then fumbled for the wall switch to turn on the lights. Suddenly, the entire studio lit up, and the large mirrors on both sides clearly reflected the figures of the two people.

The woman first surveyed the empty dance studio, and finding nothing strange, she turned her gaze to the girl who had already dressed.

"Is it only you here?" She stared intently at the girl, asking with a peculiar look in her eyes.

"Yes." Xu Shuo nodded, her face a picture of innocence and curiosity, and in a fine voice, she asked, "What happened?"

"We received a report that someone said this place..."

As she spoke, Officer Zhang glanced at the floor beneath the girl's feet and continued, "There's been a murder."

The incandescent light reflected on the floor cast a clear shadow of the delicate girl who looked at Officer Zhang with visible surprise in her expression.

Xu Shuo wondered aloud, "Could it be a misunderstanding? It's only me here."

"What's your name?" Officer Zhang walked up to her and asked.

"Qiuzi." Xu Shuo replied obediently.

At this moment, noisy voices rose again from outside the dance studio, and the security guard, nudged by a couple of cops, opened the door to peek inside, shouting, "Officer Zhang, what happened in there, is Qiuzi okay?"

At the same time, the other officers also quietly looked in out of curiosity.

Hearing the sound, Officer Zhang glanced at the neatly dressed girl in front of her and said irritably, "Alright, come in."

Instantly, several police officers and the security guard squeezed in all at once.

The middle-aged security guard, upon seeing the unharmed girl standing there, breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "See, nothing happened. I told you, usually around this time, only Qiuzi is here practicing dance. I didn't see anyone else enter at the door; who made the call?"

This building is a commercial one, rented out to various studios, and there is a security guard seated at the elevator entrance on each floor.

And nearly all of the sixth floor is a dance studio; at this time every night, the girl is the only one diligently practicing, and the security guards are already familiar with her.

Upon hearing the alarm, Xu Shuo glanced at the window without a trace, but she lowered her head without speaking.

Apart from the killer, someone else knew she was already dead.