Note: Lofan is using a female identity rn. Hmm which pronouns do I use? ah well how about both.
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Lofan, who had been closely monitoring Charlotte's movements, naturally noticed everything she did without betraying the slightest hint of suspicion.
He couldn't help but feel a slight curiosity. It was clear that Charlotte and her three companions had a plan, otherwise, she wouldn't be the only one to have appeared so far.
Thus, Lofan continued his relentless seven-on-one assault, all while keeping a vigilant eye on his surroundings.
Suddenly, "snowflakes" began to fall from the sky.
A closer look revealed countless playing cards fluttering down like snowflakes.
The Spina di Rosula members, who had never encountered such a phenomenon before, were momentarily stunned. Then, they immediately moved to shield Lofan behind them.
Despite her sharp tongue, they wouldn't stoop to taking advantage of the situation for revenge.
At that moment, Lofan let out a timely gasp of feigned surprise and ducked behind the others.
"What's going on? Is it time already?" one of them asked nervously, glancing around.
"Not yet. There's still some time left, I think," another replied.
"Wait! Someone has slowed down time!" Silver shouted dramatically, his acting skills leaving much to be desired.
Fortunately, the others were too preoccupied to notice this anomaly and immediately began executing their prearranged plans.
But Lofan had noticed.
Time slowed down?
He glanced at Silver, already understanding the trick the quartet was trying to pull.
It's time to move, I suppose, Lofan thought.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, countless small orbs suddenly materialized amidst the swirling poker cards. These orbs detonated among the crowd, erupting into dazzling fireworks.
The fireworks not only cast multicolored light but also released dense plumes of smoke.
"Execute emergency escape plan!" Melus shouted, and the group immediately sprang into action.
One burly man grabbed Lofan by the arm and dragged him along the pre-planned escape route, while the others scattered to guard against any anomalies in the surroundings.
"Ah!" Lofan feigned panic, letting himself be pulled along as his eyes darted to the front of the tunnel. Sure enough, the layout had already changed.
He also noticed that Charlotte had quietly slipped away and wasn't following the group.
Observing the others' expressions, Lofan detected faint traces of confusion, but no one voiced their concerns. They simply surged forward, following Melus's lead.
Soon, mirrors had materialized on both sides of the tunnel, their numbers multiplying as the group advanced, until they found themselves trapped in a mirror maze.
"Follow me."
Melus called out to the group, and they nodded in response, following closely behind him.
Melus led the way without the slightest hesitation, gradually easing the group's anxiety. It seemed this must be President Navia's latest arrangement.
However, Lofan could sense from the direction that Melus was merely leading them in circles.
Lyney's maneuver was clever, attempting to disrupt his actions by manipulating time and space, but unfortunately, it proved ineffective.
Now, all he had to do was wait for the time specified in the criminal's warning letter to arrive, and he wouldn't have to play along with their games any longer.
"Strange, why hasn't the murderer made a move yet?"
Someone voiced the group's shared bewilderment, a question lingering in everyone's minds.
From their perspective, time had been slowed down, meaning the time stated in the warning letter should have already passed. Yet Lofan remained perfectly fine, wandering through the mirror maze with them, showing no signs of dissolving.
"Ah, so you're all just itching for me to die sooner, aren't you?!"
Lofan took a deep breath and launched into a tirade.
Having witnessed Lofan's ferocity firsthand, the group had no desire to join the fray. As long as she didn't target President Navia, they were content to let her rant.
They exchanged glances, each recognizing the flicker of surprise in the others' eyes.
"Could it be... the murderer made a mistake?"
The realization sparked a surge of barely restrained excitement among them. After all, the murderer had previously struck with ruthless efficiency, dissolving victims into water before their very eyes despite all their precautions. The repeated failures had numbed them to the point where protecting victims had become a mere formality. They never expected today to be so different.
Just as they were thinking this, a transparent glass tank suddenly descended from the sky, perfectly encasing Lofan.
Before anyone could react, a massive amount of liquid materialized within the tank, quickly submerging Lofan entirely.
The sudden crisis startled everyone. Melus reacted swiftly, shattering the tank with the hilt of his sword.
As the glass shattered, the liquid poured out, spilling across the floor. The group instinctively recoiled from the fluid before turning back to where the tank had been. Their faces instantly darkened.
Sometime during the chaos, Lofan had vanished from the tank.
Lofan was currently moving forward through a slightly flooded pipe, a faint glimmer of light visible in the distance ahead.
His eyes darted around before he braced himself against the pipe's interior with both hands and feet, quickly halting his slide.
At the pipe's exit, Lyney and Navia were waiting, ready to greet their kidnapped "hostage" with the utmost confidence.
But as they waited and waited, no one emerged from the pipe.
"Could something have gone wrong with the setup?" Navia asked, her voice tinged with doubt.
Even Lyney's face betrayed a hint of self-doubt.
Could his plan really have failed?
But that shouldn't be possible! He had rarely made mistakes since he began studying magic.
Just then, Lynette reappeared, materializing behind Lyney.
Seeing no third person present besides Lyney and Navia, Lynette asked, her voice puzzled, "Brother, where is she?"
I have no idea!
Lyney was completely bewildered. He turned to Lynette for answers.
"Lynette, did the victim fall into the trap we set?"
Lynette nodded at Lyney's question.
"Melus provided cover, and I saw her fall in with my own eyes."
Navia's expression turned grim as she spoke.
If the victim had fallen into the trap but hadn't appeared before them yet, it was highly likely she had met with an unfortunate fate.
"They struck early this time?" Lyney murmured uncertainly, his gaze drifting to the end of the pipe. Suddenly struck by a thought, he leaned forward to peer inside, only to be met with a pair of size 36 leather shoes kicking viciously toward his face.
Lyney: !
With a swift dodge, he left behind a giant playing card in his place. When his figure reappeared, he had retreated several steps, a bead of cold sweat forming on his forehead.
"Ah, so it was you all along! The renowned Great Magician Lyney and President Navia of the Spina di Rosula—you're the murderers!"
Lofan's feet hit the ground, and he immediately launched into a loud accusation, inwardly regretting that he hadn't left a "souvenir" on Lyney's fortunate face.
Seeing Lofan's appearance, the others instantly understood: she had deliberately delayed her arrival by lingering in the pipes, explaining why she hadn't appeared as expected.
A wave of relief washed over the three of them as they saw she was unharmed.
"Madam, we sincerely apologize for summoning you here under such circumstances," Lyney began.
"But please believe us, we are absolutely not the murderers."
"On the contrary, we're here to protect you."
"The previous arrangements were merely tricks to mislead the real culprit."
"This space has been sealed off using Pneumousia Energy, creating a small, airtight chamber. You're completely safe here."
Hearing Lyney's assurances, Lofan nearly burst out laughing.
Yet, with his absolute control over his body, he betrayed no sign of his amusement, instead adopting an expression of skeptical disbelief.
"Is what you're saying true?"
"Absolutely, madam," Lyney replied.
Lyney smiled and continued, "Please trust in our abilities. Or rather, you have no choice but to trust us now."
"Madam, you must understand that we're the only ones who can save your life right now."
"If you wish to remain safe and unharmed, please stay put and reduce our workload."
Hearing Lyney's confident words, Lofan frowned slightly, considering his options. "It seems I have no other choice."
Just when the trio thought he would understand the situation, curb his temper, and comply obediently, he unexpectedly declared:
"But I refuse!"
"The thing I enjoy most in life is telling arrogant people 'no'!"
"That's just who I am—a different kind of firework, the sky, the sea... cough cough."
Lofan nearly burst into song, quickly covering up his near-slip with two sharp coughs.
"In short, I control my own destiny! Release me immediately, or you're no better than the murderer!"
The trio felt Lofan was being utterly unreasonable. They had gone to such lengths to save her, yet she showed no gratitude whatsoever, even turning the tables on them.
Seeing that Lofan seemed intent on finding her own way out, Lyney suddenly spoke up.
"Do you truly accept your fate of being dissolved?"
Lofan was slightly taken aback by Lyney's words. He hadn't expected these people to have already progressed so far in their investigation—much faster than he'd anticipated.
"I... I don't understand what you're talking about," Lofan stammered, feigning the flustered reaction of someone whose secret had been exposed.
Observing Lofan's reaction, Lyney felt he had stumbled upon a thread of truth. He pressed on, "Madam, I suspect you're well aware of the Murderer's methods. Pessimistically convinced that you had no chance of survival, you ultimately chose to accept your fate."
"But deep down, you don't want to give up so easily. Yet you don't know how to change your destiny. Overwhelmed by anxiety, you vented your inner anger and resentment on others, which explains why you've been constantly lashing out at everyone."
"I've reviewed your records. Everyone who knows you describes you as exceptionally refined and approachable—a stark contrast to your behavior today."
"In truth, you know most of the victims, even the Murderer himself, don't you, Madam?"
"You must have remembered your past by now, haven't you?"
"How... how do you know all this?"
Lofan's pupils constricted, and he spoke with a mix of surprise and suspicion.
At that moment, both Lyney and the nearby Lynette and Navia felt a surge of elation.
They had finally grasped a thread, bringing them one step closer to solving the case.
Lyney expertly concealed his inner excitement and pressed his advantage.
"Miss, you may not fully understand the device enveloping this room, which is why you distrust it. Allow me to explain."
"This device is the culmination of over two and a half years of painstaking research by numerous Fatui researchers. They finally perfected the application of Pneumousia Energy, found its equilibrium point, and created this unique device—the only one of its kind in Teyvat."
"I assure you, as long as you remain within this room, you are absolutely safe!"
"No matter what methods the murderer employs, they cannot penetrate the Pneumousia Energy barrier surrounding this area."
Navia, watching Lyney from the side, twitched her lips. If she hadn't been the one who provided the device, she might have believed him.
In reality, this device had been developed by the talented individuals beneath Fleuve Cendre under Lofan's guidance. Initially, it could only isolate sound within a limited area, but it had since evolved to isolate far more. However, it was nowhere near as miraculous as Lyney claimed.
Similarly, Lofan, knowing the device's true capabilities, nearly lost his composure.
Lofan had participated in the original research of this device, meaning Lyney was now trying to deceive him with his own previous work.
But the show must go on.
With this thought, Lofan immediately plastered an expression of hopeful anticipation on her face, her eyes gleaming with feigned hope as she gazed at Lyney.
"Is... is this really true?"
"Can you really save my life?"
"Of course, Madam. Please trust us."
"This device has been personally verified by Miss Navia, the President of the Spina di Rosula. When activated, even Miss Navia's full-power attacks can't break through it."
"Isn't that right, Miss Navia?"
"...Yes."
Navia stared at Lyney, who winked at her. After a long pause, she finally managed to squeeze out a single word.
"See? Even if you don't believe me, surely you can trust the President of the Spina di Rosula."
"So as long as you stay here, you'll be absolutely safe, Madam."
"Besides, the actual time for the crime forecast has already passed, and you're still perfectly fine."
"Of course, as a reward for saving you, you'll need to share everything you know about—"
Lyney trailed off mid-sentence, unable to continue speaking. He had just noticed liquid steadily trickling down the woman's legs.
Earlier, the other party's clothes had been soaked through, leaving him dripping wet. Consequently, Lyney hadn't noticed when the water, which had been nearly drained, began flowing down the woman's legs again, steadily increasing in volume.
Seeming utterly oblivious, the woman glanced at his body before turning to Lyney with overwhelming excitement.
"Mr. Lyney, I think I've truly been saved!"
"I can't thank you enough—you're my savior!"
Lyney's body trembled.