Blizzardous Threads of Red Main Story 3-4: Winter Day
Overview
- Stage Cost: None
- First Clear Rewards:
Astral Memory x50
- Note - During its initial limited run, this stage's first clear reward was:
Holly Stationery x300
Guide
- Hover to view spoiler content.
Script
There were many noteworthy clues in the collection room. Consult with NXX members about the current situation.
There is something up with the Zeng family. That is your unified understanding after investigating the collection room.
You've all found too many things that weren't part of the collection.
They were all placed on the shelves haphazardly, becoming part of the collection room.
So where are the people that these items once belonged to?
You: What happened here is far worse than we thought...
Marius: What's worse is that Mevis Zeng is already dead. We may never fully understand the truth of the Zeng family.
Luke: Why do people go missing every year in Yuchen Town? Where did the owners of these items go?
Luke: Only someone connected with the Zeng family would know.
Vyn: Someone connected with the Zeng family. That would be...
After what Vyn said, you look at Dr. Lee and Mr. Ji, who both haave stiff expressions in the crowd.
It seems like both of them have finally realized that their secrets may be impossible to hide.
Artem: Let's go. It's time for them to spill the beans.
Collection Room
Try to convince Dr. Lee and Mr. Ji to provide more clues.
The things in the collection are now displayed for everyone to see.
When you ask Dr. Lee and Mr. Ji about the Zeng family, they... choose to avoid the question.
Dr. Lee: I... I don't know. I don't have any connections to the Zeng family.
Dr. Lee: I came to the auction out of curiosity...
Mr. Ji: I knew Nolan well, but we were only friends.
Mr. Ji: I don't know anything about his business dealings...
...
Artem: I hope you two will reconsider answering our questions.
Artem's steady voice acts as a deterrent, making them fall silent.
You continue where Artem left off.
You: The mountain has been completely closed off due to the snow.
You: I'm sure you're all aware that it would be almost impossible for the killer to enter the villa from the outside.
You: It is clear that the killer is among us.
Artem: We don't want to go public with the information because we don't want to alert the killer to our progress.
Artem: But this is far beyond our imagination.
Artem: We need more clues before we can fully understand the killer's intentions.
Frederick Yang: B-but who is the killer? Do you have any idea?
Shantel Pan: Who is it? Are we all in danger?
Mr. Qian: I-I don't want to end up like our boss, dying just like that!
For a moment, the anxious voices of guests in the collection room rise one after another.
Marius: Everyone, please remain calm.
Marius glances at Artem.
Artem nods, then walks to the center of the room.
Artem: Based on what we know, we have a few theories.
Artem: First, the killer is very familiar with the villa, capable of executing his murder plan in a very short amount of time.
Artem: Second, the killer had a conflict with the Zeng family, and his motive may be revenge or to remove some obstacle.
Mr. Qian: Wait, I agree with the first point. What evidence do you have for the second point?
Vyn: The first victim, Mr. Yin, was the owner of a logistics company that had done business with the Zeng family.
Vyn: The second victim was the current master of the villa, Mevis Zeng.
Vyn: The third victim... Sam Zhang admitted to having years of friendship with the Zeng family.
Vyn: By this point, you should all be aware that the victims have something in common—they are all connected to the Zeng family.
Mr. Qian: That makes sense...
Shantel Pan: Oh crap, are these revenge killings!?
Casey Cao: Oh no, what crimes did the Zeng family commit? Why are we being dragged into this!?
Listening to the guests' comments, Dr. Lee and Mr. Ji's expressions grow worse, as they try to bite their words back.
You jump at the chance to say something.
You: Based on the theories, we believe the killer will strike again.
You: Dr. Lee, Mr. Ji... you two should really reconsider.
You: I mean, if the killer's next target is you... then...
These words make both of their faces twist even further.
Sure enough, it's not that they weren't afraid, it's just that they were keeping it bottled up.
In the face of three murders, the line of defense in their hearts finally breaks.
Mr. Ji: Well, I... *sigh* I knew that I couldn't hide it forever.
Mr. Ji takes a deep sigh and staggers into the middle of the circle of guests.
Mr. Ji: When Nolan came to Yuchen Town fifty years ago, I took care of his business.
Mr. Ji: He was very generous, sometimes bringing nice gifts just to say hello.
Mr. Ji: Since he paid, I certainly did him the honor of providing him with as much convenience as possible.
Mr. Ji: It wasn't until I got to know him better that I realized something was wrong with his business.
Mr. Ji: Some of that was handled by the Zhang family, who were close with the Zeng family.
Mr. Ji: They were Sam Zhang's ancestors...
Ashley Zhang: ...How could that be? O-our family wouldn't do something like this!
Ashley Zhang can't help but exclaim her objection.
Mr. Ji: You and your brother are too young to know about this.
Mr. Ji: But your ancestors... Why do you think the antique vase was in the Zeng family collection? It was collateral.
Ashley Zhang: ...
Mr. Ji spares her a glance and shakes his head.
Mr. Ji: Nolan would take people to other places, saying it was to introduce them to foreign countries for business.
Mr. Ji: But in actual fact, we don't know where he sent those people.
Mr. Ji: Nolan had his own logistics company that transported them, under the guise of moving precious antiques...
Logistics company? Something flashes through your mind and you immediately blurt it out...
You: Elijah Yin's logistics company!?
Mr. Ji: Yes, Elijah Yin's family and Dr. Lee's family were the same. Their ancestors had a connection to Nolan.
Mr. Ji: The Yin family ran the underground business for the Zeng family.
Mr. Ji: The company was handed over to Elijah Yin, who then took over the business.
You: Then...
You can't help but look at Shantel Pan, who is standing at the back of the crowd looking scared.
Shantel Pan: I-I'm not engaged in any shady transactions.
Shantel Pan: Mevis Zeng gave us genuine antiques to transport. We have all the records!
Shantel Pan: We aren't afraid of a police investigation.
Shantel Pan doesn't know anything about the Zeng family, but Elijah Yin did.
So when Elijah Yin discovered that Shantel Pan's company was stealing his business, their confrontation was inevitable.
This confrontation became a shield for the killer...
You: What about Mevis Zeng? Did he inherit the family business as Nolan Zeng's adopted son?
Mr. Ji: Yes, Mevis Zeng helped the family business for many years.
Mr. Ji: Of course, his hands were dirtied... *sigh*...
You: ...I see.
Elijah Yin, Mevis Zeng, and Sam Zhang were all connected to Nolan Zeng's illegal transactions...
Nolan Zeng is gone, but his supply chain remains.
The killer is clearly going after people connected to the shady transactions.
Mr. Ji: I know some blood money... can't be accepted.
Mr. Ji: But I accepted it anyway, knowing that I would be punished one day, but...
Vyn: Greed is a terrible thing. It was hard to stop, right?
Mr. Ji closes his eyes and falls silent, not denying what Vyn said.
You: ...
His words have verified the source of the personal belongings.
You: What about you, Dr. Lee? What's your role in all this?
Dr. Lee: I... I really don't know.
Dr. Lee: I come from a family of doctors. My grandfather had business dealings with Mr. Nolan Zeng.
Artem: What do you mean by business dealings...?
Dr. Lee: Nolan Zeng had him do physical examinations for some people and issue pathological reports.
Dr. Lee: Of course, my grandfather might have helped with some underground surgeries...
A chill rises from your heart, and you can't help but shudder.
It is self-evident what kind of underground surgeries might have occurred.
Dr. Lee: After my grandfather passed away, my father took over for a few years. But when it came to me, I didn't take over.
Dr. Lee: So I wasn't lying when I said I don't know.
Marius: Then, what's your motive for coming here?
Dr. Lee: I—I just wanted to say hello to Mr. Mevis Zeng.
Dr. Lee: I heard the Zengs had their ways of dealing with people, so... I wanted to maintain that connection.
Marius: I see. It's not that you don't know about the transactions. You just aren't qualified to know much more.
Marius rarely responds to others with a sharp tone.
You can understand how he feels about what Dr. Lee said... It's hard to keep your emotions in check.
Dr. Lee's lips quiver as if to explain something, but before he could speak, Marius changes the subject.
Marius: Mr. Ji, I have another question. Do you... know Holly?
Marius: Fifty years ago, a female college student named Holly went missing after returning home. Do you remember her?
Mr. Ji: ...
Mr. Ji: Of course, I remember. Fifty years ago, she was the first college student in our town to enter a university in Stellis...
Mr. Ji: *sigh* She had an unfortunate life, so...
You: What do you mean?
Mr. Ji: Holly had an unfortunate life. Her parents died in an accident when she was young.
Mr. Ji: It was only her and her brother. They both lived in a distant relative's home...
Mr. Ji: The two children depended on each other, but didn't fare very well.
Mr. Ji: I took pity on her and helped her a few times.
Mr. Ji: Later, she was able to obtain a scholarship to Stellis University. At that time, I... was happy for her.
Mr. Ji: It was over the winter holiday that she came back to spend the Spring Festival with her brother.
Mr. Ji: At that time, her brother, Wilde, was still young. One day, he insisted on picking pine cones in the mountains, and...
Mr. Ji: Nolan had a shipment that was about to head out, which she happened to witness.
Marius: !!!
You: You...
Mr. Ji: There was no choice. Nolan could only send her away...
Mr. Ji: I don't know where Holly was sent, but Nolan said that he wouldn't leave a trace.
Marius: You didn't even ask?
Marius: Wasn't she a child that you helped and protected!?
Marius grits his teeth and clenches his hands into fists.
This is how he found out about the person important to someone close to him.
Bystanders cannot understand this kind of complex emotion.
You: (Marius...)
Mr. Ji: Don't put the blame on me. I felt terrible too, but there was nothing I could do.
Mr. Ji: Nolan had me in the palm of his hands. I couldn't risk everything for Holly...
Mr. Ji tried to explain himself as if to make up for his years of silence.
Marius: Yes, you mentioned Holly had a brother?
Marius: Where did his brother go? Was he taken with Holly?
Mr. Ji: No, her brother went missing.
Mr. Ji: Her brother, Wilde, was only ten years old at the time. He was small and agile... Nolan's men were unable to catch him.
Mr. Ji: But where would he go by himself in the vast mountain of snow?
Mr. Ji: Later, Nolan sent quite a lot of people to search the mountain. I imagine he fell in a ditch somewhere...
Mr. Ji: We looked for a long time but couldn't find him.
Marius: ...
The collection room is filled with silence upon hearing the tragic story. The faces of the guests are bitter.
No one says anything to break the awkward silence, until...
Marius: Okay, that's all I wanted to know.
Marius: [Player], is there anything else you want to ask?
You: I...
You: Let's go someplace quiet and sort out the clues.
You can see that everyone is in a bad mood, so you choose the safest way to end this heavy conversation.
Villa Garden
After listening to what Dr. Lee and Mr. Ji said, everyone is a bit down. Find a place to think about all of this with the others.
Flakes of snow continue to fall between the mountains, turning into silvery upon contact with the ground.
The quiet villa garden is shrouded in silvery-white, like the purest existence in the world.
And... how much silent dust is hidden underneath the snow?
Marius: Okay, weren't we going to sort out the clues? Why isn't anyone talking?
Marius: If you guys won't talk, then I'll start.
By this time, Marius has returned to his usual demeanor. The bitterness has faded into a layer of mist in his eyes.
You: Yeah, go ahead.
Marius: According to recent testimony, the Zeng family was engaged in shady transactions, aside from dealing in antiques.
Marius: Taking this into consideration, the Zeng Family has caused numerous tragedies over the years.
Vyn: Seeds of hatred often sprout from tragedy.
Marius: That brings us to the other lead we found.
Marius takes out the holly brooch from the collection room and the metal ornament from the study.
Marius: This brooch was given to Holly by Payton. I'm sure of it.
Marius: But who does this metal ornament belong to?
Luke: The craft is crude, but it looks new. It must have been made recently.
Artem: Did someone copy the holly brooch to make this metal ornament?
Luke: Someone made it and left it in Mevis Zeng's study... What does it mean?
Vyn: It might be a mark of revenge.
You: Could it be... Wilde's?
That child who disappeared in the mountains fifty years ago? Is it even possible?
Artem: We can't rule out the possibility.
Artem: According to Mr. Ji's testimony, Wilde disappeared into the mountain, and nobody found him.
Artem: So no one knows whether he is alive or dead.
Luke: Suppose the killer is Wilde, who came to avenge his sister... But where is he?
You: Fifty years ago... A ten-year-old would be sixty by now.
Marius: I don't think there are any guests in that age range.
Luke: No, there is one.
You: Professor Yang!?
Artem: ...
That's true. Professor Yang is the closest in terms of age.
But he usually studies books and periodicals in his room. He only occasionally talks to others in the living room.
On the surface, he is a self-possessed scholar.
It's hard to classify him as a suspect unless brought up deliberately.
Vyn: There is no way to tell based on age alone.
Vyn: Moreover, he does not fit the theory that the killer is familiar with the Blizzard Villa.
Artem: Yes, I don't think we should jump to conclusions without more evidence.
Luke: I understand. We can only put him on the suspect list for now.
Marius: There is someone else who should be included in our investigation.
Marius: Someone "familiar with the villa" and "connected with the Zeng family"...
You: Butler Winters?
Marius: Yes, Butler Winters has been helpful in calming the guests at the villa.
Marius: He has done a great job as the butler.
Marius: But to say... that he had something to do with this case...
Marius: Well, I can't be sure, but we should look into everything suspicious.
Luke: Yeah, I'll keep an eye on Butler Winters and Professor Yang for the next few days.
Luke: I hope we can find a breakthrough in this case as soon as possible.
You: *sigh* The situation is getting more complicated now.
You: We don't know what will happen in the next few days...
Vyn: The situation is still changing, but we will continue our investigation.
Luke: Our investigation already poses a threat to the killer.
Luke: I'll pay more attention to Dr. Lee and Mr. Ji, who both have connections to the Zeng Family.
Artem: I don't think it will be easy for the killer to strike again.
Marius: Don't worry, Miss. There isn't a truth in this world that we can't find.
You: Yeah, there is no riddle that NXX can't solve!
Summary
Character(s)
