Chapter 39

"Whatever your requirements, as long as I can manage, I will agree to them!"

The wealthy merchant Hunter made a promise.

"Sir, please calm down, I need to know the entire story before I can help you!"

Qin Ran spoke in a manner befitting his identity.

In reality, Qin Ran had never been a detective.

And in his limited memories, there was no image of him 'investigating' a case.

So, at this moment, Qin Ran could only imitate—imitate the classic detective figures from books and films.

His tone and demeanor were no exception.

Clearly, Qin Ran's imitation had some effect, and the wealthy merchant Hunter calmed down.

"I'm sorry, I was too anxious!"

"You should understand the anxious heart of a father whose daughter has gone missing!"

The other party apologized repeatedly, then began to recount the story.

"We discovered Altria missing yesterday morning, right in my estate!"

"At the time, my wife and the maid went to call Altria for breakfast, but the bedroom door was locked from the inside!"

"My wife called out repeatedly, but no one answered, so I had someone break down the door and found the bedroom empty!"

"I sent out everyone I could to search for Altria, but there was no trace of her, inside or outside the estate!"

The other party narrated the entire sequence of events after the discovery of the disappearance in a very organized manner.

His wife remained silent, but the sorrow on her face grew more intense.

"Can I see Altria's room?"

"Of course!"

Qin Ran asked, and the other party immediately responded, leading Qin Ran to the top floor of the building with his wife.

"This floor is where only Altria, my wife, and I live. Her room is here!"

As he spoke, the other party opened a room on the left.

It was a typical girl's room.

The entire room was pink, with various dolls and stuffed animals placed around.

Qin Ran walked in and carefully examined the room.

He immediately activated the skill [Tracking].

If there was any skill that could be associated with a detective, it was undoubtedly [Tracking].

This was also the source of Qin Ran's confidence in accepting the role of a detective.

With [Tracking] activated, every subtle detail in the room came into Qin Ran's view.

White, messy footprints covered the entire room.

After a brief comparison, Qin Ran confirmed they belonged to Hunter.

Clearly, Hunter had indeed sent people to search thoroughly, and he himself had searched his daughter's room.

However, their search direction was incorrect.

Qin Ran's gaze shifted slightly.

Apart from Hunter's footprints, there were two other sets of footprints in the room, smaller in size.

One of them, after comparison, was identified as belonging to Hunter's wife.

The remaining set naturally belonged to the missing Altria.

This set of footprints was very orderly, not as chaotic as her parents', and only moved between the bed and the window, rarely touching other areas.

Following this set of footprints, Qin Ran observed two places.

On the wooden window frame, there was an inward indentation—a three-fingered claw mark.

On the carpet by the bed, there were two very noticeable drag marks—Qin Ran deduced it was from a box.

Qin Ran glanced at these two places and then looked under the bed.

"Altria is a very obedient child, attending a church school, and she is a lady both at school and at home..."

While Qin Ran was searching, as a father, Hunter instinctively praised his daughter in front of a stranger.

However, before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a box that Qin Ran pulled out from under Altria's bed.

The box was hidden very well, in a compartment in the floor.

If Qin Ran hadn't activated [Tracking] and identified the two clear drag marks on the carpet, it would have taken a lot of effort to find it.

"What is this?!"

Hunter and his wife looked at each other, their eyes wide with surprise as they watched Qin Ran pull the box out from under their daughter's bed.

"I don't know, but your daughter is far from as obedient as you imagine!"

Qin Ran shook his head and examined the box, which was locked.

"Can I open it?"

Qin Ran pointed to the lock and asked.

"This is Tilly's personal item..."

"But now Tilly is missing, we must find her!"

Hunter's wife, the sorrowful lady, instinctively tried to stop Qin Ran, but was immediately restrained by her husband.

The wealthy merchant Hunter walked up to his wife and spoke sternly.

But the moment he noticed the sorrow and red eyes on his wife's face, he immediately realized his behavior was inappropriate.

"Dear, I'm sorry... I'm too anxious, I apologize!"

Hunter embraced his wife, his face full of regret.

"I understand!"

Hunter's wife's eyes reddened again, and she bowed apologetically to Qin Ran before quickly leaving the room.

"I'm sorry, my wife... Tilly is her most precious daughter, and she is mine too!"

"I have never been as anxious as I am now, and my wife is the same!"

"Earlier, when I asked the police to help me find Tilly, they brushed me off, saying they were short-staffed and only filed a regular case—this is the main reason I came to you!"

"I am not trying to hide anything from you, I hope you don't mind!"

Hunter spoke in a low voice.

"Of course not!"

Recalling the old butler's slightly dissatisfied remarks about the police, Qin Ran nodded in understanding.

"I'll go find a tool to open it!"

Hunter said and walked out.

Qin Ran waited quietly.

From their brief interaction, he could tell that the Hunters were well-mannered and loving parents.

Even after discovering their daughter's secret, they decided to keep it.

Otherwise, Hunter wouldn't have needed to find a tool himself.

With so many servants in the estate, he could have just given an order.

Qin Ran didn't wait long.

About five minutes later, Hunter returned with a hammer.

Without further words, Hunter raised the hammer and smashed the lock on the box.

The box was opened.

However, it contained very few items.

A dagger, a flintlock revolver, and a bag of gunpowder.

That was all.

But they only occupied less than a fifth of the box.

Based on the items found, Qin Ran could easily deduce what the original contents of the box were.

Weapons!

And better ones than those left in the box.

"Tilly!"

Hunter covered his forehead and sighed.

To be a wealthy merchant with such a large estate, Hunter was clearly not a fool. Like Qin Ran, he also guessed what had been taken.

"Although I don't know what happened, I can confirm that Miss Altria was not kidnapped. Her disappearance was voluntary—there are traces here, but the heavy rain yesterday washed away more details!"

Qin Ran walked to the window and pointed out the claw marks to Hunter.

"Damn it, why didn't I notice these? If I had, maybe I could have caught up with Tilly!"

After examining the claw marks, Hunter was filled with regret.

"Mr. Qin Ran, I hope you can help me find Tilly!"

Qin Ran's excellent performance won the trust of the wealthy merchant, who expressed it in the most direct way.

A thick stack of bills was placed in Qin Ran's hand.

The largest denomination was 10.

The total was about 500.

Based on his limited memories, Qin Ran knew this amount was very valuable.

In this scenario, a respectable man's monthly income was only about 30-40.

"This is a down payment. If you can find Tilly, I will reward you well!"

Hunter promised.

"I will do my best!"

Qin Ran accepted the money without hesitation.

Although the money had no real meaning to him, it was a great help to him, who was penniless in this scenario.

[Name: Some Currency]

[Type: Miscellaneous]

[Can it be taken out of this scenario? No]

[Note: This is the currency of a certain scenario world.]

...

"Sir!"

Just as Hunter was standing in front of a portrait of Altria as an adult, telling Qin Ran more about his daughter, the kind-faced old butler approached.

"Police Chief John sent someone, saying... a body with features similar to Miss Altria was found!"

The butler, after being signaled by Hunter to speak directly, said hesitantly.

Qin Ran could clearly see that Hunter's face turned pale upon hearing this, and his fists clenched, his entire expression becoming grim.

A faint, almost imperceptible coldness emanated from him, making one's hair stand on end.

Killer intent!

Qin Ran glanced at him in surprise.

Undoubtedly, Hunter was hiding much more than he showed.

However, Qin Ran did not press further.

Everyone has secrets, don't they?

"Mr. Hunter, it's just similar, not certain—I think we need to see the body!"

Qin Ran

"Alright, Mike, prepare the carriage! Remember not to tell the lady!"

Hunter immediately nodded and gave the order.

"Yes, sir!"

The butler immediately took action.