The victim's expression was frozen in terror—eyes wide, mouth slightly agape—as if she had seen something horrifying in her final moments.
Her body lay in a Y-shape on the bed, long legs clad in white stockings. No visible wounds. No signs of strangulation.
Furina approached the bed, one arm folded across her chest, the other hand supporting her chin. To the others, she looked deep in thought—an experienced investigator analyzing the scene.
In truth, she was panicking.
"I'm doomed. I can't tell how she was killed at all. Am I going to embarrass myself in front of all my citizens?"
"When will my Faith Points reach 100…"
"Captain," Chen Lin called softly, stepping beside her.
"Mm." Furina nodded with practiced calm, quickly turning away from the bed before any questions could be asked.
She scanned the room. No signs of a struggle.
Chen Lin looked like she was about to speak, so Furina quickly interjected:
"Um… who discovered the body?"
She couldn't afford to be clueless. Back in Fontaine, Neuvillette had always covered for her. But here, she was on her own—and painfully aware of her limitations.
To earn the netizens' faith, she had to appear composed, capable, and unfazed.
"The girl on the couch made the call," Chen Lin replied.
"Mm."
Furina walked out of the bedroom and approached the frightened young woman curled up on the sofa.
Chen Lin followed, flipping open her notebook to take statements.
Furina stood tall, arms crossed, and asked, "What was your relationship with the victim?"
The girl swallowed nervously. "We… we were roommates."
"How did you find the body?"
"I… I came back from a date with my boyfriend. Her door was open, so I peeked in and… and saw her…"
Just as Furina was questioning the witness, a blood-red message appeared across the announcement boards of every Chosen One's livestream:
[South Korea's Chosen One has failed. The killer will now descend upon their nation.]
At first, viewers dismissed it as part of the show's theatrics.
But minutes later, breaking news from South Korea reported a string of mysterious model deaths—eerily similar to the case unfolding in Furina's stream.
Suddenly, the gravity of the situation hit home.
Livestream chat exploded:
— "Twelve models dead in five minutes?! And the crime scenes match this one exactly?"
— "Yeah, and the news says there were cameras everywhere—but no footage of the killer. Like they're invisible. Creepy."
— "I thought this was just a fun mystery show… You're telling me it's real?"
— "Any experts in chat? Someone explain what's going on—I don't want to die confused!"
— "Maybe it's an alien invasion?"
— "I'm a model too… and I live alone. If Furina arrests the wrong person, am I next?"
Furina's livestream, once filled with playful banter, was now steeped in dread.
The topic surged across social media, drawing attention from national authorities.
At first, people thought the app was some hacker's prank. But no matter how hard they searched, no one could trace its origin.
Now, with the news confirming the deaths, the public began to accept the terrifying truth.
Thousands flooded into Furina's stream.
— "This girl looks calm and collected. Hopefully she won't mess up…"