"Does this mean...you're already admitting to hiring someone to commit murder?" Zuo Yan followed up, seizing the opportunity.

This question...was crucial.

If Sam gave an affirmative answer here, Zuo Yan would only need to briefly describe the course of this case, and this "deduction show" would be over.

At most, Sam would deliver a slightly tragic confession, explaining some details that the detective agency had overlooked, regarding the psychological changes of those involved, which wouldn't take up too much space.

However, as you all can see, including this chapter, there are still seven whole chapters before Chapter Thirty-Three. If the situation developed at this pace, Feng Bujue's mission would fail, and my shameless...no...unsolvable writing ability would be questioned.

Therefore...

"I..." Sam began to speak. Judging from his expression and the tone he used when saying the first word of that sentence, he was clearly preparing to confess.

In the end, he was still a good person, at least much better than John and Miller; now that things had come to this, he also felt there was no need to struggle any longer. He would bear the evil consequences that had been spurred by his hatred.

Unexpectedly...

"Of course he wouldn't admit to such a thing." At that instant, Feng Bujue shouted loudly, interrupting Sam's words and attracting the attention of everyone present, and a cat.

"Mr. Feng...I..." Sam seemed to want to say something to Brother Jue.

But Brother Jue just waved his hand at him and smiled, "Don't rush to express your position, we..." He paused, looking at Zuo Yan, "Let's listen to student Zuo Yan finish his reasoning."

Seeing Feng Bujue's expression, Sam hesitated...

That confident smile, that assured tone, was like a shot of adrenaline, rekindling hope in Sam.

"Um...okay." Sam replied, and then turned his gaze to Zuo Yan, no longer speaking.

"Tch...almost got him." Vidocq, in the shadows, spat, "This guy is definitely up to something..."

"What should we do now?" Zuo Yan heard this and immediately asked via mental communication, "Continue?"

"Ah..." Vidocq responded, "Anyway, it's almost done."

"Okay, then I'll continue." Zuo Yan didn't waste any words. After receiving Vidocq's instructions, he immediately continued, "About a year ago, Miller managed to find Sam and told him the secret of John's background. Sam must have initially been skeptical of such an outlandish piece of information...obviously, he still had some affection for John, after all, he was still young when he entered the Herbert family, and unlike John, he didn't know that he and the other party were not related by blood since he was a teenager."

"Of course, Sam didn't completely disbelieve Miller, so they met several more times in the following year; each time, Miller would collect some new evidence to prove his claims, and at the same time, he spared no effort in using his eloquence to try to persuade Sam logically."

"Finally, after a year, Miller obtained some kind of decisive evidence; what this evidence is, we currently have no way of knowing, but according to my estimation...he should have managed to get a sample of John's DNA, such as hair falling somewhere. Considering that John leaves Kuchi Kot Island for a few months every year, and his whereabouts are not that difficult to investigate...Miller wouldn't find it difficult to get a few strands of hair in over half a year."

"It's conceivable...Sam, who saw the evidence, was naturally furious; he could tolerate his brother designing to take away the family's inheritance, but he couldn't tolerate an outsider...someone who had never regarded him as a brother, harming him in this way. More importantly...after confirming John's identity, when Miller told Sam that 'Old Herbert was also killed by John using some method,' he didn't need any more proof."

"In summary...the hatred of killing his father, the hatred of seizing his wealth, and also saddling him with the infamy of being a 'liar'...Sam, who had been kept in the dark for many years, after learning the truth, the fire of revenge that had been suppressed for many years was rekindled and blazed into the sky."

"His gradually stable life was reduced to only one goal overnight: revenge. To achieve this goal, he would spare no expense...and Miller saw through this, and proposed a seemingly good idea to him: the two would join forces to kill John, and then Sam would inherit his inheritance, and finally, the two would sit down and divide the money."

"I have to say...this idea is indeed good, definitely a win-win plan. Miller and Sam both hate John, and John's death and his huge wealth are a good way to quell their anger."

"And so, after the two planned for months, a plan that they thought was brilliant came into being..."

At this point, Zuo Yan paused for two seconds again. Next, he would repeat the course of the murder case that had happened not long ago: "So we can go back to my initial assessment of this case: a simple little case."

"The process...is roughly as follows."

"Yesterday afternoon, Sam visited John without warning; this sudden visit after many years undoubtedly surprised John, but it is precisely such a 'sudden attack' that often has good results...imagine, if Sam had informed John in advance through some means of communication that he was coming, the other party would have time to think and prepare, then John would inevitably think of excuses to avoid or refuse to meet..."

"And Sam suddenly came to the gate of the mansion and asked to go in, John didn't have so many choices, and was caught off guard...so he let him into the house."

"'Back home,' Sam put on an act of wanting to reminisce and reconcile with John, he behaved very friendly; after drinking afternoon tea, eating snacks, and chatting with John for more than an hour, he had figured out the two important pieces of information he needed to obtain on this trip: first, which was John's bedroom; second, the phone number in the bedroom."

"To be on the safe side, after saying goodbye to John and returning to the hotel, Sam also made a phone call to 'greet' John and thanked him again for his previous hospitality; but Sam's real purpose in doing so...was actually to confirm the authenticity of the number."

"Up to this point, the preparations for this murder plan were completed..."

"At dusk, Sam left the hotel again...taking the money he was going to give to Miller, to meet Miller at the agreed location."

"As I said before, in order not to leave any records in the communications department, these two never communicate by phone, they all agree on a time and place in advance, and then talk and trade face-to-face, and they try to keep the number of meetings to a minimum."

"Miller got the money around sunset. After that, Sam returned to the hotel to prepare his alibi; but Miller...didn't rush to sneak into the Herbert family's mansion, he first supplemented the recording I played for you earlier...leaving himself a backup plan, and then, he changed into clothes that were easy to move in, put on gloves and fishing line...and set off."