"Yes, because it is also very cunning." Papaconi said happily, "It can weave webs to confuse those prey with high intelligence and good eyesight. When they try to bypass it, it will attack from below."
"Can it dig holes?" Leon asked.
"They will find abandoned holes if they are pushed too hard," Papaconi said, proudly holding up his right index finger. "I dug this hole for it."
"How did it manage to get up there so quickly?" Hitzfeld continued staring at the leaves. "Its speed is amazing..."
"Oh, that's because it won't break the silk after it finishes weaving the web." The white-haired scholar fiddled with the leaves a few more times, "The last silk thread will be specially hung on the most elastic leaf or rhizome. It will use saliva mixed with soil to make a 'cap' to block the hole, shrink itself in, and let the cap hold the silk there."
"Then when it determines that it is prey, it will lift the lid and use the elastic force of the spider silk to fly out instantly... This technique can also be used to escape."
"...It's very smart." The girl commented.
She could see the blue-tailed spider now, completely startled, crawling up from under a leaf. It was about the size of the tip of her little finger.
This thing looked a little irritated, rubbing its mouthparts against its owner, and it was unclear whether it was a threat.
"Is this the only poisonous insect you have with you?" Hitzfeld continued to ask him.
"There's only this one." Papaconi said, "I know how dangerous it is. Too many poisonous insects can cause trouble..."
No matter how slow-witted he was, he could see that they were suspicious of something.
"With all due respect, that's unlikely," he said after a moment's hesitation. "I'm sorry for what happened to Mr. Temple, but it's unlikely that he was killed by bugs."
"Why?" Li Ang said, "There are many insects that can kill instantly. Don't tell me you don't know any of them."
"But most of those bugs live in the tropics?" the scholar retorted, "In the south, in the jungle! Not to mention that it's winter now, which is not their hunting season at all!"
"Tell me why you brought them." Li Ang didn't care. He raised his left hand and looked at his watch. "This behavior itself is suspicious."
"...I want to observe the impact of climate and environmental changes on them." Papaconi said reluctantly.
"What's the meaning."
"This bus... I heard from them that since it's the second run, there will be some benefits in the middle. They will stop at some stations for a while longer and hold some activities... You know, like taking you to some discounted stores for shopping, or taking you to the park for a free party, and taking photos together at the end."
"But I don't care about that," the scholar said. "I just see that they will 'stop for a little longer', which is enough for me to observe them and record the subtle changes that have occurred in their migration from the north to the south."
He insisted on this point very much, and neither Hitzfeld nor Leon could find any flaw in him, so the topic was dropped.
"Let's talk about something different."
Hitzfeld closed the notebook and breathed a sigh of relief with some fatigue.
Asking questions all the time may not be tiring, but she has to think quickly while asking questions and carefully observe the other person's expression, which is very tiring all together.
So after breaking free from this shackle, she seemed to relax instantly, and asked casually in a friendly tone: "I heard from them that you are a well-known person in the industry..."
"That's just empty reputation." Papaconi shook his head. "I'm just passionate about my work."
"It's not just a simple job to be able to do this."
"Of course! I got a divorce for that!"
Is this something to be proud of?
Seeing him puff out his chest proudly when he said this, Mike almost stared with his eyes wide open.
"Speaking of divorce." The girl looked out the window, "Can you talk about that one?"
"If you want to know." Papaconi nodded, folding his hands in his lap.
"She loves me very much... I love her too... We met during a wilderness expedition. She is from Nanxinze. In a way, she saved me. I feel sorry for her."
"what is her name."
"Nicole Ferrus," the scholar said, "...before she became Mrs. Larson."
"How old were you when you met?"
"I was in my early 30s and she was 17."
"So it's been 17 years since you met each other. She should be 34 this year?"
"I think... there should be 34."
"What do you mean I saved you?"
"I almost fell into a hunter's cave, which was for large wild boars and was full of sharp knives. She pulled me out."
"Why did you separate again?"
"She thought she could tolerate my love for these things." The scholar gestured to the flower pots and shook his head slightly.
"But she found out she was wrong, I was much more 'crazy' than she thought."
"She's not wrong." Leon interrupted.
Mike glanced at him nervously, then turned his attention to Papaconi.
"Maybe." The other party didn't want to discuss this topic in detail.
"It's meaningless to talk about it now."
"I understand your difficulties, Mr. Larson, but I still want to ask - did you really go to Nancinze just to study red-legged ants?"
The scholar was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "If I have the chance, I would certainly like to see her again..."
"Even if she's married?"
"I'm not trying to harass her... isn't this illegal?"
"It depends on how she defines 'harassment'."
The girl opened the notebook to take notes, and couldn't help laughing.
"This is the last of——"
She turned the page and looked up at the scholar.
"You have good hearing. That night... um..."
"Yesterday." Mike leaned over to remind her.
"Today is the 30th, the night of the 29th. Strictly speaking, it happened in the early morning of today."
"Can you confirm whether it was at night or in the early morning?"
Hitzfeld was a little surprised.
"Because Miss Mary was patrolling in the car until 3 o'clock." Mike nodded, "During that time, she went outside and didn't see anyone standing outside."
"Where is the outside?" Li Ang asked him.
"That's where Mr. Temple's accident happened... the corridor at the back of this car, the external corridor."
"So we are only one wall away from that place? ... Is the body still there?"
"It was simply processed and transferred, so I took so many photos."
"that……"
During this process, Papaconi kept wringing his hands, wanting to say something but not daring to.
"If you want to ask me if I heard anything that night... I think I was sleeping very soundly..."
"Think carefully." Hitzfeld insisted.
"Is there any particularly loud noise like that?"
"If you insist on including the sound of hammering iron, then... yes," the scholar said, "but those are all from the houses on the roadside... the two sides don't seem to have anything to do with each other."
After asking some more details, Hitzfeld took his men away.
Before leaving, she told Papaconi to contact her if he remembered any key clues.
"This person shouldn't have any problems."
After coming out and making sure the door was closed, Mike muttered softly.
"He has never met Mr. Temple. I don't think he knows what he looks like."
"That's hard to say." Li Ang smiled, "Sometimes you can't even guess who that person is..."
"Mrs. Charles should have packed it up."
Hitzfeld checked his pocket watch.
"Go find her first, then come and see the scene and the body."
"Let's take a look at the scene first!"
Mike suggested.
"Anyway, it's close... and as for Mrs. Charles... I don't think she will get better so soon."
He must have been scared by that woman's yelling.
Hitzfeld glanced at Mike and saw him force an awkward smile.
"Then let's look at the scene first."
Nod.
She really didn't care about it.
The scene was indeed close, and Mike took out the key to unlock the door. They came outside and were in the rear corridor of carriage No. 9.
It is called a corridor, but it is more like an observation deck. It is a protruding platform surrounded by iron fences. The area is not large and can accommodate up to six people.
Hitzfeld saw a grotesque outline drawn with white powder on the iron floor of this place, and upon closer inspection it could be seen to be a human figure.
This should be the posture of Mr. Temple after he fell down. I have to say that this posture is really weird.
"The hands and feet are in the wrong position, right?"
Li Ang also noticed this and turned to ask Mike.
"Has anyone moved the body?"
"Absolutely not!"
Mike assured.
"The posture is just weird... Haven't you seen the photos? The twisted hands and feet, to be honest, we don't quite understand it. The sheriff thought he died of epilepsy at first."
Epilepsy - in this era, it is considered a rather terrifying disease. The remains of patients who died of epilepsy are indeed rather horrifying, but it is obvious that such people have difficulty in their daily movements, which is inconsistent with how Temple appears to others.
Hitzfeld squatted down and looked at the outline of the white line, then stood up, looked up at the roof eaves, and saw a suspended lamp hanging on it.
That is used for lighting at night. From this perspective, the service provided by Rexing Company is quite thoughtful.
Going further ahead is a passage connected by iron buckles. They are semi-movable structures, locked at the bottom and connected to two thick iron plates at the top and locked again. Fences of the same height are welded around them to facilitate people to pass through.
But usually no one would do this, because not everyone has the courage to walk on such an unstable iron plate while the train is moving. Most passengers would rather not move than stay in a carriage until they get off.
"Have you asked the crew, like Miss Mary, if they've seen any passengers moving around?"
Li Ang took the opportunity to talk to Mike.
"Of course."
"What did she say?"
"She said she hadn't seen it anyway."
"Oh yes - she said Mrs. Charles had run around earlier, but that was because her child was smaller... She was looking for Miss Bella everywhere."
"I understand." Li Ang smiled.
"For a child of that age... this is normal."
"Hitzfeld?" He looked at the girl, "Let's go? There's nothing valuable here."
It's really worthless.
The girl stood up.
I can't see anything, so I might as well go look for the body later.
However, she also had a guess.
"Do you think this is really the scene?"
The two men listened to her quietly speaking.
"What do you mean?" Li Ang frowned.
