CH 9

Lin Xinghe thought it was strange.

The missing people were all outsiders, but the dead man in Little Xue Ji's illusion was somebody from this town.

Unable to determine the reason for this, she used her phone to photograph the files of the sixteen people in case she missed anything important. When she finished, she left the file room.

Tang Xin who was keeping watch outside was relieved to see Lin Xinghe come out. She immediately glued herself to Lin Xinghe's arm like she found her saviour.

Lin Xinghe asked her, "Did Little Xue Ji come?"

Tang Xin shook her head.

Lin Xinghe said, "This town is really strange. Sixteen people have disappeared and all of them were male. The staff at the rescue center is also really suspicious. She tried to hide the fact that people go missing often. She also didn't want to reveal that someone died in this town..."

Tang Xin said, "Maybe she's worried that tourists would stop coming here if they knew?"

Lin Xinghe said, "That's possible. But she didn't tell me that the deceased was murdered despite knowing that I was his lover. That changes things. On top of that, I haven't seen any men in this town."

Tang Xin was a little confused as she listened.

... Lin Xinghe has only been in town for five to six hours longer than them. Just what did she do during that time? How did she become the deceased's lover? And what's this about the deceased?

Lin Xinghe said, "These are important clues. We also don't know if Little Xue Ji was the one who killed the man in her illusion."

Tang Xin asked, "What man?"

Lin Xinghe said, "Oh if you're interested, I have a picture."

Lin Xinghe pulled up the photo. Tang Xin's legs almost gave out when she looked at it.

On the screen, a male corpse dressed in red was hanging upside down from the ceiling in a bloody and sinister room.

Lin Xinghe was looking at the photo like it was just a still from a horror movie. If she were alone, Tang Xin would have been scared, but seeing Lin Xinghe's fearless expression, her fear instantly lessened and she asked, "Is he from this town?"

"Yes, and I don't think it was Little Xue Ji who killed him."

"Why not?"

"She's a little weak and silly. She was so angry that she couldn't scare me that she slammed the door and left. Would someone who acts like that hang a man upside down from the ceiling?"

Internally, Tang Xin was thinking: No, the monster is obviously really scary! Not weak at all! Not silly at all! European Emperor, it's you who is abnormal!

At this time, Lin Xinghe said, "I need to find a way to learn about what happened in this town."

Tang Xin was determined to contribute her share. She racked her brain and said, "How about we wait until morning to try out different interrogation methods on the staff? Maybe intimidation and bribery?"

"That's a good idea."

Tang Xin was a little happy with herself and said, "We can win people over using money, or we can start by torturing the subjects with their weaknesses. I'm... I'm very skilled at gathering information. Tomorrow, I..."

Lin Xinghe said, "No, there's no guarantee the staff will speak the truth. We don't know what they're hiding yet and asking them out of the blue might end up alerting them."

"There's someone else we can ask. Someone who isn't from town."

"Wh-Who else?"

Half an hour later, Tang Xin was laying in her room.

The hair she lost earlier was still scattered across the pillow and yellowing bed. The feeling of having Little Xue Ji's five mouths pressed against her face was still vivid in her mind.

She couldn't help shivering at the thought of it.

Lin Xinghe told her, "You might be able to attract Little Xue Ji with your fear. Stall her when she comes. I'll capture her. Instead of interrogating the people in the town, it's better to interrogate Little Xue Ji."

Tang Xin understood an old saying at that moment—The greater the courage, the greater the yield (1). Lin Xinghe's courage is made of diamonds!

Since Tang Xin made up her mind to board Lin Xinghe's boat, there was no way she would reject Lin Xinghe's proposal.

But Lin Xinghe left her with some final words which gave her a boost of confidence: "Ideally, I would have done it myself, but there's no way she can scare me. Little Xue Ji even seems a bit afraid of me. She definitely wouldn't fall for it if I was the bait, so I can only ask you to go into battle..."

... Little Xue Ji is afraid of Lin Xinghe. That means that Little Xue Ji has a weakness, so she is still somewhat safe.

Tang Xin kept imagining things that made her scared, but she quickly realized something—thinking was unnecessary. Just the act of laying down here was enough to make her terrified.

She squeezed her eyes shut and could feel her eyelashes trembling. Her breathing gradually quickened.

Suddenly, she noticed a cool breeze. It was exactly the same as before.

Little Xue Ji is here!

She instinctively tensed up, pursing her lips tightly until they formed a thin, pale line.

Remembering Lin Xinghe's words, she lunged forward the moment Little Xue Ji got close and shouted with her eyes closed: "Lin Xinghe!"+

There was a loud "BANG!" and the lights were turned on.

Tang Xin firmly held the ball against her chest with all her strength. She didn't dare to look at, or even think about, what was in her arms. She felt its temperature drop below zero. In the next instant, it turned into a long and slippery creature that felt like a reptile.

At this moment, Tang Xin heard Lin Xinghe make a surprised "Eek!" and say "Little Xue Ji, you're so skilled. You even know how to turn into a snake! Your future is really bright. If you don't form a five-man band in the future, you can still go to the zoo and eat free food..."

When Tang Xin heard the word "snake," she immediately let go in fear.

Snakes are the most disgusting!

She frantically escaped to the corner the moment she let go. When she calmed down, she stole a peek and saw Lin Xinghe, this girl with a delicate appearance, grasping a black snake while also restraining its seven-inch-long body.

The black snake whipped its tail around frantically and struggled to no avail. It finally hung its head and reverted to its original form. At this moment, a powdered, jade-carved mochi dumpling was being held down on the bed by Lin Xinghe very pitifully (2). The child raised her head and her black eyes burst with tears.

Tang Xin's heart instantly melted.

Lin Xinghe asked, "Where's the rope? Didn't you bring a rope into the exam room? Let's tie her up."