Chapter 10 The Truth Emerges

After Shao Tong returned, everything in the room was as before. With the help of a broom, Jiang Cheng and Shao Tong worked together to bring Zhang Qizheng's body down.

"Only the neck was broken, a fatal blow. There are no signs of struggle on the body. Judging from Zhang Qizheng's alertness and skill, a successful sneak attack is unlikely. So, I think the murderer should be an acquaintance, an acquaintance launching a sudden attack, leaving no time to react." Shao Tong squatted beside the body and analyzed, "There are not many people who can make Mr. Zhang lower his guard, only a few of you, and Yao Shunyu barely qualifies."

Reaching out and closing the eyes of Zhang Qizheng, who died with his eyes wide open, Jiang Cheng felt a heaviness in his heart as he looked at the old man who had promised to take care of Li Bai not long ago. He couldn't help but think of the Lin Muyun and Lin Muwan siblings. The situation was still complicated, but he already had some clues.

Suddenly, Fatty's voice came from the yard, sounding very excited. Shao Tong subconsciously wanted to go outside. "Yao Shunyu should be awake."

Jiang Cheng stopped him, earnestly instructing, "Don't mention anything about Yao Shunyu to anyone. Zhu Jie and Tang Qisheng are also unreliable. They are hiding something from us."

After a moment of thought, Shao Tong frowned sharply. "You mean... there's more than just Yao Shunyu lurking here?"

"I'm not sure, but it's always better to be careful. You're right, Lu Qin and you are just the first wave. The Night Watch must have a backup plan, and this backup plan may have a way to restrain you. Be careful." Jiang Cheng whispered.

Shao Tong's face turned fierce. "If we want to survive, we must find them and kill them all. I'm just afraid they won't come out." He changed the subject and looked at Jiang Cheng. "But I must remind you, the mission is coming to an end. Some things must be settled as soon as possible. Beware of complications if you delay."

Jiang Cheng seemed startled by the dangerous aura in Shao Tong's tone. "What do you want to do?"

Shao Tong's lips curled up, revealing a neurotic smile. "Since we suspect Tang Qisheng and Zhu Jie are variables, then we should strike first and kill them. As for the exposed Yao Shunyu, we can spare his life for now, otherwise you won't be able to explain it to Wang Fugui."

Noticing the strange look in Jiang Cheng's eyes, Shao Tong smiled indifferently. "I know you still suspect me, but I'm very happy, because I don't want my partner to be a fool like Lu Qin, that would only harm me. I will prove my sincerity to you."

"One more thing, I've been imprisoned in District 13 for too long, so long that I'm almost moldy. So please don't look at me with the eyes of a normal person. I'm happy to take care of some dirty work, as long as I can get revenge on the Night Watch, I can accept anything, even dying."

"Wait until we get out to die, you're still useful now." Jiang Cheng patted Shao Tong on the shoulder and turned to leave.

Back in Grandpa's room, Fatty and the others were there. Yao Shunyu was awake, and Fatty had brought an old pillow for him to lean against.

What the villagers said was right, Yao Shunyu's injuries were not serious, just some superficial wounds. But strangely, Yao Shunyu seemed to have no memory of falling. His memory only went as far as following the villagers to look for people, and then, when he opened his eyes, he was back here.

Yao Shunyu's mood was not good. He already knew that Li Bai had been taken away by the ghost villagers and his whereabouts were unknown, and that Zhang Qizheng was also dead.

Fatty stayed by his side, constantly comforting him. Tang Qisheng excused himself to go see Mr. Zhang's body, and Jiang Cheng accompanied him.

After entering the room, Tang Qisheng turned around and closed the door, not paying attention to the body on the ground, but asking with a strange expression, "Mr. Jiang, I want to ask you something, how long have you known Yao Shunyu?"

"Not very long, what's wrong?" Jiang Cheng asked back.

Tang Qisheng hesitated for a moment, his brows furrowed, and finally said, "I just feel a little strange. According to our previous estimate, the missing person should have been Shao Tong, and he was the one who killed Mr. Zhang, but..." He paused and said in a low voice, "Zhu Jie and I discussed it. Even if all of this was faked by Shao Tong using his abilities, how do you explain the villagers' testimony? Those things are ghosts, could Shao Tong's abilities deceive ghosts?"

Jiang Cheng remained noncommittal and continued to probe, "What do you think?"

Tang Qisheng's face was tangled, and he spoke hesitantly. "I think... I wonder if our initial thinking was wrong, and we made a mistake of overlooking the obvious. The real killer is someone else. Of course, this is just a hypothesis. You have to decide what to do specifically."

"Yao Shunyu is indeed suspicious. Don't alarm him yet, let's see what he's going to do." Jiang Cheng exhaled with a solemn expression, and looked at Tang Qisheng and said plausibly, "It seems that Shao Tong's suspicion has been basically ruled out. To be honest, he was the first to suggest that Yao Shunyu had a problem. Now it seems to be a prophecy."

"He is?" Tang Qisheng's expression changed slightly.

"Just keep these things in your heart, don't show it. Wang Fugui definitely has no problems. He is very close to Yao Shunyu. It will be troublesome if he finds out." Jiang Cheng instructed.

Tang Qisheng nodded. "I understand, then... what do we need to do next?"

"Wait." Jiang Cheng looked at the sky outside. The fog was still lingering in the village and had not dissipated. The heavy sky seemed to be collapsing, a scene of doomsday. "Something will definitely happen tonight."

In such a thick fog, time seemed to lose its meaning, and it was impossible to distinguish between day and night. After all, Zhang Qizheng's body was still in the room, so everyone chose to spend the night in Grandpa's room.

They picked a lot of firewood, and the stove was burning very brightly. Everyone gathered together to bake the remaining cakes and swallowed them with the water from the water bag.

Shao Tong still seemed out of place with the whole team, sitting alone a little further away from the stove, his back against the wall, his face slightly lowered, hidden in the shadows.

So many things happened during the day, and although everyone was tired, they still tried hard to cheer up. Time passed by in silence. At first, Fatty would occasionally add a few pieces of firewood, but later, as his eyelids got heavier and heavier, he finally tilted his head and fell asleep completely.

"Creak—"

"Creak—"

Jiang Cheng was awakened by a strange sound. As he opened his eyes, he was greeted by darkness.

The stove had gone out unknowingly, and a rotten smell floated in the air. Jiang Cheng knew that the dream had come again.

But this time it was different. Everyone was there. Fatty, Tang Qisheng and the others were obviously awake earlier than Jiang Cheng. They were hiding behind the door, looking out through the crack with nervous faces. Jiang Cheng leaned over, and the scene in the yard made him couldn't help but widen his eyes.