"Take off your mask," he commanded.
Xing Yuan lowered her gaze, then placed a hand near her ear as if to remove her mask. Her eyes flickered, and she sprinted forward. Before the young officer could react, she had him in a chokehold and drew another dagger from her waist, instantly slitting his throat.
Blood sprayed out, staining Xing Yuan's clothes with a few drops.
Xing Yuan let out a soft breath. After a quick wipe of the dagger, she returned it to its original position. She then picked up the dagger she had dropped earlier and the one that had injured her. After a brief cleanup of the traces she left behind, she quickly departed the crime scene.
Xing Yuan sent a retreat signal to the others and left ahead of them.
Once she reached a safe location, she removed her outer clothing and burned it to ashes.
The inner clothes were also unworn. She avoided the others and quickly returned to her residence. She opened her computer, meticulously screened and deleted any evidence that might incriminate her, and only then relaxed. She went to the bathroom to shower, then threw her clothes into the washing machine. After they were clean, she lay back on the bed.
She had not gone out tonight; she had only slept in her room.
Meanwhile, it wasn't long before someone discovered the two bodies. One of the deceased was a notorious figure, and the other was dressed in a police uniform. Immediately, the scene was secured.
Upon receiving news of Wang Yubei's death, Lian Yu declared a ceasefire and began to rally those who originally belonged to him.
The victor is king, the vanquished is a bandit!
Even a three-year-old understood this principle. They were loyal to Wang Yubei, but their loyalty was limited. At least, it wasn't enough to make them die for him.
Furthermore, several of his most loyal men had already died protecting him. Thus, their defection was swift. However, due to police pursuit, they soon went into hiding. Many things happened that night.
Ling Chenyue had witnessed the manner of death of those people in the underground research facility. These two individuals had died in a nearly identical fashion. The assailant was decisive and swift, seemingly without hesitation.
"This person's blade is fast! But based on this alone, we cannot determine if this was the fatal wound. For the sake of rigor, let's have the forensic examiner take a closer look!" Jing Hua said cautiously.
Although his years of experience told him that the cut on the neck was almost certainly the cause of death, Wang Yubei was too extraordinary. He was so extraordinary that Jing Hua could hardly believe he had died so easily.
"Mm," Ling Chenyue nodded lightly, then crouched down to observe closely.
A struggle had occurred here previously. One party was undoubtedly the deceased, and the other was the killer. It was possible that someone was injured during the fight. The wounds inflicted by the knife on Wang Yubei's body were clear evidence of this.
However, the police officer's body was clean, except for a faint ligature mark on his neck. By the time Jing Hua arrived, Wang Yubei might have been dead, but the killer was still present.
The killer was certainly skilled. She had choked him and then used a knife to slit his throat.
Did the killer favor slitting throats because the area was vulnerable? Or was it a personal habit?
Ling Chenyue pondered the killer's psychology. As she leaned closer to the young officer, she detected a faint scent.
The scent was very faint but familiar, as if she had smelled it somewhere before, yet she couldn't recall where.
Ling Chenyue frowned involuntarily. Jing Hua walked over, "Don't overthink it for now. The forensics team will be here soon; they are skilled in this. Let's focus on what we do best."
"Alright," Ling Chenyue didn't force herself. She would remember eventually.
"From what I know, just tonight, a subordinate of Wang Yubei suddenly rebelled openly, and then he died. I can't help but suspect a connection between these two events," Jing Hua analyzed.
"So, this could very well be a diversion. Moreover, many people died here. However, besides Wang Yubei's men, it's not impossible that their enemies were also involved. After all, it's difficult for a single corpse to be transported out without being detected by our surveillance."
"Captain Jing is right. However, we can use this opportunity to invite those people to the police station. Whoever benefits the most is likely the killer, or at the very least, we'll find out who the killer is," Ling Chenyue suggested.
"Yes, let's do that! Bring all the suspects back to the station," Jing Hua nodded and then instructed those behind him.
So, when they returned, they brought a large group of people with them.
The first thing they did upon returning was not to interrogate, but to perform an autopsy on Wang Yubei and conduct a paternity test with that girl.
The next day, as soon as the results came out, the two entered the interrogation room.
"Tell us! How did you kill them?"
Among Wang Yubei's subordinates, each had a motive to kill him. And last night, not only Lian Yu had made a move; others who received the news, fearing he would gain an advantage, had also acted with him.
If Lian Yu won, they would either follow him and find a new boss, or they would vie for the boss's position with him. If he lost, it was simple; they would just tell their boss they were there to help him.
In any case, Wang Yubei had always known their intentions. The principle of "the masses are not to blame" applied similarly in places like this, akin to gangs.
They knew they wouldn't be easily dealt with, which gave them the confidence to take risks. However, being suddenly arrested by the police was definitely outside their expectations.
Who knew Lian Yu was so useless? He dared to challenge Master Bei with nothing! As a result, the battle dragged on for a long time, eventually attracting the attention of those cops.
However, they truly didn't expect that kid to have some skill, and Master Bei was directly killed.
Based on the assumption that these people had no evidence, they acted like lords, even hiring specialized legal teams.
Soldiers are raised for a thousand days and used for one. These people had been fed and cared for by them for so long; it was time for them to contribute.
Thus: "Who killed someone? Don't frame me! Can the police just decide our fate?"
"Murder? Hmph, do you have proof? If not, please leave through the door!"
"Uncle Police, I'm a good person. You can't wrongly accuse a good person! I can't bear the charge of murder."
"I refuse to answer your questions. If you have anything, please ask my lawyer. The door is over there, feel free."
Each of them was incredibly arrogant, even ordering them around and telling them to do this and that.