Chapter 270: Chapter 270

"Alright, alright, let’s save the expressions of gratitude for after we’ve caught the murderer. Time is of the essence. I have a few important questions to ask Jing Shu," Captain Wang said, exasperated. This incident was so perilous, thousands of lives were nearly lost. They had to catch the culprit!

Su Xiangnan glared at Qian Duoduo. Why did this Old Ghost always have to one-up him?

No wonder they were such long-standing adversaries. Despite being framed this time, he still hated the other with gnashing teeth. Truth be told, Su Xiangnan merely disliked Qian Duoduo as a business competitor. His true, teeth-grinding hatred was reserved for that government official. Su Malie had always believed their relationship was amicable, but that smiling tiger was the one Su Xiangnan found genuinely vexing.

"Yes, we must catch the murderer." Qian Duoduo’s Tang suit was tattered, and his face was caked in dust. Even the walnut he had been playing with for over a decade was gone!

The atmosphere finally eased a bit after Jing Shu successfully prevented the castle’s explosion. Towards their lifesaver, everyone’s attitude was exceptionally kind and admiring. Even the old traditional doctor treating Jing Shu’s wounds was extra careful. Jing Shu was someone who feared pain, and now, out of embarrassment, she couldn’t bring herself to grimace, though she inwardly cursed Lin Yi to kingdom come.

If she had known Lin Yi planned to blow up West Mountain, she would have stolen the explosives ages ago. It would have saved so much trouble.

Jing Shu scanned the people in the castle but didn’t spot that drama-loving, unhinged son of a landlord, nor Qian Duoduo’s daughter, Qian Qianjin, or his wife.

Only later did they learn that Qian Duoduo, upon hearing there was a bomb in the castle, had immediately arranged for his family to leave by helicopter while he himself stayed behind to clean up the mess.

When the only remaining involved parties, Su Malie and Jing Shu, were both present, Captain Wang pointed to Fatty and asked, "Jing Shu, tell us the location of your transaction, the time, and whether it was with this Fatty you made the deal?" New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel(ꜰ)ire.net

When the Fatty standing behind Qian Duoduo stepped forward, Jing Shu was startled, and Su Malie took a step back.

In an instant, Jing Shu had a rough understanding of the whole situation.

Jing Shu shook her head. "The transaction took place this morning at eight o’clock in the underground casino of an abandoned manor. The person at the time was also called Fatty. They do look quite similar, but the one we dealt with must have been an imposter. Besides, he was already dead in the underground passage by this afternoon."

This particular Fatty was squeezed into a black suit, looking like a disciplined, portly man—not at all like the other Fatty who had been bitten to death by a snake and was found sprawled lazily on a sofa.

Su Malie had a sudden realization. "I knew something was off about that guy this morning!"

Fatty also had a realization. "So, the person we were chatting with on WeChat was the same one! But it must have been the murderer who first completed the transaction with Su Malie and then imprisoned them in the underground casino. Then, the murderer impersonated Su Malie, the trusted Uncle Gou, and two bodyguards with their faces covered to conduct the transaction with me. They created a perfect time discrepancy! That way, the time I mentioned wouldn’t match Su Malie’s disappearance, and you’d all definitely think I was lying."

Jing Shu nodded. She was likely the unexpected element in this whole drama, causing discrepancies not only in the timeline but also in the identities of the people involved.

Nevertheless, despite such conclusive evidence, a frantic Su Xiangnan would certainly believe that damned Qian Duoduo had kidnapped his daughter to achieve some goal.

The brilliance of the entire scheme was that after the bombing began, Su Malie reappeared unharmed and revealed a conspiracy to frame them. However, with the bombing outside still ongoing, Qian Duoduo would suspect it was a trap set by Su Xiangnan. After all, if the true goal was to make them kill each other, wouldn’t it have been simpler to just kill Su Malie? Why release her now? Only a fool would believe that a supposedly helpless young lady, kidnapped so easily, could not only escape on her own but also uncover a conspiracy—especially by appearing at his castle, his vital stronghold. So, he immediately ordered the castle’s defense system to be activated, unknowingly playing right into Lin Yi’s hands.

All of it, every single thing, was merely a prelude for Lin Yi to bomb West Mountain. His true aim was to get the castle’s defense system activated and then kill everyone who came to West Mountain by blowing them up. This man was utterly insane.

Yang Yang kicked the wall fiercely. "How could we have let him escape back then, only for him to return and seek revenge on us? This incident was definitely intentional! News is already spreading like wildfire outside; its rapid dissemination is undoubtedly his doing. He orchestrated this to lure our entire detachment here and annihilate us!"

Jing Shu nodded. This man truly has ruthless ambitions.

After the bombardment outside ceased, Captain Wang instructed the remaining people, along with Qian Duoduo’s security guards, to go out and manage the aftermath. Word was that the explosion had struck the side of a mountain, triggering a landslide. Casualties were still being tallied.

"Report! We’ve accessed the database information for the woman whose upper body was blown off. Her name is Ling Qi. By tracing her last call, we’ve located the IP address of the other party from five minutes ago."

Jing Shu’s head was now bandaged. She had briefly cleansed herself with water filtered to remove red earthworms. Qian Duoduo found some of Qian Qianjin’s clothes for her to change into.

The temperature is dropping rapidly. It’ll be frigid soon; I need to put on more clothes.

"We must pursue and apprehend this person this time! What’s the address?"

"Alright, move out immediately!"

Jing Shu’s hand trembled, and she accidentally tore the leather coat, effectively demonstrating an impressive feat of ripping clothes barehanded.

Those nearby quietly gulped. How much strength did it take for Jing Shu to tear a leather coat like that?

Jing Shu couldn’t bother with anything else and quickly called Grandma Jing’s home.

The sound of RING... RING... RING... came through the receiver. With each ring, Jing Shu’s heart sank a little further.

"Hello?" Grandma Jing’s voice finally came from the other end.

Jing Shu quietly exhaled. "Grandma? What are you doing?"

She heard Grandma Jing say irritably, "What else would I be doing? Tidying up the first floor with Zijin."

Jing Shu quietly relaxed. "Okay, Grandma. Please don’t go out for the next few days if you don’t have to, alright? By the way, has our next-door neighbor, Lin Yi, come looking for you?"

"Him? We were just talking a moment ago."

Jing Shu’s heart started to THUMP-THUMP again.

"That young man said he’s moving, so he probably won’t be able to chat with me as often anymore. It’s quite a shame. He also said he’d come find me for a chat next time he has a chance, and then he left. He seemed to be in quite a hurry when he went."

Jing Shu said, "...Alright, Grandma. Stay safe at home. If anything happens, press and hold the number 1 key to call me."

After hanging up, Jing Shu called Zijin to confirm the situation. Then, she called her family members one by one. Everyone was fine, which finally allowed Jing Shu to breathe a small sigh of relief.

No, I can’t rest until Lin Yi is caught. It feels like a fishbone stuck in my throat. Lin Yi must be eliminated, or I won’t be able to sleep soundly. Something’s wrong... Something’s not right!