Chapter 78.2: The Most Direct Threat

Li Zhuiyuan remembered the name printed on her work badge: Ran Qiuping.

“Yes, that’s right. She told me all those things. I’m very grateful to her.”

“Think before you speak next time. I won’t correct you twice. Otherwise, I’ll bury you alive—along with Ran Qiuping.”

Runsheng’s mistake had been a lapse in professional judgment, and it could have been understood.

But the real issue was the person he’d tried to shield and protect wasn’t so innocent. Worse, she might have even teamed up with a Dead Sinker to target them.

If someone was already trying to kill you, what was the point in playing nice?

“I—I understand.”

“What does Ran Qiuping think about Qiu Minmin still being around?”

“She told me… that her daughter’s resentment hasn’t dissipated. She said I should stay here with her and wait—wait until the day Minmin lets go. When that happens, my atonement will be complete.”

Yin Meng thought: Is the dorm supervisor raising a corpse?

Li Zhuiyuan took another sip of soda. He doubted that.

Qiu Minmin was under control. And whatever was controlling her was terrifying—far beyond what Ran Qiuping could handle, unless she’d been acting from their very first meeting.

Besides, the core contradiction remained: Ran Qiuping was Qiu Minmin’s birth mother. Why would she control her own brutally murdered daughter?

Unfortunately, there was little else to be learned from Sun Hongxia. More questions could be asked, but the answers would hold little value.

She had been thoroughly brainwashed by Ran Qiuping into a devout penitent.

Whether a murderer’s family should be subject to public condemnation wasn’t something Li Zhuiyuan needed to worry about right now.

All he knew was—if Ran Qiuping really had the ability to “raise” and “control” a Dead Sinker of this level to act as her spirit servant, she wouldn’t need Sun Hongxia to perform rituals or beg for forgiveness on her behalf.

Something here didn’t add up. Which meant—there were still secrets.

“How did Zhao Junfeng die?”

“He tried to escape by taking a classmate hostage. He was shot dead by the police at General Mountain.” Sun Hongxia looked at her son’s memorial photo. “He never repented. Died so cleanly. If he’d faced legal judgment, it might have eased my heart. But this is my fault. I gave birth to him. I raised him. I failed to teach him right. He became a beast. He hurt people.”

“Who was the hostage?”

“I don’t know.”

“What did you do with his body?”

“It’s here.” Sun Hongxia bent down and retrieved an urn from under the bed. “You want to see it?”

“Open it.”

Sun Hongxia opened the lid. Li Zhuiyuan reached in and pinched a small handful. It was indeed ash.

“Do you have any family left?”

“His father died young. I have no family here.”

“Tie her up. Keep her under control.”

“Got it.” Yin Meng picked up the net used for restraining Dead Sinkers and bound Sun Hongxia. Before gagging her, she walked over to the boy and whispered, “We still haven’t asked why Qiu Minmin attacked us.”

“You ask.”

Yin Meng turned to Sun Hongxia. “Tell me. Why did Qiu Minmin attack us?”

Sun Hongxia looked bewildered. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

She glanced at the altar. “Maybe it’s because you moved in next door. I couldn’t burn incense or offer paper money these last two days.”

Yin Meng gagged her without another word.

Clearly, she didn’t buy that explanation either.

Li Zhuiyuan left the room. Yin Meng followed, locking the door behind her. “Why did she attack us?” she asked.

“If you want a complex answer, maybe it’s something about us—me, you, Runsheng, or even Xiaohei—that triggered her.”

“And the simple answer?”

“You’re a fugitive. Then one day, police officers move into all the rooms around you. Wouldn’t you think they came to arrest you?”

“That simple?”

“It doesn’t matter why she attacked us. What matters is she did. If we hadn’t arrived in time, Runsheng would be dead.

“Our job now is to strike back.”

Yin Meng’s face darkened. “Then we should go arrest that dorm supervisor immediately.”

“Qiu Minmin already fled. Think Ran Qiuping doesn’t know? Even if we rushed, we’d be too late.”

Yin Meng suddenly felt she’d said too much in front of the boy. All she’d managed was to make herself look stupid.

The two returned to Building Nine. The dorm supervisor’s office was still dark. Yin Meng tried to pry open the window.

Click!

The light inside turned on.

Just as she yanked the window off, she saw Li Zhuiyuan walk in through the door. It hadn’t been locked.

The boy glanced at her. “Put the window back.”

“Oh. Okay.”

The office wasn’t big. A desk, a bed, a cupboard, a wardrobe, and a cloth bag hanging on the wall labeled with room numbers, keys dangling below.

The only clue of any value was a large teacup by the desk’s leg, charred inside.

Li Zhuiyuan lifted the cup and sniffed—it smelled like burned paper.

Yin Meng reinstalled the window and entered. She looked around. “She ran?”

Li Zhuiyuan said, “Honestly, I was afraid she might’ve stayed to wait for us.”

That would’ve meant Ran Qiuping had something serious up her sleeve.

And after losing Runsheng and Tan Wenbin, their team was much weaker now.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the cloth bag. He checked the pocket for their dorm room. No key.

Looks like they’d need to change the locks.

“Yin Meng.”

“Yes!” She straightened, ready for instructions.

“Go back to the shop. Keep watch on Sun Hongxia. Tomorrow morning, go to the infirmary and get Tan Wenbin back.”

When it came to investigation, Zhuangzhuang was much better than Mengmeng.

“What about you?” she asked. “You’ll be alone. I’m worried about your safety.”

Li Zhuiyuan pointed upstairs. “It’s late. I’m going to bed.”

“Bed?”

“Yeah. My head’s not feeling right. I need rest.”

“What if something—”

“There won’t be a ‘what if.’ Qiu Minmin’s nearly falling apart. If Ran Qiuping had any other tricks, she wouldn’t have run. We’re safe now.”

As he left the office, he added, “Don’t forget to turn off the light.”

Back in his dorm, Li Zhuiyuan picked up a basin, laid his whip inside, and headed to the sink.

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