Chapter 263 - 262: Portrait of the Killer

A trace of hesitation appeared on Chen Mingli’s face. "Miss Zhao is a girl, after all. Seeing that kind of scene..."

"It doesn’t matter," Zhao Linglong suddenly spoke up. Her amber eyes held a starkly different calmness than before. "Captain Chen, I’m not afraid. I want to help find the killer as soon as possible, too."

Chen Mingli looked into her earnest, unwavering eyes. He fell silent for a few seconds before finally nodding. "Alright. I’ll take you there."

With that, the three of them headed out together.

The corridor was dimly lit. Zhao Linglong followed behind Yang Xun, her footsteps light as she held his hand tightly. Although she claimed not to be afraid, her tense body betrayed her true feelings.

When they pushed the door open, a thick, overpowering stench of disinfectant washed over them.

The medical examiner, who was working at the autopsy table, looked up when he saw Chen Mingli enter. "Captain Chen."

"Old Zhang, are those five bodies still here? Miss Zhao would like to see them."

Old Zhang glanced at Yang Xun and Zhao Linglong. Without asking any questions, he turned and pulled open the door to a cold storage unit. Five bodies, draped in white cloths, lay quietly inside. A heavy chill immediately permeated the air.

Zhao Linglong’s body trembled slightly, but she gathered her courage and walked toward the bodies step by step.

The corpses were already skeletonized. Logically speaking, merely looking at them shouldn’t have revealed much, but no one interrupted her. As her gaze fell upon the bones, her pupils contracted slightly.

"He died in a lot of pain. He bled heavily."

Chen Mingli and the medical examiner exchanged a glance. The forensic doctor nodded. "This victim was indeed stabbed. He died from severe organ damage."

Zhao Linglong’s gaze shifted to a smaller body nearby. This time, she didn’t say much. She just stared quietly for a while, her eyes turning slightly red.

"This child was strangled to death. He struggled the whole time."

A complex look crossed Chen Mingli’s eyes. He turned to Yang Xun and whispered, "You didn’t tell her this, did you? Can she really see it?"

"I really didn’t say a word," Yang Xun replied with a serious expression.

At that moment, Zhao Linglong came to a halt in front of the final body. She stared at the silhouette beneath the white cloth for a long time. Suddenly, her body jerked violently as if struck by something invisible, and she collapsed forward limply.

"Linglong!"

With quick reflexes, Yang Xun lunged forward and caught her. Zhao Linglong’s eyes were already closed, her face as pale as a sheet of paper. He placed two fingers against her pulse. After confirming it was only a brief fainting spell, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He hurriedly scooped her up into his arms and turned to Chen Mingli. "Captain Chen, I’m going to take her back to rest."

"Alright. Contact me if you have any updates." Chen Mingli nodded quickly and personally escorted the two of them to the door.

On the drive back to the Zhao family villa, Zhao Linglong leaned against him the entire way, her breathing steady. It wasn’t until the car pulled up to the entrance and Yang Xun was preparing to carry her out that she slowly opened her eyes.

"Dr. Yang, what happened to me?" she asked, her voice laced with confusion.

"You likely came into contact with too much Yin energy," Yang Xun said softly. "Your body couldn’t handle it all at once, so you suddenly fainted."

Zhao Linglong propped herself up and rubbed her temples. Tears began to stream down her face. "Dr. Yang, I saw the killer’s face just now."

Yang Xun paused, looking astonished. "Really?"

"Yes!" She nodded firmly, an unprecedented certainty shining in her amber eyes. "When I was unconscious, I think I saw the victims’ memories. The person who ultimately killed them was a young man in dark gray clothes, and he had a mole on his forehead. We need to go inside quickly. I have to draw this person before I forget."

Yang Xun allowed her to pull him inside, his eyes filled with pleasant surprise. Bringing Zhao Linglong had indeed been the right choice; just like that, they had a solid clue.

Once they entered her art studio, Zhao Linglong didn’t even stop for a sip of water before grabbing a pencil and starting to draw. Her artistic skills were excellent. With smooth strokes, she sketched out a clear outline in just a few lines.

About an hour later, she set her pencil down and handed the paper to Yang Xun. Depicted on the page was the face of a young man. His features were relatively well-proportioned, but he had an unsavory look about him, and a distinct mole sat on his right brow bone.

"Is this the guy?" Yang Xun asked.

Zhao Linglong nodded. "That’s him. I definitely wouldn’t misremember."

Looking at the face on the paper, a complex mix of emotions welled up in Yang Xun’s chest. With this composite sketch, the police investigation finally had a clear target. He took out his phone, snapped a photo of the drawing, and sent it to Chen Mingli.

"Captain Chen, this is the suspect sketch drawn by Zhao Linglong. There’s absolutely no mistake. Once you find him, just arrest him directly."

"Understood!" Chen Mingli replied excitedly. Although he didn’t believe in ghosts or gods, his intuition told him that this man was undoubtedly the killer.

Shunping City. The Jin family estate.

Jin Shilong sat on the sofa with a glass of whiskey in hand, his expression foul. The screen of the phone resting on the table lit up, displaying a single name: Chen Dinglai.

Jin Shilong stared at the name for several seconds, his brows knitting into a tight knot, before he finally pressed the answer button.

"Hello," he said. His voice was low and restrained, carrying a suppressed impatience.

"Young Master Jin! It’s me, Chen Dinglai!" A hurried, frantic man’s voice came through the receiver.

"Chen Dinglai?" Jin Shilong was momentarily stunned, but as realization dawned, his expression changed drastically. "Didn’t I tell you never to call me again?" His tone dropped a few degrees colder as his fingers tightened slightly around the whiskey glass.

"I know! But Young Master Jin, the police have been investigating that matter lately. They’ve cordoned off the ancestral hall, and I heard the bones were dug up! I’m absolutely terrified!" Chen Dinglai’s voice trembled noticeably. "If they trace this back to me, I—I definitely won’t be able to handle it! You have to think of something!"

Jin Shilong’s frown deepened, his words squeezing through gritted teeth. "What are you afraid of? They don’t have any evidence. As long as you keep your mouth shut, they won’t trace anything back to you."

"But Young Master Jin, my processing plant is going under. I’m short on cash, and I wanted to borrow some from you," Chen Dinglai said, his tone turning obsequious.

Jin Shilong’s face darkened even further. He somewhat regretted acting so recklessly back then; now, he was left with a massive pile of trouble.

Just as he was struggling to find an answer, Jin Zhenhai walked over. His father made a hand gesture, signaling him to ask directly.

"How much do you want? I’ll tell you right now, Jin Company isn’t in a good position at the moment. If you ask for too much, I genuinely can’t give it to you," Jin Shilong said through gritted teeth, trying his best to calm his emotions.

He didn’t dare anger Chen Dinglai. If the man decided to take him down with him, he’d be finished, too.