Chapter 31 - The Final Showdown!
Perhaps the truth revealed by Li Nan Ke was too heavy, suffocating everyone present. Even the lively and active Meng Xiao Tu sat on the table in a daze, blinking her eyelashes.
Leng Xinnan opened the window to let in some fresh air, but the cool breeze made her shiver.
She had seen many evil people.
She had killed many Demonic Creatures and eliminated many Nightmares.
But this girl, Lin Jiao Yue, made her feel a bone-chilling coldness from the bottom of her heart.
"Madam Lin, do you have anything else to say?"
Li Nan Ke asked, his eyes fixed on the woman.
The beautiful woman sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks as if squeezed from her heart, regret gnawing at her soul.
The greatest grief is to have one's spirit broken.
This saying couldn't be more apt to describe Mei Xing Er at this moment.
"I deserve to die... I'm the one who deserves to die the most..."
The woman said with a desolate expression.
"After I fell into the tunnel, I kept recalling everything I had done, kept asking myself how it had come to this.
I wished so much that it was all just a nightmare, but every time I closed my eyes, Qing Yu's face, his corpse, would appear in my mind. I could even vaguely hear Qing Yu shouting 'Help me' 'Help me'... I thought it would be better to just die like this, leave everything behind, and go find Qing Yu.
I'm sorry to my husband, sorry to Qing Yu, sorry to my daughter... I'm the one who deserves to die the most..."
Suddenly, with a "wa" sound, the woman vomited blood and collapsed onto the bed.
The rise and fall of her chest showed that she was still alive, but the emptiness in her eyes indicated that her soul had been drained, leaving her no different from a walking corpse.
Xiang Er was startled and rushed to her side.
"Madam—"
Landlord Lin instinctively ran forward, but he stopped by the bed, staring blankly with vacant eyes.
Leng Xinnan sighed and asked Caiyun and Caiyue to take care of Mei Xing Er.
Li Nan Ke, who had wanted to say more, decided to stop seeing the situation. After all, he had said everything that needed to be said. All that remained was to wait for Lin Jiao Yue to be arrested.
Night fell, and thick layers of dark clouds completely obscured the stars and the moon.
The howling wind sounded like ghosts wailing, creating an eerie and terrifying atmosphere.
Li Nan Ke and the others waited in the hall for news of Lin Jiao Yue's capture. But as the sky darkened and there was still no movement, they couldn't help but feel anxious.
If a demon like Lin Jiao Yue escaped, it would be a huge disaster.
"My lord!"
A Night Patrol officer hurried in, followed by the chief constable of Dongqi County.
Neither of them brought good news.
According to the chief constable's report, they had searched every corner of Dongqi County, going door to door, but couldn't find any trace of Lin Jiao Yue.
They had even conducted a thorough search of the surrounding wilderness.
It was as if the girl had vanished into thin air.
On the other hand, they had found traces of the Demonic Creature Old Qin. The Night Patrol was already in pursuit, but there was no news yet.
"This is strange. Could she have entered some kind of secret tunnel?" Iron Ox wondered, frowning.
Guo Gang shook his head. "It's unlikely. With such a thorough search, we could even find a mouse hole. Besides, Dongqi County is already under lockdown. She can't escape."
"Can't escape? Maybe she really grew wings and flew away," Meng Xiao Tu said, pouting her lips.
Li Nan Ke sat on the slightly worn wicker chair, his hand supporting his forehead, staring blankly at the ground, lost in thought.
Seeing this, Leng Xinnan didn't disturb him, even though she wanted to ask for his opinion.
But blindly searching like this wasn't a solution.
Leng Xinnan sighed softly. "Lin Jiao Yue is now at a dead end. She can't escape. I think maybe—"
"Dead end!"
Li Nan Ke, who was deep in thought, suddenly stood up, startling everyone.
He paced back and forth a few times, a look of excitement on his handsome face. He counted on his fingers and said,
"That's right, a dead end! It must be a dead end! A cornered animal will fight back!"
Everyone else was confused.
"Hey, have you lost your mind?" Meng Xiao Tu exclaimed.
Li Nan Ke ignored her completely. He stopped abruptly, his eyes shining with an indescribable excitement, and clapped his hands.
"I know where she is!"
Everyone was dumbfounded, looking as if they had seen a ghost.
No way, he figured it out just like that?
Li Nan Ke didn't tell them Lin Jiao Yue's location but walked towards the door alone.
"I'll go find her!"
"We'll go with you!"
Leng Xinnan, worried about the man's safety, quickly followed.
But Li Nan Ke stopped her with a serious expression.
"None of you are allowed to follow. If you do, she'll have a chance to escape. She's waiting for me, she must be waiting for me!"
With that, he rushed out the door.
Leaving behind a group of bewildered people looking at each other, countless question marks popping up above their heads.
But soon, Li Nan Ke ran back in.
"Does anyone have a firearm, or a long-range weapon, even a hidden weapon will do!"
Seeing everyone standing there in a daze, Li Nan Ke shouted.
"Hurry up! If you don't have one, go find one for me!"
"Here."
Caiyun, dressed in an apricot-yellow dress, took out a delicate firearm and handed it to Li Nan Ke.
Although this delicate firearm crafted by the Divine Mechanism Sect couldn't compare to the one Li Nan Ke had in the Red Rain dream, at least it could be fired in reality.
"Be careful, it only has one bullet," Caiyun reminded him.
Li Nan Ke smiled faintly.
"One bullet is enough!"
...
The cliff, shrouded in darkness, seemed to hold up half the sky.
Looking ahead, a peak pierced the clouds.
Below the cliff was the Panlong River, which flowed through Fengling and Dongmo. As far as the eye could see, the waves surged and crashed, a treacherous sight.
Unlike the scenic Cuihong Mountain, this dangerous cliff located in the southern suburbs of Dongqi County was rarely visited.
Because below was the perilous river. If someone fell, there was little chance of survival.
Even their body wouldn't be recovered.
As Li Nan Ke arrived under the cover of night, he saw a slender figure standing at the top of the cliff.
Who else could it be but Lin Jiao Yue?
Seeing Li Nan Ke slowly approaching, Lin Jiao Yue took a step back, her heels touching the edge of the cliff.
The roaring of the river below was clearly audible.
Realizing that if he continued forward, the girl would really jump, Li Nan Ke stopped.
He was ten meters away from her.
"Li Nan Ke, you really didn't disappoint me."
The girl said with a sweet smile.
This was the second time Li Nan Ke had met Lin Jiao Yue alone, but the meaning of this encounter was different.
Clearly, Lin Jiao Yue was no longer pretending.
She chose to show her true colors.
"Miss Lin, have you ever thought that it would end like this?"
Li Nan Ke asked, looking at the girl who had the face of an angel but the heart of a viper, his expression complex.
"Raise your hands first, or you'll lose the chance to arrest me," the girl said calmly.
Li Nan Ke obediently raised his hands.
Lin Jiao Yue then sighed softly.
"I thought this day would come, but I didn't expect it so soon. Li Nan Ke, oh Li Nan Ke, why did you have to get involved?"
"Perhaps this is fate's arrangement," the man replied.
Hearing this, a faint sneer appeared on the girl's lips.
"Fate? If fate had eyes, it wouldn't obstruct me again and again, making me fail miserably!"
"You failed because you were too greedy."
Li Nan Ke said calmly, "You're never satisfied, always wanting more, wanting to be above others. This greed has made you lose your humanity, made you cold-blooded like a heartless wretch."
"Haha..."
Lin Jiao Yue laughed, her laughter echoing through the air.
She looked at Li Nan Ke with disdain.
"In this world, who doesn't want to be above others? You're working so hard, like a dog, to solve cases for them, aren't you also hoping to get ahead?"
Li Nan Ke didn't bother to argue with her on this topic and remained silent.
Lin Jiao Yue's beautiful eyes drifted, and she sighed softly.
"In this world, some people are born with a lowly fate, and some are born into wealth and nobility. And I belong to the latter."
"Is that your reason for killing He Qing Yu?" Li Nan Ke asked.
Lin Jiao Yue continued on her own, "Heaven has granted me outstanding beauty, a noble soul, and a brilliant mind. If I had to follow a poor scholar father, eat simple meals, and marry an ordinary person, do you think that would be fair to me?"
"Fairness is not obtained by harming others."
"Oh, please, Li Nan Ke. Don't spout those hypocritical words of morality here. Do you think I'm a three-year-old child? Fairness in this world is inherent."
"But your father had already decided not to disturb you and your mother. He didn't want to ruin your future," Li Nan Ke said in a deep voice.
Lin Jiao Yue's lips curled into a mocking smile.
"A man's words are the least reliable. Otherwise, he wouldn't have abandoned his wife and daughter in the first place. If I become a princess in the future, who can guarantee that he won't threaten me for wealth and glory?"
Li Nan Ke frowned.
"Are you so sure that you can become a princess?"
"Of course, I can't be sure," Lin Jiao Yue said, raising her chin, her eyes sharp.
"But at least, I can continue to be a wealthy young miss, at least I can still enjoy fine clothes and good food, at least I still have the hope of marrying into a powerful and noble family!"