Chapter 124: Rising hatred.

Chaos erupted. Liwu shouted, Linlin tried to intervene, Reaper barked like he was cheering and Majesty hissed like he had seen his immortal enemy. Within minutes, the entire team was hustling through town to the hospital, He Xiao Mo groaning in a wheelchair.

Inside, tow residents stared at He Xiao Yi as though the devil himself had checked in. Mothers pulled children closer, nurses whispered.

He Xiao Yi cursed, staring back at them with as much hatred as they gave him.

“What were you thinking, son?” Chief Abby asked him.

He Xiao, unrepentant, muttered, “He deserved it.”

Liwu pinched the bridge of her nose. “We’re supposed to be solving murders, not starting family feuds.”

He Xiao Yi sat down in one of the chairs in the waiting area, his knuckles still raw from the punch that had shattered his brother’s teeth. He was not even that strong, but the strength he had used was out of sheer spite and hatred.

The hospital doors opened. A man and woman walked in. Liwu did not even have to ask who they were there to see. The resemblance between the older man and He Xiao Yi was uncanny. All that was missing in the older man was the bulk and smugness. Well…the money too because he looked like life had gone a few rounds in the ring with him.

He Xiao Yi muttered another silent curse. Liwu moved closer to him, blocking his sight from his parents. But that did not help, his mother’s eyes had already locked onto him, and she broke instantly, rushing forward with trembling arms.

“Xiao Yi…my son…my Yi…” she sobbed, reaching to embrace him.

But Xiao Yi rose and shoved her away, his voice sharp as broken glass. “Stay away from me.”

The words echoed down the sterile corridor. His mother stumbled back, collapsing into a chair, tears streaming. His father’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing, his silence heavier that any accusation.

It was a small town and close community. More town folk poured into the hospital, and they all stared at He Xiao Yi as if he were a monster reborn.

Liwu’s heart clenched. She glared at the town folk, daring them to say or do anything. The other teammates gathered around He Xiao Yi, just like her. They were just as protective of each other as the town folk were of their community.

He Xiao Mo’s wife excused herself, planning a trip to the bathroom. Liwu followed and she cornered the woman. The woman’s eyes darted nervously, hands clenching her purse.

“What happened to He Xiao Yi in this town?” Liwu quizzed.

He Xiao Mo’s wife shook her head, lips pressed tight. “You can arrest me if you want, but I won’t talk. If I were you, I would not look for answers.” She fled, leaving Liwu with more questions than answers.

Liwu followed her out of the bathroom, but walked slower. She found herself near the vending machine, her sharp eyes flicking between He Xiao Yi and his parents. His mother’s sobs were the only noise in the waiting room. It seemed like the town folk were blaming him for that as well with the way they were staring at him.

Linlin made her way towards her and she leaned against the wall, arms folded, trying to look casual but clearly tense. “Did you get anything out of the one you followed to the bathroom?”

“No.” Liwu whispered. “It’s like she was too afraid to talk about it. I need to get him out of here.”

“I agree.” her partner replied.

They approached He Xiao Yi together and Liwu whispered to him that she had something she needed his help with. The whole team left, with the the exception of the chief. At the end of the day, they still had an investigation to conduct.

They returned to the hotel and didn’t bother ordering for outside food. At this point, Liwu was afraid that the townsfolk would poison them. She opened her bag that had a storage space and took out some frozen meals that could be warmed in a microwave.

In addition to that, she brought out a carton of milk and some water. The food was prepared, then they gathered in the small living room in one of ten VIP suits they had.

Liwu distributed the food containers while saying, “We still have a case to solve. I know that what has happened today has all confused, but it is not what brought us here. Xuanji, do we have a cause of death yet?”

Xuanji reactivated the virtual murder board. “It has been ruled a homicide but the exact cause of death is unknown.” He looked at Liwu because she had a question on her mouth and he could smell it already. “Why is it a homicide you ask? Because they found a small needle mark on his head. The coroner was so thorough that he shaved the professor’s hair since it smelled off. That was how he found the injection mark. As for what was injected into the professor, they are still running tests. But whatever it was, it caused his heart to go into overdrive and mimic a heart attack.” He circled the injection site. “The mark is so small that an ordinary coroner would have missed it.”

Liwu sighed. “I was hoping that it was a natural death so that we could leave this town tonight.” She sighed again. “Okay, we spoke to students, administrators, employees, who are we missing?”

Si Jin raised her hand. “Parents. I spoke to a parent that was leaving the office of the school principal with a transfer form for her daughter. She said the same thing Xiao Yi mentioned about pressure to keep up and stiff competition. It is not uncommon for students to collapse in this academy.

She mentioned the Professor particularly and said he was very rigid when it came to grades. Other teachers gave make-up tests, but not him. If you failed his class once, he made you drop out. Even when it meant losing scholarships or losing the opportunity to take college entrance tests. Some children…they couldn’t cope.”

“It has to be a student.” He Xiao Yi insisted. His instincts screamed this, just as they once screamed in the past, in this town. But that past haunted him.

“Then write a profile and explain why.” Liwu told him. “For now, let’s eat dinner first.” If the case had not been solved by tomorrow night, she would activate her bad luck, just to get He Xiao Yi out of this town.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep