Chapter 79: The bloody cost of finding evidence.

As dawn broke, so did Liwu’s peace.

A reporter had taken a photograph of her and her husband having dinner. She was smiling, holding her glass high, toasting to her husband who was also smiling. The headline was merciless: The Bad Luck Detective Dines While Nine Teens Lie Dead.

It was like a storm. Liwu’s phone buzzed endlessly: mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, great grandpa, Chief, colleagues. People flooded the weibo page of the Bureau in One city, demanding answers. Accusations were flung and insults were hurled at the detective that could laugh while tragedy hung over the city. Details of the investigation were leaked, but not what Liwu’s team had discovered, just what the ordinary police had.

“I will handle this.” Weijun said, getting out of bed with his phone in hand. From the look on his face, he was off to fight a media war.

Liwu shook her head. “Nothing you say is going to solve this. Perception is all that matters. To the grieving families, my smile is nothing but indifference. The only way I can get my credibility back is by solving the case.”

He almost said it! ’I told you so.’

Weijun bit his tongue to stop himself from saying those words. Being right did not matter, surviving the crisis did. He was as much in the line of fire as his wife was.

Neither of them bothered with breakfast. Weijun escorted her to the precinct, in his car. But when the car slowed, close to the precinct, they discovered a wall of people blocking the entrance–angry parents, chanting students and reporters with flashing cameras. Signs screamed Justice for the Nine. Their picture from dinner was wide spread on different posters and crossed out with a bright red ’X.’

“Jeez, people work really fast.” She muttered.

Weijun did not say it, but he had a feeling that his uncle Han Ce was involved in the matter. With his connections in every media house in the city, he would have been informed before such news was released. Only the bureau or Han Ce could pull off something like this.

“Turn the car around.” Liwu ordered the driver.

He turned the wheel sharply, leaving the precinct behind.

“Where are we going?” Weijun asked her.

“To the school,” Liwu said. “Reaper has been following Nu Ying since morning. She is on a bus, heading to school right now. I will close this case today, no matter what it takes.” She would use up all her bad luck points, if it was necessary.

****

The school was quiet, its corridors echoing with the faint hum of footsteps of teenagers. Liwu and Weijun found Nu Ying in the counselor’s office. She was there with Linlin and the school guidance counselor. The girl’s eyes were wide, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

Her hair was in a pony tail, a red band holding it up firmly.

Weijun was burning to wrap up the case. He attacked verbally, like a rabid dog. “It was you, wasn’t it? Your friends, they all went to Madam Meng and died one after the other. Only you had a blank fate and only you are alive.”

The girl nearly toppled over from the chair. She looked at the guidance counselor in panic. In turn, the concerned woman eyed the detectives with disapproval.

Liwu pinched her husband. “Shut up.” She hissed. Then she spoke gently, “I apologize for him, ignore his accusation. We just want to know what happened with Madam Meng. She is the suspect, not you. He was just scaring you.”

Nu Ying exhaled loudly. “That scared me.”

“So, tell us about the fate. Why was yours blank?” Linlin asked.

The girl shrugged. “I don’t know, I am not a fate predictor. How can I have answers that Madam Meng herself did not have?” Her voice was flat, almost rehearsed.

The truth resonator in Liwu’s pocket was vibrating.

Liwu studied the girl. She seemed determined not to talk, and they did not have time to waste.

“System, use as many points as you need to help me solve the case. Initiate a major misfortune.”

[0 points left. Major misfortune triggered.]

Suddenly, the windows were blasted open and a heavy wind blew inside. The chair the guidance counselor was sitting in snapped. The woman fell to the ground, feet high in the air. Papers flew, coffee spilled on Liwu’s face.

It was not hot enough to burn off skin, but it made her wince.

Nu Ying burst into laughter and her bag slipped from her shoulder. The room started to shake, as if there was an earthquake.

Weijun reached out to grab Liwu but it was too late. She sailed across the room, her back hit the wall. As she crumpled to the ground, a notebook from Nu Ying’s bag slid to her feet.

The wind opened the pages that were smeared with ink. Despite the pain, Liwu snatched it up before the girl could react.

Inside were dates of death, schedules, maps of roads. Nine names. Each crossed out. There were also polaroids of the victims with a clear time stamp. They were all taken before the police was even made aware of the deaths. They were glued on the pages carefully.

The shaking ceased, as did the wind.

Liwu’s breath caught. “Arrest her.” she bellowed to Linlin.

Linlin could have walked calmly and placed the handcuffs around the girl’s wrists. Instead, she lunged as if Nu Ying was about to escape. Only when the girl was face down, did she handcuff her and pull her to her feet.

The guidance counselor raced out, whether to call the principal or check on other injured students was unknown.

Nu Ying was forced into a chair, and she faced the three adults with a wide smile.

“Why did you do it?” Liwu asked her.

“Because I have a blank fate. I am not a fool, I knew Madam Meng was lying to me. I went to see other fate predictors and they all said the same thing. A blank fate was not a good sign.” She raised her voice. “One of them even said it was a sign of a jinx, that I was meant to die in the most painful way. That bitch lied to me.” She laughed. Stiff, dry sounds like a broken recorder.

She looked unhinged.

The guidance counselor returned with the principal. She looked pale. “What do you mean there was no earthquake? Do you think I am making this up? Look at my office?”

The principal, an older man, with a straight spine and thinning hair looked around. The office was in shambles. “How is that possible? What happened in here?” He looked at Linlin. “Why are you arresting my student?”

Linlin started to explain why.

Meanwhile, Weijun was fussing over Liwu because she was bleeding from the back of her head, where it had hit the wall. “Was this your bad luck again?”

She raised the notebook and winced. “Good luck you mean. We have her. Now, we can arrest her.”

While nobody was paying attention to the door, a girl rushed in, breathing as if she was part of a race. “Principal, Miss Yuan is looking for you. Yu Ning’s locker suddenly opened and lilies poured out. Like the ones in the news. Everyone is freaking out!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep