Bian Rui Xi's situation had been thoroughly investigated by He Xin prior to this. There were no findings of him having a girlfriend, let alone a wife. His sudden revelation now made me doubt him, thinking he might be deliberately lying to stall for time.
However, when he uttered a girl's name, we quickly found her information. It turned out this woman worked at a restaurant in Fuming City. She would visit Bian Rui Xi's home about once a month. We discovered that Mou Le Tong was Bian Rui Xi's girlfriend. The last place her phone signal disappeared was on a hillside. I immediately asked Bian Rui Xi, "Can I see those photos?"
"They're on my phone. Didn't you take my phone? Look for yourself!"
I picked it up and examined it carefully, confirming Bian Rui Xi wasn't lying. Only then did I tell Liu Yu Ning, "Let's go rescue her first. Bian Rui Xi, don't worry, we'll do our best to save her. You'll be protected here at the police station. If you have more information, tell us everything. If the case is solved, there's a good chance we can argue for leniency!"
"I understand. Please, I truly just acted out of momentary greed for money, and then there was Mou Le Tong's issue. Otherwise, I would never have killed my brother!"
Liu Yu Ning cursed, "You must think that with money, you wouldn't have to bother with Mou Le Tong, right? Actually, your main motive was that inheritance!"
"I admit I thought that way, but isn't that normal? Anyway, you should hurry and save her. I don't know how Mou Le Tong is doing now."
Liu Yu Ning was about to say more, but I pulled her away. Together, we left the interrogation room. With He Xin's help, we quickly found the hill where Mou Le Tong's signal had vanished. It was located on the outskirts of Fuming City, far from the city center, and extremely desolate. If Ji Le Feng Man Lou had brought her here to kill her and then leave, no one would have likely known.
We ascended the mountain and discovered a village halfway up. However, there seemed to be no one around. Liu Yu Ning and I drew our guns and searched the area. In a dilapidated courtyard, we found a large burlap sack.
At first, we both thought Mou Le Tong had met her end. Who knew that when we went to open the sack, we found not a corpse, but a pile of stones. At that moment, something within the stones began to tremble.
I told Liu Yu Ning to step back and kicked the stones. Several snakes emerged and lunged at me. They intended to bite me, but I quickly subdued them and threw them to the ground. The snakes were crushed to death. As their mouths opened, they spat out several strips of paper.
I picked them up and pieced them together, finding some writing on them: "I knew you'd come here. Look closely, what kind of place is this? Haha!"
As soon as I finished reading the words, the doors around the courtyard slammed shut. I then noticed that this place was a courtyard house, but compared to my home, it was exceptionally old and dark. There were no plants inside, completely bare. However, in the east, we could see towering pavilions, all connected, with several circular windows opened in the center.
Countless willow trees were planted near the pavilions, many of their branches swaying. In front of them was a pool of stagnant water, with an arched bridge spanning it. On both sides were many stone platforms. We heard strange hissing sounds nearby, indicating there were more snakes. Liu Yu Ning said nervously, "Be careful!"
Several snakes crawled out of the water, constantly flicking their forked tongues and exhaling a foul breath, as if they hadn't eaten in a long time. Their eyes fixated on us.
I recognized them as cobras, the kind we'd heard about, but this was my first time seeing them in person.
These snakes were extremely ferocious, and it seemed unlikely the two of us could handle them. As they began to approach, we both retreated a few steps, maintaining a certain distance. Unexpectedly, a man's mocking voice echoed from upstairs: "Consultant He, ah, no! I should call you Team Leader He now. And Officer Liu, do you two know why I left that phone signal? It was to lure you here!"
"I originally thought you'd bring many people, but I didn't expect only the two of you. This isn't as fun, but it's alright. At least you're in charge of the Punishment Squad. If I eliminate you, your team will be leaderless, and my plan will succeed!"
"Are you Ji Le Feng Man Lou?" I probed, intentionally testing him as the cobras continued to advance.
"Haha, if you say I am, then I am. It must have been Bian Rui Xi who told you! I knew his mouth couldn't keep secrets. Luckily, I've already fulfilled my promise. Mou Le Tong is already dead!"
Just as he finished speaking, a woman was dragged up from above the pavilion by a rope. In mid-air, the woman raised her hands, mechanically spinning once. Ropes entangled her back, making her look like a puppet!
After spinning a few times by herself, she suddenly plummeted downwards, hitting the ground with a sickening crack as her neck broke. We never expected to witness such a scene, and our hearts constricted.
I recognized the girl as Mou Le Tong. Startled, the cobras, however, did not panic. They all turned and charged towards the corpse, their gaping mouths tearing at the flesh.
Within ten minutes, the corpse was reduced to bones by the cobras. The scene made Liu Yu Ning and me gasp. The voice from above then said, "Did you see? You two don't need to rush. Your fate will soon be the same as Mou Le Tong's. This is the consequence of opposing me. I'm truly curious, how dare you two come here? You've exceeded my expectations."
"Ji Le Feng Man Lou, you can't escape! I know you're somewhere in those pavilions. Are you planning another game with us? Forget it. We won't play your games anymore. Even if you broadcast it, we won't compromise. Come down immediately!"
"If you want to find me, come up! I really want to see you arrest me with your own hands. Do you think I'm stupid enough to come down myself?"
Liu Yu Ning and I exchanged glances. She was about to reach for her radio, but I stopped her. "Not yet. Let's go up and face him!"
"Aren't you afraid of an ambush up there?"
"No, he's not here!"
"What?" Liu Yu Ning looked at me in surprise.