The man in grey, holding a crossbow, spoke, and silence fell from the other end of the phone for a few seconds.
"Injure, but do not kill. Clean up the evidence!"
Injure, but do not kill?
The man in grey hesitated. "But Sister Er meant for Qin He to be dealt with—"
A hoarse, chilling chuckle echoed from the other end of the phone.
The man in grey’s heart lurched.
This was the organization’s second-in-command! Sister Er only worked for him!
He immediately said, "Understood! Your subordinate will ensure it's handled cleanly!"
"And?"
"Qin He's life will absolutely not be harmed!"
By the Swan Lake, Qin He frowned. The shoe prints on the wall were faint, but the police could still glean a lot of information from them.
The height, weight, and gait of the footprint's owner.
Once these were identified, coupled with surveillance footage from the surrounding area, there would undoubtedly be some clues.
Qin He observed her surroundings with keen senses.
She glanced at her watch, calculating the time. In at most ten minutes, Qin family members should arrive.
The wind blew through the campus, carrying a hint of desolation.
Qin He hadn't stood there for long when she vaguely saw another figure appear on the path she had taken.
She frowned, her tension immediately rising.
With the incident involving Xiang Mingjun having just occurred, no students should have been around.
As the figure drew closer, she could make out the basketball uniform. Qin He relaxed her tense brows as she recognized the person's build.
"Yilin, why are you here?"
Shen Yilin, still holding a basketball, hurried over.
"I just finished playing ball. I heard someone asking for directions towards Swan Lake, so I thought it might be you, sis."
Shen Yilin's basketball jersey was soaked with sweat at the collar. The setting sun cast a dappled golden light on him.
"I heard about what happened with Mingxue and Gu Ranran. I've asked some classmates for details, but they're not very clear. Sis, are you here to look for clues?"
Qin He nodded. She was still on guard, and Shen Yilin's presence here made her unable to guarantee his safety.
"Yilin, I still have some things to attend to. I'll find you later. You should go back now."
Shen Yilin seemed to want to say something but stopped, his gaze fixed on Qin He.
He hadn't seen his sister in a long time, but he also knew that she was currently busy with Mingxue and Gu Ranran's matters.
"Is there anything I can help with?" Shen Yilin asked sincerely.
Qin He gave a faint smile.
"It's nothing. I'm just planning to look around here for a bit longer. You should go back."
Shen Yilin pursed his lips, clutching his basketball, and turned away with a hint of disappointment.
"If there's anything you need me to inquire about with classmates, remember to tell me, sis."
"Okay, I know." Qin He smiled and urged him on.
Only when Shen Yilin turned his back and prepared to leave did she finally relax.
A faint whistling sound suddenly cut through the air. Qin He caught a glimpse of movement in her peripheral vision and immediately rolled forward.
The metallic crossbow bolt landed on the stone floor with a loud thud.
Shen Yilin, who had only taken a few steps, turned his head.
Qin He had already evaded the second volley. The crossbow bolts that landed on the floor had pierced through the thick stone, splintering it into a spiderweb pattern.
Qin He's expression turned cold.
It was over!
The penetrative power of these bolts was far greater than she had imagined. If one of them had hit the shoe prints on the wall, it would have undoubtedly obliterated the already faint marks!
The shooter clearly realized this, as the next bolt was aimed directly at the wall.
Qin He gritted her teeth. She had no tools to counter a crossbow bolt!
In an instant, a basketball flew through the air, striking the edge of the crossbow bolt. The ball burst and deflated, but it deflected the arrow's trajectory!
The steel arrow struck the wall not far from the footprints, kicking up a cloud of dust and stone fragments.
Qin He's expression instantly turned icy!
She quickly scanned her surroundings. There was nothing here! Only some puddles of water left from when the area was drained.
The man in grey with the crossbow aimed at the wall again!
Qin He gritted her teeth and quickly took off her jacket, tossing it into a nearby puddle. The next second, she swung her arm.
The water-logged jacket, given an extra twist, was flung with great speed towards the crossbow!
The steel bolt clanged onto the ground!
Qin He stared at the man not far away and shouted, "You probably don't have many of these arrows, do you?"
The man did not respond. His face was covered by a mask, so Qin He couldn't see his face, and her attempt to draw him into conversation failed.
The man remained silent, loading another steel arrow onto the crossbow.
Shen Yilin had already rushed to Qin He's side.
"Sis, I'm here. You should go!"
"I can't leave. There are clues here. This person is trying to destroy the clues. He must be connected to the murderer!" Or, he is the murderer.
Shen Yilin's expression became grave.
He carefully shielded Qin He.
In a flash, the man in grey with the crossbow had reloaded the bolt!
Qin He gritted her teeth. In her haste and exertion, she had lost her finesse in that last swing!
Her arm was slightly twisted.
"Sis, be careful!" Shen Yilin exclaimed.
He was sweating profusely with anxiety. The opponent was armed, and he had nothing. He didn't know how to protect his sister!
After deflecting two more steel arrows, Qin He gritted her teeth. It seemed this man was well-prepared!
Her hands trembled slightly, her eyes sharp! It seemed her rehabilitation exercises these past few months weren't intense enough!
Qin He stared fixedly in the direction of the man in grey. She absolutely could not give up now!
If the marks on the wall were destroyed by this man, there would be no other clues, and Mingxue might truly be deemed the murderer!
Qin He thought of the camera in her bag. She pulled it out and thrust it into Shen Yilin's hands.
"Yilin! Take this and leave!"
Shen Yilin said anxiously, "No, I can't leave first."
How could he leave his sister alone here!
"Listen to me and go back! The police will be here soon. Hand this camera to them! Tell them the camera likely recorded classmates who were dating in the woods. Have them question those classmates one by one to see if they saw Mingxue that night. That way, we'll know."
Not only that, but the camera's owner was also a clue!
Qin He looked at Shen Yilin, her voice stern. "This is very important to me! Listen to me, leave now."
"We'll go together."
Shen Yilin cradled the camera, refusing to leave her side!
Qin He, gritting her teeth, swept away another steel arrow with her soaked jacket.
She narrowed her eyes.
As long as she was here today, she would absolutely not allow this person to destroy the clues!
The sound of police sirens echoed from a distance. Shen Yilin's eyes lit up!
"Sis, the police are here!"
The man in grey nearby also showed signs of panic. The crossbow bolts flew faster.
Qin He found it increasingly difficult to cope!