Chapter 29: Call the Police

Chen Dongyang’s eyes lit up with a sudden idea.
With the scope narrowed, could he…

He turned to Jiang Yuxin, voice tinged with suppressed excitement.
“Jiang, since we’ve narrowed it down, can’t you use your mind-reading to…”

“I refuse.”

Jiang Yuxin cut him off coldly, her answer sharp and final, dousing his hopes.

“Why… why not?” Chen Dongyang stammered, stunned.
His point was clear: the school’s staff was a finite group.
With her ability, finding the murderer from over a decade ago should be simple.

“You think it’s easy for me to find the murderer?” Jiang Yuxin shot him a chilling glance, her lips curling with mockery.

It was true—her ability could uncover the culprit eventually.
But she bristled at Chen Dongyang’s assumption.

“Do you know how many faculty and staff are at Nanjiang No. 2 Middle School? Over 170, not counting temps or retirees. You expect me to waste time and energy sifting through the garbage heaps of over a hundred minds—full of bias, desire, trivia, and stupidity—just to find a secret buried for over a decade?”

She paused, her dark eyes flashing with disgust.
“Besides, I’m a germaphobe. Asking me to dive into a murderer’s filthy, twisted mind is like forcing me to swim in a cesspool of trash.”

Her words were harsh, leaving Chen Dongyang speechless.
He realized her ability wasn’t always convenient, especially when it meant touching the “filth” she despised.

“Sorry, I didn’t consider your feelings, Jiang,” he said sincerely.
“I apologize.”

Jiang Yuxin’s lips twitched, dismissing it.
As the atmosphere grew awkward, she shifted gears with an unexpected suggestion.
“Since this has happened,” she said, scanning the grim classroom calmly, “why not call the police?”

Call the police?

The words stunned Chen Dongyang and the Yin sisters.

Yin Xiran reacted first, a spark of surprise in her eyes turning to admiration.
She looked at Jiang Yuxin, recognizing a kindred strategist.
“That’s a solid plan,” she said, clapping lightly.
“Jiang and I are on the same page.”

“What’s so solid about it?” Chen Dongyang asked, confused.
“Won’t calling the police tip off the murderer? If he’s in the school, he’ll hear about it immediately. He could destroy evidence or flee. And the police are just normal people—can they handle the shadow monster?”

“Classmate Chen, you’re missing the point,” Yin Xiran said, shaking her head with a ‘you’re-too-naive’ smile.
“We’re in the dark, and the enemy’s even darker. We don’t know who they are, so we’re stuck waiting for their next move. ‘Alerting the enemy’ is actually our best play.”

She raised a finger, analyzing coolly.
“Calling the police does two things. First, it exposes the skeleton, putting pressure on the murderer. People under pressure slip up. Second, the police will seal the scene and start questioning everyone, doing our work for us—legally. We just watch from the shadows, especially the suspect staff, to see who cracks.”

“As for the shadow monster…” Her smile faded, eyes sharpening.
“It’s tied to the murder. The police investigation will stir it up. Only when the snake slithers out can we see its true form, right?”

Chen Dongyang’s nerves settled, a cold sweat breaking out.
He’d oversimplified things.
They were just high schoolers, sixteen or seventeen, with extraordinary abilities but facing a ruthless murderer who’d hidden for over a decade.
A direct confrontation could be catastrophic.
As Yin Xiran said, they couldn’t afford to play hide-and-seek.
Letting the police take the overt risks while they hunted supernatural clues was safest.

Yin Qingle, silent until now, spoke softly.
“Besides, if we seal the wall and leave… that’s too cruel.”
Her voice carried pity as she glanced at the hole, seeing the soul trapped for over ten years.
“She deserves to see the light again.”

Her words sealed the plan with an emotional, undeniable truth.

No one objected.

They left the old teaching building quickly.
Yin Xiran used her ability to restore the lock, leaving no trace of their entry.

At a secluded street corner outside the school, Jiang Yuxin pulled out her phone and made the call.

The four didn’t disperse immediately.
They found a hidden spot with a view of the school entrance and waited.

Soon, distant sirens pierced the night, growing closer.
Red and blue lights flashed at the street’s end, stopping at Nanjiang No. 2 Middle School’s gate.

Police and school security rushed in.
The four exchanged glances, a silent agreement, and slipped into the dark night.