Chapter 31: Discussion

In the coffee shop, the soft clink of cups and murmurs of conversation filled the air, a stark contrast to the group’s tense discussion.

“Something to drink?” Yin Xiran slid the menu toward Chen Dongyang, her smile perfect but teasing.

“No, thanks,” Chen Dongyang declined, waving a hand.
His mind was too tangled for coffee.
He needed answers about the morning’s shocking twist.

“So…” His voice was dry, eyes flicking between Yin Xiran and Jiang Yuxin.
“Our plan last night failed completely, right? The wall’s back to normal, the body’s gone, and now there’s a new victim…”

His tone carried raw self-blame and frustration, a cold grip tightening around his heart.

“Failed?”

Yin Xiran’s expression didn’t falter; instead, it sharpened with focus.
“Classmate Chen, why so pessimistic?”
She prodded a lemon slice in her glass, ice clinking crisply.
“On the contrary, last night was a surprising success.”

Chen Dongyang and Yin Qingle exchanged confused looks.

Yin Xiran set down her straw and leaned forward, eyes gleaming like a hunter spotting prey.
“Why did we call the police? To stir the pot. And it worked.”

“The wall was repaired, the body vanished, and we left right after the police arrived. What does that tell us? The killer in the shadows has some supernatural power—maybe like mine, maybe cognitive manipulation, or an illusion. They handled a major ‘problem’ quickly and quietly. That’s valuable intel.”

“As for the second victim…” Her tone darkened.
“It’s tragic, but it exposes the enemy’s biggest weakness.”

“Weakness?” Chen Dongyang asked, lost.

“They’re impatient,” Jiang Yuxin interjected, taking a sip of water.
Her calm voice sealed Yin Xiran’s analysis.
“Our actions threatened them. They feared their crimes from over a decade ago being exposed, so they panicked. Panic leads to mistakes, loopholes. They staged a new ‘suicide’ to divert the police, maybe even to taunt us.”

Her gaze settled on Chen Dongyang.
“And why kill an old librarian? Unlike the senior’s ritualistic death, this feels rushed, urgent. They’re desperate to cut off clues, not realizing that’s a clue itself.”

Chen Dongyang listened, dazed.
Given time, he might’ve pieced it together, but their quick thinking—already anticipating this when they called the police—stunned him.

“What’s next?” he asked, instinctively deferring to them.

“Simple,” Yin Xiran said, tapping the news article’s “City Librarian” text.
“They gave us a new lead. We follow it.”

“The city library?” Yin Qingle asked, voice soft with unease.
“But the police have probably been there…”

“They’ll check surface things—relationships, finances,” Jiang Yuxin said coolly.
“They won’t find what we’re after: the ‘abnormal’ things the librarian encountered before death, why he was targeted. We need his recent movements, contacts, and any odd behavior in the past week or month.”

She paused.
“And since he was a librarian, he spent most of his time in one place. That makes it easier.”

The plan was set: Nanjiang City Library.

Chen Dongyang looked at the two girls, their intelligence and composure far beyond their years.
Compared to them, his thoughts felt childish, inadequate.

But a darker thought slithered into his mind.
Had they, last night, truly not foreseen the worst outcome of “alerting the enemy”?
With their cunning, had they anticipated that forcing the murderer’s hand might cost an innocent life?

Jiang Yuxin caught the shift in his expression.
“You’re thinking something rude,” she said, setting down her glass, her cold eyes piercing him.

Chen Dongyang flinched, wanting to deny it, but words failed him.

“Are you wondering if we used an innocent life to advance the investigation?” she asked, her tone devoid of warmth.

His cheeks flushed, embarrassed at being exposed.

“Hmph.” Jiang Yuxin snorted, glancing out the window as if he wasn’t worth another second.
Her voice was flat, stating facts.
“The news says the librarian died around 12:40 this morning. We called the police at 11:50 last night. From the call to the police sealing the building, it took at least half an hour. That means while we were still in the building, the murderer was already targeting their second victim.”

“This wasn’t revenge for alerting them or a hasty diversion. The mastermind had long planned these killings. Our actions just sped up their timeline.”

Her words shattered Chen Dongyang’s doubts, reframing the case’s depth.

“Wait…” Yin Xiran caught the key point first.
“If Jiang’s right, then…”

“Exactly,” Jiang Yuxin said, her gaze sweeping them.
“The one who hid the old building’s secret and the one behind the second ‘suicide’… might not be the same entity.”