Chapter 123 The Hunchbacked Shadow (10)
The body is real, but the murderer they're looking for is fake.
Anyone can lie, but Erice has no reason to lie. There is only one lie in all the clues, and that lie is the murderer himself.
Pinheis wanted to stage a murder, and Xiao Jiang was the witness.
She guessed that Pigne might be up to something, but she never expected that the nun would be one of Pigne's people.
Those familiar with these intricacies of human relationships can roughly understand the situation just by looking at the files.
Such a resume is likely the result of the Pinheid Council planting their own agents in the church. So even with an impressive resume and excellent knowledge, she has remained an ordinary nun in an orphanage for more than a decade.
Indeed, if the nun hadn't made her judgment after seeing the corpse Xiao Jiang brought, Pigne wouldn't have so quickly withdrawn Xiao Jiang's original mission.
They persuaded Wei Shengqianheng to have the Yangsong Church testify, fabricating clues that did not exist in the first place.
After pointing all the finger at himself, he then committed murder in front of Xiao Jiang, creating a new death scene and a completely new murderer and victim to present to the public.
As for the identity of the nun herself, she could be an assassin of Intoli, or a representative of an anti-government organization, depending on how Pines wanted to use her.
The person killed must not be a Manla patient, and the act must be able to incite public outrage.
Shu Ningmiao had already guessed who it was.
Erici.
A girl born in a new land but studying in Cornunos, who has just been rescued from the Achini incident and whose story is still fresh in the news.
—Even more disastrous, she was still in contact with Prometheus.
From the moment she entered the orphanage, Shu Ningmiao's vague suspicions were finally answered. How kind of nun must she be to leave a strange man in an orphanage full of children?
Unless she knows who this person is and what Eric is doing.
The body was only discovered by Xiao Jiang yesterday, yet the operation has progressed so quickly—the nun named Yin had long planned to use this opportunity to eliminate Prometheus's remaining followers, but before she could act, the man was killed.
In that case, it kills three birds with one stone: it can separate this murder from Pandora and Manra disease, guide a new wave of public opinion, and also take care of Prometheus's remaining followers.
Since entering the new area, all the clues that Xiao Jiang has discovered have been intentionally arranged by her. Even obtaining the rescue team's pass was a carefully planned play.
On the surface, it appeared to be Xiao Jiang's spontaneous action, but in reality, it was all guided in secret by those people in the Pinheis military—behind all of this, there was an invisible hand pushing things along.
The real murderer deliberately killed Kuai Song and left her body exposed near the orphanage so that Xiao Jiang could discover it.
Xiao Jiang, who discovered the body, will definitely follow the trail to the orphanage.
The nun's identity, every judgment of Pinheis, and every step of his plan were all within his expectations.
Only now did Shu Ningmiao understand.
There were only two players playing this game of chess from beginning to end.
She and that person.
His real target wasn't that unknown middle-aged man, but Eric.
This was revenge for Erice's perverse sense of humor, and a small warning to her.
Perhaps as revenge, two years later, when Eric secretly relayed a message for Arsia, which led Shu Changyan to successfully find a way to resurrect her without his knowledge, and the whole world was thrown into chaos and restarted.
If time hadn't been reversed, the world would have been in chaos, and this person would likely have already achieved their goal.
Shu Ningmiao didn't know what this person wanted to do, but the future he wanted was definitely not the future that most people hoped for, nor the future that Arcia longed for.
Xiao Jiang sighed and put his arm around her shoulder: "Why are you so serious?"
Shu Ningmiao turned around and looked up at her: "Why do you want to find out the truth?"
"You want to ask me how I'm different from them, knowing this isn't simple, yet still foolishly getting involved, right? I'm actually not a very kind person, I've killed quite a few people, I've never thought about going to heaven, I'm just stubborn." Xiao Jiang smiled strangely: "I can't think that much. There's a path in front of me, if I can't figure it out, I just keep walking forward, and I'll understand when I get there."
She grabbed Shu Ningmiao's hand and lifted it up. Shu Ningmiao looked up and felt the wind brushing against her fingertips. The free wind changed angles, as if it had a physical shape, and she could hear a surging sound.
"Don't be upset." The wind made her coat flutter and dance. Xiao Jiang revealed a row of strong white teeth and just smiled at her: "Otherwise, I would feel that I made a big mistake by dragging you into this."
When they returned to the orphanage, it was already dark. The place was cramped and poorly lit to begin with, and now it was even darker. As expected, Zhao told them that the nun had disappeared when they returned, and even without direct evidence, it could be ruled as an escape.
The children in the orphanage gathered around, looking bewildered. Erici, her eyes filled with worry, kept saying that her mother had never left the orphanage in all these years, and wondered if something had happened.
Xiao Jiang wouldn't talk about these things in front of the children, so she fed them some loose candy—the only thing you could buy on Xindi Road—and that was enough to get rid of them all.
Zhao suggested that they shouldn't alert the enemy, and that they should stay overnight and discuss the matter again tomorrow.
Shu Ningmiao understood what he meant and didn't say anything. Shu Changyan helped her make the bed, and she sat on the edge of the bed, not closing her eyes until midnight.
As night fell, the stars emerged from the sky, and the air was chillingly cold. Shu Ningmiao pushed open the door, and in the utter silence, only a thin sliver of moonlight shone on the ground, and the shadows of the trees swayed and made soft sounds.
Someone quickly stepped in front of her, meeting her clear-eyed gaze.
The person spoke, and the beautiful moonlight illuminated a familiar face so close to his, like a ghost wandering in the night: "Little sister, it's getting late, you should go to sleep, it's good for your skin."
He wasn't going to listen to her reply, and simply held out his hand: "Tired."
As he spoke, a wave of intense fatigue and drowsiness surged from between her brows, irresistibly pulling her to close her eyes. Suddenly, Shu Ningmiao reached out and flung him away, the force so great that it made his chest ache.
Zhao clutched the clothes at her chest, her eyes glazed over, almost unable to see clearly. Shu Ningmiao frowned, pinching her tiger's mouth with her fingertips: "Get away."
That's ruthless. His willpower is terrifyingly strong. He actually managed to break free from the properties he had given him. Although it was just simple hypnosis, there are probably fewer than a handful of people who can ignore his superpowers.
Zhao let out a weak breath: "Sister, I'm not a free person, I have to work too."
Shu Ningmiao said, "A job where you're being exploited without even realizing it?"
His brows furrowed: "What?"
"The hermit nun."
“...You really know a lot.” Zhao said, “This nun is one of the spies that Pinne has secretly trained. Don’t worry, it’s all work. The nun is just a disguise. She has no feelings for children. Don’t worry about her holding back.”
"Don't block my way." Shu Ningmiao had no time for jokes. She put her hand on the hilt of her sword behind her back. Before she knew it, she had opened her tennis bag, revealing a familiar longsword: "I'll only say this once."
There was a genuine, chilling killing intent in her eyes; such decisive and ruthless action clearly indicated she wasn't some fragile tiger.
"How fierce. You have to be gentle with a valuable support talent like me." He pondered for a long time, and finally said, "Alright, I can turn a blind eye, but you'll owe me a favor... No, Shu Changyan has to owe me one too, the mission report is hard to write."
Shu Ningmiao didn't take his words seriously at all. She brushed past him and then realized that Ai Ruiji was sitting on the steps of the courtyard not far away, and hadn't slept until late at night.
Zhao had been standing right there, observing her the whole time.
Observe when that woman will make her move.
Noticing Shu Ningmiao's undisguised footsteps, Eric turned around and saw that it was her, and for some reason breathed a sigh of relief.
She always felt that there were other people in the courtyard, but she didn't dare to look around. The aftermath of the murder still lingered in the land, and Sister Mother had disappeared without a trace. After experiencing all these things, she no longer dared to be so bold.
Water was pooling under the eaves, and handmade wind chimes made of pine cones by children hung overhead, tinkling softly in the wind.
Erice covered her burning face with her cold hands, then listlessly poked at the grass growing between the steps. With her superpower, the thin grass sprouted needle-like heads, rustling softly.
She propped her cheek up with her hand: "My mother is missing now too, and I can't sleep."
Shu Ningmiao ignored her anxious murmurs and simply asked, "Why did you bring that Prometheus person back?"
“He’s a good man.” Eric looked at her with those doubtful eyes. “Before he joined Prometheus, he was just an ordinary excavator. He had no special abilities, hadn’t done anything bad, and was very kind to the children.”
A few months ago, Shu Ningmiao would have simply said indifferently, "Good people can't solve problems."
But she didn't say anything.
Eric bent down and buried his face in his knees: "My mother is the person I trust the most, and the orphanage is my home. If I hadn't brought him here, I don't know where else I could have taken him."
Shu Ningmiao's cold gaze made even the little grass beside her wilt: "If the murderer isn't caught, even if school reopens, you won't be able to go back."
“If we can’t go back, we can’t go back.” Eric hugged one knee, his fingers idly tracing the supple grass. “Now I think Pine isn’t so good after all. Staying in the new land might be more suitable for me. I’ll help Sister Liang take care of Prometheus, but don’t have too high hopes for me.”
"Oh." She belatedly realized, "...Then this might be the last time we see each other."
Having crossed thousands of kilometers and over high walls thanks to a supernatural ability she accidentally awakened, her beautiful dream is finally about to end. Someone like her was always just an unattainable moonlight to her.
“My mother is very good to me, but there are so many children in the orphanage, I have to study very hard to get more attention.”
She suddenly became very talkative: "No matter what, I want to be more valuable and more outstanding in other people's eyes. I'm such a selfish person, and I'm working hard for this. So when I arrived in Cornunos, I suddenly felt like I didn't exist anymore. I did so much, just to make my mother think that I'm good outside, have friends, am respected, and am accepted and loved by others."
She didn't look up to see Shu Ningmiao's expression.
Having lost her parents, she grew up in an orphanage living in a large family. Her kind and sensitive nature left her with a persistent sense of unease. The nun was the only person she could rely on, and she longed for her love.
Shu Ningmiao spoke to her in a rare, calm tone, usually with an air of pride that she didn't want to waste her breath: "When I was little, I felt that my family didn't love me that much. It seemed that love was conditional if I didn't grow into a beautiful and graceful branch."
“I am vengeful, stubborn, domineering, and unreasonable. To this day, I am unwilling to reconcile with my father because I feel that everyone should love me unconditionally and wholeheartedly.”
Erica pursed her lips, unsure whether to laugh or cry, but it did sound like something she would say.
Shu Ningmiao smiled and said, "Demanding that others love you is the greatest arrogance."
“I really hate Su Ni, and I also hate the new mother who interfered in my family. At that time, I thought what I lacked was love.” She slowly stood up, with a cold smile: “But in reality, what I wanted was something more important.”
“To be treated with respect as a human being.” She placed her hand on the hilt of the sword at her waist, while Erice watched her, oblivious: “Power, resources, and freedom that can truly be held in one’s own hands.”
“When I first decided what I wanted to do and what I could do,” she lowered her eyes, the gleaming light of half a sword reflecting the coldness in her eyes as bright as day: “I discovered that whether I am loved or not doesn’t seem to matter that much. I can’t decide whether others love me, but I can decide whether others respect me. Perhaps I will never receive 100% of my parents’ love, but I can give my love to anyone in the world as I please.”
Eric's fingers twitched inexplicably, and he heard a clanging sound as he flicked his sword.
"Freedom is..." With that soft sound, Shu Ningmiao's voice clearly reached her ears: "You don't need to be seen anymore."
Blood dripped down like beads, and a faint line of blood appeared on the woman's slender neck. Several seconds passed before the blood gushed out.
Eric felt the wet liquid splashed on the back of his neck, and as if struck by lightning, he slowly turned his head, his movements instantly freezing.
The woman, who usually had a peaceful expression, looked at her expressionlessly, her head drooping limply as if her neck had been broken.
It wasn't until she fell to the ground and her mother's meticulously styled long hair was broken that Eric suddenly realized that most of her hair was white.
When her memory was still hazy, her mother was a young nun who took care of her gracefully, gently, and meticulously, and would bend down to kiss her dirty little face.
Love is an illusion that is easily doubted.
The bloody scene instantly pierced his mind, and Erice let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"Mother!"
The last trace of color disappeared from Erice's face.
"Don't cry." The moonlight was still, and Shu Ningmiao was very close to her, yet seemed very far away: "It's over."
-----------------------
Author's note: Things will get easier later on!
Shu Changyan's Year-End Summary
This year, perhaps the most important thing for you was food. You searched for food-related keywords 12 times: #eggtart filling recipe, #bread baking, #weapon maintenance, #love-filled bento box, #hair braiding tutorial...
You searched for "how to properly annul an engagement" and browsed 25 related articles in one go. Did you find the answer that day as you wandered around in curiosity?
At 4:59 AM on February 3rd, you were still searching for information about "lucid dreams." What kind of complex problem made you give up on sleep?
This year, you initiated 291 conversations with 6 contacts. [N] is the person you care about the most, and you sent a total of 279 messages to them. Has your relationship become warmer?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
