NIP #629 - Chapter 629
#629 - Chapter 629
Zhao Gang was silent for a moment, then crossed his arms, his tone low but certain: "...Tang Yin was almost dead. Hua Lu saved Tang Yin."
Gao Zhijie leaned against the wall, his eyes slightly narrowed, and sneered: "Maybe it was an act."
"Unlikely." Qian Jin stood by the table, looked up at him, his tone calm but with a hint of certainty.
He paused, and continued: "...You all saw it, right? Those were genuine symptoms of poisoning."
Qian Jin's words plunged the cafeteria into a brief silence, the air seeming to thicken with an invisible pressure. Tang Yin then noticed Hua Lu standing not far away, holding Xiao Mie in her arms, quietly coaxing it with her head lowered. Unlike usual, she wasn't wearing her signature ink-black coat, but rather a simple white dress that made her figure appear even more slender.
"It seems Tang Yin and Hua Lu are both human." Zhao Gang suddenly said, his tone carrying a hint of relief.
Gao Zhijie frowned, his eyes flickering: "Then..."
"Wait." Qin Ming, who had been silent all along, suddenly interrupted him, his voice low but with an undercurrent of suppressed anger, "The murderer isn't Mom."
Everyone's eyes turned to Madam Chen Xiang.
She sat in the deepest part of the cafeteria, her fingers tightly clutching her apron, the tips turning slightly white from the force. She kept her head down, her face pale, as if pushed to some limit, yet still gritting her teeth, stubbornly maintaining her silence.
Tang Yin slowly spoke, breaking the oppressive atmosphere: "...Besides me, weren't there others who ate the mixed congee at the time, Qin Ming?"
Qin Ming paused, looked up at Tang Yin, and nodded: "...Yeah, but no one ate it after you got sick. But the poison probably wasn't in the pot."
"The poison was probably on your bowl." Qin Ming added, his tone tinged with hesitation.
Qian Jin pushed up his glasses, his gaze sweeping over everyone like a blade: "Or the poison was added while serving the rice."
"It wasn't me!! I didn't do it!!" Madam Chen Xiang suddenly raised her head, her voice sharp and trembling, her eyes filled with near-desperate denial.
Qian Jin's tone remained calm, but with a hint of cold scrutiny: "...Madam Chen Xiang, I'm not targeting you, but, theoretically speaking, you are indeed the most suspicious person."
"I know!" Chen Xiang's voice was almost a shout, her eyes slightly red-rimmed, tears welling up, "Because I was the only one at the counter at the time, but it really wasn't me, I didn't add any poison!"
Qin Ming frowned, his tone low but firm: "I said the utensils were all on the shelf, right? No one was paying attention there at the time, anyone could have added poison, right?"
"No," Qian Jin shook his head, his tone calm, "On the contrary, precisely because everyone could see there, any suspicious behavior would have been more easily noticed, right?"
He paused, fixing his gaze on Madam Chen Xiang again: "Besides, you were the one who took the utensils before serving the rice, right? Are you saying you yourself are the murderer?"
"She has no motive!" Qin Ming suddenly interjected, his voice tinged with anxiety.
Qian Jin sneered, his tone meaningful: "That's right then. Moreover, the utensils don't have names on them. You wouldn't be able to target Tang Yin unless you personally handed out the bowls, right?"
The atmosphere in the cafeteria instantly became oppressive. Everyone's expressions were extremely complex, as if lies and truth were invisibly clashing in this small space.
Qin Ming's voice suddenly rose, filled with suppressed anger and anxiety: "I know! But please think carefully! Whenever something like this happens, Mom is definitely the first one to be suspected, right!"
His gaze swept over everyone, his fists clenched tightly, his knuckles white from the force, "In this situation where she could easily be exposed, what benefit would she get from poisoning Tang Yin!"
Qian Jin pushed up his glasses, frowning as if contemplating something. He was silent for a moment, then sighed: "Qin Ming, I don't want to say this, but..."
"Maybe the wolf is thinking that even if she has to sacrifice herself, she has to eliminate the snake." Zhao Gang interrupted Qian Jin, his tone calm, as if stating a simple fact, but it made the atmosphere in the entire cafeteria even more stagnant. He coldly swept his gaze around, and continued: "...We can't just let Qian Jin play the bad guy in this matter."
Zhao Gang's gaze stopped on Madam Chen Xiang, his tone carrying a hint of gentleness: "However, personally, I believe in Sister Chen Xiang."
He paused, his eyes gradually becoming deeper, as if recalling something, "For Sister Chen Xiang, if it were to protect Qin Yi, she would definitely slaughter us all, rather than just kill Tang Yin. And, even if things were exposed, she wouldn't make excuses."
Zhao Gang slightly curled the corners of his mouth, his smile bitter yet carrying a hint of respect: "Her maternal love is just that startling."
Tang Yin was slightly stunned, Zhao Gang's words shocking him. Clearly understanding her so well, yet still loving her deeply...
Zhao Gang's feelings for Chen Xiang were obvious, and Tang Yin wanted to sincerely wish this couple well.
Tang Yin lowered his head, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, then raised his head, and said solemnly: "I also believe in you, Madam Chen Xiang."
He looked at Chen Xiang, his eyes sincere and firm: "...Judging from circumstantial evidence, she is indeed very suspicious, but I believe her character is enough to offset this suspicion."
"Moreover," Tang Yin looked at Zhao Gang, his tone carrying a hint of ease, "I'm willing to believe Zhao Gang's analysis, after all, he also believes in me."
Gao Zhijie snorted coldly, interjecting: "We can't execute anyone today. We'll talk about tomorrow tomorrow."
His tone was full of weariness, clearly not interested in the dispute before him.
With Gao Zhijie's words, the tense atmosphere finally eased a little. Except for Chen Xiang and her son, the others gradually left the cafeteria, their footsteps echoing in the empty space.
When he reached the door, Gao Zhijie suddenly stopped, turning his head to look at Wang Lina: "Oh right, Lina, where's my gun?"
Wang Lina's expression changed slightly, her tone somewhat hesitant: "...That..."
Zhao Gang waved his hand, his tone relaxed: "Don't worry, Lina, Old Man Gao is fine now."
Tong Xiaoliang suddenly exclaimed: "Ah, found it..."
Everyone turned to look, and the hunting rifle was leaning against the wall of the cafeteria, surprisingly conspicuous.
Only...
Gao Zhijie walked over, carefully inspected it, and his brows furrowed: "...Where's the bolt?"
Wang Lina lowered her head, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz: "...Threw it into the thick fog."
Gao Zhijie's expression froze, then he sighed helplessly. While unhappily muttering something, he took the hunting rifle from Tong Xiaoliang and turned to walk into the depths of the fog outside the cafeteria. His figure gradually blended into the night, leaving only a blurred outline.
Wang Lina raised her head, forcing a smile, but that smile seemed particularly tired in the dim light: "...I feel like I'm so useless."
Her hand unconsciously clenched the corner of her clothes, her fingertips trembling slightly, as if trying to suppress some kind of emotion.
"You did the right thing." Zhao Gang leaned against the wall, his tone carrying a hint of comfort, "It really should be disassembled. If you threw the whole gun away, someone would definitely suspect you of hiding it, right?"
Wang Lina bit her lower lip and said in a low voice: "...I can't take it anymore, everyone is so suspicious, when will the fog dissipate?"
Qian Jin raised his head from the table, pushed up his glasses, his tone as calm as ever: "Don't worry, we'll have a direction tomorrow."
Everyone nodded, the atmosphere easing slightly, and they got up to leave. They simply said goodnight to each other, but until the end, Hua Lu never said a word to Tang Yin. Her back looked lonely and indifferent in the dim light, as if there was an invisible barrier separating her, blocking all of Tang Yin's probing and concern.
...
Back in his room, Tang Yin made the bed and sat down cross-legged. His movements were slow and steady, but his eyes showed a calm sharpness. He was certain from the beginning that the murderer wasn't Madam Chen Xiang.
From his perspective, the truth was already close at hand.
The villagers' discussion just now, while seemingly logically rigorous on the surface, was based on a wrong premise from the start.
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Tang Yin looked down at the notebook on the table, his eyes gradually becoming deeper. His thoughts were like a complex web, gradually sorting out a clear thread. What he had to do today was already obvious.
He decisively took out the notebook, wrote down the two words "Qin Yi", and then carefully placed it next to the pillow.
Just then, there was a light knock on the door.
Tang Yin's nerves tightened, and his fingers instinctively clenched the bedding. Who would come at this time?
He held his breath and looked out through the crack in the door.
"...It's me, Tang Yin." Wang Lina's voice came from outside the door, with a hint of hesitation and unease.
Tang Yin breathed a slight sigh of relief, and asked: "What's wrong?"
"I have a few questions I want to ask you, that..." Wang Lina's voice seemed even lower than usual.
Tang Yin frowned slightly, his tone a little serious: "...What's wrong? Shouldn't you be going back to 'Object Avoidance' now? It might be dangerous outside."
"It's okay." Wang Lina said softly, her tone with a hint of stubbornness, "Everyone is scattered around here... That, even if it's through the door, is it okay to talk?"
Tang Yin was silent for a while, and finally nodded: "Okay."
Wang Lina outside the door took a deep breath, her voice coming low: "...I can't do anything, I've always been at the bottom, always causing trouble for everyone since I was little..."
Her tone was self-deprecating and bitter, as if talking to herself, and as if confiding in Tang Yin.
"That's why I studied so hard, went to college, and left the village." She paused, her tone trembling slightly, as if suppressing something, "Do you know? Besides going to college and working, people from Misty Hidden Village can't leave the village..."
Wang Lina lowered her head, her voice soft, but as if carrying the weight of some memory: "Zhao Gang originally lived outside the village with his parents, the accident eight years ago... No, it should be the Yellow Springs Ritual Banquet, many people died, so he came back to help everyone clean up the village..."
"...I see." Tang Yin nodded gently, his voice low, "No wonder Zhao Gang doesn't know about the last banquet. I heard that the others went to Baifeng Manor at that time?"
Wang Lina looked up at Tang Yin, her eyes a little hesitant, but she still slowly opened her mouth: "Only Old Man Gao and Grandpa Wolf stayed in Misty Hidden Village and participated in that banquet."
"So that's how it is..." Tang Yin murmured thoughtfully.
Wang Lina seemed to have been evoked by some memory, and suddenly said: "I remembered something. One night, Gao Mei said she was very lonely, so she left the boarding school alone, and then walked back to the village along the mountain road."
Her voice was slightly raised, as if she didn't even realize the unease in her tone: "Later, the adults said they found Xiao Mei at the entrance of the village, but there were rumors that she saw something in Misty Hidden Village."
Tang Yin's brows furrowed even tighter, his eyes flickering: "Saw something?"
"No one knows." Wang Lina shook her head, her voice lowering again, "I don't know if it's because of this, Gao Mei became more and more strange, everyone is spreading that she was possessed by the Wolf God..."
"Wolf God..." Tang Yin repeated silently, his heart sinking faintly.
Gao Mei's matter may really be a breakthrough, but he knew that it was too late to investigate this clue now. Tang Yin closed his eyes and suppressed the doubts in his heart. No matter what was hidden behind all this, his current goal was only one - for everyone to live together.
He took a deep breath, his tone becoming slightly easier: "Speaking of which, why do you think you can't do anything?"
Wang Lina's fingers were tightly clenched on the corner of her clothes, her voice revealing a trace of frustration: "...Because I don't even know who I should vote for, and I can't think like Qin Ming or Zhao Gang."
She lowered her head, her tone full of self-deprecation: "Qin Yi, even Qian Jin, has done what they can."
Tang Yin's tone was gentle and firm: "But I think, it is because of your existence that everyone can hold on to the bottom line in their hearts."
Wang Lina raised her head, her eyes showing a hint of confusion: "What do you mean?"
Tang Yin smiled slightly, that smile with a trace of bitterness, but more of a rare peace: "We, everyone in this village, have killed people. And, we have become accustomed to deciding the life and death of others through this absurd method. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that we are all crazy, right?"
Wang Lina's pupils shrank slightly, her lips trembling slightly, but she didn't speak.
Tang Yin continued, his tone low but powerful: "In this case, if we are dominated by anger, resentment, or sadness, and kill people madly, we will definitely regret it later, right? It may even lead to uncontrollable consequences."
He paused, looking directly at Wang Lina, his voice with more tenderness: "You have been doing your best to avoid this situation, right... That's what I think."
A complex emotion flashed in Wang Lina's eyes. Her lips opened slightly, but she couldn't seem to speak, she could only lower her head slightly, her hands clenched tightly, her fingertips almost embedding into her palms.