Chapter 100: The Notebook’s Secrets and a Faltering Plan

“What the— This is for real. Wang Fanran is dead!”

Liu Hong stared at Wang Fanran’s corpse, sprawled across the doorway, undeniably lifeless. His brows furrowed in confusion, unable to comprehend the situation.

Just moments earlier, at the iron cages, he had watched Wang Fanran, sensing danger, swiftly make his escape.

He had assumed the man was beyond their grasp.

Yet, here he was, a lifeless body. Life truly was full of unexpected turns.

Having grown up within the Sandstorm family, Liu Hong harbored no ordinary person’s fear towards corpses. Instead, a curious expression touched his face as he took a few steps forward, then crouched beside Wang Fanran.

He needed to understand what had transpired.

Despite being a former classmate, and a thoroughly unpleasant one at that, Wang Fanran hardly deserved to be murdered.

Tragically, with Wang Fanran dead here, finding the killer would likely prove impossible.

Chen Sen possessed considerable influence, and Wang Fanran had been reported missing. Even if Wang Fanran’s body were discovered later, it wouldn’t implicate Chen Sen.

At most, one of his subordinates would be pushed forward to take the fall.

Thus, justice for Wang Fanran was destined to remain elusive. His body would likely end up in the sea, on a mountain, or in a sewer.

Wang Fanran’s cause of death was clear.

The knife plunged into his chest had pierced his heart directly.

The look of terror etched on Wang Fanran’s face suggested he never anticipated his own demise.

However, one of Wang Fanran’s hands was tightly clutching his trousers, as if driven by some deep obsession, immediately piquing Liu Hong’s curiosity.

Liu Hong reached out, prying Wang Fanran’s fingers open, then felt inside the trouser pocket.

He retrieved a palm-sized notebook.

Regardless of its contents, Liu Hong promptly tucked the notebook into his own pocket.

This was hardly the time for reading. He decided to examine it thoroughly and safely once they had escaped the abandoned slaughterhouse.

“Let’s go!”

After securing the notebook, Liu Hong clapped his hands and quickly rose. Just then, Su Yao emerged, having dealt with the last guard. Liu Hong immediately grabbed Lin Qing, pulling him towards the main exit.

Having come this far, if any more mishaps occurred, he truly would curse aloud.

Fortunately, everything proceeded smoothly, and the trio successfully escaped.

There was no excited celebration of their narrow escape. Su Yao and the others dared not linger too long, fearing a run-in with Chen Sen, who could return at any moment.

After a frantic sprint, they spotted their private car waiting. The three quickly climbed inside.

This time, Liu Hong took the front passenger seat, while Su Yao sat in the back, urging the driver to speed away. Her arm was wrapped around Lin Qing’s, constantly monitoring the wound on his chest.

Fortunately, the wound was not deep. Even with their rapid movement, the bandage on his chest showed no signs of bleeding.

Su Yao’s gaze fixed on the torn fabric over Lin Qing’s chest. The bleeding wound was now hidden, replaced by layers of white bandages beneath the ripped shirt, a stark reminder of what had just happened.

Lin Qing had harmed himself to save someone.

At the abandoned slaughterhouse, Su Yao hadn’t had time to think. Now, seated in the car, she began to reflect on her own actions.

The failure of this assassination attempt wasn’t solely due to Lin Qing’s intervention.

The greatest reason lay with herself.

If she had ignored Dog Brother’s words, disregarded Lin Qing, and simply slit Dog Brother’s throat, he would have been dead by her hand already.

Lin Qing wouldn’t have had time to stop her.

But, in truth, she cared for Lin Qing.

She worried about him.

Even in the heat of the moment, hearing of Lin Qing’s precarious situation had filled her with a surge of anger.

Before this, Su Yao had already realized she was growing increasingly fond of Lin Qing.

This was not a positive development.

She had initially intended to distance herself from Lin Qing, to cut her losses before a more serious situation arose.

She couldn’t afford to have a weakness.

Yet…

Seeing the crisscrossing scars on Lin Qing’s body, Su Yao found herself unable to turn a blind eye.

The thought of leaving him now vanished completely.

Regarding Lin Qing’s past, Su Yao had already suspected he had been kidnapped and severely abused, but the mystery of the skull tattoo remained unsolved.

Still, this aspect could not be overlooked.

Lin Qing’s withdrawn lifestyle, his reluctance to interact with others.

However, during their time together, Su Yao had discovered that Lin Qing was not an inherently gloomy person.

He was no different from any normal boy.

He possessed a touch of endearing arrogance and innocence, sometimes displaying a lively spirit.

Yet he chose to conceal his true self, actively shying away from crowds.

Connecting this with the clues she had gathered, a tentative answer began to form.

Lin Qing was not safe.

Was he connected to the Darkborne organization, perhaps being hunted?

This was the most plausible explanation Su Yao could conceive at the moment!

Regardless, seeing Lin Qing potentially in danger, Su Yao knew she couldn’t simply walk away.

Even if these were merely excuses for her to stay…

“I’m fine.”

Noticing Su Yao’s gaze fixed on his chest, Lin Qing spoke, a touch of awkwardness in his voice.

Though he longed to raise a hand to cover his chest, he felt doing so might only further provoke Su Yao.

“You are not fine.”

Ignoring Lin Qing’s words, Su Yao lifted her hand and pressed gently on his wound. Lin Qing immediately bit down hard, wincing in pain.

Su Yao was careful not to make the wound bleed, but the pain was unavoidable.

Seeing the pained expression on Lin Qing’s face, Su Yao felt a momentary sense of satisfaction. She didn’t continue tormenting his wound, instead resting her hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat.

It was a steady, stable rhythm.

A testament to being alive.

Humans were fragile.

Therefore, any future plans for killing could no longer be fraught with as many unexpected complications as this one.

Perhaps, using a borrowed knife?

Though not killing with her own hands, it posed no issue for Su Yao.

When the time came, she would stand by Lin Qing’s side, and he would likely remain oblivious.

Even if he found out.

It would be too late.

Considering this, it indeed seemed like an excellent plan, requiring only patience in selecting the appropriate prey.

“Holy shit, what is all this? You guys need to see this!”

While Lin Qing sat stiffly, afraid to move lest Su Yao’s hand apply more pressure, Liu Hong, seated in the front passenger seat, suddenly exclaimed.

He turned around, his face initially alight with excitement, but upon seeing Lin Qing and Su Yao’s intimate posture, his expression immediately fell. He felt like an unwelcome third wheel.

No, that wasn’t right!

Lin Qing and Su Yao, they really needed to consider the setting.

There were other people present!

Instantly falling into a heartbroken state, Liu Hong lost all desire to say anything more. He simply tossed the small notebook he had retrieved from Wang Fanran’s pocket over to them.

Then, with a sniffle, he turned his head away, no longer wishing to witness their affection.

Lin Qing caught the notebook and, filled with curiosity, immediately opened it.

Lin Qing had not anticipated Wang Fanran’s death, yet he felt no sympathy.

Wang Fanran’s actions, his deliberate targeting of Lin Qing.

Any single memory of them would reveal thoroughly despicable behavior.

Of course, Lin Qing would not, out of his aversion for Wang Fanran, believe he deserved his death.

Every life was precious.

No one had the right to take it away.

Therefore, considering all these factors, Lin Qing offered no opinion on Wang Fanran’s demise.

“Let’s read it together.”

As Lin Qing began to flip through the notebook, Su Yao leaned in closer.

Without any hesitation, her cheek pressed against his, and her arms wrapped directly around Lin Qing’s neck, as if she wanted to hang onto him completely.

The warm sensation, the soft touch.

It was intensely stimulating.

Feeling Lin Qing’s body stiffen, Su Yao smiled.

With a mischievous glint, she tilted her head and kissed his cheek.

Then, before Lin Qing could react in embarrassment and anger, she quickly began reading the contents of the notebook.

“I suspect Chen Sen, that bastard, is involved in human trafficking.”

Upon hearing Su Yao’s first sentence, Lin Qing’s attention immediately shifted.

He recalled that when he had caught Wang Fanran in the residential area, Wang Fanran had mentioned Chen Sen’s group using dog theft to recruit and train people. Once deemed competent, they would be assigned to child abduction.

However, within the abandoned slaughterhouse, apart from the guards and vicious dogs, nothing else of that nature existed.

The iron cages Wang Fanran had spoken of were merely for the dogs’ ‘food’.

They were not the type of iron cages Lin Qing had envisioned.

Lin Qing didn’t wait for Su Yao to continue reading. Instead, he quickly scanned the notebook’s contents himself.

[I’m not a newbie anymore. It’s so free here, stealing dogs is no challenge at all. But someone’s telling me to leave quickly, to escape before I get too deeply involved… Heh, they must be trying to trick me into leaving because of my superior skills! That way, they can take my place. No way, I’m not going anywhere!]

The sentence Su Yao had just read was clearly an addition Wang Fanran had made later.

It was scribbled haphazardly in a blank area, distinctly different from the neat, aligned text elsewhere.

This was likely Wang Fanran’s notebook, documenting his daily life within the dog-stealing gang.

However, Lin Qing’s focus wasn’t on these details. He bypassed Wang Fanran’s self-pitying and resentful remarks, quickly searching for the information he sought.

[After stealing dogs today, I came back early and coincidentally ran into Chen Sen during his inspection. I wanted him to deal with Lin Qing, but that bastard completely ignored me. It seems I need more prominent achievements to catch Chen Sen’s attention.]

[Stealing many dogs finally got Chen Sen’s attention, but he still hasn’t agreed to my request! Damn it, how many more do I need to steal to get revenge on Lin Qing?]

[Chen Sen has been coming more often recently, and his face shows a hint of impatience, very different from his usual demeanor. I bet he’s run into some trouble.]

[Just as I expected, that little brat Lin Qing is indeed involved with the school beauty! Now that Haozi has seen it with his own eyes, I don’t have to wait anymore. Tomorrow, I’ll show Lin Qing what I’m capable of, teach him not to be so arrogant… Chen Sen came to find me again, saying there’s a greater need for me, that I can’t stay in this city anymore. I told him I’d think about it (only an idiot would go; once I’ve taught Lin Qing a lesson, I’m going straight home!)]

[Damn it, I fell into a trap. Lin Qing was hiding his true strength.]

[I’m so scared, will Lin Qing kill me? It had nothing to do with me! It was Dog Brother who ordered him to be fed to the dogs. No, I can’t just sit here and wait. I need to go to Chen Sen, just as…]

The notebook’s contents abruptly ended here, a blank space following.

It seemed the recording had stopped in a hurry.

However, it was clear that the person who killed Wang Fanran was the one he had left with.

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