Chapter 65: The straight man and the gay

Wilcox was far less polite. Facing his distressed cousin, his tone was blunt, “Cut the nonsense! Just tell me, did you or did you not check the other bodies?”

Joyce: “…QAQ” Cousin, what are you trying to do?!

Professor Jones had already instinctively dropped the luggage he was carrying. He wanted to run over but hesitated, wary of the flames and concerned for his safety.

However, considering that if Jing Qizhen hadn’t decisively burned down the villa, they might still be stuck living in it for days, Professor Jones wetted his towel again to cover his mouth and nose, then cautiously approached Jing Qizhen’s group.

Speaking quickly, Professor Jones said, “We saw the bodies of Sophia, Sean, and Williams. They were definitely dead cold when we found them! Only Angelina was missing but her room was covered in blood.”

Jing Qizhen nodded.

Still being carried by Yun Shuanghua, Jing Qizhen had long since abandoned any sense of embarrassment. The extended time had numbed him to it.

Especially compared to Manman and Si Jiayang, who were being all lovey-dovey. At least he wasn’t like them, flirting in the middle of all this…

Gu Leshan mused, “So, should we have taken the bodies out of the villa before setting it on fire?”

Jing Qizhen replied calmly, “And who would have moved them?”

Everyone in their group would fall unconscious if they entered the villa. There were no exceptions.

Professor Jones, Joyce, and their three companions technically could enter, but with three of their group already dead and one missing, their situation seemed even riskier.

The only reliable option seemed to be Yun Shuanghua. But he wasn’t exactly close to them, so commanding him to move corpses felt too much.

Even though Jing Qizhen was thick-skinned, he couldn’t bring himself to give such a request.

Besides, Yun Shuanghua, despite his cold face, appeared oddly blank. Ordering him to work almost felt like bullying a kind-hearted person. Better to just let it go.

Gu Leshan thought about it for a moment and found himself at a loss for words.

Yan Hong tried to console him. “No worries, as long as the bodies aren’t completely reduced to ash, they can still undergo some form of autopsy.”

Meanwhile, Lu Lingxi swiftly moved to intercept the person who had just run out of the burning villa wrapped in a wet blanket.

The figure, clearly panicked, cursed when Lu Lingxi grabbed the edge of the blanket. Her voice was hoarse, likely from inhaling smoke, but it was enough to confirm that the person was a woman.

Still wearing his gas mask, Lu Lingxi must have looked intimidating in the smoke-filled scene.

In her panic, the woman hurled the damp blanket at Lu Lingxi and continued running desperately forward.

Lu Lingxi caught the blanket and tossed it aside, inwardly grumbling, ‘Does she think I’m here to hurt her?’

Manman: “What kind of situation is this?”

Jing Qizhen looked toward Professor Jones and confirmed, “Angelina?”

Professor Jones nodded, coughing slightly. “It’s her. Of the four people—three dead, one missing—there were two men and two women. Sophia was the first to die. We all saw her body.”

Jin Guijuan asked, “That girl was wrapped so tightly in the blanket. How could you tell it was her?”

Professor Jones paused. “Angelina was the last one to go missing. When we saw someone coming out of the villa, our first reaction was that it had to be her. Isn’t that natural?”

Jin Guijuan replied, “…That makes sense.”

“It’s all about perspective.” Jing Qizhen smiled faintly.

To outsiders like them, the nine people in the villa were just a group. There was no sequence to their deaths or disappearances. However, for the nine people themselves, their relationships had already fractured, suspicions had taken root, and the line between the dead and the survivors had grown stark. Their reactions were entirely normal.

The now-identified Angelina was still panicking. However, as a woman wrapped in a wet blanket escaping from a fire, she was no match for Lu Lingxi.

With a few strides, Lu Lingxi caught up to her, firmly grabbed her shoulder, and twisted her arm behind her back in a swift grappling maneuver, pinning her to the ground.

Lu Lingxi spoke quickly in English, “We are part of a rescue team. Please stay calm, ma’am.”

The moment he said this, Angelina, who had been screaming and struggling, suddenly went quiet.

Noticing her reaction, Lu Lingxi loosened his grip slightly.

Angelina turned to look at him, murmuring, “You’re…you’re a rescue team?”

To be fair, aside from his somewhat intimidating gas mask, Lu Lingxi’s tactical gear looked professional enough to lend credibility to his claim.

Once Angelina relaxed slightly, Lu Lingxi released her entirely. By that time, Jing Qizhen and the others had all gathered around.

It was clear that Professor Jones and Caroline weren’t easy to communicate with but Angelina presented a better opportunity.

Jing Qizhen picked up where Lu Lingxi left off. “Miss Angelina, correct? We learned from your companions that after being trapped in the villa, your group experienced some tragic events. We had thought you were missing.”

Angelina’s face was a mess, smudged with soot and tears. Her once-golden hair was now partially singed, making her look utterly disheveled.

Her eyes scanned Jing Qizhen’s group, pausing briefly on Jing Qizhen and Manman, seemingly reassured by the presence of a woman and a ‘disabled man.’ Coupled with the fact that the unfamiliar Eastern faces seemed unlikely to be allied with her tormentors, Angelina visibly let down her guard. She threw herself into Lu Lingxi’s arms and began sobbing uncontrollably.

However, when she glanced at Professor Jones, who was still covering his nose and mouth with a damp towel, her body tensed. Pointing at him, she shrieked, “Stay away from me!”

All eyes turned to Professor Jones.

Holding up one hand in surrender while still pressing the towel to his face, he smiled bitterly. “I’m innocent. Angelina’s probably just traumatized.”

“Professor, why don’t you rejoin your companions? Wouldn’t you agree?” Jing Qizhen smiled.

Professor Jones shrugged. “If you insist.”

Without hesitation, Jing Qizhen replied, “Please, go ahead.”

Under their watchful eyes, Professor Jones reluctantly complied. It was clear by now that, after witnessing Jing Qizhen’s decisiveness in burning down the villa, he and the others had no desire to cross him.

Once Professor Jones left, Angelina’s overwhelming emotions began to stabilize.

Kneeling beside her, Lu Lingxi gently reassured her, “Take a deep breath, ma’am. It’s okay now.”

Still sobbing, Angelina clung to his clothes with a grip stronger than when she had clung to her damp blanket.

Jing Qizhen exchanged a glance with Manman and Si Jiayang. Though no words were spoken, the meaning was clear. Angelina was a key to the breakthrough.

Gu Leshan, ever the loyal friend, decided to help his brother out. Seeing Lu Lingxi’s awkward predicament, he said, “It’s not that you can’t cry but Miss Angelina, your clothes are soaking wet. My brother’s coat is getting drenched too. It’s winter and he doesn’t have a change of clothes. If it gets wet, he’ll freeze!”

Manman and Jin Guijuan were stunned by Gu Leshan’s bluntness. Si Jiayang, too, marveled at his priorities. “Bro, your thought process is something else!”

Gu Leshan, thinking he’d found someone who understood him, replied earnestly, “Right? If it were just tears, it’s fine, but she just came out of a fire! Her blanket was soaked and she was holding onto Little Lu like there was no tomorrow. I’m just worried he’ll catch a cold!”

Lu Lingxi, half-laughing, half-crying, replied, “…Thanks for your concern. I’m fine, really!”

Angelina’s soot-streaked face turned red from Gu Leshan’s words, though Jing Qizhen suspected it was not out of embarrassment but was likely out of indignation.

Wiping her face vigorously, smearing it further without care, she finally blurted out, “We started encountering danger and accidents after being trapped in the villa. The murderer is among us! I even think…the killer might not be human!”

Lu Lingxi immediately pulled a notebook and pen from his pocket. “Take your time. Let’s go through everything step by step.”

Still visibly shaken, Angelina stammered, “I—I saw a giant rabbit…”

Soaked to the bone and without her blanket, she shivered in the cold winter wind.

Everyone exclaimed in unison, “A giant rabbit?!”

Angelina nodded.

Jing Qizhen suggested, “Let’s move to the villa next door. At least it’s warmer there.”

Grateful, Angelina looked at him. “You’re staying in the villa next door? That’s wonderful. I can also clean myself up a bit.”

Jing Qizhen raised an eyebrow. “Well…actually, I’d recommend that once we’re inside, you share everything important with us right away. That way, everyone can feel at ease.”

Angelina froze, her expression shifting as realization dawned.

Manman and Si Jiayang, both seasoned horror enthusiasts, exchanged knowing glances, immediately catching Jing Qizhen’s implied warning. How many times in horror stories had the key informant died right after finding ‘safety,’ cutting off critical information?

Angelina, too, seemed to pick up on their unspoken point, her indignation rising. She shot Jing Qizhen and Yun Shuanghua a sharp glare as if to say, ‘You’re so mean, no wonder you lost your wheelchair, you cruel gay!’

Jing Qizhen: “… ” He felt the heavy weight of judgment but had no evidence.

The Earth exclaimed, “She’s glaring holes into you! 0.0”

Jing Qizhen: “…Sure, but what else can we do? She’s the only lead we have. It’d be stupid to let her off by herself and get killed.”

If Gu Leshan’s words angered Angelina previously, now it was Jing Qizhen’s cruel determination, which seemed to have foreseen her death, that irritated her even more.

After leaving the other foreigners behind to guard the burning villa, Jing Qizhen’s group escorted the disheveled Angelina to the neighboring villa, which Yun Shuanghua had previously occupied.

Once inside, Jing Qizhen and the ailing Manman settled on the sofa while Si Jiayang declared, “I’ll check the kitchen and whip up some bread and desserts for you guys.”

However, that being said, after Si Jiayang made a round in the kitchen and confirmed the ingredients, he decisively ignored the others. He fully focused on cooking according to Manman’s tastes. As for Jing Qizhen and the others, even Yun Shuanghua’s baguette, they were merely afterthoughts.

Angelina was shivering all over, trembling from the cold. Fortunately, the considerate Jin Guijuan brought her a large bath towel from upstairs and poured her a cup of hot water.

Angelina, feeling like she had finally come back to life, held the warm cup and looked gratefully at Jin Guijuan. “Thank you,” she said.

Jin Guijuan waved her hand with a smile.

Jing Qizhen calmly reminded, “I’d advise you not to drink it right away. Use the hot water to warm your hands first. While Guijuan can be trusted, who’s to say there isn’t poison on the rim of the cup?”

Jin Guijuan: “…”

Angelina: “…”

Although she had been just as cautious before, somehow, hearing Jing Qizhen say it was infuriating.

Angelina burst out laughing from sheer annoyance. “You wouldn’t let me die before I’ve explained everything, right?”