Chapter 146: News from the Albino Girl

He listened to Jiang Wan's words, his gaze locked fixedly on her for a full half-minute until Jiang Wan frowned, at which point he finally agreed to the request for them to leave.

"Miss Zhang, come back with us."

Hearing the words coming from beside her, she turned back in a daze to look at the man whose face bore a resemblance to Jiang Wan's: "Me? Am I going back with you too?"

He nodded, then shifted his gaze back to Jiang Wan. Meeting Jiang Hongyun's look, Jiang Wan nodded toward Zhang Tingyun: "Go back with them. Under the present circumstances, you cannot expect Chen Qing to protect you, and the police station... they still wouldn't dare to force their way in there."

Her expression was dark, as if she were worried about something, but after a moment, she lifted her chin and replied to Jiang Wan: "No! I cannot leave! You and Chen Qing are in this state right now! Someone needs to take care of you..."

Before she could finish, Chen Qing interrupted her from inside the room: "Go with them. They shouldn't continue their attack tonight. With you here... it's inconvenient for me."

Hearing Chen Qing's words, the hesitation in her eyes was unmistakable. She raised her hand, seeming as though she wanted to persuade them to stay further, but before the words could leave her mouth, they were blocked back by the thoughts in her mind. She looked at Jiang Wan, then turned her head to look at the large pool of blood on the floor, and in the very end, she followed Jiang Wan's arrangement.

After Zhang Tingyun left with the police, the noisy room gradually grew quiet. Chen Qing lay on the bed with his eyes closed, but the thoughts in his mind never stopped for a single moment.

He recalled everything that had just happened; this seemed to be the first time he had approached death so closely without any preparation.

He opened his eyes, and the pain deep within his brain acted like the most potent caffeine, stimulating him and stripping away his ability to fall unconscious or sleep.

He fished out his phone; the screen was cracked, which was normal under the circumstances, but he was grateful it still functioned.

Looking at the missed calls and messages on the screen, a trace of a bitter smile appeared on his face.

That smile pulled at the wound between his brows, causing a few gasps of intake to mingle with his bitter chuckle.

Jiang Wan stood at the doorway, and hearing his movements, she walked in.

"What is it?" she asked with a hint of confusion.

"The commotion was so loud, the landlord woke up." He flipped his phone over and placed the glowing screen in front of Jiang Wan.

Looking at the long string of reprimands in the text messages, she raised her eyebrows twice.

"Should I go help you..."

Listening, Chen Qing shook his head and interrupted her: "Forget it, they were the ones who suffered a loss, and it's our responsibility anyway. In a few days... we can just buy this place and use it as a safehouse."

He spoke softly, pulling back his phone to start scrolling through his messages.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Jiang Wan asked him.

"I can't..." He shook his head and pulled the necklace out from against his chest. "Sister Zhao, are you there?" He tapped the necklace, and Bu Zhaozhao's figure finally materialized. Her complexion was also poor; her once-solid form had now become translucent.

"What is it?" She looked at Chen Qing, her voice somewhat weak.

"What is this situation with me?" He pointed to the space between his eyebrows, only to earn an eye-roll from her.

"It would be best if you died. How many times have I told you... keep away from me when you use that thing!" She scolded him, yet still answered their doubts: "It's like the aftereffects of overusing a non-heritage artifact. I'm not entirely sure of the specifics, but I suppose..." She hesitated, her brow furrowed slightly, "it should be able to recover on its own."

Jiang Wan listened attentively, her head bobbing up and down, but Chen Qing did not; hearing the first couple of sentences, by the time she reached the end, he had already gone back to playing on his phone.

He glanced at a text message sent by the forum and froze slightly.

On the screen was a website link and several files.

That link was crudely made, a one-time redirect type. He hesitated for a moment, and just before clicking it, he saw a message sent by the user "Albinism."

"This is the reward I promised you. The payment is already prepared. Would you like a direct transfer, or..."

"Deposit it into an anonymous bank card, leave it at a designated location, and someone will go pick it up." He looked at the message on the screen and tapped out a reply: "What is that link in the files you sent me?"

On the other side of the screen, the young girl's expression was exceptionally excited. Looking at the bloody and crimson images on her display, she typed a reply in another window: "It is the clue you wanted, the most direct clue. Accordingly, I've pruned away some messy and repetitive data. It might look a bit sparse, but it is definitely worth it."

Within that screen, several corpses had been subjected to inhuman torture.

The remaining marks clearly showed they had been there for some time; the wounds were blackened, and the sparse swelling seemed to have subsided.

Yet these images were merely the most mundane part of what lay on the screen before the girl.

"Satan..."

She looked at the webpage in front of her, letting out a disdainful scoff: "Judging whom? A flock of penned sheep whose claws have been pulled."

Watching the screen before her, a trace of lingering attachment drew her gaze back to the forum.