Chapter 23: The Fragility of Humans
Chapter 23: The Fragility of Humans
“You fat idiot! So this was your brilliant plan?”
Lan Mu was almost speechless. He had rushed to the camera equipment store early in the morning to buy a covert camera. It was about the size of a ping-pong ball, inconspicuous when held in hand or tucked in a pocket.
Ma Xiang had asked him to bring this yesterday, wanting him to pretend to be a curious bystander today and secretly film from the side.
Because today they were going to the place where the victim went missing. It was very likely the killer had kidnapped the victim right there.
This kind of scene was practically useless to the police. After so much time, any clues would surely be long gone.
That’s why this matter was handed over to the local police station for assistance in the investigation, and there was no need to seal off the scene.
After learning this, Ma Xiang thought since the scene wasn’t sealed, as long as no one saw Lan Mu filming, Lan Mu could completely pretend to be a passerby and film secretly.
Even if they didn’t capture any major news, when the case was exposed later, they could take today’s footage of the police inspecting the victim’s disappearance point, add captions, and use hooks like “Police during investigation” or “The location where the fourth victim disappeared…”
Besides, Ma Xiang was desperate for credit. Maybe the killer left some tiny clues at the scene!
It was the second morning. Ma Xiang and a few policemen were working on a small street outside a residential area.
Seeing Lan Mu arrive with that speechless look, Ma Xiang walked over and laughed.
“I’m helping you, aren’t you still here?”
“Anyway, you already know about this case. There’s nothing to keep secret from you. My wedding fund depends on you helping me earn it!”
Lan Mu secretly turned on the camera to film covertly and said, “With this lousy footage, earn what? You guys better solve the case quickly! I don’t want someone having a grudge against me.”
Ma Xiang laughed. “I want to solve it quickly too!”
“Once this case is closed, I can get married.”
Lan Mu snorted. “You traitor! You’ll definitely be a henpecked husband in the future.”
Ma Xiang had a look that said ‘you’re just jealous’ and didn’t say more, going back to work.
This small street was very remote. At night, it would be pitch black, so ordinary people would definitely try to walk under the streetlights.
The police focused their inspection on whether there were any clues near the streetlights.
Actually, this was just routine checking. The station held little hope for this place. The killer was too cunning, not leaving a single trace so far.
During the day, there were quite a few pedestrians. Some passed by indifferently when they saw the police working, some might watch for a moment, but they soon left.
Only Lan Mu seemed idle, looking around, lingering near the police.
Some pedestrians also wanted to take out their phones to film, but the police stopped them and shooed them away.
Lan Mu thought to himself, “It seems the police want to keep this hidden. If this case is exposed, the pressure on the police will be huge, right?”
“But if it’s not exposed, the police can’t find clues either. This is really…”
“If the killer stops now and flees far away, this case will probably become an unsolved mystery, right?”
Lan Mu filmed secretly everywhere. A few policemen glared at him, but probably because they saw Ma Xiang knew him, they didn’t say anything.
Everyone at the station knew Ma Xiang’s father was the station chief, so they gave him that much face.
Seeing the police’s boring and slack work, Lan Mu also became slack. He looked around and suddenly, unintentionally, sensed a strange feeling.
He quietly shifted his gaze and saw a young man, his face still carrying a youthful air, looking like he hadn’t been in society for long.
He was also watching the police work like Lan Mu. But Lan Mu’s five senses were extraordinary, and his sixth sense keenly felt he was being watched.
Lan Mu narrowed his eyes. He quickly saw what was off.
That young man had a distinctive button on his chest. Lan Mu’s eyesight was extremely sharp. After looking carefully, he suddenly smiled.
Because it was a button camera, also used specifically for covert filming!
“Hah… ran into a colleague?”
“This case is my prey…”
Lan Mu, without changing his expression, wandered over to Ma Xiang and nudged him.
Ma Xiang turned his head and asked, “What’s up?”
Lan Mu secretly pointed at the young man and whispered, “He’s filming you secretly with a button camera. Probably a colleague of mine.”
Ma Xiang looked and saw that guy had also been loitering for a long time. He immediately understood Lan Mu’s meaning.
As the saying goes, colleagues are rivals. The fewer people have news material, the better.
“I’ll handle it!”
Ma Xiang nodded to Lan Mu, then waddled over with his fat belly.
The young man saw Ma Xiang approaching, was stunned at first, then heard Ma Xiang say, “Hey! Stop filming! Hand over that button…”
Lan Mu followed behind Ma Xiang. Hearing Ma Xiang’s tone so domineering, he grinned wryly.
As long as this journalist colleague handed over the button camera and the police deleted the contents, Lan Mu would be the only one with footage of the police working on the Dismemberment Case.
But then, the other party’s reaction was extremely excessive.
Without a word, the young man turned and ran, very fast, darting out of the small street in a flash.
“Damn!”
“Don’t run! Hand over the camera!”
Ma Xiang and Lan Mu were stunned and both hurriedly gave chase.
This case was confidential. Although they didn’t know why this journalist came to film, Ma Xiang naturally didn’t want outsiders filming secretly. If the case was exposed early, it would be his failure.
As for Lan Mu, being a colleague, he naturally also wanted to ensure that when the case was made public, he was the only one with the investigative report.
The two chased out. The other policemen didn’t pay much attention.
Four policemen remained at the scene, only sending one jogging after them.
The young man was extremely fast, his legs flying. After chasing for several hundred meters, they watched him duck into an alley and were about to lose him.
Lan Mu, not caring about exposing his speed, suddenly accelerated, chasing like the wind, and also ducked into the alley.
Lan Mu rapidly closed in on the person, the distance shrinking continuously.
The young man didn’t expect Lan Mu to run so fast. In a panic, he kept knocking over things beside him, trying to block Lan Mu.
Lan Mu smiled slightly, jumped two meters high, directly clearing the numerous obstacles, and landed behind the young man.
“Thud!”
Lan Mu casually tripped him. The person, caught off guard, fell.
Then Lan Mu rushed ahead, blocking the young man’s path.
Right after, Ma Xiang finally reached the alley entrance. Seeing Lan Mu blocking the young man, he laughed heartily.
“Run! Run again! Dammit! I’m exhausted!”
Ma Xiang panted heavily, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists, approaching continuously.
“Ran pretty fast! No wonder you’re a paparazzo!”
Lan Mu heard this and thought, this comment was off! He angrily said, “Don’t generalize like that!”
Ma Xiang waved his hand. “Not talking about you! Brat, think you can run? Still ended up in my hands!”
Since becoming a policeman, Ma Xiang had never caught a thief! With his build, he usually just muddled along, which was why he craved credit so much.
Today, catching this guy, even if just a journalist filming covertly, since he ran, Ma Xiang could say he obstructed official duties. Ma Xiang was thrilled!
For Ma Xiang, this was like opening for business!
“Brother Mu, don’t intervene! Let me handle it. Film my heroic performance. Then I can be in the newspaper too.”
Lan Mu chuckled, blocking the other end of the alley. The young man couldn’t escape, so Lan Mu raised his camera and filmed properly.
However, the situation suddenly changed dramatically. The young man abruptly lunged, crashing into Ma Xiang’s fat body.
Then Lan Mu heard three consecutive thud thud thud sounds!
That was the sound of a knife entering flesh!
Lan Mu was shocked. He threw down his camera and charged forward.
The young man shoved the stunned Ma Xiang into Lan Mu, broke through the encirclement, and sprinted straight for the alley entrance.
Lan Mu caught Ma Xiang. A pungent smell of blood hit his nostrils.
He saw blood staining Ma Xiang’s chest. The young man had actually stabbed Ma Xiang three times in the chest!
Blood gushed out like a spring. Ma Xiang’s pupils dilated. He couldn’t say a word, clearly not going to make it.
“No! This can’t be!”
Lan Mu, struck by this sudden shocking turn, wanted to leap forward and kill that young man.
But Ma Xiang was in his final moments, his body without support, relying entirely on Lan Mu holding him.
Watching the young man run out of the alley, he bumped right into Ma Xiang’s colleague who was rushing over. Then that colleague fell. Clearly, he was also attacked by the young man.
“Ma Xiang, hold on!”
Lan Mu couldn’t care about the murderer anymore. He gently laid Ma Xiang flat on the ground.
Blood was still flowing from the chest. Lan Mu immediately placed both hands over it, frantically pouring in Nature’s Power.
But after those three stabs, Ma Xiang’s heart was shredded. Although Nature’s Power had some ability to restore vitality, it wasn’t omnipotent. Against such absolutely fatal injuries, it was helpless.
The vast Nature’s Power only stopped the bleeding from the chest and healed it slightly.
But the heart had already stopped beating. When the young man stabbed, he even twisted the last stab. It was a killing blow, ruthless to the extreme!
“Damn! Dammit! Useless! Useless! Useless!”
Discovering his Nature’s Power was ineffective, Lan Mu immediately fell into despair.
He hated himself for being so careless. He had ten thousand ways to completely subdue the young man, but he didn’t use them.
At this moment, he regretted it to the extreme, hating himself for not being able to save his brother.
The human body was too fragile, fragile enough to wither easily.
No matter how much Nature’s Power he poured into Ma Xiang’s body, there was no more movement.
Because Ma Xiang was already a corpse.
His brother was dead.