Chapter 93: Desperately Wicked!

"Whoosh"

Tang Zhong lay sprawled out in the shape of a 'Tai' character, his limbs spread wide, gasping for breath.

At this moment, if Tang Zhong had a pen and ink, he would certainly have written a banner for himself. The top line would read: "Provoking thugs at school," the bottom line: "Encountering killers on a trip," and the cross line: "Who is more miserable than me?"

Climbing a mountain with a girl and visiting a Taoist temple could lead to encountering such a formidable killer. Was there anyone more unfortunate than him? This was even more unlucky than the protagonists in the classic road movie *The Hitcher*.

Tang Zhong was no stranger to killing.

The bearded man had once taken him to watch the execution of death row inmates. Some of these inmates, fearing that one shot might not be enough to kill them, would request to be shot in the head. The image of brain matter and blood splattering everywhere haunted his nightmares for a long time.

The bearded man was a very kind father. Upon hearing about his son's condition, he immediately sought treatment for him. Indeed, Tang Zhong soon recovered because the bearded man took him to watch executions for three months straight.

At that time, Tang Zhong was only nine years old.

However, this was the first time Tang Zhong had killed someone.

Watching someone die evoked feelings of sorrow, pity, sympathy, helplessness, and a deep appreciation for life.

This was also the reason why Tang Zhong repeatedly swung his fists at those who tried to harm him, because he understood the value of life. He only had one life, and if it were taken away, he would have nothing left.

Without life, what else mattered?

Killing someone with his own hands was an indescribable feeling. He couldn't think of any words or sentences to describe his current state of mind.

Fortunately, his nerves were strong enough. If he were an ordinary person, he would have probably already broken down. Of course, if Tang Zhong were an ordinary person, he wouldn't have had the chance to break down, as he would have been killed by the evil Taoist long ago.

"Are you okay?" Tang Zhong asked.

Qiu Yihan didn't answer. She sat on the ground, her eyes vacant, her body trembling.

She was truly terrified.

From a young age, under the protection of her family, she had rarely even seen a chicken being killed, let alone a human.

Tang Zhong struggled to stand up, walked to Qiu Yihan's side, and gently held her trembling body in his arms, soothing her softly, "It's okay. Everything is fine now."

"I... I..." Qiu Yihan tried to speak, but after saying "I," she couldn't say anything else.

"Don't speak. Don't say anything. Rest for a while. You're tired. You did well. You saved my life." Tang Zhong gently stroked her back, smiling.

The person who had smashed the Taoist's head with a stone was Qiu Yihan. It was precisely because of her surprise attack from behind that the unprepared evil Taoist lost his balance, allowing Tang Zhong to counterattack and stab him through the eye.

He didn't know how she managed to stand up or how she had the courage to do such a thing.

This time, it was truly too much for her.

Qiu Yihan slowly closed her eyes, her long lashes fluttering. A crystal tear rolled down her cheek, reaching her lips.

Whether from excessive tension or fatigue, she soon fell asleep in Tang Zhong's arms.

"Ah." Tang Zhong sighed softly.

The evil Taoist was dead, and they were temporarily safe. However, this was just the beginning of a larger drama.

What should they do next?

"Run?"

Tang Zhong shook his head.

The body of the evil Taoist would soon be discovered at the bottom of the mountain, and the police would certainly search for the killer. Where could he run to?

If he didn't run, the killer's identity would be exposed, and he could claim self-defense. If he ran, the charge of murder would be confirmed—why would he run if it was self-defense?

Moreover, many people had seen him and Qiu Yihan climb the mountain. Even if he tried to deny it, it would be impossible.

Zhou Wei and the others would likely not hesitate to stab him in the back at such a time. The bloodstains and fingerprints on the evil Taoist's body would all be against him.

Holding Qiu Yihan, Tang Zhong's mind raced, considering various possibilities and solutions.

After much thought, there seemed to be only one way out.

"They owe me." Tang Zhong smiled bitterly.

"This feeling is really bad. It's so spineless. The bearded man must have known this day would come. Otherwise, why would he have spoken so earnestly for Bai Su, even forcing me to agree to her absurd request?"

He took out his phone and dialed a quick number, saying, "Is this the police station? I need to report a crime. I'm at the top of Yvnu Peak, at Tianyi Temple."

After hanging up, Tang Zhong felt as if all his strength was drained.

The mountain wind was cold, and he felt a chill.

Now, the only warmth he could find was in Qiu Yihan's body.

He held her tightly, as if hugging the sun.

Hua Ming lay lazily on the grass, chewing on a few sweet grass stems, and said, "Why hasn't the second brother come down yet? Should we go up and check?"

"How could he come down so quickly? You took a beauty up the mountain; you wouldn't let her go until you had your fill, right?" Liang Tao, sitting nearby and smoking, said with a grin, "We shouldn't go up. It's not nice to be a third wheel."

Suddenly, his smiling face turned serious, and he leaned close to Hua Ming's ear, whispering, "Do you think they did it on the mountain? Tsk tsk, that must feel like flying. Conquering a woman is like conquering the world. One day, I'll bring my girlfriend to the peak."

"Impossible," Hua Ming said.

"Why not?" Liang Tao asked.

"Our second brother isn't that kind of person. Unless Qiu Yihan forced him and he couldn't resist."

"Do you have any shame?" Liang Tao said, speechless.

"Do you have any shame?" Hua Ming said angrily. "You don't trust our second brother, who shares a room but not a bed, but you trust a pretty woman's character? Are you stupid?"

Not only did Hua Ming and Liang Tao not go up the mountain, but Zhou Wei and his classmates also stopped climbing.

Zhou Wei still had some energy, but after seeing Qiu Yihan dragging Tang Zhong's hand and climbing step by step, he lost all interest and motivation.

Why should he follow them? To watch them kiss?

That would be like slapping himself in the face.

Fortunately, he believed in the philosophy that there were plenty of fish in the sea, and he was now flirting with a girl who liked him. He didn't know what joke he told, but the sweet-looking girl was laughing so hard she almost fell into his arms.

Zhou Wei looked at the sky, stood up, and called out to Hua Ming and Liang Tao, "Hey, when is your roommate coming down? If he doesn't come back soon, we'll go down first. There are still several places we haven't visited."

"Go ahead," Liang Tao replied. "We'll wait here."

"See you then," Zhou Wei said.

He called out, leading his group down the mountain. As for why Tang Zhong and Qiu Yihan hadn't come down, he didn't want to think about the embarrassing possibilities.

When Zhou Wei and his group reached the halfway point, they suddenly saw five or six fully armed police officers running up the mountain.

They were all surprised. What happened on the mountain? Did they find a fugitive?

"Stop," a dark-faced police officer shouted at them. "Where are you coming from?"

"A step," Chen Xuebing answered honestly. "We couldn't climb past the first step."

"Has anyone been to Tianyi Temple?" the dark-faced police officer asked.

Zhou Wei thought for a moment and said, "We have two classmates who went up. I don't know if they went to Tianyi Temple. Officer, what happened?"

The dark-faced police officer whispered a few words to a young officer behind him and then loudly said to Zhou Wei, "Your two classmates are suspected of murder. We are going up to gather information. No one is allowed to leave until the situation is clear."

"Ah?"

Zhou Wei and his group all exclaimed in surprise.

Suspected of murder? That's not possible, right?

Murder? Who?

Could it be that Tang Zhong killed Qiu Yihan?

Thinking of this possibility, Zhou Wei felt a brief sense of satisfaction, but more anger.

Damn it, even if you don't want her, you can't just kill her?

He shouted, "Officer, that's impossible. We are all students at Nan University. How could my classmate commit murder? Tang Zhong, he... he only likes to fight, but he couldn't possibly kill someone."

Hearing Zhou Wei say that "Tang Zhong likes to fight," the dark-faced police officer's face darkened even more.

"Have you found the body? How could it not be murder?" the dark-faced police officer said coldly. They were from the Yvnu Mountain railway station police, and their jurisdiction included the safety of the Yvnu Mountain railway station and the surrounding scenic areas. Upon receiving the alarm about a murder, he immediately gathered all available officers and rushed out.

Moreover, when he learned that a body had fallen from Tianyi Temple, he sent two officers to find the body. They reported back halfway that the body had been found, and it was a gruesome sight.

If two experienced police officers described the body as "gruesome," it must have been truly gruesome.

The murderer was extremely vicious, and they couldn't help but take it seriously.

"I said, no one is allowed to leave until the situation is clear," the dark-faced police officer said, pointing at Zhou Wei. "Since you are classmates, you will come with us to help identify the bodies."

Zhou Wei panicked and said, "Officer, I'm not close to him. There are his three roommates up there. Why don't you find them?"

"Shut up," the dark-faced police officer shouted. "Do as I say. Follow orders."

PS: I found something strange. Old Liu used to be able to give himself only seven red votes per day. Today, he can suddenly give eight.