Fate Trading System – Chapter 241

Plan A

Mist Map 14

Escape

Liao Qingjie wasn’t exactly good-tempered. She had restrained herself somewhat in recent years, but back when she hadn’t yet retired, whether fighting or on missions, there was always a sense of violence about her. This impulsiveness, however, had been suppressed by her for a long time. Today, it had rarely erupted again, all because of the murderer standing before her.

Actually, the situation at hand wasn’t difficult to handle; the difficulty lay only in the mysteries.

Those surface mysteries, interconnected yet unclear.

Did Liao Qingjie dare to shoot? Of course, she did.

It wasn’t some major troublesome affair. Who cared if the killer was so much taller than the hostage?

Gun or knife—which was faster? It was obvious at a glance.

A murderer involved in several cases, who calmly dismembered bodies, would absolutely never let himself be put in such a situation.

Liao Qingjie held her gun steady. Unless this person wanted to walk right into a trap but the possibility of that was practically zero.

The scene suddenly reached a stalemate. Su Xin raised an eyebrow, looking at the young man.

“Where’s the Mist Map?”

“Guess.”

“You had her steal it?”

The young man didn’t speak, just watched Su Xin quietly.

Honestly, Su Xin felt this young man really didn’t look like some perverted serial killer. But Su Xin also knew this was all just an illusion.

The young man before her was a genuine dangerous individual—not only did he kill, he even enjoyed dismembering bodies, going so far as to cut off the front parts of women’s breasts to eat them.

The young man’s eyes were clear and bright. It was precisely because his reason was so clear that he was even more terrifying.

“Did you kill those people because our intrusion six years ago ruined your succession? You were originally supposed to become the leader, right?”

Su Xin voiced her thoughts, closely observing the young man’s expression.

A flicker of surprise crossed the young man’s face, quickly followed by a broad smile.

“You really are… so clever.”

The admiration on the young man’s face was undisguised. He studied Su Xin closely, his delight unconcealed.

“So… what we did back then, to you, wasn’t a rescue, but destruction?”

The young man’s expression turned cold, the gentle smile vanishing.

Su Xin noticed the shift in his mood. Now he looked a bit more like a perverted serial killer.

“But we didn’t know. We just thought… after all, there was a body lying on the ground, so we thought they were committing a crime. But your actions were indeed criminal.”

Many things, many rules in this world, are established by custom.

In literary studies, there’s a theory of witchcraft origins proposed by the British anthropologist Frazer. So-called witchcraft is a system of conventionally established purposes, meanings, and behaviors—one could also call it a pre-civilization worldview, characterized by the necessary adoption of certain rituals, signifying the shaman’s transition from human to god or a person possessing divinity.

Setting aside literary activities, just considering this custom itself—so what if it’s acknowledged by everyone locally? The law doesn’t acknowledge it.

It constitutes a crime.

Six years ago, the group the original host was with wanted to intervene to stop a crime, to save a life. That was their initial intention.

Su Xin could guarantee that if that group six years ago had known it was some kind of feudal tribal ritual, they wouldn’t have interfered. Of course, it wasn’t absolutely certain; after all, this world isn’t lacking in people with an overflowing sense of justice, wanting to eradicate all evil and protect the light. It’s just that such people are few, after all.

The young man seemed very reluctant to discuss this topic. He blinked, his eyes still fixed solely on Su Xin.

That kind of attention, however, made one feel extremely uncomfortable. Su Xin couldn’t help but clench her fists.

“I know you have many questions in your heart, and the answers to those questions are something only I can tell you.”

“For example, what secrets are in the Mist Map, why Xiao Xiaoruo had to steal it, why she had to be with us, why she had to deceive you. Or, for instance, where exactly is the Mist Map now, what do those symbols you found mean, and next, will anyone else die?”

Su Xin was indeed concerned about those things. What concerned her most was the whereabouts of the Mist Map.

Because that was part of the original host’s wish—the Mist Map absolutely had to be found.

“Liao Qingjie, shoot!”

Su Xin suddenly yelled, but it was too late.

The wall the young man was leaning against suddenly flipped inward. The young man who had just been there, along with the woman he held in his grasp, disappeared.

There were many mechanisms in this underground palace. Su Xin only knew where there was extra space, where there were paths, but she didn’t know where the mechanisms were.

Just now, she had felt the young man’s movements seemed off, but she hadn’t expected him to run so fast. Was this door mutated or something? How could a stone door move so quickly?

Liao Qingjie had fired the moment Su Xin spoke, but the bullet hit the wall.

“F%ck.”

A curse escaped Su Xin’s lips. The person was right in front of them, and he just ran off like that?

Su Xin immediately pressed against the wall, feeling around meticulously, but found no mechanism.

The map showed no path beyond this point; perhaps it led directly outside.

Who the hell designed this thing? It was simply ridiculous.

“There are no flaws on the wall surface. I was staring at his face the whole time. Did you notice when or how his hands triggered the mechanism?”

“No.”

Liao Qingjie had also been staring intently. Both of the young man’s hands were exposed; there was no way he could have pressed any mechanism.

There was only one possibility…

“The mechanism was opened from the outside.”

Su Xin and Liao Qingjie, once again sharing a tacit understanding¹, spoke in unison.

“He really does have accomplices.”

This wall was too thick. Kicking it down was unrealistic. Blowing it up might work, but it might also cause a collapse.

There was no way to pursue them. Su Xin took out her phone; still no signal at all.

Those four syllables Xiao Xiaoruo and the young man had uttered—what did they mean?

NA KI MO DO

“Let’s get out first. Do you know how to get out?”

“Uh-huh.”

“There’s no signal in here, no way to send information outside. The killer escaped, and he still has a hostage. He might strike again. We have to get out quickly and tell the police, let them prepare.”

“We’ve memorized the killer’s and hostage’s appearances, but we don’t know their names. Still, with their faces, we should be able to search for them.”

The police information network is terrifying. What era is this? As long as the police are determined to investigate, unless someone lives in some remote mountain hollow, doesn’t use an ID card, doesn’t use bank cards, doesn’t use real-name registration, they might get lucky, but it’s difficult. Besides, if the killer wants to strike again, he’ll inevitably need supplies.

What’s more troublesome, though, is that the killer has accomplices. We don’t know how many, what they look like—we know nothing.

“Let’s head back first.”

Liao Qingjie actually felt a little defeated. Confidence really wasn’t advisable; she’d actually watched helplessly as the killer escaped right before her eyes. The feeling was truly indescribable.

If she’d known, she wouldn’t have listened to the killer rambling on there; she should have just shot him.

Su Xin wasn’t in a good mood either. It wasn’t a completely wasted trip, but seeing the killer and then letting him slip away right under their noses was even more frustrating. Plus, they had lost someone.

Although Xiao Xiaoruo wasn’t one of them, and even harbored ill intentions, in terms of her external identity, she was still a citizen.

“What about her?”

Su Xin pointed towards where Xiao Xiaoruo had been (implicitly, her body).

They didn’t need to return the way they came; there were other ways out of this underground palace.

“Leave her here². Go back and tell the Captain, let him handle it.”

Liao Qingjie hadn’t forgotten that Xiao Xiaoruo had caused Su Xin so much distress and pushed her into the lake. In her eyes, Xiao Xiaoruo was just a dead enemy now.

“Okay.”

Su Xin led Liao Qingjie out through another exit of the underground palace.

Seeing the lush green mountain forest again, breathing in the fresh air, Su Xin felt somewhat conflicted.

The killer had run off to who knows where, but this place was small; there was only one road leading away.

That’s right, one road!

“Hey! Let’s go! Back to that inn first!”

Su Xin tugged at Liao Qingjie’s clothes, stumbling down the mountain.

It was already dusk.

Inside the underground palace, time and moon were unknown; one couldn’t sense the fading light.

“Be careful.”

Liao Qingjie secured her gun and chased after Su Xin.

By the time they reached the town, it was evening. The dim yellow light by the inn’s entrance was already covered in dust. A few moths fluttered nearby, occasionally landing on it.

Everything looked just as it had when Su Xin and the others first arrived. Time seemed to blur.

When the innkeeper saw them, she looked up from behind the counter, a faint smile on her face.

“What about the other young lady?” the innkeeper asked.

“She got separated from us. Maybe she’ll come tomorrow.”

Yes, separated.

The living remain in the world of the living³, the dead have long reached the underworld⁴. This separation meant they wouldn’t be meeting again anytime soon.

“Ah, that’s dangerous.”

The innkeeper’s face showed some worry.

Su Xin and Liao Qingjie’s expressions were normal, showing no sign of urgency or nervousness.

“Mm, but she can take care of herself.”

“Still two rooms this time? Are you two staying separately?”

“No, we’ll stay in one room.”

Liao Qingjie answered before Su Xin could speak, meeting Su Xin’s questioning gaze with a slight lift at the corners of her lips.

“Alright, it was cleaned this morning. You can go straight up.”

“Okay.”

“Big Sister, we want to ask you a question.”

“What is it?”

The innkeeper was threading a needle, preparing to embroider.

“Just before we arrived, did anyone leave from here?”

“Ah… I don’t think so…”

The innkeeper looked confused.

“Are you sure?”

Liao Qingjie’s gaze was sharp. The innkeeper shook her head.

“I… I’m not sure. Just before you came, I was in the kitchen making dinner for myself. Anyway, in a small place like this, no one would come rummaging through things or stealing, so I didn’t pay attention. Did something happen?”

The innkeeper asked, growing nervous under Liao Qingjie’s stare.

“It’s nothing, I was just asking casually. We’ll stay one more night. We’ll pay you tomorrow.”

“Okay. If you get hungry, you can call me. I’ll cook for you.”

“Thanks, Big Sister.”

They walked up the creaking wooden stairs.

“Why are we still staying in one room?”

Su Xin asked. That bed was a bit cramped⁵.

“Safety.”

Liao Qingjie, of course, couldn’t tell the truth.

The moon in the sea is the moon in the sky, the person before me is the person in my heart.⁶

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