Chapter 060: When I Ask, You Must Answer

He Chuan’s ability to wake up in such a short time was nothing short of miraculous.

Yet he outright denied knowing Yu Nie in front of Wang Zihao?

After carefully storing the papers filled with my testimony, Wang Zihao looked at me and said, “He confessed to the murder of those three girls, but he refuses to explain his connection with Yu Nie.”

“And also…”

Wang Zihao hesitated, as though wrestling with himself. At last, with a grave expression, he said, “He claims we can't convict him, that we can't keep him here. He says tonight, right in front of us, he’ll walk out of the hospital.”

He Chuan’s status was special; I didn’t doubt the truth of his words.

Seeing Wang Zihao’s demeanor, I already guessed what he wanted to say.

Before he could speak, I said, “Take me to see him. I know it’s against protocol, but with someone like He Chuan, only I can handle him. Maybe I can get him to say something about Yu Nie.”

As I spoke, I got out of bed and rubbed my waist. Though still swollen and sore, I could walk without much trouble.

“Zihao…” I glanced at Wang Zihao, who towered over me, and said, “You want closure for Captain Cui’s death, don’t you?”

I bit my lip, looking at Wang Zihao with earnest conviction. “Trust me.”

He pondered for a moment, then made a call. When he hung up, he said, “The officers watching He Chuan will leave for half an hour to eat. I have to go back to the station to file your statement. I’ll return later tonight.”

With that, Wang Zihao packed his briefcase and walked out of the ward.

Half an hour…

I went to the bathroom to wash my face. Staring at my dripping reflection, my gaze grew dark.

“He Chuan…”

Creak…

I went upstairs and pushed open the door to He Chuan’s hospital room. His hands were cuffed to the headboard, his feet shackled at the foot of the bed.

He seemed unfazed by his predicament, eyes half-closed as if napping.

He heard the door open and close, assuming it was the police bringing his meal.

“I’m telling you, I want braised pork. Give me meat, and tonight I’ll spare your—”

“Ah!”

“Mmm…”

Before He Chuan finished, I stepped forward and pressed my thumb hard against the bullet wound in his left shoulder.

He barely managed a cry before I clamped my other hand over his mouth.

He opened his eyes, and when he saw my face, panic flooded his gaze!

Though I was only eighteen, He Chuan didn’t dare treat me as a child.

I swallowed, leaned close to his face, suppressing the fury in my chest, breathing heavily.

Seeing his panic, I gave a cold, crooked smile and spoke slowly, “So, you do know me…”

He Chuan stared wide-eyed, chest rising and falling rapidly.

I frowned and pressed his wound again. “When I speak, can’t you hear me?”

“Mmm…”

He writhed in agony, unable to cry out, sweat pouring from his brow as he tried to shake his head.

I watched him, and when I judged he’d had enough, I let go and sat in a chair beside him.

“I hear you claim you don’t know Yu Nie. If that’s true, why impersonate him?”

I got straight to the point, not giving him a chance to react. “How do you know me? If you don’t know Yu Nie, why did he save you?”

He Chuan exhaled deeply, ignoring my questions.

Annoyed, I stood up again, this time holding a fruit knife.

“I hear you’re arrogant, planning to leave tonight?” I toyed with the knife, my expression odd. “If you don’t talk, you won’t live to see tonight.”

“You…” He Chuan glared at me, gritting his teeth. “You can’t kill me! If you do, you won’t escape!”

I laughed aloud and then slashed his shoulder.

I used all my strength; the blade cut down to his collarbone.

He opened his mouth in silent agony, his eyes rolling back, looking as if he might pass out any moment.

“Now, do you still think I can’t kill you? I’m giving you a chance to live—tell me everything I want to know, and I’ll let tonight pass. Otherwise, you won’t survive. I mean it.”

He Chuan trembled, enduring the pain, searching my gaze for any sign of hesitation, but my eyes were a stagnant pool.

He finally relented, knowing stubbornness would only lead to disaster. His voice softened noticeably. “What… what do you want to know?”

I grinned. “If you’d done this sooner, you could’ve spared yourself. What I want isn’t important; what matters is how much you’re willing to say.”

As I finished, I stabbed the fruit knife into the pillow next to his head.

He Chuan stared at me for a full minute, then gave a bitter laugh. “I really don’t know Yu Nie. I’ve only heard his name—‘the demon monk.’”

He spoke freely, confessing again to the deaths of the three girls in the ancient temple.

Why did he kill, and by such means? Because the sorcery he practiced required resentment to sustain.

Originally, he hadn’t planned the murders at the ancient Baolian Temple. It was only by chance he learned the demon monk Yu Nie was there, and already under surveillance.

Despite his own crimes, He Chuan preferred to avoid complications.

He waited for the right moment—when Yu Nie left the temple—he secretly killed the officer watching Yu Nie, then lured three girls to the temple and murdered them.

With this, the police would focus entirely on Yu Nie, who was no saint himself.

His plan played out as expected; even Captain Cui wounded Yu Nie, and Yu Nie fled.

He Chuan intended to wait for the situation to settle before harvesting the resentment, but my appearance disrupted everything.

When he found police had surrounded the temple, he realized an expert was present.

Still, he didn’t leave; the resentment embodied in those three corpses was too valuable to abandon, so he watched us from the shadows.

He overheard every word exchanged between me and Captain Cui, which revealed our connection to Yu Nie and each other.

He quickly decided to use the female corpses to lure us in, then impersonate Yu Nie and seek an opportunity to kill me—removing any obstacle to his collection of resentment.

But he overestimated himself and underestimated Captain Cui’s hatred.

After listening to all this, I gazed at He Chuan, eyes lowered, and spoke slowly: “You’re still withholding something, aren’t you? The Golden Cicada Society? Ten years ago?”

Chapter 60: I ask, you must answer