Chapter 627: The Pursuit of the Silent Killer

As they exited the complex, they ran into Lin Qiupu and his team. Lin Qiupu remarked, “You guys are quick. It would have taken us days to find Qin Wanmu at our original pace.”

“This was from Zhou Xiao. He told the killer, who might come here if he doesn’t get lost this time,” Chen Shi explained.

“What!? That kid is aiding and abetting a criminal?” Lin Qiupu was shocked.

“It’s complicated.”

“Another case of split personality,” Lin Qiupu frowned. “We’ll thoroughly interrogate him once we catch the killer. We need to see if he’s genuinely ill or just pretending!”

They arrived at the restaurant but didn’t find Qin Wanmu. The owner, startled by the police presence, said, “You came just in time. Last night, a suspicious person was wandering around here, tall and carrying something like a hammer. He kept eavesdropping on people’s calls. It scared everyone!”

“Have you seen this person?” Lin Qiupu showed the owner a photo of Qin Wanmu.

The owner scrutinized it for a moment and replied, “He’s a regular here, comes every day.”

“Did he come today?”

“Hmm… he was just there!” The owner looked at a table with a barely touched bowl of noodles covered in cilantro. “He suddenly ran out when I served the noodles. Maybe he had a stomach ache. He hasn’t come back.”

“Check the surveillance!” Lin Qiupu ordered.

Ten minutes earlier, the silent killer appeared at the restaurant entrance, eavesdropping on a man on the phone, who was visibly frightened.

The killer was just outside the restaurant, possibly recognized by Qin Wanmu, who then hurriedly left.

Xu Xiaodong asked, “Captain, who should we be looking for now? The director or the killer?”

“Of course, the killer. He’s an idiot who kills anyone with a Tiantai accent!” Lin Qiupu snapped.

Everyone spread out to search. Chen Shi walked on the sidewalk, loudly saying, “Wow, this place is huge! Walking from one end to the other takes three hours!”

Lin Dongxue laughed, “What are you doing?”

“Drawing the snake out of its hole. Does my Tiantai accent sound convincing?”

“Too fake.”

Just then, gunshots rang out. The police rushed towards the sound and found a man writhing in shattered glass with a bleeding head, a crying boy nearby.

A police officer was calling for backup. Lin Qiupu approached and said, “I’m Lin Qiupu from the city bureau. What’s going on?”

“A suspicious person smashed that man against the glass wall. The tempered glass shattered. My colleague chased him out, and the suspect likely fired the shot.”

Lin Qiupu took a few officers to pursue the suspect, leaving Old Zhang to handle the scene. The suspect had fled through the mall’s back door, which had been forced open. The door was inward-opening, but it had been knocked off its frame from inside.

This must be the silent killer!

In the alley behind the mall, a policeman was aiming his gun at a tall figure fleeing down the street, shouting, “Stop!” preparing to shoot.

“Don’t shoot! You might hit civilians!” Lin Qiupu yelled, “We’re criminal police. We’ll handle this!”

Everyone chased after the silent killer, who wore a shabby trench coat and ran incredibly fast, knocking aside pedestrians like a human tank.

Lin Qiupu fired a warning shot into the air, causing pedestrians to dive into nearby shops, clearing the sidewalk.

The killer crossed the street, and a car was heading towards him. Instead of getting hit, he leaped onto the car roof, denting it, and jumped to the other side.

The chasing policemen wondered, “Is this guy even human?”

Xu Xiaodong, the fastest runner, vaulted over the stopped car and jumped on the killer, locking his arms around the killer’s neck.

The silent killer roared and violently thrashed, flinging Xu Xiaodong against a wall.

A black SUV pulled up nearby. A masked person threw a bag onto the sidewalk and shouted, “Get in!”

The silent killer jumped into the SUV without hesitation. The police watched helplessly as it sped away, but the ticking bag left behind required immediate attention.

Lin Qiupu guessed it might be a bomb. He grabbed the bag and ran, but the street was crowded. The ticking accelerated, then abruptly stopped. Instinctively, he dived to the ground, covering the bag with his body.

After a tense moment, nothing happened. Bystanders stared at the man lying on the ground.

Lin Qiupu opened the bag to find a shoebox filled with garbage and an alarm clock. Relieved, he sat down, drenched in cold sweat.

“Damn!” he muttered.

“Brother!” Lin Dongxue ran over, tears in her eyes.

“It’s fine. It’s fake…” Lin Qiupu smiled weakly, still shaking.

Lin Dongxue hugged him, sobbing. It had been ages since he last held his sister.

Other officers arrived, and Lin Dongxue finally let go. Lin Qiupu stood up, exhausted. “How’s Xiaodong?”

“I’m okay, Captain.” Xu Xiaodong emerged from the crowd, blood on his chin.

Chen Shi walked over and said, “Good job, Xiao Lin.”

“Thanks… but don’t call me Xiao Lin!”

The realization that the silent killer had accomplices surprised and frustrated everyone. Lin Qiupu wondered if the masked person could be Zhou Xiao. Chen Shi also suspected Zhou Xiao but not the one with a split personality. When the SUV door opened, he saw three people inside: a driver, one pulling the killer in, and one throwing the “bomb.”

Returning to the mall, Old Zhang had already gathered information. The silent killer attacked a man for hitting his child, smashing him against the glass wall. The man was injured but not seriously.

A patrolling officer heard the commotion and ran in, causing the silent killer to flee. The initial gunshot was the officer’s warning shot.

“We also found something unexpected… come out, it’s safe now,” Old Zhang said to a pillar.

A trembling man in a cheap suit emerged from behind the pillar. It was Qin Wanmu.