Wenn die Liebe naht, ist es wie Schnee

Kapitel 46

When Luo Shimin returned after making the phone call, she saw Director Wang walking out of the teachers' apartment. Director Wang saw Xia Chen, and Xia Chen saw Director Wang as well. Luo Shimin noticed that Director Wang's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing Xia Chen, his expression quite unnatural. Director Wang's eyes swept over Ye Chenghao and Li Xiao, who were wearing police uniforms, a cold glint flashing in his eyes before quickly returning to normal. Luo Shimin was probably the only one among everyone who noticed this, which further solidified her opinion. The group was located at an intersection, meaning that no matter which way Director Wang went, he would inevitably pass in front of Xia Chen.

Director Wang walked up to Xia Chen and said in a low voice, "Xia Chen, come here for a moment, I have something to say to you."

Luo Shimin interjected, "Our time is precious. Let's just say what we have to say here. Even if you say something shameful, Xia Chen will tell us."

Director Wang gave an awkward smile, "I just wanted to say a few words to Xia Chen, and I was done in no time."

Xia Chen waved his hand to stop Luo Shimin from speaking, and followed Director Wang a few steps forward. The two talked for less than half a minute before Director Wang left, and Xia Chen came back.

Luo Shimin asked impatiently, "What did Old Man Wang say to you? Did he threaten you?"

“No,” Xia Chen shook his head and said, “He apologized to me. He shouldn’t have hit me. He’s been a bit emotional lately and lost control and hit me. He hopes I can forgive him.”

"You forgave him?"

“He sounded very sincere. It wasn’t a big deal, so I forgave him. I wanted him to tell me why he was looking for the horror files, but he said he’d tell me in a few days because he had to rush to an important meeting. I’ll go find him again after we catch the killer.”

Luo Shimin emphasized, "You must call me when the time comes."

The powerful roar of Harley-Davidson engines echoed from afar, as a convoy of over a hundred Harleys approached menacingly. Ye Cheng felt like crying. Did Luo Xie always make such a fuss every time he appeared? If word got back to the bureau chief that he and Luo Xie were together, his fate would be far worse than he imagined.

In the blink of an eye, the convoy arrived. On the Harley-Davidson motorcycle at the front was a man of about twenty-five years old. His handsome face was always cold, and he had dyed his hair silver-white, which gave him an elegant and extraordinary air with a touch of ruthlessness. He was Luo Shimin's brother, the infamous killer Luo Xie in the underworld.

"Little Luo, have you missed me?" A beautiful woman jumped out of Li Xiao's car, a sweet smile on her face. Her almond-shaped eyes were captivating, and her curvaceous figure was encased in tight jeans and a black low-cut wool sweater. Men who glanced at her were often unable to tear their eyes away; beauty is often the most deadly. Her name was Meng Po, and no one would guess that she, like Luo Xie, was a ruthless killer.

"Why are you here too?" Luo Shimin's face turned ugly when she saw Xia Chen staring intently at Meng Po. Hu Rongrong's face also turned ugly when she saw Meng Po's arm around Luo Xie's neck.

The old woman chuckled, captivating everyone's attention. "Your brother said someone wants to kill your boyfriend, so he specifically asked me to protect him." The old woman was an authority on supernatural arts; with her help, the chances of cracking the killer's methods increased by thirty percent.

Ye Cheng smiled and said to Luo Xie, "We're setting a trap to lure the culprits in, not going to fight a bunch of people. The men you brought are basically useless. You can send them back." Luo Xie didn't say anything, but casually snapped his fingers, and all of his hundreds of henchmen disappeared in an instant.

Xia Chen led everyone back to the dormitory to familiarize themselves with the layout and install some surveillance equipment. At Yishi Academy, male and female students are not allowed to visit each other's dormitories. The teachers in the management office downstairs saw Luo Shimin and Luo Xie but let them up without saying a word. Xia Chen's dormitory door was open, but no one was inside; the beds were empty, indicating that Xia Chen's two roommates wouldn't be returning. Li Xiao took out a bunch of equipment from his toolbox and began installation. "We need a monitoring room so we can get there immediately in case of an emergency."

Luo Shimin looked at the dormitory across the hall.

"How about this one? We can come over immediately if there's any situation."

Li Xiao took out a video camera, only a quarter the size of a palm, from the toolbox. "It's perfect for the door; the wireless night vision camera will be very clear at this distance. But who can say for sure where they can go at night if they're not going back to their dorms?"

"Leave this problem to me." Luo Shimin pulled Hu Rongrong and knocked on the door of the dormitory across the street.

"Who is it?" A man wearing only boxer shorts opened the door. When he saw Luo Shimin and Hu Rongrong standing in the doorway, he was stunned and stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.

Luo Shimin blushed immediately, but still smiled politely and said, "Can we go in? I have something to discuss with you."

"Come in, come in," the boy stammered, startled. All the boys in the dorm were sitting in front of their computers watching videos, and they froze when they saw Luo and Hu.

Hu Rongrong said in a very ladylike manner, "May we use your dormitory tonight?"

One of the bolder boys asked, "If you're using the dorms, where are we going?"

Luo Shimin said bluntly, "Go wherever you want, it's none of our business. You'll have to borrow it whether you want to or not. You have twenty minutes to pack your things. If you don't disappear from my sight in twenty minutes, I'll make sure you disappear from this world forever, understand?"

"Understood, understood!" The four boys packed their things in less than five minutes and were about to run away when Li Xiao walked in. "We're going to requisition your computers. Also, I need to tell you something: no matter where you go, you're not allowed in the school. The matter of borrowing your dorm room must be kept strictly confidential. If the news leaks out, I'll have the handsome guy behind me have a good talk with you." Following Li Xiao's finger, the four boys saw the white-haired Luo Xie staring at them. Without saying a word, they grabbed their things and ran out of the dorm room as if their lives depended on it.

Li Xiao laughed, "Luo Xie is much more useful than the police." Li Xiao installed the cameras and listening equipment in less than an hour, her movements incredibly skilled. Ye Cheng's suspicions deepened. Li Xiao brought advanced surveillance equipment; normally, it would take two to three police officers two to three hours to install it, but Li Xiao did it all by herself. Clearly, she was well-trained and experienced in using this equipment. Even recent police academy graduates, despite having access to such equipment, wouldn't be as proficient as her. He had to find an opportunity to have a serious talk with her; otherwise, it would be too late to regret it later.

Night fell, and everything was ready. At ten o'clock, Xia Chen turned off the dormitory lights, lay quietly on his bed, wearing a gas mask, his breathing slightly labored. Li Xiao analyzed that the murderer might use hallucinogenic gas, and the gas mask could keep him awake. After an unknown amount of time, Xia Chen drifted off to sleep. Ye Cheng and Luo Xie lay on their beds, both wearing masks, seemingly either asleep or lost in thought.

I awoke with a start; silence!

The dormitory was dimly lit, and it was pitch black outside. A cold wind howled through the deep night, and I had no idea what time it was.

Xia Chen turned to the side. Everything in the dormitory was shrouded in a hazy gray film. He tried to call out, but only a dry sound came from his throat. Something felt off. The dormitory door was ajar, the corridor was pitch black, and a chill spread from his neck.

"Who's there?" Xia Chen saw a figure sitting with his back to her, long hair cascading down his back. He seemed to recognize this person. "Who are you?" Xia Chen gripped the wooden railing of the bed tightly, his nails almost digging into the wood, but the pain did not alleviate the fear and anxiety in his heart.

"Xia Chen!" The woman sighed softly and slowly turned around.

Xia Chen felt as if his mind had exploded, all the blood rushing out of his body, his chest heaving violently but unable to breathe. He thought it must be a hallucination, but Su Youqing's face was so clearly displayed before his eyes. Her eyes, her eyebrows, her lips, and her body—so familiar yet so far away.

"Su...Su...Teacher Su?" Xia Chen asked, panting heavily.

"Xia Chen, it's almost your turn! Be careful!" Su Youqing smiled faintly, and with just that smile, the hairs on Xia Chen's body stood on end, and every part of his body seemed to be emanating a chill.

"What do you mean it's my turn? Can you explain more clearly?" Xia Chen asked blankly.

"Bug, the bug is about to find you!" Su Youqing's tone suddenly turned icy cold. Xia Chen shrank back a little, his back against the cold wall, and the cold air instantly entered his body.

"Su...Teacher Su...your...eyes!" Xia Chen felt his voice trembling uncontrollably. Su Youqing's eyes had turned blood red, and red blood was flowing from her eyeballs. Her eyeballs instantly swelled several times their normal size, and countless dark pupils appeared on the blood-red eyeballs. A worm the size of a fingertip crawled out of her eyeball.

"Bugs...bugs..." Xia Chen shouted loudly. An unprecedented fear pounced on him like a monster, its blood-red maw about to devour him.

Xia Chen jolted awake, his hand touching the wall, feeling surreal. He struggled to open his eyes and found himself lying peacefully in his own bed, though drenched in sweat, the sticky perspiration soaking his pajamas and blankets. Suddenly, he felt an itch on his left leg. Reaching down, he felt something burrowing into his thigh, already halfway in. Xia Chen tried to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge. His palms were sweaty, and the thing slipped, pushing even further into his thigh. Xia Chen gripped the thing tightly with his left hand, while his right hand reached for the Ya Jiu dagger beside his pillow. He drew it and slashed at it forcefully. Instead of snapping in two as expected, it sparked brightly. Ye Cheng and Luo Xie in the room immediately noticed something amiss. Ye Cheng quickly switched on the emergency light, illuminating everything clearly. Xia Chen then realized he was holding a strange object in his left hand. After several slashes, the object released a milky white liquid.

"Let me do it." Luo Xie jumped onto Xia Chen's bed and drew his treasured sword, the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow. "I'll count to three and you'll let go, understand?"

Xia Chen, pale-faced, nodded.

"Three!" Xia Chen immediately released his grip, the force of the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow's sweeping attack stinging his face. In that instant, the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow's blade struck something in Xia Chen's left leg, making a soft cracking sound as half of it flew off. Luo Xie took the Crow Nine Dagger and skillfully removed the remaining half from Xia Chen's left leg. Throughout the entire process, Xia Chen felt no pain; the blood flowing from his thigh was dark red. Xia Chen reached out to cover the wound, but Luo Xie stopped him, saying, "The wound is poisoned; wait for the poisoned blood to seep in before stopping the bleeding."

Ye Cheng found a small hole in the glass of the dormitory door and picked up the thing that Luo Xie had cut off. The thing looked very strange, bluish-white all over, like a large caterpillar. When he pinched it, there were layers of ring-shaped protrusions on its surface. It was very hard, and Ye Cheng couldn't budge it even with all his strength. "What the hell is this thing?"

Luo Xie picked up the other half of the head. The strange insect's head had barbs, no wonder Xia Chen couldn't pull it. The insect's mouthparts were exceptionally sharp. Luo Xie used it to gently scrape the wall, leaving a half-centimeter-deep scratch. Gnawing on bones would definitely be an easy task for it.

The blood flowing from the wound turned bright red. Luo Xie took out a white towel and wrapped it around Xia Chen's wound.

In another room, Luo Shimin was about to rush out as soon as Xia Chen woke up, but Li Xiao and Meng Po held her back. Li Xiao said, "Xia Chen will be fine. The murderer hasn't appeared yet. We can't go out now. Ye Cheng and Luo Xie will protect Xia Chen. Remember, our mission is to find the murderer."

Meng Po, who had been watching the monitor, saw a dark shadow flash by the moment Luo Xie cut the insect. "The murderer has appeared. You all stay in the house. I'm going out to take a look." Meng Po grabbed the metal pocket at her waist and pulled hard, drawing out a long sword.

Li Xiao exclaimed, "Could this be the legendary Iron-Breaking Sword?" Seeing the puzzled looks on Hu and Luo's faces, Li Xiao explained, "The Iron-Breaking Sword is a famous ancient sword. It resembles a knife, with an edge on only one side and a back on the other, with a narrow groove. A wide groove is imprinted in the middle of the blade. It is 3 feet 4 inches and 3 fen long and weighs only 1 jin and 4 liang. The 'Guide to Fist and Sword' says that it has an extremely elegant shape, possesses both strength and flexibility, and can be bent freely. It is invincible when wielded with one hand or two hands. This is the Iron-Breaking Sword used by an ancient general."

"I didn't expect there to be someone who recognizes its value. I'll lend you the sword when I get back after I kill that guy." Meng Po chased after him, moving with lightning speed. Li Xiao took out a stun gun and gave it to Luo Shimin, instructing her, "If any strangers break in, stun them first. I'll go with Meng Po to keep an eye on her."

Li Xiao chased the man to the dormitory lobby and saw Meng Po locked in combat with someone. The man was incredibly skilled; unarmed, he was evenly matched with Meng Po, who wielded a sword. Just as Meng Po's iron sword was about to strike the man in black, he twisted his body strangely, dodging the blade. Li Xiao stretched his body, looking for an opportunity to ambush him. Even with two against one, they couldn't subdue the man in black.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Hu and Luo, supporting Xia Chen, Luo Xie wielded the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow, and Ye Cheng, pistol in hand, caught up. Seeing the situation was dire, the man in black pulled a round object from his robes and threw it on the ground with a thud. The hall was instantly filled with smoke, and when the smoke cleared, the man in black had vanished.

"Damn it, it's that damned thing from the Japanese ninjas." Meng Po cursed as she sheathed her iron sword at her waist.

"Have you found any clues?" Xia Chen limped over. After the poisoned blood was put in, Xia Chen's leg was in excruciating pain. With each step, he gasped for breath in pain.

"No clues were found." Meng Po's answer greatly disappointed everyone. "But I found this." Meng Po opened her palm, revealing a metal object the size of a fingernail.

Li Xiao also said, "We can remove Director Wang from the list of murderers. The man in black we fought was tall, probably around 1.9 meters, while Director Wang is only about 1.65 meters tall. He's not the murderer!" Hu Rongrong said gleefully, "Luo Shimin, you lost. Looks like my breakfast for next month is sorted." "Not necessarily. We'll talk about it after we catch the murderer."

009 Fire in the Archives Room

"What is this?" Ye Cheng took the small metal piece, shone a flashlight on it, and saw a line of small characters on it. Ye Cheng read it aloud, "Special Contribution Award of Yishi Academy." Looking at the color of the metal, it seemed to be gold, and the shape of the small metal piece looked like a watch strap.

Luo and Hu exclaimed in unison, "I know what this is! We're one step away from the killer's true identity!"

Ye Cheng exclaimed excitedly, "Stop keeping me in suspense! Tell me, what is this?"

“Let me explain,” Hu Rongrong said. “Since its founding, Yishi Academy has had a tradition that anyone, whether a student or a teacher, who makes an outstanding contribution to the development of Yishi Academy will be awarded a special gold watch. From the beginning of the school’s establishment until now, no more than twenty people have received this special award, and these twenty people are recorded in detail in the school’s archives. We can find out who the murderer is by checking the list. Unfortunately, the archives are closed now, so we can only check them tomorrow.”

“I reckon the killer has been thwarted and won’t be coming back tonight. I need to rush back to the station to get this thing tested.” Ye Cheng shook the small glass bottle in his hand, which made a pleasant clinking sound. Inside was a strange insect that had been cut in two.

"Is this what killed Teacher Su?" Hu Rongrong snatched the small bottle and examined it curiously for a long time. Luo Shimin and Li Xiao came over, and Luo Shimin looked at it for a while and said, "I feel like this bug looks like a human finger bone."

"Let me see." Meng Po took the bottle and examined it carefully. Luo Xie asked, "Well, do you recognize this?"

Grandma Meng shook her head. "This thing is too strange. I've never seen it before. I can only make a rough guess about its origin. It is said that in ancient times, there was a very strange magic called insect magic in Yunnan. The now very famous Gu magic is a branch of insect magic. This thing is probably a kind of insect magic. Little Luo, your school is amazing. All sorts of things that only exist in legends have appeared one after another. I'm going to consider whether I should come to your school to study some more."

Luo Xie said, "That's a good idea. I haven't had much to do lately, and I'd like to come and study too." Ye Cheng felt sorry for the principal of Yishi Academy. If Luo Xie and Meng Po both came to study at Yishi Academy, the academy would definitely be in chaos within a year.

Li Xiao asked, "If we go back to the police station now, what will happen to the equipment we brought?"

Ye Cheng dragged Li Xiao away, saying, "We'll come back for it tomorrow morning. It won't get lost here. It's getting late, everyone should get some rest. See you tomorrow morning." The dormitory building was already locked, and the two jumped out of a second-floor window. They disappeared in no time.

"They ran so fast!" Hu Rongrong sighed. "What should we do? The girls' dormitory building is closed too. I don't want to sleep in the dirty and smelly boys' dormitory. Your dorm room is like a pigsty. Even pigs would find it an insult."

Luo Xie suggested, "Let's go to my house. It's safe, spacious, and very clean. I guarantee everyone will have a good night's sleep." Hu Rongrong lowered her head and remained silent. She and Luo Xie used to be lovers, but they broke up because of Meng Po. Since then, she had never been to Luo Xie's house again. It held so many sweet memories; she felt a sense of familiarity mixed with strangeness.

"Everyone, let's vote by raising your hands," Xia Chen said. "Raise your hand if you agree to go to Luo Xie's house." Everyone raised their hands except for Hu Rongrong. "Raise your hand if you disagree to go to Luo Xie's house." Hu Rongrong still didn't raise her hand. "Four votes in favor, one abstention. We'll spend the night at Luo Xie's house tonight." Xia Chen was very interested in seeing what Luo Xie's house was like.

Everyone jumped out of the dormitory building from the second-floor window. Xia Chen's left leg injury made jumping a little more difficult and wasted some time. When they reached the school gate, a black Mercedes was waiting there. Because there were a few too many people, the poor driver got out and went back home. Luo Xie drove everyone to his house.

When the car arrived at the gate, Xia Chen clicked his tongue and said, "Is this your house? It's so luxurious!" Luo Xie's house wasn't large, just a two-story building, but his yard was huge, and the fence was high. There were no guards, but several fierce wolfhounds were kept there. "It's not quite what I imagined."

Luo Xie turned his head and asked, "What do you imagine my home to be like?"

"As a gang leader, your compound should have very high walls, with barbed wire on top, and it should be electrified. There should be guards every five steps and sentries every ten steps in the compound, and each guard's waist should be bulging."

The Luo siblings chuckled at Xia Chen's words, and Xia Chen, still puzzled, asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Luo Xie said, "Xia, what you're talking about is a movie, which is very different from reality. The Luo family doesn't need guards. One Luo name is more effective than a hundred guards. Anyone who dared to mess with the Luo family has already disappeared."

Xia Chen nodded; this was the aura of the Luo family. Several servants came and led the wolfhound away. Only then did Xia Chen get out of the carriage and follow the others into Luo Xie's house.

Luo Shimin arranged a comfortable and quiet room for Xia Chen, right next to Luo Xie's room, so that Luo Xie could arrive immediately in case of any emergency. Xia Chen lay on the bed and quickly fell asleep.

Nothing was said that night.

The next morning, Luo Shimin got up early to prepare a loving breakfast for Xia Chen. Before Xia Chen even opened his eyes, he smelled an enticing aroma in the room. When he opened his eyes, he saw Luo Shimin standing in front of him with the breakfast. "The first thing I see in the morning is Luo Shimin's specially made luxurious breakfast. It's both delicious and nutritious."

Luo Xie and the others woke up when they smelled the aroma. They stood at the door in their pajamas, their long silver hair draped over their shoulders. Luo Xie yawned and asked, "Where's my breakfast?" Hu Rongrong also asked, "And mine?" Luo Shimin replied without turning her head, "There's rice porridge and pickled cucumbers in the kitchen! Xia Chen is injured and can't move around easily. You're all able-bodied, so if you want to eat, go and get it yourselves."

Luo Xie suddenly banged his head against the door in a funny way. "What a tragedy! Is this still my sister? Xia's injury didn't even break any bones. He'll be fine in a couple of days." Hu Rongrong shouted, "Luo Shimin, you have no humanity when it comes to the opposite sex! I despise you!" Meng Po's lazy voice came from her room, "Little Luo, I despise you too."

Everyone burst into laughter. Luo Shimin's face flushed red, revealing a rare shyness that made her look incredibly beautiful. It had been a long time since anyone had been so kind to Xia Chen. He said from the bottom of his heart, "Shimin, thank you." Those simple five words made Luo Shimin cover her face and run out of the house, her cheeks burning red.

After breakfast, Luo Xie saw everyone off at the entrance of Yishi Academy. He had no interest in investigating the case, so he went back with Meng Po. Ye Cheng and Li Xiao had arrived early and waited at the entrance for a long time, growing impatient. If Xia Chen didn't show up soon, they would investigate themselves.

Xia Chen saw the folder in Ye Cheng's hand and asked, "Is it the insect test report? Let me see it."

Ye Cheng handed the folder to Xia Chen, while Li Xiao complained from the side, "Last night when I got back to the police station, I didn't even have a sip of water before I started the tests. I looked up all the insect data and didn't find any similar insects. Xia Chen, I want to congratulate you first; you've discovered a new species. I've decided to name it after you. This insect is called Xia's Bone Worm."

Xia Chen said embarrassedly, "Stop joking with me, just tell me the test results."

Li Xiao continued, "I sampled and analyzed the insects. Their main component is bone, with a remarkably high density and a molecular structure similar to diamonds. The most astonishing discovery was under the microscope: the insect's cells exhibit a peculiar arrangement, unseen in nature. I speculate that these insects are definitely not naturally occurring; they are most likely artificially cultivated, or even evolved through intervention. These insects cannot survive and reproduce in nature. I suspect it might be related to the 'Nuwa Project.' As for that metal piece, it's a watch strap, 18K gold-plated, handcrafted, and indeed custom-made by Yishi Academy."

Xia Chen closed the folder. "We've finally found a clue. We need to find out who the murderer is quickly. If we catch him, we can get all the details of the 'Nuwa Project' out of him. We've finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. Let's head to the archives; victory is just around the corner." After meeting Luo Shimin, the introverted Xia Chen gradually became more cheerful.

"Ahem..." Hu Rongrong said, "I really don't want to discourage you, but the teachers don't start work until 8:30, and it's not even 8 o'clock yet. The archives staff come even later, so the teachers might not arrive until 9 o'clock, and you'll have to wait for more than an hour."

Luo Shimin grabbed Xia Chen and headed towards the infirmary, saying, "We can use this time to take you to see a doctor. The infirmary is staffed 24 hours a day." Li Xiao then dragged Ye Cheng toward Xia Chen's dormitory, saying, "We can use this time to collect the equipment. I borrowed them all in your name. If they get lost, the director will definitely make you pay for them. Don't blame me for not telling you beforehand; each piece of equipment costs no less than ten thousand yuan."

Ye Cheng did the math, then screamed, "Half a year's salary!" He shook off Li Xiao's hand and ran for his life towards Xia Chen's dormitory. "We'll meet at the archives room at nine o'clock."

Hu Rongrong was left alone. Bored, she wandered aimlessly around the campus. Her mind was in turmoil; many things needed to be thought through, and she used this time to sort them out. Seeing Luo Xie and Meng Po together yesterday had quelled her anger. Instead, Ye Cheng kept popping into her mind lately. When she was alone, she would often think of him, his mischievous smile. He didn't seem as annoying as when she first met him. She missed him when she couldn't see him, and deliberately provoked him when she did, partly to get his attention. Unconsciously, Hu Rongrong reached the entrance of the archives. Looking at her watch, it was already 8:50. She sat down by the roadside, waiting for everyone to arrive.

"Little girl, what are you doing sitting here?"