Chapter 53: 850,000 Credited
Looking at the message from “Hot Noodles,” Fang Xiaocao fell silent. Unknowingly, she had already influenced so many people’s fates.
[Hot Noodles: Don’t blame yourself. We are only changing bad futures. Many people have survived because of us.]
“Mm, I know~”
“I just feel a little emotional about it.”
Fang Xiaocao replied.
[Hot Noodles: Overall, our presence is not a bad thing. If we hadn’t intervened, in your timeline, Song Lin’s body would have been discovered in that basement six months later. He would have starved to death, his stomach filled with garbage he had eaten in desperation.]
[Hot Noodles: The reason I didn’t know it was Song Lin back then was that the reports only mentioned that a corpse was found in the basement. Now I finally know it was him.]
[Hot Noodles: If Axi hadn’t been exposed this time, the old couple would still have died, and Axi would have continued killing until Wang Qiang finally shot him down.]
[Hot Noodles: So, changing the future isn’t necessarily a bad thing!]
“Alright, I understand.”
Fang Xiaocao sent a voice message.
“Is there anything else I need to know about tomorrow’s trip into the mountains?”
Remembering the dangers she might face, she quickly took the opportunity to ask for more details.
“What are the names of the three people I need to watch out for?”
Seeing that “Hot Noodles” wasn’t replying, she got straight to the point, asking what she most cared about.
[Hot Noodles: Helan Xiaoyue, Yu Tianqi, Wan Xiaozhou.]
After a long pause, “Hot Noodles” finally sent three names.
“That’s it?”
“Can’t you just tell me everything at once?”
Looking at the three names, Fang Xiaocao blinked and pressed for more information.
After having experienced yet another event, she didn’t believe that “Hot Noodles” wouldn’t have more details.
[Hot Noodles: The killer is one of the two women—Helan Xiaoyue or Wan Xiaozhou. I don’t know which one. The only thing I’m certain about is that Yu Tianqi can be completely trusted.]
[Hot Noodles: The event I just went through wasn’t very clear, and I didn’t see who the killer was.]
Fang Xiaocao fell into deep thought as she read the messages, her mind racing.
“I have three questions for you.”
“First: Who got injured?”
“Second: Why is the killer identified as a woman? And why can Yu Tianqi be fully trusted?”
“Third: What is this conclusion based on?”
She fired off all the questions in her head at once.
[Hot Noodles: Yu Tianqi, Su Wanqing, and Yun Luoshu were injured. None were fatal, but Su Wanqing fell unconscious, while Yu Tianqi and Yun Luoshu suffered wounds.]
[Hot Noodles: That answers both your second and third questions.]
[Hot Noodles: Based on Yu Tianqi and Yun Luoshu’s descriptions, the killer is a tall woman. Among those present, only Helan Xiaoyue and Wan Xiaozhou match that physical description.]
[Hot Noodles: This is all I can tell you for now.]
“Alright, I got it.”
Fang Xiaocao nodded and replied.
[Contact does not exist!]
Seeing this notification, Fang Xiaocao rolled her eyes.
Now, all she could do was hope that “Hot Noodles” would go through another event and return with more useful information.
Throwing her phone onto the bed, she lay on her back, emptying her mind, trying not to dwell on these things.
Tomorrow would be a mentally exhausting day. She needed rest.
However, that night, she had many strange dreams.
In her dreams, she seemed to see “Hot Noodles”—her future self.
Strange and inexplicable.
[Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!]
In the morning, Fang Xiaocao was woken up by the sound of a frog ringtone.
She groggily opened her eyes, feeling a headache coming on.
A consequence of sleep deprivation.
She had woken up multiple times throughout the night due to bizarre dreams, leaving her severely sleep-deprived.
Shaking her head to clear her mind, she grabbed her phone to check her messages.
It was from Zhi Qi.
[Zhi Qi: Get ready, we need to leave.]
“Okay, I’ll be down soon.”
She quickly replied before dragging herself out of bed and into the bathroom.
After a quick wash, she changed into her outdoor gear, shouldered her backpack, and pulled her suitcase out of the room.
Meeting up in the hotel lobby, she handed the room key to Zhi Qi’s assistant, who had arrived to help check out.
While the assistant took care of the checkout process, Fang Xiaocao and the others got into the car and set off toward their destination in the outskirts.
Throughout the drive, Fang Xiaocao couldn’t shake her unease.
Leaning back in her seat, she closed her eyes to rest.
Once they entered the mountains, the real mind games would begin.
She had to stay vigilant.
[Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!]
Her phone buzzed again.
Fang Xiaocao opened her eyes and checked the notification.
A deposit alert—850,000 credited to your account!
She blinked in surprise and rubbed her eyes.
“Who sent me money?”
She muttered in confusion.
[Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!]
Just as she was wondering, a WeChat message popped up.
It was from Wang Qiang.
[Wang Qiang: Xiaocao, Axi’s bounty and your previous reward money have been transferred to you. We’ll bring your honorary banner to your school when you get back.]
Seeing the message, Fang Xiaocao suddenly understood.
“I knew it. Who else would send me money?”
She muttered.
“Okay, thank you, Officer Wang!”
She replied with a smile.
She originally wanted to ask about Wang Qiang and Song Lin’s injuries, but since the case was still confidential and not publicly disclosed, she decided against it.
The existence of “Hot Noodles” had to remain a secret—there was no room for unnecessary trouble.
[Wang Qiang: No need to thank me. Just buy me a meal when you’re back. I have work to do, so I won’t chat any longer.]
“Okay, Officer Wang, take care.”
She politely responded.
Stuffing her phone back into her pocket, she closed her eyes again.
There was still some time before they arrived at their destination.
For now, she just wanted to rest and clear her mind.
Tang City. Police Headquarters.
“Can we run DNA tests on the body parts recovered from the scene?”
Leaning back in his chair, Wang Qiang asked.
“It’s no longer possible.”
A young policewoman shook her head helplessly.
“Can the forensic team piece them together?”
Wang Qiang narrowed his eyes and asked in a low voice.
“They can’t…”
“The remains we collected aren’t even enough to form a child’s body…”
The policewoman sighed.
“Damn it, I have a bad feeling about this.”
Hearing this, Wang Qiang slammed his fist on the desk in frustration.
The powerful explosion had destroyed the entire crime scene.
Neither the old couple’s bodies nor Axi’s remains could be found.
That left Wang Qiang deeply unsettled.
He had a gut feeling—Axi might still be alive.
Even though Song Lin was absolutely certain he had shot Axi in the heart.
(End of Chapter 53)
