Chapter 94: Biu, Headshot!
Reading the messages from Hot Noodles, Fang Xiaocao felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably.
“Is it really Zhi Qi?”
“How is that possible…”
She murmured to herself.
[Hot Noodles]: Even though I don’t want to believe it either, all the clues point to Zhi Qi. If you don’t believe it, then find a way to prove her innocence.
[Hot Noodles]: I will also look for more clues in my timeline.
[Hot Noodles]: But I have to warn you, for our safety, you must stay vigilant against Zhi Qi.
Hot Noodles sent three long messages.
Looking at the messages on the screen, Fang Xiaocao painfully closed her eyes.
She wanted to argue with Hot Noodles, to say that this was an assumption of guilt, that without concrete evidence, they couldn’t label Zhi Qi as a suspect.
But she also knew Hot Noodles was right. The process of disproving an accusation often ends up confirming it.
If someone wasn’t suspicious, why would they even be suspected in the first place?
Moreover… all the clues were ones she had brought up herself.
“Huff…”
Fang Xiaocao let out a long breath and opened her eyes, typing back:
“I understand. I’ll be wary of Zhi Qi. But I don’t agree with your assumption of guilt. I’ll gather evidence to prove her innocence.”
She was stubbornly refusing to give in.
[Hot Noodles]: Suit yourself.
[Hot Noodles]: I’ll continue searching for clues. Keep me updated.
“Okay, stay in touch.”
Fang Xiaocao put her phone away, leaned against the tree, and closed her eyes.
Inside her mind, a battle raged on.
One tiny voice was desperately defending Zhi Qi.
Another was listing all the suspicions against her.
“Sigh…”
Fang Xiaocao let out a long sigh and opened her eyes.
“Aquarius, let’s head back.”
She called out to Aquarius, who was keeping watch from a tree.
“Yes, Your High—”
BANG!
Before Aquarius could finish speaking, a gunshot suddenly rang through the forest.
A warm splash of liquid hit Fang Xiaocao’s face.
The strong scent of blood filled her nose, and she froze in shock.
No time to think!
Fang Xiaocao instantly dropped to the ground, rolling behind a thick tree trunk.
She wiped her face.
A sticky, crimson liquid stained her palm—blood!
Panic surged through her. She knew immediately—it was Aquarius’s blood.
Her eyes widened in horror as she turned toward the tree where Aquarius had been stationed.
Hanging from a thick branch was a lifeless body.
Half of its head—gone.
All that remained of the neck was a mess of shredded flesh and blood.
The familiar clothing—
If it wasn’t Aquarius, then who else could it be?!
Fang Xiaocao covered her mouth, suppressing the sobs that threatened to escape. Tears mixed with Aquarius’s blood, dripping down her face.
Even though she had already been warned by Hot Noodles that Aquarius would die from a sniper’s bullet…
Seeing it happen in front of her eyes was unbearable.
Sorrow wrapped around her heart, suffocating her.
“Aquarius…”
“I will avenge you.”
She bit her lip, whispering through clenched teeth.
Without Aquarius, she didn’t even know how many times she would have died by now.
Aquarius was no longer just a tool to deal with the Blacklist.
She was her friend.
BANG!
Another shot rang out.
The sound was deeper than that of a regular pistol—like the rolling of distant thunder.
The bullet whizzed past her cheek, embedding itself in the tree behind her. A few strands of hair floated to the ground.
Her heart nearly stopped.
“Did they see me?”
She muttered under her breath.
Carefully, she crawled backward a few meters.
BANG!
Another shot.
The bullet lodged itself into the trunk right next to her.
“They definitely saw me…”
Time ticked by.
She pressed herself flat against the ground, every muscle tense, not daring to move a single inch.
She wanted to run. Desperately.
But she forced herself to stay put.
She didn’t know if the sniper who had killed Aquarius was still watching.
And snipers—above all else—had patience.
She wasn’t about to gamble her life on the chance that they had lost interest.
Pulling out her phone, she opened WeChat and quickly typed a message to Hot Noodles:
“A Blacklist sniper just appeared. Aquarius got shot in the head. What do I do?”
[Hot Noodles]: Hide. Don’t move.
[Hot Noodles]: The joint rescue team will arrive in an hour. Until then, stay put and be careful.
Fang Xiaocao’s heart sank.
“What if the sniper moves and finds a clear shot at me before then?”
She sent the message with a bitter smile.
[Hot Noodles]: Then it’s game over. GG.
Fang Xiaocao: !!!
“Are you seriously giving up on me?”
She was speechless.
“How did you escape before?”
She asked, still hoping for an answer.
[Hot Noodles]: In my original timeline, I didn’t go through this event.
[Hot Noodles]: But when I experienced your timeline, I just hid until the rescue team arrived. The sniper never showed up again.”
Fang Xiaocao actually laughed in disbelief.
So… she was supposed to just hide?
That was her grand escape plan?
Not surprising—this was her future self, after all.
“You can see the future, but you don’t know when the sniper will leave?”
She made one last attempt.
[Hot Noodles]: Sorry, I don’t know.
“6!”
She sent back a single “6,” rolling her eyes.
“Fine, you’re dismissed.”
“I’m exhausted. Gonna sleep for a bit.”
She joked bitterly.
[Hot Noodles]: Understood, Your Majesty. Your servant takes their leave.”
Closing the chat, Fang Xiaocao put her phone away.
She glanced around.
She didn’t want to just sit here and do nothing.
But she was up against a sniper.
A headshot sniper.
One wrong move, and it was over.
Hypnosis wouldn’t help here.
She didn’t even know where the sniper was—was she supposed to hypnotize thin air?
“Sigh…”
“Life is so damn hard.”
She whispered, resigned.
(End of Chapter 94)
