Villain: After I died, all the heroines cried themselves to sleep.

Luo Chuan squinted as he observed the woman's physical condition.

The woman was covered in wounds.

The most severe injury was the massive penetrating wound to the waist and abdomen, followed by a twisted thigh and shoulder, which appeared to have suffered shattering damage. As for the other knife and gunshot wounds, there were countless others.

To be able to escape here with such a crippled body, one has to admit, he's a truly ruthless person.

Luo Chuan slowly walked towards the woman.

The woman lay motionless on the ground, seemingly unconscious due to excessive blood loss.

However, just as Luo Chuan arrived beside the other party...

Swah——

A cold glint shot out, suddenly piercing towards Luo Chuan's chest.

The woman had been feigning death in the muddy water, but the moment Luo Chuan approached, she immediately revealed her sharp fangs and lunged to bite.

Unfortunately, the person she met was Luo Chuan.

"I was prepared for this."

Luo Chuan dodged the woman's sudden attack by slightly shifting his body to the side and grabbed her wrist.

The woman's eyes flashed with ferocity as she raised her broken thigh and delivered a knee strike to Luo Chuan.

However, just as she raised her knee, Luo Chuan's elbow strike arrived first, slamming heavily into her leg.

"Hmph!"

The intense pain caused the woman to instinctively groan, and all her strength vanished instantly.

Taking advantage of the moment, Luo Chuan grabbed the woman's arm and suddenly exerted force, executing a standard and perfect over-the-shoulder throw.

boom!

The woman was slammed to the ground, splashing water everywhere.

"Don't think I only know how to use a sword; I also have some knowledge of hand-to-hand combat."

Luo Chuan looked down at the woman lying at his feet.

If there are no surprises, the person in front of me is undoubtedly Ye Ling.

"Is the mission now complete?"

According to Yan Nan's deduction, Ye Ling is most likely the one monitoring Xu Xiaojin.

Now that Ye Ling has been captured by Luo Chuan, it's time for the system to notify us that the objective has been achieved.

Luo Chuan glanced at the system taskbar.

"..."

Nothing happens.

In other words, Ye Ling is innocent, at least in the case of Xu Xiaojin.

Someone else was monitoring Xu Xiaojin.

"Was the guess wrong?"

Luo Chuan frowned slightly.

He looked down at the leaf feathers on the ground.

Already critically injured and on the verge of death, she lay paralyzed in the mud like a dying eel, barely breathing.

It seemed like he was going to die.

……

Xu Xiaojin lay on her back on the bed, staring at the dark ceiling.

I was wide awake.

This afternoon's connection with forbidden objects, bringing her to the brink of death, deeply affected her.

In the moments before her death, countless images flashed through her mind.

A variety of emotions welled up within her.

She feared death, worried that her grandmother would be left without care after she died, and regretted that she had not kept her childhood promise.

At the same time, she cherished life. She realized that she actually liked her current life, the people and things around her, and was reluctant to leave like this.

Then, as if hearing her prayer, a warm and bright light saved her.

This wasn't the first time she had felt this power.

"He saved me again."

Xu Xiaojin muttered to herself.

Her feelings for Luo Chuan have always been somewhat complicated.

Although they attended the same high school, they didn't officially cross paths until the day of the college entrance examination.

At the lowest point in her life, Luo Chuan suddenly appeared, gave her a good scolding, but also gave her the courage to persevere.

When she was feeling lost, Luo Chuan appeared again. Although he was very strict, he still guided her in the right direction.

Later, Luo Chuan took her to hunt demons to broaden her horizons.

They also allowed her to join the Hunter Club, giving her the ability to improve her life.

They're even helping her find her childhood friends to fulfill a promise they couldn't keep in the past.

It's hard to say how deep her relationship with Luo Chuan was.

There is a six-month gap in between.

Yet she remained deeply grateful to Luo Chuan.

For Luo Chuan, these things were probably just a matter of lifting a finger.

But for her, it was a pivotal opportunity that could change her entire life.

Xu Xiaojin still remembers the feeling of utter defeat and despair she experienced during the college entrance examination and the start of the new school year.

She knew very well that she was a weak person.

Inner strength is nothing but a false pretense.

Without Luo Chuan, she might have given up on herself in despair, gradually sinking into endless darkness.

Why should he help me?

Xu Xiaojin was puzzled.

She and Luo Chuan weren't particularly familiar with each other before.

Moreover, she wasn't a popular or pretty girl.

She was just an insignificant, even outdated, extra.

Xu Xiaojin couldn't help but reach up and touch her long bangs on her forehead.

This is her way of protecting herself.

Because she was discriminated against and bullied by her peers when she was young, she developed a liking for this style of dress, wrapping herself up tightly as if to escape reality.

Shouldn't we muster the courage to make a change now?

Hsu Hsiao-chin wants to face the truth.

That's what I was thinking.

Suddenly, she heard a strange noise coming from outside the room.

"Is it Luo Chuan?"

Xu Xiaojin looked towards the door.

She activated her innate ability and was able to sense Luo Chuan's presence.

However, in addition to this, another person appeared.

Xu Xiaojin hesitated for a moment, then carefully opened the door and stepped out of the room.

She tiptoed closer to the bathroom and peeked out.

Her eyes widened instantly, she covered her mouth with both hands, and almost screamed out loud.

Luo Chuan stood there covered in blood, holding a showerhead and running water over his face.

Directly below him, a naked woman sat slumped on the ground, her face pale and covered in wounds, having gone into shock due to excessive blood loss.

It looked just like a murder scene.

……

Luo Chuan also discovered Xu Xiaojin.

However, he had anticipated that the other party might discover him.

Seeing Xu Xiaojin standing dumbfounded at the door peeking, he immediately waved to her.

"Since you've seen it, you might as well come over and help deal with it."

"Handle it? Okay... I understand."

Xu Xiaojin made up her mind, moved slowly closer to Luo Chuan, and whispered her suggestion.

"My house is actually not a good place to hide a body. I think the best way is to take advantage of a heavy rain outside, throw the body into the sewer, and let the rain wash away our traces."

"What are you talking about? This woman is still alive. I asked you to come and help rescue her."

Luo Chuan looked at Xu Xiaojin speechlessly.

What do you take him for?

"what……"

Xu Xiaojin realized she had misunderstood, and her face immediately turned bright red.

She quickly stepped forward to help Luo Chuan clean the woman's wounds and stains, then dried her off, wrapped her in a bath towel, and carried her to Luo Chuan's room.

Finally, they found a first-aid kit, disinfected the area, and wrapped the woman up like a mummy.

Having accomplished all this, Luo Chuan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fortunately, this woman is a fifth-level extraordinary martial artist; otherwise, an ordinary person would have died long ago from blood loss."

"Actually, I've been wanting to ask this since earlier: Who is she?"

Xu Xiaojin looked at Luo Chuan with a puzzled expression.

"She is Ye Ling."

Luo Chuan answered.

"She's... Senior Ye Ling?"

Xu Xiaojin looked back at Ye Ling lying on the bed, her eyes filled with disbelief.

But soon, another question came to her mind.

Since the woman in front of him is Senior Ye Ling, who is being hunted by the Extraordinary Administration Bureau, why did Luo Chuan bring her back instead of notifying the Extraordinary Administration Bureau?

"I want to know what you're thinking."

Luo Chuan noticed the confusion in Xu Xiaojin's heart.

He placed his hands on Xu Xiaojin's shoulders and looked at her with a serious expression.

"Right now, only you and I know that Ye Ling is here. I hope you can keep this a secret for me and not let anyone else know."

"Not even Ms. Kobayashi?"

Xu Xiaojin frowned slightly.

Luo Chuan shook his head firmly.

"No, at least not now."

"...I understand, but if possible, I'd like to know why."

"The reason is simple: this woman is likely innocent; she has simply been framed."

Luo Chuan said earnestly.

The system is highly unlikely to malfunction.

If Ye Ling is innocent, then all the inferences we heard before may be wrong.

Based on the information he had, Luo Chuan considered another possibility.

Who is secretly monitoring Xu Xiaojin?

There may only be one truth.