Tokyo: I'm really not a killer

Chapter 77 Another Safe House

There were no roads in the woodland, just weeds, shrubs and bare tree roots everywhere.

The night was dark, with only a faint moonlight to guide them. Shinomiya Rin nearly tripped several times, and Shiraishi Hideaki staggered along.

Yuan Zhensheng walked at the front, stopping from time to time to observe the situation and listen for sirens or barking dogs in the distance.

After walking for about an hour, they finally emerged from the woods and reached the edge of a relatively flat farmland. In the distance, they could see scattered lights; that must be the town Yuan Zhensheng had mentioned.

Just as they were about to cross the last field, a beam of powerful flashlight suddenly swept from the side and front, shining on them.

"Who goes there?!" a man shouted sharply.

Hara Masaki reacted the fastest, grabbing Shinomiya Rin and Shiraishi Hideaki and hissing, "Squat down!"

But it was too late; the beam of light had locked onto them firmly.

"Stop! Don't move!" the voice shouted again, accompanied by hurried footsteps; there was more than one person.

Yuan Zhensheng made a decisive decision: "Split up! Meet up in the direction of the town!"

He shoved Shinomiya Rin and then dashed off in another direction, trying to draw away the pursuers.

Rin Shinomiya's mind went blank, but the instinct for survival drove her. She grabbed the still-dazed Hideaki Shiraishi and ran desperately toward the town lights.

Shouts and footsteps came from behind her. She dared not look back, and could only run desperately, her lungs burning with pain and her legs feeling as heavy as lead.

Hideaki Shiraishi stumbled along, almost being dragged along by her.

They rushed down the ridge, jumped over a small ditch, and disappeared into a grove of trees. The sounds of their pursuers seemed to have faded away a little, but the beams of their flashlights still lingered outside the grove.

Rin Shinomiya and Hideaki Shiraishi hid behind a tree, panting heavily, their hearts pounding in their chests.

"I can't do it anymore—I really can't run anymore—" Hideaki Shiraishi collapsed to the ground, his face deathly pale.

Shinomiya Rin was exhausted, but she knew she couldn't stop. She forced herself to calm down and observed her surroundings. Through the gaps in the trees, she could see the town lights getting closer, probably only a few hundred meters away.

"Just a little longer, we're almost there." She pulled Shiraishi Hideaki up, and the two of them, supporting each other, continued to move towards the light.

This time they dared not run, and tried to move as quietly as possible, using the cover of trees and shadows to approach the edge of the town little by little.

Fortunately, their pursuers did not seem to have entered the woods, or were lured away by Genshin.

The surroundings quieted down for a moment.

They finally reached the outskirts of the town. It looked like a typical rural town, very quiet at night, with almost no one on the streets, and a few old streetlights casting a dim yellow light.

Rin Shinomiya observed the area for a moment, then chose a relatively secluded alleyway and slipped inside. She and Hideaki Shiraishi leaned against the cold wall, finally able to catch their breath.

"Where is that man?" Hideaki Shiraishi asked, panting.

"He'll find a way to reunite with us," Shinomiya Rin said, though she wasn't entirely sure herself, as the situation when they separated had been too chaotic.

She now has to decide whether to continue hiding here and waiting for Yuan Zhensheng, or to find a place to hide first.

Just as they were hesitating, footsteps suddenly came from the alley entrance.

Rin Shinomiya froze, instinctively pushing Hideaki Shiraishi into the shadows.

A figure appeared at the alley entrance, backlit by the streetlights, making it impossible to see the face.

Shinomiya Rin's heart leaped into her throat, and she reached for her waist—there was nothing there; her sidearm was long gone.

The figure seemed to pause for a moment, then walked towards them.

The moonlight shone on that person's face.

It's Yuan Zhensheng.

Rin Shinomiya almost collapsed, relieved and shaken by the lingering fear.

Yuan Zhensheng also looked somewhat disheveled, with his clothes torn in several places by tree branches and abrasions on his face, but his eyes remained calm.

"Follow me." He didn't say anything more, just gestured for them to follow.

The three of them moved silently through the quiet streets of the town and arrived at the back of a two-story wooden apartment building that looked rather old. Yuan Zhensheng seemed to know the place well; he took a key from an inconspicuous crack next to the back door and opened it.

They slipped inside, which was a storage room filled with clutter and smelled strongly of dust.

Yuan Zhensheng locked the door from the inside before turning on a small flashlight, its dim light illuminating the narrow space.

"It's safe here for now," he said softly. "It's a safe house I prepared before, and nobody knows about it."

He made thorough plans before taking action, since he had some spare money and could prepare a new safe house. This time, he rented this old apartment building under a new alias. No one lived in the neighboring buildings, so it was quite safe.

The only problem is its remote location; it's inconvenient to buy anything, and it's not in the city center. If something happens, we might not be able to escape here successfully—it's only useful in this special situation.

The rent wasn't expensive, only around 70,000 yen, for a quarterly subscription with a deposit. Being in a remote location has its advantages.

Rin Shinomiya finally breathed a sigh of relief, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor, feeling as if all her strength had been drained. Hideaki Shiraishi collapsed to the ground, groaning.

Hara Masaki checked their condition, especially Shiraishi Hideaki's wound. Fortunately, it hadn't worsened significantly.

He took out water and food and shared them with them, then sat down to rest, but kept his ears alert to any sounds outside.

In the distance, the faint sound of police sirens could be heard, growing louder as they approached, then stopping somewhere. The search continued.

"We have to leave before dawn," Yuan Zhensheng said. "This town is too small. The police can easily find out something is wrong by asking questions from house to house. Besides, we are too conspicuous."

He had abrasions on his face and his clothes were torn. Rin Shinomiya and Hideaki Shiraishi were also covered in mud and looked disheveled.

"What should we do then?" Shinomiya Rin swallowed the dry bread and asked.

"We'll rest for two hours. Then I'll try to get a car, and we'll continue west," Yuan Zhensheng said. "To go further afield, preferably across counties. It takes time for the police to coordinate across jurisdictions."

The plan sounded simple, but Shinomiya Rin knew the risks involved.

But now they have no choice.

The storage room fell silent, save for the three of them breathing heavily and the occasional barking of a dog in the distance. Exhaustion washed over them like a tide, but Shinomiya Rin dared not sleep, and Shiraishi Hideaki also seemed unable to sleep due to pain and fear.

Hara Masaki leaned against the door with his eyes closed, but Shinomiya Rin knew he wasn't asleep; he was just resting.

After calming down, Shinomiya Rin began to feel fear and unease, a vague sense of regret creeping into her heart. She couldn't help but ask, "Ms. Komi is still at the police station—I hope nothing has happened to her?"

"Take care of yourself first." Yuan Zhensheng did not answer.

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