46: Chapter 46 is full of doubts

Without waiting for Qin Mo to speak, Ye said to the woman, "Take us to your village, to the deceased's home."

"O-okay."

Officer Li then arranged for a few Hat Officers to handle the body, while he followed Qin Mo and the others toward the village.

The group followed the muddy path, heading straight toward the village.

As they walked, the village woman told them stories about the village.

Because the village is located on the mountainside, it is called Half-Mountain Village. A few years ago, the village was crowded, but since the city developed, most people have moved away.

Only a few households who didn't want to leave remained; to put it bluntly, they were just poor and couldn't afford to move out.

The group listened as they walked, and before long, they arrived at Half-Mountain Village.

At the entrance of the village, a plaque was propped up by two broken pieces of wood. It was unclear how long it had been there, as the characters on it were nearly faded away.

Although there were houses everywhere, the number of residents inside was sparse.

Through the village entrance, one could vaguely see a few houses with smoke rising from them.

The group did not linger, and soon they arrived outside the home of the deceased.

"Hu Family."

Qin Mo muttered to himself as he looked at the plaque on the door.

"Compared to other residents, this place seems a bit more imposing," Li Ming said, gesturing to the surroundings of the house.

"Creak!" Just then, the gate of the Hu Family home opened from the inside, and a middle-aged man walked out.

"Hello, are you a family member of Hu Xiaojuan?" Li Ming asked, stepping forward.

The man looked at Li Ming, who was in a police uniform, with some confusion.

"I am her father. May I ask what this is about?"

After confirming the man's identity, Li Ming said with a solemn expression, "Your daughter, Hu Xiaojuan, passed away an hour ago. The killer has not been found yet, and we are here to investigate the case."

"What did you say?" The man was instantly shocked, and his expression turned to one of rage at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"It was them! It must have been them!"

"Who did it?" Li Ming frowned immediately.

The man roared, "Who else could it be but the Long Family!"

"The Long Family? What is your relationship with the Long Family? Why are you so sure it was them? Do you have any evidence?" Li Ming asked seriously.

"Evidence? What more evidence do you need? It must have been them!" The man said, looking nervous.

The Hat Officer nearby stepped forward to comfort him upon seeing this.

"Sir, please calm down!"

"Let's go! We'll go check out the Long Family," Ye said, having remained silent until now.

Everyone nodded and headed toward the Long Family's home. Since the two families lived very close to each other, they arrived in just a few minutes.

Just as they reached the Long Family's gate, a middle-aged man came running out in a panic. Upon seeing the group, he froze for a moment before saying happily,

"Hello, you all are really fast!"

The group was confused by the man's words. Li Ming probed, "Do you know us?"

The man immediately made a speechless expression. "Aren't you Hat Officers? How could I not know? I'm the one who called the police. My name is Long Jin."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this. Li Ming then asked confusedly, "Why did you call the police?"

Long Jin replied angrily, "My youngest son was murdered. He died in a gruesome way. He was buried in the dirt with only his head sticking out. He was beaten to death, and that person even left a dead centipede on the ground. This is a provocation!"

"What did you say?" Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, as if struck by lightning.

A centipede. Another centipede. From this, it was clear that this was a serial murder case.

Everyone's expression was grave. The livestream chat was in an uproar.

"So scary! Another one died!"

"The people from the Long Family and the Hu Family died at the same time; could there be a connection?"

"I don't know, don't ask me, I'm not saying!"

"I don't know about a connection, but the point is I know the Streamer is about to start showing off!"

Li Ming then said seriously, "You said your youngest son died? A centipede was left by his side?"

"When was he killed? Time and location? Did you see who the killer was?"

"Sigh!" The man sighed first, then said, "It was around 8:00 PM this afternoon. It hadn't started raining yet."

Around 8:00? Upon hearing this, everyone's pupils constricted.

Doesn't that mean the killer killed the Long Family's youngest son first, and then killed the Hu Family's Hu Xiaojuan? The time difference was no more than thirty minutes. How did he manage that?

"Do you know who the killer is?" Ye asked in a deep voice.

"Does it even need to be said? It must have been the Hu Family!" A shrill voice came from inside the Long Family home. Three people walked out: a young man, a young woman, and an Old Woman who looked to be about seventy years old. It was she who had spoken.

Li Ming frowned as he looked at the newcomers. "May I ask who you are?"

Long Jin immediately pointed to the young man and woman, introducing them, "This is my son and daughter-in-law, Long Yi and Liu Jingxiang." He then pointed to the Old Woman and said, "This is my mother."

Qin Mo walked up to the Old Woman and said solemnly, "Why do you think the Hu Family did this? Do you have any grudges or conflicts?"

Granny Long said with resentment, "Our two families have been sworn enemies for generations. Who else could commit such a hate-filled murder besides them?"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought. After gathering a bit more information, the group returned to the Hu Family home. Qin Mo spent the whole way thinking.

Both the Hu Family and the Long Family had lost people, and both sides were convinced the other had done it. But how could they proceed without evidence? And why were there centipedes next to their bodies?

"Perhaps... the centipede is some kind of clue." Ye spoke up from the side.

Qin Mo paused, realizing they were thinking the same thing.

Just then, a young man walked over. "Hello, my name is Hu Wei, and I am Hu Xiaojuan's brother."

"I know some things that might be helpful to you."

"What is it?" Qin Mo and Ye asked in unison.

Hu Wei hesitated for a moment before saying, "Actually, just last night, I heard my sister, Hu Xiaojuan, plotting something with Long Er from the Long Family. It seemed like they were even planning to go to the police."

"But at first, I didn't take it to heart. By the time I remembered, it was already too late," Hu Wei said, looking dejected.

Plotting? Going to the police? What were they plotting? And why did they want to go to the police?

The two then hurried back to the Long Family home without a moment's rest.

"What did you say? Plotting? I haven't heard my son mention that." Long Jin looked at Qin Mo and the other with confusion.

He then seemed to remember something. "However, ever since my youngest son died, my second son has been acting strange all day, talking about how a curse is about to reach him. I really don't understand what he's going crazy about..." Speaking of this, Long Jin shook his head helplessly.

Before Qin Mo and the other could speak, Granny Long said with a face full of malice, "The curse must have been cast by the damned Hu Family! There's no doubt about it!"

Watching Granny Long gnashing her teeth, Qin Mo asked curiously, "Why is the relationship between your two families so bad?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Long's expression darkened, and she said in a low voice, "That's because... a long time ago..."

"Because... right? What was it for again?"

"Huh?" Qin Mo and the other were dumbfounded...

"Hahaha..."

"I'm dying of laughter..."

"In this tense atmosphere, how did you suddenly get senile..."

"The Streamer must be stunned..."