Chapter 145: Only a Fierce Dragon Crosses the River [9]

Jin Er seemed to sense something and suddenly opened his eyes.

But the moment he opened them, the hairs on his body stood on end, and his scalp went numb.

However, the suspended awl gave him no time to react. The instant he tried to dodge, it pierced his temple with a sickening THWACK!

It was faster than he could have ever imagined, as if the awl had transformed into a bolt of lightning. Even as a Half-Step Grandmaster, he couldn’t evade it before it buried itself into his flesh.

A thin trail of blood seeped from his temple.

As everyone knows, the temple is one of the human body’s most vulnerable points. A heavy blow here is enough to be fatal, let alone having an awl driven straight through it. Isn’t that why people who commit suicide aim their guns right at their temples? Behind the temple lies the brain! Thus, the moment the awl pierced through, Jin Er’s life had come to an end!

THUD.

His head slammed onto the desk. After that, the study fell dead silent.

"Let’s go!"

In the van parked downstairs, Lin Jian hadn’t even finished his cigarette, but he waved his hand to signal Qin San’Er to drive.

Qin San’Er grumbled inwardly. He wondered why Lin Jian was the one who asked to stop for a smoke, yet now wanted to leave before even finishing it. Was there something wrong with him?

Meanwhile, Lin Jian scrolled through WeChat on his phone. After a moment of thought, he opened a ticketing app.

"Hey, what’s your ID number?" Lin Jian asked while booking the tickets.

Qin San’Er immediately recited his ID number. Soon, Lin Jian booked two flights to Anxi.

"All set. The flight is at 3:00 PM. We’re going on a trip to the Ancient Capital!"

"What the hell?" Qin San’Er was thoroughly confused. He wondered if they were no longer going after Jin Er. Was it already over?

"Sorry for the trouble today, officers. I’ve booked a 3:00 PM flight to Anxi, so you’ll only need to accompany me until then. Thank you for looking out for me!" Lin Jian expressed his gratitude to the two plainclothes officers.

The two officers were actually just as baffled. They had come out past 10:00 AM, tasked with protecting him for twenty-four hours! But now, after having a massive lunch, he was leaving in the afternoon? They wondered what kind of bizarre stunt he was pulling.

"Let’s head straight to the airport. I don’t feel like wandering around anymore," Lin Jian instructed Qin San’Er.

Qin San’Er didn’t say much and drove straight toward the airport.

Meanwhile, Cui walked out of a room looking extremely excited. He had just received a call—a call from the Qin Family!

Mr. Qin had agreed! However, his intention was to only injure, not kill. After all, too many eyes were on this matter. If he killed the man, it would give others ammunition against them. Therefore, they were to only maim him. They could cripple Lin Jian by severing the tendons in his four limbs.

So, immediately after hanging up, Cui hurried to Jin Er’s door!

"Ya, the Qin Family agreed!" Cui announced happily.

The woman with the square face nodded calmly and helped Cui push the door open.

"Second Master, Mr. Qin agreed to... Second Master? Ya, get in here!"

Mid-sentence, Cui sensed something was wrong. The way Jin Er’s head rested on the desk looked unnatural.

The square-faced woman rushed in immediately, darting to the desk like an arrow released from a bowstring!

"Second Master..."

She trembled all over as she slowly lifted Jin Er’s body. As she did, she found that his body had already gone stiff. An awl was embedded in his temple, and trails of blood seeped from his eyes and nostrils. Moreover, he had died with his eyes wide open, as if he had witnessed something utterly terrifying right before his death!

"Second Master!" the square-faced woman screamed.

Trembling uncontrollably, Cui said, "Impossible. How could Second Master be dead? Ya, who came in here earlier? Hurry, secure the scene!"

The square-faced woman instantly snapped back to reality. She wondered who had come in. But no one had! She quickly ran to the window, but all of them were shut tight. Then, she vigilantly inspected every corner of the room.

However, there was nothing! There were no signs of a struggle and nothing suspicious. Yet, Second Master had undeniably been murdered!

"Jiang City, Lin Jian—it must be him!"

Upon realizing this, the square-faced woman bolted downstairs! However, by the time she reached the ground floor, Lin Jian’s table was already occupied by someone else!

"Ya, come upstairs!" Cui shouted from the third floor.

Ya took a deep breath and walked back up the stairs, step by step.

Once back in the room, Cui took a deep breath and said, "Call the police. Get the Sixth Criminal Investigation Division over here. They have trace evidence experts."

Ya remained silent. She wasn’t in charge of these matters, and her mind was in complete turmoil. Cui had been with Jin Er much longer than she had; she had only been by Jin Er’s side for the past three years. Therefore, she wouldn’t object to whatever decision Cui made.

Soon, Cui first called the police, then dialed the captain of the Sixth Criminal Investigation Division. This captain was on good terms with Jin Er!

When the captain heard that Jin Er had been murdered, he nearly jumped out of his skin in shock!

After all, Jin Er was not simply a bigshot in the Ancient Martial Circle. He held a pivotal status in the entertainment industry, traditional opera circles, real estate, the antique collecting world, and many other fields! He even served as the president of some Manzu association, an advisor on Shaman Culture, and so on. He had far too many titles, not to mention being a renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Consequently, the entire Sixth Criminal Investigation Division was dispatched! The Haidian Police Station also mobilized in full force.

Ten minutes later, all customers at the Hongde Building were registered, and the building was subsequently evacuated. Meanwhile, officers from the Sixth Division entered the crime scene. Trace evidence experts, forensic pathologists, and the rest of the team all took their positions!

However, even after a joint investigation by multiple departments, they failed to find a single clue. Not a single fingerprint or footprint was extracted. The preliminary conclusion was that there had been no third person present!

This was because there wasn’t even a trace of a struggle. Jin Er himself was a martial artist with an exceptional physique. Setting aside his status as a Grandmaster, if someone tried to stab him with an awl, he would surely have fought back, right?

But there were no signs of resistance whatsoever.

In the end, the square-faced woman even became the prime suspect because her fingerprints were found on a teacup in the room. Aside from hers and Jin Er’s, there were no third-party prints...

However, Cui also reported a crucial lead to the police: an outsider from another province had recently come to Capital City with the intention of killing Jin Er. This man had even appeared inside the Hongde Building at noon!

This lead was extremely important. The police immediately launched an investigation and even tracked down Lin Jian’s 3:00 PM flight information!

At 2:20 PM, just as Lin Jian was about to enter the airport security checkpoint, he was intercepted.

However, before Lin Jian could even say a word, the two plainclothes officers closely protecting him jumped out and confronted the interceptors!

"We’re from the Haidian Police Station..."

"We’re from the Chaoyang Police Station..."

After introducing themselves, both sides realized they were all plainclothes officers from Capital City. The officers from the Haidian Police Station then explained their purpose: they needed Lin Jian to return with them to cooperate with an investigation!

Lin Jian nodded and said, "I have no problem cooperating, but he died? What a coincidence! I just went to the Hongde Building for a meal. I didn’t leave the sight of these two officers the entire time."

"That’s right, we can testify to that!" The two plainclothes officers nodded. Ever since leaving the Chaoyang Police Station, Lin Jian had neither gone to the restroom nor anywhere else. It was safe to say he had been with them every second of the way!

Lin Jian smiled. He had the perfect alibi!