Chapter 291 - 290: Can’t Hide Anymore

Chapter 291: Chapter 290: Can’t Hide Anymore

The two of them, each with a rifle, donned one-piece combat fatigues, pulled on combat boots, and set off with supply packs on their backs. They didn’t allow anyone to follow.

The manager of the hunting grounds was naturally worried, but what could he do? They were the bosses, and he was just an employee. Helpless, he could only order the medical team and the instructors to remain on standby, ready to provide aid.

The resort was built on a mountain. Half of it was heavily developed, while the other half retained its original landscape, simply fenced off to contain a variety of free-range animals.

They left the safe zone and entered the dense forest directly. Since the resort hadn’t officially opened yet, the free-range animals inside were still rather clueless. It wasn’t long before they came across a flock of dopey-looking sheep.

Gu Qingyin got within three meters of the flock and even raised her rifle, yet the sheep didn’t budge an inch, calmly continuing to graze with their heads down.

"Hey!" Gu Qingyin lowered her gun, speechless. ’With prey this dumb, are the guests really going to have any fun hunting?’

Huo Yunjing chuckled and fired a shot into the air.

The loud bang finally startled the flock. They hopped in place before scattering in all directions, but they quickly located their leader and turned to follow it.

Gu Qingyin’s eyes narrowed, a spark of interest igniting within her. She raised her rifle again, aimed at the slowest one, and fired.

The poor little lamb fell at the sound of the shot.

Huo Yunjing raised an eyebrow. "Nice shot." The bullet had hit the lamb squarely in the leg.

Gu Qingyin said, "...Actually, I was aiming for the one next to it."

Huo Yunjing paused for a moment, finally finding something to praise. "Lucky shot, then."

Neither of them paid any mind to the lamb on the ground, instead continuing their pursuit in the direction the flock had fled.

As for the lamb, the staff had already seen what happened via the body cams on their chests. They would send someone to retrieve it.

They trailed the flock from a distance for a while, but neither Gu Qingyin nor Huo Yunjing fired again. After some time, they veered off in a different direction.

Their luck was good. Before they had gone far, they encountered the hunting grounds’ most challenging prey: a wild boar.

The wild boar was much smarter than the sheep. It spotted them from a distance, turned tail, and ran.

Gu Qingyin took off after it, her competitive spirit ignited. She insisted on a match with Huo Yunjing. "Let’s see which of us bags this boar first!"

Huo Yunjing followed close behind her. "What are the stakes?"

Gu Qingyin, still holding a grudge from last time, didn’t hesitate for a second. "An outfit!"

Huo Yunjing’s eyes lit up. "Deal." The moment the word left his lips, he abruptly accelerated, trying to overtake Gu Qingyin.

As if she’d let him! Not only did she speed up to match him, but she also changed direction to cut him off.

A flicker of resignation crossed Huo Yunjing’s eyes. He slowed his pace slightly, falling in behind her. "Quite the competitive streak you’ve got."

Gu Qingyin huffed. "I’m definitely winning today!"

The wild boar was already very familiar with this mountain forest and made a point of darting into the densest parts of the jungle.

Gu Qingyin gave chase relentlessly, but for a moment, it seemed she couldn’t quite catch up. This only fueled her fighting spirit. She gritted her teeth. "I’m taking you home tonight and making a grand feast out of you!"

The boar weaved and dodged through the woods, quickly leaving Gu Qingyin disoriented. She stopped to catch her breath and sighed, "This thing can really run." ’Without resorting to some tricks, this won’t be an easy catch.’

"Qingyin!" Huo Yunjing’s voice called out from her left. "Come over here."

Gu Qingyin glanced in the direction the boar had fled, which was the complete opposite of where Huo Yunjing’s voice was coming from. She suspected it might be a diversion, but after a two-second hesitation, she went over anyway.

After pushing through a patch of messy undergrowth, she saw Huo Yunjing standing with his back to her.

"What are you doing? Giving up already?" Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but tease. "If you want to wear that outfit, just say so."

Huo Yunjing turned his head, giving her a look that was half-smile, half-smirk. "If you really want to see it, you just have to say a few nice things. I might wear it for you. No need to resort to goading."

Gu Qingyin blinked. "Really?"

Huo Yunjing fell silent for two seconds, then casually turned his head back and got to the point. "Come take a look."

Gu Qingyin pouted, but her legs obediently carried her over. The moment she stood beside Huo Yunjing, her previously casual expression turned serious. "This is..."

Huo Yunjing nodded. "The place where Zhao Xiaowei’s ghost soul used to wander."

"Right under our noses the whole time." Gu Qingyin clicked her tongue and shook her head. She pulled out her phone to call Miao Yan, saying, "This means Zhao Xiaowei’s body must be somewhere nearby."

The moment Miao Yan answered the phone, he heard her words and hurriedly asked, "Where?"

Gu Qingyin replied, "The resort’s hunting grounds."

Miao Yan arrived quickly, followed by a group of police officers. Trailing at the very back was a couple with grief-stricken faces.

The gray-haired pair supported each other, stumbling yet stubbornly following behind the group.

Gu Qingyin gave Miao Yan a questioning look.

Miao Yan drew closer and said in a low voice, "Zhao Xiaowei’s parents were there when the call came in. They heard the news and insisted on coming, no matter what. We couldn’t stop them."

Gu Qingyin sighed and shook her head. ’A parent having to bury their own child... what a cruel fate.’

A large number of police officers arrived and cordoned off the entire area, conducting a grid search. After more than half an hour, they finally found Zhao Xiaowei’s body—or rather, her remains, to be more precise.

Zhao Xiaowei’s body had been chewed on by wild boars. Not only was it mangled beyond recognition, but it had also been dragged about, with pieces scattered here and there. Although there wasn’t much blood at the scene, it was a gruesome sight.

Zhao Xiaowei’s parents were on the verge of fainting from grief. The daughter they had worked so hard to raise was gone just like that, and had died such a horrible death. No one could accept such a thing.

"Officer! Please! You have to catch the murderer! May he suffer a terrible death!" Zhao Xiaowei’s father cried out, then couldn’t catch his breath. The whites of his eyes showed as he collapsed backward.

Someone nearby quickly caught him, then shouted, "A family member has collapsed! Someone get him to a hospital, quick!"

Before the words had even faded, Zhao Xiaowei’s mother fainted as well. A police officer beside her quickly laid her flat on the ground and began administering first aid.

While everyone was frantically trying to help, Gu Qingyin casually strolled over and placed a talisman on each of the elderly parents’ foreheads.

Visibly, the pallor of their faces and the purplish hue of their lips quickly returned to a healthy, normal color.

The officers froze, then slowly lifted their heads to look at Gu Qingyin.

Gu Qingyin blinked innocently. "What are you staring at? Get them to the hospital."

The people around them instantly sprang into action, hoisting the elderly couple onto their backs and heading out. The remaining police officers tried to sneak subtle glances at Gu Qingyin, but she met their eyes almost immediately, causing them to look away uncomfortably.

Gu Qingyin just smiled, unfazed. "I’ll have to trouble you. We might need to use Zhao Xiaowei’s body later." She paused before adding, "Just a small piece will do."

With a part of the body, she could continue her source-tracing. The person who took Zhao Xiaowei wouldn’t be able to hide for much longer.