Lin Fan put down the spoon to get the pendant, frowned in confusion, "How could it be him? How did you get it from him? Was it troublesome? Should you return it?"

"No need," Qin Feng said, "Just keep it safe and don't lose it again."

With so many things happening, Lin Fan didn't know if this thing still had any value. She looked at the jade for a moment before putting it back in her pocket. Qin Feng looked up, "You're not wearing it? I can find another string for you."

Lin Fan shook her head, "No need. Now that my physique has changed, this thing may not be suitable."

Qin Feng was silent for a while and didn't say much, just reminding her, "Keep it safe and don't lose it again."

"Okay."

After finishing their meal, Qin Feng and Lin Fan planned to go out. Qin Feng saw her bare neck and turned around, striding towards the bedroom, "Wait a moment, I'll get you a scarf."

Before Lin Fan could react, Qin Feng had already come out with a scarf. It was a long, dark blue scarf. Qin Feng pulled Lin Fan over and wrapped it around her, covering everything but her eyes before he was satisfied and took her out.

The winter in Jiangcheng was especially cold. The community's parking lot was outdoors, and Lin Fan was shivering, stomping her feet and putting her hands in her pockets. Qin Feng drove the car over, and Lin Fan turned to look at the sky and earth. The wind was strong, scattering the clouds and revealing a clear blue sky. Lin Fan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't want to live too long, just long enough to spend a lifetime with Qin Feng.

The car drove over, and Qin Feng said, "Get in."

Lin Fan opened the car door and got in, blowing on her hands to warm them. Qin Feng took her hands and held them in his, "You're wearing too little."

Lin Fan laughed, "Is it too little?"

"Did you wear thermal clothes?"

Her hands were cold. Qin Feng kissed them and then started the car after someone honked from behind. Lin Fan lowered her scarf, "I did, it's just my hands that are cold."

Qin Feng thought for a moment, "You have a cold constitution."

So cold that her period didn't come.

After driving for a while, Qin Feng asked, "Did you see them again?"

"Who?"

"Those victims?"

"I only saw Sister Liu. That day when Chen Xianghua was about to perform a ritual, I knocked over a jar, and Sister Liu came out," Lin Fan said, "Then I had Brother Xiao Wang smash the jar. I was then dragged out by Ouyang Yu. You know the rest." Lin Fan hadn't had the time; everything happened too suddenly.

"You—" Qin Feng hesitated with his words, "How did that happen?"

Lin Fan suddenly felt guilty, looking out the window, "Well... Ouyang Yu gave me something."

"What thing?"

"I didn't know what it was; it just went into my stomach." Lin Fan looked at Qin Feng's profile and said after a long time, "He forcibly kissed me."

Qin Feng slammed on the brakes, stopping the car at the pedestrian crossing. He turned to look at Lin Fan, "What?"

"I didn't know what it was, it just went into my stomach. It seemed to be his inner core or something. Anyway, after giving it to me, he turned into that."

"Ouyang Yu's body is missing."

Lin Fan was stunned, "What? No way."

Qin Feng had a somber face; he really disliked Ouyang Yu and wished to kill him again, to pulverize his bones and scatter his ashes.

Fortunately, Lin Fan was alive and well now.

"He disappeared without a trace. The surveillance didn't catch anything."

Lin Fan was shocked, "Could he still be alive? That monster!"

The traffic light changed, and Qin Feng started the car, "Who knows, we are just ordinary people."

Lin Fan was taken for questioning. During the autopsy of Chen Xianghua's body, they found human tissue in his stomach, which, upon examination, was possibly a raw heart. Zhou Jing's body had its heart removed again, which was perverse to the extreme.

Brother Xiao Wang almost vomited his breakfast, "Did he eat the hearts of those five people before?"

"Possibly."

"The autopsy results show that Chen Xianghua was around a hundred years old."

Qin Feng, "That old?"

"Surprising, right?" Brother Xiao Wang said, "Maybe he maintained his life by eating those hearts, which is why he looked so young. It's a good thing we killed him early, otherwise who knows how many more people he would have killed." Brother Xiao Wang was filled with righteous indignation, then said, "Where did Ouyang Yu's body go? It's quite scary."

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"That's your job to find out." Qin Feng took a sip of coffee, leaned back in his seat, and lit a cigarette, "I've been suspended."

Brother Xiao Wang: "..."

"I'm here today to wait for Lin Fan." Qin Feng flicked the ash and looked up, "The case has little to do with me."

"The crime scene is quite spectacular. Do you want to take a look?"

Qin Feng shook his head, "Is Cai Lan dead?"

"Yesterday, she stopped breathing in the central hospital."

It's a sin, killing so many innocent people for one person's life. Qin Feng thought of Lin Fan and the seven corpses buried under her old house. That was also to save Lin Fan's life. If it were him, what would he do? Qin Feng felt annoyed and put out the cigarette.

Having such thoughts, he was unfit to be a police officer. He failed yesterday's psychological assessment. This was crucial, determining whether he could continue his career as a police officer.

His boss had suspended him, which was the best outcome for now. Would he kill for Lin Fan? Qin Feng hesitated. If Lin Fan killed someone, would he cover it up? Lin Fan was not human; he had hidden that.

From that rainy night, with the air filled with the smell of sewage, she stood in the crowd. Her skin was fair, her eyes were black and white, with a calmness beyond her years. Qin Feng's life was destined to be entangled with Lin Fan, and no one could escape.

From Lin Fan's old home in Ying County to Jiangcheng, Qin Feng had concealed many things.

"They're all dead." Qin Feng pressed out the cigarette butt, leaving a black mark in the ashtray. He said, "The case is almost clear; you can slowly investigate the rest."

Lin Fan's questioning took a long time. Qin Feng stood up and walked to the door, putting one hand in his pocket and looking out the window.

In the interrogation room, the officer questioning Lin Fan was a stranger she had never seen before.

Lin Fan recounted the events. The officer took out the steel pipe used in the murder, "How did this penetrate a person's body?"

Lin Fan laughed, "If someone you love is hurt in front of you, I believe you can also trigger such potential."

"I really can't; it's too unbelievable."

"That's because you don't love enough. If you were a moment late, he would have killed Qin Feng." Lin Fan bit her lip for a while before continuing, "If it were you, trust me, you would make the same choice."

"No matter what, I can't drive a steel pipe like this into a person's body."

The case of heart extraction has become clear. Each victim was found to have a connection with Chen Xianghua. The Qin family had close ties with Chen Xianghua for over twenty years. Qin Yu visited Chen Xianghua annually after graduating and finding a job. The second victim, Fu Qiang, had been friends with Chen Xianghua for many years and trusted him deeply. An investigation revealed that a close subordinate of Fu Qiang once mentioned that his business success was due to a master. Qin Feng initially thought it was Ouyang Yu and investigated him until Chen Xianghua emerged as a suspect. This fits the scene of drinking tea and the victims' peaceful demeanor, making them easy targets due to their trust.

The third victim, Su Ran, was a big star. After seeking help from a spirit, she was countered. Although she had contact with Ouyang Yu, it was Chen Xianghua who initially reached out to her. Checking Su Ran's call records, there was a frequent caller about two months before her death. The phone number was traced to Wei Shi, Chen Xianghua's driver, who was always by Chen Xianghua's side. Wei Shi admitted to connecting Su Ran with Chen Xianghua. Su Ran was desperate to rid herself of the spirit and sought Chen Xianghua's help, who ultimately took her life in the process.

The fourth victim, Liu Juan, had a yin-yang eye before she turned ten, but never mentioned it afterward, and her parents never brought it up again. She became a police officer and the matter was buried, but she was born at a yin time. When Qin Feng investigated Liu Juan, he was stuck because she had no apparent connection to Chen Xianghua. They didn't know each other, so how did Chen Xianghua know about her yin-yang eye and manage to kill her? Wei Shi also claimed not to know Liu Juan. However, the modus operandi was the same. According to Lin Fan, Liu Juan's soul was in his possession, leaving this a mystery for now.

The fifth victim, Wang Ronghua, met Chen Xianghua six months ago. Wei Shi admitted to buying the phone number, and with Chen Xianghua dead, he was lifeless and answered all questions without resistance. Chen Xianghua had contacted Wang Ronghua for several months. Call records suggest Chen Xianghua lured Wang Ronghua to a corridor where he killed her. The sixth victim, Zhou Jing, approached Chen Xianghua herself, seeking death.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Lin Fan exited the interrogation room with a pale face. Qin Feng quickly approached, handing her a thermos, "Have some water."

The water was sweet, likely with honey. Lin Fan, holding the cup, looked at Qin Feng, "Can I go home?"

"Wait a bit, I have some matters to handle."

Despite Lin Fan's suspicious identity and many doubts surrounding her, she was not significantly connected to the case. She had stabbed Chen Xianghua in self-defense, witnessed by Xiao Wang and Qin Feng. Lin Fan's unique constitution could be the reason she survived, contradicting the hospital's death certificate.

After signing the papers, Qin Feng and Lin Fan left the office. The wind was strong outside, and Qin Feng adjusted Lin Fan's scarf, asking, "What do you want to eat?"

Lin Fan thought for a moment, "Hotpot, let's have hotpot."

"Will your stomach handle it?"

Lin Fan slipped her hand into his coat pocket, "Will you let me eat or not?"

Qin Feng tightened his grip on her hand, smiling, "Sure, let's go. If you want it, we'll have it." He casually added, "Even if your health suffers, I can handle it again. I've dealt with you dying twice; a third time won't be much different."

Lin Fan almost laughed, "Is this your way of retreating to advance? We have many choices like clear broth, tomato, or sauerkraut. I don't have to eat spicy."

Qin Feng stopped and kissed her, "Then listen to me."

Lin Fan nodded, "Okay."

The first time Lin Fan had hotpot in Jiangcheng was with Qin Feng, and every subsequent time was also with him. She walked ahead, her scarf fluttering in the strong wind, still troubled by the deaths and sins.

"Qin Feng, if you ever need a life extension, I won't kill for it. I'll give you my life, and if it's not enough, we'll die together."

Qin Feng knew what she meant. Looking at the distant horizon with the sun setting, bathing half the city in a golden glow, he said, "If I had the choice back then, knowing that my survival would mean the death of many, I would have chosen to die. I don't want to live at the expense of others' lives." Qin Feng tightened his grip on her hand, and Lin Fan's voice softened, "Living isn't just about breathing but having a human heart, right?"

Her grandmother had sighed when teaching her that goodness is rewarded and that one must not commit evil, for the evil would follow them for life, burdening them.

Lin Fan hadn't understood her grandmother's sighs then, but now she did. Her grandmother must have felt guilty for the many lives lost for her granddaughter. As she lay dying, she said, "I'll bear the sins. Fan, go and never return." Yet Lin Fan returned, perhaps fated to know the whole story.

The sins one commits are forever etched into their lives, no matter how small. One day, time will bring them all back, clearly and distinctly.

Qin Feng stopped and gazed at Lin Fan. She was the same as the first time they met, still pure and understanding better than anyone. Qin Feng stroked her hair, "You're right." His voice deepened, "No one should cross that line. Once crossed, they can no longer be called human."