ps: The chapter order is wrong, awkwardly, this chapter is the last one, please read it in reverse order.

Chang Erbing suddenly had a revelation: "I originally came to handle an ordinary missing person case, but unexpectedly stumbled upon the trail of [Mask]. I've really hit the jackpot."

Chang Erbing quickly took out his phone from his pocket and dialed Li Shang's number without hesitation.

As soon as the call connected, he urgently reported, "Captain Li, I've discovered a bizarre mummified corpse at the Eighth Academy."

He deliberately paused, then emphasized, "It is very similar to Director Wang's mummified corpse!"

On the other end of the line, Li Shang's initially indifferent and even impatient tone suddenly became much more excited, and even through the phone, Chang Erbing could feel Captain Li's excitement.

Chang Erbing immediately stood up straight, his voice loud and firm as he responded into the phone, "Yes, Captain Li, understood. I promise not to let anyone touch the scene."

Outside the door, Feng Yuhuai pressed one hand to her stomach, while the other unconsciously dug deep into her pocket, tightly clutching a cloth doll.

Feng Yuhuai was in turmoil:

"I had no choice. The Puppet Mother was too hungry and urging too urgently. I was in a hurry, and it was my first time killing someone, so panic-stricken and inexperienced, I simply didn't have time to hide the body. I could only dump Yazhi's corpse in the toilet."

"Damn it, the Patrol Office came too quickly. The only relief is that the Puppet Mother's feeding was rather violent, destroying the corpse beyond recognition, which in a way helped me cover up the traces."

As she pondered, Feng Yuhuai kept her ears open, stealing every word Chang Erbing spoke on the phone, not daring to miss a single word.

"Huh? Did that Chief Constable just mention another corpse that resembles Yazhi's body?"

Feng Yuhuai was stunned. She slightly lowered her head, her dark eyes twirling in their sockets, quietly hatching a bold yet sly plan to escape culpability.

"Perhaps, I can use this..."

Chang Erbing slowly stood up, gently closed the door to the cubicle, and then turned to walk towards the exit of the restroom.

His gaze was cold, like ice, sweeping over the watching teachers and students as he sternly warned, "Everyone, please step back, do not enter the restroom. Instructor, please restrain your students to avoid unnecessary chaos."

Guo Feng's face was grim, and he sternly ordered the watching students to return to their classrooms.

Du Li, frantic with worry, pushed through the crowd fearfully, rushing towards the restroom door regardless, but was firmly blocked by Chang Erbing.

"Is Yang Tuo in there? Is it my son?" Du Li's voice trembled, her eyes filled with despair, as if she was on the verge of collapse.

Chang Erbing's mind was also filled with doubts. He suspected the body in the restroom was Yang Tuo. Otherwise, how could Yang Tuo's disappearance and the appearance of this body be merely a coincidence?

With years of experience as Chief Constable, Chang Erbing had almost concluded that the body was indeed Yang Tuo, and the murderer was most likely the [Mask] they had been searching for all along.

Standing resolutely at the entrance, Chang Erbing calmly reassured, "The body inside is beyond recognition, it's hard to identify by eye alone. Don't worry, the body inside may not be Yang Tuo."

"Yang Tuo's mother?" Feng Yuhuai, initially prepared to leave with her classmates, involuntarily stopped upon hearing this, her gaze unintentionally lingering on Du Li.

Taking a deep breath, Feng Yuhuai nervously yet politely moved beside Du Li and softly asked, "Auntie, did Yang Tuo not come home last night?"

Du Li's body gently swayed, her eyes revealing helplessness, as if her thinking had stalled, simply responding instinctively to Feng Yuhuai's question, "Yes, Yang Tuo didn't come home last night. He told me in the afternoon that he was going to the martial arts hall with a girl named Feng Yuhuai, and after that, I haven't heard from him."

Feng Yuhuai took a deep breath, "Auntie, I am Feng Yuhuai."

Du Li's eyes suddenly widened, unblinking as she looked at Feng Yuhuai.

Chang Erbing's pupils slightly contracted, his gaze fixed on Feng Yuhuai's unusually pale face, his mind swirling with countless thoughts.

He then asked gravely, "Feng Yuhuai, what did you and Yang Tuo do together yesterday?"

Feng Yuhuai didn't rush to answer, but slowly nodded, her eyes showing a complex, indescribable emotion.

Chang Erbing's gaze seemed to pierce through Feng Yuhuai's face, wanting to discern whether she was the murderer of Yang Tuo, yet unwilling to reveal whether beneath that seemingly pleasant face lurked a person-devouring [Mask].

Meanwhile, as he questioned, Chang Erbing's hand had already quietly moved towards his lower back, gently touching the gun handle.

One could say, had Chang Erbing not personally experienced the horror that night at the "Black Pillar" neighborhood or faced the ruthless bloodshed, he wouldn't have had the courage to reach for his gun.

Otherwise, Chang Erbing's first reaction might have been to turn and run.

Feng Yuhuai slightly furrowed her brows, seemingly trying hard to recall yesterday's details: "Yesterday afternoon, Yang Tuo and I went to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts Hall together. After practicing martial arts, we left there, and he accompanied me to the Fourth Hospital. After that, he personally saw me home and then left."

After recounting, Feng Yuhuai's tone revealed a hint of concern, she looked again at Du Li and softly asked, "Yang Tuo didn't come home last night? Did something happen?"

Before Du Li could respond, Chang Erbing coldly snorted and asked, "How do you know Yang Tuo didn't come home last night?"

Feng Yuhuai shook her head: "I don't know, I'm just guessing. Because Yang Tuo didn't come to class as usual this morning, and this aunt just asked if the body in the bathroom was Yang Tuo, which made me think…"

Feng Yuhuai said cautiously: "If the body inside is really Yang Tuo, then it's likely he didn't return home last night, but came directly to school and then in the bathroom…"

Like Feng Mu, Feng Yuhuai was also a natural at lying.

She had thought about truthfully reporting last night's attack and Yang Tuo's "disappearance" to the Patrol Office.

After all, theoretically speaking, Feng Yuhuai was also a victim last night, but no!

Because she had been parasitized by the Puppet Mother, her identity was already tainted, and this morning, she had blood on her hands from feeding the Puppet Mother.

Feng Yuhuai felt guilty, she had to conceal the truth about last night, whether it was the black clinic, the Puppet Mother, or taking the fall for Feng Mu.

Feng Yuhuai had thought about just covering up the part about the black clinic and revealing everything else, dressing it up as a taxi radio story where the male protagonist died protecting the female protagonist.

But in the end, Feng Yuhuai didn't do it, because that might lead the Patrol Office to target Feng Mu.

Feng Yuhuai wasn't worried about Feng Mu, she was purely thinking of herself. If the Patrol Office learned from Feng Mu about the "sinister stranger," and if they caught him, through thorough investigation, her being rescued by the Puppet Mother's minions last night might also be exposed.

Even if there was a slim chance, Feng Yuhuai wouldn't dare to gamble, so although she felt aggrieved, she had to conceal it for herself and the trouble Feng Mu caused.

Feng Yuhuai didn't continue, but instead, she pressed her lips tightly, making a retching sound as if she would vomit the next moment.

Chang Erbing frowned, pondering: Feng Yuhuai's reaction doesn't seem feigned, and her guess seems reasonable.

He couldn't help but suspect that this case might not be related to this girl, and that Yang Tuo indeed, as she said, returned to school alone after parting with her and then encountered the deadly [Mask].

After all, he could see that Feng Yuhuai's severe physical discomfort didn't seem feigned, and a person reacting so violently to a corpse couldn't have created such a terrifying scene.

Yet he hadn't completely dismissed his suspicions, so he continued to ask: "What were you doing at the Fourth Hospital?"

Feng Yuhuai hesitated for a moment, then honestly replied: "My dad was seriously injured on a mission recently and is hospitalized at the Fourth Hospital."

Chang Erbing seemed to realize something and asked: "A mission? Your dad is?"

Feng Yuhuai replied: "My dad is Feng Ju, also the Chief Constable at the Patrol Office. Yesterday, my dad asked me to get the Bone Refining Pill from the hospital, and Yang Tuo accompanied me. Because it was late when we left, Yang Tuo was worried about safety at night, so he insisted on sending me home. Who knew…"

A deep sorrow appeared on Feng Yuhuai's face, and two glistening tears slid from the corners of her eyes.

Despite her sadness, she seemed to cling to a sliver of hope, her gaze turning to Chang Erbing, her voice trembling as she asked: "Is the person in the bathroom really Yang Tuo?"

Upon hearing Feng Ju's name, most of Chang Erbing's suspicions were dispelled.

On one hand, Feng Ju was his colleague, and Feng Yuhuai, as a family member of the Patrol Office, was naturally one of their own and shouldn't be unjustly suspected;

On the other hand, since Feng Ju was now severely injured, having lost an arm due to [Mask]'s attack, it was impossible both emotionally and logically for Feng Yuhuai, as his daughter, to be involved with [Mask].

Chang Erbing slowly withdrew his hand from his back, explaining simply and calmly: "The identity of the deceased hasn't been confirmed yet, don't ask too much."

Feng Yuhuai nodded gently, indicating her understanding. Her gaze again fell on Yang Tuo's mother, Du Li, who seemed to have lost her soul, her eyes vacant.

Feng Yuhuai sighed softly and slowly walked down the stairs, heading in the direction of the dormitory.

Back at the dormitory, the room was empty.

Feng Yuhuai sat by her bed for quite a while before her heart gradually calmed down. She took out a vividly colored cloth doll from her pocket and gently placed it beside her pillow.

Then, she went to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and let the water continuously wash over her hands, as Lu Yazhi's heart-wrenching cries still seemed to echo in her ears.

"I'm sorry, Yazhi, I really had no other choice. The Puppet Mother was hungry, and I really couldn't help it. You once said that I was your best sister and that no matter what difficulties I encountered, you would help me. So, you won't blame me, right?"

Feng Yuhuai talked to herself for a long time. When she walked out of the bathroom, her eyes still looked a bit dazed.

After a while, Feng Yuhuai picked up her phone and called Lu Yazhi. As she had anticipated, no one answered.

She hung up the phone and, as if Lu Yazhi were still alive, sent her a text message: "Yazhi, why didn't you come to class this morning? Something major happened at school; a body was found in the bathroom. I heard from the Patrol Office that the body might be Yang Tuo…"

In life, Lu Yazhi was Feng Yuhuai's closest friend, and there were virtually no secrets between them.

Even though Lu Yazhi had passed away, Feng Yuhuai still habitually shared campus "gossip" with her as if Lu Yazhi were still by her side.

…

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