Pristine Darkness

Chapter 81

The plot thickens! Bo Jinyan delves into a long-forgotten incident from the shared childhood of Chen Jin, Shi Peng, and Feng Yuezi and finds . . . more butterflies. And, perhaps, the true butterfly killer? (Jin Xiaozhe appears again, too. I wonder what part she'll play in this butterfly killer story arc . . . )

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Translator: shl

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At this time, the news about the 'Butterfly Killer' had spread throughout the country, including Beijing.

When Jin Xiaozhe saw the news item, she was on set. Dazzling lights, crowds of people. She sat in a nanny car, seeking a moment of silence in the midst of the noise.

She watched the real-time news on a small television set and learnt all about the cases undertaken by the special investigation team. The on-site camera even made a sweep of the police force at the crime scene, and she vaguely made out a familiar figure, tall and grim, but she couldn't be sure it was him.

No, it was definitely him.

She could not be mistaken about his figure.

Jin Xiaozhe sighed softly and pulled her blanket tightly around herself. She stared at the awning outside the window, seemingly lost. With a swoosh, the door opened, and her assistant handed her a cup of her daily throat-soothing tea. "Jin jie, drink this while it's hot. Your throat must be sore after crying so much during that last scene."

Jin Xiaozhe took the cup and swallowed a big mouthful of tea.

After a while, the director shouted for everyone to prepare to shoot. Jin Xiaozhe pulled off her blanket and stood up. She wore an enchanting qipao, and her bearing was exquisite and charming. She took a deep breath, slipped into her high heeled shoes and walked towards the camera.

He had his battlefield, she had hers.

Would the both of them fare well.

——

At the same time, Fang Qing standing stock-still in front of a big tree, staring keenly at the tree bark beside the corpse. It was already dark, but the tiniest sliver of a clue was unable to escape the grim eyes of the criminal investigator.

"There's something here!" he said sharply.

Bo Jinyan and the others gathered around him.

"This is . . . " An Yan said hesitantly.

"J . . ." Jian Yao had placed Bo Jinyan's hand on the bark, and he was tracing the outline. He asked, "Is this the letter, 'J'?"

Jian Yao was startled.

On the tree where Feng Yuexi had been crucified, blood had been used to write this simple pattern. On closer examination, it really looked like the letter 'J'.

"What does this mean?" Everyone looked at Bo Jinyan and Jian Yao.

It would be impossible to divine the hidden meaning based on this single letter alone. Bo Jinyan's smile was chilling as he said, "Do you know why he wants to leave this mark behind? Because he can't control himself. He was following his heart when committing these crimes; if he has to control his desires at this time, then it would all be meaningless."

Fang Qing had his doubts. "Could it be that he's deliberately left this 'clue' behind to mislead us?"

Bo Jinyan replied, "With Chen Jin, who was really an amateur, maybe. But someone who has reached this level of brashness and experience would totally disdain to do such a thing. Do you think he cares about what we think of him?"