Chapter 563: Out of Control

Lin Yuan was completely dazed.

He even forgot the pain in his back.

Yin Yirou's warm, soft touch still lingered on his lips.

With a hint of tearful saltiness, plus the unique sweet fragrance of a woman.

This left Lin Yuan's mind completely blank…

At this moment, Lin Yuan had only one thought frantically spinning…

No, why did she kiss me?

After a long while, Lin Yuan finally gathered his thoughts.

The two were still locked in a passionate kiss.

Moreover, both of them were a bit out of breath.

Lin Yuan instinctively wanted to turn his head away.

But as soon as his body moved a fraction, his wrist was gently grabbed by Yin Yirou.

Yin Yirou seemed to have mustered all her courage; her originally shy, downcast eyes shot up.

Her beautiful eyes were brimming with emotive watery light.

Yin Yirou leaned forward, and her other hand directly wrapped around Lin Yuan's neck.

Her voice carried a hint of sobbing pleading: "Don't avoid me, okay? I… I just want this once, just this once."

Her breath lightly brushed past Lin Yuan's ear, carrying a faint woman's fragrance, yet also revealing an indescribable tenderness.

Lin Yuan was held so tightly he couldn't move, and the wound on his back sent a sharp pain from the movement.

But at this moment, he couldn't care less about that, feeling his whole body stiffen, embarrassed and at a loss.

Yin Yirou continued kissing Lin Yuan.

At this moment, tenderness, deep affection, stimulation, and ambiguity intertwined.

Both of their heartbeats were racing fast…

But, just as this ambiguous and tense atmosphere reached a stalemate…

Suddenly, Mu Lingxue's voice came from outside the car, along with the sound of her footsteps approaching: "Lin Yuan, how's your wound?"

Oh no! Yin Yirou's pretty face changed abruptly.

She seemed as if scalded… and suddenly released the hand that was wrapped around Lin Yuan's neck.

Yin Yirou stumbled back half a step in panic, and their lips parted.

Yin Yirou hurriedly sat on the other side of the police car's rear seat.

She subconsciously tidied the bangs in front of her forehead, then wiped at the still-wet tear marks at the corners of her eyes.

At this moment, Yin Yirou's heart pounded "thump-thump-thump," fearing that Mu Lingxue would discover her earlier actions.

Lin Yuan also instantly tensed his nerves, quickly sitting upright.

Lin Yuan instinctively raised his hand to wipe his kissed lips, his eyes full of panic.

Fortunately, Yin Yirou reacted quickly enough to dodge in time, and a distance had already been put between them.

From outside the car, it looked like the normal state after wound treatment was finished.

The car door was pulled open with a "click."

Mu Lingxue bent over and walked in, her body still carrying the outside chill and a faint smell of gunpowder.

Mu Lingxue's gaze first fell on the thick gauze on Lin Yuan's back.

She didn't notice the unusual atmosphere inside the car at all.

Mu Lingxue stepped forward, her voice full of genuine concern: "Is the wound treated? Does it still hurt?"

Lin Yuan's Adam's apple rolled, and he forced a calm shake of his head: "It's fine, Forensic Doctor Yin handled it very carefully."

Yin Yirou stood to the side, head lowered, fingers nervously clutching the corner of her white coat.

At this moment, Yin Yirou didn't even dare to breathe.

Yin Yirou's ear tips were red enough to almost drip blood. The brief intimacy just now and the present tension intertwined, making her heartbeat erratic.

Mu Lingxue didn't notice Yin Yirou's abnormality.

Mu Lingxue squatted beside Lin Yuan, reaching out to lightly touch the edge of the gauze.

Seeing that his wound wasn't bleeding, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Immediately, Mu Lingxue lifted her head to look at Lin Yuan.

Mu Lingxue said gently: "Director Li is watching over the scene; I'll stay to look after you, and when the ambulance arrives we'll go to the hospital together."

Before her words even finished, Mu Lingxue didn't wait for Lin Yuan's response…

Mu Lingxue slightly leaned in and lightly kissed Lin Yuan's lips.

She seemed to be soothing an injured lover.

This kiss was very light, carrying Mu Lingxue's unique fresh fragrance, and vanished in an instant.

"!!!" Lin Yuan's pupils shuddered in an instant, his whole body freezing…

Lin Yuan's peripheral vision… instinctively glanced toward Yin Yirou beside him.

All that could be seen was Yin Yirou's body also jerking stiff, her head lowering even further… %

Obviously, Yin Yirou was also startled by this sudden scene.

Yin Yirou was so nervous her breath became disordered.

Both of them had only one thought in their minds: It's over, we must never let what just happened be discovered!

After Mu Lingxue finished kissing, indeed, she slightly furrowed her beautiful brows.

Mu Lingxue stuck out her tongue tip… and lightly licked her own lips.

Mu Lingxue's eyes were full of doubt as she looked at Lin Yuan and asked, "Strange, Lin Yuan, why do your lips have a sweet taste? Did you put on lip balm?"

Lin Yuan's heart rate shot up to his throat instantly.

Lin Yuan's brain buzzed and exploded!

A sweet taste? That's clearly the lip balm on Yin Yirou's lips from when she just kissed him!

Lin Yuan thought to himself, "How did I forget to wipe it off? I should have wiped it clean just now!"

Lin Yuan hastily averted his gaze, daring not to meet Mu Lingxue's eyes, nor dare to look at Yin Yirou beside him.

He could only stammer an explanation while out in the rain: "It... it was me who applied it. My lips felt a bit dry before we left, so I just put on some lip balm."

"Oh?" Mu Lingxue raised her beautiful eyes, a hint of suspicion in her gaze.

She didn't press further, just stood up and said, "Then you rest well; I'll wait outside for the ambulance."

The car door closed again, but the tense atmosphere inside didn't dissipate at all.

Lin Yuan let out a breath of relief, a cold sweat already breaking out on his back, the pain from his wound overridden by this panic.

Meanwhile, Yin Yirou sat to the side, her face pale.

She had heard Mu Lingxue's question and Lin Yuan's answer clearly just now.

Yin Yirou's heart was still pounding "thump-thump", she was terrified.

She feared that if Mu Lingxue asked one more question, she would be exposed.

The ambulance soon arrived at the scene, sending the injured officers to the hospital for treatment.

Lin Yuan's injury wasn't fatal, so he stayed at the scene to cooperate with the police in continuing the investigation.

After a full hour, the scene at Stone Cave Village was finally processed.

The explosives experts... found another three concealed custom-made corpse bombs among the remaining bodies.

All the bombs were successfully defused, avoiding secondary danger.

Combining Yin Yirou's forensic appraisal results... with the on-site investigation circumstances.

The Changnan City Public Security Bureau finally classified the case as:

The Thunder Tiger Sect internally, due to interest disputes, engaged in mutual slaughter, ultimately wiping out all members.

And the remaining members, before their death, planted explosives... attempting to retaliate against the police.

That night, the Thunder Tiger Sect case was thus declared closed.

……

The night gradually faded, and the sky grew dimly light.

After Mu Lingxue finished handling the scene's loose ends, she drove, bringing Lin Yuan and Yin Yirou, preparing to return to the city.

The vehicle left the suburban mountain road, heading toward the urban area of Changnan City.

Throughout the ride, the cabin was unusually quiet, with only the engine's roar.

Yin Yirou sat in the passenger seat, her side profile facing the window, wondering what she was thinking…

Yin Yirou would occasionally, subconsciously, use her peripheral vision to glance at Lin Yuan in the back seat, her eyes complex.

Meanwhile, Lin Yuan leaned against the back seat, his brows perpetually furrowed, silent.

In his mind, he repeatedly replayed scene after scene from the Stone Cave Village site…

Those corpses, with neat fatal wounds and abnormal mutual slaughter…

And the precisely timed bomb placements…

Lin Yuan always felt that the affair exuded an indescribable strangeness…

The matter was absolutely not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

"What are you thinking?" Mu Lingxue sensed Lin Yuan's silence, glanced at him through the rearview mirror, and asked softly.

After a night of turmoil, her face also showed some fatigue.

Lin Yuan came to, his gaze falling on Mu Lingxue's back.

Lin Yuan said in a low voice, "I'm thinking about the Stone Cave Village case. This matter might not be that simple."

"Huh?" Mu Lingxue raised her brows, lightly eased the accelerator, and said, "How so?"

"I always feel that the core members of the Thunder Tiger Sect aren't dead." Lin Yuan's tone carried a hint of certainty, "Those corpses at the scene might just be their disguise."

"A disguise?" Mu Lingxue stared for a moment.

She immediately shook her head, "Impossible? Forensic Doctor Yin has already confirmed that those corpses are all Thunder Tiger Sect members, and the scene indeed shows traces of mutual slaughter."

"It's precisely because it's too 'confirmed' that it seems abnormal." Lin Yuan straightened his body, his tone grave, "Don't you think it's too coincidental? We just finalized tonight's arrest operation, and they happened to have an internal battle, wiping everyone out, and even set up bombs aimed at the police. The timing of all this is too perfect, as if it were pre-calculated."

He paused, then continued, "Moreover, this 'total annihilation' act is the Thunder Tiger Sect's best way to evade police pursuit… fake death. As long as everyone believes they've been completely wiped out, the police won't investigate further, and they can assume new identities to continue their wrongdoing."

Yin Yirou in the passenger seat couldn't help but turn her head, her eyes showing a hint of surprise.

Obviously, she too was startled by Lin Yuan's speculation.

Mu Lingxue, however, still shook her head, her tone tinged with helplessness, "You're overthinking it. If the Thunder Tiger Sect merely wanted to evade capture, there's no need to go to such lengths. Moreover, where would they get so many corpses resembling their members in build and attire? That's utterly unrealistic."

"That's exactly the biggest point of suspicion." Lin Yuan retorted.

"Most of the corpses at the scene are unrecognizable, many disfigured by explosions and fights, making identity impossible to confirm precisely. These bodies are likely ordinary followers who had defected to the Thunder Tiger Sect in normal times!"

"Those core martial arts masters, to protect themselves, sacrificed these ordinary followers, disguising them as mutual slaughter to create a facade of total annihilation, thereby concealing the truth and evading police pursuit."

"But this is just your speculation." Mu Lingxue's tone also turned stern, "Lin Yuan, investigation relies on evidence, not conjecture. All current evidence at the scene points to mutual slaughter, with no clues to prove your hypothesis. Moreover, the case has been formally closed; without new evidence, we cannot arbitrarily overturn the conclusion, or it would cause unnecessary chaos."

She glanced at Lin Yuan in the rearview mirror, softened her tone: "Don't overthink it; maybe we were just lucky to catch them in their internal conflict. The Thunder Tiger Sect has committed countless evils; meeting this end is just deserts. Your top priority now is to rest and recover."

Lin Yuan opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but seeing Mu Lingxue's resolute gaze, he ultimately swallowed his words.

He knew that without substantive evidence, more speculation was useless.

Only, Lin Yuan's lingering doubt weighed on him like a stone.

……

The car drove smoothly all the way and soon arrived at the Changnan City Public Security Bureau.

At this time the sky was already lightening, with a hint of fish‑belly white appearing on the horizon.

Inside the police station building, however, many duty staff were already busy.

Mu Lingxue, Lin Yuan, and Yin Yirou walked into the police station together.

The few simply reported to the duty Leader the wrap‑up of the Stone Cavity Village case, then cross‑checked the related transcripts and evidence materials, only then considering the case's follow‑up matters fully handled.

"We've been tossed about all night, we're exhausted." Mu Lingxue glanced at the wall clock; the hour hand just pointed to five in the morning.

She said to Lin Yuan and Yin Yirou, "Let's go back to the hotel first to rest; we can talk about anything after we wake up."

Lin Yuan and Yin Yirou had no objections.

The continuous tension and rush left both of them utterly exhausted.

The three simply packed up their personal belongings, then left the police station together, heading toward the nearby hotel.

The early‑morning streets were unusually quiet, with only occasional sanitation workers sweeping the road, the air carrying a hint of chill.

After arriving at the hotel, Mu Lingxue and Lin Yuan shared one big‑bed room.

While Yin Yirou took a standard room by herself.

When she saw Mu Lingxue and Lin Yuan move into the same room.

Yin Yirou felt a sour ache in her heart; she already knew about the relationship between Lin Yuan and Mu Lingxue.

After completing the check‑in formalities, the three took the elevator upstairs.

Upon reaching the room door, Mu Lingxue told Yin Yirou, "Rest well," then she and Lin Yuan walked into the adjacent big‑bed room.

Yin Yirou watched the two enter the room, raising her hand to lightly touch her own cheek.

In Yin Yirou's mind…… an involuntary image surfaced of last night…… that shy yet daring kiss in the police car.

Yin Yirou's cheeks instantly flushed.

She steadied herself, took out her room card, opened her own room door, went in and then locked it behind her.

The room was very quiet; Yin Yirou placed the investigation box in the corner of the wall.

She took off her lab coat and casually draped it over the chair.

Yin Yirou wearily walked to the bedside and sat down.

She kicked off her shoes, lay on the bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

After this night's ordeal, Yin Yirou's body was already exhausted to the extreme.

But her mind was unusually clear.

Yin Yirou's mind…… was filled with the image of Lin Yuan throwing himself at her……

And also the ferocious wounds on his back.

She repeatedly recalled her actions from last night, feeling both shy and yet not regretting that impulse……

If it weren't for that kiss, she really wouldn't know how to express her gratitude.

Yin Yirou tossed and turned for a moment, finally calming down a bit.

She picked up the mobile phone on the nightstand, unlocked the screen, hesitated for a long while, and still opened WeChat.

She found Lin Yuan's WeChat avatar.

Yin Yirou's finger hovered over the input box for a long time……

Then she slowly typed a line of text.

She repeatedly revised it several times, confirmed there was no problem, then took a deep breath……

She, pressed the send key……