Chapter 190

Ling Yue hesitated for a moment, then said, "Okay."

"However, to be safe, you first promise me one thing."

Lin Shaoze was slightly startled, Ling Yue already asked others for a notebook; the girl used her hand as a pen, drawing vigorously on the fragile paper. Moments later, a golden light flashed before his eyes, and the sparkling points of light vanished in the blink of an eye.

Deep marks were left on the blank paper.

But she clearly used no pigment.

"Rip—"

Ling Yue tore off two sheets of paper and quickly folded them; in fact, with her ability, drawing talismans in midair was no problem, but here at the police station there were many people and eyes, so Ling Yue avoided doing so.

Thinking that, she handed him one: "This is a water avoidance talisman."

At that moment, Lin Shaoze thought he had hallucinated, but he quickly came to his senses; Ling Yue had joined the Special Safety Bureau, and since he had cooperated with them before, Lin Shaoze also knew a bit, and in this context he instantly understood.

He calmly took the talisman, feeling something indescribable; beside him, Ling Yue's explanation sounded: "In an emergency, we improvise; this water avoidance talisman counts as double insurance—just put it in your pocket."

Lin Shaoze nodded in agreement; soon the members had finished scouting, the prepared life jackets and protective gear were placed aside, and after the two got ready, Ling Yue stepped onto the thick ice.

The solid ice beneath her feet felt like a piece of land; however, she raised her head, and in her view the lake's area was not small—gazing into the distance, the reeds swayed in the wind, and under the sun the ice reflected a blinding light.

"Let me scout ahead," Lin Shaoze said, his orange-yellow life jacket especially conspicuous; Ling Yue lowered her head to glance at herself—she wore one too, as the police officers' kindness was hard to refuse, even though she said she could look after herself, they insisted she put one on.

After all, this is a wild ice area.

Although the ice looks solid, there might be a thin spot somewhere; the team members had hesitated to go down earlier precisely for this reason—once someone fell in at this time of year, rescue wouldn't be a problem, but for a person the freezing, bone‑piercing river water is truly miserable.

Even if rescued, one would still fall seriously ill.

Ling Yue had the water avoidance talisman in hand, feeling no pressure, so she shook her head and refused: "No need, I should be fine; the ice here is fairly thick, and even if it were thin, my eyesight is excellent—I could spot it right away."

Lin Shaoze's eyes flickered; seeing her resolve, he said nothing more.

Ling Yue stepped onto the solid ice, moving as swiftly as if on flat ground—indeed, Lin Shaoze had to exert his full strength just to keep up with her pace.

Where she walked, the ice was solid, as if her feet had grown eyes.

At that moment, Officer Zhou, who had finally caught his breath on the shore, lightly sighed and told his companion: "See, I wasn't wrong, right? Consultant Ling Yue's speed is too fast—ordinary people really can't keep up with him."

His companion nodded numbly, gazing dully at the two figures not far away on the lake—one ahead, one behind, their distance less than an arm's length—and couldn't help pushing up his glasses: "Still, still really."

Not mentioning the people on shore, who remained tense and anxious, fearing they might step on thin ice and fall through, Ling Yue on the ice suddenly paused in her movement: "There's a smell."

She wrinkled her nose; the cold wind brushing her face felt like a knife, and in the distance the white‑frosted reeds made a rustling sound, crisp as cellophane.

The fresh scent of frost and snow, the distant bluish‑green cypress, the lake's vapor, traces of fishy odor, and moreover a somewhat burnt‑oil greasy smell……

Ling Yue easily singled out the criminal's scent from the multitude of complex smells.

Now she finally felt relieved, turning to Lin Shaoze she said: "I think I've smelled the criminal's scent."

He stared at her in astonishment; Ling Yue touched the tip of her nose: "Big Black had described the opponent's smell to me before—he isn't a year‑round smoker, but he carries a smoky odor, and I suddenly caught a whiff of it."

It really was only a trace, extremely faint; if not for Ling Yue's careful discernment, this wisp of scent would probably have been blown away by the wind already.

Lin Shaoze's expression grew solemn as he said: "You come looking; I and the others will fully cooperate with you."

Ling Yue nodded; that was indeed her plan, and suddenly she stamped her foot—the smooth ice showed not a crack, resembling layers of poured transparent mercury, showing how cold the weather must be to freeze the ice so thick.

The lake surface bears the criminal's scent.

That means he's still here; the bald lake surface offers no place to hide at a glance, so Ling Yue suddenly fixed her gaze on a patch of reeds rustling loudly.

"Let's go over there and take a look."

She pointed at the reed stalks, and a bold idea suddenly popped into her mind.

Called a reed raft, in fact this patch of wild reeds isn't large; long stalks bear white fluff, and when the wind blows it looks like a sheet of British soldiers wearing feathered helmets, standing shoulder to shoulder.

Regarding Ling Yue's suggestion, Lin Shaoze replied quickly: "Let's go."

As Ling Yue drew nearer, the scent left by the other grew fainter; she felt as if she had taken a misstep, she lowered her eyes, and her gaze fell upon the clear ice.

"What's wrong?" Lin Shaoze, very perceptive, noticed her attitude was off and asked aloud.

Ling Yue shook her head: "The smell seems to have disappeared."

Hearing her words, Lin Shaoze frowned slightly: "We can check other places; no rush, he must be here."

His voice wasn't low, it rippled down through the thick ice into the water below, where a few fish swam to and fro, flicking their tails against the ice, their curious eyes sizing up the twisted human silhouettes above.

"Wow, it's humans!"

"Two, two humans!" The fishes' voices were curious and excited; they had always lived in this isolated lake, and this place isn't any famous sight—normally not seeing a person for years is the norm.

Thus, these fish grew plump and sturdy, each over a meter long, their dark‑blue bodies swimming back and forth; through the ice, before long a large school gathered.

Some fish found it curious, while others were uninterested, opening and closing their mouths saying: "What's the big deal about a human? Huh~"

"We've seen them before—why get all worked up?"

"The air here is so comfortable, the fish are happy!"

Ling Yue had long heard the fishes' chatter and paid it no mind, but upon hearing the last sentence she suddenly raised her eyebrows in surprise—"The air is comfortable?"

She stared at the thick ice beneath her feet, lost in thought; as everyone knows, ice blocks oxygen like a giant cover. Ling Yue couldn't help recalling a documentary she'd once seen about ice fishing in Dongbei: first they drill deep holes in the thick ice, then oxygen dissolves into the water through the moving surface.

At this point, because the ice cover prevents oxygen from dissolving in the water, large numbers of oxygen‑deprived fish swarm to the drilled holes; when nets are cast, they usually haul in many fat fish.

Hearing the fish's words, it's hard for Ling Yue not to think of that.

This also means that the seemingly solid ice surface has a breach!

Thought and deed as one, Ling Yue immediately headed toward the source of the sound; it was actually easy, since the ice wasn't very thick, and she could faintly see a speck of shadow beneath the water.

Ling Yue pushed aside the reeds, and upon seeing clearly her pupils contracted—a large patch of dark shadow had gathered beneath the solid ice at a certain spot; at first glance it resembled a small black cloud floating under the ice.

The closer she got, the clearer the fishes' chatter became.

Ling Yue stopped not far away; she had been preparing to approach, but then she suddenly halted her steps—beside her, Lin Shaoze pursed his lips slightly, his long legs ready to close the distance in a couple of strides.

Suddenly, his movement stalled.

Ling Yue's fingertip touched her red lips: "Shh—"

She shook her head at him, tugged at his sleeve, and whispered softly: "The ice here is broken—look carefully."

Lin Shaoze gave a slight start, looked in the direction she pointed, and the piercing light stabbed into his eyes, making him involuntarily squint.

Ling Yue curled her lips, having found it.

Actually, even before the fish said those words, Ling Yue had already vaguely guessed a bit; after an on-site inspection, she finally got confirmation.

Her gaze fell on the water not far away, where a short hollow reed was stuck in a crack in the ice water; without looking closely, one might think it was fluff blown down by the wind.

When she was little, her mother took her to a stream outside Jing Shi to pick reed leaves for making zongzi; Ling Yue, being small, couldn't keep up, so her mother broke off a reed stalk for her to hold and play with.

The reed stalk is hollow, you know.

For a certain criminal, this must be the simplest and most convenient breathing hole, right?

At the same time, the fish's voice also corroborated her judgment.

"Hmph, what's so special about humans? If you're capable, stay away from the human I found!"

"What do you mean you discovered it? Obviously we all discovered it together!"

"Hahaha, this human is so stupid, always in the water—I can see his face turning pale!"

Ling Yue suddenly spoke: "Captain Lin, the situation has changed! Deputy Captain Cheng called me, saying they found an abandoned underground hole; the person might have already fled."

Hearing her words, Lin Shaoze was completely bewildered; until he met her sly, lively eyes, the man suddenly understood, fell silent for a moment, then briefly said: "Let's head back now."

Ling Yue replied crisply and brightly: "Okay."

Her bright eyes fixed on the motionless reed sway, like a little fox that had stolen something fishy, her pattering footsteps growing fainter until they vanished.

In the bone-chilling icy water, the man's face deathly pale, his whole body trembling, he clutched the reed stalk with chattering teeth—even the air felt cold!

Damn it, is his brain fried? Why did he have to follow along to Jing Shi, uncomfortable staying in his own lair?

Damn the cops!

If it weren't for his alertness, jumping into the lake the moment he was discovered, he'd probably have been caught by now; his attitude toward the police is undoubtedly like a mouse seeing a cat.

After hearing Ling Yue and the others' conversation, his tense nerves instantly relaxed; the vigilant him chose to wait a bit longer, and at this point his body was so cold it was about to freeze into an ice sculpture; after estimating that some time had passed, the man immediately spat out the dry reed stalk.

With a splash.

The oxygen‑breathing fish scattered instantly.

"Ahhh, save me! The human is faking a corpse!"

"Cough cough cough!" The shivering man lay on the ice, completely chilled, accustomed to the water's temperature, now he looked as miserable as a drowned chicken flopped on the ice; a gust of wind made his upper and lower teeth chatter.

"Damn it, the damned cops gave me—ah‑choo!"

He sneezed, nearly shaking his brains loose, clawing at the ice to climb up, wiping away the lake water dripping from his face; his trembling movements were stiffer than those of a seventy‑ or eighty‑year‑old woman.

Hurry up and flee!

If he doesn't flee, he's an idiot!

Suddenly, he heard a heavy, loud panting from above; at that moment his neck seemed to freeze, and as he twisted it he could still hear a creaking sound.

Is it one minute or ten thousand years?

The criminal strained to lift his head; a furry, magnified dog face loomed just a few centimeters away, and the moment their eyes met, he saw fear and anger in the dog's face.

Dahei: "Woof woof woof woof woof!"

"You big bad guy, you really made me hunt you down! You must be a fish spirit transformed!"

Dahei was both angry and embarrassed.

It aspired to be a super police dog, yet it couldn't find a criminal—truly embarrassing!

So after being led to the lake, Dahei bolted ahead, the accompanying police unable to hold him back; he broke free, paws pounding, straight for the criminal's location.

The first thing he saw upon encountering him was a torrent of abuse that left him drenched in dog‑blood insults!

The criminal stared in terror as the dog barked and yelled, footsteps approaching from all directions, and several uniformed police came into view, making his pupils shrink instantly.

Holy shit, the cops are lying!

He was like a widowed woman whose body and mind had been swindled, countless curses surging in his heart; knowing he was done, he still wanted to struggle a bit more—but—

Out of the corner of his eye he glanced at the lake, recalling the bone‑chilling cold, and couldn't help but shudder violently.

No, I don't dare!

Before, he was ignorant and fearless; now, having experienced it firsthand, he was freezing to death, his body limp like a deflated balloon, instantly losing all spirit.

However, the police dog Dahei thought he was trying to flee; mindful of orders not to bite, but other—

Dahei bared his teeth in a grin: "Hehehe~"

The dog swung a paw and slapped him straight into the water; already a full‑grown standard dog, with Ling Yue's previous careful feeding and various buffs, this full‑force swipe was comparable to a strong man's full‑force blow.

With a smack.

The criminal was still bald; instantly he felt his whole body off, his head as if it had struck a large stone, instantly grasping what it meant to hit an egg against a rock, and his body suddenly sank without warning.

"Gurgle gurgle~ gurgle gurgle~"

The icy lake water slapped his face haphazardly, freezing water poured relentlessly into his mouth, the criminal utterly panicked; having lived in comfort for over a decade, he had never suffered such torment.

Instantly, his hands flailed in the water, struggling while crying for help: "Save, gurgle gurgle~~ save me! Murder!"

His bare head bobbed in the water, and Dahei suddenly grew playful; besides, having lost so much face because of him, don't think the dog is too dumb to know what shame is—the smarter the dog, the stronger its vengeful streak.

"Hmph, little baldy, let you hide! Let you hide!"

Each time the criminal barely surfaced, Dahei slapped him down again; surfacing and being slapped down repeatedly, the criminal's plight was hard to watch, while Dahei reveled in it, gradually becoming addicted.

Each swipe hit its mark, the scene resembling a whack‑a‑mole game at an amusement park.

By the time people arrived, Dahei had already slapped him a dozen or more times; the criminal lay in the water, his head swollen to twice its size.

Seeing this, Ling Yue couldn't help but suck in a cold breath: a big‑headed doll!

"Officers, hiccup~ fellow officers, hurry up and arrest me!"