Chapter 37: We're a Family, Right?

At 6:30 p. m., Lin Feng, carrying a bag of zongzi, arrived again at Qi Yao's residence.

"Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival; I bought you a bag of zongzi."

After Lin Feng entered the house, he smiled and thrust the zongzi into Qi Yao's hand.

Qi Yao corrected, "The Dragon Boat Festival is the day after tomorrow; the holiday starts tomorrow."

Lin Feng was stunned for a moment, then realized he had gotten the date wrong.

But it's no big deal.

Delaying it by a day for his aunt, Guo Yanru and Wen Keke can still call to send their regards.

"Are you on holiday? If so, I'll take you out to have fun," Lin Feng asked.

Qi Yao shook her head, "There's a big case recently, so no holiday."

"I almost forgot to tell you, I was taken to the police station today; if you don't testify for me, I'll definitely be arrested. One suspect's charge is that they can't run away, thank you!"

After Lin Feng finished speaking, a faint blush appeared on Qi Yao's face.

To prove Lin Feng's innocence, she destroyed her own innocence.

Although she doesn't talk much, her temperament is considered the best by her coworkers.

Thus she can't avoid being teased by her coworkers.

"No thanks needed; it's what I should do," Qi Yao said lightly.

Lin Feng asked curiously, "What happened to the woman named Zhao Shunan?"

Qi Yao said, "She was killed; the body was found in a roadside flower thicket, a very remote spot, and the time of death was between midnight and 1 a. m. on the 18th.

The cause of death was strangulation by the killer, leading to asphyxiation; she was severely violated before death, but no bodily fluids from the suspect were found.

This month, this is already the fourth such case; the victims are all young, beautiful women, and the times of death are all between 10 p. m. and 2 a. m., confirming the killer is a serial offender.

The killer has strong counter‑surveillance abilities and takes great precautions while committing the crime, and afterwards performed a professional, meticulous handling of the corpse…"

After Qi Yao finished speaking, Lin Feng frowned.

If his aunt, Guo Yanru, and Wen Keke weren't all absent here now, Lin Feng would have called them to inform them.

Since it's a serial case, the killer will definitely strike again.

"Um, are you busy tonight?" Lin Feng asked.

Qi Yao nodded, "I still need to dissect the corpse, but it won't be too late; I'll be back around nine o'clock. If you still want steak, I can make it for you."

If anyone else said that, Lin Feng would feel nauseous, but coming from Qi Yao's mouth, he didn't think much of it.

"Alright, I'll come over at 9:30 p. m. tonight."

Lin Feng nodded.

Qi Yao gave a soft "mm" and took out a bag of instant noodles, opening it.

Then she asked Lin Feng if he wanted some.

Lin Feng shook his head, "I won't eat it; I still plan to have steak tonight! My car just got a fresh coat of paint, I haven't driven it for a few days, so I'll go for a spin."

Lin Feng drove a white Land Rover through Yanjingcheng.

In June, Yanjingcheng's night scenery is the best, especially when passing the commercial street, where the view is filled with beautiful women.

Most of them dress very seductively; the long legs in high heels are irresistibly alluring as they stride.

He drove aimlessly, heading wherever traffic was light.

Gradually, he arrived at a sparsely populated area.

It was probably past Feng Tai, in an area near Fangshan.

Encountering a traffic light, Lin Feng stopped the car.

He raised his hand to check the time; it was already 8 p. m.

Going back now would be just in time for Qi Yao's steak.

After passing the intersection, he made a U‑turn ahead.

At that moment, a black sedan drove over and stopped to the left of Lin Feng's car.

It was an old sedan, its windows half‑open.

From his higher position, Lin Feng glanced and saw a man wearing a baseball cap seated in the driver's seat.

Lin Feng only gave it a glance before looking away.

In a few seconds, the light would turn green.

Lin Feng was about to start moving when he suddenly smelled a faint, indistinct odor.

It was a sour smell similar to body odor.

Lin Feng turned his head again to glance at the black sedan on the left.

Immediately, his eyes widened!

Wasn't the smell he just sensed the distinctive odor that emanates from Zhao Shunan's body!?

Lin Feng wasn't sure whether every "fox spirit" has that kind of smell.

But since he encountered it, he had to get to the bottom of it!

Lin Feng didn't want to take any risks with this.

He immediately took out his phone and dialed Qi Yao's number.

Before the call connected, the black sedan beside him drove away.

Lin Feng quickly set his phone to speaker mode and, flooring the accelerator, chased after it.

"Hello~"

When the call connected, Qi Yao's distinctive voice sounded.

Lin Feng, while following the car ahead, said, "Qi Yao, I just smelled a strange odor. You know I met Zhao Shunan before; she has a certain scent, and I just smelled that same scent inside the sedan beside me..."

After Lin Feng finished speaking, Qi Yao said, "Everyone's scent is different; don't turn off your phone, we'll locate you and be there right away."

"Alright!"

Lin Feng nodded.

Lin Feng isn't a professional stalker, and the driver of the black sedan quickly spotted him.

Then the black sedan swung its rear and parked sideways on the road.

Lin Feng followed too closely, slammed on the brakes, stopped the car, and almost collided with the black sedan.

The sedan's door opened, and a man in a blue work uniform, wearing a duckbill cap and a black mask, stepped out holding a dagger.

He knew Lin Feng was the only occupant of the car.

Earlier at the intersection, he had also sized up Lin Feng's vehicle.

Since there were few cars nearby, he dared to stop, confident he could handle a single person, even if that person was a man.

Because he had trained.

Just as Lin Feng was about to open the door, the knife‑wielding man rushed over and smashed Lin Feng's window with the knife handle.

The window was broken after a few blows.

Lin Feng pushed the door open, kicked it hard, and the knife‑wielding man was struck by the door and stepped back several paces.

Lin Feng seized the chance to get out.

After training with Zhao Xiaoyang for so long, he also wanted a real fight.

Of course, seeing the dagger over a foot long, he felt a bit uneasy.

Getting out now was wise.

If he had stayed in the car, the knife‑wielding man would have shattered the window and stabbed wildly, leaving no room to dodge.

Once out of the car, it became manageable.

The knife‑wielding man saw Lin Feng get out, brandished his knife, and lunged at him.

As he approached Lin Feng, he thrust the knife forward toward Lin Feng's chest.

Lin Feng sidestepped, then grabbed the man's arm with both hands and executed a shoulder throw.

"Bang~"

The knife‑wielding man's back slammed heavily onto the ground.

The guy was clearly trained; when he hit the ground, he lifted his head to avoid his occiput touching the floor.

Lin Feng, fearing the knife might injure him, stepped back a few paces after the throw.

Capturing the assailant is important, but one must also ensure one's own safety.

During that throw, the knife tip almost pierced his face.

Lin Feng finally understood Zhao Xiaoyang's words: practice and real combat are completely different concepts.

Moreover, the current situation is essentially a life‑or‑death gamble.

The knife‑wielding man performed a carp‑kick stance, stood up, pointed the blade at Lin Feng, and approached slowly.

The two kept shifting their footwork, searching for an opening.

After being thrown, the knife‑wielding man realized Lin Feng was hard to handle and became much more cautious.

At that moment, an alarm sounded in the distance.

The knife‑wielding man froze, then turned and fled.

"Stop!"

Lin Feng immediately gave chase.

He quickly caught up in a dark area.

Now the knife‑wielding man was at a complete disadvantage.

Because Lin Feng's eyesight was far better than his.

Though not as exaggerated as night vision, he could at least see the outlines of obstacles on the ground.

The knife‑wielding man suddenly tripped over a pit, and Lin Feng seized the chance, leapt forward, and hammered his elbow hard onto the man's back.

While the opponent was briefly unable to resist from the heavy blow, Lin Feng snatched the knife, discarded it, twisted the man's wrists behind his back, and held him down tightly.

"Here! The person is here!"

Lin Feng shouted.

Soon, the police arrived.

The knife‑wielding man was handcuffed.

Then the police searched the man's trunk and found a large quantity of women's clothing.

Among them was the strap‑back skirt Zhao Shunan wore that night.

It naturally still carried the distinctive scent from Zhao Shunan's body.

It can be said to be conclusive evidence!

"Mr. Lin, thank you! We are so grateful!"

A police officer saluted Lin Feng, then shook his hand and expressed thanks.

Lin Feng smiled and said, "You're welcome! Qi Yao and I are friends; in fact, we're practically family!"

"Heh! Hehe!"

The police officer who had shaken Lin Feng's hand gave a dry laugh.