Winter Time Rendering

Chapter 184: Chapter 79: The Straw That Broke the Camel’s Back

This time, it was hard to find anything on the ground. The reeds’ roots were tangled together and completely covered in snow.

The scene, however, reminded Zhang Shutong of another question. ’Which direction did the murderer who killed me approach from?’

’Why was it that both times, I only noticed them when they were right beside me?’

His phone’s flashlight was completely useless in this environment. It was pitch-black all around. He tried to shine it forward, but the light was entirely blocked by the reeds, casting only a tiny halo right in front of him.

The darkness was eating away at the last bit of light in his hand.

As he walked, Zhang Shutong nearly tripped on something. Only then did he remember that he had tied fishing lines here before.

He shone the light down. The fishing line was almost completely covered by the snow. He couldn’t remember the exact locations because he had set up several of them, only a general area, so he lifted his feet higher as he walked.

The endless reeds pressed in on him, making him feel increasingly agitated. His pace was forced to a crawl. When he finally pushed aside the last clump of reeds, it felt like parting the clouds to see the sun.

He could finally see the shore.

But... why...

Zhang Shutong moved his phone and his mouth fell open in silent shock.

’...There’s someone here.’

There was a person on the shore.

A person was squatting on the shore.

That person had been squatting on the shore this whole time!

Just squatting there by the water’s edge!

Completely oblivious to his arrival!

A chill shot through his entire body in an instant. Zhang Shutong shuddered, not knowing whether he should turn and run or stay perfectly still, whether he should make a sound or clamp his mouth shut.

It was just that the person looked nothing like the murderer he had imagined! This person had long, flowing hair—it was a woman. A long-haired woman, squatting on the ground in a bizarre posture...

Zhang Shutong was utterly stunned, his thoughts freezing for a second. The person had already turned to look at him. The flashlight beam hit her face, which was deathly pale. One half of it was completely hidden by her long hair—

Lu! Qing! Lian!

It was Lu Qinglian!

’But why is she in the restricted area?’ Zhang Shutong took an instinctive step back, but Lu Qinglian had already shot to her feet. Before he could speak, she darted into the nearby reeds with astonishing speed. The tops of the reeds swayed gently, accompanied by the sound of snow being trampled, and then everything fell completely silent.

It all happened in a flash. By the time Zhang Shutong took a step to give chase, the girl named Lu Qinglian had already vanished.

’—Song and the others are still up there!’

He froze for a moment. With no time for further thought, he quickly turned and ran back. Zhang Shutong plunged headfirst into the reeds. This time, he didn’t even care about the fishing lines or pushing the reeds aside, simply bulling his way through with brute force. His vision was pitch-black. He scrambled onto the road, leaving a trail of footprints, and spotted the little Fox in the distance. He immediately waved his arms.

But it was pitch-black inside the windshield; he couldn’t see a thing. The Fox’s lights weren’t on at all—neither the headlights nor the interior dome light. Zhang Shutong’s heart sank, and he roared:

"Hey!"

He sprinted toward the car, about to yank the door open, but before he could reach it, the horn BEEPED twice to greet him.

"What’s wrong? What’s wrong?" Song pushed the door open, still shaken. "I’m telling you, Shutong, suddenly roaring like that in the middle of the night... Are you trying to scare us to death?"

"You guys... are okay?"

"What could happen to us sitting in the car with the AC on? The real question is, are *you* okay?"

"Did you see anyone else just now?" Zhang Shutong asked urgently.

"Anyone else? Weren’t you the only one who went down there? Don’t scare your teacher, kid."

Zhang Shutong turned around in a daze. Against the backdrop of the sky, snowflakes were still drifting down slowly. The night was serene, as if everything he had just seen on the shore had been nothing but a hallucination.

"What did you see?"

"Nothing..." Zhang Shutong let out a shaky breath. "I thought something happened to you guys... Why weren’t the lights on?"

"Who knew how long you’d be? The battery in this old car of mine is shot; leave the lights on for a bit and it’ll die. In fact, Qiumian just asked me why her dad’s car doesn’t have that problem. Well, it’s an Audi, of course it doesn’t... Are you okay, though?"

This time, Song Nanshan noticed that Zhang Shutong’s hair was soaked and couldn’t help but ask worriedly:

"You were fine on the way here. What happened all of a sudden?"

He fumbled around in the car and pulled out a rag, not caring whether it was dirty or not. "Here, dry yourself off first. Whatever it is, we can talk about it in the car. Otherwise, you’re going to catch a cold..."

Zhang Shutong didn’t even know how he got into the car. He only knew that when he came to his senses, the Fox’s headlights were on again and the AC was blasting at full power, blowing directly in his face.

Song and Gu Qiuyan both asked him worriedly what was wrong. Zhang Shutong just said that he had seen a shadow down there, which gave him a scare, so he had rushed back up. But then he saw the car lights were off and thought something bad had happened.

"I was starting to think you were hallucinating," Song said, sighing in relief. "It’s fine as long as you’re okay. It’s fine. Not to criticize you, Shutong, but while you’re usually quick on your feet when it comes to catching bad guys, you really need to work on your courage. What could possibly happen with me right here? Your teacher is a big guy, over one-eighty. Now hurry up and take off your coat..."

As he spoke, he started the car, turned it around, and began the journey back.

Zhang Shutong was in no mood to talk. It had nothing to do with being brave or cowardly; he just found it bizarre. Or rather, the more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became. ’Why would Lu Qinglian come to the restricted area? Where was she on the previous Thursdays? Does this have anything to do with the snow?’

’And also, what was she doing squatting by the lake?’

Only then did Zhang Shutong remember that he should have gone to the water’s edge to investigate. He had been too preoccupied with running back.

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