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Old Man Qin readily agreed to Li Nan's request and slowly walked away, leaning on the more than half a meter long high-pitched suona in his hand.
Li Nan looked up at the sun in the sky, estimating that it must be around three in the afternoon. Due to the harsh conditions of this post-apocalyptic world, Li Nan had long since developed the ability to tell time by observing the sun, although this method was not very accurate, leading to occasional mistakes.
Estimating the time, Li Nan figured that acquiring the High-Strength Titanium Alloy Metal wouldn't happen quickly, so he decided to call it a day for now.
Returning to the Small Buildings, Li Nan intended to uncover the culprit behind Brother Three's death; after all, unresolved poison could easily fester.
As soon as he entered the building, Li Nan saw Mo Xiaohui leading two women in cleaning.
Mo Xiaohui was bent over mopping the floor, her mop nearly making the surface shine.
Upon seeing Li Nan, Mo Xiaohui straightened up and explained, "I just sent Brother Three off, so I thought I’d clean up a bit to ward off bad luck!"
Li Nan nodded without further thought and stepped inside with his muddy shoes.
Mo Xiaohui expressed mild annoyance, saying, "We're all busy here cleaning, and you're just relaxing!"
At that moment, Li Nan looked up and noticed Lingdang'er washing a cloth on the staircase and wiping down the railing and walls.
Lingdang'er noticed Li Nan's gaze and immediately let her hair down from its bun, seemingly not wanting him to look at her face.
Continuing to glance upward, he saw Xin Qiqi in a room on the third floor changing bed linens.
The room Xin Qiqi was in was indeed where Brother Three had met his demise. After surveying the surroundings, Li Nan asked Mo Xiaohui in front of him, "Where's Li Da Peng? Where is he?"
Mo Xiaohui continued mopping with her back bent, her ample chest inadvertently exposed before Li Nan.
"Li Da Peng went out this morning; he's practicing shooting outside!" Mo Xiaohui's arms swayed back and forth with the mop, causing her chest to bounce as well. However, at that moment, Li Nan had no interest in admiring the view before him.
Li Nan brushed past Mo Xiaohui and turned to head upstairs.
On the staircase, Lingdang'er was diligently wiping down the railing. Upon hearing Li Nan's footsteps, she hurriedly made way for him. Without pausing at all, Li Nan rushed toward the third floor.
Li Nan's room is not on the third floor, and both Mo Xiaohui and Lingdang'er know this. There is probably no reason for Li Nan to go up there; if there is, it can only be for Xin Qiqi on the third floor.
Mo Xiaohui noticed something unusual in Li Nan's actions and put down the mop in her hand. However, since it was still daytime, she figured that Li Nan wouldn't have the courage to tease a young lady.
So Mo Xiaohui didn't take it seriously, while Lingdang'er dared not think too much about it and hurriedly focused on her own tasks.
Xin Qiqi was in her room tidying up the bed, removing the old duvet cover and sheets to wash them. While Xin Qiqi was busy, she suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable behind her!
As she glanced over her shoulder, Xin Qiqi realized that Li Nan was standing behind the door.
Her hands and feet froze momentarily, causing the sheets she had just removed to fall awkwardly to the floor.
About half a minute later, Xin Qiqi regained her composure, picked up the sheets from the ground, and said, "Oh, it's you, Brother Nan! I'm just cleaning up here. The dust from these sheets is quite a lot; you shouldn't stand here!"
Li Nan remained silent, but Xin Qiqi's hands were visibly trembling, making it difficult for her to even align the corners of the sheets properly.
Li Nan stood outside the door without making any move, just staring at Xin Qiqi. With her back to him, Xin Qiqi's body trembled; it was unclear what these two were up to.
After about ten minutes of silence from Li Nan, Xin Qiqi could no longer control her emotions and suddenly collapsed onto the floor, mumbling, "Do you already know?"
Li Nan leaned against the door frame and softly asked, "Know what?"
Facing the sunlight streaming through the window, which warmed her face gently, Xin Qiqi felt a stark contrast with Li Nan's cold gaze behind her. Unable to endure this emotional turmoil any longer, she decided to confess everything.
Xin Qiqi stammered, "You must have known about me poisoning Brother Three. I've been avoiding your gaze these past few days thinking I could escape it. I was so foolish! So foolish!"
"Who made you do it? Was it Rat?" Li Nan said calmly, as if he had already anticipated everything.
With tears welling in her eyes and still facing away from him, Xin Qiqi murmured, "It was Rat Brother who told me to do it. I just didn't know at that time that it was poison. He only told me that it was... Oh, why was I so foolish? Why did I believe him?"
Li Nan then asked, "Why did you obey him?"
"If I don't listen to him, he will kill me. I don't want to die, so I have to believe what he says. He told me that thing would just make Brother Three sleep a little longer. Under his threats and temptations, I had no choice but to comply. But I really didn't expect that thing was poison, which took Brother Three's life!"
Xin Qiqi wailed, her whole body trembling, while Li Nan's expression was stiff, seemingly unsympathetic towards the woman.
Li Nan was not clear about the situation between Xin Qiqi and the Rat back then, but for now, this woman could not be kept alive. She had poisoned someone at another person's command; a person like her could strike at any moment!
Li Nan slowly moved closer to Xin Qiqi from behind, and the door of the room was gently closed.
A white bedsheet was now completely draped over Xin Qiqi, and looking at her, she resembled an angel who had fallen to earth—pure and flawless. However, could this visual deception soften Li Nan's heart?
Probably not. Li Nan had already vowed in front of his brothers to avenge Brother Three, and Xin Qiqi was the direct murderer responsible for Brother Three's death. How could Li Nan spare her?
Just as Li Nan drew the Vigo Knife from his waist, Xin Qiqi, who had collapsed on the ground, raised her right hand as if she wanted to end her own life!
Li Nan saw that Xin Qiqi was holding a piece of broken glass in her palm, moving it toward her left arm artery.
Li Nan struck out with one hand, knocking the falling glass onto the floor, then shouted angrily, "What do you think you're doing?"
Xin Qiqi smiled bitterly. "I just want to die. I killed Brother Three with my own hands; I owe him, I owe you, Brother Nan, and everyone in the camp. What face do I have left to live in this world? That piece of glass has been hidden in my sleeve for a long time, just in case there came a moment when I could give myself a quick end!"
Xin Qiqi struggled against Li Nan's grip, trying to reach for the broken glass again. However, her strength was no match for Li Nan's, and after a brief struggle, she ultimately failed.
Li Nan had already harbored murderous intent towards Xin Qiqi; seeing her attempt to take matters into her own hands naturally made him intervene. However, as he did so, his desire to kill began to fade like ripples spreading across water—growing weaker and shallower.
Killing a woman was something Li Nan truly found hard to do. The reason he hadn't exposed Xin Qiqi's actions until now was that he still held some hope for her; he wished she would confess on her own. But throughout it all, Xin Qiqi never took the initiative to admit anything.
That was why Li Nan felt disappointed and rushed back to handle family affairs immediately after Brother Three's cremation.
Xin Qiqi struggled with both hands and said anxiously, "I killed Brother Three, but I didn't have the courage to admit it. Before I was afraid of dying; now I'm not afraid anymore. But I still don't have the courage to face everyone—the many passionate men—I can't bear their fiery gazes. The only choice left for me is self-harm; I can only quietly die to escape their hatred. If you hadn't come looking for me, I would have made my death more beautiful. But now there's no time left!"
Li Nan's emotions were in turmoil. At this moment, what should he do? Should he kill out of anger and avenge Brother Three? Or should he let go of their friendship and not pursue Xin Qiqi's faults? This question was too difficult; no matter what he did, things would not end well!
Li Nan shook his head and shouted angrily, "You better behave yourself!"
The thunderous roar echoed even with the door closed, reaching downstairs. Mo Xiaohui, hearing Li Nan's furious voice, immediately sensed that something was wrong and was about to rush upstairs when he saw Li Dapeng walking back in from outside, holding a Walther handgun.
Li Dapeng looked surprised, as if he had also heard the earlier shout. Just then, a loud crash came from the third floor.
Li Dapeng clearly heard it and immediately dashed upstairs. In that instant, Mo Xiaohui had a very bad feeling. Just as he was about to stop Li Dapeng, Li Nan suddenly emerged from the room on the third floor.
Li Nan was still wearing the mourning clothes from earlier that morning, but now there were patches of bright red blood staining the white fabric.
Li Nan and Li Dapeng locked eyes, and in that moment, Li Dapeng seemed to foresee something. There was one person missing in the Small Buildings, and the blood on Li Nan must be...
Li Dapeng couldn't believe this possibility. When he rushed past Li Nan's body and entered the room on the third floor, he was stunned. He saw Xin Qiqi collapsed beside the bed, with several trails of blood spreading out beneath her, flowing slowly and vividly.
At that moment, Xin Qiqi resembled a red rose half-lying on the white sheets, looking like a fallen fairy. Unfortunately, this fairy had perished, leaving only a patch of white clouds!
Li Dapeng stood in the doorway with wide eyes, seemingly unable to believe what was happening before him. "How could this... how could this..."
Twelve-year-old Li Dapeng erupted with anger that was far beyond his years. He let out a wail and rushed toward the corpse by the bed, regardless of whether Xin Qiqi was alive or dead, ignoring the blood that flowed like water. He just kept crying out in sorrow, heartbroken and moving to behold.
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