Beneath the Dome, Sin within Sins - Chapter 58 - Fear

s but hadn’t found the time to finish it. Now that I finally had some free time, I planned to catch up. Just as I was about to start, there was a sudden knock on my door.

Could it be Su Mo looking to discuss the case with me in the dead of night?

The thought annoyed me-what could possibly be so urgent that it had to be addressed right now?

I initially planned to pretend to be asleep, but whoever it was just kept knocking persistently.

In the end, with no other choice, I reluctantly got up and opened the door.

Before I could lay into Su Mo with a string of complaints, a soft voice greeted me: “Lu Ying, I have something I need to talk to you about.”

It was only then that I realized it wasn’t the detective standing at my door, but Bigo.

At this late hour, Bigo had already changed into a white nightgown. Her figure was stunning, and even the loose-fitting gown couldn’t mask the smooth curves of her silhouette.

Given my height, my view from above revealed just about everything.

Feeling a sudden dryness in my throat at the sight, I hastily cleared it with a couple of coughs and said awkwardly, “Well, um, it’s really late. How about you rest first? Whatever it is, we can talk in the morning, it’ll be the same.”

“It’s not the same!”

Bigo lifted her head, and in that moment, her deep blue eyes reflected unease. I furrowed my brow-something was definitely wrong, judging by her expression. It must be something important.

Realizing this, I stepped aside and gestured for her to come in.

Once inside, Bigo grabbed my arm nervously and stammered, “Lu Ying, he… he’s here!”

Her words left me completely baffled. Who? Who is “he”?

“Take it slow, no rush. Just try to explain.”

“He… he’s here! I can feel it. He’s close, Lu Che! We need to leave. Otherwise, everyone will be in danger!”

As Bigo spoke, her voice trembled, and it looked like she was on the verge of tears. Seeing her in such distress, I quickly reached out to steady her shoulders and said, “Bigo, listen to me. No matter what happens, please try to stay calm, okay?”

“No! He’s here! He’s coming!”

I could feel Bigo’s whole body shaking as she spoke. Whoever this “he” was, he clearly terrified her to the core. Bigo wouldn’t be this afraid otherwise.

But given the state she was in, getting her to calm down felt nearly impossible.

“Listen to me, Bigo. Listen closely and do exactly as I say! Understand?”

Bigo’s body was still trembling, but after hearing my words, she forced herself to calm down and nodded.

“Now, take a deep breath in, then exhale. Repeat this at least three times, okay?”

She nodded again and followed my instructions. After a few cycles, she finally seemed to settle down.

“Now tell me-who is coming?”

“I… I don’t know. I just know that this person… this person is even more powerful than the Holy Lord!”

Jiang Wu?!

As soon as she mentioned Jiang Wu, one figure immediately came to mind-the bandaged man who had approached me on multiple occasions.

The bandaged man was an enigma. Every case we worked on seemed to bear traces of his involvement. Could it be…

“Does this person have his entire body wrapped in bandages?” I asked.

The moment Bigo heard my question, her beautiful eyes widened in shock. “How… how do you know?!”

How I knew wasn’t important, and that’s something Bigo didn’t need to know either. I didn’t want her getting drawn into anything related to that cult. Not because of anything else, but simply because it was tied to too many painful memories she shouldn’t have to relive.

“Bigo, it doesn’t matter how I know. What matters is one thing you need to understand-you’ve left that place. The person you are now is a new you. Everything from the past, you no longer have to bear it. Got that?”

“But I’m scared!”

As she spoke, tears began to fall uncontrollably from her eyes. I grabbed some tissues from the table and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “You don’t have to be afraid. You’re not who you used to be. You have friends now. Your friends will protect you. I promise you, Bigo-that person won’t harm you!”

I could make that promise with confidence because, from the beginning, the bandaged man had never targeted her. There was no reason for Bigo to worry about such things.

“Really?”

Even after my reassurance, it was clear Bigo struggled to believe me. And honestly, I couldn’t blame her. Asking her to forget about someone who had haunted her for so long wasn’t easy. If I were in her shoes, I’d have a hard time believing it too.

“Really,” I said with certainty.

Under the current circumstances, all I could do was keep reassuring Bigo until she finally felt at ease.

Fortunately, my words seemed to work. Before long, Bigo had calmed down. As she was preparing to leave, I made sure to remind her not to tell anyone about this for the time being, not even Tang Xin.

When she heard my advice, a confused expression appeared on her face. She tilted her head and asked curiously, “Why can’t I tell Tang-Jie?”

“Because the bandaged man you’re afraid of might very well be the same person Tang Xin is afraid of. And knowing Tang Xin’s stubborn temper, if you tell her about this, there’s no guarantee she won’t act impulsively and do something drastic.”

After hearing my explanation, she nodded in sudden realization. “Got it. Don’t worry, I’ll keep this to myself.”

Once Bigo left, I no longer had the mood to watch TV.

Every time I thought about that elusive and unsettling bandaged man, I felt my teeth clench with irritation. Clearly, Zhang Yang hadn’t been entirely truthful with us. For him to find us so easily, the bandaged man must have lent him a hand behind the scenes.

Previously, I’d assumed this man’s goal was to stop me from uncovering something. After all, my suspicions weren’t baseless-his every action and every cryptic word pointed directly toward that intention.

But now… it seemed like things weren’t so simple. If anything, he appeared to be actively pushing me forward. In other words, it was almost as if he wanted me to dig deeper into the case.

This man was a contradiction. He would go as far as seriously injuring me to hinder my progress, and yet he still tirelessly showed up around me, taking calculated actions to push the investigation forward.

The last time it happened, it made no sense. And this time, it happened again. What exactly is this bandaged man trying to achieve?

And then there’s Zhang Yang. Has he ever encountered the bandaged man himself?

All of this-everything-is still shrouded in mystery. Whatever lies hidden within this fog, I fear only the bandaged man himself holds the answers.

They say that those entangled in the situation often fail to see things clearly, while bystanders have a clearer perspective. But as things stand now, I feel more like a bystander lost in a sea of confusion. In contrast, that so-called “insider” almost feels like a masterful puppeteer, controlling the strings with precision far beyond my reach.