Beneath the Dome, Sin within Sins - Chapter 85 - Brothers

The bandaged man’s smile was as creepy as always, but this time, there was an unmistakable sense of pride, as though he was reveling in the success of his plot.

I frowned and grabbed the collar of his clothes, demanding, “Wipe that grin off your face!”

Despite my rough attitude, the bandaged man remained unusually calm. He smirked at me and said, “Aren’t you a detective? Aren’t you supposed to be smart? If that’s the case, why don’t you investigate? Why don’t you figure out the truth behind it all?”

“You… don’t think I’ll kill you?” I hissed through clenched teeth, glaring at him.

“Go ahead, then. If you have the guts, kill me!”

Of course, I wasn’t going to kill him. My words were just born of frustration. The truth was simple-I wasn’t like him. I wouldn’t take another’s life so casually, not even someone as vile and hateful as him.

“What else are you plotting? You’d better make yourself clear!”

The bandaged man stayed silent for a long moment before letting out a deep sigh. Finally, he said, “I suppose, given how pathetic you lot are, there’s no harm in telling you.”

With that, he took a few steps forward, then turned his head slightly and spoke, “Do you guys find handling these matters difficult?”

What kind of redundant question was that? These issues have been driving us insane!

“If you’re struggling with these relatively simple matters, then imagine tomorrow morning-you’ll all be scrambling around like headless chickens, utterly unable to cope!”

Hearing his words, a sudden realization struck me. His taunt reminded me of something he had said before-how he would give me a ‘gift’ before dawn. At that moment, the events in the forensic pathology lab flashed through my mind.

My eyes widened in horror. “Could it be that man in the black robe…?”

“Oh, detective,” the bandaged man sneered, “it seems you’re starting to catch on. But don’t you think it’s already too late now?”

“Senior! Are you all right over here?”

Just then, Su Mo arrived, now that the armed police had subdued the infected individuals. He approached to check on me.

Seeing Su Mo, I quickly said, “Keep an eye on this guy!” Without waiting for his response, I turned and dashed off.

While running, I pulled out my phone and called Lu Xun, instructing him urgently, “Contact the city immediately! Shut down the municipal water supply!”

Based on what the bandaged man had just revealed, everything would be set into motion by tomorrow morning. This could only mean one thing-he was going to poison the water supply. And the one carrying out the plan would be none other than the man in the black robe!

To contaminate and infect an entire city so quickly, tampering with the public water supply was the only feasible method.

Now, my immediate priority was to ensure the city’s water supply was shut off. That way, we could minimize the number of victims. As for me, I was determined to figure out what kind of twisted game the man in the black robe was playing!

I remembered that the man in the black robe had left along that road. Following it, I discovered it was a winding mountain road, and there were fresh tire tracks on the ground. It seemed that’s how he’d gotten away!

Damn it! Without a car, I was doomed!

As I stood there, panicking, a black Range Rover suddenly pulled up beside me. The driver’s side window rolled down, and I saw the man behind the wheel.

“Lu Xun?! What are you doing here?”

“What’s so strange about me being here? You need a car, right? Get in. I’ll go with you. How about it?”

I yanked the door open and climbed in. “How’s the task I assigned you coming along?”

“Don’t worry, everything’s been taken care of,” Lu Xun replied calmly. “Now, where are we heading?”

I hesitated briefly before replying decisively, “Head to the nearest reservoir and get there as fast as you can!”

“Come on, this is a mountain road. If something happens, we’re done for!”

“We don’t have time to overthink this. If we let him get away, he’ll vanish into the crowd, and we’ll never find him again.”

Lu Xun sighed, clearly exasperated. “Fine!”

With that, he hit the gas. What should’ve been a thirty-minute drive was cut down to just fifteen minutes. When we arrived at the nearest reservoir, Lu Xun let out a shaky breath and said, “Good thing I’m a great driver. Otherwise, we’d be toast by now.”

I ignored him and reached to unbuckle my seatbelt, ready to get out. But just then, I saw someone climbing over the wall of the water plant. It was him-the man in the black robe!

“Holy crap! That guy’s out! After him!” I shouted, snapping my seatbelt back into place.

Lu Xun, with his exceptional driving skills, spun the wheel and took off in pursuit.

The man in the black robe must have noticed us at that moment. His expression soured, and he immediately hopped onto a motorcycle and sped away.

“Block that idiot for me!” I shouted furiously.

It was already bad enough that the bandaged man existed in this world, but now there was another moron just like him. I couldn’t wrap my head around it-why would a lunatic like the bandaged man have an equally fanatical follower?

“Lu-Ge, relax,” Lu Xun said, attempting to calm me down. “Catching up to him is a matter of minutes. Look at that tiny motorcycle of his-it’s no match for my car!”

I shot Lu Xun a glare, but then a thought struck me. “Do you have a gun?” I asked abruptly.

“A gun? What do you want with a gun?”

“Don’t ask unnecessary questions! Just answer me-do you have one or not?”

“Well… I do,” Lu Xun admitted reluctantly. “I figured the stakes were high this time, so I specially applied for one in advance.”

Hearing that was music to my ears, and I couldn’t help but let a faint smile creep onto my face. “Excellent. Now, hand that gun over to me.”

Lu Xun looked startled by my demand. “You better not do anything reckless. Firearms aren’t something you can just use carelessly.”

“Enough with the nonsense!” I snapped, reaching for his waist.

“Lu-Ge! Lu-Ge! Don’t be rash! If you act impulsively, I won’t be able to drive properly, and then we’re really screwed!”

“Fine! Then just hand me the gun!”

With a defeated sigh, Lu Xun gestured toward the compartment beneath the dashboard. “It’s in there.”

Following his direction, I opened the compartment and, sure enough, found the handgun stashed inside.

As the weapon settled into my hands, a triumphant glint flickered in my eyes. If this guy thinks he can run, then I’ll make him run-in style.

With that thought, I leaned my body out the car window, prompting a panicked flurry of shouts from Lu Xun.

“Lu-Ge! Are you insane?! You could get yourself killed! If another car comes by, you’ll be sliced in half!”

“There’s no time to worry about that now!” I yelled back.

The man in the black robe was carrying deadly substances-things that could endanger countless innocent lives. Compared to the safety of the masses, my own life didn’t weigh much at all. I was going to stop him, no matter the cost.

I gripped the gun tightly, taking aim at the black robe’s motorcycle tires. Then, without hesitation, I pulled the trigger.

Let’s see you run now, I thought with a defiant grin, as the sound of the gunshot echoed through the mountain road. With your tires blown out, where can you possibly escape to?