Beneath the Dome, Sin within Sins - Chapter 86 - The Mirror

As the gunshot rang out, I saw the motorcycle’s tire blow out and the man in the black robe thrown off in an instant. I instinctively closed my eyes because just the sight of it looked painful!

But aside from being painful, it was also incredibly satisfying-after all the terrible things he had done, this was just a tiny bit of the punishment he deserved.

Before long, our car caught up with the man in the black robe. At that moment, he was lying rigidly on the ground, and it was hard to tell if he was unconscious or something else had happened to him.

Seeing this scene, Lu Xun and I exchanged a glance before stepping out to check on the situation.

We had only taken a few steps when I suddenly sensed something was off. I gave Lu Xun a look, signaling him to stay in the car. I wanted him ready to floor it and ram this guy if anything went wrong.

Both Lu Xun and I used to work as detectives, and he’s as unorthodox as I am. He didn’t question my judgment at all-he just gave me an OK gesture and headed back to the car.

Seeing how decisive Lu Xun was, I felt a wave of satisfaction. As expected, working with Lu Xun really is much easier! If it had been Su Mo, I’d probably be the one waiting in the car right now. Compared to sitting back in a safe spot, I definitely prefer to be out on the frontlines.

Especially in that moment when I expose the murderer’s malicious intent-that feeling, nobody else could truly understand.

Step by step, I approached the person lying on the ground. Just as my hand was about to touch the black robe on his body, the man suddenly sprang up from the ground, swinging his fists at me without hesitation.

Seeing this, I knew something was wrong. But I’m no pushover. After years of physical training, dealing with someone like him was no problem for me.

After a few quick exchanges, I had the upper hand. Of course, some of this was due to the fact that the earlier fall had left him unable to move properly.

“You’d better surrender. Don’t think I came here alone!” I said.

I had no intention of wasting time in a meaningless scuffle. Even if he somehow managed to beat me, what then? Let’s not forget-I’ve got someone behind me with a gun. At most, he’d knock me down, only to end up catching a bullet.

Whether the fight was won or lost, the end result was the same: he was coming with us. So why not just turn himself in? At least that way, he’d save himself a bit of suffering.

However, this guy didn’t seem to have that kind of awareness. The more I tried to talk some sense into him, the faster his fists flew. A stubborn one, huh? A classic “better to die with honor than live in disgrace” type. I couldn’t help but chuckle-who would’ve thought that even villains could be so staunch?

Thinking of this, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. Such a capable person, yet he turned into such a notorious villain. Why didn’t he think things through before making those decisions?

What use was all this resilience if he was destined to end up as our prisoner in the end?

With that thought, I swung my leg and dealt a heavy kick to the man’s abdomen, putting all my strength into it.

The man collapsed to the ground from the blow, and the first thing I did was grab hold of his black robe and yank it off. I had to see for myself-what kind of person would commit such heinous and deranged acts?

As the robe came off, the body of sin beneath it was revealed. But the moment I got a clear look at his face, my entire body froze. My movements came to a screeching halt as I stood there, staring at him in stunned disbelief, a chill creeping up my back.

My reaction seemed to amuse him; a sly, almost sinister smirk curled at the edge of his lips. Suddenly, he shoved me to the ground and bolted, without a moment of hesitation.

The shock of that instant only lasted a moment before I snapped back to my senses. Without wasting time, I leapt to my feet and began to give chase. But before I could close the distance, he suddenly stopped running. Then, to my surprise, he turned around and began walking toward me, step by step.

“Lu-Ge, why don’t you let me go? Why are you being so aggressive?” he said with an eerily composed tone.

Cold sweat dripped down my temple. Instinctively, I took a deep breath and replied, “Who the hell are you?”

“Didn’t your eyes already give you the answer?” he retorted, his tone mocking.

“You’re lying!” I hissed.

“Heh, I’m not lying. Turn around and take a look-you’ll understand.”

I stood there staring at his face, identical to Lu Xun’s, unable to bring myself to turn around. I was too terrified of what I might see-that the driver’s seat behind me might be empty. And if it truly was… I had no idea how I would react.

“Lu-Ge, you’re afraid to look back, aren’t you? Could it be that you’re scared?”

At this moment, the expression on the impostor’s face-a smirk that was neither a smile nor a sneer-sent chills down my spine. It was eerily identical to the bandaged man’s unsettling grin. Could it be true that when you spend enough time with someone, you unconsciously start to imitate them?

As soon as that thought entered my mind, clarity struck me like a bolt of lightning. The man in front of me wasn’t Lu Xun!

Lu Xun had never encountered the bandaged man-not even once-so how could he have picked up that creepy expression?

Seeing that I didn’t respond, the impostor pressed on, his voice dripping with malice. “Lu-Ge, I’ve been wanting to do something like this for a long time, but I never got the chance. Thank you… for giving me this opportunity. Hurting people feels so much better than saving them.”

His words landed like a bucket of ice water poured over my head, freezing me to the core. It wasn’t just the chilling realization; his statement obliterated any doubts that had momentarily crossed my mind.

“You… who the hell are you?!”

I could hear the urgency in my own voice, feel the rapid pounding of my heart echoing in my ears. At that moment, I was undeniably rattled, nerves stretched taut.

“Lu Ying! What the hell are you doing?!”

Lu Xun’s voice, unmistakable and tinged with anger, suddenly rang out from behind me. His words jolted me back to my senses.

“You bastard, how dare you impersonate one of us!”

“HAHAHAHA!”

Before I could act, the impostor burst into uproarious laughter. I stopped in my tracks, staring at him warily. “What’s so funny?” I demanded.

“I’m laughing at how poor your instincts are… for a detective. Did you really think you’re still at the level to counter me now?”

His mocking words left me momentarily stunned. What did he mean by that? I didn’t have time to figure it out-before I could react, the impostor lunged toward me.

Smirking coldly, I steeled myself for a fight. Just as I prepared to strike, I suddenly felt my footing give way. My stomach dropped, and before I knew it, I was falling.

It was only then, in that split second, that I realized the meaning behind Lu Xun’s earlier anger and the triumphant smirk on the impostor’s face. At some point during our standoff, I’d been maneuvered to the edge of a cliff without even realizing it. My usual step-back move, a habit when preparing to throw a punch, had sealed my fate.

As I plummeted, the world around me blurred, the wind roaring in my ears. But I still caught the sound of the impostor’s triumphant laughter, mingled with the crack of a gunshot-fired by Lu Xun.

And then, silence.