Original Suspense Novel: "ℬ𝓁𝒾𝓏𝓏𝒶𝓇𝒹 ℳ𝒶𝓃𝑜𝓇" EP35

The child's wrists were tightly bound by ropes, his face streaked with tears, yet he dared not cry out. That child was him. The faces of the people in black were blurred, but he recognized the build of one of them. Tall and thin, shoulders slightly hunched forward, with a slight drag of his right foot when he walked. That build belonged to someone he knew. Right here, in this manor. Chen Mo's eyes snapped open. "Commander Fang," he said, "Let's go back." "You know who it is?" "Not for sure. But I can confirm one thing—" Chen Mo put the letter back in his pocket. "The killer isn't Xu Ziqian. Because when that ritual happened, Xu Ziqian wasn't even born yet." He walked to the garage door and pushed it open. The blizzard hit him again, but he didn't stop. "The real killer," he said into the wind, "was the one standing outside the circle, directing everything back then." And he had been waiting in the manor for eighteen years. --- Chapter Six: Everyone's Secret When they returned to the hall, the atmosphere had changed. Shen Yuehua sat by the fireplace, cradling a cup of hot water in her hands. Her face was still pale, but her eyes were calmer than before. Lin Jing sat opposite her, a notebook open on her lap, writing. Old Zhou was curled up in a corner of the sofa, his hat brim pulled low, appearing to be asleep but breathing unevenly. Xu Ziqian stood at the entrance of the stairs, arms crossed over his chest, watching Chen Mo enter. "Find anything?" he asked. Chen Mo didn't answer immediately. He walked to the coffee table, (To be continued)