Chapter 373: Helping Out

There are countless reasons why people commit murder—some kill out of hatred, some act on impulse, and some are driven by jealousy. But these types of killers are not the most dangerous.

The most dangerous kind of murderer is the one who kills for pleasure.

They never question why they kill, nor do they need a reason. They kill simply because they want to. Having discarded all moral restraints, they see murder as their greatest joy and view the world as a massive hunting ground, always searching for their next satisfying prey.

Killers like these are all ruthless and extremely dangerous to society. Now that Lin Xiao had learned of such a person, he could not simply sit by and do nothing.

Fang Yuan seemed to have come prepared. She took out a neatly folded note from her handbag, her hands trembling as she handed it to Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao stood up from the hot spring, took the note, and unfolded it without hesitation.

Li Yunxi also stood up, her gaze falling on the paper.

“Disgusting!”

She immediately frowned and turned away.

The surface of the paper was completely covered in dark red blood, turning the white sheet into a gruesome bloodstained letter. Though the blood had dried, the pungent metallic scent still lingered.

On the bloodstained paper, a single large word was scrawled violently:

“Death!”

Even though it was just one word, it exuded an overwhelming aura of cruelty and brutality.

Lin Xiao stared at the word for a long moment before suddenly clenching his fist.

With a light bang, the entire piece of paper instantly disintegrated into ash.

“I’ll handle this matter.” Lin Xiao’s expression was as cold as still water, a storm brewing in his eyes. “Fang Yuan, since you witnessed the murder, did you see how the killer took action?”

“I didn’t see clearly, but I think he had a knife.” Fang Yuan shook her head. “I don’t know martial arts, but I could tell… that person was very strong.”

“That murderer does have some skill.” Lin Xiao leapt out of the hot spring and walked toward the changing room. “Right now, I’m taking you to the police station.”

“Brother Lin, I can’t report this to the police!” Fang Yuan’s eyes widened in panic, shaking her head desperately. “If I report it, what will happen to my parents?”

“I want to force him to target your parents. The moment he makes a move, I’ll stop him.” Lin Xiao didn’t look back. “Since you came to me for help, you should have complete trust in me, shouldn’t you?”

Fang Yuan parted her lips, wanting to say something, but Li Yunxi stopped her.

Li Yunxi watched Lin Xiao’s retreating figure, then whispered, “Just do as he says.”

“But…”

“No ‘buts.’ There’s no other way.” Li Yunxi patted Fang Yuan’s thin shoulder reassuringly. “If Lin Xiao can’t stop him, then no one in this world can.”

Fang Yuan hesitated for a moment before finally nodding firmly.

Chi Feier and Cheng Lin each held one of Fang Yuan’s arms, comforting her softly. Meanwhile, Li Yunxi stepped into the changing room, standing just a wooden partition away from Lin Xiao.

Wearing only a bikini, she began changing into her clothes.

“Lin Xiao, I have a question,” Li Yunxi asked while putting on her clothes.

“What is it?” Lin Xiao’s voice came from the other side of the partition.

“That guy clearly had the opportunity to kill Fang Yuan. Why didn’t he do it?”

Lin Xiao was silent for a moment before replying flatly, “Have you ever seen a cat playing with a mouse?”

“Hm?”

“When a cat catches a mouse, it doesn’t kill it immediately. It plays with it first, exhausting it, making it utterly desperate before finally sinking its teeth in and devouring it.” Lin Xiao’s tone remained emotionless. “That murderer sees himself as the cat, and Fang Yuan as his chosen mouse. Watching her struggle in his grasp, slowly losing hope, and finally killing her at the peak of her despair. That’s what satisfies his twisted desire for murder.”

Hearing Lin Xiao’s explanation, Li Yunxi couldn’t help but shiver, goosebumps rising on her fair skin. “What kind of psychopath would do something like that?!”

“Never underestimate the darkness of human nature.”

Lin Xiao finished changing and stepped out of the dressing room, standing with his back to her. His expression turned slightly solemn. “The underbelly of this world runs far deeper than you think.”

“How do you know so much about this?” Li Yunxi was busy fastening her dress and hadn’t noticed the change in Lin Xiao’s expression. She casually asked the question without much thought.

‘Because I’ve dealt with people like them before,’ Lin Xiao thought to himself. But he didn’t say it aloud, instead remaining silent.

He considered Li Yunxi a friend. This matter was too dark, too brutal—something she was better off not knowing.

Since Lin Xiao didn’t answer, Li Yunxi didn’t press him further. If it weren’t for Fang Yuan, she wouldn’t have involved herself in this in the first place.

As she tried to zip up the back of her dress, she realized she couldn’t reach it. Taking a few steps back toward Lin Xiao, she said, “Hey, help me zip this up.”

“Alright.” Lin Xiao nodded and stepped behind her.

A long stretch of smooth, snow-white skin was exposed to him, along with the graceful curves of her back and the slight peek of her bikini beneath.

But after spending so much time with Li Yunxi, Lin Xiao had grown accustomed to her teasing ways. Keeping his expression calm, he zipped up her dress.

After fixing her dress, Li Yunxi adjusted her hair. She and Lin Xiao walked out of the dressing room one after the other.

“Let’s go.” Lin Xiao nodded at the three girls and took the lead out of the cabin.

“Lin Xiao, I’m really sorry about today.”

Li Yunxi quickened her pace to walk beside him, linking her arm through his. Her tone was full of sincerity. “I didn’t know Fang Yuan’s problem was this serious. I asked her several times, but she refused to tell me. If I had known, I wouldn’t have kept it from you.”

“I understand, which is why I don’t blame you.” Lin Xiao smiled slightly. “If you really feel guilty, just invite me for another hot spring trip next time. But don’t try any tricks again.”

“I swear.” Li Yunxi raised three fingers in an oath, looking serious.

As Lin Xiao and the others exited the resort and reached the parking lot, they saw a group of seven or eight people gathered around Li Yunxi’s Ferrari from a distance.

Some of them were sitting on the car’s hood, while one person was even perched on the roof.

Seeing this, Li Yunxi instantly erupted in anger. “What the hell do you think you’re doing on my car?!”

Sitting on the roof of the Ferrari was a young man in his twenties.

He wore a floral-patterned shirt with white casual trousers. A large pair of sunglasses covered most of his face.

His posture was casual—arms crossed, one leg resting atop the other, foot bouncing idly. A cigarette hung from his lips, and his chin was slightly raised, exuding an air of arrogance.

Standing beside him was a tall, burly man in his forties, nearly 1.9 meters in height. He wore a black dress shirt and matching slacks, his broad, muscular frame straining against the fabric. His crew-cut hair and cold gaze made it clear he wasn’t someone to be trifled with.

Hearing Li Yunxi’s voice, the young man on the car roof tilted his head toward her.

When he saw her face and figure, his eyes lit up beneath the sunglasses, and he let out a low whistle.

“Wow… what a beauty.”

He clicked his tongue in admiration, his gaze fixated on Li Yunxi.

Casually spitting out the cigarette he had been smoking, he remained seated on the car roof, making no move to get down.