Venus's Kiss

After Tang Qi sat down, he waited a while before Chief Inspector Stana came over.

By then, however, the stern look on her face had eased considerably. At the very least, her gaze at Tang Qi was no longer so sharp. She had likely used that time to learn about his current situation from the principal.

His parents had just died, and he was a skinny teenager. How could he possibly be the murderer?

"You're Tang Qi, right? I was too stern just now. I hope I didn't scare you."

"You can rest assured. I only have a few questions for you. This is a routine inquiry, nothing more. Everyone who was at the school last night will undergo the same investigation."

"Then let's begin."

It had to be said that once she put away her stern expression, this Police Chief Stana was indeed a mature woman with a great deal of warmth. She was also very beautiful.

Whether by this world's standards of beauty or those of Previous Life Earth, she was the kind of stunning beauty who caught everyone's eye. Her tall figure in particular made one regret that she had not become a model.

If it had been the Original Owner facing such a gentle, mature older woman, he would probably have been bashful and excited, spilling everything like beans from a bamboo tube.

Unfortunately, Tang Qi was here now.

Looking at the Police Chief seated before him as she opened a small notebook and prepared to begin the routine questioning, Tang Qi slowly raised his heavily bandaged arm before she could ask her first question. With his other hand, he casually tugged loose the bandages.

Very soon, Tang Qi's wound—healing well but still horrifying—appeared before Stana.

A wound disgusting enough to make people nauseous naturally could not frighten a Police Chief. Stana examined Tang Qi's arm, immediately stopped a passing forensic examiner, and whispered a few words to him. The examiner promptly began inspecting Tang Qi's injury.

Not long after, the examiner rebandaged Tang Qi's arm and gave Stana his conclusion and deductions.

Before leaving, he kindly reminded Tang Qi, "Kid, that dog bite is pretty serious. You'd better get a rabies vaccine as soon as possible. You're still within the twenty-four-hour window, so it's safer that way."

The examiner's conclusion was effectively proof of Tang Qi's innocence.

After all, someone with an arm injured that badly could not possibly have skinned four young girls alive in the early hours of the morning.

Still, he appreciated the concern. If he were still an ordinary person, he truly would have worried about rabies. But now, as long as Tang Qi wished it, he could check his own status at any time.

Besides, the primitive herbs from the Saha Continent seemed to be very effective.

Although he had been completely cleared of suspicion, Tang Qi still had to undergo the routine questioning. This time, however, Police Chief Stana's expression had entirely softened, and she even flashed one or two dazzling smiles now and then.

Just as the questioning was underway, another burst of commotion arose.

They both looked toward its source and saw a girl anxiously rush through the police cordon and run toward them. Several officers behind her actually failed to keep up.

"Tang Qi, how are you? Are you okay?"

"Ma'am, I can testify for Tang Qi. He's my friend. He took me home last night. This case definitely has nothing to do with him—"

"Blegh—"

Clearly, Sally had arrived a little late and in quite a hurry. She still did not understand what had happened here.

Eager to testify for Tang Qi, she inadvertently turned around and saw everything inside the room. Although the bodies had already been removed, the blackened blood that had congealed on the beds and floor was still horrifying and nauseating enough to make Sally vomit at once.

Poor girl. It was her first time seeing a scene with such a powerful impact.

Unless something unexpected happened, she would probably have nightmares tonight.

Still, her interruption made Police Chief Stana feel considerably more favorable toward both Tang Qi and Sally.

They looked like two simple high school students.

Her earlier suspicion had arisen from professional instinct. Once she understood the situation, it was only natural for her attitude to soften.

After Sally felt a little better, Stana led the two of them away from the scene, then turned back to continue investigating the case.

She had not held the position of chief at the Messer City Police Department for long. The moment she took office, she encountered such a difficult and brutal case. She was currently frazzled and on edge.

Aside from the horror of the case itself, the location where it had happened was far too sensitive.

St. Thorn High School held an extraordinary position in Messer City. Although the four dead cheerleaders could only be considered well-off, not wealthy enough to make even the police department fear offending them.

The other students, however, were another matter.

Many people here came from either wealth or privilege.

If she mishandled this, never mind whether the case was solved—she might lose her position first.

That was why.

The person assigned to handle such a brutal major case was a newcomer like her.

Because none of the old hands had budged.

Yet these "external factors" were not the main cause of her headache. What truly troubled the Police Chief was just how difficult this case was.

In a single night, someone had skinned four young girls alive without making the slightest sound for the students next door to notice. That alone demonstrated how terrifying the murderer was.

More incredibly, not the tiniest clue had been left at the scene.

Fingerprints, hair, footprints... there was nothing. There were not even biological traces resembling sweat.

In Stana's more than ten years of police work, this was the first time she had encountered a murderer like this.

Though she was an outstanding police officer, she had a feeling that this opponent might be far more terrifying than she imagined.

After sending Tang Qi and Sally beyond the police cordon, Stana turned back with a frown.

At that moment, Tang Qi, who had just stepped outside the cordoned area, paused. He turned around again, hesitation flickering across his face, but he still spoke. "Chief Inspector Stana, have you heard of Venus's Kiss?"

"Huh?"

Hearing Tang Qi's words so suddenly, Stana froze for a moment. She instinctively searched her memories, then shook her head.

"It's a little game, similar to Bloody Mary. It's just not popular in the Divine Eagle Federation. It originated and became popular in the Anglo States of the Europa Alliance. Young girls especially enjoy playing this game of fear and beauty during boring late nights."

"Its rules are..."

Tang Qi paused there.

By then, Stana seemed to have thought of something, and her expression turned grave as well.

Sure enough, as Tang Qi continued in the next moment, Stana's entire body tensed. Her hairs stood on end, and her scalp went numb.

Tang Qi's expression was equally serious. He cast a distant glance toward the busy room and said, "Venus is the symbol of love and beauty. Legend says that if one can receive her kiss, one will gain eternal beauty and the truest love."

"The rules of this little game with such beautiful meaning are as follows: the girl must remove all her clothing and lie sideways on the bed, with red rose petals scattered around her. She must wear a flower crown on her head, and a seashell filled with azure seawater must be placed beside her."

"If the ritual succeeds, it means the summoner can receive the blessing bestowed by the Goddess Venus: a beautiful face and sincere love."

"If the ritual fails, the summoner must pay with her beauty and lifespan. She will grow older and uglier."

"Of course, it's only a boring little game."

"Venus, she... perhaps does not exist."

"Gasp—"

With every sentence Tang Qi spoke, Stana's heartbeat pounded harder.

No further explanation was needed. Even Sally beside him wore an expression of both horror and admiration.

The admiration aside, the horror was easy enough to understand.

Because within the wide-open doorway of that room, a scene exactly as Tang Qi had described lay in plain sight.

As a police officer with an excellent memory, Stana did not need to turn around to know that the arrangement on every girl's bed in that room was precisely identical to what Tang Qi had described.

Stana was now both shocked and excited.

A case that had originally been so difficult might well see a turning point because of Tang Qi's words.

However, Stana's imagination was clearly not broad enough. The true, enormous turning point lay in what Tang Qi said next.

"As far as I know, the most crucial prop for completing this little game is that seashell. According to the rules, it must be a shell from the Aegean Sea. Though it isn't particularly rare, the four girls clearly could not have found genuine ones in such a rush."

"So..."

The answer had been revealed, and Tang Qi said no more.

But as Stana turned around with an excited expression, he added one more reminder. "Chief Inspector Stana, anyone capable of committing such a brutal crime must be very dangerous. If possible, when you arrest him, don't give him any chance to fight back or escape."

Stana did not know whether she had truly taken those final words in. After hurriedly replying, "All right," the beautiful, decisive Police Chief rushed back into the crime scene, heading straight for the four strange seashells filled with azure seawater lying quietly beside the beds.