"Hmm?"
Tang Qi looked up in surprise, immediately spotting a large swarm of students—boys and girls mixed with quite a few teaching staff—all flocking hastily toward an area on the side of the Main Campus, their faces a mix of excitement and fear as they ran.
Something's happened!
This thought just skimmed the bottom of Tang Qi's heart when a few male students running by quickly clued him in on what had happened through their loud exclamations.
"Hurry up, hurry up, I heard there's been a murder at the school dormitory area."
"It's true, quite a few girls died, they say they were all cheerleaders."
"And the way they died was awful, their entire skin was peeled off by the perpetrator."
Just as Tang Qi was about to walk straight over, he suddenly stopped after hearing the last sentence,
His feet moved, and he followed the crowd toward the dormitory area.
Saint Thorn High School's layout, aside from the Main Campus, also had a large area occupied by the school dormitories.
As the best high school in Messer City, with a considerable number of students, therefore some chose to board, and ninety-nine percent of them were concentrated in the dormitories, usually sharing rooms with several others.
For someone like Tang Qi, who rented a whole small building for himself, this was obviously rare.
Who let him have control over a large fortune now? Others, even if well-off, wouldn't necessarily do the same.
When he reached the dormitory area, Tang Qi immediately saw a large crowd blocked in front of a red brick building.
The scene of the crime was on the first floor, the sixth room. The police had already arrived beforehand, setting up a cordon outside the room, and a number of burly police officers formed a human wall, stopping some crazed students attempting to push through.
A strong smell of blood wafted out.
Even through the swarming crowd, Tang Qi could see through some gaps, the door of the room wide open, with thick, congealed black blood flowing out.
This horrifying scene could not deter these adolescents in the throes of puberty, with their intense morbid curiosity.
The teaching staff mingled within the crowd all had grim expressions on their faces.
But these students were excitedly discussing the tragedy, raising their voices in discussion amid a few sporadic cries, which allowed Tang Qi to make out two things.
First, the several dead probably weren't well-liked.
Second, the manner of death, or rather the method of dying, was horrifying.
He stood at the outskirts for a second then suddenly squeezed into the onlooking crowd, not using brute force, just strong steps, and quickly made his way to the very front.
The best position, right in front of the open door.
A glance thrown inside, and Tang Qi took in most of the room's scene.
The dead, a total of four, were all female.
They were all naked, lying on their beds, covered with thin white sheets, with arms and ankles exposed but the skin on them had vanished.
The unimaginable amount of blood had completely soaked the beds before dripping onto the floor, forming puddles that flowed towards the door, eventually solidifying at the threshold.
The cause of death?
From the earlier discussions, it seemed as if all the skin on their bodies had been peeled off, were they skinned alive to death?
It was also fortunate they were covered with white sheets; otherwise, if it were indeed as Tang Qi imagined, the group of morbidly excited students discussing it might have actually vomited right there, disgorging every meal they had for three days and nights.
This was proven by a few cleaners in one corner within the cordon who were vomiting so much they were nearly passing out.
Tang Qi didn't stare at the body being carried away like most of the students. Instead, he quickly took in the entire room's layout and details.
Soon, Tang Qi seemed to see something. His pupils shrunk slightly, and his expression instantly became gloomier.
Though it quickly returned to normal, a trace of doubt lingered in his eyes.
After all, it was a cruel murder case, and it had happened at Saint Thorn High School. It was imaginable what kind of impact this case would have once it spread throughout Messer City.
Because of this, both the police and the school authorities were under tremendous pressure.
They worked in remarkable synergy and high efficiency, as the police cordoned off the crime scene and experts arrived one after another. Meanwhile, the white-haired Principal approached the students and declared that classes would not be canceled, all students should attend as usual.
This was done, not only to temporarily lock down information to gain more time for investigation but likely also to assist in finding the perpetrator.
Especially those few Discoverers and the students living in the same building as the dead were directly entered into the "witness questioning" phase.
The rest of the students were evacuated to their classes.
Tang Qi was among them. Before leaving, he narrowed his eyes slightly. Yet, instead of looking back at the crime scene, he scanned the crowd of onlookers, as if trying to find something.
Unfortunately, he found nothing.
A hint of slight disappointment flashed through his eyes, and he turned to join the other students towards the Main Campus.
However, at that moment, a voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Wait!"
"You, wait a moment."
Surprised to be called out, Tang Qi turned his head in confusion and saw a tall female police officer approaching with several subordinates.
The female officer was dressed in a burgundy leather jacket, with tight jeans below, a model-like figure that did not hide her martial aura. Below her red hair was a face both delicate and beautiful, and her eyes were mature but also sharp.
"Hello, I'm Chief Stanna. I have a few questions to ask you. If you don't mind, can we talk over there?" She had shown her badge right away and pointed to a temporary resting spot within the hall, making the aforementioned request.
As a student receiving this kind of treatment, Tang Qi's face showed a hint of helplessness, and without thinking, he knew.
This treatment was most likely due to his meticulously bandaged hand.
Any police officer who spots someone with an injured hand at a crime scene would immediately bring that person in for questioning.
Tang Qi didn't believe that his ordinary student appearance would exempt him from this treatment.
But before Tang Qi could respond, the Principal approached, looked Tang Qi over carefully, confirmed something, then turned to address Chief Stanna, "Chief Stanna, this student no longer has a guardian. If you wish to talk to him, it must be done in the company of a school representative."
The Principal, naturally, knew of Tang Qi's existence.
It must have been Mr. Ronald's doing originally.
But the kindness extended by Mr. Ronald could only prompt the Principal to go so far. Tang Qi hadn't expected that such a slight connection would lead a renowned high school's Principal to protect him so vehemently, especially in a case involving a ghastly murder.
To secure the company of a representative was already fortunate.
As for avoiding the conversation altogether, judging by the serious demeanor of Chief Stanna, that seemed impossible.
At this thought, Tang Qi calmly stopped the Principal from calling the school representative and said indifferently, "It's alright, I can represent myself and I'm willing to cooperate with the police. After all, the victim was also my classmate."
Having said that, Tang Qi willingly stepped into the hall.
Behind him, Chief Stanna, witnessing Tang Qi's actions, had a more piercing look in her eyes.