Chapter 60 Wang Mengru: Lin Feng killed my brother, didn't he?

Although the plan regarding Wang Xingyu's death had been thoroughly rehearsed and was practically without any loopholes, Qin Meng and He Tiantian still harbored some anxiety that Cheng Xiangyu might break under Wang Mengru's persistent questioning and reveal the truth.

If that happened, they would be implicated as accomplices in Lin Feng's crime, and they feared Wang Mengru would not let them off easily. Furthermore, they were even more terrified that Lin Feng might simply kill them to silence them right here on the deserted island.

Without waiting for Cheng Xiangyu's reply, Wang Mengru continued, "Cheng Xiangyu, don't tell me that Wang Xingyu was bitten to death by a leopard while trying to protect the three of you."

"Because I just saw how utterly cowardly and spineless Li Hao was."

"I refuse to believe my brother was that spineless, but there is no way he would bravely step forward to fight a leopard just to protect three girls."

"Most importantly, I saw that Lin Feng has no respect for status and dared to slap Li Hao right across the face."

"I'm certain he would have dared to slap Wang Xingyu as well."

"And knowing my brother's temper, he certainly wouldn't have obeyed Lin Feng or submitted to his arrangements, which means a conflict must have broken out between them."

"As that conflict escalated step by step, it is entirely possible that Lin Feng killed him."

Huh?

Qin Meng and He Tiantian were even more dumbfounded.

They silently marveled that Wang Mengru truly lived up to her reputation as the top detective of Haicheng; her analysis was terrifyingly logical and practically reconstructed the entire truth of the matter.

Their dread that Cheng Xiangyu would crack grew heavier.

Yet Cheng Xiangyu remained remarkably calm. "Sister Mengru, how can you possibly compare a worthless coward like Li Hao to a man as outstanding as your brother, Wang Xingyu?"

"In Haicheng, Wang Xingyu might have been somewhat of a spoiled playboy, but on this deserted island, he showed extraordinary responsibility, grit, loyalty, and passion."

"He contracted parasites from drinking untreated water and nearly died from poisonous mushrooms, but it was Lin Feng who used his superb medical skills to save his life."

"He was deeply grateful to Lin Feng, not only acknowledging him as his boss, but also stepping up to support him as the king of the deserted island."

"If it weren't for him, Lin Feng wouldn't have taken on the role of island king at all, because he had no such ambition and even felt that, as a lowly service worker from the bottom of society, he wasn't worthy of it—"

Hearing this, Wang Mengru couldn't help interrupting, "Then why did Lin Feng seem entirely unaware of being a commoner, acting as if he was completely worthy of being the island king?"

"He was fiercely confident just now; not only did he dare to talk back to Aunt Luo, but he also stood up firmly against Li Hao and even struck him."

Qin Meng and He Tiantian furrowed their brows, silently thinking that Cheng Xiangyu was exaggerating a bit too much, leaving an opening for Wang Mengru to catch.

Nevertheless, Cheng Xiangyu remained unfazed. "Sister Mengru, Lin Feng wasn't like that before. It was precisely because your brother encouraged him, telling him he was extremely capable and possessed exceptional medical skills, that he shouldn't feel inferior just because of his humble background."

"Wang Xingyu even said that if Lin Feng had been born into a prominent official's family, he would probably be a rising star in the traditional Chinese medicine community by now."

"He told him that with such capability and a boundless future, Lin Feng was destined to become a great and remarkable figure one day."

"He said coming from a wealthy background is no big deal, and that making oneself wealthy is what truly takes greatness!"

"It was precisely Wang Xingyu's encouragement that gave Lin Feng the courage to step forward, become the king of the deserted island, and shoulder this responsibility."

"It's just such a pity that such a wonderful person like Wang Xingyu was bitten to death by a leopard while protecting the three of us."

She then described in detail how Wang Xingyu had fought the leopard, how he had severed its tail, and how, after being mauled by the beast, he had mustered his very last ounce of strength to plunge a sharpened tree branch straight into the leopard's gaping maw.

She told the story with such vivid detail that it felt immersive, as if she had personally witnessed Wang Xingyu battling the leopard with her own eyes.

Listening from the side, Luo瑞芳 (Ruo Ruifang) completely bought the story and sighed involuntarily, "Wang Xingyu truly was an exceptional young man. Such a tragic loss for him to die like this."

Wang Mengru, however, lowered her head in deep thought, synthesizing the accounts of all four individuals in her mind.

To her surprise, the stories told by the four people were consistent in their general outline, yet their perspectives differed entirely.

*'If they were lying and had coordinated their testimonies, their stories would match word for word instead of having these subtle variations. It seems the truth really is as they said; I was just overthinking it.'*

After turning it over in her mind repeatedly, Wang Mengru could no longer find any flaws.

She finally spoke up, "Actually, I suspected Lin Feng killed Wang Xingyu because I sensed he possesses the ruthlessness required to take a life—a feeling I've only ever encountered in people who have killed before."

Cheng Xiangyu replied, "That must be because Lin Feng killed the leopard! Sister Mengru, you have to realize that although the leopard was heavily injured at the time, its dying counterattack was terrifying. To stop it from inflicting further harm on Wang Xingyu and us, Lin Feng also needed immense resolve and courage."

"It's just unfortunate that he arrived a little late and struck a fraction too slow. By the time he killed the leopard, Wang Xingyu was already at death's door, beyond saving."

"Perhaps it was precisely because he failed to save Wang Xingyu in time that Lin Feng felt overwhelming guilt, which in turn made him more resolute and decisive?"

At this point, she looked directly into Wang Mengru's eyes. "I know you're heartbroken over his death, which naturally makes you suspicious and inclined to doubt what I'm saying."

"Sigh, if only we hadn't followed Wang Xingyu's wishes and cast his body into the sea. If you had seen his body with your own eyes, perhaps you wouldn't be doubting us."

Wang Mengru waved her hand dismissively. "No, I believe your story. Furthermore, I am glad, and proud of my brother, that he used his life to protect the three of you."

Hearing this, Cheng Xiangyu, He Tiantian, and Qin Meng all let out synchronized sighs of relief, silently celebrating that she had finally bought the lie.

However, He Tiantian and Qin Meng still harbored lingering worries about how they would explain the truth once they returned to Haicheng, and whether Wang Mengru would hold their current deception and sheltering of Lin Feng against them.

Meanwhile, at the back of the cave, Ye Tian suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned around, and asked, "Lin Feng, tell me the honest truth. Do you have a thing for my boss?"

Lin Feng shook his head outright. "You're overthinking it."

Ye Tian persisted, "Then why did you ask her to accompany you just now?"

Lin Feng explained, "I just figured that since she's a woman, she'd be more soft-hearted and might give our supplies away to that bastard Li Hao."

Ye Tian asked, "Really?"

Lin Feng replied, "Believe it or not."

Ye Tian chuckled, "Hehe, I believe you!"

With that, the two men resumed clearing a path through the brush, heading toward the crash site of the airplane.

From the cave entrance, the crash site looked to be only two or three hundred meters away, but the actual trekking distance turned out to be at least seven or eight hundred meters.

Furthermore, the entire route was choked with thorns and brambles.

Even for two grown men, it took nearly two hours to finally reach their destination.

Upon arrival, they found that the open flames at the crash site had mostly died down and the smoke had thinned, but the acrid smell was still enough to cause a headache. Embers still smoldered among the charred vegetation, and the ambient air temperature remained so high that they could not approach too closely.

Ye Tian couldn't help muttering, "Lin Feng, look at this. The helicopter is practically burnt to a crisp, the pilot is definitely dead, and any supplies must have been incinerated. Ahead is still dangerous—should we really keep searching?"

Lin Feng, meanwhile, was busy weaving vines into a crude net as he replied, "We'll weave a couple of nets to wrap around our bodies for basic protection, and then scout around the perimeter. We won't go right into the center of the wreckage."

"What burned down here probably isn't the entire helicopter anyway."

"Because I remember when the aircraft slammed into the mountain peak, it broke cleanly into two halves."