CHAPTER 505: CHAPTER 298: PHOTO, TAKING THE BLAME_1

Just outside the town of Carlo were several small and medium-sized farms.

Fadili hadn’t driven, indicating his destination was not far outside town.

The workday had already ended. There were few pedestrians on the road.

Fadili also failed to notice that, not far behind him, a tall man and a ponytailed policewoman with a fit figure were following.

By the time they left the town, the sky had grown dim. Outside the town lay an unobstructed clearing. Dean pulled back the policewoman, who was still eager to press on, and gestured with his eyes for her to stop. The next moment, Fadili abruptly stopped, looking behind and all around. Thanks to Dean’s timely reaction, he hadn’t been spotted. After scanning the area and confirming no one had noticed him, Fadili visibly relaxed, glanced at the sky, quickened his pace, and jogged along the fenced path established by the farm ahead.

"What’s ahead?" Dean asked Nellie.

If Fadili wasn’t planning to enter the farm, he must be nearing his destination. Otherwise, once it was completely dark, this kind of path would be difficult to navigate. Plus, if he encountered any town residents, it wouldn’t be easy to explain.

Nellie thought for a moment, her expression changing. "That area is a clearing with a stream. When the weather’s good, residents often go there for bonfire parties and camping. Could Fadili be planning to destroy something?"

"Possible!"

Dean picked up a stone from the roadside. "Let’s go after him!" he said. "We’ll intercept Fadili directly!"

He had weapons in his Subspace, but they were difficult to explain. A stone in hand, however, would provide a means of long-range attack if anything unexpected happened.

As he finished speaking, Nellie, in the dim surroundings, saw only a blur as he sprinted off. By the time she registered his movement, Dean was just a receding figure disappearing from her view.

That fast? Nellie was shocked. She quickly drew her pistol from her waist and ran to follow.

...

Dean was tall and powerfully built, each stride covering several meters. His explosive Speed reached a high 16 points, surpassing well-trained world-class sprinters and bordering on the limits of human capability on this planet.

In just a few seconds, Fadili, who had vanished from view, reappeared in Dean’s sight.

This time, Dean didn’t bother trying to conceal his movements. His powerful physique erupted with another burst of strength, propelling him forward like an ignited rocket, a gust of wind heralding his charge toward Fadili. The commotion from this sudden acceleration was considerable.

Fadili instinctively stopped and whirled around in alarm. A gust of wind surged past him, and he reflexively squinted. The next moment, a dark figure leaped from five meters away, like a fierce tiger pouncing on its prey, lunging through the air and startling Fadili into a stupefied freeze.

Just as Fadili thought a wild beast was about to pounce and kill him on the spot, the approaching figure seemed to condense, expertly arresting its ferocious momentum. As the figure landed, a large hand shot out and effortlessly lifted the stunned Fadili clean off the ground.

"Good evening, Mr. Fadili," Dean said, holding Fadili by the collar and cracking a smile.

Before Fadili could react, Dean’s other hand struck him precisely in the abdomen, sending him flying.

Fadili rolled clumsily on the ground a couple of times. He tried to get up but only staggered and fell to his knees again, mouth agape as he vomited a puddle of acrid liquid. He was powerless as Dean stepped forward to relieve him of his pistol and backpack.

HUFF, HUFF. It was then that Policewoman Nellie arrived, panting heavily.

Seeing that Dean had the situation under control, she breathed a sigh of relief. Hands on her hips, she gasped, "You... you ran too fast. You should have waited for me..."

"I was worried he might suddenly turn a corner," Dean said, hoisting the not-too-heavy backpack. "But at least now we’ve got what we wanted." He then removed the magazine from the pistol he’d taken off Fadili and tossed the weapon in front of Nellie.

In his presence, there was no way he would allow Fadili the cliché opportunity to grab the gun and fight back.

Nellie took a few more deep breaths before recovering. She glanced at the backpack in Dean’s hand, and a smile touched her lips. "Alright, Detective Dean, are you sure you weren’t a hundred-meter dash champion in a past life?"

Dean shrugged. "Enough talk. It’s getting dark. Cuff Fadili first."

Fadili, still reeling from the blow to his abdomen, hadn’t recovered by the time Nellie handcuffed his hands behind his back. He tried to speak, but only managed to spew out more sour liquid.

Nellie dodged with disgust and took out her mobile phone to call for backup.

...

「Eight o’clock in the evening.」

「The police station’s interrogation room.」

Under the bright lights, Fadili sat with his head bowed, lost in thought.

Nellie and an on-duty colleague sat at the interrogation table. Dean, perched on a small chair to the side, was flipping through the items from Fadili’s backpack. These turned out to be photographs.

Specifically, the backpack contained dozens of candid photos taken from various angles of the deceased, Ms. Toddy. Most of them depicted Toddy’s life outside of school.

Dean, relying on his exceptional memory, quickly scanned all the photos before placing them in front of Nellie and her colleague. "We can start the interrogation now."

Nellie nodded, her expression stern as she looked at the bowed Fadili. "Mr. Fadili, can you explain why you have so many surreptitious photos of the victim, Ms. Toddy, in your possession?"

Nellie’s colleague, meanwhile, watched Fadili in the interrogation chair with avid curiosity, showing no inclination to interject.