Xiao He had no idea just how much of a stir his few emails had caused.
At this moment, when he should have been asleep, Xiao He was instead crouched by the pitch-black underground garage door of a bar, propping his head up and dozing off.
As his head slowly drooped until it completely slipped down, Xiao He shook his head heavily, clearing his gaze a little.
“How much longer? Didn’t anyone see the emails?”
He muttered to himself, switching the leg he was squatting on.
Originally, Xiao He had planned to just go straight to sleep and call it a day. But without personally seeing Li Zhicheng caught, he felt uneasy. Plus, Li Zhicheng had mysteriously sought him out, and Xiao He worried that if he didn’t respond, Li Zhicheng would turn his attention back to Li Hanyue.
After some thought, Xiao He decided he really should come to the scene at least to personally watch Li Zhicheng get into a car.
But he had already been squatting here for quite some time without seeing a single figure.
He was about to stand up and stretch his numb legs when suddenly he heard hurried footsteps coming from the garage exit.
This parking lot was still occasionally used, but the infrastructure was poor; many of the lights were out, and the surrounding ground was littered with trash. Because Xiao He was crouched in the corner near the exit, completely blending into the darkness, the man had no idea someone was hiding there.
Xiao He twitched his nose and inexplicably caught a whiff of blood.
At this time, in this place, and at this moment... what kind of person could it be?
Xiao He had a bad feeling. He hesitated briefly on the spot, bit his lip, and chose to quietly follow.
Having already been in the dark for a while, Xiao He’s vision was especially sharp. He skillfully avoided the trash on the ground and followed the man slowly toward the depths of the parking garage.
A minute later, he heard a hoarse voice nearby: “Why did you change targets? Why didn’t you answer my calls?”
“What’s it to you? Get lost—”
Xiao He’s ears perked up instantly.
“Don’t be ungrateful—”
“Pfft—”
Perhaps the darkness heightened a person’s senses; Xiao He could even clearly hear the sound of something piercing flesh.
Then came the sound of someone staggering and falling.
Damn it!
Xiao He immediately pressed himself against a pillar, focusing intently on the noises.
Had he—had he just stumbled onto a murder scene?
Who died? Li Zhicheng, or the man who just came in?
What was going on? Internal conflict among accomplices?
Xiao He’s mind raced fast as he quietly pressed a backup plan he had prepared in advance—
“Waa waa—”
Suddenly, the bar upstairs, which had been blasting intense music, shifted tone dramatically into a scene of blaring sirens.
The sounds were like a dozen police cars all rushing into the bar at once, sharp and noisy, instantly silencing everyone inside.
“Wow! What’s that noise? Which idiot’s playing abstract music? Turn it off!”
“Huh? What’s going on? Why won’t it stop—”
Amid the startled shouts upstairs, the sharp sirens quickly spread through the ceiling down to the basement.
That faint yet unmistakable sound had a strong deterrent effect on anyone feeling guilty.
Almost as soon as the sirens sounded, Xiao He heard hurried footsteps fleeing.
When the footsteps faded away, Xiao He swiftly followed the sound to the place where Li Zhicheng and the others were.
Surprisingly, the person lying on the ground was indeed Li Zhicheng!
Xiao He turned on his phone’s flashlight, and under the faint glow of the screen, he vaguely saw a sharp weapon had pierced Li Zhicheng’s chest, blood continuously gushing out.
Li Zhicheng himself was slumped on the ground, his pupils gradually dilating. He painfully moved his hand, trying to seek help—
“Help, help me—”
Xiao He pursed his lips, surprisingly feeling little emotion inside.
Having seriously played the role of Zhu Third Brother before, he really couldn’t summon any pity for this despicable man.
“Zhu Third Brother—”
He drew out the name slowly, squatted down with a commanding gaze, looking coldly down at the man on the ground, his face covered by a mask showing only a pair of icy, callous eyes.
“Back then, didn’t Wu Xiaohua beg you like this? Beg you to save her, yet you raped her again, dragged her back to the slaughterhouse, and with your brothers dismembered her, even threw her into the pigsty to destroy the evidence—”
Li Zhicheng trembled all over. Whether from Xiao He’s words or the fear of impending death, he clenched his fists and shakily said, “I admit, I admit, it’s all my fault! Please save me—”
But Xiao He only shook his head, his gaze filled with disdain and mockery. “It’s not that you realize your fault, you just know you’re about to die.”
As his words fell, Xiao He suddenly heard a faint footstep behind him.
The signal of danger shot through his nerves to his brain, a chill of death flooding his chest—
Without giving Xiao He any time to think, the sudden icy sensation made the hairs on his body stand up. In the corner of his eye, he saw the butcher’s cleaver on the nearby cutting board.
At the same time, his body unleashed unprecedented potential. Xiao He rolled on the ground, dodging the attacker’s sneak strike and firmly grasped the cleaver—
With a wrist twist and a horizontal slash, his innate skill exploded fully. Xiao He’s movements were fluid and decisive, without hesitation, wielding almost all his strength in the strike.
“Ah—”
With a muffled cry of pain, Xiao He felt liquid splatter onto him.
But he didn’t have time to look down; instead, he twisted his wrist again, holding the blade upright, his cold gaze fixed on the person who had returned. The butcher’s cleaver, carefully sharpened by Li Zhicheng, now emitted a terrifying silver light in the dark.
The figure in the darkness panted in suppressed pain. The counterattack had clearly injured him badly. The man stared deeply at Xiao He through the dark space. Xiao He said nothing, silently expressing his stance by holding the knife high.
The siren continued wailing above, and the two fell into a silent standoff.
In the end, the man didn’t dare try the cleaver’s power again and fled.
Xiao He, however, did not feel relief.
His mind raced.
He might have accidentally cut the guy just now!
No, if he hadn’t fought back, the person lying on the ground would have been him!
What now? In this situation, don’t think he’s the culprit, right?
Xiao He glanced down at himself—his knife hand wore a medical glove left over from filming, and he was dressed in a very thin protective suit. To avoid making noise during movement, he had even pinned it tightly with safety pins so it clung close, all worn beneath a regular sports jacket… Okay, Xiao He admitted he looked very suspicious right now.
Heaven knows, he only dressed so tightly to avoid being listed by the police!
Anyway, it was very dark here. He was fully armored, the attacker didn’t see his face, and the scene left almost no traces of him except footprints and… damn, Li Zhicheng—
Xiao He turned his phone’s light back on Li Zhicheng, the man who had committed countless evils, now quietly lying on the ground with eyes wide open, a grimace of pain on his face, already stopped breathing.
Xiao He clicked his tongue.
Letting him die just like that was actually too easy on him.
A guy like that deserved to eat the bullet of justice in prison.
Xiao He felt a bit regretful but dared not linger any longer. As for the mysterious accomplice, he left it to the police to investigate. Hopefully, the bloodstains left behind could provide some clues.
After making this decision, Xiao He continued sending commands to the bar upstairs, citing “mysterious activity” as the reason to lure many people downstairs to the basement.
Most of the bar’s patrons were young and curious, and since they had been drinking, the more people there were, the bolder they got. They actually came downstairs to check out the “mysterious activity.”
Soon, someone discovered the murder scene and was so scared they sobered up instantly and screamed—
“Ahhh!”
With the screams, flashing police cars arrived at the scene. Unfortunately, the murder site had already been trampled into a mess by the panicked, drunken crowd. The dusty floor was covered in all kinds of footprints. Hidden among the crowd, Xiao He stepped into the night and quickly left.
Only a scene of chaos and a gradually cooling corpse remained.
The next day.
Xiao He was woken by constant vibrating messages on his phone.
[Liu Zehang: Dude, dude, Xiao Ge, stop sleeping! Big trouble!]
Xiao He rubbed his eyes, roughly guessing what Liu Zehang meant, but still picked up his phone to ask.
[Xiao He: What happened?]
[Liu Zehang: There’s so much info, I don’t even know where to start—]
[Liu Zehang: Uncle Li, you remember? The crew member who often brought us water? He’s dead! Stabbed to death last night in a bar! By the time police arrived, his body was already cold!]
[Xiao He: ?????]
[Liu Zehang: And it’s said he’s actually the original Zhu Third Brother from that case! The police have started investigating! Our director was taken in for questioning at dawn, and I was questioned too. Xiao Ge, you’ll probably be asked to give a statement soon. Be prepared! Never thought the real case prototype was lurking among us! It’s terrifying when you think about it!]
[Xiao He: Is the director okay?]
[Liu Zehang: Yeah, just basic questioning. Now they suspect Li Zhicheng had been lurking near the victim’s family for over twenty years! Remember when our screenwriter stayed in Province C to communicate with the victim’s family? Most likely, Li Zhicheng started targeting our crew then.]
[Xiao He: Why target our crew?]
Xiao He still didn’t understand this.
He couldn’t figure out why Li Zhicheng was fixated on Li Hanyue.
Could it really be just because they share the same surname? Some blood relation?
[Liu Zehang: Ahem, this stuff director Hou heard from his brother-in-law who is a local official. Don’t spread it around. Apparently, Li Zhicheng wanted to reenact the murder case.]
[Xiao He: ?]
Reenact... a murder?
Sure enough, a twisted idea beyond his comprehension.
[Liu Zehang: He set his sights on Li Hanyue! Planning to kidnap her! Just because Li Hanyue played that role back then, which held a fatal attraction for him! He wants to replicate everything he did to ‘Wu Xiaohua’ onto Li Hanyue! To prove his criminal power and provoke the police again!]
Xiao He’s expression instantly turned icy cold.
That guy died way too easily.
[Xiao He: How is Li Hanyue now?]
[Liu Zehang: She’s shaken and currently receiving psychological counseling.]
Xiao He sighed.
As the actress playing “Wu Xiaohua,” Li Hanyue was most aware of the pain and suffering “Wu Xiaohua” endured back then.
And this close, the acting almost turned into reality.
How could anyone not feel fear and dread?
Considering Xiao He played the role of “Zhu Third Brother,” Li Hanyue probably didn’t want to hear from him right now, so Xiao He only sent her a short message of comfort.
But Li Hanyue quickly replied with a voice message, still sniffly from crying:
“Xiao Ge, thank you! Looking back now, every time that Li Zhicheng appeared near me, you and Liu Ge would show up and interrupt our talks. Even if you didn’t mean to, I’m really, really grateful. You made sure my memories didn’t become completely unsafe.”
At least in her memories, she had two companions to face it with, so her memories wouldn’t turn into a nightmare.
Thinking of the now-dead Li Zhicheng, Li Hanyue felt she had nothing left to fear.
Xiao He hadn’t expected Li Hanyue to realize this only now, but he was glad his help had eased her psychological shadows.
After comforting Li Hanyue, Xiao He was summoned to the police station to give a statement.
Actually, his presence in the whole case was very low-key. The only suspicious thing might be that he took the same car as Li Zhicheng back to the city center yesterday.
But Xiao He wasn’t too worried. He had already cleaned his tracks yesterday, and without a motive to kill, the police wouldn’t suspect him.
Instead, the old Mr. Wu who was auditing the case kept firing computer-related questions at Xiao He, making him sweat through his back.
But the truly chilling event did not happen. The old Mr. Wu’s eyes were full of emotion, relief, and a carefree closure.
“I’m old now, old now. These years, this case has been on my mind. Now that I’ve seen that email, everything finally has an answer. I’m just an old man with no other curiosity...”
Xiao He glanced at Mr. Wu one last time, pursed his lips, said nothing, and quietly left.
...
Afterward, Xiao He silently followed the case’s developments.
Li Zhicheng was dead, and the cold case could finally be put to rest. But his murder case had only just begun investigation.
The police analyzed the bloodstains left by the killer at the scene and discovered something surprising—
Besides Zhu Third Brother’s DNA, there was another fugitive’s! This fugitive was named Shi Wei, who had brutally murdered his lover and parents years ago, carrying three murder charges before fleeing with stolen money. The police had been looking for him for seven years!
No one expected him to appear here, even linked to Li Zhicheng!
But they said both were from Province C, so it was very likely they met while on the run.
Judging by the scene, Shi Wei and Li Zhicheng must have had a conflict, injured each other, ending with one dead and one wounded.
Unfortunately, after appearing this time, Shi Wei disappeared without a trace again. The police lost track and couldn’t capture him.
However, the “Zhu Third Brother” case, after more than twenty years, finally reached its conclusion.
The victim’s family personally came to Shanghai to thank the police and crew. If not for the crew attracting Li Zhicheng, they might have never gotten justice in their lifetime.
Although Li Zhicheng didn’t face legal punishment, knowing he had lived poorly and was ultimately killed by someone else eased their minds.
Director Hou Rongxuan’s face almost broke into a grin. He never expected such good fortune to happen to their crew and quickly called Xiao He back to reshoot, determined to produce a complete ending for the case.