A sharp pain on my neck made me struggle to open my eyes. My body was immobile, but my consciousness registered that someone was injecting something into me.
"You're actually awake?"
"Who are you?"
"Go ask Liu Chenxi in the underworld."
"Leng Yan!"
"You know my name? My dearest sister jumped off a building. This is the price you pay. This injection contains a small amount of anesthetic and alcohol. The police will not detect the trace amounts of the drug in your system during the autopsy, but they will be able to measure the alcohol concentration in your blood."
I understood. This person was creating the illusion of my suicide. I couldn't lift my head, but in my peripheral vision, I saw a bottle of Erguotou, green and red, next to my hand. Just then, I saw a figure, slender and dressed in a pianist's tuxedo, wearing white gloves, walk into the cramped kitchen. Then, he placed half a kettle of water on the gas stove, turned it on, but didn't light it. The smell of gas quickly reached my nostrils.
Drunk, died from inhaling gas. By the time my body was discovered, it would be ruled an accidental death.
A master!
Old Ghost had warned me not to mess with "Logical Paradox." He said the people in that organization were ruthless. I didn't listen, and now I was dying like this. I couldn't lift my head, and I didn't even get to see Leng Yan's face before I died.
Damn it. What a pathetic way to die.
I vaguely understood the process of being murdered: first, a mild electric shock to knock me out, then placed on the bed. Next, a small dose of anesthetic and concentrated alcohol was injected into me, followed by turning on the gas stove, perfectly fabricating the illusion of my accidental death.
How could I have drunk alcohol?
I was supposed to have dinner with Wang Zeyi tonight. The police wouldn't believe it. They would find the killer and avenge me. As I thought this, my eyes suddenly caught sight of a letter. If an accomplice had committed murder, my getting drunk would seem perfectly natural.
Old Ghost had said that stratagems weren't just for deceiving people; they could be applied to career, love, and life. But Old Ghost never told me that strategists could also kill, and make the police believe it was an accidental death.
It was too late now. I could feel my breathing becoming difficult, my vision blurring, until my consciousness completely left my body.
I died just like that!
...
I don't know how long the darkness lasted, but I faintly saw light again within it. When I opened my eyes, I saw the soft light of the ceiling. The sound of dripping IV fluid reached my ears. Someone had taken me to a very nice hospital.
The door opened, and I saw a familiar, plump figure entering with a paper bag.
"So you really are in Beijing."
Old Ghost grinned, "When I brought you to the hospital, I noticed a Daoxiangcun nearby. I love Daoxiangcun pastries, so I just went downstairs to buy a bag, and you woke up."
"If you showed yourself, we could have teamed up to catch that Leng Yan."
Hearing this, Old Ghost pulled up a stool and sat beside me. After munching on some pastries, he said, "Don't cry and complain to me like a child every time you see me."
I pursed my lips and said nothing. That was right; I brought this upon myself. Old Ghost had clearly told me not to come, but I insisted on getting involved, and now I was suffering the consequences.
"Alright, since you're here, I can't say much. Want to have a piece of cake?"
"I'm on an IV drip!"
"That's good. Then I'll eat them all."
Old Ghost's words actually made me a little hungry. I instructed him, "Don't eat them all. Leave me two pieces."
"Zaohua Su is a classic, I can't leave that. How could I give up the taste of Danhuang Su? And you, Niushou Bing, I won't abandon you."
I looked at Old Ghost, whose face was filled with infatuation for the food, and scornfully thought, how could someone like this become a legendary figure in the world of strategists? Seeing his struggle to choose, I said reluctantly, "Forget it, don't leave any for me."
"How can that be? I left you one piece."
"There are two pounds in this big bag, and you're only leaving one piece?"
"Or, I won't leave you any."
"Eat them all, you pig."
Old Ghost smiled honestly, and while eating, he mumbled indistinctly, "Time is short. Your friends from the Criminal Investigation Bureau will be here soon. I'll say a few words and then leave. First, a neighbor from the apartment building saved you; they didn't leave a name. Handle the police, recover your health, and then come find me. You help me find that kid Leng Yan."
"I help you?"
"Yes, with your youthful face."
"What does this have to do with my face?"
"We'll talk about it later. The Criminal Investigation Bureau will track your location through your phone, and they'll find you via 120 soon. If I weren't greedy for Daoxiangcun, I could have talked to you longer. It's not my fault; the fault lies with the intoxicating scent of Daoxiangcun."
With that, Old Ghost placed a Daoxiangcun pastry I hadn't even seen before on the table, grabbed the paper bag of pastries, and turned to leave. His timing was impeccable. Not long after he left, Wang Zeyi and Yu Xiaoluo pushed the door open. I saw Wang Zeyi looking troubled, and Yu Xiaoluo's eyes were red. Remembering what Yu Xiaoluo had told me on the phone earlier, I spoke before they could: "I'm sorry, I didn't see what the killer looked like."
Yu Xiaoluo became agitated upon hearing this: "Tang Nan, aren't you arrogant? Aren't you a lone hero? How could you not even see a killer?"
Yu Xiaoluo's reaction left me speechless. I really hadn't expected this person named Leng Yan to be so brutal, killing without hesitation for revenge. Moreover, he was extremely intelligent; even Old Ghost didn't know his whereabouts. The people he killed appeared to have died in accidents, so he had likely never been investigated by the police.
"Xiaoluo, since Tang Nan is fine, you should go back and rest for a few days."
"I'm not resting. I want to catch the killer."
"Can you catch the killer in this state? Listen to me, rest for a few days. We will definitely catch the killer."
Yu Xiaoluo still listened to Wang Zeyi. As she turned to leave, I saw the unshed tears in her eyes.
After Yu Xiaoluo left, I looked at the somber Wang Zeyi and asked seriously, "Captain Wang, what exactly happened?"
"Haozi is dead!"
Huang Xinghao was really dead? Huang Xinghao, who had decided I was a bad person from the moment we first met, who would blurt out anything when he cared about Yu Xiaoluo, Huang Xinghao, who had arrogantly asked me for a favor so he could travel with Yu Xiaoluo, was really dead.
"Haozi went to the apartment Xiaoluo rented. There was an electrical accident due to a leak. The colleagues at the scene believed it was just an accident, but Xiaoluo firmly disagreed, saying her appliances weren't arranged that way. The colleagues thought Haozi was Xiaoluo's boyfriend, and Xiaoluo's judgment was clouded by emotion, so they called me."
"You went to the scene. What was your judgment?"
"I didn't make a judgment; I chose to believe Xiaoluo. However, I do believe it was an accident. Xiaoluo lives alone. If a killer staged such an accidental scene, they must have been targeting Xiaoluo. If my analysis is correct, you are also in danger. That's why I had Xiaoluo call you. Your call was interrupted midway, so I immediately had colleagues check your phone's location. By the time we arrived at the scene, you had already been taken away by ambulance. You are lucky. If a neighbor hadn't found you, you would have been dead by the time we got there."
I was lucky, but definitely not because of the neighbor.
However, I felt that Old Ghost didn't want to deal with the police, and he didn't want his whereabouts known. There was no need for me to say anything.
"Captain Wang, this killer is Leng Yan."
"Didn't you not see him?"
"I didn't see his face, but I woke up for a moment and spoke a few words with him. He said he was Leng Yan, and he was taking revenge for his good sister Liu Chenxi."
"Can you find Leng Yan?"
"I have to find him."
"Good child, this mission is yours. But before that, let's discuss something else." Wang Zeyi said, handing me the letter Old Tie had left for me.
"Tang Nan, have you read this letter?"