Chapter 183: A Web of Lies and Redirected Suspicions

Strangely, unlike the terror and fear I had experienced previously, this time my reaction lasted only a fleeting moment. It was swiftly replaced by an inexplicable mix of excitement, curiosity, and even a touch of regret.

I regretted not sending my Golden Cicada Gu to investigate when I heard the man’s screams last night. I was intensely curious about how Ms. Liu had managed to kill the wealthy man.

Did she perhaps attack him suddenly with a dagger hidden beneath the pillow, in the midst of their passionate entanglement? Or did she, under the guise of a kinky game, bind the rich man to a torture rack before strangling him?

This curiosity gnawed at me, much like missing a crucial episode of a detective series. The thought of the missed plot and vital clues made my heart itch with unbearable longing. I could easily imagine five or six different ways Ms. Liu might have murdered the wealthy man.

After a while, I managed to calm myself. I went downstairs to prepare dinner, gradually growing accustomed to cooking for myself, yet simultaneously feeling exhausted by the chore. If only I could hire a maid or a butler to handle my meals.

After dinner, I realized I needed to master Tai Chi quickly to condense my aura sooner. Thus, I decided to go out and practice Tai Chi again.

However, just as I was about to take the elevator downstairs, the doors opened. Inside was Ms. Liu, who had apparently just returned, and our paths crossed once more.

“Ah, Miss Xia, good evening. Are you going for a walk after dinner?” Ms. Liu greeted me with a smile, showing no trace of being a murderer who had just killed and disposed of a body.

“Yes, I am,” I replied. A powerful surge of curiosity almost made me blurt out questions about how she killed him, how she dismembered the body, and how she dealt with the remains and his valuables.

Fortunately, I managed to hold my tongue. Yet, to alleviate the unbearable impulse within me, I still said, “In the evening, I saw you driving out in a high-end Mercedes, and you were even stopped by those demon hunters.”

“Oh, that car belongs to a big boss I met at the casino,” Ms. Liu said, her expression unchanged, as if the words flowed naturally. “He visited my place yesterday, but then he had an urgent matter and left in a hurry. Fearing he might get a DUI, he left his car downstairs and took a ride-share. I just drove it back to the casino for him.”

She spoke with such ease, without any hesitation. If I hadn’t seen her carrying that black plastic bag, if my Golden Bee Gu hadn’t sent excited signals, and if I hadn’t seen the bloodstains in her apartment, I might have truly believed that the wealthy man had merely left his car in the underground parking lot due to drinking, and she had simply been returning it.

While her words were entirely false, they likely contained some genuine information. For instance, the direction she drove was towards the casino. Given that the unscrupulous casino dared to employ strange enforcers with stitched-together facial features, they would probably not object to accepting the wealthy man’s Mercedes and helping Ms. Liu dispose of his body.

“So that’s what happened,” I said, smiling as well. “I was wondering why you suddenly seemed to have money, when you were struggling so much just a few days ago.”

“Indeed. I was at my wit’s end, but it seems Lady Luck has suddenly graced me with her favor again. My finances are booming lately, so please continue to look out for me, Miss Landlord,” Ms. Liu said happily before turning and returning to her own room.

Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief. I opened the elevator doors and stepped inside. I had initially worried that Ms. Liu might consider me her next target, but she seemed to have no such intention. I wondered how these killers selected their victims.

Upon reaching downstairs, I noticed the demon hunters were still lingering around Building Four. They hadn’t left yet! How dedicated were they, still working late into the night?

They were gazing up at Building Four. When they saw me emerge, one of them approached and asked, “Miss, do you happen to know a woman in her thirties or forties, rather attractive but looking a bit haggard?”

They were clearly describing Ms. Liu. It dawned on me that they intended to first identify Ms. Liu, then investigate whether she had truly committed murder, and finally report her to the police. That was why they had waited until nightfall.

If they went upstairs to investigate, I wasn’t sure if they would find the uncleared bloodstains in Ms. Liu’s apartment. However, I definitely had ghosts living in my own home.

Just a few days ago, Mo Qingyan had reminded me in the Supernatural Incident Department’s chat group that even their most basic ghost-catching instruments could very likely react if they came close to the twin ghosts I kept.

With this in mind, I forced a smile and asked, “Yes, I know her. What about her?”

“How should I put it? We suspect she might be involved in recent disappearance cases and could be a very dangerous person. Little sister, please be extremely careful around her. If you know anything related to her, please tell us,” the demon hunter said.

“She’s dangerous? Uh, if you’re talking about disappearance cases, I might have a possible lead,” I replied.

“Ah? What do you know?!” Upon hearing I had a lead, the demon hunters immediately crowded around, excited. This community was extremely exclusive, and they had finally found someone willing to provide information.

“In the second basement level of Building Thirteen, there’s an underground cold storage unit. Its owner is an old man who sells snake and crow meat at the wet market. I once saw him walking with one of the disappeared men,” I stated.

This statement was, of course, a lie, but not entirely false information. I had clearly seen that old man was a killer, and the disappearance case was inextricably linked to him.

“Wait, are you talking about that old man with the very strange-looking facial features?” one of the demon hunters immediately recognized who I was referring to.

“Yes, that’s him,” I nodded, skillfully redirecting their investigative focus towards another murderer.

“Aha! I knew he gave off a dangerous vibe. So the disappearance cases really are connected to him. We should investigate that old man immediately,” the demon hunter’s leader declared.

“The captain is right. Let’s start our investigation with that underground cold storage. It’s a place where bodies are easily hidden,” another demon hunter agreed.

“Uh, please be careful. He’s very dangerous,” I warned them. The fact that he could pierce through that monstrous individual’s steel-like skin with a single strike, easily kill and dismember him, already spoke volumes about the old man’s strength.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. No matter how ruthless he is, he’s just a decrepit old man. Six of us going together to investigate, what’s there to fear from one old man? Little sister, thank you for the information,” the demon hunter said, then headed towards Building Thirteen.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that their words sounded like they were setting themselves up for failure. Was it really okay to investigate a killer with such a casual attitude?

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