Chapter 9: The Hidden Witness

A rope tightened, crisscrossing, as powerful hands strained to strangle the homeless man alive.

Hao Yang clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with terror.

The man outside was actually trying to murder the homeless man. A brutal killing was unfolding right before her very eyes, and she was witnessing every horrific moment.

‘Should I rush to help him before the man completely kills him?’ she wondered, a tremor running through her. ‘But what could I possibly do? If I went out there, wouldn’t I just be silenced too?’

Hao Yang, consumed by fear, ultimately retreated.

She shrank deeper into the cabinet, forced to watch the horrors unfold from within her hiding place.

The homeless man’s face was turning a ghastly blue as the rope tightened. His body convulsed, struggling against his attacker’s hold.

One hand flailed backward, desperately trying to push away the lean man, but it was to no avail. His other hand scrabbled along the ground, searching for anything.

His fingers brushed against something hard and cold—a small knife. Seizing it, the homeless man immediately thrust the blade towards the assailant’s right leg.

The homeless man’s desperate stabs only enraged his attacker further. The man behind him tightened his grip, his hands applying even greater force.

In what seemed like a final, desperate struggle, the homeless man lunged again with the knife. This time, the blade found its mark, piercing clean through the man’s right thigh.

It tore through the muscle, a hair’s breadth from a far more critical injury.

The man cried out in a guttural roar of pain. He drove his knee hard into the homeless man’s back, his hands seemingly doubling their force.

The homeless man attempted to withdraw the knife, but his strength was rapidly failing. Slowly, his grip weakened, and his entire body went limp.

The blood-red glint in his eyes faded, replaced by a dull, vacant stare. The man in black slowly released his hold on the rope, then took two steps back.

The homeless man’s body slumped to the ground, utterly still.

The homeless man remained motionless. The attacker felt for a pulse, and after a moment of confirmation, he let out a long, relieved sigh.

He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lowered his mask, and lit one, taking a deep drag.

Hao Yang, seizing the opportunity while he smoked, finally got a clear look at the man’s face.

It was gaunt, almost skeletal, with prominent dark circles beneath his eyes, giving him a perpetually listless appearance. Only after a deep drag of his cigarette did a flicker of alertness return to him.

Despite his apparent weakness, the man possessed a surprisingly benign countenance. He looked utterly harmless, the sort of person one would never suspect.

Yet, this very man, with his innocuous appearance, had just taken a life with his own hands.

The raw reality of a murder, unfolding before her, amplified Hao Yang’s dread a thousandfold.

She desperately yearned to escape, to flee this horrifying scene. Yet, she knew that venturing outside would likely mean her own death at the man’s hands.

To preserve her life, Hao Yang forced herself to remain absolutely silent, barely daring to breathe.

After finishing his cigarette, the man seemed to relax considerably.

He retrieved his phone from his pocket and dialed a number.

“Hello, the goods are ready,” the man spoke into the phone. “They’re at a certain residential complex nearby that’s slated for demolition. Drive over quickly.”

“Hurry!” he barked, his voice laced with urgency. “My damn thigh’s been stabbed clean through! Just get over here, quickly! I’ll tell the buyer to wait for them at the usual spot.”

He snapped the phone shut, then leaned against the window, resuming his smoking.

‘Damn it, this big one was a real hassle. I almost lost my manhood this time.’

‘Next time, I’ll go for a small one,’ he mused aloud, exhaling a plume of smoke. ‘A kid, I can trick with just a piece of candy. But it’s tricky if they’ve got an adult with them.’

‘Oh, right, I remember there’s a homeless kid around here. That one should be easy. I think they’re in this very area.’

‘I’ll go look for them tomorrow,’ he muttered, his words chillingly casual.

Hao Yang listened to the man’s chilling monologue, a profound shiver running down her spine.

This man was a human trafficker, earning his vile living by selling people. Every word he uttered confirmed it.

The most terrifying part was his mention of targeting a homeless child, specifically in this area. It sounded unnervingly as if he were talking about her.

She hadn’t done a thing, yet she was already in his sights.

If caught, her fate would undoubtedly be grim – likely mirroring that of the man lying dead on the floor.

The outdoor wind must have been biting, for the man moved closer to the makeshift bonfire.

As he did, his gaze casually swept across the room, landing on a large cabinet. He wondered if anything was stored inside its considerable bulk.

Hao Yang swiftly pulled back her gaze, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs, threatening to burst from her chest.

As the man’s hand neared the cabinet, she clamped her eyes shut, holding her breath in sheer terror.

“Woof woof woof woof woof woof.”

Suddenly, a chorus of barks erupted from the doorway.

The man jumped, startled, and glared towards the entrance.

A small white dog stood there, barking furiously.

“Damn it, where did this stray come from?” he snarled. “Scared the hell out of me! Get lost!”

He hurled an object at the small dog, but it deftly dodged the projectile.

The small dog continued its frantic barking.

Due to his injured leg, the man found it inconvenient to pursue the animal, so he simply let it be, allowing it to bark to its heart’s content.

The man had lost all interest in opening the cabinet.

After standing there for a moment, the distinct sound of a car engine rumbled from downstairs.

“Over here! The goods are up here!” the man bellowed down to the street.

Moments later, heavy footsteps echoed from the staircase.

The small dog, having apparently done its part, had vanished, its whereabouts unknown.

“Damn, you really got yourself stabbed good, didn’t you? Clean through!” a mocking voice remarked from the stairwell.

“Shut your trap!” the man snapped. “Hurry up and get the goods to the car. It’s getting cold, and we won’t get good money if it’s spoiled.”

“What about all this stuff?” the new arrival asked, gesturing vaguely. “It could be evidence. If we’re caught with it, we’re looking at a firing squad.”

“Damn it, let’s just get the goods to the car first and split the money,” the lean man retorted.

“I’ll come back later to clean up all this mess. Nobody’s going to miss a homeless guy. We destroy the evidence, and the police won’t even know he was murdered.”

“Fine, fine, you’re the mastermind,” the other man grumbled impatiently. “You can clean up all this evidence yourself later. I’m not dealing with it.”

“Damn it, you fat pig!” the lean man spat. “If we get caught, both of us are facing a bullet. And with your incompetence, you’d have been shot a long time ago if it weren’t for me!”

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