I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 119: Chapter 117: A Rich and Vicious Person

”Can you talk normally? Your throat must be smoking from faking that voice,” Zhuang Yanzheng said through the earpiece.

”Yeah, I’m performing a fire-breathing act in here. It’s a real crowd-pleaser. Want to come in and see?” Su Miaoyi replied, still putting on the voice.

Zhuang Yanzheng said, ”...”

”Care for a drink?” Su Miaoyi asked, walking up to a man with pink hair.

The man looked at her. ”Sure.”

The two of them chatted casually for a while before the man led her to a private room.

She went in and took a look at the people inside.

Every single one of them had the air of a gangster.

Back in the day, if she’d seen even one of them on the street, she would have turned and run.

Without someone to bring her in, there was no way she could have gotten access.

”Who’s this?” the man sitting in the middle asked, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he frowned at Su Miaoyi.

”The client,” the pink-haired guy said, closing the door to the room.

The men all stared at Su Miaoyi.

Su Miaoyi said, ”Is this all of you?”

The man in the middle chuckled. ”What? You looking down on us?”

Su Miaoyi sat down. ”Can you get more people?”

”How big of a job is this? Why do you need so many people?”

Su Miaoyi tossed a printed portrait onto the table. ”Have you seen this man? Huang Haoxu.”

The men passed it around. Once they had all seen it, Su Miaoyi took the portrait back.

”By nine o’clock tomorrow night, I want to know his whereabouts,” Su Miaoyi said. ”This is the down payment.”

As she spoke, she placed a card on the table.

The man at the very end picked up the card, checked the balance, and then showed it to the man in the middle.

The man in the middle glanced at her and asked, ”Who is this guy in the picture to you? You’re spending a lot of money.”

”Don’t ask what doesn’t concern you.” Su Miaoyi looked at them coolly, her voice cold, the end of each word laced with ruthlessness. ”The police are looking for him, too, and I want to find him before they do. Once the job is done, you’ll get ten times the down payment as a reward.”

”She’s got some nerve,” Zhuang Yanzheng commented in her earpiece.

Su Miaoyi’s expression was stern, even radiating killing intent.

But inside, she was thinking, ’It feels so good to be rich.’

Hearing the reward, everyone fell silent for a moment.

The man in the middle was very cautious. He asked, ”What did this guy do?”

Su Miaoyi pulled a cigarette from the pack on the table and examined it in her hand.

Just then, the pink-haired guy spoke up. ”When I first came in, I saw police outside asking about someone. It was the guy in the picture. I heard he killed someone.”

”A murderer? Why are you looking for a murderer?” the man asked.

Su Miaoyi tossed the cigarette on the table in disgust. ”Knowing too much won’t do you any good.”

”But I have to guarantee my brothers’ safety,” the man said.

Su Miaoyi snorted. ”I’m asking you to find his whereabouts, not to capture him or get into a fight.”

At this point, the pink-haired guy leaned in close to the man in the middle and whispered, ”Brother Yi, I heard this guy is tough. Kills his victims with a single blow.”

The man in the middle frowned.

”Tough?” Su Miaoyi said with contempt. ”He casually let some little girl slit his throat and almost died, and you call that tough? It seems you guys aren’t all that impressive either.”

Su Miaoyi stood up, walked over to the man holding the bank card, and snatched it from his hand. ”You’re wasting my time.”

”Wait.”

Su Miaoyi started walking out.

The man standing by the door reached out to block her.

Su Miaoyi grabbed his arm and, in two quick moves, pinned him against the wall.

Instantly, everyone except the man in the middle shot to their feet.

Su Miaoyi looked at them coolly. ”Want to fight? I’ll let you all come at me at once.”

The man watched her, then paused before asking, ”Why don’t you look for him yourself?”

”I just got to Jinghai. I’m not familiar with the area.” Su Miaoyi let the man go. ”Why should I bother myself with something that money can solve?”

”We’ll take the job,” the man said.

Su Miaoyi turned to face him. ”Nine o’clock tomorrow night. Be here with your information.”

She took out the portrait and showed it to them again, not letting them take a picture. ”Memorize his face.”

Then she put the portrait away, tossed the bank card back on the table, and said with a smile, ”And remember, watch out for the police.”

With that, she left the private room.

...

Zhuang Yanzheng was waiting behind the nightclub in his car.

Su Miaoyi circled around to the back, checked that no one was around, and got in the car.

Zhuang Yanzheng glanced at her and started the car.

”Everything depends on tomorrow night. If we can’t draw him out, we’ll just have to find him slowly,” Su Miaoyi said.

If it takes too long, their cover will be blown.

Zhuang Yanzheng nodded. ”Lin Yue’s informants will be spreading the word, too.”

Su Miaoyi making an appearance gave the rumor a source.

And along with it, the image she created for herself would also get out.

She felt this increased the chances that their target would come looking for her.

Today was all about crafting the persona of a wealthy, ruthless, and skilled woman who had just arrived in Jinghai.

”Your informants, they hang out with those types all day. I bet you see them at the police station pretty often, don’t you?” Su Miaoyi said.

”That bunch could get hauled in any day,” Zhuang Yanzheng said. ”Some of them have probably done time before.”

Su Miaoyi nodded. She looked out the window; it was already so late, but she didn’t feel the least bit sleepy.

She looked at Zhuang Yanzheng again.

Zhuang Yanzheng had been thinking about the case. After a moment, he turned his head to glance at her. ”What is it?”

Su Miaoyi’s lips curved into a mischievous smile as she suddenly put on the voice again. ”Don’t you just love the sound of my voice, Captain Zhuang?”

Zhuang Yanzheng sucked in a sharp breath, his expression twisting. ”If you talk in that voice one more time, believe me, I will throw you out on the side of the road.”

Su Miaoyi burst out laughing.

Zhuang Yanzheng rubbed the goosebumps on his arm.

Su Miaoyi laughed even harder.

...

「The next evening at nine o’clock.」

Su Miaoyi went to the private room to meet the men again.

The answer was what she expected: they hadn’t found him.

After all, Huang Haoxu probably kept his face covered whenever he went out.

It was unlikely anyone had seen his face.

Their main goal was simply to get the news into Huang Haoxu’s ears.

Since they hadn’t found him, Su Miaoyi’s expression was grim.

No one dared to say a word.

Seeing the look on her face, they were all afraid that if they provoked her right now, she would kill them.

Su Miaoyi didn’t say anything either. She just got up and left.

Once outside, she went and ordered a drink.

She leaned against the bar, took a couple of sips, and scanned her surroundings.

The scene was a dizzying blur of neon lights and lavish living. A single glance showed that the place was packed with people.

”Hey, beautiful. Care to have a drink together?” someone suddenly approached her.

Su Miaoyi glanced at him and smiled. ”Some other time. I’m waiting for someone today.”

The man nodded and left.

”Let’s pull out,” Zhuang Yanzheng said in her earpiece.

Su Miaoyi acknowledged him, put down her glass, and left.

After exiting the nightclub, she once again headed toward the back alley.

It was quiet back there.

Almost no one ever came this way.

Today, Zhuang Yanzheng had parked his car a little farther away.

She walked at an unhurried pace.

Her mind was preoccupied with what to do next, since they hadn’t managed to lure their target out today.

Just as she was thinking, she suddenly heard very faint footsteps behind her.

So faint... they were almost negligible.

Su Miaoyi stopped in her tracks and turned around.

She saw a man in a food delivery uniform standing a short distance behind her...