I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 167: Chapter 165: The Arrest

Luo Min followed Zhu Xuan into the residential complex. They reached the entrance of an apartment building, went upstairs, and entered her home.

”Don’t worry about your shoes.” Zhu Xuan didn’t take off her own, walking straight inside.

Seeing Zhu Xuan go right in, Luo Min paused for a moment at the doorway before following her.

”Have a seat. What would you like to drink?” Zhu Xuan asked.

”No, thank you. I’m fine,” Luo Min said, looking around the apartment.

”How about some juice?” Zhu Xuan said, heading into the kitchen.

Luo Min thanked her and continued to look around.

Suddenly, the sound of a glass shattering came from the kitchen, followed by a sharp gasp.

”What’s wrong?” Luo Min stood up.

Zhu Xuan didn’t answer.

Luo Min hesitated for a moment before walking toward the kitchen. ”Zhu Xuan, are you okay?”

Still no sound from Zhu Xuan.

Luo Min reached the kitchen doorway and saw Zhu Xuan standing by the counter. ”Zhu Xuan?”

Zhu Xuan looked at her.

Luo Min felt there was something wrong with her gaze and subconsciously took a step back.

Zhu Xuan advanced on her, holding a fruit knife.

Luo Min saw the knife in her hand and turned to run.

In a few steps, Zhu Xuan was on her, grabbing her.

She pulled Luo Min back a few steps, then plunged the fruit knife into her heart.

The motion was so clean and swift that Luo Min barely had time to process what had happened. A few seconds passed before she looked up at Zhu Xuan.

Zhu Xuan let go of her.

She collapsed to the floor, her hand reaching for the knife embedded in her chest. She tried to speak, but no words came out.

Zhu Xuan crouched down, gripped the handle, and cleanly pulled the knife out.

Blood sprayed out instantly.

Luo Min’s body convulsed twice.

Zhu Xuan patted her cheek with the flat of the blade, then stabbed the knife into the palm of her hand.

Luo Min’s body convulsed again.

Zhu Xuan twisted the knife, her eyes cold and numb. ”I’d like to see how you’re going to spout your nonsense and spread rumors online once you’re dead.”

Luo Min stared at her.

”Did you think I wouldn’t be able to find you just because you were hiding behind a screen?” Zhu Xuan twisted the knife again. ”You said you weren’t afraid of being sued, right? Then you might as well just die.”

Luo Min kept staring at her face until her vision blurred and faded to black.

Then, Su Miaoyi pulled out of the vision.

”That’s her,” she said, looking at the sketch Lu Zhishen had drawn.

Zhuang Yanzheng took it, glanced at it, and sent a photo to the municipal bureau.

He also synced the sketch with the dispatched officers.

The sun rose, and the temperature gradually climbed.

They finally drove to the area near the subway station, on their way to the residential district.

Zhuang Yanzheng said suddenly, ”Stop the car. Zhu Xuan just entered the subway station.”

Su Miaoyi looked over and saw only a figure from behind.

That silhouette was identical to the person in black she had seen through Xiao Xia. It was also a perfect match for the figure captured on the elevator surveillance footage in Jinrong District.

It confirmed that Zhu Xuan had committed all three crimes by herself.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Zhuang Yanzheng and the others were out and rushing toward the subway station.

The station wasn’t very large and had two exits.

Neither Zhuang Yanzheng nor Lu Zhishen had ever taken the subway, so they just showed their badges to security.

The guard let them straight in.

”Evacuate the civilians,” Zhuang Yanzheng ordered, leaving two officers with the subway security to handle the crowd.

Su Miaoyi, on the other hand, had taken the subway before and had the app on her phone, but she didn’t have her phone on her now.

An officer went to pull up the surveillance footage.

Su Miaoyi and the others split up to search.

It was the morning rush hour, and the station was packed.

A single glance revealed nothing but a sea of heads.

After a moment, Zhuang Yanzheng’s voice came through the earpiece. ”I see her. Exit B.”

Su Miaoyi checked her own position, then ran toward Exit B.

Before she got there, Lu Zhishen said, ”I think she’s spotted us.”

Su Miaoyi frowned. As she reached Exit B, she saw Zhu Xuan vault over the barrier, slide partway down the escalator, and then leap off.

The subway station had two levels; she had jumped to the one below.

And from the sound of it, a train was arriving on the lower level.

The subway announcer’s voice echoed through the station.

Zhuang Yanzheng also vaulted the barrier and leaped down from the escalator.

Lu Zhishen followed right after.

There were too many people. Even with an evacuation order, it would take time.

Su Miaoyi could sense the people around her first freezing in shock, then crying out in alarm, and then, one after another, pulling out their phones.

When Su Miaoyi ran over, vaulted the barrier, and jumped down from the escalator herself, another wave of gasps erupted from the crowd.

Su Miaoyi suddenly had the strange feeling that they were putting on a show, jumping down one by one for the gawking crowd.

There was no time to dwell on it.

Zhuang Yanzheng intercepted Zhu Xuan, stopping her from getting on the train.

The two of them started fighting.

Lu Zhishen moved in to help.

Realizing she was outmatched and couldn’t escape, Zhu Xuan pulled the hairpin from her hair and stabbed it toward Zhuang Yanzheng’s arm.

Zhuang Yanzheng dodged back.

Zhu Xuan then lunged at Lu Zhishen.

Lu Zhishen dodged, but the pin left a bloody scratch on his arm.

As they both fell back, Zhu Xuan grabbed a gawking bystander from behind a pillar, pulled the person in front of her as a shield, and pressed the hairpin to their neck.

The old woman shrieked in terror. The surrounding crowd screamed as well.

”Help me, help me, help me!” the old woman cried out.

Su Miaoyi, at the back of the crowd, pressed her earpiece. ”I’m circling around to her back.”

The police officers who had just arrived drew their guns and aimed them at Zhu Xuan.

Zhu Xuan backed away, dragging the old woman with her. ”Let me go.”

Zhuang Yanzheng sighed and looked at her. ”Fine. Just don’t hurt anyone.”

Zhu Xuan continued to back away with the old woman, surprised that the man in front of her was so agreeable and wasn’t even trying to negotiate.

The old woman was so terrified her legs kept giving out, threatening to buckle. Zhu Xuan had to drag her forcefully backward.

”Don’t kill me, please don’t kill me! I just got up early today to grab some eggs on sale at the supermarket! I won’t go, I won’t grab them anymore, just don’t kill me!”

”Young man, save me! I’ll never stand around watching things like this again, I swear!” the old woman pleaded, looking at Zhuang Yanzheng.

”Shut up!” Zhu Xuan yelled.

The old woman immediately fell silent.

Su Miaoyi circled around behind them, using a pillar for cover. ”Captain Zhuang.”

He heard her and understood her plan instantly.

Zhuang Yanzheng said to Zhu Xuan, ”We can work something out. Do you want a car? Money? Just name it. As long as you don’t hurt her, we can discuss anything.”

”I just want to get out of here,” Zhu Xuan said, still backing away.

”Okay,” Zhuang Yanzheng said, walking slowly forward. ”Give us two minutes, and we’ll clear a path for you. But you have to promise not to hurt her.”

”Fine,” Zhu Xuan replied, retreating. ”As long as your people don’t follow me, I won’t hurt her.”

”What do you mean? You’re going to take her with you?” Zhuang Yanzheng frowned. ”She’s an old woman. Look at her, do you think she can handle that? Let me give you someone sturdier. How about him?”

Zhuang Yanzheng gave Lu Zhishen a little push forward.

”If you’re worried, you can tie my hands. I’ll go with you,” Lu Zhishen said.

”Who knows if he’s wearing a tracker...”

Before she could finish her sentence, Su Miaoyi suddenly grabbed her arm from behind.

Zhu Xuan reacted, but just as she was about to struggle, Su Miaoyi had already pulled her arm and moved in front of her with incredible speed.

So fast, it was almost a blur to the naked eye.

First, she pulled away the arm holding the hairpin.

Lu Zhishen and Zhuang Yanzheng rushed forward at the same time and rescued the old woman.

Zhu Xuan’s reflexes were also quick. She broke free from Su Miaoyi’s grasp and retreated.

But when she got a clear look at Su Miaoyi’s face, she froze for a second.

Su Miaoyi moved in to apprehend her, noticing her brief hesitation.

The surrounding crowd had been cleared away.

Now that the area was contained, she couldn’t hurt anyone else.

The old woman was too frightened to even stand, clinging to Zhuang Yanzheng’s arm for dear life.

”Go help them,” Zhuang Yanzheng said, the muscles in his face twitching as the old woman’s grip made his arm ache.

Lu Zhishen and the other officers moved forward.

The old woman’s nails were digging into his flesh. ”That scared me to death, scared me to death! I almost died!”

”You’re not going to die,” Zhuang Yanzheng said. ”You’re going to live to be a hundred and fifty. You can still go get your special-offer eggs, just maybe watch a little less of this kind of excitement.”

The old woman cried, ”I was so close, so close to never seeing my old man again.”

The old woman wouldn’t let go of Zhuang Yanzheng’s arm.

And so, Zhuang Yanzheng just stood there, watching as Su Miaoyi, Lu Zhishen, and the others subdued Zhu Xuan, cuffed her, and then led her past him... and away.