Chapter 733: The Final Wish

Chen Shi turned on the light. The man lying on the floor was Da Niu. His abdomen was gruesomely opened, blood everywhere like a bottomless black hole. A look of immense pain was frozen on his face, and his right hand tightly gripped a phone, pressing the screen protector so hard it was bulging.

The room was orderly, with no signs of struggle. Bloodstains on the floor and walls were still warm, indicating the killer had left no more than two hours ago.

“Why is Da Niu the one dead?” Chen Shi muttered in disbelief. “Logically, the killer should know Zhang Xiao is the person they’re looking for.”

“It’s 4 AM now. Captain Peng is still resting. Let’s stay here until dawn and then call for backup,” Lin Qiupu suggested.

Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue to sleep in the car for a while since she had been up all night and could barely keep her eyes open. He then inspected the scene, careful not to touch anything.

Compared to the previous murder, this time the killer was more efficient. Da Niu had almost no extra wounds, likely anesthetized before his organs were directly extracted. He probably woke up from the pain afterward, but by then, the killer was already gone. Da Niu struggled alone in the room for a while before dying in despair.

His right hand gripped the phone so tightly it couldn’t be removed. Chen Shi feared breaking his finger bones and decided to wait for Peng Sijue’s team to handle it.

Chen Shi closely examined the victim’s wounds and the bloody handprints on the wall. He told Lin Qiupu, “Did you notice the killer is left-handed?”

“Really?” Lin Qiupu looked up from his phone, “I’ve been checking the photos sent by those seven people. Nothing seems off. I think you’re wrong this time; the killer isn’t among them.”

Chen Shi checked the door, “The lock wasn’t tampered with, and the victim was dressed casually. This suggests the killer is likely someone he knew… just like the last scene.”

“Someone he knew isn’t necessarily one of those nine people.”

“I still stand by my theory. Tonight’s events must have an explanation.”

“Maybe the killer just wanted to divert attention or couldn’t find Zhang Xiao and killed someone randomly. Honestly, if I were the killer, I’d think all nine deserved to die!”

“If that were the case, the killer could have killed them all from the start. He knows their addresses since he can send the bodies. Why wait until after the police got involved?”

“To achieve some criminal effect, like punishment or something,” Lin Qiupu shrugged.

“I’m not arguing with you. Your deductive skills are worse than Dongxue’s. You’re just guessing wildly.”

Lin Qiupu grumbled, fetched a chair, and sat down to rest, yawning widely.

Around 5 AM, they went nearby to grab a bite. Both were exhausted from the night, but once the sleepiness passed, they didn’t feel like sleeping, just achy from the cold hospital earlier.

Seeing early risers outside disposing of trash, Chen Shi asked, “Where do you think the killer threw the victim’s organs?”

“Not in the hazardous waste bin again, right?”

“Let’s check.”

However, they found nothing in the nearby bins. Chen Shi noticed a surveillance camera opposite the bins, suggesting the killer avoided discarding the organs here.

As dawn broke, Lin Qiupu made a few calls, and half an hour later, police cars arrived with Peng Sijue’s team to inspect the scene.

Chen Shi asked about the autopsy results from yesterday. Peng Sijue said, “The tool used to saw the leg was a saw, similar to Duan Lin’s wounds, possibly the same weapon. No biological evidence from the killer was found at the scene. The footprint on the victim’s head matched a pair of shoes from his shoe cabinet. The killer wore those to commit the crime. The anesthetic used was chloroform. We also found lime powder and sand.”

“What about the blood on the wall?”

“The victim’s own blood.”

Lin Qiupu, checking his phone, showed Chen Shi a blurry photo. “This was captured by the surveillance at yesterday’s scene, a suspicious individual.”

The image showed a person in a black jacket and cap, hands in pockets, features almost indistinguishable.

Full of questions, Chen Shi returned to his car. Lin Dongxue was asleep in the backseat. He reclined his seat, organizing his thoughts until he drifted into a surreal dream.

Meanwhile, in an obscure internet cafe in the city, Zhang Xiao typed rapidly, cigarette in his mouth, phone turned off to avoid police tracking.

He messaged a woman on WeChat, “Research shows that multiple partners can cause women to secrete a special melatonin, delaying aging by about ten years. Think about it; it’s not a big deal. Interested in trying?”

“I had a good impression of you, but now I’m disgusted. Goodbye, and don’t contact me again!”

Next message, “You are not friends with this person.”

“Damn!” Zhang Xiao angrily smashed the keyboard. He was targeting his “prey,” suggesting threesomes to each one.

No matter how much they liked or trusted his bad boy persona, women inherently refused such a proposal, blocking him one by one.

The events of last night, the killer hunting him, and the police uncovering his crime against Duan Lin, were driving Zhang Xiao to the brink of collapse.

Knowing his end was near, he wanted to fulfill this final wish before dying: convincing two women to willingly have a threesome with him, without spending any money.

Just once, and he could die content.

Chugging a Coke, Zhang Xiao rubbed his eyes and checked his friend list. Prospects were dwindling, most not well-established, unlikely to agree to meet, success rate near zero.

Then he received a friend request from a girl named Amy, her profile picture attractive. Zhang Xiao accepted without hesitation.

“Hey, you chatted with me at the mall and gave me your WeChat,” she initiated.

“Oh, it’s you!” Zhang Xiao didn’t remember her but assumed she must be of good quality since he approached her. He quickly steered the conversation.

After some small talk, he subtly broached the topic, “I’ve been betrayed by a woman I loved deeply, which left me with this strange idea. I want to understand why someone would try this.”

Using a different strategy, he appealed emotionally.

“Why?” she asked, seemingly indifferent yet curious.

An experienced chatter, Zhang Xiao went straight for the kill, “Would you like to try this with me? I believe everyone should try everything in life, good and bad.”

“Sure!” she replied.

Zhang Xiao was ecstatic. Finally, a naive girl fell for it. His dream, this wish worth dying for, was halfway realized.