Chapter 894: The Late-Night Visitors

Tao Yueyue chopped several times before finally severing one of the corpse’s fingers. Looking at the twisted body, she frowned. It was impossible to dismember the entire body in one night.

Besides, Zhou Xiao had only given her a knife, no bags or buckets to contain the parts. Was she supposed to leave the dismembered body pieces scattered like popsicles on the ground?

Zhou Xiao’s method of handling corpses usually involved little effort to destroy evidence, so this was clearly a punishment, not a task.

Holding the severed finger, Tao Yueyue walked to the wall and began to write: “Uncle Chen, investigate Wang’s Dumplings in the water alley, and the Elite 4S Shop on Yangfei Road…”

The finger didn’t provide much “ink.” Tao Yueyue had to repeatedly stab the corpse’s abdomen, like smashing a watermelon, but soon regretted it as the stench of the intestines overwhelmed her.

Dipping the finger in the fresh blood, she continued writing on the wall, returning to the body for more blood as needed.

After covering the wall with her message, Tao Yueyue waited anxiously for three minutes, allowing the blood to dry before wiping it clean with a damp cloth, leaving the tile pristine once more.

Peng Sijue had told her that police luminol tests are extremely sensitive. Even a tiny bit of blood residue would react with luminol and glow blue.

When the police sprayed luminol, her message would be revealed, and she smiled at the thought of their reaction.

Worried that the police might overlook the wall, she dragged the corpse closer, using a heavy knife to hack at it, ensuring more blood splattered the wall.

Finished, she sighed in relief. Her cry for help was in the bottle, just waiting for a response.

In the silence, she heard faint noises and rushed to turn off the light, pressing her ear against the door.

“Old Xie, did I see that door light up just now?” a man said outside, his voice distant.

Sounds of fabric brushing against walls and footsteps, followed by someone climbing in, “Probably just a car light from the road.”

“Oh.” The first man dismissed his suspicion.

“Wow, this place is pretty spacious!” A third voice said.

The three intruders wandered around, discussing a plan, “This place will work. Let’s review the plan. Early tomorrow, Xiao Jun and I will kidnap the target, Ba Jie, you stay here and prepare the room. We’ll take extra routes to shake any tails. You need to ensure no one else comes in. Then, we’ll film a video and cut off a finger to send to his company.”

“Got it!”

“Got it!”

Tao Yueyue’s heart pounded. Other criminals had invaded. How was Zhou Xiao sleeping through all this noise?

Even worse, the bathroom door was locked from the outside, leaving her trapped.

“Shh! Someone’s here!” Old Xie, the ringleader, sensed someone’s presence.

“WC, it’s not a homeless person, is it?”

“Over here!”

The trio headed towards Zhou Xiao’s sleeping quarters, making Tao Yueyue wonder if she should bang on the door to wake him.

But it was too risky. The noise might alert the kidnappers instead of Zhou Xiao.

Suddenly, Zhou Xiao’s furious roar echoed, “Bastards, let me out!”

The three men laughed, “What an idiot, locked up, huh?” “Use this to jam the door.” “Are you alone?” “Unlucky fool, sleeping here!”

“I’ll kill you!!!” Zhou Xiao’s violent shaking of the door.

Tao Yueyue could hardly believe it—Zhou Xiao was actually trapped. No matter how fierce a person was, they were defenseless while sleeping.

She picked up a knife from the floor, initially opting for the largest but found it too cumbersome. Instead, she chose a small dagger. Was she really going to kill someone?

No, killing wasn’t an option. These were three adult men with malicious intent; even a dragon-slaying knife wouldn’t be enough.

Right, this was a chance to escape!

But she didn’t know where they had entered from. She hadn’t explored the surroundings thoroughly during her captivity.

Most importantly, how could she escape the bathroom?

The kidnappers started kicking open doors to “tour” the place. Ba Jie exclaimed, “There’s blood here! And do you smell that stench?”

They had reached the room where Zhou Xiao killed the man.

“Damn, could this guy be a murderer?”

“The smell seems to be coming from here.”

Footsteps approached. Tao Yueyue realized that Ba Jie might have seen the light earlier and could deduce someone was inside.

There was no place to hide in the bathroom, and she couldn’t hang from the ceiling. Her heart raced, adrenaline surged, and she needed a plan.

Looking at the rubber gloves in her hand, she used the small knife to cut the electric wire from the wall lamp, hearing a slight crackling.

Scanning the room, she hatched a risky plan. She tucked the knife behind her, then sat down near the door, smearing blood on her face and posing as a corpse.

It was a gamble, but without it, she’d become the kidnappers’ practice material.

The door clanged as the kidnappers tested it, almost making her scream.

“Seems empty,” Old Xie said.

“No, I’m sure someone was here!” another argued.

“Could be haunted.”

“Shut up!”

“Grab something!”

Sounds of them arming themselves with chair legs and metal rods. The rusty latch slid, and the door opened. Tao Yueyue saw three shadowy figures enter, their steps heavy, breathing labored.

“Is that a corpse?”

“Ba Jie, stop hiding behind me!”

“Scaredy-cat, it’s just a dead body.”

Old Xie tried the light switch, then used his phone’s flashlight.

The white light revealed two “bodies.” They were shocked by the bloody corpse and then focused on Tao Yueyue. Old Xie crouched down, and Ba Jie and Xiao Jun stood in sync like lions ready to pounce.

Tao Yueyue maintained a lifeless gaze, holding her breath. Old Xie examined her closely, “Wow, killing such a small child.”

Suddenly, Tao Yueyue gave a creepy smile.

“Ah!!!” Old Xie screamed and fell back.