Starring
"I'm a killer, not a Death Note. I can't do the method you specified, not to mention you want to record a video..."
After dealing with a heavy workload for his employer, Zhou Min lazily leaned sideways on the mahogany chair, his knuckles tapping occasionally on the mottled and peeling armrests.
She looked at the laptop screen on the coffee table in front of her, which had gradually dimmed due to long periods of inactivity, and fell into deep thought.
Since when did this industry begin to be required to keep up with the times?
Recalling the movie she had watched in her spare time before, in which the protagonist used a Steadicam to sniper, she thought it was a bit exaggerated at the time.
Someone once told her that to work in this field all you have to do is not be afraid of death.
Although the grass on the grave of the person who said this has withered and grown again and again, Zhou Min still thinks this sentence makes sense.
For someone like her who is so poor that she only has one life left, as long as she is still alive, she can repeatedly throw her only chip onto the gambling table, which is really profitable.
It's just one life, and living one more day is a win.
But nowadays, employers are becoming more and more difficult to deal with, and the number of orders has been decreasing as the federal social order has become increasingly stable. Until recently, there has not been a single order at all, forcing her to consider changing careers.
I used to think that the term "retirement from the underworld" was still very far away from me now.
Just as the sentimental mood was rising, it was interrupted by the sudden lighting of the phone screen next to the computer. Zhou Min raised his eyelids slightly and saw the message floating on the lock screen:
"Xiao Min, the construction team is asking for payment again..."
Without clicking in to view the details, Zhou Min raised his gloved left hand and pinched his eyebrows, silently calculating the expenses needed for the next stage.
After calculating a rather tricky number, Zhou Min sat up straight and quickly started typing away at his employer:
"I've made up my mind. I'll take it. Don't even mention the specific technique. You can even treat me like a turtle in a wishing well."
In fact, the designated method is quite common. Zhou Min has rejected some orders from "filial sons". They simply asked him to run over their fathers and fake a car accident and flee the scene in order to defraud huge bail.
If Zhou Min didn't have no relatives and the insurance beneficiary was not 0, she would have wanted to buy a personal accident insurance for herself. Federal insurance companies are really easy to fool.
This was the first time she had encountered such detailed specifications.
Looking again at the target information and technique requirements that her employer had previously sent her on the screen, she took out a white cigarette box from her sweatshirt pocket, picked up a cigarette, lit it, took a deep breath, and then let out a long sigh.
After a while, she stood up and stepped to the corner of the wall, moved the pile of books that had been there for a long time to prevent the mildew at the bottom of the wall from spreading to the books, and ran her fingertips across the spine of the book through her gloves, finally stopping at "Human Anatomy" and pulling it out.
It is true that you never stop learning as long as you live.
-
T City
It's a rainy night tonight.
The man helped the unconscious woman out of the bar, and the two got into a taxi that had been parked on the side of the road for a long time.
"Go to the South Road Hotel."
In the enclosed space, there was a faint smell of alcohol. The driver glanced at the woman in the rearview mirror. She probably didn't drink much alcohol, as she had her eyes closed.
The man noticed the driver's gaze and immediately said unhappily, "What are you looking at?"
The driver withdrew his gaze, grasped the steering wheel with his hands in velvet white gloves, started the car, and drove forward.
In an unfinished building in the suburbs.
Several shots from different angles shook slightly at first, but after being fixed one by one by slender knuckles, they were aimed at the actor whose hands were suspended apart and whose expression was desperate.
Behind the camera, Zhou Min touched his completely exposed left hand with his right hand wearing medical gloves, rubbing the skin on the back of his hand with heartache.
This was the final compromise after several rounds of bargaining with her employer.
Her employer required her to "handle" the performers with tools "personally", and afterwards filmed a video of her "slowly and methodically" washing the red stains off her hands with running water. It would have been even better if she could hum a cheerful tune while washing.
When Zhou Min first saw this request, he was speechless. He then shared a list of movies containing such clips with his employer and told him to just eat some meal replacements.
"I've seen all of this."
"But the stains between the nails are really hard to clean." Zhou Min is not a germaphobe, she just hates the feeling of sticky liquid on her hands.
"If you don't accept it, the money will be deducted."
Hey, shouldn't you just use money to make her compromise at this time? No matter how many times, Zhou Min always has no way to deal with these stingy capitalists.
After another round of tug-of-war, the employer reluctantly agreed to let her show only one hand.
Zhou Min held the phone in his left hand, his elbow resting on the back of his right hand which was lying across his abdomen, and flipped through the script sent by his employer for the last time. Every word between the lines revealed the word "middle school second" (zhong ni).
Apart from the places where she was allowed to take action, there was very little room for Zhou Min to express himself freely.
After preparing himself mentally, Zhou Min put on the pure white mask on his face, revealing only a pair of pure black eyes.
Of course it’s pure, Zhou Min wears black contact lenses.
Her true eye color is rare even in the Federation, a place with many talented people and beautiful scenery. At least for now, she has no intention of exposing her vest and being wanted by the federal officials.
She was wearing a pure white windbreaker with a hood today. This was also a little freedom of dress that Zhou Min and her employer had fought for, because she really didn't want to wear the same style as in "XX Creed".
If the truth ever came to light, she couldn't imagine how the media would report that games were harmful.
Zhou Min's shoulder-length hair was tied up and hidden behind the shadow of his hood.
The trench coat was double-breasted, and each button was carefully fastened to prevent the short raincoat she wore underneath from showing.
Every inch you can cover is an inch you can cover.
Zhou Min really doesn't have mysophobia, she just hates the feeling of having body temperature liquid spilled on her body.
In order to pay the outstanding balance to his employer, Zhou Min gave up the idea of reciting his lines mechanically and put himself into the role of a psychopathic killer.
On the stage backdrop of an ordinary theater
With a sharp snap of the fingers, the surrounding lights all lit up, focusing on the performer in the center with a pale face.
“I sometimes see a figure made only of light, gold thread, and a tulle background.”
Zhou Min, wearing black knight boots, walked slowly towards the bound actor. The actor's expression became more terrified when his dull footsteps sounded. Until Zhou Min walked behind him with a scalpel in his hand, he was so frightened that he was twitching, and a few struggling cries escaped from his mouth blocked by clothes.
"Struck down by the invincible Satan"
Zhou Min's voice was deep and magnetic, and he placed the tip of the knife against the center of the actor's shoulder blade. As the actor cried out in pain through the mass of clothing, the tip of the knife sank into the skin, slicing slowly and steadily.
"The depths of my heart, which has never known ecstasy, is also a theater."
By the end, the actor was motionless just as written in the script, with the ground beneath him covered in red liquid diluted by the yellow liquid.
"I always wait in vain"
Looking at the lifelike, almost completely stripped shoulder blades, with only a sliver of flesh remaining, like a pair of crimson bony wings, Zhou Min professionally recited the final line with a sneer:
"Waiting for the figure who unfolds a pair of gauze wings"
-
In the suburbs, after the heavy rain, the air was fresh, and the moist evening breeze diluted the fishy smell on Zhou Min's body.
The gentle flow of water in the sink washed Zhou Min's hands. She slowly and carefully scrubbed every knuckle of her left hand with her right hand wearing medical gloves, humming a song softly.
The song title contains the word “Huan”, so it should be considered cheerful, right?
The employer did not ask him to sing it, so Zhou Min only recited the lyrics in his mind:
…
As if no one dared to touch
The secret is now revealed
Think of it tomorrow
We can't bear it.
…
After turning off the camera, Zhou Min put on a new glove for his right hand, took out a hand wash brush, and carefully scrubbed the spaces between his left fingers.
Friends who often bite others know that it is easy to bite others but difficult to throw things away.
The federal government has a special underground agency that cleans up scenes for those in need. They are available at any time and in any place, and they act quickly.
After sending the address and the handling fee, Zhou Min received a picture of the cleaned-up scene and a text message within an hour:
"Next time you have to pay more, compensation for mental damage."
Zhou Min: “…Okay.”
After all the aftermath was taken care of, Zhou Min, wearing a plain black suit, with a canvas bag slung over one shoulder, used his black shoes, the uppers of which were worn to the point of curling up the plush, to crush the puddles of water on the roadside that reflected the dim street lights.
The cold light of her phone illuminated her face hidden under the hood of her sweatshirt. After repeatedly confirming that the several multi-angle videos she had taken did not reveal more of her personal information, she logged into the dark web and clicked send.
The employer, whose remark she changed to "Modern Grandet", did not seem to click on the video to confirm. He probably only paid the balance based on the final picture she posted.
"That's right, I'll look for you next time."
"Next time? Where did you get to know all these scumbags?"
“This is the order I took.”
Zhou Min was speechless for a long time. He actually met a middleman.
"But I didn't make much profit from the price difference. I only charged a little artistic processing fee." As if understanding Zhou Min's silence, "Contemporary Grandet" sent this explanation.
No wonder they are so stingy. Outsourcing requires careful planning.
Taking a deep breath, Zhou Min put his thoughts into practice and typed the last sentence:
"Next time you have to pay more, compensation for mental damage."
-
On the dark web, Zhou Min became a little famous thanks to the video edited by "Modern Grandet". She was so famous that she was worried that one day the stainless steel door of her rental house, which was standard in slums, would be slammed and someone would check her water, electricity and gas meters.
Except for the gas meter, the water meter and electricity meter seemed to be outside the door. Zhou Min felt relieved and prepared to contact the agent to look for a slum rental house with all the meters outside the door.
Looking around the room, one can see the end of the small room at a glance. The white gauze curtains on the wall to allow for sufficient light only serve to isolate privacy. Once they are opened, one can see the clothes hanging on the windowsill of the house opposite.
Next to the window is a brand new wrought iron single bed, the only piece of furniture Zhou Min purchased personally.
When she checked in, she originally wanted to sleep on the floor, but suddenly she remembered the horror urban legend she had read online: "If you sleep on the floor in G City, you will hear some kind of twin-tailed insect rustling beside your pillow in the middle of the night."
Zhou Min succumbed to his fear of the unknown and bought some extra pesticides to prevent any further damage.
The tiny room didn't even have a shower, and the bathroom's sink next to the toilet was the landlord's best understanding of cleanliness. To shower, you had to go to the shared bathroom at the end of the corridor.
Zhou Min had never intended to take a shower here. She picked up her canvas bag, walked downstairs to the bus stop a kilometer away, and caught a bus to the center of G.
In order to maintain sufficient and lasting physical strength during work, Zhou Min has the habit of exercising, and taking a bath is just a side job.
The gym she often visits is located above a bustling commercial district. It is clean and spacious, and the equipment is disinfected after each customer - all thanks to the cleaning staff who keep an eye on everything in the corner and ensure that they rush over to disinfect and clean the equipment as soon as the customer leaves.
The most important thing is that the customers are very sensible, or rather, they are too picky and will not pay too much attention to Zhou Min who is wearing a thin hooded long-sleeved sweatshirt.
After finishing today's training, outside the shower room, in the locker room, Zhou Min leaned his back against the locker in the corner, lifted the hem of his clothes with his hands wearing half-finger gloves, wiped the sweat that flowed down his chin and neck, revealing a thin waist and abdomen.
"But I always wait in vain..." A familiar line from a middle school student came from behind the front row of lockers. Zhou Min's back stiffened, and he quickly looked around, his mind quickly planning an escape route.
Is it a necessary procedure to humiliate the criminal before arresting him?
"What are you looking at?" A lazy voice as if soaked in honey.
"It seems like some film or TV clip." The video continued to play. Zhou Min, who was paying close attention to the situation and ready to run away at any time, gradually felt the tension in his leg muscles transfer to his toes.
"This hand is quite nice," she continued in a sweet voice, "and the voice is not bad either."
"She's probably not as good as the one you're pursuing, right?" He paused. "It's hard for you to even come to her workplace to look for her."
A light laugh escaped his throat, and he spoke only slowly: "I'm not chasing you."
Zhou Min, who was finally unable to bear the embarrassment of the video he starred in, ignored his body soaked in sweat and closed the cabinet door lightly, reminding them not to flirt with each other as if no one was around, and walked out quickly around the place where the two were talking.
Zhou Qiting's attention was drawn to him. His eyes moved upwards from the thickly coded screen of his mobile phone beside him, and he only caught a glimpse of a hurriedly departing figure.
The song he was humming happened to be playing in his ears, and the corners of Zhou Qiting's lips, which were originally slightly upturned, froze and his smile disappeared.
When the video link came, Zhou Qiting forwarded it: "Check the source of the video and the people in the video."
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