Chapter 61
After Xin Ran came in, she only turned on the emergency lights in the entrance hall and the corridor. The detached villa looked like a Halloween pumpkin lantern, with only a dim light coming out from the window.
Chi Xia stood sideways by the window, her slender figure obscured by the wall. Through the fluttering curtains, she looked at the quiet surroundings. This wasn't a prime location, and the land wasn't incredibly expensive. A first-level teacher at the Magic Fishing Academy with at least ten years of experience could indeed buy it if they saved up a bit.
But someone as arrogant and extravagant as Zhang Peng probably didn't earn this house through honest labor.
When Chi Xia walked back to Zhang Peng's side, she turned on the holographic projector in the living room and made some noise, just like the noise the homeowner would make when they came home.
Unable to speak, Zhang Peng was sweating profusely. He kept glancing at the valuables on the table, then at the distance between himself and the door and window, before finally fixing his gaze on Chi Xia, who was sitting at the table.
How much does a single message cost?
Zhang Peng shook his head frantically. Chi Xia reached out and supported Zhang Peng's arm. With a crisp "crack," Zhang Peng's arm drooped down at an odd angle. He opened his mouth wide and shouted, but no sound came out. No matter how excited or painful his face was, it was like an absurd silent play.
Chi Xia used two fingers to support his chin, preventing his head from moving freely. Zhang Peng was trembling. He dared not look into Chi Xia's eyes, keeping them tightly closed, yet fearing something might suddenly happen, he abruptly opened them, his flickering eyes filled with fear of the unknown.
Chi Xia glanced at the bracelet, grabbed a smelly sock that Zhang Peng had carelessly kicked off the sofa, and stuffed it into his mouth. "3, 2, 1."
"Waaaaah!"
It can make sounds now, but its mouth is stuffed with something, so it can only keep making incoherent noises.
Chi Xia: "If you keep yelling, you'll lose your other hand and both legs too."
Zhang Peng, who had been as competitive as a rooster, suddenly slumped into the gap between the table and the sofa like a steamed rice dumpling, no longer struggling.
Chi Xia took the sock out of his mouth, and Zhang Peng gagged and rolled over, falling to the ground panting heavily. Chi Xia stepped on his ankle and said, "Get up."
"Creak!" As Chi Xia exerted force, Zhang Peng struggled and bumped his head against the corner of the table a few times before finally managing to sit up again.
Chi Xia pointed to the remaining 42 photos lined up on the table, "Which one didn't get caught?"
Zhang Peng shook his head, wailing, "I don't know, I really—"
Chi Xia raised her hand to support his other arm. "Think it through before you speak."
Zhang Peng banged his head against the table in a fit of rage, scattering the photos into a pile. Several fell under the table. Chi Xia, seeing how repulsive he was even on the verge of death, pinched his jawbone with one hand and stuffed her socks inside.
Zhang Peng was so frightened that he stumbled from side to side. He tried to get up but couldn't muster any strength in his arms. Chi Xia took his good hand, folded the other fingers, and left only the little finger.
"Waaah! Waaah!" Zhang Peng bowed frantically.
Chi Xia picked up the bottle and smashed it twice in quick succession, followed by Zhang Peng's painful groan. Chi Xia shook off the shards and tossed aside Zhang Peng's bloodied hand. "Teacher Zhang, considering you've been my colleague for a few days, I've been very polite. Are you sure you want to continue testing my patience?"
Snot, tears, and sweat mingled on Teacher Zhang's already unpleasant face, making it look like a disaster. He was panting heavily, shaking his head and kowtowing.
How a wine bottle could so quickly connect two fingers before shattering was something Zhang Peng couldn't understand, and it shattered any sliver of hope he had left.
Chi Xia grabbed him by the collar, pulled him up and pressed him against the sofa, then wiped his face with a small blanket from the sofa. Finally, she looked at him and said, "I know far more than you think. If you try to fool me, you're playing with your life."
Once his socks were removed, Zhang Peng looked like a grandson.
“I was only responsible for providing clues. The actual investigation and arrests were their business. The people in these 43 photos are the Dawn Killers they found who had already been exposed. I don’t know how they found them. They told me that one of them escaped. The one who escaped was a woman who had previously worked as a faculty member at the Demon Fishing Academy.”
Chi Xia untied Zhang Peng's rope and sat down on the brown tempered glass. "Find out which one it is yourself."
Zhang Peng was free, but he didn't dare to run away. He hurriedly searched for the person in the photos he had messed up. He picked up the three photos on the ground, carefully compared them, and finally handed one to Chi Xia, saying, "This is the person."
Chi Xia took the photos. "When did you get these photos?"
Zhang Peng recalled carefully, "It was about a year ago. They didn't send them to me all at once. They sent one or two at a time. At first, I didn't understand why they were sending them to me. Then one day, I suddenly saw that our school had recruited someone who looked exactly like the person in the photo. I told the person I was in contact with about this. Two days later, that teacher was sent to a mental hospital and hanged himself."
"Jin Bin?" Chi Xia had seen this person's information on the list Xin Ran gave her; he was highlighted in red.
"Yes, yes, that's him."
Chi Xia tilted her head and looked at Zhang Peng, "Do you know what you're doing?"
Zhang Peng glanced cautiously at Chi Xia. "They told me that those killers deserved to die for their evil deeds, and I was just doing my duty to rid the people of a scourge."
Chi Xia: "How much is one message?"
Zhang Peng shrank back slightly. "Two million."
Chi Xia sneered, "The reward for a great hero eliminating evil for the people is quite high. What's your organization called? When and how did you join?"
Zhang Peng narrowed his eyes. "It seems to be called Music. They contacted me five years ago when I was raising money to buy this house. They paid the full amount for me and left me a bracelet, instructing me to follow their orders."
Chi Xia: "Is the person you were supposed to meet at the Magic Fishing Academy?"
Zhang Peng looked at Chi Xia with pitiful eyes that had sunken corners, as if begging her to spare his life. Chi Xia smiled with her eyes lowered, "You don't still have any illusions about me?"
Zhang Peng lowered his head, no longer daring to look at Chi Xia. "Can I beg you, please don't hurt my body parts anymore?"
Chi Xia looked at his lowered head and said, "Was it that person who taught you this? If you get caught, ask them to preserve your vital organs so they can use technology to revive you."
Zhang Peng immediately looked up at Chi Xia, his lips trembling but he couldn't say anything.
Chi Xia stared into his cloudy eyes, too lazy to beat around the bush any longer, "I've been under your watchful eye ever since I entered the school, because your superiors told you to keep a close eye on every new recruit to the Magic Fishing Academy, and to report to the organization immediately if they show any ability that is beyond the reach of ordinary people."
"You... how did you know?" Zhang Peng was on the verge of tears as the person in front of him calmly flipped over the cards in his hand.
"The students at the Demon Fishing Academy are indeed unruly, but they are far from being able to drive their teachers to their deaths. What methods did you use to cause the substitute teachers to have one accident after another? Hallucinogens or biochemical mutant insects? You offered the highest salaries in the industry and recruited teachers from various channels, without requiring academic qualifications or teaching experience, as long as they were tough and resilient."
Before Chi Xia could finish speaking, Zhang Peng's face had become more grim than ever before, because Chi Xia had actually gotten it all right. A year ago, their organization had been plotting to disrupt the Dawn Organization from within, wiping them out and leaving them with nothing to do. Then, they used the Demon Fishing Academy's "goodwill" to lure and capture them.
Chi Xia watched the dramatic changes on Zhang Peng's face. "Teacher Zhang, I know that there's a traitor in Dawn Academy. If you tell me who this person is, I'll grant your request."
Zhang Peng shook his head. "I don't know. I really don't know who he is. I only know that he holds a high position, appears and disappears mysteriously, and doesn't seem to have a strong presence. I tried to guess before, but I received a warning, as if a pair of eyes were watching me and they saw through my intentions."
He holds a high-ranking position, yet he appears and disappears without a trace.
This person sounds a lot like Director Ma.
Chi Xia raised an eyebrow, "Who are you dealing with?"
Zhang Peng shook his head again, "I really don't know, all I know is that he's a fan of celebrities."
"Stanning celebrities?"
Zhang Peng nodded, "Yes, yes, every time he talks to me, he's in his car, and he's playing a song by a male singer, what's it called again? He's quite famous, it's called—"
"Bai Yu".
"Yes! That's him!"
The call connected. Mr. Xu said that the Magic Fishing Academy has three informants: one is a traitor to Dawn, one is a mysterious man who liaises with Zhang Peng and is a fake fan of Bai Yu, and the other is a person with a high position who appears and disappears mysteriously and is suspected to be Director Ma.
Bai Yu's fake fan was the one who threw the insects at Bai Yu. Xin Ran said that this person imitated Bai Yu in every way, but unfortunately Bai Yu was left-handed. The other party overlooked this fatal point and was seen through by Xin Ran. In addition, he also left his mirrorless Rubik's Cube in Bai Yu's wardrobe.
That's the standard mirrorless camera for the Magic Fishing Academy.
This narrows down the scope further; deliberately imitating a public figure will inevitably leave traces.
Zhang Peng gently touched Chi Xia's trouser leg, "I've told you everything I know, could you..."
Chi Xia: "Did you put something in the coffee you made for me?"
Zhang Peng shuddered and shrank back. "I didn't mean to, I really didn't mean to. He made me do it. He said that without that thing, I wouldn't be able to hold my own against any of Dawn's assassins."
Chi Xia looked at him coldly, "What is it?"
Zhang Peng: "I invited you out tonight so I could sneak you into taking the poison powder when you weren't looking, but before I could do it, Teacher Xin caught me."
Chi Xia rummaged through his clothes and found a packet of white powder in a hidden pocket of his outer garment. She opened it and smelled it. "Insect powder?"
Zhang Peng nodded, "Yes."
"Was the assassin whose identity was exposed at the Demon Fishing Academy controlled by this kind of thing?"
"Yes, that's right."
Chi Xia wrapped the medicine powder, put it in her pocket, and then looked down at Teacher Zhang. "Goodbye, Teacher Zhang."
Chi Xia did not damage any of Zhang Peng's body tissues or organs; she only snapped his neck. Her final act of kindness was not telling him that the person was lying to him, that he did not have the awakened talent, and that he could not be resurrected by any technology.
When Xin Ran came in carrying large and small bags, Zhang Peng was already lying on the spot, motionless.
Xin Ran laughed, "Shall we cremate him?"
Chi Xia nodded, "I'll go get a lighter."
In the end, the two fabricated Zhang Peng's death as a drunken incident where he accidentally set the sofa on fire while smoking, and then burned himself to death.
There's an unwritten rule in the New Territories that if a person who is alone and without parents dies, and no one insists on investigating, it's considered a natural death. This is because the New Territories not only has assassins, but also many organizations that are even more ruthless than assassins.
Such people have no background information available, and to some extent, if such a person dies, the police will celebrate with champagne.
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