At Jiang Cong's blatantly provocative words, Che Quan's expression turned utterly cold.
He could no longer be bothered to spar with Jiang Cong.
With lightning speed, Che Quan seized Jiang Cong's knife-wielding wrist and knocked the dagger from his hand. He twisted around to pin Jiang Cong down while unerringly retrieving the dagger that had fallen into the darkness.
Its sharp tip pressed less than a centimeter above Jiang Cong's Adam's apple, radiating danger and an icy threat.
The skin hunger syndrome buff had held him back in the previous instance. Did Jiang Cong still think he could get the better of him in this one?
Che Quan pressed his knee into Jiang Cong's chest and said in a low, icy voice, "If you're tired of living, then die."
With that, Che Quan pushed the sharp dagger straight down.
Just as it was about to slit Jiang Cong's throat, Che Quan suddenly felt Jiang Cong grip his knife-wielding wrist firmly.
His gaze icy, Che Quan abruptly gave a low, cold laugh. "What, afraid to die?"
"No."
Pinned beneath Che Quan, Jiang Cong spoke unhurriedly, entirely at ease.
While restraining Che Quan's knife-wielding wrist with one hand, Jiang Cong raised the other and pressed down on the back of his neck, abruptly bringing Che Quan's ear close to his lips.
With a smile, Jiang Cong whispered something into Che Quan's ear.
Whatever Che Quan heard instantly sent him into a fury, his scarlet eyes growing even more vivid.
But just as he was about to finish Jiang Cong off-
There was a sudden knock at the front door.
It was not the frenzied pounding from earlier, but a polite, measured knock that still sounded brisk and serious.
Che Quan slowly frowned, holding the dagger back.
He listened intently.
A familiar voice came through the door, which offered next to no soundproofing.
"Sir, we're from the Crimson City Police Substation. Please open the door and assist us with our investigation."
It was the tall officer.
If he killed that bastard Jiang Cong now, he would probably get blood all over himself.
Che Quan had no desire to become a fugitive.
He ground his teeth impatiently. After a moment's thought, he released Jiang Cong, stood up, and casually tossed the sharp dagger onto the floor.
As its clear clatter rang out, Che Quan left the bedroom to answer the door.
Sure enough, the two officers he had spoken to earlier stood outside, one tall and one short.
This time, they introduced themselves.
The tall officer said, "Hello, my name is Yuan Rong, and this is my colleague, Wu Yi. Your name is Che Quan, and you live alone in this unit, correct?"
Che Quan nodded.
Judging by the sky, it was undoubtedly still the middle of the night.
"We just received a report that a suspicious individual kept knocking on your door. Is that correct?"
Che Quan nodded again, his expression calm.
Seeing this, the shorter officer, Wu Yi, could not help asking, "Aren't you scared?"
"Maybe someone got drunk and started acting up." Che Quan shook his head dismissively, then asked the two men in an indifferent voice, "Officers, which unit did the woman who jumped today live in?"
"Uh, well, are we allowed to tell him that...?"
Wu Yi instinctively glanced at Yuan Rong for permission.
Only after receiving his tacit approval did he say, "She lived in unit 302, upstairs from you. Her name was Kang He. Apparently, her son was in high school when he died in a car accident, and her mental state had been poor ever since. She'd already survived two suicide attempts, so this time was probably also..."
Before he could finish, Yuan Rong cut him off, his face livid. "I told you to answer, not to say all that."
Wu Yi hurriedly covered his mouth. "Ah, sorry, sorry."
Che Quan pressed his lips together at that.
302... just as he had expected.
After a pause, Che Quan asked again, "Then which unit did the missing woman live in?"
Wu Yi instinctively started to answer, only for a sharp glare from Yuan Rong to stop him.
Yuan Rong said succinctly, "She lived in 301, across from 302."
He disclosed nothing more.
Che Quan nodded and stopped asking about those matters. He asked only one final question. "Was the person who called the police this time the same woman who reported the jump earlier?"
As though something had occurred to them, the two officers exchanged a glance. Yuan Rong answered seriously, "Yes."
"Then do you know who she is?"
"Sorry, we can't disclose that..."
Che Quan settled for asking, "Does she live in this building too?"
Yuan Rong knitted his brows and remained silent for three or four seconds before replying, "Yes. That'll be all for tonight. We need to head back to the station. Be careful living on your own. You're on a lower floor, so remember to lock your doors and windows."
Che Quan nodded in acknowledgment.
The two officers then patrolled the corridors of Building 4 twice.
During that time, Che Quan did not return to his bedroom. Instead, he leaned beside his firmly closed front door and listened.
After all, returning to the bedroom meant facing that aggravating nuisance Jiang Cong. He might as well save time, leave this instance as soon as possible, and put as much distance between them as he could.
He faintly heard the two officers talking to a man. After only a brief exchange, footsteps sounded in the stairwell again as they descended one after the other.
Then the corridor fell silent once more.
After listening, Che Quan went to the bedroom door.
He had learned his lesson this time and switched on the light before entering, only to find the room empty.
Jiang Cong remained as elusive as ever.
Che Quan frowned slightly, then curled his lip coldly and stopped thinking about Jiang Cong altogether.
He then switched off the light and went to bed.
In the comfortable darkness, Che Quan soon fell into a deep sleep.
But he did not sleep well that night.
Through the haze of sleep, he kept feeling as though something was watching him with a nauseating intent.
It did not feel like Jiang Cong.
Then who was it?
Even in his deep sleep, Che Quan could not help frowning slightly.
Fortunately, that sickening sensation lasted only a moment before disappearing.
Che Quan's expression settled back into peacefulness.
The young man with waist-length silver hair stood silently beside his bed, a miniature camera crushed to pieces in his slender hand.
As Jiang Cong stared at the camera he had crushed with his bare hand, there was not a trace of warmth in his eyes.
He woke early the next morning.
Che Quan heard a considerable commotion outside his front door, as though something major had happened.
He rubbed his eyes, his red irises clear and bright as rubies in the morning light.
After washing up, Che Quan opened the door and found the corridor packed with people.
They all seemed to be residents of Building 4, looking as though they had only just gotten out of bed. Their faces were full of confusion and fear as they peered upstairs.
Che Quan scanned the crowd and spotted two "familiar faces."
Xuan Shuhui.
And the strange person from unit 202, covered up from head to toe, with the rough, deep voice.
The police had come again.
Yuan Rong and Wu Yi were among them.
Watching them hurry upstairs, Che Quan considered for a moment, then slowly followed.
As expected, he was stopped on the fifth floor.
"Sorry, you can't go through right now." An officer stood firmly in his way.
Che Quan stopped and tilted his head slightly to look up.
Lying in a large pool of blood was "Uncle Zhang," the man who ran the little convenience store. His eyes were wide open in death.
Beside the man's body lay a woman's severed leg.
As though it had been refrigerated, ice crystals clung to the heel of the rose-colored high-heeled shoe on the severed leg.
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