Page 284

Just as he was about to touch Fenfen's hand, a sharp whistle echoed in the air.

A broom materialized mid-air, striking the old man fiercely on the neck.

"Ahh!" The old man let out a pained cry, clutching at his throbbing neck. Before he could turn around, he was unceremoniously kicked down the stairs by an undeniable force.

He tumbled down the staircase, accompanied by the sickening sound of cracking bones.

"Help! Help!"

A dark aura permeated the third floor.

A cold, pale hand clamped heavily around the old man's neck.

In agony, the old man screamed incessantly. He sensed someone descending the stairs, the sound of leather soles echoing through the empty space, each step seeming to resonate with his pounding heart.

Trembling with fear, he tried to retreat.

A soft voice rang out.

"Ma... Zhengqi?"

After Ma Zhengqi returned, he used an alias. Startled, he lifted his head to meet a pair of icy cold eyes.

"You... Who are you?" He tried to retreat, his back pressed against the wall as he trembled. "Why would you harm me for no reason?"

Without responding, Chu Yuening turned to look at the frightened little girl and smiled. "Let's go home."

Seeing the girl who was almost within his grasp, a malevolent glint shone in Ma Zhengqi's eyes.

The little girl didn't understand what was happening, but the moment she saw the monstrous expression on Ma Zhengqi's face, she knew she was in danger.

Her small body hurriedly ran downstairs in fear.

Once there was no one else in the stairwell, Chu Yuening slowly wiped away her smile. Gazing at the unrecognizable Ma Zhengqi due to his plastic surgery, she held the broom and spoke calmly, "If you dare use those eyes to stare at children again, I'll pluck them out myself."

Ma Zhengqi slowly pushed himself up from the wall, scanning for the direction where the little girl had gone down. Ignoring his pain, he bolted after her, cursing over his shoulder, "Mind your own b...

Before he could finish his sentence, a sudden cry of "Ah Da!" echoed as Shi Boren rushed forward, executing a Foshan Shadowless Kick that struck Ma Zhengqi in the abdomen.

With a thud, Ma Zhengqi was sent flying back into the wall like a soccer ball, crashing down harshly.

Shi Boren stepped forward, placing his hand on his thigh as he leaned over to inspect the drastically altered Ma Zhengqi. From his pocket, he pulled out an ID photo and slapped it onto the man's face.

"You got plastic surgery, huh?"

Clutching his stomach in pain, hatred flickered in Ma Zhengqi's eyes. Before he could lift his head, something cold pressed against his temple.

Zhou Fengxu, now certain of the man's identity, cocked his gun. "Remember Zheng Xinya from eighteen years ago?"

"Sir," a bizarre grin spread across Ma Zhengqi's silicone-filled face as he raised his hands to slowly stand up. "You're still looking for me regarding Zheng Xinya's case? I didn't do it. The Major Crimes Unit investigated for a long time back then, and I was eventually acquitted. Are you trying to make an example out of me because old cases can't be solved and the police department's credibility is suffering?"

Unfazed by his antics, Zhou Fengxu replied, "The forensics team has found blood on Zheng Xinya's sock."

Those words alone were enough to freeze Ma Zhengqi's entire body.

Zheng Xinya's sock had a red flower sewn onto its edge, and a drop of blood had landed precisely on it—something that had gone unnoticed by the investigators back then.

With the case reopened, the sealed evidence from years ago was sent to the forensics department. After a month of meticulous examination, the forensic team finally uncovered a crucial piece of information.

"By comparing your blood with the sample, we can confirm your guilt."

Ma Zhengqi choked on his words several times. Attempting to refute, he found himself surrounded by the four officers, realizing they had thoroughly prepared. Defeated, he finally lowered his head in admission.

Zhou Fengxu's gaze fell upon the girl holding the broom.

Startled, Chu Yuening hastily dropped the broom, looking around while clearing her throat. She subtly retreated, saying, "Oh, oh, oh, Inspector Zhou, don't look at me like that. I didn't touch him."

Zhou Fengxu grinned. "I was just worried about you a moment ago. Seems like I needn't have."

His eyes shifted downward to the broom on the floor. "You still have some fighting spirit."

He was aware of Chu Yuening's extraordinary abilities, but she usually dealt with intangible entities.

Specialists have their niches.

They had captured the real murderer, not someone to be deterred by a wooden sword.

"Uncle Zhong," Zhou Fengxu handed the suspect over to Uncle Zhong, who promptly produced handcuffs and secured them on Ma Zhengqi before forcefully pushing him down.

"The heavens have a net that may be wide but never lets the guilty escape! Yizu, take him back to the station!"

At the foot of the stairs, Gan Yizu landed a pat on Ma Zhengqi's head after grabbing him. "You freak with a surgically altered face, how dare you waste society's oxygen looking like an alien?"

"Let's go, let's go." Shi Boren stretched his muscles. "Back to the station, finally we can report to Madam. Brother Xu, apply for leave tomorrow. You've worked hard; you deserve a good sleep."

"Alright." Zhou Fengxu holstered his gun and descended the stairs.

The stairwell echoed with a slightly deep voice.

"Two days off granted."

"True brotherhood! No wonder I hold you in such high esteem, Brother Xu!"

Silence returned to the space once more.

In an instant, Chu Yuening was left alone in the stairwell.

With a deft movement, she withdrew a charm from her pocket and turned her rebounding sole sneakers around.

Lifting my gaze.

A pallid little girl, her figure bathed in an aura of swirling black resentment, stood at the shadowed stairwell where sunlight failed to penetrate the steps. She held the severed head with its ram's horn braids up to her neck.

Perhaps it was because the nemesis had finally been apprehended.

Snap.

This time, her head remained securely in place, no longer rolling off.

With swift dexterity, Chu Yuening formed hand seals. The air on the staircase stirred, lifting the edges of her pleated skirt. As her hand seals accelerated, the talismans shimmered with golden light, shooting from her fingertips directly towards the pale little girl.