“Is that all you’re asking for?”
“You might be underestimating me.”
“If you can get this done for me, I won’t just help you transfer your household registration to the capital—I’ll also give you a place to live. And if Chu Sheng and his mother cause you any more trouble, I’ll take care of that too.”
Quan Ruifeng asked in return, a flicker of darkness passing through his eyes, as if surprised that Xia Xian wasn’t greedy enough to even dare make demands.
As expected of a big shot in the capital—generous to a fault. Even though choosing any one of the three would have sufficed, he insisted on giving her all of them. Xia Xian didn’t dare accept that much.
She quickly shook her head in refusal.
“No need, no need. As long as I have a place to stay, that’s fine. I’m willing to pay rent. As for Chu Sheng and his mother, I should be able to handle them myself. If I can’t, I’ll come to you for help.”
A house was too precious—she didn’t dare accept it. As for Chu Sheng and his mother, she wanted to take revenge personally.
“Mm.”
Quan Ruifeng gave a noncommittal response, and it was unclear whether he’d actually taken her words to heart. He lifted his gaze and gestured for Xia Xian to follow him.
“I’ll explain what I need you to do.”
“Alright, alright, no problem!”
Since she’d decided to cooperate and the other party was so generous, Xia Xian naturally wouldn’t hold things up. Whatever he said, she’d do.
But Quan Ruifeng didn’t tell her directly. Instead, he first brought her to a basement. When the door opened, she saw it was pitch black inside, and a cold breeze blew past—it was rather eerie.
She hesitated at the doorway, not daring to go in.
“What, afraid I’ll lock you up?”
Quan Ruifeng stood by the door, casually flipping on the light. Perhaps sensing what Xia Xian was thinking, he turned back to look at her with a half-smile.
Xia Xian glanced at the various documents pasted on the boards, then thought about his identity, and gritted her teeth as she followed him inside.
“How could that be? Comrade Quan is a good comrade who serves the people. There’s no way he’d do something so morally bankrupt and against the law!”
Xia Xian subtly flattered him, masking the faint unease in her heart.
As soon as she stepped in, the basement door slowly closed behind her, completely cutting off the sunlight and sounds from outside.
Even the sound of Quan Ruifeng’s leather shoes stepping on the ground was clearly audible.
He walked over step by step, the rhythmic sound of his shoes matching his pace. Xia Xian’s breathing quickened again, her heart pounding erratically.
This damn sense of pressure!
Xia Xian decided to take control of the situation herself! She licked her lips and pointed at the documents on the wall, asking quickly.
“What are these? Now can you tell me how you need my help?”
Quan Ruifeng nodded and casually took down a stack of documents to show Xia Xian.
“These are the files on the prime suspect in a series of murder cases in the capital—codename: Sea Eagle.”
“He likes to stalk and kill single, young, beautiful, and delicate girls between 16 and 20. He doesn’t give his victims a quick death—he prefers torture. The more his victims cry, the more excited he gets. After killing, he cuts off the victim’s right ring finger as a souvenir.”
“In the past three years, he’s claimed eight lives across the capital, An Province, and Wu City. Based on the intelligence we’ve gathered, I suspect he’s come to Ning City.”
“So I want you to act as bait and lure him out. If he gets away again, who knows how many more innocent lives will be lost.”
Quan Ruifeng was especially serious when he spoke of this, his eyes filled with deep disgust.
This man even leaves clues to his next destination beside the bodies—utterly brazen, challenging their limits!
But while he believed the man had come to Ning City, others thought he’d gone to Liu City instead. He was confident his deduction was correct, so he’d volunteered to come here to investigate. He wouldn’t return to the capital until “Sea Eagle” was brought to justice!
“So that’s how it is. No wonder.”
She’d cried so wholeheartedly that day—she really did look delicate and vulnerable. No wonder he’d taken a liking to her at first sight. Her age was suitable too.
But—
“But I’m a widow. Can I still lure him out?”
Xia Xian was a bit troubled. She was someone who’d already died once, so she wasn’t afraid of a serial killer. Risking herself once for so many benefits was worth going all in for!
“How is a widow not single? Let’s try it first.”
Quan Ruifeng countered, then went on to explain many crucial details.
“This is his photo. Familiarize yourself with it first. He’ll definitely disguise himself when he goes out, so you’ll need to observe carefully. Also, you need to memorize all this information. He has many fixed preferences—if you encounter danger alone, you can use these to fight back against him.”
“Once you’ve memorized all the materials and passed my test, I’ll teach you how to be a qualified bait and reel him in. When the time comes, we’ll operate as conspicuously as possible. Your reputation might take a hit, but once we catch him, I’ll clear your name.”
Quan Ruifeng didn’t see the widow status as a problem. What mattered was that she could cry—she could stir up the darkest sadistic urges in a person’s heart. That was the most important thing.
“Alright, I understand.”
“Then I’ll take these—”
Xia Xian understood. She was about to say she’d take the materials back to memorize, but Quan Ruifeng had already anticipated her words and cut her off directly.
“You can’t take the materials with you. Memorize them here—not a single word of what’s in here can be leaked.”
His tone was commanding.
Fine, since that was the case, Xia Xian had no choice but to stay and memorize them. There were quite a few details, but she had always been quick at memorizing things—an afternoon should be enough, right?
That was what Xia Xian thought, but Quan Ruifeng’s gaze kept resting on her, making her incredibly nervous. She stared at the materials for a while without a single word sinking into her head. She looked up helplessly and asked in a small voice.
“Can you turn around? Don’t look at me—I’m not used to it.”
“Can you make the same request to Sea Eagle when you face him?”
Quan Ruifeng retorted flatly, leaving Xia Xian completely stumped. She pressed her lips together, having nothing to say. Yet he seemed to be merely habitually sharp-tongued, because he still turned around and picked up a set of materials to read himself.
These materials had taken him three years to gather. He had also made numerous notes, writing detailed profiles of Sea Eagle’s personality traits. As long as Sea Eagle was in Ning City, he was confident he could lure him out!
Quan Ruifeng looked at the materials before him, his thin lips pressed into a straight line, his gaze growing sharper by the moment.
Even with his head slightly lowered while reading, his posture remained tall and striking, and his profile was impossibly handsome—a smooth jawline, a high straight nose. His features were anything but ordinary in their depth.
Watching him from the side, Xia Xian found herself increasingly impressed by that face. She wondered what kind of young woman could possibly match him—tall, handsome, from a good family. Unreal.
She appreciated him briefly in the manner of a matchmaker, then quickly snapped back to attention, focusing her energy on memorizing the materials before her.
Sea Eagle, male, thirty-six to thirty-eight years old, appearance…
“I’m ready.”
The two of them had spent three hours in the basement, and during those three hours, Xia Xian had memorized the materials backward and forward. She then confidently submitted to Quan Ruifeng’s examination, certain she would pass on the first try.
She never expected that the first question he asked would leave her completely dumbfounded.