Chapter 630: Reunion Of "Old Friends"
Chapter 630: Reunion Of "Old Friends"
Translator: Azza
Editor: Conspiracing
On November 16th, Zhou Xiao sat in his small broken house to make emojis. With all the issues over the past two days, he almost had no time to work. It was rare to have a peaceful day, so he could finally work hard in peace and quiet.
Chen Shi called and said that he had something to tell him when there was a knock on the door.
"Coming!"
Zhou Xiao put out the cigarette and went to open the door. There was a stranger standing outside the door. He was wearing a black sweater, a hat[1], and reflective sunglasses. There was an evil smile at the corners of his mouth.
"Who are you looking for?"
"Looking for you!" The stranger took out a newspaper-wrapped box from behind them, like a gift.
"Do we know each other?" Zhou Xiao was a little nervous.
"Can't you remember me?" The other party took off his sunglasses. "A few years ago, I stayed at the Rehabilitation Mental Hospital. I lit the fire that time."
Zhou Xiao furrowed his brows and looked at his face. He seemed to be vaguely familiar to him, so he let him in.
The stranger closed the door and put the box on the table. "My companions persuaded me not to come to see you, but when I learned that you were here, I couldn’t resist the urge to see you in person. You’re my idol. I was previously also a loser. I was ruthlessly abandoned by society and thrown into that garbage dump until I saw you. In that place, you dared to stand up and resist. You inspired all of us. You gave me my second life. You were too cool and brave! When I killed someone for the first time, I wrote your name on the wall. It was a tribute to tell the world that I was resisting it, but the police understood it incorrectly as my name. So, I went along with it and have been using this name the whole time... killing people ceaselessly!"
"Kill...Killing people?" Zhou Xiao was so frightened that he broke out in cold sweat. This person wasn’t joking right? Or maybe he has a mental illness?
But the person’s eyes were serious. They were as sharp as the tip of a knife, making people afraid to look at them directly.
"I only came to find you. Nothing else." The stranger looked around. "Idol, it seems that you aren’t living very well off. You’ve got so much guts. You shouldn’t be buried here. I want to invite you to join us. We need someone with a clean identity to join us for work. You’ll have a lot of money."
"What do you mean? If you keep talking like that, I’ll call the police!"
"Hey, hey, you’re the 'landlord'. Let ‘him’ come out and talk to me." The stranger said in a playful tone, approaching him step by step.
Zhou Xiao was frightened. He picked up an airplane cup from the bed and waved it around indiscriminately. "Go away. Don't come close to me or I’ll really call the police!"
The stranger caught his wrist. His hand was like pliers. Zhou Xiao couldn't pull out no matter what. The stranger drew a knife from his arms, pointed at Zhou Xiao, and said word by word, "Tell. Him. To. Come. Out!"
Staring at the tip of the shimmering blade, Zhou Xiao's heart beat wildly with fright. He felt dizzy and faintly felt that “he” was coming.
The next second, his eyes changed, and a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. "Old Three?"
The stranger was overjoyed. He retracted the knife and grabbed Zhou Xiao's shoulders. "It's you, it's you. I finally got to see you again. It's almost like a dream."
Zhou Xiao flicked his hand away, walked to the table, and picked up the box. The box itself wasn’t important. What was important were the old newspapers wrapped around the box. There was a fresh headline on it. "Serial killer Zhou Xiao continues to commit crimes. The police issued a heavenly-priced wanted order."
Zhou Xiao turned to look at him. "You became a criminal after you escaped there? You murdered people? And you used the name my parents gave me?"
"I'm sorry that I didn't inform you in advance. I wanted to carry forward and showcase this name around. In my opinion, it’s a symbol of resistance. Now, the locals in Long'an will tremble as long as they hear the name Zhou Xiao. Isn’t that very beautiful?" The stranger grinned, expecting his idol's approval.
Zhou Xiao lit a cigarette, sat down, and asked unhurriedly, "Who are these dead people? Are they guilty?"
"As you said, no one in this world is innocent."
"Thank you for your tributes!" Zhou Xiaoyu said sarcastically. "If I came to Long'an two years earlier, I might have witnessed your 'deeds' with my own eyes."
"Based on your words, I haven’t lost my notoriety. I'm still the most wanted criminal here!"
There was a knock on the door. The stranger suddenly retracted his smile. Zhou Xiao said, "Don't be afraid. It’s Wang Ying. I asked her to come."
The stranger walked to the door and looked at the peephole. Zhou Xiao suddenly grabbed the box and swung it toward his head. The stranger heard the wind behind his head, slipped sideways, and the box missed. He looked at Zhou Xiao with stunned eyes before laughing.
"Asshole, you want to get me into the gang? You scumbag of society. You don't know what resistance means!"
The stranger looked stunned with a betrayed expression. He said, "You disappointed me too much!"
"It's that you have the wrong expectations... Mr. Chen, smash the door in!" Zhou Xiao shouted.
The stranger flashed behind Zhou Xiao and put a knife to his neck. When Chen Shi broke the door and rushed in, he saw the serial killer Zhou Xiao taking Zhou Xiao hostage. Zhou Xiao pointed at the person behind him. "This criminal came to the door by himself. He said he idolized me. How ridiculous.”
"Shut up!" Old Three roared angrily, squeezing Zhou Xiao's hair and pulling it back. The blade was pressed against his throat.
Zhou Xiao's face was distorted due to the pain, but the smile on his face remained undiminished. He said, "Listen. I stood up and resisted to protect the weak, not to harm the weak. Your understanding of me is the complete opposite of that!"
Old Three’s lips trembled as if he was heartbroken. The object he had been longing for over the years easily denied the meaning of his existence. All of them were like this. The Silent Man. Zhou Xiao. Why would they refuse to accept his invitation? Was it true that he was wrong?
Chen Shi's eyes widened and his entire being was immersed in great horror. This face was the one who killed his master and girlfriend and then framed him back then.
Three years... No, four years later, he finally saw him again.
"We finally meet again!" Chen Shi said through gritted teeth.
"Yeah, how nostalgic!" Old Three smiled, "Unexpectedly, four years later, you would return to your old career. Did you remember what I said at the time?" Old Three’s knife drew a line of blood on Zhou Xiao's neck.
"Officer Chen!" Zhou Xiao said with his eyes closed, "Although I don't know him, I know he’s a scourge. It doesn't matter if I die. Please catch him!"
"He’s not Officer Chen!" The oldest three exclaimed, "He is Officer Song. A legend in the police world, Song Lang, who changed his face and became a driver. By the way... Your wanted order hasn’t been revoked yet. Who is arresting whom?"
Chen Shi clenched his fists angrily and approached them step by step. Old Three slowly backed away while still holding Zhou Xiao hostage. Chen Shi roared, "I have thought about the scene of our 'reunion' countless times. Even if we die together, I will catch you!"
"Unfortunately, it’s not today!" Old Three blew out a kiss and then suddenly shoved Zhou Xiao into Chen Shi's arms as he jumped out of the window.
Chen Shi ran after him like crazy and saw Zhou Xiao jumping repeatedly on the air-conditioning units outside the unit building. He was flexible like a monkey and quickly reached the ground before running away.
Chen Shi was about to follow suit when Zhou Xiao grabbed him. "Are you crazy?!"
Chen Shi gritted his teeth, rushed out the door, and rushed to the first floor as fast as he could. Unfortunately, Old Three was nowhere to be seen. He punched a nearby power pole a few times in annoyance and there was a loud noise behind him. One of the air-conditioning units that came loose from getting stepped on came crashing down. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
The residents gathered around and discussed what had happened just now.
"I should have found a way to stall him." Zhou Xiao came over from behind. "I'm sorry, Mr. Chen."
"Your neck is okay, right?"
Zhou Xiao wiped the blood off his neck and smiled casually. "It’s just a superficial injury... I didn't think that what I did back then would create a madman. I don't understand why he treats me as an idol. I just wanted to leave the damn mental hospital. I’m rebellious, but I’m not evil!"
"You don't need to blame yourself. He was already corrupt inside, but he was just making excuses for his degeneration!" Chen Shi regretted not calling Lin Dongxue with him today. Since they found the body of The Silent Man by the river today, she was busy. He said to Zhou Xiao, "By the way, please keep the matter you just heard about a secret."
"Don't worry!" Zhou Xiao blinked once. "You and I both have secrets."
Chen Shi told him about the death of The Silent Man. Zhou Xiao was shocked. Then, Chen Shi hurried back to the bureau. Peng Sijue was preparing for an autopsy in the autopsy room. He suddenly found a long scar on the abdomen of The Silent Man, which was sewn up after his death.
"What’s this?" He picked up a pair of scissors.
An explosion shook the Public Security Bureau. Chen Shi's footsteps stagnated, and then he sprinted quickly...
1. The author wrote “head” here.