After obtaining the surveillance footage, Wei Qingzheng immediately reviewed it, scrutinizing every detail. He even consulted a colleague skilled in lip-reading to decipher what was said. After a thorough examination, Wei Qingzheng confirmed that the two individuals had only encountered each other by chance.
His gaze lingered on the screen, focusing on the moment when the lighter was handed over. His expression carried a hint of defeat.
Having reviewed the footage, it was clear that the lighter had indeed been given to Ye Sangsang by chance during the encounter, and it was only natural that her fingerprints would be on it.
The investigating team returned with reports from pharmacy staff, who confirmed that the couple had either visited or loitered near the pharmacy. Although one staff member was uncertain, it wasn’t enough to serve as evidence, as the more critical lead had been debunked.
Wei Qingzheng was an upright man; he couldn’t detain Ye Sangsang knowing what he now knew.
As he escorted Ye Sangsang and her husband out, his usually straight posture seemed to slump slightly, and his eyes betrayed a sense of confusion.
He couldn’t understand why his usually infallible intuition had failed him this time.
Sun Bin was the murderer, yet he couldn’t arrest him. In fact, he had to personally release him after the arrest.
What he had believed to be a flaw, what he had thought was evidence, turned out to be nothing but an illusion.
He looked at Ye Sangsang and said, “I’ll escort you out. I’m not sure if you’re the culprit, but I still want to say this—you still have a family.”
“Thank you for your concern. I hope there won’t be a next time,” Ye Sangsang replied calmly.
Wei Qingzheng’s lips moved, but he himself wasn’t sure of his intuition anymore.
As he stood on the steps, watching Ye Sangsang and Lin Shu leave, he remained silent.
When Ye Sangsang reached the entrance, she turned back to look at the silent figure on the steps, her dark eyes reflecting his face.
After three seconds, she turned and walked out the door.
[Ahhh, I feel so bad for Wei Qingzheng.]
[Sigh, he had him, but there wasn’t enough evidence.]
[Sister Sang didn’t do anything wrong. Whether it’s the game mission or Sun Bin’s revenge, there’s no logic to it.]
Although it was a virtual reality game, everything in it felt too real.
So real that they fully immersed themselves, seeing things from each character’s perspective.
Was Sun Bin wrong?
Legally, yes.
But for his daughter, he had no regrets.
His daughter wasn’t wrong.
Was Wei Qingzheng wrong for relentlessly pursuing the suspect?
No, he wasn’t.
He was a good police officer.
The true culprits weren’t them, but the four beasts.
They were the root of it all.
This was the source of the netizens’ silence—the realization that this was something that had truly happened, only recreated.
Ye Sangsang saw Wei Qingzheng’s confusion, but she wasn’t worried.
People like him had an unshakable faith; they wouldn’t be completely broken by a temporary failure.
He might be disheartened for a while, but it wouldn’t last long.
And that was the time she needed.
She intended to kill Wang Zhi within that window.
As they walked out, they decided to walk back to their rented place, which wasn’t far.
The atmosphere between them, usually gentle, now carried a hint of silence.
Ye Sangsang glanced at Lin Shu, whose calm and delicate features were marred by streaks of white hair at her temples, making her look four or five years older than her actual age.
Aside from the brief moments of joy over the past couple of days, her demeanor was tinged with an inescapable gloom and sorrow.
A woman in her early thirties, her posture slightly hunched.
She must have loved her daughter deeply.
Ye Sangsang turned her head, walking beside her, feeling as though she had gained a bit more understanding of love.
It was a strange feeling, mixed with a touch of heartache.
After returning, Ye Sangsang didn’t immediately go searching for Wang Zhi. Instead, she spent half a day quietly with Lin Shu.
The live stream audience watched in silence.
[Lin Shu is really suffering.]
[The death of their daughter has driven them both to the edge.]
[They’re both criminals and victims.]
[What’s the ending? Can they find redemption and move on with their lives?]
No one rushed them. Even though this was just a simulated virtual reality game, they wanted to experience this journey of redemption.
The number of viewers in the live stream continued to rise as this scene unfolded.
Ye Sangsang only allotted half a day to Lin Shu. For the remaining time, taking advantage of Wei Qingzheng’s distraction, she began searching for someone who could lead her to Wang Zhi.
This wasn’t a network left behind by Sun Bin, but one Ye Sangsang had built herself to find people.
Gangsters, taxi drivers, and all sorts of individuals were her sources of information.
They were like mobile surveillance cameras; as long as you had money, you could get the information you needed.
Especially those who were well-connected, knowing people from all walks of life, they had learned to monetize information.
In an era where surveillance and information weren’t as advanced, they sometimes had more information than the police.
The information about Jiang Jiansheng had been obtained through a middleman, who got it from a low-level thug in an underground gambling den.
Someone no one paid attention to often had the most accurate information.
No reason was needed—just knowing the person and paying the right price.
In the shadows, everything had a price, and they kept their mouths shut.
They were even accustomed to situations like Jiang Jiansheng’s, where someone’s actions led to the ruin of others. Hiring assassins or seeking revenge was all the same to them.
These people, bound by business and underworld rules, wouldn’t talk to outsiders, let alone the police.
Doing so would not only cut off their income but also implicate themselves.
Ye Sangsang, wearing a mask and ensuring she wasn’t being followed or watched, found a public phone booth and made a call.
The other end picked up quickly, and Ye Sangsang lowered her voice, “I need the whereabouts of someone named Wang Zhi, who fled from Lin City.”
This contact was someone she had gotten to know after chatting with a few taxi drivers and deliberately fishing for information.
The voice on the other end responded promptly, “Five thousand. I need the money by tomorrow morning. Leave it under the first trash can on the south side of Jiangcun Road, wrapped in plastic. I’ll give you the information at this phone booth tomorrow at 3 PM.”
“Deal,” Ye Sangsang agreed without hesitation.
After hanging up, Ye Sangsang left.
Out of caution, she hired a child to drop off the money while she watched from a distance.
Once the money was placed, someone quickly picked it up and left.
The money, incidentally, had been taken from Jiang Jiansheng. Zhou Qiang had been short on cash during their last encounter, almost leaving her without enough to buy Jiang Jiansheng’s information.
So, this time, she had taken the money from Jiang Jiansheng, wiped off the fingerprints, burned the bloodstained bills, and kept the rest for buying information.
Five thousand might not seem like much thirty years later, but back then, it was enough to buy a house with a bit more saved up.
This showed just how expensive the service was.
But the informant, valuing their reputation, would deliver the information on time.
Since the information was passed via note, Ye Sangsang followed the same method, paying a child ten dollars to retrieve the note for her.
Even though she knew they were influenced by Hong Kong movies and placed great importance on honor, she didn’t dare risk them double-crossing her.
After receiving the note from the child, Ye Sangsang unfolded it and examined the contents.
The note, no larger than two extended fingers of an adult man, was densely packed with details about Wang Zhi’s current hiding place, including the exact address and the people around him.
Ye Sangsang studied the information, a glint of interest in her eyes.
[Hehehe, the final game mission!]
[This game arc is so heavy; it’s hard to watch. Finally, it’s ending!]
[Please, Sister Sang, clear it in one go.]
After all, doing it again would mean reliving the pain.
The live stream buzzed with discussions as Ye Sangsang prepared to tackle the game mission for the first time.
She was curious about dismemberment but wasn’t sure how it was done or to what extent. Having read about numerous dismemberment and mutilation cases, she knew it was an incredibly difficult task.
Moreover, with each kill, the probability of her being caught increased exponentially.
Wei Qingzheng, after her manipulations, would undoubtedly be confused and might not focus on her, but he would definitely be looking for Wang Zhi.
So, time was running out.
According to the information, Wang Zhi was currently hiding at his mistress’s place in a densely populated shantytown in the northern suburbs.
The area was home to over ten thousand people, with a labyrinth of streets and a mix of all kinds of individuals.
Unless the police sealed off the entire area and conducted a door-to-door search, Wang Zhi could easily slip away.
And in a place like this, everyone could be an informant.
The most important thing is that although the buildings in the shantytown are not tall, the density is extremely high, and privacy is almost non-existent.
To kill someone without alerting anyone and then escape unscathed is an extremely difficult task.
As a psychopath, Ye Sangsang found this to be quite a challenge.
So she needed to plan carefully to ensure everything went smoothly.
A taxi in the shantytown would be too conspicuous, so Ye Sangsang dressed herself in the typical attire of a migrant worker, blending in as someone who had come to the city to make a living.
Renting a place here was easy and cheap, often requiring no identification—just a name, a receipt, and payment for the keys.
And just like that, Ye Sangsang settled down next to Wang Zhi.
The landlady was a woman who loved mahjong. Her favorite pastime was smoking cigarettes while playing mahjong in the open-fronted shop downstairs, which also doubled as a small convenience store.
After renting the room, Ye Sangsang leaned on the counter and asked the landlady for the cheapest pack of cigarettes.
The landlady, currently without a mahjong partner, fiddled with the colorful curlers in her hair as she handed over the cigarettes. "Here you go. Need a lighter?"
"No, I’ve got one," Ye Sangsang replied, pulling a slightly dirty lighter from her dusty pocket. "By the way, landlady, can I ask who lives next door? The noise at night..."
Her voice trailed off, as if she was afraid of being overheard.
By now, Ye Sangsang had been living there for two days.
The landlady glanced at her. "Don’t bother. Those people aren’t the kind you want to mess with."
"Right, it’s best not to get involved. Let them make noise if they want," Ye Sangsang agreed, nodding.
The landlady gave her a meaningful look. "What, you’re out here alone, getting ideas? The women inside—one night with them would cost you ten days' wages. Better not think about such things."
Ye Sangsang took an awkward drag of her cigarette and chuckled sheepishly.
[Don’t act so convincingly, Sang! You’re a beauty!]
[The situation inside is unclear; gathering intel is tough!]
[This is getting frustrating. We’re so close, but Wang Zhi’s mission still hasn’t triggered. This task is full of obstacles.]
With no progress in two days, the live-stream audience was growing impatient.
Ye Sangsang, however, remained calm. She continued her routine, leaving early and returning late, just like any other migrant worker trying to make ends meet.
Realizing she wouldn’t get any useful information from the landlady, Ye Sangsang turned to head back to her rented room to cook some noodles for dinner.
"Hey, don’t rush off! I know their boss. Since you’re renting from me, I can get you a discount," the landlady called out, waving her over. "But remember, buy everything from my store from now on."
Ye Sangsang’s eyes flickered, and she turned back with an ingratiating smile. "Of course, landlady. Don’t worry, my wages are decent. I can save up and won’t let you down."
The landlady stepped out from behind the counter and waved over a boy around eight or nine years old. "Go, take this uncle next door and have a word with Boss Wang."
The boy, clearly used to this kind of errand, glanced at Ye Sangsang and then led the way to the small courtyard next door.
The so-called courtyard was actually a patch of concrete enclosed by a half-finished fence. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary brick building, with no hint that it was a den of vice.
Ye Sangsang followed the boy through a narrow alley beside the house, winding around to the back until they reached a small bungalow.
Without a guide, Ye Sangsang would never have noticed this hidden place.
The interior was well-decorated, clearly not a temporary residence.
Ye Sangsang was led inside, where a shrewd middle-aged man sat on a faux tiger-skin sofa.
The game mission finally triggered as she approached.
The boy said a few words and then quickly left.
Ye Sangsang immediately pulled out a cigarette, offering it to Wang Zhi.
But Wang Zhi waved it off disdainfully. Even in his current state, he wouldn’t stoop to smoking such cheap, low-quality cigarettes.
He frowned at the person before him. "No money but still lustful? A hundred bucks for the night. Deal?"
A flash of reluctance crossed Ye Sangsang’s face before she nodded resolutely. "...Alright! I’m just next door. Send someone over tonight? One night means one night, got it?"
[Beautiful NPC, save me!]
[Sang’s making a huge sacrifice for the mission.]
[This doesn’t look like acting—there’s so much subtext here, haha!]
The live-stream chat was in stitches.
Wang Zhi, seemingly used to dealing with people like Ye Sangsang, agreed with a smile and took a fifty-yuan deposit.
Ye Sangsang handed over the money reluctantly and then headed home.
It was still broad daylight, and there were over three hours until nightfall.
As she passed the landlady’s store, Ye Sangsang pulled out some loose change and bought a few cans of beer.
The landlady gave her a knowing smile.
Back in her rented room, Ye Sangsang opened the rear window and glanced at the dismemberment tools she had stashed in her tool bag over the past two days.
As a migrant worker, it was normal to have hammers, electric saws, and cutting machines, right?
Modifying the cutting machine to minimize noise and avoid disturbing the neighbors was also normal, wasn’t it?
The only advantage now was that these tools weren’t as user-friendly as they would be in the future. They wouldn’t stop immediately upon contact with flesh.
With Wang Zhi’s location confirmed, all that was left was to act.
She had to move quickly. Earlier in the day, she had learned that Wei Qingzheng had gone to Lin City. As she had expected, the other party didn’t wallow in self-doubt for long and had quickly resumed investigating the case.
While the serious crimes unit was looking for Wang Zhi, Wei Qingzheng had gone to Lin City to look into Sun Bin’s situation.
If too much time passed, Ye Sangsang wasn’t sure if complications would arise.
Thinking this, she frowned and hid the tools under the bed, making sure they wouldn’t be seen by the person who was coming over.
After finishing this, Ye Sangsang reviewed the details of the game mission.
According to the mission’s supplementary materials, Wang Zhi’s death had an element of luck to it.
After Sun Bin found him, Wang Zhi, who had been prepared, confronted Sun Bin.
During the confrontation, Wang Zhi, a seasoned criminal with a gun, nearly killed Sun Bin.
But just as Wang Zhi was about to deliver the final blow, Sun Bin fought back, slamming Wang Zhi’s head into a protruding corner of the table and knocking him out.
Sun Bin gained the upper hand, and when Wang Zhi woke up, it was to the agony of being dismembered alive, eventually dying from the pain.
This mirrored the fate of Sun Bin’s daughter, who had been tortured, dismembered, and dumped while still clinging to her last breath.
Given that Wang Zhi was prepared and armed, Ye Sangsang would need more than just skill to kill him.
By 8 p.m., a woman arrived at Ye Sangsang’s room.
The beer, laced with sedatives, knocked her out within ten minutes.
But just as Ye Sangsang was about to leave to carry out her plan, something unexpected happened.
