Chapter 126: Volume 1, Chapter 126: Tenant (14)

Jiang Zhi never does anything without certainty; on this floor, everyone could be a serial killer.

But finding the serial killer is not as simple as catching a perverted peeper.

She must eliminate suspects one by one, finally locking onto the target.

The reason she agreed to Le Zhou's invitation to eat at his place was first to confirm whether he was a perverted peeper, and second……

While Le Zhou was washing dishes in the kitchen, she would not let such a good opportunity slip.

She lifted her foot and stepped into the dimly lit bedroom.

She searched carefully, leaving no place where items could be hidden unchecked.

Finally, under the bed, she pulled out a cardboard box.

She had imagined many outcomes, but when she opened the box and saw what was inside, her pupils suddenly constricted.

"What are you looking for?" Le Zhou, who had appeared behind her at some point, asked lightly.

Jiang Zhi, as if her pupils had been scorched, hastily turned her face aside to avoid his gaze.

The box actually contained all her photos, presumably taken secretly when she went out, from various angles and times. The most recent photo was from yesterday when she went to the hospital to visit Shi Xuan's mother.

Le Zhou gave a light laugh, his usual pretense completely falling away, leaving a sinister darkness pouring out like a crack.

"You agreed to come here just to look for something, right?"

He locked the bedroom door from inside and approached her with unhurried steps.

Jiang Zhi retreated a few steps, her pallid face slightly raised, enduring fear as she looked at him, her voice trembling as she asked:

"Is Zhang Hao, who lives here, also someone you killed?"

Le Zhou, like someone toying with a cornered mouse, walked to the bedside and sat down, legs crossed, hands propping behind him on the soft bedding, his light-colored pupils reflecting a gentle gleam.

"He."

Jiang Zhi unconsciously eased her breath, listening to him continue.

Le Zhou said discontentedly: "I was late; I had originally planned to kill him that day, but I didn't expect someone to have killed him beforehand."

As he spoke, his brows knitted tightly and his expression turned gloomy and ruthless.

"Just because he dares to covet you—what trash from a gutter—you belong to me, to me alone."

His morbid, neurotic words echoed in the bedroom.

Jiang Zhi shuddered involuntarily, leaning against the cold wall, the corner of her mouth, shadowed deeply, twitching upward almost imperceptibly.

Le Zhou, this pervert, had no need to lie to her; if Zhang Hao in room 602 wasn't killed by him, then the serial killer mentioned in the copy task wouldn't be him either.

Among so many tenant households, finally eliminating one was a very good thing for her.

Right now, the most important thing is to escape.

She had deliberately entered the bedroom to search, and he discovered her.

Before coming here, she had planned everything.

"Save me… save me…" she cried, rushing to the door and pounding on it while shouting.

This tube-shaped building isn't soundproof; a girl shouting like that could indeed attract others.

Le Zhou, however, wasn't the least bit anxious, his eyes fixed tightly on her back, the smile on his lips wholly that of a predator certain of its prey.

He said unhurriedly: "No one can hear it."

A bad premonition rose in Jiang Zhi's heart; she abruptly turned her head to look at him, her lips paling: "…This is why you moved here."

Taking advantage of the convenience of moving, he remodeled the 602 apartment, installing soundproofing on all walls, so no one could possibly hear her cries.

Le Zhou walked up to her, satisfiedly gazing at her despairing expression; his formerly pure, bright smile now looked like a terrifying evil spirit.

"Not entirely; mainly I wanted to get closer to Zhizhi."

Jiang Zhi's vision gradually darkened, her body slowly losing strength as she slid down the door until she collapsed limp on the floor.

"Did you drug me?"

Le Zhou crouched down, his distinct-knuckled fingers easily gripping her chin, his fingertips lightly stroking her cheeks, feeling the soft, delicate skin, stirring the countless longings he had dreamed of.

"Mm, after finishing this meal, I have no intention of letting you go back. You escaped that day, but today you won't."

"Zhizhi~"

Jiang Zhi raised her brows, her expression unusually calm, the corner of her mouth turning up as if smiling yet not.

Le Zhou felt something slip from his control, the pressure in his grip increasing, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"Be good, Zhizhi, tell me what you're laughing about."

Jiang Zhi had no strength left to speak, she closed her eyes and yielded to his movements.

Suddenly, a loud 'bang' came from outside the living room; before Le Zhou could open the door to look, the bedroom door before him was violently yanked open from outside.

Pale golden light poured into the bedroom, dispelling all darkness within.

With his back to the light, a silhouette stood in the doorway, throwing the door to one side.

In the blink of an eye, Le Zhou had not risen, still immersed in the earlier unreasonable scene,

not yet having seen who that person was, his vision went black and he was knocked out.

The white-haired man walked to Jiang Zhi's side, bent down, and lifted her up.

Feeling the resistance of his sleeve, he lowered his gaze, touching her jade-white fingers and her half-open, unfocused eyes, her pink lips slightly parted.

"Tha… thank… thank you…"

Her voice was weak and broken.

But he heard it clearly.

The girl in his arms, having finished speaking, fainted; the fingers clutching his sleeve loosened and fell, her black, waterfall-like hair draping over his arm, covering the surface of his white shirt, the color contrast striking.

Stepping into the 602 rental, he held the girl and went straight back to his residence.

Only at noon the next day did Jiang Zhi wake up, and the discomfort brought by the drug gradually faded from her body.

After looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings, she realized she was lying in a coffin, the lid already moved aside, and the dim, gloomy light inside the room exuded a chill.

Jiang Zhi's pupils contracted sharply, and she tremblingly crawled out of the coffin, falling onto a soft, comfortable carpet.

At that moment, someone pulled open the heavy curtains; sunlight streamed into her view, lighting up the whole room.

She lifted her gaze, scanned the surroundings, but saw no one.

The snow‑haired man had vanished, and it seemed as if the curtains had been pulled open by a ghost.

"Are you there?" she whispered.

She knew his hearing was astonishing; as long as he was nearby, he would surely hear her words clearly.

But after a long wait, she received not even the slightest response.

Jiang Zhi was not sure last night whether, if he heard her plea for help, he would come to rescue her.

She had never exchanged even half a sentence with him; she only spoke to him unilaterally.

Before going to Le Zhou's residence, she had once tentatively spoken to the neighbor in room 604 at home.

"I'll go to room 602 to eat later; if you hear my plea for help, could you come rescue me?"

"As long as you save me, I'll do anything you ask."

She had no confidence that the tenant of room 604 would really come to save her.

This was essentially a gamble.

If she lost the bet, she could only be imprisoned by Le Zhou, never seeing daylight; but she was certain that Le Zhou would at least not kill her.

She was his prey; as long as he was interested in her, he would not kill her.

If the person from room 604 came to rescue her, then she would have won the bet.

The occupant of room 604 came and went without a trace, unwilling to show himself before her, and she had no way to find him.

But he was certainly nearby.

A slip of paper suddenly fluttered down onto the wool carpet, appearing before her eyes.