The buzz-cut youth, his eyes wide with terror, suddenly raised his hands and gestured wildly, babbling incoherently. "Listen to me, I only have one minute!"
It seemed my decisive, sharp knife, imbued with boundless killing intent, had genuinely terrified him from the depths of his heart!
Without hesitation, the buzz-cut youth first sold out Xiao Tianci, and then proceeded to confess his own origins, how Xiao Tianci found him, and what instructions he had given them...
To save his own life, the buzz-cut youth revealed everything, both spoken and unspoken.
Finally, he quickly added, "I want to live!"
From the moment the buzz-cut youth began his confession, I had asked Xiao Long to record a video on his phone.
If an ordinary person hired others to help them seek revenge at all costs, regardless of the consequences, that video, once submitted, would immediately solidify the charge of "hiring someone to commit murder."
However, when it came to Xiao Tianci, it likely wouldn't stir up much trouble.
Throughout history, how many former gang leaders have gone straight, transforming into businessmen or politicians? Do you know why?
It's because the initial goals of anyone seeking prominence are basically, or even entirely, driven by profit.
Just like those reckless young punks who dare to defy everything to make a name for themselves, craving for everyone to remember their name or nickname – what are they after?
Isn't it fame?
With fame comes profit.
Only when profit reaches its peak can it, in turn, help one elevate their power.
Given Xiao Tianci's social standing in Longxi, this video was absolutely insufficient to pose a serious threat to him. However...
It was more than enough to annoy him and make him hesitant to act.
Immediately after finishing the recording, I signaled for Camel to knock out the buzz-cut youth, just as he had dealt with the other six. Then, the three of us left the foot massage parlor.
I had expected that once I leaked the video, Xiao Tianci would also be wary of the repercussions and lay low for a while.
But to my surprise, not only did Xiao Tianci not cease his actions temporarily, but he instead unleashed an even more vicious scheme...
Late at night, in a very ordinary guesthouse, not long after checking into a room and lying down.
Wuwuwu!
As a piercing siren wailed, and red and blue lights flashed across the night sky, casting their glow into the room through the curtains, police cars were already speeding closer.
As the siren grew louder, I, Camel, and Xiao Long were all dressed and standing by the door.
At this moment, only one thought occupied my mind.
Run, or not run?
We had only arrived at the guesthouse a short while ago, and then the police cars showed up. If they weren't here for me, my name would be written backward!
Without a doubt, it had to be Xiao Tianci making another move!
He couldn't handle things through illicit means, so he switched to legitimate channels! Playing tricks in various ways, truly – impossible to guard against!
Without knowing what crime Xiao Tianci had framed me for, running would undoubtedly be an additional offense, a flight from justice.
My running this time wouldn't be like when we were in Wenzhou, where as long as I reached some understanding with Ying Baolin privately, he would immediately go to the police station to withdraw the case.
Given the enmity between me and Xiao Tianci, reconciliation was absolutely impossible.
Therefore, I abandoned the idea of running.
However, I didn't ask Master and disciple Camel to abandon their escape as well. Instead, I urged them to leave quickly and seek help from Yu Shuang.
Before obtaining the Qian Wang Ling, Yu Shuang would definitely not abandon me.
Of course, I couldn't bet my entire life on Yu Shuang either.
Driven by my instinct as a gambler who calculates people's minds, after Camel and his disciple left, I quickly took out my phone and sent Cheng Minglang a message.
In the message, I told him that I had run into trouble and that he should quickly take Zhu Wenjing to find Jiang Xiaowan.
In this game, after Xiao Tianci used his connections to involve the authorities, it could no longer be played by normal underworld rules.
Separated, there was still a sliver of hope. United, defeat was certain!
Standing by the window, watching the police storm into the guesthouse lobby, I immediately made another call to Yu Shuang.
"Xiao Tianci framed me and got the police to arrest me. The charges are currently unclear. My two friends have already gone to find you..."
Before I could finish speaking, with a "bang" as the door was kicked open, I was tackled to the ground by the uniformed police officers who swarmed in.
Subsequently, I was escorted by the police to the county public security bureau.
Upon arriving at the interrogation room of the county public security bureau, I finally learned what I was accused of.
First, there was dangerous driving – driving a car with obvious malfunctions into a gas station, abandoning the vehicle without a word, and fleeing. Later, the gas station staff called the police.
This charge was neither minor nor trivial; it was a case where the severity could be adjusted, depending entirely on how the involved party handled the subsequent proceedings.
As for the second charge, murder... that was a far graver offense!
Honestly, when I heard the second charge, for a moment, I almost instinctively dismissed it as false.
How could I have become a murderer!?
The police informed me that a homicide had occurred on the second floor of the Xinxin Foot Massage Parlor. The victim was a young man with a buzz cut, whose trachea and arteries had been severed by a weapon, leading to death from hemorrhagic shock.
The murder weapon was a blade with my fingerprints on it.
In addition, several complete footprints were found at the scene.
Before I entered the interrogation room, relevant staff had already taken impressions of my footprints.
After technical comparison and analysis, they were found to be completely consistent with the footprints left at the crime scene.
I naturally denied the police's description, emphasizing that I only beat people, not injured them, let alone killed them.
The police officer in charge of my interrogation was the captain of the criminal investigation team, surnamed Hao, with the given name Liang.
Hao Liang frowned as he looked at me and sternly questioned, "Do you think you can get away with it by refusing to confess your criminal acts? I'm telling you, it's impossible!"
"Based on the evidence we have, even if you don't say a word, we can still achieve a conviction with zero testimony!"
"If you don't want to live, then by all means, grit your teeth and stay silent!"
The saying "a life for a life" applies to all ordinary citizens.
If an average person were to face such a case, they would most likely be framed to take the fall for the real culprit.
But I was different. I was a gambler.
Gamblers are skilled at calculating and resolving dead ends for others, while securing their own survival!
I knew very well that all the current evidence was unfavorable to me. Whether I confessed or not... it made no difference at all.
If I wanted to save myself now, to turn the tide, my only option was to stall for as much time as possible.