Li Ang started the car and drove along the road.
It was deep into the night, and this community had already fallen into tranquility. Li Ang's old sedan was out of place in the neighborhood. Some residents peered out from the second and third floors of their houses on both sides.
In the high-end communities of the United States, residents have a very strong sense of security. If neighbors saw someone who didn't live in the community skulking around the street in the middle of the night, they would call the community office or even the local police station.
Li Ang remained calm, did not ease off the accelerator, continued straight ahead, passing by George Carter's house, and even drove out of the community.
Chai Cuiqiao asked curiously, "Eh? Are we not going to look for that guy anymore?"
Li Ang shook his head. "If we stop now, the community residents will call the police. I'll park the car outside first."
He parked the car on a street outside the community, got out, and with an agility that belied his older appearance, he stealthily snuck back into the community in the dark.
George Carter lay on the bed in his bedroom, downing a whiskey with a few floating ice cubes, casually placing the glass on the bedside table, and flipping through a detective book in the lamplight.
He was an ordinary middle-aged man, employed at the Frankfurt City Police Station, and a skilled forensic scientist. He had a happy family and a harmonious marriage. His son and daughter, who were just starting elementary school, were both smart and adorable. Theirs was a typical middle-class white American family.
The only unfortunate thing was perhaps that his wife, who ran a dental clinic, earned much more money than he did...
Damn it, we're all doctors, after all.
CLANG!
A sound of pots and pans crashing to the floor came from downstairs, followed by a sharp cat's meow.
A stray cat must have gotten into the house?
George Carter frowned slightly and listened intently at the door, but no further noise was heard.
He placed the book on the bedside table and whispered to his wife, who was already fast asleep beside him, "I'm going to go downstairs to see what's happening. John probably left the window in the backyard open again."
John was his son's name.
His wife mumbled an indistinct "Hmm" in her sleep, without waking up.
George Carter carefully lifted the blanket, put on the blue fleece slippers by the bed, took a steel baseball bat from the gap between the wardrobe and the wall, and went out the door.
The hallway was pitch black. George Carter pressed a button to turn on the lights and went downstairs.
He first checked his son and daughter's bedroom on the second floor, tucked in the corners of their blankets, and then headed down to the living room.
MEOW!
The sharp cry of a cat came again from the kitchen. George Carter shook his head, thinking that he definitely needed to remind little John not to leave the backyard door open the next day.
He walked into the kitchen where, aided by moonlight, he could see some knives and forks on the floor, but no sign of a cat.
CLICK.
He switched on the kitchen light, intending to find that damn stray cat.
MEOWWW.
The cat's cry changed from the earlier sharpness and panic to a lazy and leisurely sound, as if a cat was comfortably licking its fur.
The only issue was that the source of this cat sound was right above George Carter's head.
The forensic scientist felt an icy chill run through his body; a feeling of extreme panic enveloped his heart—he could even hear the sound of his blood vessels freezing.
He, like a rusted machine, slowly lifted his head to look up.
There, on the kitchen ceiling, lay a fifty-something-year-old white woman in a loose red T-shirt and jeans. She wore a wicked smile, licked her lips with her tongue, like a spectral apparition, and let out another MEOW at George Carter.
MEOWWW.
!!
George Carter staggered back in shock, lost his footing, and fell to the ground.
THUD.
Li Ang released his grip from the crevice in the wall and dropped from the ceiling. His body rotated slightly in mid-air, and he landed on the floor like a fierce tiger, bending his limbs upon impact.
George Carter was completely petrified and speechless. It was true he was a seasoned forensic expert who had seen countless horrific scenes, but corpses and living beings were fundamentally different...
Li Ang crawled toward him unhurriedly, his limbs twisting back and forth like a spider, each one seeming to have a mind of its own. Paired with that eerie, grim smile, the scene looked even more intense than something from a horror movie.
With a tremendous act of will, George Carter restrained the urge to wet himself. He desperately moved his limp limbs backward while taking a deep breath, wanting to yell out, "Ah—"
However, Li Ang was faster. He rushed forward, letting out a weird laugh as he slapped him across the face.
SLAP.
The sound of the slap was clean and sharp, extremely loud.
George Carter clutched his stinging, swollen cheek, momentarily forgetting to scream. Even his father had never hit him!
"Shh," Li Ang stretched his neck and lowered his voice, "I was sent by your granddad. You have to listen to me."
"???"
George Carter widened his eyes and gasped, "My granddad died twenty years ago..."
Li Ang paused, then said with a gloomy face, "I am your granddad's new partner."
George Carter feebly said, "But my granddad liked men..."
"Hmm?" Li Ang paused again. "If your granddad liked men, then how did your dad come about?"
The forensic expert's voice grew even weaker. "Adoption..."
"...Fine." Li Ang rolled his eyes and once again made a fierce expression. "Anyway, your granddad heard you've wanted to be an Astronaut since you were little, and he was very happy. He sent me to feed you your favorite: a slap in the face."
Having said that, Li Ang repeatedly slapped George Carter with both the front and back of his hand, turning his cheeks red and swollen, a rosy flush spreading across them, leaving him dizzy and his head throbbing.
"Now, I speak, you listen." Li Ang shook the forensic expert, who was nearly passing out. "Got it?"
George Carter nodded subconsciously.
"Good." Li Ang patted the forensic expert's shoulder in satisfaction, took out a photo of Eileen Raphael from his pocket, and handed it over. "Do you recognize this lady?"
George Carter shook his head to refocus his vision. Almost the instant he saw the photo, he reacted as if struck by lightning; his hand trembled, causing the photo to fall to the ground.
"Sorry, sorry." The forensic expert hastily picked up the photo, pretended to examine it closely, and said with forced calmness to Li Ang, "I'm sorry, I don't know her..."
SNAP.
Li Ang gripped his throat, his face cold. "Kiddo, who are you trying to fool?"
George Carter, his neck firmly clasped by Li Ang, turned red in the face, struggling to breathe. His fingers weakly clawed at Li Ang's hand, emitting harsh HISSES from his throat.
"I'll ask you one more time, do you recognize her?" Li Ang pressed the question in a deep tone, yet the forensic expert was stubbornly silent, just staring at him with bloodshot eyes.
"Oh, quite stubborn, aren't you? Not willing to talk, is that it?" Li Ang picked up a kitchen knife and brandished it across the forensic expert's face with a cold laugh. "If you don't talk, believe me, I'll draw a grid on your pretty little face."
His threat failed to work. The forensic expert remained loyal and unyielding, defying authority. Even when foam formed at the corners of his mouth, he refused to submit to Li Ang.
After a few seconds, Li Ang had an epiphany. He released his grip on the man's neck, allowing him to crumple to the floor. GASP... GASP... He struggled to breathe.
"Sorry about that, forgot you can't speak when being choked." Li Ang sincerely apologized. "But buddy, your neck has the texture of a seasoned duck neck. Feels really nice to hold, you know? You sure you don't want to consider chopping it into pieces to sell?"