Network New Liao Zhai

The faint sound of sirens drifting from afar, as if coming from the horizon, instantly put everyone on edge.

Zhu Yan's expression turned serious. She lowered her voice and shouted, "Quick! The police are coming. According to our plan, everyone split up!"

Upon hearing this, everyone sprang into action.

Margaret was quickly shoved into the trunk of a car, her body curled up, looking somewhat cramped. Jose jumped in quickly, started the engine, and Zhu Yan, Pete Chen, and Professor Qu followed suit. The car sped out of the villa's back door like an arrow.

Meanwhile, Fatty Ma hurriedly led Britney (Ma Ruyu) and Oakes (Marco) into the other car belonging to Ryan. Their movements were equally swift and without hesitation. Once started, the car sped away like a wild horse from the front door of the villa, heading in the opposite direction from Zhu Yan and the others.

The two cars sped out of the villa, one after the other.

Fatty Ma tossed the unconscious Ryan aside like a piece of worn-out merchandise, carelessly leaving him beside the wrecked car. Then, without hesitation, he sped off in the opposite direction from the police.

How the police would interrogate Ryan was no longer a concern for Fatty Ma. His only concern was how to leave the scene as quickly as possible and get away from any potential trouble.

Meanwhile, Xu Feng, Guo Qiqi, and Ramon remained at the villa to care for the injured Zhang Yunqi and Song Yijia. They would wait until Song Yijia's injuries had fully healed before leaving San Francisco and returning to New York. After all, there were still many trivial matters to handle.

As for security, there's no need to worry; Aunt Sandra has already sent people to the villa to protect them.

Meanwhile, following Peter Chen's instructions, Jose drove to the abandoned old shipyard.

After getting out of the car, Peter Chen instructed Jose, "Bring her down."

Then he led the way into the small building. Zhu Yan and Professor Qu followed closely behind.

Zhu Yan had never been here before, but as soon as she got close, she sensed the presence of death.

very many.

The eerie sea breeze, carrying with it decay and ruin, seemed particularly terrifying and chilling.

José dragged Margaret into the basement like a dead dog without any mercy. Margaret gradually regained consciousness amidst the jolting, and when she smelled the familiar, damp seawater scent, she immediately realized where she was.

She looked at the three people surrounding her in horror, her voice trembling as she cried out, "You...you can't do this to me!"

Zhu Yan stared blankly at Margaret, her eyes cold as ice, seemingly piercing her soul. In a cold, calm voice, she asked, "Do you know how we're going to treat you?"

Margaret's expression changed slightly, but she still forced herself to remain calm and replied, "What can you do to me? I am Margaret, not some ordinary woman."

Zhu Yan sneered and continued, "When you harmed those innocent women, what did they say? They begged you to let them go, begged you not to treat them like this, but did you let them go?"

The images of those innocent women dying tragically flashed through Zhu Yan's mind, causing her body to tremble slightly, a chill rising up her spine. She clenched her fists tightly, her nails almost digging into her palms.

“How can they compare to me?” Margaret suddenly raised her voice. “They are nothing but lowly mortal beings, whose blood is of my own use. They should feel honored!”

Zhu Yan glared at Margaret, her voice growing stern: "As if you weren't made of flesh and blood. Do you think you can live forever?"

Margaret's face turned somewhat ugly. She gritted her teeth and said, "If it weren't for you despicable Chinese interfering, I would have already reached new heights..."

If it weren't for you back then, I would never have ended up in this state. And now, you've destroyed my foundation..."

Margaret's voice was filled with resentment and bitterness, as if you could hear her teeth grinding together. She suddenly raised her head and glared fiercely at the three people in front of her, her eyes like two cold beams of light that sent chills down one's spine.

Her face no longer held its former elegance and beauty, replaced by a狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) expression. Her once exquisite makeup was now obscured by her distorted face, making her look exceptionally terrifying.

Seeing this, Peter Chen said coldly, "Zhu Zhu, stop wasting your breath on her. The sooner we send her on her way, the sooner we can get back." His voice was as calm as a stagnant pool, without the slightest ripple.

Professor Qu chimed in, "That's right, let's send her off here. Let's give her a taste of her own medicine, and that will be a way of giving those innocent women some closure." His tone was resolute and ruthless.

"Okay," Zhu Zhu replied without hesitation.

However, Margaret seemed unwilling to be executed so easily. She began to twist and turn frantically, trying to break free of her restraints and escape. But her efforts were clearly futile, as the three men had already firmly subdued her.

They simultaneously raised their hands, chanting a mysterious incantation. As the incantation was recited, a powerful force, like an invisible shackle, tightly bound Margaret.

She was like a pupa bound by countless threads, unable to escape no matter how hard she struggled. Gradually, her movements became weaker and weaker, until they finally stopped completely.

“Jose, you throw her in,” Pete Chen said expressionlessly. Pete Chen pointed to the secret passage.

The secret passage, like a slide, leads directly to the sea. It used to be used to dump corpses; the bodies would slide down and be thrown into the sea to destroy the evidence.

Now they want to do the same thing and throw Margaret in.

José agreed and dragged Margaret over, then kicked her and slid into the secret passage, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Pete Chen: "You guys go out first, I'll clean up the mess. The police will come here in a couple of days, and I need to erase all traces of us. As for the bodies, we'll leave that to the police..."

Professor Qu: "Okay, I'll leave it to you now."

He pulled Zhu Yan out.

"Zhu Zhu, why are your hands so cold?"

Zhu Yan: "It's okay, I'm used to it."

Standing in the open space, basking in the warm sunlight, Zhu Yan's face gradually regained some color.

Jose followed, and after a while, Pete Chen came out.

Zhu Yan looked up and saw that the dark clouds above the small building were gradually dissipating...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A few months later,

Zhang Yunqi and Song Yijia finally ended their life abroad and embarked on their journey back to China.

Surprisingly, unlike most people, they didn't choose to work for a well-known music group. Instead, they resolutely returned to their hometown, Jiangcheng. This city holds too many memories and emotional ties for them.

Back in Jiangcheng, Zhang Yunqi and Song Yijia started a new life. They rented a small apartment, which, though not large, was filled with warmth and love. Every morning, sunlight streamed through the window onto their faces as they made breakfast together, enjoying simple and happy moments.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yunlong's live stream also underwent a change. After a period of silence, he decided to restart his live stream. This time, he was no longer alone; Song Yijia joined his live stream. The two, one playing the piano and the other the violin, collaborated seamlessly, performing classic pieces and bringing one auditory feast after another to Zhang Yunlong's fans.

During a live stream, they performed "Für Elise." The moment the music began, the entire studio was enveloped in a romantic atmosphere. Zhang Yunqi and Song Yijia's eyes met, their gazes filled with deep affection, as if time itself had stood still.

This scene thrilled Guo Qiqi, who was watching the live stream. She exclaimed that she couldn't take it anymore and even got goosebumps. Seeing this, Xu Feng teased, "If you can't stand it, then stop watching. Why are you still refreshing every day?" Guo Qiqi retorted dismissively, "What do you know? I'm helping them boost their popularity!" As she spoke, she tapped her "mischievous hand," and an exquisite flower basket instantly appeared on the screen, followed by a luxury yacht.

Seeing this, Xu Feng quickly said, "Sister Qiqi, you're so generous! Why don't you sponsor me some? I'm still missing a few sets of equipment in the game."

Guo Qiqi looked at the other person with disdain and raised her voice, saying, "What do you know? Senior Brother Zhang has a family to support. Besides, he still owes us a lot of investigation fees. I can't let myself do a losing business, can I? Let's create some momentum for his live stream and attract some traffic."

Xu Feng listened from the side, muttering to himself, "Hmph, as expected of Granny Guo, she's really shrewd with her calculations!" However, he didn't say it aloud, but just muttered it in a slightly lowered voice.

Guo Qiqi seemed to have noticed Xu Feng's whisper and immediately widened her eyes, asking, "What did you just say?"

Xu Feng looked up in a fluster, quickly waving his hands and saying, "It's nothing, it's nothing, I was just talking to myself, don't mind me. I'll just continue playing my game..." As he spoke, he quickly lowered his head, pretending to be focused on the computer screen, ignoring Guo Qiqi.

Guo Qiqi: "Tch, all you do is play games. I've never seen you make any money from them. Sigh, none of you know the value of money. I have to be the one to manage the household finances..."

Xu Feng: "You're so calculating? You still have a yacht in one hand and a rocket in the other... You're really generous."

Zhu Yan, watching the two banter, smiled knowingly.

Home is still the best.

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End of this episode.
Thank you for reading
See you next time. (End of this chapter)