Dark Light Chaser.

Chapter 544 Chen Shaodong

After calming down the two waiters, the man turned to Ai Liang and smiled apologetically again before leading her toward the staircase leading to the second floor.

Ai Liang followed the man through the private room and all the way to the storage room at the end of the corridor.

The man used a key to unlock the door to the storage room, revealing a dark staircase.

The man entered first and waved his hand at the infrared sensor on the left.

The stairwell lit up instantly.

"Follow."

The man's obsequious demeanor from when he was at the door was gone; his voice became deep and resolute.

Ai Liang didn't say anything, and silently followed behind him.

The two went down the stairs to the second basement level.

Upon opening the heavy iron gate, a spacious hall came into view.

The only two people were huddled on the sofa, smoking and chatting idly.

He glanced at Ai Liang's arrival and then looked away, showing no concern whatsoever.

The man randomly picked a room and unlocked the door with his fingerprint: "Go in and wait a moment, the boss will be here soon."

Ai Liang readily agreed and entered the room, but once inside, he pointed to the wall clock and said, "Three minutes should be enough, right?"

The man's eyes showed a hint of surprise, but this surprise was quickly masked by his stern expression.

Ai Liang didn't say what she would do if she didn't see anyone after three minutes.

In their minds, since Ai Liang came with a gun, the outcome certainly wouldn't be friendly.

"Don't worry, I won't keep you waiting."

The man said in an unfriendly tone.

The door is closed.

Ai Liang sat in the chair, staring blankly at the seat opposite her, as if she were in a daze.

Until the sound of the door opening rang out again.

A man wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt and sweatpants, with an unremarkable appearance, walked into the house.

This person was Chen Shaodong.

After Ai Liang sat down, Chen Shaodong did not immediately ask Ai Liang's purpose for coming, but instead praised him.

"You're the first person to spot the hidden camera on the wall clock as soon as you walked in. No one I know is as observant as you."

Ai Liang didn't respond, but took out a memory card from her pocket and placed it on the table.

“Find one person from here and identify all the suspicious individuals he came into contact with in the month before his disappearance.”

"Hire as many people as you want to search, four times the market rate per person per hour, reimbursing all expenses during the period. I want to see results within three days."

Nevada City accounts for nearly eight percent of all bounty hunters and private investigators in the entire Asian Union.

Amidst this frenzied competition, hiring fees have plummeted to an appalling level.

But everything has its advantages and disadvantages; the more capable a person is, the more sought-after they become.

A professional with above-average skills and a good reputation can earn a substantial amount per order.

The normal cost of tracking a person's whereabouts is between 400 and 800 yuan per hour, with a minimum of five hours.

Ai Liang immediately quadrupled the hourly rate, meaning that even if she only worked for one day, she could still earn at least 10,000 yuan in one go.

What's even more terrifying is that Ai Liang doesn't limit the number of people. If you hire twenty or thirty people and spend two or three days on it, the money you'll spend will quickly reach seven figures.

This doesn't even include Chen Shaodong's commission and brokerage fees.

If Ai Liang used the allowance Feng Chengfu gave her for her birthday to pay, she would lose a quarter of her money.

However, although Ai Liang's savings were limited, the hermit was not short of money.

Chen Shaodong didn't look at the memory card on the table, but turned to pick up the cup next to the money: "Would you like something to drink?"

"My personal suggestion is..."

Before Chen Shaodong could even utter the recommended drink, he froze on the spot, completely motionless.

Because Ai Liang was pointing a gun at him at that moment.

Ai Liang looked at Chen Shaodong coldly: "My personal advice is that you'd better not waste my time right now."

Chen Shaodong is a very controlling person.

From the very first sentence he uttered upon entering, he was intentionally or unintentionally guiding the direction of the conversation.

He deliberately avoided Ai Liang's statements and opinions, attempting to make Ai Liang follow his own train of thought.

This tactic is common in negotiations, but Ai Liang doesn't have that much free time to waste with his nonsense right now.

Chen Shaodong gestured to the wall clock, signaling his subordinates not to get agitated.

He sat down opposite Ai Liang again: "Are you one of the people who left Nevada back then?"

Ai Liang did not remove her mask at this time, and several years had passed since the hermit retired.

Therefore, Chen Shaodong did not recognize the killing god in front of him, and assumed that he had just returned from out of town.

After all, not everyone is like Yang Xingguo, spending years studying the hermit's materials.

As for the hermit's brief appearance in the mall a few months ago, he was ultimately regarded as a copycat by people in the underworld.

Because when the hermit came out of the mountains last time, apart from that unlucky guy who provoked him in the tavern, no one else died.

So few people died; it doesn't seem like the style of a throat-slitting maniac at all. It must be fake!
Ai Liang did not answer, nor did she put down the gun.

Chen Shaodong said helplessly, "If I send my men to find someone right now, can you talk to me about it?"

Ai Liang put away her pistol, picked up a notepad and pen from the table, and sketched a human face.

He did not take pictures of the victim's face when he dug up the body.

The main problem is that the body was already decomposed, making it difficult to identify the face.

Another issue is that having someone investigate the interpersonal relationships and whereabouts of a corpse is bound to cause resentment.

Chen Shaodong picked up the memory card and the paper with a face drawn on it, and put them into the hanging box by the door. Not long after, someone came and took them away.

"Now can we talk? Can you tell me who recommended you?"

Chen Shaodong leaned against his desk, turning to Ai Liang: "You didn't make an appointment, you just sent me a message and then came straight to my door. It seems you don't take me seriously at all."

"I'm sorry, I'm short on time, I need to find that person as soon as possible."

Ai Liang apologized for her rude behavior.

But despite the apology, if he could do it all over again, he would still do the same thing.

Chen Shaodong tapped the table with his index finger: "Instead of a verbal apology, I want to hear your answers to my questions."

Ai Liang looked at Chen Shaodong and answered the question with her actions.

He took off his mask.

Chen Shaodong frowned as he scrutinized Ai Liang's face. He felt like he had seen this face somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.

Chen Shaodong lowered his head and pondered for a while, but still couldn't come up with a solution.

Ai Liang didn't speak, but silently placed the wooden dagger from her waist onto the table.

Just then, Chen Shaodong looked up, intending to ask Ai Liang for a hint.

When he caught sight of the dagger on the table, it was as if his mind had been struck by lightning, and he instantly remembered the true identity of the person in front of him.

(End of this chapter)