Kill the beasts in the courtyard, I fled to Hong Kong, surrounded by beauties on both sides.

Jia Zhangshi woke up very early, or rather, she hardly slept all night.

The light outside the window was still dim, but she opened her eyes and stared at the dark beams, with only one thought in her mind: opium paste.

The oil paper packet beside her pillow was empty, crumpled from her clutching, yet she couldn't bear to throw it away. She brought it to her nose and took a deep breath—the faint, sweet, burnt smell lingered, like a venomous snake slithering into her nostrils, stirring up the deepest desires in her heart.

"Bang Geng..." she murmured, tears welling up again.

But she couldn't tell whether the tears were for the stick or for her own addiction.

Perhaps it's both.

Without the opium paste, she couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the image of the lizard struggling in the water, its bluish-purple face, its wide-open eyes…

"Ah—" She covered her head, feeling like her head was about to explode.

I have to buy it. I'll go tonight.

She remembered the note: "The opium paste is almost gone. Same place in the west of the city, 8 pm the day after tomorrow."

Today is "the day after tomorrow".

8 PM, Guancai Hutong, West of the city, Zhang's Grocery Store.

She's going.

Even knowing the potential danger, she had to go. She couldn't survive without opium.

Footsteps came from outside the door, followed by the sound of water—she was washing up.

Jia Zhangshi sat up and groped to put on her clothes. Her cotton-padded jacket was so dirty that its original color was unrecognizable, and the cuffs were shiny with grease, but she didn't care about that.

"Mom, you're awake?" Qin Huairu pushed open the door and came in, carrying a bowl of thin porridge. "Have some porridge."

Madam Jia glanced at the bowl of porridge, so clear you could see your reflection in it, and shook her head: "I have no appetite."

"Please eat something," Qin Huairu said, placing the bowl on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed). "Bang Geng has already left, so you must take care of yourself."

Mentioning Bang Geng, Jia Zhangshi's tears welled up again: "My Bang Geng... how could he..."

Qin Huairu's eyes also reddened, but she held back her tears: "Mom, don't cry. Banggeng... Banggeng wouldn't want you to be like this either."

The two remained silent for a while.

Suddenly, Madam Jia said, "Huai Ru, I need to go out tonight."

"Go out?" Qin Huairu was taken aback. "Where to?"

"Go...go to the west of the city to take a look," Jia Zhangshi said vaguely. "There's an old friend there who said she can help me with a ritual to help Bang Geng pass on to the afterlife."

The lie was clumsy, but Qin Huairu didn't suspect it. She was exhausted and had no time to think about it.

"Then be careful," Qin Huairu said, "and come back soon."

"Hmm." Madam Jia nodded, feeling relieved.

Morning: Chen Fei's preparations

Chen Fei is also preparing.

He didn't go out today; he stayed indoors the whole time. Ostensibly, he was "recuperating," but actually, he was finalizing his plans for the evening.

After scouting the location last night, he had a clear idea of ​​the entire operation.

Step 1: Ensure that Jia Zhangshi goes to the black market.

Judging from the morning's overhearing, Jia Zhangshi would definitely go. The allure of opium, coupled with the hint from that "note," was too much for her to resist.

Step 2: Create chaos on the outskirts of the black market.

He needed to distract the people in the black market so they wouldn't have time to look at Jia Zhangshi's whereabouts.

How do we distract them?

Chen Fei came up with a solution.

He took out a few sheets of paper from the system space and wrote a few lines in a crooked hand with his left hand:

"The police station is raiding Coffin Alley tonight. Leave immediately."

Then, he folded the notes and placed them in several key locations in Coffin Alley: the alley entrance, the entrance to the black market courtyard, and the residences of several resident stall owners.

These notes would be discovered in the evening.

At that point, the people in the black market will definitely panic, either evacuating in advance or increasing their vigilance. In either case, it will distract them.

Step 3: Start working on the path.

On the shortcut back to the city from Guancai Hutong, there is a particularly secluded section of road, with wasteland on both sides, and almost no one walks on it at night.

It's safest to do it there.

Chen Fei needed to go there in advance to make arrangements.

He prepared a few things: a sturdy hemp rope—borrowed from Yan Bugui's woodshed; a fist-sized stone; and a small packet of lime powder.

Hemp rope was used to strangle the neck, stones were used to smash the back of the head, and lime powder was used to prevent resistance.

These methods are primitive, but effective.

Moreover, he wanted to make the scene look like a "robbery and murder".

Jia Zhangshi would carry money—money for opium paste, and possibly some savings. Taking this money and ransacking the scene would be like a typical robbery.

But Chen Fei didn't intend to actually take the money. He wanted to create the illusion of a "robbery," but the money would remain—deep in Jia Zhangshi's pocket, making it seem as if the robbers hadn't found it in their panic.

This would confuse the police during their investigation: if it was a robbery, why didn't they take the money?

This confusion might lead them to think in the direction of "revenge killing" or "silencing witnesses".

The prime suspects in a revenge killing or silencing a witness are people from the black market—Jia Zhangshi went there to buy contraband, and perhaps learned something she shouldn't have known, and was silenced.

perfect.

Chen Fei went over the plan in his mind again and again to make sure there were no loopholes.

Then, he began to prepare his disguise.

A dark gray tattered cotton-padded jacket, an old hat, a face mask, a fake dagger... and a pair of worn-out cloth shoes—he had deliberately made several cuts on the soles with a knife so that the footprints left behind would be blurry and difficult to identify.

Everything is ready.

Now we just wait until tonight.

Noon: Yi Zhonghai's probing

At noon, Chen Fei ran into Yi Zhonghai while cooking in the kitchen.

Yi Zhonghai seemed to have been waiting for him on purpose. Seeing him come in, he smiled and said, "Xiao Chen, cooking?"

"Hmm," Chen Fei nodded, "Has the old man eaten?"

"I've eaten," Yi Zhonghai said casually as he walked over. "Xiao Chen, don't take what Xu Damao said yesterday to heart. He's just a fool."

"I know," Chen Fei said, "but I didn't take it to heart."

"That's good," Yi Zhonghai paused, then lowered his voice, "but Xiao Chen, there's something I need to remind you of."

"Please speak."

"Xu Damao is a treacherous man," Yi Zhonghai said. "He failed yesterday, and he might try something else again. Be careful lately and try to stay home as much as possible."

Chen Fei's heart skipped a beat. What did Yi Zhonghai mean by this? Was it genuine concern, or a test?

He looked grateful and said, "Thank you for reminding me, sir. But I haven't been going out much lately; I've been staying home to recover."

"That's good," Yi Zhonghai patted his shoulder. "By the way, I've deposited your father's pension in the bank. I'll keep the passbook and give it to you when you get married."

Here we go again. Chen Fei sneered inwardly, but nodded outwardly, "Thank you for your trouble, sir."

"No trouble at all," Yi Zhonghai said. "By the way, are some of your mother's belongings still at your house? Would you like me to help you sort them out?"

"No need," Chen Fei shook his head, "I can handle it myself."

"Okay," Yi Zhonghai said, "Call me if you need anything."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Chen Fei watched his retreating figure, his brows furrowing slightly.

Yi Zhonghai's attitude today is very strange. He's been warning Xu Damao to be careful, and then offering to help sort through his belongings...

What does he want to do?

Chen Fei thought about it and understood.

Yi Zhonghai was testing the waters. Testing his reaction, testing his attitude.

Perhaps Yi Zhonghai had begun to suspect that those notes were related to him.

We must be careful.

Chen Fei prepared the meal and brought it back inside. He didn't eat immediately, but instead focused his mind and used his mental powers to survey Yi Zhonghai's house.

Yi Zhonghai returned home and was talking to an older woman.

"What do you think of Chen Fei?" Yi Zhonghai asked.

"What do you mean, how is it?" the older woman asked, puzzled.

"Is there...is there something wrong?" Yi Zhonghai said. "I have a feeling that all the things that have happened in the hospital recently are related to him."

"It's related to him?" the middle-aged woman exclaimed in surprise. "Really? Chen Fei is such an honest and simple guy, how could he do something like that?"

"Honest?" Yi Zhonghai sneered. "Look at how he confronted Xu Damao yesterday, does he seem like an honest person? Besides, the way he saved Bang Geng was too skilled. How could a fitter's son have CPR?"

"Maybe he learned it from the factory?" an older woman said. "The steel rolling mill has safety training, and they taught us this."

"That's too much of a coincidence," Yi Zhonghai shook his head. "Besides, those notes... don't you find it strange? Who wrote them? Why did they write them?"

The older woman fell silent.

Yi Zhonghai continued, "I suspect someone is up to no good in the dark. This person knows everything that's going on in the compound and can plant things without anyone noticing. Chen Fei... is a possibility."

"But what's in it for him?" an older woman asked.

"Revenge," Yi Zhonghai said in a deep voice, "Chen Jianguo, Li Xiulan, Chen Xiaoyu... all died under mysterious circumstances. If Chen Fei knew something, it would be understandable if he wanted revenge."