Di Zhen was sitting at a small stall, eating tofu pudding and fried dough sticks. His huge frame made the tables and chairs look extremely tiny.
Last night, he used [b]Mental Symbols[/b] to interrogate Zhang Chao's stepmother, the third victim. Ever since Zhang Chao's father and stepmother had a daughter, this woman had tried every means to drive Zhang Chao away and deducted his living expenses every month.
Facing such a person, Di Zhen wasn't polite. He directly "summoned" Zhang Chao's ghost to interrogate the stepmother. The stepmother was panic - stricken at that time and revealed some information: "It wasn't me. Go settle the score with that person!"
Again, "that person"!
Sure enough, these murder cases were related. They weren't just seemingly random killings!
Maybe the answer lies in the first murder case.
The experiment he conducted in the hotel had yielded results. A laser would indeed leave an etching mark on the tinted glass, and the light source of the laser could be deduced. That meant the killer had used laser eavesdropping for reconnaissance from the building opposite.
Di Zhen settled the bill and was about to leave when a girl suddenly appeared in front of him, smiling and saying, "Hi, handsome guy!"
Di Zhen raised his eyebrows slightly. He noticed that the girl had an oval face, was wearing a bright green dress, and carried a small bag. He remembered where he'd seen her.
Seeing Di Zhen looking confused, the girl reminded him, "We met at the Railway Station!"
"What are you doing here?"
"I went out to do some grocery shopping this morning. I'm a local. Have you found a job?"
Di Zhen didn't know how to deal with the girl and replied stiffly, "No."
"Do you need my help? I have some connections here."
"No, thanks. I appreciate it."
"I forgot to ask for your WeChat last time." The girl took out her phone with a smile, a slight blush on her face. "Please give me a break. I've never asked a guy for his WeChat before."
"I don't have a phone."
"Okay..."
Di Zhen started walking forward, and the girl followed him. He was a bit puzzled as to why she was following him.
The girl said, "I think you look really different. You're like an ancient warrior. What do you do?"
"We're not that familiar yet."
"Alright, let me introduce myself. I'm Gong Qin. What's your name?"
"..."
"Don't get me wrong. I'm not this forward with everyone. I've told you my name. Won't you tell me yours? It's really embarrassing for a girl like me!"
Di Zhen glanced at her. He didn't find her annoying, but from childhood to adulthood, he'd always lived a secluded life. He could use the [b]Mind - Control Technique[/b] to assume different personalities at will and even make a woman fall in love with him, but he didn't know how to handle ordinary interpersonal relationships.
"Di Zhen!"
"Wow, such a cool name!"
"How much does it cost to buy a phone?"
"Are you going to buy a phone?" Gong Qin smiled. "I know a place where it's very affordable."
Gong Qin dragged him to a nearby mobile phone store. As soon as they entered, the salesperson at the counter enthusiastically introduced various phone models. Di Zhen wasn't interested in such electronic products. Seeing his lack of interest, the clerk asked, "What are your requirements?"
"Waterproof, shockproof, anti - magnetic, good signal, and durable."
The clerk smiled and said, "Sir, you really value practicality. Then I'd recommend this XX military - grade phone. It's waterproof and dustproof, supports dual - SIM, and has a retro keypad design..."
Di Zhen reached out and took it. The black metallic shell and the heavy, slightly rough feel made him quite satisfied. After asking about the price, the clerk quoted a figure and said it could be paid in installments over two years. Gong Qin said, "How about I help you pay part of it?"
"No, I'll pay the full amount!"
Di Zhen said indifferently that Di Gong had left him quite a large inheritance. Di Zhen, who had never had any material pursuits, was very thrifty with his food and drink. Buying a moderately expensive phone was a breeze for him.
Gong Qin chuckled and said, "How could someone who just came to the city to look for a job have so much money? Are you a second - generation rich kid?"
Di Zhen handed the phone with the SIM card just inserted to Gong Qin. "Help me register for WeChat."
"Okay!" Gong Qin took it, feeling over the moon. She finally got closer to this handsome and imposing young man. After registering, she took a photo of Di Zhen as his profile picture.
After returning the phone, Gong Qin waved her own phone and said with a raised eyebrow, "Can I send you messages when I'm free?"
"Contact me only if you have something. I won't reply if it's not important," Di Zhen said. "Goodbye."
Gong Qin stuck out her tongue at his back. He was really like a cold - blooded robot, but he was really handsome and exuded a mysterious aura!
Putting the phone in his pocket, Di Zhen wondered if he had wasted his money. He didn't have anyone to contact anyway. However, taking it out to look at it occasionally didn't seem so bad. Now he also felt a bit like a big - city person.
He came back to Liu Zhong Road, to the community where the deceased Wei Xiang lived. He asked an old lady living across the way about renting a house.
The old lady was a bit irritated. Di Zhen asked just one question, but she fired off several, "Do you want to rent a house?", "Are you here to work or for something else?", "Do you live alone?"
"I'm looking for someone," Di Zhen folded a hundred - yuan bill and gave it to the old lady. "I lost the address. I only remember he lives here. He should have moved in recently."
The old lady was very happy after taking the money. "I'll help you ask around. You're such a handsome young man. Are you looking for your girlfriend?"
Di Zhen was a bit speechless and casually said, "That guy owes me money."
The old lady sized up Di Zhen's burly figure and nodded repeatedly. "Understood. Do you have a contact number? I'll call you if I find out."
Unexpectedly, the phone he just bought came in handy.
While waiting, Di Zhen strolled around the community. There were some rental notices posted on the bulletin board. He called each one. A homeowner said, "There was indeed a man who rented my house recently, but he has already moved out. Do you want to rent it?"
"I'd like to take a look."
"I'll be home at noon. Can you wait?"
"All right."
At noon, an uncle in glasses carrying a briefcase walked up to Di Zhen, who was sitting in front of the grocery store eating an ice - lolly expressionlessly, and said, "Young man, is it you who wants to rent a house?"
"Yes." Di Zhen threw away the ice - lolly and stood up, instantly blocking a large area of sunlight around the uncle.
The uncle was shocked by his huge build, opened his mouth slightly, and said, "Come with me!"
The uncle took him upstairs and into a room. It was a small 40 - square - meter unit with some simple furniture. The floor was very clean.
The uncle said, "The last tenant was quite hygienic. He gave the place a thorough cleaning before leaving. Well... Why did he replace my glass?"
Di Zhen glanced at the window, which was fitted with new tea - colored glass. He opened one of the windows and found that it seemed difficult to see inside from the outside.
Across the way was Wei Xiang's house. Di Zhen guessed that the reason for cleaning the room was either that the murderer had obsessive - compulsive disorder or that they didn't want to leave any clues.
"Who's that guy?" Di Zhen asked.
"Why do you ask?"
"He owes me money."
"Uh, I thought you were just a tenant... " The old man looked down and saw a banknote Di Zhen had handed him.
Di Zhen casually made up an excuse. "He made off with a large sum of money from the factory. Now the workers can't get their pay and are causing a ruckus all day. I'm here on my uncle's behalf to find him. It's an urgent matter."
"Oh, I see. But that guy didn't sign a contract with me. He said his ID card was being re - issued and that he'd sign later. But suddenly, we found he'd left a couple of days ago. He did pay a quarter's rent, though."
"Which day? Was it half a month ago?"
"Right. You guessed it right on the mark."
It was half a month ago when the first murder case occurred, which made Di Zhen even more certain. He asked again, "What does he look like? I'm just asking to see if he's the one I'm looking for."