“Get out!”
He looked down at the two people kneeling on the ground, knowing that their inability to find the murderer was not entirely their fault.
So, he waved his hand, signaling for them to leave.
Seeing this, the two felt as if they had been granted a great pardon and immediately retreated obediently.
After they left, when the room was empty, Lu Mingzhong’s previously straight back slumped, and his spirit seemed to be instantly drained.
The lingering rays of the setting sun shone through the wide, clean floor-to-ceiling window, illuminating half of his face, making his expression somewhat inscrutable.
After a long while, a slightly hoarse voice came from his mouth, “I only have one son. Normally, I was afraid he’d melt if I held him in my mouth, and afraid he’d break if I held him in my hands. Whatever he wanted, I gave him. But you dared to kill him. No matter where you are, I will find you!”
Lu Mingzhong’s expression was cold.
Thinking of this, he seemed to have made a certain decision.
He stood up, steadying himself with the chair, and walked with slightly heavy steps towards a bookshelf on one side.
The bookshelf was made of dark brown solid wood, with clearly visible wood grain.
The books on it were neatly arranged; some were as good as new, with sharp corners, seemingly never having been opened, while others were slightly old, with pages slightly curled.
The spine and edges showed signs of wear, clearly indicating they had been read and referenced multiple times.
At this moment, because of the setting sun streaming in from outside the window, half of the bookshelf was bathed in light, while the other half was hidden in shadow.
He scanned his gaze around and finally landed on a dark spot.
He stepped forward and reached out to retrieve a mythological book titled “Records of Customs and Practices” from it.
The book was very new, even covered with a thin layer of dust, clearly not having been opened for a long time.
What was striking was that the book was extremely thick, with pages about ten centimeters wide.
Lu Mingzhong opened the book and saw a rectangular groove dug out in the very center of the page.
Inside the groove, a palm-sized gray flip-phone lay quietly.
Lu Mingzhong reached for it, long-pressing the power button.
After a few seconds of simple boot animation, the phone turned on.
He clicked on the contacts, and there was only one un-saved contact.
Lu Mingzhong looked at the number, his raised finger paused for a moment, and finally, he pressed the dial button.
Beep beep...
After a few seconds of waiting, the call connected.
Drip!
Suddenly, a dripping water sound came from the other end, as if liquid was falling onto the ground.
“Why are you looking for me?”
A pleasant female voice came from the other end, but the sound was a bit muffled, as if her mouth was chewing something.
“I want you to help me find the murderer of my son!”
Lu Mingzhong held the phone away from his ear slightly, seemingly wary of something, then he explained the general situation.
The other side was silent for a while.
“This isn’t difficult; I can help you, but what are you willing to pay?”
“In West City, there’s an orphanage on the verge of bankruptcy. I acquired it earlier. The children in such orphanages have no parents, so even if they die, no one will care.”
Lu Mingzhong was clearly prepared for this. Although his words were halfway through, both understood the meaning.
“Heh heh, good, you really didn’t disappoint me. My past help to you was not in vain.
Later tonight, I will come to find you. Prepare your son’s personal belongings.”
A crisp laugh came, clearly indicating the other party was in a good mood.
Just by listening to the voice, one could roughly imagine that the other party was a beautiful woman.
However, Lu Mingzhong had no other thoughts.
Of course, it wasn’t that he was too old.
It was because he clearly knew what kind of existence the person he was talking to was.
Hanging up the phone, Lu Mingzhong let out a sigh of relief, a hint of unease appearing on his face.
Others’ understanding of him was limited to knowing that he had been involved in gangs in his youth, making his fortune by opening bars, bathhouses, and casinos.
But no one knew the true reason he could rise from a poor boy to his current position.
While his hardworking and determined personality played a role, only he himself knew that these were not the key factors.
Ultimately, the real reason was that he met this person when he was young.
It was one day more than twenty years ago, and it was raining.
His gang and a rival gang, due to certain Benefit issues, agreed to a showdown in an alley.
In such a chaotic situation, no matter how experienced or agile one was, it was impossible to guarantee one’s safety.
Lives were constantly at risk, with death possible at any moment.
He was no exception.
During the melee, after cutting down one person, he was careless.
He was stabbed through from behind with a machete by someone.
As the group’s fighting moved further away, no one cared about his life or death.
He fell to the ground, and as he lost blood, he tried to struggle to his feet but was powerless.
He could clearly feel his life entering a countdown.
However, at this dying moment, he vaguely saw a figure slowly walking through the rain.
The other party merely squatted down and placed a hand on his body. His fatal injury healed completely in just a few breaths.
This bizarre method once made him believe he had encountered an immortal.
However, as time passed, and as he had more contact with the other party, his status grew, and the information he acquired became richer.
Only then did he realize that what he had encountered was by no means an immortal, but a true demon.
...
He didn’t know how long it had been before he awoke from his memories.
At this moment, at the edge of the city outside the window, as the last ray of light vanished from the sky, the land plunged into darkness.
Night fell.
In the office on the top floor of the building, in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, a dark silhouette abruptly appeared.
The figure appeared extremely suddenly, as if it had always been there.
The figure was dressed in a black dress with a slender waist, and a silver bracelet encircled her right wrist.
Looking up, the woman’s face was covered by a pure black mask, revealing only a pair of indifferent eyes, making it impossible to see her full appearance.
“My Lord, you’ve arrived!”
Seeing this, Lu Mingzhong, who had been sitting in the chair, quickly rose, his expression respectful, even tinged with nervousness and caution.
More than twenty years had passed since his first meeting with the other party.
He had transformed from a vibrant young man into his current fifty-something appearance.
Although he had maintained himself and looked at most in his forties, the decline in his physical indicators meant he could no longer compare to truly young people.
Yet, the other party, though her specific appearance couldn’t be seen, based on the tight, smooth skin of her exposed arm and her youthful voice, combined with her identity, made him realize that she remained as youthful as ever, as if time had left no trace on her.
“Hmm, where are the items? Do you have a photo of that person?”
The woman’s voice was flat.
“Yes, I do.”
Lu Mingzhong quickly produced the items he had prepared beforehand: a photograph and a white shirt.
“This is the murderer of my son! I heard he’s an escaped killer, with dozens of lives already taken by his hand, and he hasn’t been caught yet, so I can only trouble you!”