At a critical moment, Li Duo knocked on the outer door with a thud: "Goddess, there's something going on outside. Come out and take a look."
Seeing this, Zhao Qi shut his mouth: "I've said all I need to. I'll tell you the rest when we get to Thailand."
Actually, there was no need for more words. Xie Bingxia already understood. On the day of her birthday party, it was indeed Gu Bei who stuffed the unconscious her into the prepared car. It was all his premeditated plan!
As soon as Xie Bingxia opened the door, Qin Feng came up and chattered non - stop: "Bingxia, do you know? Li Duo is so amazing. Oh my god, I've been a classmate with a hacker master for so many years without even realizing it..."
Xie Bingxia brushed him aside speechlessly and looked at Li Duo's computer screen. "What's going on?"
Li Duo said, "The surveillance cameras outside captured a group of guys in black. They don't look like good people."
Xie Bingxia sized them up and wasn't worried. "They should be sent by Gu Bei. Let them be. Can we check the surveillance footage first?"
"OK!" Li Duo retrieved the restored footage. In the video, a person in a black hooded suit appeared in the hotel corridor. About 1.8 meters tall, with the brim of the hat pulled low, it was hard to make out the facial features for the moment. The person talked to the victim for a few words at the room door and then entered the room. About twenty minutes later, the person came out of the room alone and left in a hurry.
"Play it again." Xie Bingxia stared without blinking, hoping to find some clues from the footage that was less than half an hour long. However, after playing it back several times, she still had no idea.
Xie Bingxia pinched the bridge of her nose. A vague thought was swirling in her mind but couldn't take shape. Where on earth... had she overlooked something?
"These bodyguards in black are so annoying. Do we have to get their permission even to go out and buy something to eat?" Qin Feng complained casually. Like a light, it instantly illuminated the vague shadow in Xie Bingxia's heart.
Xie Bingxia called Li Duo over, pointed at a part of the hotel surveillance footage, and said, "Here, zoom in!" Li Duo did as she asked and zoomed in on the suspect's partial image. It was a section of his wrist exposed outside the sleeve. Xie Bingxia leaned in and examined it carefully. "He seems to have a tattoo on his body."
"I can zoom in and analyze it. Wait a sec." Li Duo did some more operations, and the tattoo on the wrist gradually became clear. It looked like a scorpion.
After seeing the pattern clearly, Xie Bingxia showed a panicked expression. She snatched the mouse from Li Duo's hand, zoomed in on the surveillance footage outside the house one after another, and said through gritted teeth after confirmation, "The people outside aren't Gu Bei's!"
Everyone looked at the surveillance footage. Qin Feng opened his mouth wide. "They... they also have tattoos!"
Although covered by clothes, the traces on the black - suited bodyguards outside could still be faintly seen on the enlarged screen. Some were on the back of the neck, some on the forearms. They were exactly the scorpion patterns.
Even if these people didn't take any action for the time being, it was still too dangerous to stay here. It was also not good for Qin Feng and Li Duo! Xie Bingxia immediately made a decision. She stepped forward and tugged at Qin Feng's clothes. "Take off your coat!"
Qin Feng grasped Xie Bingxia's hands tightly. "I can't let you take risks alone!"
"Listen to me!" Xie Bingxia brooked no doubt from others. She said firmly, "If something happens to you guys, I won't even have any backup! Hurry, take it off!"
Xie Bingxia put Qin Feng's coat on Zhao Qi and instructed him, "When we go out later, put on the hood of the sweatshirt, keep your head down, and don't say a word."
Zhao Qi analyzed that the situation was urgent at present and nodded in agreement. Xie Bingxia led him out of the room. Sure enough, the several black - suited bodyguards standing at the door all looked at them in unison.
Xie Bingxia pretended to be fierce and shouted at them, "You're so annoying, like shadows! Can you go back and tell Gu Bei not to pester me anymore?"
The bodyguards looked cold and said nothing. Xie Bingxia turned to Zhao Qi and said, "Qin Feng, I'm hungry. Will you accompany me to buy something to eat?"
Zhao Qi nodded slightly and slowly walked with Xie Bingxia towards the car parked outside.
Every step under the bodyguards' watchful eyes was torture, as thrilling as walking on a tightrope. It wasn't until she reached the car that Xie Bingxia dared to let out a long - held breath. She looked back and saw that the bodyguards were still standing there like stone sculptures without any suspicion. She signaled Zhao Qi with her eyes to get in the car quickly, and Zhao Qi did as she said.
Xie Bingxia inserted the car key and just started the engine when a series of giggles suddenly came from the back seat. Then a cold gun muzzle was pressed against the back of her head.
"Little girl, you underestimate us too much."
"You—umph!"
Before Xie Bingxia could react, she was knocked unconscious by the butt of the gun.
She was unconscious for a long time. If it weren't for the loud noise outside, Xie Bingxia might still be sleeping in the darkness.
"Hey, is there anyone inside? Open the door!"
"We're the police! Open the door quickly!"
"Get the key from the person in charge. Hurry!"
My head hurts so much—Xie Bingxia first moved her fingers. The cold touch of the floor came from her back. In sharp contrast, there was the warmth and dampness of some kind of liquid.
Her scattered vision finally focused. Zhao Qi's unclosed eyes were right in front of her. Xie Bingxia gasped violently and scrambled up.
Zhao Qi had been stabbed to death! And the murderer was... Xie Bingxia looked at her right hand, which was holding a knife.
With a crash, the door opened. The policemen couldn't help frowning when they saw the bloody scene in the room.
Xie Bingxia was yanked up from the ground by one of them, her arms twisted behind her back, and handcuffs were put on her. "You're under arrest for the suspicion of murder."
After a brief moment of daze, Xie Bingxia sorted out what had happened and shouted, "It wasn't me! I didn't kill him!"
"Take her back first!" The policemen escorted Xie Bingxia out of the shabby motel and stuffed her into a police car.
Xie Bingxia never thought in her life that one day she would be sitting in an interrogation room as a suspected murderer. The intense interrogation light shone on her. A policeman was taking notes in front of a laptop, and the interrogator sat right opposite her with an extremely serious expression.
"Zhao Qi, 26 years old, a courier. He was stabbed six times and died of excessive blood loss. The murder weapon was a single - edged dagger, and your fingerprints were detected on it." The interrogator said slowly, "Tell me, why did you kill him?"
"I didn't. When I woke up, he was already dead. I don't know how the weapon got into my hand."
"The motel receptionist saw you check into a room with him."
"Nonsense! You can check the surveillance. How could I check into a room with him?"
When it came to surveillance, the interrogator looked a bit disappointed. "The surveillance at the motel reception happened to be broken that day, and there are no surveillance cameras in the alleys in that old urban area."
"Then you can't prove that I entered the room with the victim while I was conscious. Moreover, I have no motive to kill him." Xie Bingxia was still quite calm. She couldn't let herself be at a disadvantage in any case.
The interrogator was silent for a moment and said, "We'll conduct follow - up investigations. That's all for today." After saying that, he walked out of the interrogation room and said to the policeman standing outside, "She refuses to confess. Detain her first."
Xie Bingxia was sent to the detention center by the policemen to wait for the next interrogation. There was only a shabby iron spring bed in the detention cell. The yellowed bed reminded her of the time when she was imprisoned by Yuan Yiyun. Immediately, her stomach churned, and she almost vomited.
She knew that she had been set up, but why was she the target? What kind of organization were the people with scorpion tattoos on their bodies?
Her mind was in a complete mess and she couldn't sort it out. A sense of powerlessness invaded her whole body. She not only had no way to deal with the current situation but was also more worried about the safety of Qin Feng and Li Duo. If only someone could come and help her...
Gu Bei...? Thinking of that person's name, Xie Bingxia felt even more sad. She curled up in the corner of the wall, buried her face in her arms, and actually sobbed.
Click - click, the sound of a flint rubbing came into her ears. Xie Bingxia's eyes were tear - filled. It took her a long time to make out the figure outside the iron window. For a moment, she didn't know whether to be happy or worried.
Gu Bei looked extremely tired. He stood outside the iron railing, quietly looking at Xie Bingxia. There was a cigarette between his fingertips, and he took a deep puff.
The familiar smell of cigarettes made Xie Bingxia feel at ease. She wiped away her tears and slowly stood up and walked to the iron railing.
Gu Bei stretched out his left hand, passed it through the gap in the iron railing, and touched Xie Bingxia's wet cheek. He thought she would avoid him, but unexpectedly she let him touch her obediently.
His fingers gradually moved down, sliding over her slender neck. The cigarette between Gu Bei's right fingers was almost burnt out and it burned his finger. Instead of throwing it away, he crushed it hard in his palm. Then his left hand grabbed Xie Bingxia's neck, and the sinister look in his eyes welled up, making people shudder.
He gritted his back teeth and asked word by word, "Who... exactly are you?!"