Chapter 1: A Reward Notice for Twenty Thousand
Ding~ my mind is on a lease.
Shi Yi aimlessly meanders under the scorching sun on the streets, not even having a dime to buy a bottle of water.
When she passed by a stone wall, from the corner of her eye she noticed a piece of paper stuck on the wall, brightly announcing a reward notice.
She abruptly stopped, took two steps back, and walked to the wall where the reward notice was posted.
She swiftly scanned through the content on the paper, automatically reading it out loud.
"A major criminal case occurred within the jurisdiction of Ling Lake Management Bureau in Lin City. After investigation, Li Zhiqiang is suspected of serious criminal offense and he is now a fugitive."
"Criminal suspect Li Zhiqiang, ID number 522… we now call on all walks of life and the general public to actively provide clues to the police … a reward of 20,000 Yuan will be given…"
Shi Yi didn't have a clear concept of exactly how much twenty thousand is.
But it’s an official reward, and besides, the person on the other side is a criminal with someone's life on the line, the reward money must indeed be substantial!
Shi Yi, excited, rubbed her hands together in anticipation, ready to get started. Her beautiful apricot eyes were expectantly glued to the photo attached in the bottom left corner.
Her fervent gaze made it seem like the person wasn't a wanted criminal suspect, but rather hot, steamed dumplings waiting for her to enjoy.
While her gaze was fixed at Li Zhiqiang’s picture, her right hand was quickly doing calculations based on his facial features and birth details.
Soon, she hooked a smile of determination at the corner of her mouth.
Here I come for the little money money and the dumplings~
...
Inside the dim and stuffy basement, an old electric fan was squeaking away as it operated.
The basement was piled high with all sorts of garbage, from big to small instant noodle pots, mineral water bottles, and other trash scavenged together, all piled up in a corner. Different kinds of pungent, unpleasant smells mingled together within the room.
A man in his forties looked at his last remaining pot of instant noodles, his expression hardened as he got up to boil water.
This man was none other than the suspect, Li Zhiqiang. He was wearing a simple old man's vest, soaking wet from head to toe. The oppressive heat was making him increasingly irritable.
He had been hiding in this basement for five days already, with no food or drink left, he would have to go out soon.
Dah—
Dah-dah-dah—
Suddenly, there were the sounds of footsteps. Li Zhiqiang instantly became alert.
He picked up a knife that was on the table and, moving slowly, moved towards the door.
In the past, the sound of footsteps would be heard too, but those were always people passing by to go upstairs.
Li Zhiqiang couldn't take the risk, so he always went to hide by the door with his knife, nervous each time.
Dah-dah-dah—
The sound didn't move upstairs, it was heading in the direction of the basement instead.
Li Zhiqiang involuntarily slowed his breathing. His hand, gripping and then releasing, was nervously soaked in sweat, making the handle of his knife feel wet and sticky.
The room was far from quiet at the moment. The decrepit fan was still whirring away, its creaking and groaning a constant background noise. The kettle had begun to emit a humming sound, signalling that the water was close to boiling.
As he listened to the steadily increasing rhythm of his pounding heart, he was unable to control his panic.
He didn't dare to move unheededly to switch off the kettle and fan at this moment. Instead, he could only hold his breath and stare fiercely at the door.
Knock, knock, knock,
The knocking sound reverberated.
Li Zhiqiang didn't dare to respond.
Knock, knock, knock,
The person outside the door was patient. The rhythm of the knocking was methodical, beat by beat, gradually increasing in strength and accelerating in tempo.
Listening to the knocking, Li Zhiqiang became increasingly irritated, confusion flashing in his eyes.
If it were the police, they wouldn't be so patient, merely knocking without making any other moves.
As long as it wasn't the police, the taut string of his heart loosened just a bit. He croaked out a question, his voice raspy, "Who is it?"
"Shi Yi."
A female voice, sounding feeble and delicate, as though she was not of a great age.
Li Zhiqiang, confused and irritable, retorted without losing his nerve, "I don't know you. Leave."
The knocking from outside did not stop, causing Li Zhiqiang's anger to flare. He yanked open the door, glaring venomously at the pale-skinned woman standing before him.
"Get lost or I'll stab you!" declared the disheveled, stinking man, who carried the aura of a murderer.
Shi Yi stared at the man and suddenly broke into a smile, cheerfully saying, "Found you."
Li Zhiqiang's face changed dramatically. Regardless of the meaning behind her words, he instinctively tightened his grip on the sharp chef's knife—about 30 centimeters long—and thrust it ruthlessly towards Shi Yi.
Shi Yi swiftly grabbed his wrist and twisted it hard.
Crack—
The sound of bones being dislocated sounded.
Uh-ah—
Clang—
The sounds of Li Zhiqiang's painful hum and the knife falling from his hand echoed simultaneously.
Without any hesitation, Shi Yi swiftly moved into the basement and violently kicked his kneeling figure. With a 'thud', Li Zhiqiang found himself on the ground, hands securely fastened behind his back by her, and his face was pressed into the ground.
Everything happened too quickly, in the span of less than ten seconds, leaving him no time to react.
"Who the hell are you? Let me go now!" Li Zhiqiang struggled in vain, unable to break free from her grip. The woman's strength was too overpowering and her actions alarmingly rough.
Her legs, knees, hands, and face ached with a burning sensation, the pain was so infuriating that she had no choice but to curse loudly.
Shi Yike, who had already completed his task, would not pay any more attention to him.
She was so hungry; she had no energy~
She looked around in the basement full of garbage, finally focusing her gaze on a piece of rope in the corner behind the door.
Her legs and right hand were pressing down on Li Zhiqiang. With her left hand, she pulled over the rope from behind the door and tied both his hands and feet.
After completely controlling him, she kicked him to a corner, then walked towards the messy table in the room.
She picked up a password-free phone from the table and dialed 110.
"Um, hello, I want to report a crime. I have captured Li Zhiqiang, the suspect from the bounty post..."
"OK, the address is 118 Qingyun Road, Rongning District, alright."
"Damn it, you little bitch, I advise you not to meddle in my business or I will kill you. As long as I’m not sentenced to death, I will slaughter you when I get out, you little bitch, I...”
Li Zhiqiang was still cursing enthusiastically when he suddenly found he couldn’t speak anymore.
His mouth was glued shut like it was stuck by strong adhesive, he couldn’t open it at all.
"Tsk, I'm so hungry and you're so noisy. I have no choice but to silence you for now.”
Even though the old Emperor Fei Du had prohibited her from using magic after she returned to the human world, she hadn't used it to harm people or to profit, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?