Chapter 7, Time of Death

Although this young lady does not know Ma Xiaofeng, she is familiar with him. The waitress smiled and acknowledged him before preparing to leave. Ma Xiaofeng took a sip of his drink, but his hand lightly brushed against her attractive figure, prompting a soft gasp from her, after which she giggled and walked away.

Ma Xiaofeng immediately swore by the name of his deceased father that he would absolutely not leak any secrets. Ouyang Feifei then nodded and said: "Actually, I don't know much either. The one who died yesterday was a regular at our Tian Shang Ren Jian. He died in the men's restroom. I didn't go to the scene, but I heard it was quite gruesome. Another guest discovered him while using the restroom. To avoid affecting the business at Tian Shang Ren Jian, the higher-ups immediately issued a gag order after the police collected evidence, prohibiting the staff inside from disclosing any information to the outside world, not even to the police."

Ma Xiaofeng wrapped his arm around Ouyang Feifei's slender waist, which was just right—not too plump and not too thin. With a swift motion, he pulled her down to sit on his lap, gently nibbling on her rounded earlobe. Only after noticing the blush rising on Ouyang Feifei's face did he cease this intrusive action

What is going on? Ma Xiaofeng suppressed a laugh, as Shi Yong's expression resembled that of a man whose wife had run off with someone else, filled with helplessness and resentment.

Why do you have so much free time this afternoon? Did you try your sister's flavor the night before last and can't resist it again today

Ouyang Feifei immediately became alert: "Why are you asking this?"

Ouyang Feifei was aware of Ma Xiaofeng's identity as a freelance writer, and upon hearing this, she felt relieved. However, there were instructions from above, which put her in a difficult position: "It's not that I don't want to tell you, but this matter is of great importance. The upper management has already given instructions, and I cannot casually disclose this information. If I were to tell you and it got back to them, I would surely be dismissed."

Ma Xiaofeng can be considered a regular here. As soon as he walked through the door, the receptionist outside recognized him. For this handsome, witty, and wealthy gentleman, there was not a single lady who did not welcome him. The moment Ma Xiaofeng appeared, the only two ladies present smiled and approached him.

Therefore, if Tian Shang Ren Jian seeks to protect its own interests, it is fully capable of interfering with police investigations, even employing various means to minimize any adverse effects. Consequently, it can be anticipated that the police will only obtain superficial clues in the entertainment venues, while evidence such as eyewitnesses will be exceedingly difficult to find

Ma Xiaofeng certainly would not tell her that he was currently investigating this case for the police, so he found another excuse: "You know, I am a freelance writer. Such a case could provide me with immense inspiration. Why don't you tell me about it?"

Ouyang Feifei chuckled and said, "I absolutely do not want to be a yellow-faced woman at home, watching you attract all sorts of admirers outside. I would go crazy."

"Does this guest have any particular characteristics?" Ma Xiaofeng inquired

When did you discover his body

Ouyang Feifei gently laughed beside Ma Xiaofeng's ear, causing him to feel a surge of distraction. He muttered a curse, calling her a fairy, yet his face wore a charming smile.

Ma Xiaofeng chuckled and walked into the hall. These women, mingling in the world of vice, were most adept at pleasing men. The shy demeanor they displayed just now was merely a pretense to feign innocence. Ma Xiaofeng was not foolish enough to believe that they would actually feel shy; in fact, even if they were taken to bed by a man, they would likely not show any signs of timidity.

The hall is illuminated by dim yellow lights. Since it is afternoon, the atmosphere in the Tian Shang Ren Jian is not as lively as it is at night. Only the melodious piano dance music is playing in the hall. In the evening, the dance floor is so crowded that it feels almost suffocating, but now only a few people are dancing slowly.

Ma Xiaofeng sat down in front of the wine cabinet. A beautiful waitress passed by him, and he stopped her. He then took a glass of whiskey from the tray she was carrying and stuffed a few banknotes into the waitress's pocket

Ma Xiaofeng's foresight was confirmed in the afternoon

At 1:00 AM, Ma Xiaofeng could basically determine that the time of death of the deceased was between midnight and 1:00 AM. As he thought of this, a flash of inspiration struck him. The time of death, indeed, the time of death. Besides the similarity in the manner of death of the deceased, Ma Xiaofeng realized that he had overlooked another commonality, which was the time of death of several victims.

"Speak quickly, what is your intention in coming to find me? Don't tell me you will miss me or anything like that; I would never believe it, even if it killed me," Ouyang Feifei urged, looking at the mischievous Ma Xiaofeng.

In the archives reviewed in Nanwen City, the recorded time of death for the deceased was also between midnight and one o'clock in the morning. It now appears that this monster's killings do share some commonalities; at the very least, the time it hunts is the same. So what is the reason that the monster seeks its prey during this period?

It is merely that your method is incorrect. Ma Xiaofeng patted his chest and said, "Just wait here, Shitou; when the critical moment comes, it will still be up to me to take action."

Ma Xiaofeng did not wish to entangle himself further with them. While he spoke sweet words that could kill, he discreetly withdrew his arms from the warm embraces of the two young ladies. As he entered the hall, he even playfully pinched their cheeks, leaving the two young ladies blushing and looking both shy and annoyed.

Watching Shi Yong emerge from the realm of heaven and earth, looking as listless as a withered persimmon, Ma Xiaofeng revealed an infuriating smile

"Ma Shao, why do you have time to come over now? Are you missing me?" A curly-haired young woman immediately linked her arm with Ma Xiaofeng's, speaking in a sweet and flirtatious tone

Ma Xiaofeng chuckled softly. This beautiful DJ has been mingling in a chaotic place like Tian Shang Ren Jian for over two years. There are at least eight hundred men who want to take her to bed. Unfortunately, Ouyang Feifei seems to have some connection with Qin Leng, the gang leader, which is why no one has dared to touch her until now

Ma Xiaofeng gently kissed her on the cheek, his expression tender enough to make Ouyang Feifei feel enchanted, yet he spoke words that were utterly unromantic.

Ma Xiaofeng and Ouyang Feifei can be considered as having met without prior acquaintance. The free-spirited Ma Xiaofeng quickly won the favor of the young ladies in the realm of Tian Shang Ren Jian. Initially, Ouyang Feifei approached him with the intention of teasing him, but in the end, she found herself captivated by Ma Xiaofeng instead. As a result, the two have maintained a relationship that is both close and distant to this day

Shi Yong angrily punched Ma Xiaofeng and said: "You brat keep talking nonsense, if you have any means, go get me some intelligence. Those people inside know nothing, even a Bodhisattva would get angry over this."

Ma Xiaofeng dismissively said, "If it has been fried, then so be it; at most, I will support you."

"I could die from embarrassment, with so many people watching. Do you want me to be utterly humiliated?" Ouyang Feifei said reproachfully

Ouyang Feifei rested her head on her hand and thought for a long time, then shook her head and said: "It seems there isn't anyone. The person looks ordinary, has a bit of money, and basically comes a few times a week, always around twelve o'clock."

Before long, Ouyang Feifei, dressed in a tank top and hot pants, walked over. She is a DJ from Tian Shang Ren Jian and has known Ma Xiaofeng for quite some time. As soon as she approached Ma Xiaofeng, Ouyang Feifei wrapped one arm around his neck and gently kissed him on the cheek.

Then she said, "Actually, it doesn't matter to tell you, but you must keep it a secret."

Feifei, I heard that a murder occurred last night in your area

Having said that, he paid no attention to Shi Yong, who was behind him cursing him for being arrogant. Ma Xiaofeng whistled lightly, his demeanor relaxed as he crossed the street and walked through the grand entrance of the heavenly realm.

Miss, could you please call Feifei over here?" Ma Xiaofeng said softly

Ouyang Feifei is very intelligent; she understands that her relationship with Ma Xiaofeng is merely at the level of a fleeting romance. She does not demand much from Ma Xiaofeng, as she herself is not seriously dating anyone. Thus, Ouyang Feifei only occasionally thinks of reaching out to Ma Xiaofeng, and then the two spend a romantic and passionate night together. The next morning, they wake up and go their separate ways.

The smile of the book "The Horse and the Picture" is widening: "You are quite impressive, capturing the entire Public Security Bureau, yet you don't weigh your own worth. Shitou, you are merely a small criminal investigation team leader. Any one of those two bosses standing out is not someone your bureau chief can contend with. You still want to capture the entire bureau? Don't make me laugh to death."

There was absolutely nothing going on. It seems he was treated quite specially inside. Shi Yong was now filled with anger; he walked up to his car and slammed his fist on the hood. After a moment, he revealed a pained expression and continued, "Those people in the Tian Shang Ren Jian are definitely not good folks. No matter what I asked, they just deflected with vague answers. After asking for a long time, I didn't get a single useful response. They irritated me, and I could have them all taken to the Public Security Bureau for interrogation."

Another MM, seeing this, also unwilling to be outdone, tightly embraced another arm of Ma Xiaofeng

However, just because others do not provoke her does not mean she does not take action against them. Relying on her own beauty, Ouyang Feifei has not hesitated to toy with men, and she engages in that kind of manipulation where she stirs up their desires only to withdraw afterward. With Qin Leng protecting her, who would dare to touch this beauty? Thus, those men can only resign themselves to their misfortune

It was probably around 1:00 AM

Tian Shang Ren Jian is the largest entertainment venue in Jian'an City. To establish such a place, one must have a sufficiently strong and powerful backing. It is said that the backing of Tian Shang Ren Jian is the local underground force in Jian'an City, known as the "Xing Long Society." Its leader, Qin Leng, is one of the two shareholders of Tian Shang Ren Jian.

However, this time, Ma Xiaofeng came to see her for the second time within a week, which surprised Ouyang Feifei

When Ouyang Feifei said this, Ma Xiaofeng could basically imagine the frustrated expression of Shi Yong, who would not be able to inquire about anything.