Chapter 61: Grab Weapons, Head to 1001
"Where should we go next? Straight to 1001?"
The three of them exited Room 201, Xiao Peng's hands trembling all the way up to his arms.
It was unclear whether from fear or excitement.
Or perhaps other, more complex emotions.
"Xiao Peng, have you really decided? Do we kill that Dog Man outright, or capture him alive and hand him over to the police?"
Xiao Q double-checked at this moment.
Xiao Peng froze for three seconds before saying, "Xiao Q, I just remembered - isn't your uncle a detective? If we catch this Dog Man, we're worried fake cops arranged by the apartment might show up if we call 911. Could we have your uncle bring a team directly?"
Xiao Q frowned: "We could...but haven't you forgotten how many criminals in this apartment, like the kite-making killer Wang Nuli, served paper sentences and got released? Even if we hand him over, given the powerful forces behind this apartment, they might just get him out again..."
After hearing this, they all sighed deeply several times.
Xiao Peng declared: "I'll do it. Killing him will prevent more victims." He kept mentally justifying himself, preparing psychological comfort for his potential future actions.
The three couldn't possibly confront the Dog Man empty-handed.
They needed preparations.
Of the three, Xiao Peng didn't live here, and Xiao Q had moved in with just clothes and daily necessities.
Only Ke Bei, determined to succeed or die trying, had brought many items from his original home when settling in long-term.
These included several baseball bats and knuckle dusters - readily available weapons.
Now, the three took the elevator to the 6th floor.
But upon arriving...
A wave of metallic blood scent assaulted them, making all three cover their noses.
Exiting the elevator, they found the entire sixth floor hallway saturated with the stench.
"Where's this smell coming from?"
Xiao Peng wondered aloud.
The other two didn't speak, just kept sniffing, trying to locate the strongest concentration and source.
They finally stopped before Room 602.
The blood smell seemed strongest here.
"This is...Li Mengmeng's apartment..."
Ke Bei murmured.
Xiao Q said: "That dance streamer Li Mengmeng? The pretty one?"
Ke Bei nodded, lightly touching the door handle. He discovered Room 602 wasn't fully closed - the door was flush with the frame but left an almost invisible gap.
When Ke Bei pushed, the door swung open completely, releasing an even more pungent blood odor like some blood demon had descended.
Accompanying this stench was the sight of a male corpse lying in a pool of blood...
All three were stunned.
Actually, when they'd first smelled blood in the hallway, they'd had bad premonitions.
Especially with such pervasive odor - something had definitely died, probably a person.
And when they reached Room 602, hearing Ke Bei say this was the dance streamer Li Mengmeng's room from the welcome party...
They'd assumed they might find Li Mengmeng dead inside.
Instead, upon opening the door, they found not Li Mengmeng, nor even a woman.
But a man!!!!
"Li Mengmeng's not in 602! No idea where she went!"
Xiao Peng checked the entire apartment while Xiao Q and Ke Bei crouched by the dead man, examining him closely.
The man was very thin, especially his arms - so slender.
The cause of death appeared to be the torn, gnawed wound on his neck.
No other bleeding wounds were visible.
After inspecting the apartment, Xiao Peng joined them by the skinny man's body. After a moment, he pointed at the neck:
"The Dog Man did this?! This neck bite matches exactly how he killed Xiao Nuo."
"Probably. The Dog Man must have attacked 602. Anyway this unidentified man is dead. As for Li Mengmeng - either she wasn't home, or the Dog Man took her."
Xiao Q added: "Given how he used Xiao Nuo to make those videos, he probably has...particular tastes."
"Wouldn't kill Li Mengmeng as quickly as he did this man."
"What do we do now?"
Xiao Peng asked.
Ke Bei said: "Get weapons from my place, then go straight for the Dog Man."
None of them dealt with the corpse first, instead going next door to Ke Bei's Room 601.
Ke Bei took a steel baseball bat - getting hit with this would definitely be "fun."
Xiao Peng chose a sharpened dagger.
Xiao Q took Ke Bei's metal knuckle dusters.
"Wait, one more thing."
After gathering weapons, as Xiao Q and Xiao Peng prepared to leave, Ke Bei stopped them. He went into his bedroom and emerged under two minutes.
They stared at Ke Bei but couldn't see anything new in his hands.
"What'd you get from the bedroom? Where is it?"
"You'll see."
The three left 601, taking the elevator to the 10th floor.
Inside the elevator, imagining what was coming, Xiao Peng and Xiao Q kept taking deep breaths to calm their nerves.
Ke Bei, however, remained completely composed, as if they were just going to watch a movie.
Understandable - Xiao Peng was just a college student whose main activity was hitting on pretty women of all ages.
Though Xiao Q studied criminal investigation and knew much about detective work...
He'd never actually practiced it.
Like the difference between a rookie cop and a seasoned detective.
Ke Bei was different - who knew how long he'd been a private eye?
Was there anything he hadn't done?
His mental fortitude was terrifyingly strong.
Soon, with a "ding," the elevator arrived.
They stepped onto the 10th floor.
An eerie silence pervaded the hallway, like the calm before a storm.
Arriving at 1001's door, they moved unusually quietly - even their footsteps after exiting the elevator were deliberately muted to avoid alerting their prey.
"It's locked..."
Pushing the immovable security door of 1001, Xiao Q and Xiao Peng were at a loss. They'd prepared everything except for this.
Now what?
Break it down? That would alert the Dog Man inside, letting him prepare...
Just then, a savior spoke: "Let me."
The two stepped back as Ke Bei approached.
From his pocket, he produced an unusually shaped, slender lockpick.
"You asked what I got from my bedroom? This."
Seeing the silvery metal pick, Xiao Peng grinned in amazement: "You can pick locks?!"
Ke Bei: "Private detectives need all kinds of skills. Lockpicking's essential."
Ke Bei's skills weren't far from professional level. In three minutes, with a "click," he'd defeated the security door's lock.