Chapter 415: Kill Him! (1/2)

Because he had been too timid to call the police, he convinced himself it was a couple’s quarrel. After about an hour, he looked out of the window once more but the two had disappeared.

Song Xingchen glanced at me waiting for my command. I knew that if I gave the order, he would slay the witness. However, that meant traveling down a path of no return.

After a moment of silence, I said, ”Do you remember anything else?”

The man thought for a moment, ”I think he drove there because I saw a black SUV parked next to him!”

”Thank you for your cooperation. Don't call the police and keep this to yourself. We are secretly investigating this murder, got it?”

”Alright,” he nodded fervently. “Please don't mention me. I’m a nobody–a civil servant on a business trip so I don't want any trouble.”

When Song Xingchen and I exited the hotel, the driver's first sentence was, ”Have you disposed of him?”

”Yes!” I snapped.

”We’ll meet my master for further instructions!” said the driver as he started the engine.

”No, there’s something else I must do,” I refused.

”Absolutely not!” protested the driver. “The master says you’re not allowed to do anything without his permission.”

”When we tortured that guy, he said that he was with another person last night. So there are two witnesses. I must get rid of the other one, otherwise the client is still in danger!”

”I must ask the master for further instructions,” stated the driver upon contemplation.

When the driver grabbed his cell phone, I quickly placed my hand in my pocket and dialed according to his movements, secretly recording the Dog Trainer's number.

After a brief conversation, the driver hung up. ”The master says yes.”

”You’ve got to be a little smarter to please your master, got it?” I sneered.

The driver replied, ”I’m loyal to my master and I don't need any returns!”

Upon getting into the car, I glanced at the number I recorded. Since my eyes had the ability to see afterimages, I was able to memorize the number ten seconds after sweeping my eyes across the driver’s cell phone. I opened Google Maps and looked at nearby wineries, then instructed the driver to head to one of them first.

For the murderer to employ the organization’s protection for such a long time, he must have considerable economic means and was most likely the owner of the winery.

We visited several bars throughout the morning but couldn't find anyone matching the characteristics. Right then, I received a call from Bingxin, ”Song Yang-gege, what are you doing?”

Through the rearview mirror, the driver cast a menacing look in my direction. ”Nothing much,” I quickly replied. “I’m just wandering the streets.”

”I have the day off as well, Let’s hang out together. Wait for me in front of the city bureau, alright?”

”Today isn’t...”

”Oh, you must come!” interrupted Bignxin. “If you don't, you’ll regret it!”

I caught the implication in her words so I said, ”Alright, I'll see you at noon.”

As soon as I hung up, the driver coldly warned, ”No tricks, you got that?!”

”Are you a dog or a fox? Why the hell are you so suspicious?” I chided. “Can’t I hang out with my childhood friend?”

The car stopped in front of a high-class winery called Opulence. When I walked into the store, I was warmly greeted by the waiter. I repeated the opening I used in the other bars, ”I bought a bottle of wine from your store two days ago but it doesn’t taste right. I’d like to meet the manager.”

The waiter paused before replying, ”Alright, let me check with the manager. Please take a seat.”

A while later, the waiter led a balding man of about fifty years old into the room. As soon as I caught a glimpse of his face, I had a strong intuition that this was the murderer.

For confirmation, I examined him with Cave Vision. From head to toe, his clothes were newly changed. There was dirt under his nails, mud on his shoes and the man looked rather haggard, a symptom caused by long-term overindulgence. There was also a small feature that wasn’t exactly logical in terms of deduction. His nose was crooked, a shared feature among gay tops, an interesting snippet of information I had come across in a book about ethnology. Since Lao Yao didn't have a crooked nose, I assumed he was a bottom.

The manager sat down and looked straight into my eyes, making me a little uncomfortable. ”Sir, what can I do for you?” he smiled.