Who could it be?
A question mark appeared in Chen Jianye's mind, and soon, he thought of a possibility.
Could it really be the ruthless killer the Public Security warned the Courtyard about?
Guessing this, Chen Jianye felt no fear at all, but rather excitement.
That's right, it was excitement.
He had originally intended to kill the Deaf Old Lady and frame the ruthless killer.
But there was a drawback to this.
If the ruthless killer were caught by the Public Security and didn't admit to killing the Deaf Old Lady, the Public Security would inevitably suspect the Deaf Old Lady's cause of death.
Now that the ruthless killer had run into the Siheyuan (Courtyard), if Chen Jianye didn't act, it would truly be a missed opportunity, and he would suffer the consequences.
To be safe, Chen Jianye didn't act immediately, but calmly walked towards the Middle Courtyard entrance.
He wanted to see with his own eyes who the person who climbed over the wall was.
In the quiet Siheyuan (Courtyard), a figure in black, holding a sharp knife, walked stealthily.
Little did he know, his movements were all clearly seen by Chen Jianye.
Chen Jianye confirmed that the person was not a good person, and boldly retreated to the Backyard.
With a flip of his palm, a sharp knife appeared in his hand.
Chen Jianye bought this knife from the Black Market; there were five in total, all stored in his portable space.
They didn't take up any space anyway.
Chen Jianye held the sharp knife, gently unlatched the Deaf Old Lady's front door, and then pushed the door open.
The moon was covered by clouds, and the sky was dark.
Such an environment was ideal for Chen Jianye, who possessed night vision, almost like a perfect entertainment venue.
Entering the Deaf Old Lady's room, Chen Jianye came to her bedside, his face terrifyingly cold.
He grabbed the quilt covering the Deaf Old Lady, pressed it over her mouth and nose, and pushed down with force.
In her sleep, the Deaf Old Lady twitched a few times, and soon fell silent.
She passed away very peacefully.
Her emotions were exceptionally stable.
Having personally killed the Deaf Old Lady, Chen Jianye felt no ripple in his heart.
Killing for him was no more troublesome than slaughtering chickens or dogs.
Moreover, the Deaf Old Lady didn't shed a single drop of blood, which wasn't disgusting at all.
Chen Jianye casually rummaged through the Deaf Old Lady's pillow and under her bed, as well as a few cabinets.
He found over twenty yuan in loose bills.
Stuffing all the money into his pocket, he didn't even close the door, and strutted towards the front Courtyard.
Having killed the Deaf Old Lady, the next step was to kill the ruthless killer who had climbed over the wall.
As long as both of them were gone, others would naturally assume that the ruthless killer had come to the Siheyuan (Courtyard) to commit the crime, killing the solitary and defenseless Old Lady.
If he had killed other residents, with several people in the house, the ruthless killer wouldn't have been able to kill them all at once, and it would have been hard to avoid making some noise.
Killing the Deaf Old Lady was the ruthless killer's best choice.
Of course, there had to be a reason for the killing.
The money Chen Jianye had just obtained by ransacking the Deaf Old Lady's house was the reason he had arranged for the ruthless killer's murder.
As he walked into the Middle Courtyard, the ruthless killer also happened to walk into the Middle Courtyard.
He was unfamiliar with the Siheyuan (Courtyard) and dared not turn on a flashlight to search extensively.
He could only grope in the dark, walk to a household's door, and gently push it.
If the door didn't open, he would try his luck at the next house.
So the ruthless killer's movements were very slow.
After entering the Middle Courtyard, the ruthless killer successively went to the Yi Family, He family, and Chen Family, testing whether the residents' doors could be opened.
Chen Jianye stood at the Jia door, calmly waiting for the ruthless killer's arrival.
Unable to push open the Chen Family's door, the ruthless killer suppressed his inner frustration and continued to stealthily approach the Jia.
One step, two steps, one step, two steps.
A cold smile played on Chen Jianye's lips.
The ruthless killer came to the Jia door and gently pushed the Jia door.
The Jia door shook a few times but still didn't open.
The ruthless killer was about to head towards the Backyard.
“Oh!”
Chen Jianye suddenly called out softly.
In the quiet night, a sudden greeting made the ruthless killer shiver on the spot, his eyes fixed on Chen Jianye's location.
“What are you doing?”
Chen Jianye asked with a smile, as if meeting an old friend.
“You bastard!”
The ruthless killer was both angry and furious, gripping the knife in his hand and lunging at Chen Jianye.
Although he couldn't clearly see what Chen Jianye looked like, there was a faint shadow.
Stabbing at the shadow was definitely the right move.
'Stab him through first.'
'That way, even if others hear the commotion and rush out of their rooms, their first choice will be to save the person, not to catch me.'
The ruthless killer had two experiences and acted very efficiently, instantly choosing the most advantageous plan for his situation.
Swish!
The small knife plunged towards Chen Jianye's chest.
Just as he was about to succeed, Chen Jianye unhurriedly extended his palm and grasped the ruthless killer's wrist.
His movements weren't fast, yet they possessed an exceptionally natural feel.
The ruthless killer felt as if his hand was clamped by iron tongs; he struggled a few times, but like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, he couldn't pull it free at all.
He quickly extended his other hand and struck at Chen Jianye.
He thought that if Chen Jianye felt pain, he would naturally let go.
Once his knife-holding hand was free, it would be Chen Jianye's death!
Before the ruthless killer could pull his hand free, Chen Jianye extended his other hand, grasped the back of the ruthless killer's knife-wielding hand, held it firmly, and then exerted force, causing the latter's small knife to plunge into his own heart.
A soft thud.
The small knife broke through the short shirt, then the flesh, directly piercing the forcefully beating heart.
The ruthless killer instantly felt as if all his strength had been drained, his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at Chen Jianye.
Even though he couldn't clearly see what Chen Jianye looked like, he stared intently at Chen Jianye.
It seemed as if he was questioning Chen Jianye, 'Are you f*cking ambushing me in the middle of the night?!'
Chen Jianye let go and stepped back two paces.
Thud!
The ruthless killer stumbled and fell to the ground.
Chen Jianye lowered his head, looking at the corpse on the ground.
At this moment, he had several choices.
He could directly return to his room to sleep, waiting for the Jia Family or the Courtyard residents to wake up the next day and see the corpse at the Jia door.
This way, it would be very safe.
Neither the death of the Deaf Old Lady nor the ruthless killer would be related to him.
But doing so also had a flaw.
He wouldn't be able to link the deaths of the ruthless killer and the Deaf Old Lady.
If the Courtyard residents reported it to the Public Security, the deaths of the two might arouse suspicion.
There was a master in the Siheyuan (Courtyard) who committed murder.
As for who this master was, the residents of the Siheyuan (Courtyard) would surely point their fingers at him.
Look, in our Courtyard, he's the only one who dares to chop people, Chen Jianye.
The best choice was still to control the situation himself, to avoid being suspected.
Thinking of this, Chen Jianye squatted down, put more than ten yuan of the money he took from the Deaf Old Lady into the man's pocket, then stood up, retreated a few steps, and shouted loudly: “Help, murder!”
“Someone broke into our Courtyard!”
The loud voice startled many of the older men in the Courtyard awake from their beds.
“It’s Jianye’s voice.”
“The ruthless killer is here, quickly hide, I’ll go out and see.”
“What are you looking at, that person kills without batting an eye.”
“If I don’t go check, won’t he go house to house committing crimes? It’s safer with more people. Lock the door and wait at home.”
The older men grabbed stools, cleavers, and flashlights, rushing out of their rooms.
The older women, on the other hand, bolted the doors and stayed home watching the children.
“What’s going on, Jianye?”
“Who did you run into? You’re so jumpy.”
“Jianye, how could you… Hiss! Someone really died!”
The Courtyard residents all asked questions.
One person also wanted to ask, but halfway through, the flashlight shone on the blood flowing from the Jia door, making him so nervous that his words became jumbled.
His body also trembled incessantly.