Staring at this suspicious man, I finally recalled the woman’s name on the ID card: Liu Lin. Since we lived in the same apartment building, if he were truly the owner, he’d have noticed the error in that name.
“Liu Lin…”
The man, walking toward the sofa with a bottle opener, froze mid-step. His astonished face and the trace of fear in his eyes made everything clear.
*This man isn’t the owner of this house!*
“You said… L-Liu Lin?” His gaze wavered, avoiding mine as he sat on the sofa. The metal bottle opener twisted endlessly in his hand.
“Yeah, I’m her friend. Never visited this villa before—just knew she lived here. We had a falling out years ago, so…”
*He’s lying. Fine. Let’s play this game of lies.*
“Oh… oh! I see.” He hesitated, head lowered to hide his expression. The next second—
“Ahhh!!!” He leaped up with a shout, hurling the bottle opener at me!
I’d been on guard since realizing he wasn’t the homeowner. That woman died strangely—I suspected he killed Liu Lin. As he lunged, I tucked my legs and sprang backward. The sofa toppled from my push, tripping him. The opener clattered away, shattering a vase.
“You’re not this house’s owner.”
He didn’t rise. Instead, he subtly slid his hand while replying, “Yeah… I’m not the owner. Don’t know any Liu Lin.”
“Then how did you get in?”
“Simple. She always left the key in the bushes by the door. I copied it when she was out.”
As he spoke, his hand crept slowly to his waist. My enhanced vision caught every move—even the dagger peeking from under his loose shirt.
*Wait… could he be property staff?* “Who are you?”
“I’m… just a thief.” His hand gripped the dagger’s handle, hidden by his shirt. Only a sliver of the blade was visible.
“Did you kill this house’s mistress?” I frowned deeply, recalling the corpse in the bushes. He lay ready to pounce.
“Ah… that beautiful young woman? I killed her. So what?” He lifted his head slightly, clicking his tongue at me. “Tsk tsk… she was exquisite. But imagine my surprise—finding an even finer one waiting.”
His disgusting stare crawled over me like caterpillars. “Do you really think you can beat me?”
“Whether I can or not…” His voice dropped. I guessed his plan. I stepped forward half a pace, leaning down slightly to test his intent.
“That’s… for after the fight!!” He roared, springing up and drawing the dagger. Only then did I see it—a simple Dagger, ten centimeters of razor-sharp blade.
“Die!!!” He thrust it at me. I dodged sideways, grabbed his arm, and drove an elbow into his face. He stumbled back, but I yanked him close and slammed my knee into his groin.
“Ah… ohhhhhhh!!!” A choked scream died in his throat, replaced by long, pained “ohs.” The Dagger clattered to the floor.
His expression made me smirk—this move always worked on men. Yet a complex ache rose in me.
*In my past life, I had this weakness too…*
He convulsed, face crimson, curled on the floor with twitches. No man could watch this without wincing.
“Uh… not dead, right?” I winced. Had I kicked too hard? It shouldn’t have taken much force—but even a light hit there was agony. His pained grimace looked genuine.
“Gurgle… gurgle…” He rolled his eyes and fainted.
“…” Speechless, I sighed. Fainting made things easier.
I spotted some audio cables nearby.
I didn’t know proper knots, but I could restrain him. His fate meant nothing to me—I didn’t know these people. Even if he killed Liu Lin, I wouldn’t avenge her.
I wrapped his hands seven times, tied them tight to the table leg, and secured his feet with two cables.
*Pat pat pat…* I clapped my hands, eyeing my first bondage masterpiece… ahem!
I picked up the fallen Dagger—a common street-stall knife, not a fruit knife. Sharp blade, decent looks, but nowhere near as good as my two.
I slid it into my chest sheath harness. It had three empty slots for melee weapons, reinforced with a metal inner divider. Unless a car hit me, no blade could pierce it.
