Su Cui contacted the private detective Xiao He to meet near the residential complex where the pregnant woman appeared. Xiao He handed Su Cui the materials he had organized over the past few days, but when Su Cui took them, he trembled and wouldn't let go.
Su Cui chuckled and said, "Let go, Xiao He."
"Old lady, this residential complex... I really don't dare to investigate anymore. No matter how much money you give me, I need to live to spend it." Xiao He swallowed hard. He couldn't believe what he had uncovered—a drug den run by a gang!
"Don't worry," Su Cui reassured him, exerting force to pull the materials from his hands. She placed them on the table and flipped through them. "From now on, you don't need to watch over it. I've already called the police."
Xiao He nearly jumped in fright. "You called the police? How could you? I'll be retaliated against!"
"I won't say you provided the information," Su Cui said calmly. In truth, she hadn't called the police yet; she was just preparing to.
Su Cui came to meet Xiao He fully disguised: fake curly hair, padded-shoulder coat, thick eyebrows, red lips, wrapped tightly from head to toe, and wearing fashionable combat boots. She admired her reflection in the coffee shop's glass window—aside from the face, the outfit had a rugged, wild beauty.
"Of course, if you go and tell them yourself, that's another story." She took a sip of coffee, looking composed, and added, "You know the people behind this den have a lot of power. If you accidentally spill the beans, an old woman like me doesn't have many days left anyway. As long as I can get revenge, I'll be satisfied—I definitely won't talk... But if you get exposed, you'll probably be hunted down to death."
Xiao He had been told by Su Cui that her grandson died from drug addiction, so she investigated He Li, who had lured her grandson into drugs, and aimed to wipe out the whole drug den. With a substantial payment, Xiao He agreed to help her investigate.
Xiao He smiled bitterly. "Ah, don't worry, I won't say anything. That would ruin my reputation. The materials are all yours, so our deal is done. What about the remaining payment?"
Su Cui opened her phone, entered the password a few times, and successfully transferred the money to Xiao He. Since it was the same bank, he quickly received a transfer notification from his associate. Having been a private detective for years, Xiao He never dared to let Su Cui transfer money directly to his account—he needed to ensure his own safety.
Seeing his associate's message, Xiao He gave a satisfied smile and handed Su Cui another item in a black bag.
"Pleasure doing business! Good luck."
Xiao He left. Su Cui continued reading the materials in the coffee shop's private room, quickly skimming through them. When she finished, she carefully put the materials away and took the red device from the black bag into her own bag. As she opened her bag, the silvery gleam of a gun, a jar of green clay mask, and other tools were clearly visible.
She took out the green clay mask jar and zipped the bag shut.
Standing up, Su Cui pushed open the coffee shop door.
She still had things to do. Before the news reported He Li's identity and these drug dealers got wind and fled, she had to find out the secrets of this drug den.
Approaching the residential complex, under the dim streetlights, she used her phone's front camera to smear the green clay mask all over her face. Even a ghost would doubt if it was seeing a fellow specter.
Su Cui had recently come to a realization: even as old as Su Cuihua, she could still try to improve things. Fighting and doing skincare at the same time—how satisfying!
With her face covered, Su Cui muted her phone. This time, she double-checked and turned off the flash! After ensuring everything was foolproof, she slung her bag across her body and entered the secluded complex with the elephant slide.
The complex was now deserted, with no trace of children. The dark sky held not a single star.
Following the materials Xiao He had organized, Su Cui sprinted into the stairwell of Building No. 1. Many residents in the complex weren't drug dealers, but according to Xiao He's investigation, the entire Building No. 1 was a base for these dealers. About ten people, all sturdy middle-aged men disguised as ordinary, stood guard outside. The first floor of Building No. 1 housed the pregnant woman.
Su Cui noticed the surveillance cameras in the stairwell.
While running, she activated the camera jammer and signal blocker from the red device—a costly purchase from Xiao He, though she hadn't tested it. She wasn't sure it would work, but she was cautious. Visible cameras were easy to spot, but what about hidden pinhole cameras?
As she activated the jammer, Su Cui leaped up to the height of the stairwell ceiling and crushed each visible camera one by one with her hands.
Then she stopped at a door and knocked.
It was a red wooden door with a handle. The handle was merely decorative from the outside—only the inside could open it. It looked no different from any ordinary door.
"Anyone home?" Su Cui asked, head down. Her ears were sharp; despite the muffled sounds from inside, she heard footsteps. Someone was standing right on the other side of the door, peeking through the peephole.
Su Cui pressed her eye against the peephole and didn't move.
Naturally, the person inside saw nothing but darkness. After a moment, a hesitant voice came from within.
"Who is it?"
"Hello, I'm a neighbor from the building across. I was wondering if you have any spare diapers? My baby just ran out and is crying nonstop." Su Cui's aged voice eased the other's vigilance slightly.
But the voice inside insisted, "No, I'm out too. Try somewhere else."
"How disappointing," Su Cui said, blinking a few times.
At that, the person at the peephole finally realized that what they saw was Su Cui's eye. This was terrifying, but even more terrifying was the sound of a click.
The door was yanked from the outside.
Su Cui grabbed the locked handle with her right hand and pulled hard outward, then used her left hand's five fingers to punch through the lock that had suddenly popped up, forcefully tearing the door open. The whole process took less than five seconds.
As the door flew open and the pregnant woman was about to scream in shock, Su Cui rushed in and slammed the door shut behind her.
An old woman with her face completely covered in green clay mask smiled.
The mask had dried on her face, causing the smile to crack the clay wrinkles—rather unsightly.
To the pregnant woman, it wasn't just unsightly; it was downright horrifying.
Su Cui rushed in and clamped her hand over the pregnant woman's mouth. The room looked normal. A burly man pushed open a bedroom door and walked into the living room, asking in confusion, "What was that noise?"
Then he saw Su Cui.
The next second, she kicked him in the head, sending him flying. As he staggered back, spitting blood and two teeth, Su Cui grabbed the pregnant woman by the neck and walked over, crushing the burly man's limbs until he could only lie on the ground, whimpering.
"Don't talk, or you die," she warned the pregnant woman. "Trust me, your people won't get here before you're dead."
The pregnant woman trembled and clamped her mouth shut.
Before Su Cui could proceed, the burly man passed out from the pain.
Still holding the pregnant woman, Su Cui checked all the rooms. Confirming no one else was there, she grabbed a sofa cover from the couch, stepped on it, and tore it into strips. She handed them to the pregnant woman, then pulled out her gun and pointed it at the woman's head. "Go. Tie him up tight. Fast. Gag him."
The pregnant woman looked at Su Cui pitifully, obeyed, and seemed about to say something.
Su Cui ignored her. She took a red voice recorder from her bag and turned it on.