Wen Jun's incident was just the prologue to Mu Zi's life in Zhonghai City. As soon as their plan for Wen Jun succeeded, Mu Zi and Ouyang Liuse moved to another hotel, settling down in a new room. They don't plan to leave Zhonghai City just yet because, firstly, they already had another job lined up as soon as the plan for Wen Jun began to take shape. Secondly, Zhonghai City's renowned sights are too numerous to miss. Since they're here, it'd be a shame not to explore them all. So, they decide to stay in Zhonghai City a bit longer.
In Zhonghai City's Champion Holiday Hotel, they stayed in a luxurious presidential suite on the 17th floor.
Life with money is different. The whole suite is opulent and stately, with all kinds of top-brand furniture, offering a truly presidential experience. However, luxury comes with a hefty price tag. The room costs eight hundred yuan per day, an astronomical amount for Mu Zi's past self. Recalling his days in Phoenix City, surviving on steamed buns and mineral water, his daily expenses didn't exceed three yuan. Now... But Mu Zi isn't the naive, impoverished boy from Phoenix City anymore. He believes that only in the most comfortable environments can one get the best rest, ensuring the most vigorous mental capacity to plan perfect schemes. The second reason is Ouyang Liuse. Mu Zi thinks about how she, like him, lived a life of poverty. Now, as his beloved, he wants to compensate for her past hardships and give her the best of everything with all his might...
It's nine o'clock in the evening, and they've just returned from their day out. Ouyang Liuse has gone to bathe, while Mu Zi sits silently by the window, gazing through the classically styled window at the neon-lit night sky outside.
In his hand, he holds a glass of red wine.
The clear glass, the crimson liquid, it's like... blood.
Fate determined that my life would be different. Swirling the wine in his glass, Mu Zi's gaze deepens, becoming more profound.
There were times when he pressed his young face against the window glass, sometimes waiting for his mother to return, sometimes anxiously listening to his parents' fierce arguments, sometimes secretly casting hateful glances at his stepmother's back, and sometimes just staring out the window in despair as his father, addicted to drugs, frenziedly destroyed the home's furniture... Awakening from that dark environment, Mu Zi, since young, feared blood, especially recalling his mother coughing blood in her last moments, which once made him faint in shock...
Back then, even as he vowed to kill to avenge his mother and seek liberation, he never imagined that one day he'd be here, sitting in a room costing eight hundred yuan a night, waiting to get intimate with his impeccable girlfriend, and right after planning a murder... Unknowingly, murder and death have become so close and familiar to him. Old Man, Ma Liu, Liu Jie, Mi Na, Wen Jun... As each fell to his schemes, Mu Zi's feelings shifted from fear and lament to a surprising calmness, and even a hint of excitement! Murdering has become a common occurrence for him, even a hobby...
Draining his glass, Mu Zi suddenly feels strange, as if he's not drinking wine, but blood.
Odder still is that this sensation doesn't sadden him but brings clarity and thrill.
Have I become bloodthirsty? Cruel? Psychopathic?
Staring at the empty wine glass, Mu Zi's face reveals a bitter smile.
Just then, his laptop on the table chimes, indicating a new message on QQ. Using QQ for communication is one of the things Ouyang Liuse taught him. From his first try with the cute penguin icon, he grew fond of this mode of contact. So convenient that it's now one of his main ways to receive jobs. His nickname? Archangel - The Angels of Death!
Mu Zi sets down his glass and goes to the computer, opening the window to check the blinking icon.
It's him, the one known as "Below Zero." A few days before the plan for Wen Jun even started, he found Mu Zi on QQ, asking him to kill someone, his ex-girlfriend, named He Li.
Below Zero: Archangel, He Li is back.
Mu Zi types a response: I know. When do you want it done?
Below Zero: As soon as possible. I wish I could flay that woman alive right now!
Archangel: The more intense the hatred, the more muddled the mind. I hope you can stay calm and tell me everything you know about He Li. The more detailed, the better.
Below Zero: I'm a doctor, I understand that.
Archangel: Good. Since you're a doctor, you should know if she has any medical conditions or allergies after being with her for so long?
Below Zero: I do know, but you might be disappointed. She's pretty healthy and hardly allergic to anything.
Mu Zi ponders and continues typing.
Archangel: Is her current boyfriend her coach?
Below Zero: Yes. But she seduced him, only to get famous and ahead. I know her all too well!
Archangel: You mentioned last time He Li is a model and she is going to France for a show?
Below Zero: Yes.
Archangel: And her boyfriend is going too?
Below Zero: Of course.
Archangel: How did you know He Li was back in the country this time? Are you following her?
Below Zero: Yes. I always hope to see this woman get what she deserves, get hit by a car, struck by lightning...
Archangel: Alright, now, tell me He Li's current address, and yours too.
Below Zero: Alright...
As Ouyang Liuse emerges from the bathroom, she sees Mu Zi intently studying the online map of Zhonghai City.
"What's up, already planning a new scheme?" Ouyang Liuse smiles, drying her damp hair.
"Not yet," Mu Zi shakes his head. "As usual, before starting a new plan, we need to thoroughly understand both the employer and the target."
Ouyang Liuse watches Mu Zi's fingers move over the map. "So, you've got their locations?"
Mu Zi nods. "Yes. Two hundred thousand, starting tomorrow, we'll begin our action."
Ouyang Liuse gracefully sits beside Mu Zi, smiling. "Then why not today? We could scout now too, right?"
Mu Zi turns to her, eyes narrowing, gazing at her draped in a bathrobe, droplets still clinging to her hair. She's so ravishing, like a blooming flower.
"Because right now, we have something more important to do..."
As Ouyang Liuse's shriek echoes, Mu Zi pounces toward her like a hungry tiger.