Seven o'clock in the evening.
While Song Lan was busy rolling a dough, he received a poignant call from Lu Xiang.
About an hour after their female colleague woke up, the doctors issued a critical condition notice, and within less than half an hour, they received a chilling death certificate.
Without a doubt, this was bleak news. The three hostages who had incidentally survived the Chai Ke case were all declared dead. The entire law enforcement department was shrouded in grief.
As the head of the law enforcement department in District 17, she had to stay in the Law Enforcement Manor and host a memorial service for the three of them. All section chiefs attended to express their condolences for their deceased colleagues.
Going by the situation, it seemed like Lu Xiang might have to stay in the Law Enforcement Manor again tonight.
The memorial service attracted reporters from several top media outlets in District 17. Even before the service began, the stories of the three deceased made rounds on the internet. Song Lan guessed that this was also Lu Xiang's strategy—these reporters were always able to spread news rapidly, which included news of the last death.
The cause of death was bleeding in the brain, which was different from the previous two colleagues brutally killed by the assassin. Her death could be considered an accident. A blow at the crime scene worsened the bleeding, which eventually led to the tragedy.
Song Lan believed that at this moment, the Foster Family, anxiously waiting for news in the core area, must already have heard about the news from District 17 via the internet.
Though the method used for the final target's death was strange, it did not deter the fact that Mr. Killer had already completed his mission.
On his way home, Song Lan purchased a charging cable and charged Mr. Killer's phone to keep it on at all times. If things go as planned, he should soon receive new orders from the Foster Family, and a reply from him would buy him considerable time.
Next, all he needed was an opportunity for Mr. Killer to successfully retire.
As for the new instructions given by the Foster Family, he definitely wasn't going to execute them. While Song Lan couldn't guarantee anything else, he was confident in pretending to work while actually slacking.
For example, while the majority of his colleagues were attending the memorial service at the Manor, he chose to stay home and make egg tarts.
No choice, these were the instructions given by the director herself.
Rolling the dough into strips and then into lumps, he swiftly put these lumps into meticulously lined containers; with his thumb, he spread them apart to form the base of the egg tart.
"Buzz buzz buzz---
The faint vibration caught Song Lan's attention.
He immediately put his work aside and quickly entered his bedroom. It turned out that the Foster Family's efficiency was much higher than he expected. Not a quarter of an hour had passed since the news of the law enforcers' deaths was announced, Mr. Killer's phone received a message.
"9:15, Old Man Printing Factory, pick up"
The instructions were concise and clear. The time, location, and the mission target were clearly written. The message did not praise his efficient work nor did it inquire about his current condition. The ice-cold words dictated his next move.
While Song Lan was pondering how to find an entry point and reply with a message like "I've been doing well recently. There's no need for the organization to worry about me" without arousing the Fosters' suspicion, the anonymous message disappeared automatically. Only after revisiting the inbox several times did he confirm it wasn't a bug; rather, the sender didn't want to leave traces.
Now, Song Lan understood why both the inbox and draft box of the phone were empty.
It wasn't challenging to deduce that every instruction given to the killer would be self-deleted shortly after being read. And it seemed Mr. Killer would usually not initiate contact with the Foster Family. Instead, the family decided when to get in touch and what the mission content would be.
With this practice, even if Mr. Killer got caught or died in some unknown corner, no one would be able to find any evidence pointing towards the Foster Family from him.
In fact, the organization showed little concern about Mr. Killer's situation.
At this moment, Song Lan felt a biting chill akin to winter. He found it challenging to imagine how Mr. Killer was motivated to stick around given his work's severe lack of human care.
If he had a boss like that, he definitely would've run away on the first day of work.
Unconsciously, Song Lan clenched his fists. Despite the scorching weather, his hands and feet were icy cold, his heart filled with bitter sadness.
What a waste for Mr. Killer!
Look, you're dead and buried at the bottom of a lake, yet the Foster Family still worries about their damn tasks.
If I were you, I would have relieved my hatred by killing the contact who assigned the tasks.
Of course, Song Lan was only grumbling within. He wouldn't actually do it.
If he did meet the task assigner in reality, he would probably warmly shake his hand and say, "Leader, you are working hard."
Oh, the sorrows of being a common office worker!
However, if Lu Xiang's soft and delicate hand was the one he was holding, he would enjoy it.
Losing his connection method with the organization, he had no choice but to consider the information regarding the Old Man Printing Factory. He entered these few words into the search engine on his phone and quickly found the result.
Old Man Printing Factory was located in the West District. It was an old printing factory in District 17. During the initial establishment of the United Government post-war, the golden era of print media, the Old Man Printing Factory played an essential role in District 17. However, with the economic recovery, the rise of the internet, and the rapid development of multimedia technology, the Old Man Printing Factory was inevitably abandoned by the times and has been deserted for decades.
The search result also included the address of the printing factory. It was less than 5 kilometers away from Lu Xiang's apartment, which would take about ten minutes to reach by bike.
An abandoned printing factory for many years which, according to the picture on the website, looked like a haunted house.
Song Lan looked at the time on his cell phone. There was quite some time before the "pickup". After fruitless attempts at contacting the Foster Family and witnessing their frigid and inhumane methods, he, with a heavy heart, put on disposable rubber gloves that concealed fingerprints, and penned down a 500-word report letter.
The report letter stated that someone was engaged in illegal activities in the abandoned Old Man Printing Factory.
Recipient: Lu Xiang
Sender: A concerned citizen
He put the letter in an envelope, wrapped it in an unnoticeable plastic bag, and then booked the "Anonymous Delivery" service using Mr. Killer's phone.
This service fully respects the privacy of every customer, helping them deliver items they don't want to send out personally to the destination.
Usually, this service is used to "exchange pleasantries" between enemies.
However, Song Lan heard that some extreme readers use this service to send blade razors to unreliable authors of unfinished works.
Song Lan set up the pickup location.
In a half-hour, the delivery guy would pick up the item.
Before 8:10 p.m., this envelope would be delivered to the Law Enforcement Manor.
After completing all this, Song Lan felt much better.
Perhaps, this was one of the few things he could do for Mr. Killer.
Rest in peace, Mr. Killer.
Let me, Song Lan, avenge you!