Chapter 119: The Knock on the Door
[Hot Noodles: Using the elimination method based on deaths might not be realistic. Just because someone dies doesn’t mean they were good, and just because someone lives doesn’t mean they’re bad.]
Hot Noodles immediately saw through Fang Xiaocao’s thoughts.
Since they were essentially the same person, it was impossible for Hot Noodles not to know what she was thinking.
“Alright, I was being naive,” Fang Xiaocao sighed and replied to the message.
“Do you have any other useful leads?”
She kept calculating in her mind—who was using Su Wanqing as a pawn?
Could it be Zhi Qi?
Unlikely.
With the backing of the Zhi family, Zhi Qi wouldn’t need to go through so much trouble just to check her hotel booking information.
Besides, Zhi Qi wasn’t short on money. If she wanted to hire assassins, she would definitely go for professionals—like Tom, who Fang Xiaocao had recruited.
But the three assassins who had ambushed the elevator clearly weren’t professionals. If they had been, Tom wouldn’t have been able to take on three of them and survive.
Not only did Tom survive, but he also had the strength to transport their bodies to the underground parking lot and load them into a minivan for disposal.
That wasn’t just a victory—it was a crushing win.
Fang Xiaocao hadn’t considered this before.
But now, it was clear.
The three assassins in the elevator weren’t sent by Zhi Qi.
They were sent by the person who had manipulated Su Wanqing.
It wouldn’t make sense for Zhi Qi to send out a second wave of killers without first confirming that Tom had failed.
And even if she did, she wouldn’t choose three low-level assassins.
After all, her first choice was Dolphin, a highly ranked assassin. Her second choice, Tom, was also an emerging talent on the assassin blacklist.
So why would the third wave be such amateurs?
That would just alert Fang Xiaocao.
Even if she wasn’t smart, getting attacked in public would make her cautious. Would she really not call the police and instead just go drive around for fun?
That didn’t add up.
“So… that means there are still two people trying to kill me,” Fang Xiaocao murmured, lying on the hotel bed.
“Then… who else besides Zhi Qi?”
“Wen Shi or Yun Luoshu?”
“Surely not both?”
She let out a self-deprecating laugh.
“Could the second assassin actually be Thousand Faces?”
With that thought, she quickly messaged Hot Noodles.
[Hot Noodles: I haven’t found any other useful clues yet. The timeframe was too short—I only had time to rule out Su Wanqing’s involvement.]
[Hot Noodles: Also, I don’t have any evidence linking the other assassin to Thousand Faces.]
Fang Xiaocao suddenly sat up in bed.
“Could there really be two assassins? One being Thousand Faces in disguise, and the other wanting me dead?”
She sent a voice message in excitement.
“How much do people hate me? So many want me dead!”
She laughed bitterly.
[Hot Noodles: Don’t jinx it. Anything is possible.]
[Hot Noodles: Being too outstanding naturally attracts hatred.]
Fang Xiaocao rolled her eyes at the message.
“I think you’re just complimenting yourself.”
She added a disgusted emoji.
[Hot Noodles: We’re the same person. Complimenting me is just complimenting you!]
[Hot Noodles: Don’t get caught up in the details.]
Fang Xiaocao was speechless.
She had seen shameless people before, but never to this extent.
“Are you serious?” She finally asked after a long pause.
[Hot Noodles: Until the truth is revealed, anything is possible. Why not consider that both of them want you dead?]
Fang Xiaocao froze.
“That actually makes a lot of sense…”
She let out a bitter chuckle.
“My life really is a hot commodity… so many people want it.”
[Hot Noodles: Don’t overthink it. The harder we are to kill, the more it proves how strong we are. Besides, I’m being hunted too, not just you.]
[Hot Noodles: Let’s take this as an opportunity to prove how formidable we are.]
Fang Xiaocao rolled her eyes again.
“Prove my ass!”
She exited the chat and hesitated for a moment before deciding not to message Tom.
Closing WeChat, she lay back down, closed her eyes, and focused on listening to the sounds outside her room.
The hotel was nearly full, and the hallway was noisy with guests coming and going, along with staff cleaning rooms and providing services.
The chaos made it hard to concentrate.
“Sigh… what a dumb idea I had.”
She sighed in frustration.
Getting up, she turned on the lights, plugged in her phone to charge, and turned on the TV.
“I’m done waiting. If they want to come, they can. I’m not even in 508.”
She muttered to herself, locking the door, securing the chain lock, and stepping into the bathroom to enjoy a hot bath.
The safest place was often the most dangerous-looking one.
What assassin would think that she was just across the hall, soaking in a bathtub and sipping wine?
The hotel provided wine for guests, available through a QR code payment.
Fang Xiaocao swirled her glass, took a sip—then immediately winced and set it down.
“Ugh, this wine is awful!”
She made a face.
As the bathwater cooled, she stretched, climbed out, wrapped herself in a towel, and collapsed onto the hotel bed.
Snuggling into the blankets, she watched a soap opera until she drifted off to sleep.
Knock, knock, knock…
Knock, knock, knock…
She didn’t know how long she had been asleep when a rhythmic knocking woke her up.
Groggily, she almost responded—but stopped herself just in time.
Phew… close one!
She exhaled deeply.
The knocking wasn’t on her door.
It was coming from across the hall—508.
Fang Xiaocao sat up, wrapped her towel tightly around herself, and tiptoed to the door.
She pressed her ear against it, straining to listen to the sounds in the hallway.
(End of Chapter 119)
