Chapter 139: Confirming the Identity
In Song Lin’s eyes, the small boy’s silhouette on the surveillance footage gradually overlapped with the bloodstained figure that haunted his nightmares. His eyes widened in shock as he stared intently at the screen.
He wasn’t sure how long he had been lost in thought until a burning sensation on his fingertip snapped him back to reality. He looked down at his hand—the cigarette he had just lit had already burned to the end, scorching the filter. The sharp sting on his fingertips was the result of the smoldering cigarette.
Taking a deep breath, Song Lin flicked away the cigarette butt and returned his gaze to the looping surveillance footage.
“How could it be you…” His expression was filled with utter disbelief as he murmured to himself.
“Aren’t you supposed to be dead?”
His eyes remained fixed on the screen, watching the footage replay over and over. More precisely, his focus was locked onto the eight-year-old boy’s back.
Song Lin lit another cigarette and took a deep drag. The nicotine calmed his turbulent emotions, allowing his rational mind to take control again.
“Is it just a coincidence…?”
“Or is it really Axi?”
He muttered under his breath. Even the most composed person would struggle to accept seeing someone presumed dead reappear, alive and well.
Back then, given the circumstances, it wasn’t just Axi—who had already been shot—who should have perished in the explosion. Even Song Lin himself, despite being carried by two highly trained and physically strong criminal investigators, Wang Qiang and Shi Guang, had barely escaped the blast.
He couldn’t fathom how Axi had managed to survive.
“If it really is Axi… then this just got a whole lot more complicated.”
Song Lin whispered, lighting another cigarette and taking a deep inhale.
In Room 507, Fang Xiaocao gasped in shock after watching the surveillance replay seven times.
“Oh my god, it really is Han Xue!”
If her mother was indeed Han Xue, then the identity of the boy next to her was self-evident. He could only be that eternally youthful killer—Axi.
Even though she had already learned about Han Xue and Axi’s existence from the noodle shop informant, knowing was one thing—facing the truth was another.
Fang Xiaocao placed her phone on the bed and paced the room with her hands behind her back, contemplating her next move.
“How should I send Han Xue to hell?”
She muttered to herself. That’s right—there was no more room for mercy. Anyone who tried to harm her would face the same fate. She would do whatever it took to drag them to hell.
“Axi is ruthless, Han Xue is cunning. Together, they won’t be easy to deal with.”
“I need to find a way to break them apart using my limited resources.”
A strategy began to take shape in her mind.
“But… I wonder what the police have planned?”
She picked up her phone, debating whether to message Wang Qiang for hints about their next move. After a moment of hesitation, she decided against it. Asking out of nowhere would be too suspicious. She might even raise Wang Qiang’s guard against her. She had experienced his sharp instincts firsthand.
Instead, she chose to proceed with her own unfinished plan. After some thought, she opened Tom’s WeChat and typed:
“Tom, I have a job for you.”
In the hotel restaurant on the first floor, Tom, enjoying his dinner, heard his phone chime. He immediately put down his knife and fork and checked the message. Seeing it was from Fang Xiaocao, he swiftly unlocked his phone and opened WeChat. Reading her words, he raised an eyebrow and quickly replied.
“[Tom: Princess, command me as you wish.]”
In Room 508, Fang Xiaocao shook her head with a wry smile at his playful response. She composed another message:
“Tom, pull up the surveillance footage of the hotel lobby. Set the time to 11:18 AM.”
In the hotel restaurant, Tom casually glanced around to ensure no one was watching before exiting WeChat and tapping on a gray app icon. The app opened, splitting the hotel’s surveillance feed into multiple screens on his phone. A quick scan, and he found the footage of the lobby. Following Fang Xiaocao’s instructions, he set the playback to 11:18 AM and began reviewing the video.
Multitasking effortlessly, he activated split-screen mode, pulled up WeChat, and typed:
“[Tom: Princess, I’m watching the 11:18 AM lobby footage now.]”
In Room 508, seeing his response, Fang Xiaocao quickly typed:
“Focus on the front desk. The mother and son checking in—they’re your targets.”
“They’re disguised. The mother isn’t actually that old—she’s a young, beautiful university student named Han Xue.”
“The boy isn’t a child either. He’s a man in his late 30s or early 40s with dwarfism. His name is Axi.”
“They are both extremely dangerous and cunning—fugitives wanted by the police and the ones trying to kill me.”
She stopped there, giving Tom a moment to process the information.
In the hotel restaurant, Tom, savoring his steak, kept his eyes on the surveillance footage while reading her messages. Despite splitting his focus three ways, he remained perfectly composed.
“Wow~ This is exciting.”
He muttered in admiration. “Their disguise skills are impressive. If the princess hadn’t pointed it out, I wouldn’t have noticed they were wearing disguises.”
As an expert in disguise himself, Tom analyzed their techniques before switching back to WeChat and replying:
“[Tom: Princess, I’ve reviewed the footage and your intel. What do you need me to do?]”
In Room 508, Fang Xiaocao responded without hesitation.
“I want them dead.”
“If you can’t kill them without leaving a trace, then find a way to hand them over to the police.”
“Make sure they never walk away from this.”
(End of Chapter 139)
