Chapter 273: K, Your Desire to Kill Me Is Becoming More Obvious

“This is the only way to ensure that the evidence Lan Cai’er knows… is never uncovered.”

Su Ming’s words made both Chen Sheng and Xu Changsheng pause for a moment. Then, as if struck by the same realization, their eyes widened in unison.

Because just as Su Ming had deduced, if K had truly known about their operation and had Ghost flee in advance, it would have been highly illogical.

But when you consider K’s usual methods, and the crucial evidence in Ghost’s possession, the conclusion becomes clear: eliminate the witness, destroy the evidence.

That’s the only explanation that fits.

This latest failure to capture Ghost wasn’t due to a leak or surveillance. It wasn’t because K had overheard some secret. In fact, it was pure coincidence.

K had simply been looking for an opportunity to silence Ghost, which is why he had him flee as quickly as possible.

On one hand, it ensured Ghost could evade capture in the short term. On the other, it set the stage for K’s next move—killing him.

After sorting through these thoughts, Chen Sheng turned to Su Ming with a heavy expression and said, “Team Leader Su.”

“Based on this line of reasoning, not only do we need to find Ghost as soon as possible, we also have to race against K.”

“The more K seems to care about Ghost, the more it proves one thing.”

“The evidence Ghost got from Lan Cai’er must be terrifyingly important. Otherwise, K would’ve abandoned him just like he did the others.”

“Especially now that the drug trafficking organization is basically finished. Most of its members are under surveillance.”

“In this situation, K is still trying to get rid of Ghost.”

“That only further confirms our earlier suspicions. Ghost might really have what it takes to deliver a fatal blow—not just to this drug trafficking ring, but even to that criminal organization in the United States.”

“After all, based on previous clues, Lan Cai’er’s graduation project team captured something at New York Harbor. That evidence is likely connected to the U.S. criminal organization.”

Xu Changsheng nodded in agreement, quickly picking up the thread.

“This is getting more complicated.”

“The roads in the urban village are a complete mess. There’s no surveillance at the entrance of that rental house. We have no idea what face Ghost used to leave.”

“Even the exact time he fled is unclear.”

“That’s bad news for tracking him down. If we don’t act fast, we might end up like before—only able to recover his body.”

Su Ming didn’t respond right away. Instead, he stood in silence, thoughts racing as he considered every hidden detail and possibility.

A few seconds later, he glanced around the small room, then finally spoke with resolve.

“Whatever the case may be, staying here won’t help.”

“We need to return to the Criminal Investigation Technology Section and dig deeper.”

“If we still can’t find any trace of Ghost, then we’ll use the citywide Sky Eye Surveillance to compare and identify anyone with a similar build and gait.”

“Also, I have another idea.”

“At this point, it’s safe to assume that K doesn’t have many people left to use. If he wants Ghost dead, he’ll have to send someone.”

“If we can’t find Ghost, maybe we can find the assassin K sends.”

At that moment, Chen Sheng’s eyes lit up. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “That’s right!”

“If Ghost is too hard to locate, we can search for the killer K sent instead. That might lead us straight to Ghost.”

“And if we find that assassin in time, we might even be able to rescue Ghost before he’s silenced. That way, the key evidence he holds won’t be lost.”

“Just like Team Leader Su said… K doesn’t have any other operatives in Jiahe City. If he wants Ghost dead, he’ll have to bring someone in.”

“So if we screen recent arrivals in Jiahe City—especially those from cities where other members of the drug trafficking organization were based—we might have a decent chance of finding the assassin.”

“If we can’t find Ghost, then let’s find the one sent to execute him.”

“This is a brilliant idea.”

It was clear that Chen Sheng’s earlier frustration had completely vanished.

Even if Ghost was hard to find, switching tactics to track down the one sent to kill him was clearly the better option.

Su Ming nodded in agreement, then spoke in a calm, serious tone.

“It’s a viable approach.”

“But we can’t put all our eggs in one basket. We can’t rely solely on finding the assassin K sent to Jiahe City.”

“Because if K really did send someone, I suspect it would be that Priest—the one with exceptional killing skills and battlefield experience.”

“If that’s the case, our chances of uncovering him aren’t great. So we still need to keep using the Sky Eye Surveillance to search for Ghost.”

“Use posture and walking patterns to match. Do everything we can to track down Ghost before he gets too far from the urban village.”

…

Meanwhile, in the restroom of the Dongbai Shopping Mall’s underground parking garage…

Ghost was hiding inside a stall. As the night wore on, the sound of engines gradually faded, and the garage grew eerily quiet.

Only the faulty emergency exit light continued to flicker with a dim green glow.

Inside the stall, Ghost’s phone suddenly vibrated. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen—it was a message from K.

But it wasn’t a new set of instructions. It was just a single photo.

The image showed Su Ming and the others entering the rental room in the urban village.

A moment later, K’s call came through.

Ghost hesitated for a couple of seconds, then narrowed his eyes and answered, feigning admiration.

“Boss K.”

“You really are something.”

“I barely left that urban village rental two, maybe three hours ago, and the cops were already there. If it weren’t for your warning, I’d probably be in cuffs by now.”

As his voice faded, K’s cold and steady tone came through the line.

“At least you haven’t been caught yet.”

“Stay hidden in the mall tonight. With that Qiang Wei Skin Mask on, it won’t be easy for the police to identify you.”

“Dongbai Shopping Mall opens at ten in the morning, but most of the cleaning staff and employees start arriving around nine.”

“When the place gets crowded, find the right moment to slip away. I’ll send further instructions on where to go next.”

“Remember, don’t act on your own. Unless you want to get caught by those dogs.”

With that, K hung up.

Inside the stall, Ghost spat into the toilet and muttered sarcastically to himself.

“Heh.”

“Even if the cops found the urban village, there’s no way they could’ve figured out which room I rented so quickly. Especially not within just two or three hours after I left.”

“So to earn my trust, you actually gave away the location of the room I spent so long picking out?”

“K, your desire to kill me… is getting more and more obvious.”