Chapter 617 - 342:

Cheng Leyi’s face turned beet red in an instant.

"What’s so funny? Is it really that amusing?"

She glared at the burly man and angrily kicked away the plastic bag on her legs.

The burly man scratched his head, not daring to talk back.

Another man with a full beard saw this, stifled his laughter, and stepped forward to ease the awkwardness:

"Alright, alright, Chen Lei, you guys say less. It’s normal for a girl to be nervous in this situation."

The bearded one was none other than Cheng Leyi’s old teammate, Lin Xuhao. He promptly picked up the umbrella from the ground and handed it to Cheng Leyi.

"Alright, just a false alarm, don’t stand in the rain, let’s go over there for some cover."

A young man with sleek silver hair put away his handgun, his expression back to serious, and spoke.

He was the commander of this operation group, code-named "Fisherman," Xu Fei.

The group gathered under the eaves of a nearby closed shop.

Cheng Leyi pulled out a small mirror from her handbag, looked at her slightly smudged makeup, and annoyed, took out her compact to touch up.

The rain intensified, large raindrops pounded on the metal canopy, producing a dense "pat-pat" sound.

The lights from the distant skyscrapers appeared blurry and remote through the rain curtain.

"The rain keeps getting heavier, the weather forecast says it’s going to last for two more days."

A team member complained.

"It’s not just rainy days; East Capital is so big, that bastard can hide anywhere, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack, really hard to find."

Another team member chimed in.

Lin Xuhao raised his wrist, glanced at the time on his watch, then looked at Xu Fei:

"Xu team, it’s already past eleven, shall we call it a night?"

"Let’s hold on a bit longer."

Xu Fei shook his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone, saying deeply:

"I’ve combed through the case files again, those thirteen cases, have you noticed any patterns?"

"The killer strikes at the beginning of each month, and after completing three hunts, immediately switches to another area."

"From Jiangbei East, to Jiangbei South, then to Wenchuan West, Wenchuan North, Jiangdong Middle, he never stays in the same place for too long."

"This shows he’s extremely alert, even obsessive-compulsive, but it’s also this paranoia that allows us to lock onto his activity patterns."

Xu Fei’s voice was particularly clear amidst the rain.

"Currently, there’s only been one incident in Jiangbei East, so his next target is very likely still here."

"And in all of Jiangbei East, only Yingchun Road has the most nightclubs and bars, making it easiest for him to find lone women returning home late at night."

"He’s already held out for over a month, I don’t believe he can keep on holding back."

"He didn’t appear during last week’s storm, so tonight or tomorrow night is the most likely time for him to act."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded.

Under Xu Fei’s leadership, this ad-hoc operation team had been staking out this street for five rainy nights.

"Rest assured, Team Leader Xu, it’s just a pervert who bullies women. When he shows up, we’ll break his legs!"

"Yeah, let him fall into the hands of our Special Search Team, we’ll show him what regret is!"

The team members talked tough, trying to disperse the gloom and fatigue brought on by this rainy night.

Xu Fei nodded slightly. This operation was his first independent lead since being promoted to Level One Officer, only success was allowed, not failure.

At this moment, Cheng Leyi had finished touching up her makeup and casually tossed the compact back into her bag.

Then she took out a tissue, wiped the wig that had been soaked by the rain, and complained:

"Wearing this thing is really troublesome."

She pulled off the smooth long wig in a single motion, revealing the neat, short hair underneath.

The aura she exuded instantly shifted from seductive and alluring to bold and charismatic.

"Can’t be helped, the killer has a peculiar preference for women with long hair."

Xu Fei smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

"I think,"

Chen Lei suddenly chimed in: "The bait needs to be adequately feminine to attract the target."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Leyi raised her brows:

"What did you say? I don’t have femininity?"

"No, no."

Chen Lei quickly waved his hand and said, "I’m just saying, Leyi, you could be a tad more gentle and unleash your charming attributes."

"Yeah, just like those women on TV, swaying as they walk,"

Another team member joined in the teasing: "Leyi, you’ve got such a great figure, you can absolutely do it!"

Their gazes naturally lingered on Cheng Leyi.

The red camisole dress indeed accentuated her scorching figure, curvaceous, long legs, her skin gleaming bright in the night.

Though her looks weren’t the type to be coquettish and frail, they carried a touch of boldness, coming together to form a distinct allure.

If she stayed silent, she’d definitely be a femme fatale driving men wild.

Of course, they’d never dare truly provoke this tigress.

Such a stunning woman could probably only be handled by a monster-level man.

"It’s already lucky someone’s willing to be bait, don’t press your luck."

Cheng Leyi sneered, but the corners of her mouth lifted slightly:

"Go check around the Special Search Team, can you find anyone prettier than me?"

"Alright, we’ve rested enough, let’s get back to work."

Xu Fei interrupted their idle chatter:

"Endure these two nights, let’s catch the killer quickly and wrap this up."

Everyone then dispersed again, slowly merging into the shadows of the street.

Cheng Leyi put the wig back on, opened the umbrella, and slung the sequined handbag.