Sold for 300, I Fight Back with Superpowers

”If Du Xiangbao killed Du Daguai, it must have been because of some conflict between them. I think we should investigate the origin of that conflict,” Su Qing said after a moment’s thought. ’She knew full well that Du Xiangbao and his crew were tomb robbers, but she couldn’t say so outright. She could only try to guide them gently.’

”Right, we’re considering that angle too, but we haven’t turned up any results yet,” Zou Ming said with a nod.

”What about Du Xiangbao’s occupation? Have you found out what he does?” Su Qing asked.

”He’s an unemployed drifter,” Zou Ming said. ”After he left your Lihua Village, his movements were erratic, but it’s certain he never had a steady job. Then, a little over a year ago, he suddenly showed up in Beijing and found Du Daguai. After that, he was a frequent visitor at Du Daguai’s home. This information came from Du Daguai’s neighbors.”

”Besides Du Xiangbao, was no one else looking for Du Daguai?”

”No.”

Su Qing pursed her lips. ’These people really are cautious.’

Zou Ming continued, ”As for your father’s case, we’re actively investigating that as well. But you know, it’s been over seven years. Of the five people who went into the mountains back then, Du Xiangbao is the only one left alive. If we want to find out what really happened, we’ll have to catch Du Xiangbao and question him.”

”I understand,” Su Qing said with a nod. ”Thank you for your hard work.”

”It’s nothing,” Zou Ming said hurriedly. ”The cause of your father’s death was never determined. We should have uncovered the truth to clear his name. If Du Xiangbao really is responsible for your father’s death, he must be brought to justice.”

Su Qing nodded. She thought about Qiutian but decided not to bring him up for the time being. ”Are there any leads on Du Xiangbao’s whereabouts now?”

Zou Ming frowned. ”Not yet. It’s like Du Xiangbao has vanished into thin air. We can’t find a single trace.”

Su Qing pursed her lips slightly. ”Or... could he still be in Wenyun Valley? Maybe he never came out.”

Wenyun Valley wasn’t as vast as Da Hu Mountain or Xiqing Mountain, but it was still quite large.

”You mean...” Zou Ming was taken aback. ”You’re saying Du Xiangbao is still in Wenyun Valley?”

”It’s just a thought,” Su Qing said. ”They went into the mountains for a reason, right? So what was their objective?”

Zou Ming narrowed his eyes. ”Perhaps... they were looking for something in the mountains.”

”Perhaps,” Su Qing said, not wanting to be too specific and get herself into trouble.

”Su Qing, you’re really something else,” Zou Ming said with a smile. ”We’ve spent all this time checking every exit out of Beijing, even coordinating with our colleagues in the surrounding counties. It never occurred to us that he might still be in Wenyun Valley.”

”It just suddenly occurred to me,” Su Qing said with a small smile. ”Anyway, I’ll let you get back to work. I should be heading home.”

”Alright.” Zou Ming, now needing to redeploy his team, nodded. ”Thanks for your help today. I’ll treat you to dinner some other time to thank you properly.”

”You’re too kind, Captain Zou. I’m part of the team, after all. It’s my duty,” Su Qing said with a smile.

”In that case, how about you come work a regular shift?” Zou Ming joked.

Su Qing’s expression turned serious in an instant. ”Captain Zou, I’m still a student. My studies have to come first. I’m outta here, see ya.”

With that, Su Qing bolted without a backward glance. ’Work a regular shift? You’ve got to be kidding me. With all the money I have, why wouldn’t I enjoy life as a woman of wealthy leisure? Why torture myself with a nine-to-five job?’

After leaving the city police headquarters, Su Qing checked the time. It was almost noon, so she decided to head to the department store to have lunch with Li Wan.

Li Wan worked as a salesclerk at the department store. The Li family had originally wanted to arrange an office job for her, but Li Wan knew her own limits. She had dropped out before finishing middle school to be sent to the countryside, where she never held a job. Later, she was drugged and suffered from a mental breakdown that lasted for several years. To put it bluntly, she had no special skills. At her insistence, the Li family found her a position as a salesclerk at the watch counter in the department store. The pay was steady, the benefits were good, and the work wasn’t as exhausting as at other counters.

But unexpectedly, not long after Su Qing stepped into the department store, someone blocked her path.

The people blocking her were none other than Zhang Xiaozhen and Zhang Dahai.

To explain about Zhang Xiaozhen and Zhang Dahai: back when Su Qing was buying property, she had purchased several courtyard homes in one go, which had drawn Zhang Xiaozhen’s attention. Zhang Xiaozhen then egged on her second older brother, Zhang Dahai, to go take a secret look at Su Qing. The moment Zhang Dahai laid eyes on Su Qing, he was utterly smitten. Any reservations he had about his sister’s scheme vanished, and he couldn’t get Su Qing out of his head.

Zhang Xiaozhen’s original plan was for Zhang Dahai to find an opportunity to approach Su Qing, hoping that familiarity would breed affection. But as it turned out, no such opportunity ever arose.

But unexpectedly, they had run into her at the department store today.

”Su Qing, hello! We meet again,” Zhang Xiaozhen said, her eyes lighting up the moment she saw her. She quickly stepped in front of Su Qing to greet her.

Su Qing had no recollection of Zhang Xiaozhen whatsoever. She was just some employee from the Housing Management Office, and besides, she wasn’t even the person who had processed Su Qing’s paperwork.

”You are...?” Su Qing stared at Zhang Xiaozhen, racking her brain, but couldn’t place her face. ’Right, I don’t know her.’

”We’ve met before, at the Housing Management Office,” Zhang Xiaozhen said quickly, seeing the confusion in Su Qing’s eyes. ”You came in to handle some paperwork, we saw each other then. Don’t you remember?”

”I don’t remember,” Su Qing said, raising an eyebrow. ”Sorry, I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.”

The mention of the Housing Management Office did jog Su Qing’s memory, but the person who had handled her paperwork was a woman in her thirties, not this young girl.

”That’s okay!” Zhang Xiaozhen was momentarily stunned by Su Qing’s bluntness but quickly recovered. ”I know you live in Xilin Alley, and my house isn’t far from there, so we’re practically neighbors! I got a really good impression of you the first time I saw you, and I’ve been wanting to find a chance to become friends. It’s just a shame we never had the chance to meet again. Since we’ve finally met today, we can get acquainted now.”

”Oh.” Su Qing’s senses were sharp, and her intuition told her that Zhang Xiaozhen’s motives weren’t that simple. She just gave a faint nod.

”Big Bro, don’t just stand there like a fool,” Zhang Xiaozhen said, noticing Su Qing’s cold attitude. She waved her brother over and turned back to Su Qing. ”My brother and I came to browse the department store today. You too, right? Why don’t we look around together? It’s always better with company. Oh, right, this is my older brother, Zhang Dahai.”

”H-hello... My name is... Zhang Dahai.” The moment Zhang Dahai saw Su Qing, his heart began to pound like a drum. He suddenly didn’t know what to do with his hands and feet. He worried that his appearance wasn’t good enough, since he’d only given his face a quick wipe before leaving the house. When he heard his sister introduce him, he hurriedly stammered a greeting.