Chapter 27: They Took the Bait!

Report it to the police? Without any proof or evidence, they wouldn't be able to do a thing. Even if the police arrived, they couldn't charge him, and it might only alert him, causing him to become more cautious or simply disappear into the shadows.

Therefore, Shen Zhiyu had to use herself as bait to bring this man to justice. It wasn't that she was particularly noble; she was simply fearless. If there were any true danger to her, Shen Zhiyu would have called the police immediately. However, with Yuanbao, a spirit beast, by her side and a secret weapon hidden in her system space, she was truly bold due to her own capability.

...

As night fell, the residents of the communal courtyard locked their doors. Some were busy starting families, others were drifting off to sleep. Shen Zhiyu, however, could not sleep. Although she guessed that the man would strike tonight, what if she was wrong? After turning these thoughts over in her mind for what felt like an eternity, she finally drifted off.

The night deepened. A figure appeared on the wall of the courtyard, dressed in black and wearing a hood, with only his eyes visible. He quickly straddled the wall and dragged a ladder inside from the outside.

"Woof!"
(Master, wake up! He's here, the villain is here!)

Even though Yuanbao called out softly while Shen Zhiyu was in a deep sleep, it was not enough to wake her. Eventually, Yuanbao gave up. It figured that as long as it was there, no one could harm its master.

The intruder entered the courtyard and quickly reached Shen Zhiyu’s door. He took out a small knife, inserted the thin blade into the door gap, and gently nudged the bolt. In no time, the bolt was pushed aside. He was only able to succeed because Shen Zhiyu had left the door unlocked for him; otherwise, had the latch behind the bolt been dropped, he would never have been able to open it.

The door swung open. Shen Zhiyu remained fast asleep. By the time the man covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, she still showed no reaction.

That was when Yuanbao struck! It lunged from the corner and bit hard into the man's calf. Despite its small size, as a spirit beast, it could inflict exactly the kind of injury it intended.

"Ah—!"

A shrill scream pierced the courtyard. Many people who had just fallen asleep were startled awake, and those who were already deep in sleep were jolted up as well. Then, they heard a flurry of barking, followed by a man's curses and shouts.

"What's going on?"
"Let's go take a look!"

People rushed out of their rooms and soon reached Shen Zhiyu's door, where they saw a man in black and a black hood facing off against Shen Zhiyu’s miniature puppy. The puppy was fast, and the man had been bitten quite badly.

"Catch the thief!"
"Get him!"
"Don't let him escape!"

Seeing the man's attire, the men in the courtyard assumed a burglar had broken in and rushed forward, shouting. It was at this moment that Shen Zhiyu stepped out of her room.

"Everyone, be careful! This man is a serial killer!"

Shen Zhiyu issued a warning. She was afraid someone might get hurt; after all, a desperate criminal is capable of anything when cornered. Upon hearing that he was a serial killer, the crowd did not retreat; instead, they became even more determined. Catching a common thief might only earn a verbal commendation from the factory, but capturing a serial killer? That was an immense honor. It would involve not just the factory leadership, but the local police station and even the neighborhood committee.

"You wretch! How did you know?" The man was stunned that Shen Zhiyu had seen through him, and even more so that she had been luring him into a trap.

"You've been following me ever since that day under the tree. Did you think you were being careful?" Shen Zhiyu said coldly. "Wait for your execution!"

She already knew everything through Yuanbao. The man had even prepared a sedative; if Yuanbao hadn't used its magic to wake her, she would still be unconscious. But now, her appearance was the final straw that broke him. The man had been confident in his chemicals, but since Shen Zhiyu hadn't fallen asleep, he realized she had been guarding against him all along—she hadn't even been breathing when he covered her face.

The residents worked together, using sticks, stools, and chairs to subdue the man bitten by Yuanbao, tying him up securely.

"Quick, go to the police station!"
"A few of you, keep a close watch on him!"
"Check the surroundings to see if he has any accomplices!"

The group worked in an orderly fashion. Soon, the ladder was discovered. The man had been thoroughly prepared, with two ladders—one outside and one inside—proving this was a premeditated crime.

When the police arrived and learned the situation, they took the man away. The residents of the courtyard were too agitated to sleep, but Shen Zhiyu returned to her room and fell straight back to sleep. The matter was resolved. As for whether there would be enough evidence for his past crimes? With the chemicals, the knife, and the man in custody, if they couldn't break his confession, she wouldn't know what to say.

...

The next morning, as soon as Shen Zhiyu arrived at the Cotton Mill office, she saw the factory leadership and the police officers; they had already cleared the case. The man had confessed to everything! If Shen Zhiyu hadn't shattered his confidence by making him think he had been exposed from the start, he wouldn't have confessed so easily. The police leadership had come to express their gratitude.

Shen Zhiyu smiled modestly, saying she had only done her duty. However, she gained great benefits from this incident.

A permanent position was just the beginning! Her clerk rank was raised from level twelve to level six! This was a meteoric rise in both status and salary. Her previous monthly wage of twenty-three yuan had nearly doubled to forty-three! She was honored for her bravery, and a spot as an "Advanced Individual" for the year was guaranteed.

What surprised her most was that her name, along with the name of the Seventh Cotton Mill, had made it into the newspapers, giving the factory leadership a significant boost in reputation. Since there was no room to further adjust her wage or job grade for the moment, they gave her other rewards, such as increased responsibilities. Shen Zhiyu, who had previously been an office clerk, was promoted to Deputy Section Chief of the Publicity Department—though the title was mostly honorary for now.

"Yuanbao, you did a great job. I'll treat you to an extra meal later!" All these benefits stemmed from Yuanbao, and she couldn't forget her top contributor.

"Woof!"
(I want sweet and sour pork ribs!)

"No problem, it's a deal!"