Invasion of America

Chapter 7 The real murderer
At twelve o'clock late in the night, Baitan Town was swallowed up by the thick night, as if an invisible hand was tightly grasping the entire town.

The lonely street lamps are like a few cracks in the darkness, and the weak light barely outlines the contours of the dilapidated street.

It had been exactly twenty-four hours since the shootout at the Scorpion Bar last night. The roads were silent, with only the occasional sirens from afar piercing the night sky.

Toto stood in front of the bedroom window, put his fingers on the window frame and applied light pressure. The wooden window frame creaked, as if reminding him not to disturb anyone.

He held his breath, stuck his head out, and carefully observed the situation outside. The street was empty, with only a few stray cats wandering around the trash cans.

After confirming that there was nothing unusual, Toto took a deep breath, climbed out of the windowsill clumsily, and climbed up the ladder that had been placed in advance.

As a fat man weighing more than 150 kilograms, every step Toto took made the wooden structure of the roof creak under the heavy load, and the ladder swayed slightly under his weight.

He tried to walk as lightly as possible, his fingers tightly gripping the rungs of the ladder, as cautious as walking on thin ice.

Just as he was about to reach the ground, a fierce quarrel suddenly broke out in the restaurant on the first floor. He immediately stopped and wondered if he had been discovered.

"You old fool, stop nagging me! Money, give me money, I only want money now!"

A voice, like thunder, broke the silence of the night, carrying a strong smell of alcohol and undisguised anger. It was Toto's father shouting.

"You idiot, go to the basement and sleep, or I'll shoot you in the head!" Grandma's voice was sharp and cold, without any sign of weakness.

Toto knew that his grandmother was holding a loaded hunting rifle. The bullet holes on the kitchen wall would prove that she could really shoot.

The two men's quarrel became louder and louder, vicious curses and obscene slang spraying out of their mouths like bullets, and every word was filled with hatred and vitriol.

Lights lit up in the windows of the neighbors. Some of them poked their heads out and muttered in dissatisfaction, "Here we go again! I've had enough!"

But soon, the window was slammed shut again.

Toto knew that the neighbors were used to such scenes and had complained countless times, but to no avail.

This place, known as "Mud Street", is the real poor settlement in Baitan Town, full of thieves, vagrants, lazy people who live on relief, and drug addicts.

The police were too lazy to intervene, at most they would collect the bodies after the incident.

Toto finally climbed to the ground. He quickly put away the ladder, hid in the shadows, and looked around.

The streets were filled with a rotten smell, which was the fermentation of garbage cans that had not been cleaned for many days, emitting a disgusting sour stench.

A few mice were scurrying around in the darkness, their eyes flashing a faint green light in the moonlight.

A scrawny wildcat approached silently and suddenly pounced, causing the captured mouse to squeak.

Toto pushed a broken bicycle out from the side of his garage. The rust on the wheels shone dimly in the moonlight.

He held the handlebars and carefully pushed the bike away for a distance. He didn't get on the saddle until he could no longer hear the quarrel at home. Then he pedaled hard a few times.

This car was his toy many years ago and had been thrown in the corner of the garage and had not been used for a long time.

Now that he has gained two or three times his weight, he rides the bike like a circus bear, making the bike squeak and seem like it will fall apart at any moment.

But Toto didn't care about these, his target was the "Scorpion" bar one kilometer away.

After several rounds of "visits" by gang members, Raul and the police, the "Scorpion" bar fell silent again.

The yellow cordon protecting the shooting scene has been torn to pieces and is blowing in the wind like rags, mocking the powerlessness of the law.

The seal on the door became a joke, torn into pieces and scattered all over the floor.

The front and back doors of the bar were completely open, like a gaping mouth, waiting to swallow anyone who dared to enter.

Toto stopped a few dozen meters away and leaned his bike against a tree on the side of the road. He took out an emergency light from his backpack, flipped the switch, and a beam of bright light pierced the darkness.

He approached the bar with extreme caution, stopping every few steps to look around.

The vehicles on the roadside, the roofs of the buildings, and the broken windows seemed as if there were evil demons hiding in the darkness, ready to pounce at any time.

The closer he got to the tavern, the faster Toto's heart beat, almost bursting through his chest. He knew he had to be careful, otherwise he would be in great trouble.

He first walked around the tavern a few times to make sure no one was paying attention to him before walking into the tavern step by step.

The beams of emergency lights illuminated the devastated tavern.

The broken glass bottles reflected a dazzling light under the light, and the crooked tables and chairs seemed to have been trampled by a giant beast, lying on the ground in a mess, blocking the view.

The darkness changed with the movement of light and shadow, as if countless pairs of eyes were watching him, giving him a sense of terror as if he had entered a ghost realm.

Toto's breathing became rapid. He tried to stay calm, but the scenes of last night kept appearing in his mind - gunshots, screams, blood...

He shook his head, trying to get rid of these images from his mind. He knew that now was not the time to be afraid, but the moment when he was about to become rich and successful.

He carefully stepped over the debris on the ground and walked towards the depths of the bar. Every step was like stepping on the edge of a knife, for fear of triggering some unknown danger.

Suddenly, his foot kicked an empty bottle, and the sound of the bottle rolling was particularly harsh in the quiet bar.

Toto's body seemed frozen, frozen in place, even his breathing becoming cautious. His ears pricked up, carefully capturing every movement around him.

In the darkness, only his own heartbeat roared in his ears, like a drum, beating on his nerves.

After a few seconds, after confirming that there was nothing unusual, he slowly exhaled and his tense muscles relaxed a little.

He continued to move forward, his steps as light as a cat, afraid to startle anything. His target was a small gap under the wooden bar.

The gap looks ordinary, it's just a crack in the wooden furniture over time.

He squatted down, his fingers groping for the edge of the gap. The emergency light beam shone in, revealing a lottery ticket nestled quietly inside.

Toto's heartbeat quickened again, almost bursting through his chest.

He used a dagger to pry open the gap, took out the lottery ticket, looked at it carefully for a few seconds, and after confirming that it was correct, he took out a waterproof plastic bag from his pocket, put the lottery ticket into it, and hid it close to his body.

"Finally... I finally got it," he muttered to himself, his mouth widening in an uncontrollable grin. "This lottery ticket is worth over $2.2 billion."

However, before the smile could fully unfold, a harsh voice sounded behind him, "Wow, Toto, it turns out you were the one hiding the lottery ticket."

Toto shuddered all over, as if ice water had been poured over him from head to toe.

"Who?" He turned around suddenly, pointing the emergency light beam at the source of the sound, and shouted in shock and anger: "Who is there?" In the light, a dark figure slowly emerged from the direction of the kitchen, holding a sharp kitchen knife with a cold glow in his hand.

Toto's pupils suddenly contracted, and before he could react, the sharp blade had already broken through the air and accurately pierced his chest, penetrating seven or eight centimeters.

"Ah--!" Toto let out a painful roar. His thick fat and muscles resisted the continued penetration of the blade, but the severe pain made it almost impossible for him to breathe.

His muscles were tense, his eyes were wide open, anger and fear were intertwined, and he didn't bother to identify who the enemy was. He rushed forward like a wounded bear, trying to escape.

Zhou Qingfeng appeared in the darkness. He was as agile as a ghost. He dodged Toto's attack by moving sideways and with just a light kick, he tripped the burly opponent weighing more than 150 kilograms to the ground.

"Bang!" Toto fell heavily to the ground, and the blade in his chest hit the ground and pierced deeper.

The intense pain made him lose the ability to continue fighting for his life. He could only crawl on the ground with difficulty like a stranded fish, growling unwillingly:

"No, it shouldn't be like this. No one knows I hid the lottery ticket... no one saw it. Who are you? Why are you targeting me?"

Zhou Qingfeng stood aside, looking coldly at his target. He looked particularly ridiculous in his tight clothes, gloves, and a pair of Julia stockings on his head.

But this outfit prevents him from leaving fingerprints or hair.

He did not approach the dying Toto immediately. Instead, he turned around and grabbed a few wireless cameras connected to large-capacity power banks from the corner, and then took out a sharp kitchen knife from the kitchen.

The blade gleamed coldly under the emergency light, silently announcing the bloody events to come.

Toto lay on the ground, groaning in pain, his hands trembling as he reached into his pockets. His eyes were filled with hatred as he struggled to make his final decision.
He would rather destroy the lottery ticket than let it fall into the hands of others. However, his movements were already slow and weak, and the passing of his life made it impossible for him to control anything.

Zhou Qingfeng looked at him coldly, twirling the kitchen knife in his hand before hurling it violently. The blade sliced ​​through the air, piercing Tuoto's neck with pinpoint accuracy, severing his aorta and trachea.

Blood gushed out instantly, Toto's body trembled violently, and he instinctively covered his throat with his hands, coughing violently.

Blood spurted out from between his fingers, staining the ground and his clothes red.

His breathing became rapid and difficult, and with every cough more blood gushed out. His life was slipping away quickly.

Zhou Qingfeng still didn't get close, but instead took a few steps back to make sure that he wouldn't be splashed with a drop of blood.

There was no mercy in his eyes, and no words, only calmness and calculation.

In his mind, he was recalling the process of finding Toto and making sure that there was no negligence.

During the day at school, Toto's remorseful look was indeed very confusing, but he suddenly showed goodwill to Zhou Qingfeng and suddenly acted extremely friendly.

This is so incongruous.

Toto said he didn't want to fight, but this guy was over 1.9 meters tall and weighed over 150 kilograms. Of course, the campus bully didn't need to fight.

When Zhou Qingfeng bumped fists with him, it was just a gesture. Normally, this guy should have just snorted and walked away arrogantly, but he actually eased the situation easily.

This was strange, unless Toto really didn't want to get into trouble, get in trouble with the campus police, get detention, or be grounded.

Would a jerk like Toto change his ways just because his brother got arrested? Impossible. Because this wasn't the first time his brother had been arrested.

There must be something more important behind this that can't be delayed. What could have caused Toto to go against his nature and become so restrained?

Could it be the super jackpot lottery ticket?
Of course, Zhou Qingfeng did not suspect Toto because of this, but his attention was drawn to the "Scorpion Bar", and the next thing would be easy.

Realizing the importance of the 'Scorpion' bar, he immediately went to buy a wireless camera and a power bank.

Before dark, the street outside the bar was still quite busy. He took advantage of the crowd to sneak in, set up three wireless cameras in the corner of the bar, and then quietly waited for the 'actors' to appear.

After dark, the remnants of the two gangs gathered here and recounted what happened last night, and then were taken away one by one by the police.

Zhou Qingfeng witnessed the whole process, but he remained hidden. This was because the remaining members had no clue where to find the real culprit, and after searching here and there, they knew at a glance that they were not the real culprit.

Until Toto appeared on a bicycle, and he moved cautiously, stopping and starting, and even circled outside the bar to observe, and then entered the bar decisively and directly.
Zhou Qingfeng saw it clearly in the surveillance footage. Combining it with Toto's abnormal behavior during the day, he instantly realized that the real culprit had appeared and connected all the causes and consequences.

During the gunfight last night, Toto did not flee after the gunshot, but chose to take the risk and steal the lottery ticket. But the police showed up and ruined Toto's plan.

Because everyone at the scene of the shootout will be taken to the police station, and will either be interrogated or have their statements taken, and they will definitely be searched.

In order to prevent the lottery ticket from being found, Toto hid it in the gap of the bar counter. After being caught, he was released early because he did not participate in the gunfight and was a student.

This guy didn't dare to come to pick up the lottery ticket in broad daylight, so he chose to come at night. Because he didn't want to make any mistakes, he also acted like a "prodigal son returning home."

But Zhou Qingfeng intervened and showed up halfway, completely changing the course of events.

On the ground, the carotid artery was bleeding at a very fast rate. Toto opened his mouth desperately, eager to breathe and to be rescued, but he could only make a "ho ho" sound in his throat, and blood continued to flow out of his mouth.

His body was twitching violently, blood had soaked through his clothes, and the pool of blood on the ground continued to expand.

His eyes gradually became blurred, but he still stared at Zhou Qingfeng who was wearing stockings, wanting to use his last bit of strength to curse him.

The death process was very quick, only two or three minutes.

Soon, Toto's body lay quietly on the ground, motionless. His body temperature gradually dropped, his skin turned cold, and all his vitality was drained away with the blood.

Zhou Qingfeng stared coldly at the once arrogant body. After confirming that the guy was dead, he slowly squatted down and reached into his pockets.

Just as his fingers touched the inner pocket of Toto, there was a subtle movement at the door of the bar.

The sound was very low, the sound of shoe soles gently rubbing against the ground, but it was particularly harsh in the quiet bar.

Zhou Qingfeng's body tensed instantly. Without hesitation, he suddenly rolled sideways, his body as swift as a ghost, hiding behind the bar.

Almost at the same moment, a pistol spewed out flames from the direction of the door, and bullets whistled through the air, chasing his figure and firing repeatedly.

In the darkness, gunshots rang out like thunder, and dazzling flames flickered at the muzzles, illuminating every corner of the bar.

The bullet hit the spot where Zhou Qingfeng had just been, shattering the floor and wall, sending debris flying everywhere.

Along with the gunshots, a deep voice came from the door, “Victor, don’t hide, I have recognized you.

Thank you for leading me to the lottery. But I have a question. How did you know this?

(End of this chapter)