𝙍𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 [𝘼𝙐 𝙕𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙘𝙝𝙞 +18]

9: Set me free

Zhongli got out of the car after taking a deep breath, closing the door behind him and straightening his jacket, smoothing out any wrinkles there might be. He double-checked the address Childe had given him the day before on his phone, seeing the sign on the side of the street. Sure enough, he was at his destination.

He looked at the facade of the building: a house with large windows, grayish and neutral tones. He could spot some scarce plants because of the fences blocking his view. The interior lights were on, and the curtains were almost closed.

He didn't know if the girl continued to live there after the death of her partner, Vlad. Still, Zhongli wanted to see the crime scene for himself.

He walked to the door and rang the bell. He glanced at the small camera placed on the button, and after several seconds, she answered him.

"Who is it?" A girl's voice asked. Zhongli cleared his throat, reaching inside his jacket for his FBI badge.

"I'd like to talk to Nadia Magomedova," he replied. "Is she now at home?"

"I am her," Nadia answered, seeming slightly upset that he was an FBI agent. "Has something happened?"

"No, I'd just like to talk to you," the door opened a few seconds later, Nadia greeting him with a concerned expression.

Zhongli walked into the compound, following the owner who waved her hand at him. The golden-eyed looked around, at the mowed lawn, the clean stone tile path, the lights set on the sides illuminating the patio.

Zhongli looked at the shorter woman, her graying hair pulled back in a low ponytail. She was wearing clothes that appeared to be quite comfortable, and an apron. To tell the truth, it was not a very good time to visit someone, being almost ten at night. He probably would have caught her cooking dinner or something for her, but it's not like Zhongli decided to go at that time either.

"Sorry to bother you, it doesn't seem like I came at a good time," Zhongli apologized once he entered the house, the central heating was on and the wooden floor was warm.

"Don't worry," Nadia said, taking off her apron and walking into the kitchen, where she laid it on a chair. "Let's go to the living room, please."

Zhongli followed her down the hall, looking around him. The door at the end of the corridor was closed, the murder had been committed there. Perhaps he could ask her to search the room, or would it be too insensitive? He would have to consider the idea.

They entered the room, where a large sofa was positioned in front of a fireplace. Zhongli had seen no signs of anyone else living with her, but perhaps it was too rash to think so.

" Did something happen?" Nadia asked once they were seated, the flames from the fire lighting up their profiles.

"I wanted to talk to you about your partner Vlad," Zhongli explained, watching the young woman's expression turn into one of dismay. Zhongli was unable to question the girl in the past, so now he wanted to find out if he could get more details.

"I thought his case was closed," she answered, placing her hands in her lap and clenching them into fists, looking away. "I don't understand why you're asking me this."

"We are collecting data, among other confidential matters," Zhongli lied. "In addition to reviewing the status of the victims. Unfortunately, I could not be present at your statement when this happened, so I would like you to explain what happened to me."

Nadia looked at him suspiciously, pressing her lips together and shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Still, she ended up responding.

"They called me at work," she began to explain. "That day I had to stay overtime, but the police insisted that it was something serious, so I left as soon as possible. When I arrived they explained to me..." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "They explained that Vlad had been killed by Ajax Volkov."