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Ainsel is a freelancer, you can support them on:

The girl stood before the police car, clad in a long black dress, her hair tied back in a ponytail that draped behind her. While not a stunning beauty, she was certainly easy on the eyes, save for the glint of murderous intent hidden in her gaze.

“Who are you?” Lu Liangting was still somewhat puzzled. Sitting inside the car, he couldn’t clearly see the girl’s face, but her voice sounded very familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. Yet in that moment, he couldn’t quite recall where exactly.

“I need you to do me a favor. It’s something very, very important.”

The girl repeated her earlier words, arousing Lu Liangting’s suspicions.

Her appearance here was already strange enough. Who would be wandering around a suburban apartment building at 2:30 in the morning, especially a young woman?

“The police are right here in the car. Wait, Officer Chen?!” It was only then that Lu Liangting suddenly realized the police officers in the driver’s and passenger’s seats had passed out at some point without him noticing.

He hadn’t even turned his head when he heard a click. The rear door of the police car was pulled open by that slender hand. A few strands of long black hair fell into view, and Lu Liangting finally saw the girl’s face, a strange smile playing upon her lips. He couldn’t help but feel his pupils contract slightly.

“It’s you!”

He recognized this girl. She was from the class next door. Just the day before yesterday, she had approached him with some rather nonsensical questions. He never expected to run into her again here today.

“Ah, so you do remember me. Good, that’s very good. But you know, I hope that from now on, you’ll remember my name forever. In fact, for the rest of your life, I want my name to be the only one in your thoughts. If a second name ever appears in your mind, well… I would be very, very unhappy.” The corners of her mouth curled into a subtle, unsettling smile as the girl in the black dress reached out her hand towards Lu Liangting.

“I need your help with something. Something only you can assist me with.”

At that moment, Lu Liangting was hit by a wave of heavy dizziness, a sudden bout of vertigo washing over him.

The car had been drugged.

He never imagined the other party would be so brazen, so unhinged, as to attack him right here in the police vehicle.

“Zhang Lin.” With one hand in his pocket, he gripped the pen within tightly. A figure materialized behind the girl in the black dress. The instant it appeared, both arms reached out to restrain her.

The girl in the black dress looked frail, but her strength was anything but weak. Before Zhang Lin’s arms could close around her, she twisted her body at an unnatural angle, evading his grasp.

“A ghost? How interesting.”

The girl let out a cold sneer. Without hesitation, she bit down on her own finger. Bloodied digits curled like tiger claws stabbed towards Zhang Lin’s eyes with blinding speed and immense force. Zhang Lin couldn’t even react before both eyes were pierced. Letting out a pained grunt, he vanished on the spot.

Bang!

From the back seat of the police car, Lu Liangting lashed out with a kick, striking the girl’s rear. He then slammed the car door shut and locked it. Mustering the last of his strength, he leaned forward and pressed the button on the intercom hanging from the center console.

“Officer down! Requesting immediate backup!”

There were two more police officers in the corridor. Upon receiving the message, they were sure to come rushing over.

Having done all he could, Lu Liangting’s consciousness slipped into darkness. But even as he passed out, he didn’t forget to steal one last glance at the fifth floor of Sunshine Apartments.

He had originally planned to head back inside and look into “her” background, to see if he could help her find some form of release.

The girl in the black dress turned around, eyes narrowing dangerously.

She had been just one step away from success.

“No matter. There will be plenty of other opportunities.” She muttered to herself as she walked off into the distance.

She spared a glance at a nearby alley, where it seemed someone was standing, watching her with a mocking gaze. No, there was more than one person there.

“Hmph. One day, I’ll slaughter the lot of you.”

“But there’s no need to rush. Once I have Lu Liangting in my grasp, you’ll all be the ones awaiting execution.”

·

Bai Yu stood at the window, staring down at the police car below. She had witnessed the entire scene that had just unfolded.

Beside her, Zhao Mingyue looked puzzled. “Who was that woman? What in the world just happened?”

“If I had to guess, I’d say it’s a matter of the heart,” Bai Yu remarked, a rare attempt at humor from her.

“The heart? I haven’t heard anything about Lu Liangting having a girlfriend. Could you be mistaken? Besides, even if it really was relationship drama, who argues at this hour?”

“Argue? I suspect that woman is more likely to dismember Lu Liangting and then have a nice, long chat with his severed head.”

“Ah… uh…” Zhao Mingyue was at a loss for words.

She knew Bai Yu wasn’t one for jokes, which meant there was a good chance she was being entirely serious!

Bai Yu turned and headed back into the room, her heart quite calm about the situation.

There was no doubt in her mind that Lu Liangting had become a target. With so many wolves and so little meat to go around, these lunatics were all vying for a piece of him. Among them, there were bound to be some so deranged, they’d want to kill not only Lu Liangting but every other supporting character as well, dragging them all into the grave alongside him.

And if Lu Liangting was being targeted, Zhao Mingyue was in no position to escape either. As their biggest rival, her death was all but guaranteed.

“You should head back and get some rest. If there’s anything else to discuss, it can wait until morning.”

“It’s already so late anyway. Staying up a bit longer won’t hurt. Bai Yu, tell me more about what happened with Lu Liangting just now. Why would that woman want to cut him to pieces?” Seeing Bai Yu revert to her usual icy demeanor in an instant, Zhao Mingyue immediately stuck to her like glue.

“There’s no need for you to know. Just understand that Lu Liangting has many, many women like her lurking around him. Here’s a bit of advice, once you’re at school, keep your distance from Lu Liangting. Stay away from anyone who tries to approach you, especially strange women.”

“Got it. But you’ve still gotta tell me why!”

“I’ll put it bluntly. Same as tonight, anyone who comes near you is more than likely looking to kill you. You’ll be in even greater danger at school than you were during this task.”

Bai Yu wasn’t normally so talkative, but with Zhao Mingyue pressing her for answers, she found herself saying a bit more than usual.

“Mmhmm, I’ll be careful!” Since Bai Yu had said as much, Zhao Mingyue saw no point in arguing. She agreed with a solemn nod.

“My powers are significantly weakened during the day. At most, I’ll only be able to help you once. The moment I take action, they’ll know of my existence. The next time they come for you, they’ll undoubtedly try to find a way to remove me from the equation before dealing with you.”

“I understand. But being careful on my own isn’t enough. I don’t have the experience. So from now on, I’ll have to rely on you to keep in close contact with me, Bai Yu.”

Bai Yu hadn’t expected it to circle back to her, but upon reflection, it made sense. Zhao Mingyue on her own would surely meet a horrific end.

To improve her chances, the only option was to remind her often and pay more attention to keeping her safe.

“Very well.” With that, Bai Yu, her hair still styled in low twintails, vanished on the spot, merging into Zhao Mingyue’s shadow.

What went unseen was the conspiratorial smile that spread across Zhao Mingyue’s face.

Being cautious was all well and good, but in the process, she could accomplish so much more.

For example, getting Bai Yu to open up to her and shed that icy exterior of hers!