Kill Me In The Last Minute (GL) - Chapter 3
Luo Qiying entered the bedroom and changed back into her original clothes. By the time she walked into the living room, Chen Yuanzheng and Shen Peng had already taken Ah Ming away. The only one left was the woman who had displayed remarkable bravery earlier. She was sitting on the sofa, her eyes half-closed, looking like a lion dozing in the sun.
Luo Qiying straightened the hem of her clothes and approached her. “Captain Fu, so you were waiting for me.”
The woman, Fu Bin, was currently the leader of a small team in the Undercover Patrol Division. She opened her eyes to see Luo Qiying in a loose casual outfit, denim shorts, and a makeup-free, fresh face. Her magnetic voice carried a hint of regret. “Women in the Patrol Division rarely get a chance to wear beautiful dresses. Don’t you think you should take this opportunity to admire yourself a bit more?”
“No matter how pretty, it’s not mine,” Luo Qiying replied with a playful smile, sitting down next to Fu Bin. She glanced around the room’s decor and added, “Besides, the homeowner not only lent me their house but also their clothes. What if I accidentally ruin them?”
The house belonged to someone who had temporarily allowed them to use it. Since Luo Qiying’s own wardrobe didn’t have anything particularly feminine, she had borrowed the homeowner’s dress to lure Kang Ming over. For authenticity, she even wore high heels and spent time at a nightclub before continuing with the mission.
Fu Bin looked at the clock hanging in the living room and said slowly, “It’s time to head back.”
Luo Qiying groaned and sank into the soft sofa, tilting her head to look at the girl group poster on the wallpaper behind the TV. She pouted and said, “I’m so jealous of those girls who get to dance for others. Captain Fu, why is it that, as women, they get to put on makeup, eat donuts, and cuddle stuffed animals, while we eat dust and handle handcuffs and batons?”
“You should be grateful. If you slack off any more, you won’t even get to touch handcuffs,” Fu Bin said, pulling Luo Qiying up and dragging her to the door before switching off the lights.
“At this rate, I’m never going to find a boyfriend…” Luo Qiying lamented.
Fu Bin shoved her into the elevator and said, “Come on, the guys in our division are practically lining up for you. Why don’t you just pick one? Shen Peng’s been pretty attentive to you lately—how about giving him a shot?”
“No way, Captain Fu,” Luo Qiying replied firmly. “There’s absolutely, positively, no chance between me and Shen Peng! Unless Ultraman shows up, the Calabash Brothers come to life, or Donald Duck falls in love with Mickey Mouse.”
Just as the elevator doors were about to close, three kids suddenly dashed in. One wore an Ultraman mask, another was dressed like a Calabash Brother, and the third—a little girl—was in a Snow White costume. They pressed a floor button.
Luo Qiying froze.
Fu Bin raised an eyebrow and said, “Looks like your odds with Shen Peng just went up.”
For a moment, Luo Qiying was at a loss for words.
The chubby boy lifted the Ultraman mask onto his head and said regretfully to the other two, “Too bad the dummy isn’t home today. We can’t carry out our plan.”
“No big deal,” the skinny boy replied with a mischievous grin. “When the dummy gets back and her sister leaves, we’ll trick her out of the complex again, just like last time. This time, let’s just send her straight to the police station!”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” the little girl said, frowning. “What if she gets arrested and sent to jail? Her sister would be really sad.”
“Fine, fine. What about the thing—where is it?” the skinny boy asked.
The chubby boy patted his bulging pocket proudly. “Got it right here.”
At that moment, the elevator doors opened.
“Let’s go, let’s see what treasure the dummy has this time!” The skinny boy eagerly rushed out, followed by the other two kids.
Luo Qiying pressed the close button on the elevator and clicked her tongue. “Kids these days have some pretty dangerous ideas.”
Fu Bin thought for a moment before replying, “True. Which is why Shen Peng is still a good choice for you.”
Luo Qiying held her forehead in frustration. “Captain Fu! Can you stop bringing up Shen Peng?”
When they got downstairs, Shen Peng was waiting for them.
“Captain Fu! Qiqi…” Shen Peng’s chubby face lit up when he saw Luo Qiying.
“Where’s Kang Ming?” Fu Bin asked.
“I had Jin Yu and the others escort him back to the Patrol Division,” Shen Peng replied.
Fu Bin glanced at Luo Qiying, then at Shen Peng, who was still staring at her. A sly smile played on her lips. “I need to discuss something with Captain Chen. You two can talk.”
“Wait, Captain Fu—” Before Luo Qiying could say anything, Fu Bin had already left, striding away down the path.
Shen Peng scratched his head awkwardly and said to Luo Qiying, “Qiqi, it’s just the two of us now. I’ve been meaning to tell you something.”
Luo Qiying crossed her arms and sighed. “If it’s about you wanting to perform a belly dance again, then forget it.” She turned to leave.
“Qiqi!” Shen Peng quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her path. “Tomorrow’s our day off, right? I booked a movie for the afternoon—let’s go together.”
“I signed up for a yoga class in the afternoon, so I’m busy,” Luo Qiying said, trying to brush him off.
“Then let’s go in the evening. I’m free whenever you are!” Shen Peng insisted.
Luo Qiying calmed down and looked at Shen Peng, speaking firmly and clearly, “Shen Peng, how many times do I have to tell you? I don’t have those kinds of feelings for you. You can’t force something that’s not meant to be. Please just leave me alone, okay?”
Shen Peng was a little stunned.
Luo Qiying walked straight past him and headed down the path.
Shen Peng turned his head and looked at her back with determination. “Even your way of rejecting people is so charming. No wonder you’re going to be my future girlfriend. Qiqi, don’t walk so fast! Wait for me!”
Luo Qiying quickened her pace. Suddenly, something hit her on the head. She rubbed it, feeling the pain, and looked up at the sky—but saw nothing. However, inside the apartment building behind her, several shadows quickly flickered past a window.
“Who’s throwing things around? Really…” Luo Qiying took a step forward and seemed to step on something.
Three skinny boys leaned closer to the window, quietly watching Luo Qiying pick something up.
“Chubby, why did you throw it so hard?” one skinny boy poked the chubby boy’s forehead.
The chubby boy complained, “Blame yourself for not catching it…”
“I think you’re even dumber than that idiot! Now look, you didn’t even see what’s inside.” The skinny boy looked at him with disgust.
“Alright, alright. You two should figure out how to get the stuff back.” A little girl advised.
“Forget it, I’m too lazy to go down. That idiot’s stuff can’t be that good. Picking up an apple core and treating it like treasure… If we go ask the girl downstairs to get it back, she might just think we’re fools.” The skinny boy’s logic was clear.
In their view, Luo Qiying bent down to pick up the object.
She saw it was a small black box and, out of curiosity, was about to open it. Just then, someone suddenly tapped her on the back.
“Qiqi! I knew you were waiting for me. What do you have in your hand?” Shen Peng happily jumped over to her.
Luo Qiying quickly hid the box and said to Shen Peng, “It’s nothing. You’re so annoying, just go already.”
Meanwhile, Fu Bin and Chen Yuanzheng were walking away from the neighborhood.
“Thanks for your hard work tonight. You and Qiqi really are the best female officers in our patrol division,” Chen Yuanzheng smiled at Fu Bin.
Fu Bin waved his hand, “It’s no big deal.” Suddenly, she remembered something and looked at Chen Yuanzheng. “But really, Captain Chen, you’re pretty sharp to know Kang Ming would come home.”
“There’s no magic, just an anonymous tip we received,” Chen Yuanzheng said with his hands behind his back.
Fu Bin felt relieved. “Looks like the public is paying close attention to this case.”
Chen Yuanzheng nodded proudly. “That’s good. When the public is involved, our efficiency definitely improves a lot.”
“Yeah, and since we caught Kang Ming tonight, we should thank the resident who let us use their apartment.” Fu Bin reminded him.
“Of course. I’ll have Shen Peng and Qiqi visit them tomorrow morning. Also, we should help calm Kang Ming’s mother down. She doesn’t seem to know her son’s involved in crime,” Chen Yuanzheng said thoughtfully. “The city isn’t safe right now, so we should advise the elderly to go out less.”
Fu Bin hesitated, “Has the General Police Council found the killer yet?”
Chen Yuanzheng sighed and seriously explained, “No, the murders in the neighborhood are still happening. There have been eighteen cases now. The killer’s identity is unclear, and the General Police Council is having a hard time. They’ve handed the case over to the Special Police Council. Along with tightening security, they’ve set up a special task force to investigate. No one knows how it’s going.”
“Maybe we could investigate ourselves,” Fu Bin frowned, thinking. “The cigarette found at the murder scenes might be a clue. Of course, if we could go to the scenes, we might find more evidence.”
Chen Yuanzheng glanced at her and said calmly, “No matter how you look at it, it’s still the Special Police Task Force’s case. It’s not our business.”
“But…” Fu Bin was about to say more but was cut off.
“No buts,” Chen Yuanzheng stopped walking and looked at her seriously. “Fu Bin, you have to understand, your name isn’t on the Special Police Task Force roster.”
Fu Bin stopped too and thought for a moment, then said, “I understand, Captain Chen.”
Chen Yuanzheng sighed and patted her shoulder. “Even if you’re not in the Special Police Council, I know you always have the task force in your heart. But you have to think—if you cross the line now, the patrol division won’t be able to protect you.”
Fu Bin looked at him. “Captain Chen, I know what you mean. Rest assured, I’m just a squad leader in the undercover patrol unit now, fully committed to my duty.”
“That’s good.” Chen Yuanzheng smiled.
“Captain Chen, I’ll head back to the station to record my statement.” Fu Bin smiled.
“Go ahead.” Chen Yuanzheng said.
He watched Fu Bin leave the neighborhood and sighed deeply.
“Captain Chen!” Luo Qiying suddenly appeared and startled him.
“Qiqi, what’s up?” Chen Yuanzheng quickly calmed down and asked.
Luo Qiying looked at Fu Bin’s back and asked curiously, “Why does Fu look so down…? Oh, Captain Chen, I have something I want to show you…”
“What’s that?” Chen Yuanzheng asked, watching her dig into her pocket.
Luo Qiying pulled out a small black box. “This.”
Just then, Shen Peng came running over, out of breath. Seeing the black box, he looked at Luo Qiying sadly and surprised, “Qiqi! Are you getting married?”
“Who’s getting married? I just found this,” Luo Qiying rolled her eyes.
Chen Yuanzheng took the small black box casually. “So, whose ring is this?”
He opened the box and looked inside. He seemed almost unable to believe what he saw, holding it carefully, turning it over to examine it closely. Gradually, his surprise grew. He quickly looked at Luo Qiying and asked, “This… where did you find this?”
“It fell from the sky and hit my head, so I picked it up,” Luo Qiying explained. Seeing Chen Yuanzheng’s stunned expression, she tested, “Captain Chen, what’s wrong?”
“Captain Chen, what’s inside?” Shen Peng also leaned in, asking eagerly.
Chen Yuanzheng immediately closed the box, his expression turning very serious. “It’s nothing. You both worked hard tonight. Go home early and rest.”
Luo Qiying and Shen Peng exchanged looks. Luo Qiying pressed her lips together. “Well, Captain Chen, we’ll be going then.” With that, she grabbed Shen Peng and walked out of the path.
Halfway, Shen Peng received a call, so Luo Qiying had to continue walking alone.
As she left the neighborhood, she saw Fu Bin standing by the empty roadside, hands in her pockets, seemingly lost in thought.
“Captain Fu?” Luo Qiying cautiously walked over. “Are you thinking about a case again?”
“There aren’t that many cases to think about,” Fu Bin replied, coming back to herself, though her eyes still held a distant look. “Just some things from the past.”
Luo Qiying thought for a moment and said, “Captain Fu, I found a small box on the road earlier. Captain Chen looked at it and acted strange. He said it was nothing, but I feel like it’s more than that.”
“You didn’t open it before handing it in?” Fu Bin asked.
“Not because of Shen Peng. Otherwise, I would have looked at it already,” Luo Qiying complained.
“Everyone’s curious, but if Captain Chen says it’s nothing, maybe it really is. Qiqi, you don’t need to overthink it,” Fu Bin answered.
“Then I’ll listen to you, Captain Fu,” Luo Qiying smiled. “Actually, I was thinking—you could also talk to me. Like why you came to the Undercover Patrol Division. Your skills and abilities aren’t any less than those of the SWAT team.”
Fu Bin chuckled. “Why are you starting to interrogate me now?”
Realizing she had spoken abruptly, Luo Qiying quickly apologized, “Sorry, Captain Fu. I just think you’re amazing. You shouldn’t just be in the undercover unit. I… I don’t mean the undercover unit is bad, I just think you’re my role model! And I want to become someone like you!”
Suddenly feeling a warm feeling from above her head, Luo Qiying looked up. Fu Bin gently patted her head and smiled, “Qiqi trusts me so much and looks up to me. That means I have to keep working hard and not let you down. The undercover unit is like my second home, so I’ll give my all to every task ahead.”
“Captain Fu…” Luo Qiying looked at the tall woman firmly. “No matter what, I’ll always follow you and become the best undercover officer! Even better than the SWAT team!”
Fu Bin smiled back at her. “SWAT team, huh…”
“Speaking of the SWAT team…” Luo Qiying’s mood grew somber. “Ever since that person disappeared, it feels like the Huayu SWAT team isn’t the same anymore…”
This reminded her of the explosive news from five years ago.
“Due to an avalanche, the second assault squad was buried in the Rongya snowfield, and Captain Meng Baisheng died at the foot of Diva Mountain.”
When the news broke, not only Huayu City but the entire Diva country was shocked.
Back then, gang dealings were common along the Xueyang River, causing big headaches for the police. But this female SWAT officer infiltrated the gang alone. The gang quickly fell apart, exposing their crimes, allowing the police to arrest them all at once. Besides that, she also helped support peacekeeping in a neighboring country and performed brilliantly in combat, even capturing the rebel leader by herself, forcing the rebels to retreat.
Her deeds were countless. Many looked up to her, entering the 1926 Training Camp dreaming of becoming the next Meng Baisheng, the SWAT legend.
But in reality, there was only one Meng Baisheng.
At the Hero Park, countless people visited her tomb. It was the only time the park extended its hours—two whole months.
“Such a good person, gone so soon. It’s really unfair!”
“I heard Captain Meng was about to become the new SWAT chief. How could this happen now…”
“That anonymous criminal is a monster! Not only did he break the law, but he also caused the death of such a hero. Officer Ruan said that criminal already escaped. What is going on?”
“Luckily Officer Ruan came back. Otherwise, there’d be no one to lead the SWAT team. The country’s been having a rough time lately—floods, avalanches, even Huayu’s getting unstable…”
…
After many people left Hero Park, they talked quietly, mourning Meng Baisheng’s death and feeling thankful for Ruan Mingkun’s return.
Just as Luo Qiying seemed lost in thought, Fu Bin snapped her fingers in front of her and said slowly, “No matter how famous someone was, that’s all in the past. The past is history. Instead of digging up old things, focus on the present and handle more cases—that’s what really matters.”
“Got it,” Luo Qiying said.
At that moment, fireworks burst in the night sky. Her eyes were quickly drawn to the display as she muttered about taking a photo.
She didn’t notice the complicated look on Fu Bin’s face or hear her long sigh.