Kill Me In The Last Minute (GL) - Chapter 4

Fireworks lit up the bridgehead, brightening the night sky. The clear night carried faint traces of gunpowder smoke that quietly faded away after a moment. The warm October sun that had shone on the beautiful mountains during the day now seemed to release the scent of evaporated grass and trees, wrapping the whole city in warmth. But those in the underground casino felt none of this.

The chandeliers hung too brightly, filling the room with thick smoke. Every gambling table was crowded with nervous, excited players, and the smell of tobacco invaded everyone’s senses.

Among a crowd mostly dressed in casual short sleeves, a man in a red-and-black checkered shirt stood out.

He was tall and slender, like a model fresh off a runway. His neat, slightly curled chestnut hair framed a delicate, long face. His thick eyebrows, sharp nose, and upturned eyes sparkled like black obsidian in the dim light. Yet, his expression was cold and indifferent, making him seem out of place amid the lively atmosphere. He made very few movements, only watching the dice cup on the table.

Next to him, the dice roller clasped his hands, waiting.

The dealer lifted the cup, removed its cover, and only the light above this man’s spot shone brightly. The dice roller glanced at the chips the man had placed on all numbers, and then started paying out money. Other players grumbled about unlucky bets on big or small numbers, but the man’s lips curled into a slight smile.

“Really strange…” someone muttered nearby.

“Could he be someone who can ‘hear’ the dice?”

The chatter grew louder.

“Isn’t that Zhang Sinan?”

His name drew even more attention.

A man in a white tank top nudged a skinny friend and whispered, “He’s been winning big at more than ten places for a whole week. So good that even the dealers fear him.”

“That guy’s just lucky.”

“Luck or not, everyone in the casino is jealous of him.”

…

Zhang Sinan quietly listened to the talk around him, showing no expression. Then his phone rang. He stepped out of the crowd and answered.

“Xiao Si, get out of the casino now!” The voice on the line was urgent, a man’s voice. “The boss is furious!”

Zhang furrowed his brow. “Where are you?”

“At the skybridge at Yaji Square. Hurry over!” The man urged, then added, “The boss said if you don’t get here within ten minutes, she’ll show you what it means to be alive but no different from being dead.”

Outside in District 2, Yaji Square was lively with music and dance. Young students waited for their friends by the fountain modeled after Rome’s Trevi Fountain. Cool graffiti decorated the fountain’s walls — works of local street artists. Huge LED screens displayed ads for popular actresses, their bright light shining on the skybridge.

“You’re really not here because you’re broke after tipping someone with all your money, right?” Zhang’s voice carried on the night wind.

Leaning against the railing were a man and a woman. The man held the phone while the girl sat on the railing, a lollipop in her mouth, looking at the man with disdain. She snatched the phone, removed the lollipop, and said firmly, “Forget about the tips for Crito. Zhang Sinan, I’m giving you ten minutes. If you’re late, you’re on your own!” Then she hung up, took another lick of her lollipop, handed the phone back, and said lightly, “Let’s go eat.”

“Weren’t we supposed to wait for Xiao Si?” the man, Crito, looked confused.

The girl turned around. Her beautiful face was full of lively energy. Her shoulder-length hair was a soft ash blonde with curled tips, looking like a doll. The breeze swept away her fine bangs. She grinned slyly, “I never said we’d wait here. Messing with Zhang Sinan, that fake ice-cold guy, is just too much fun.” Then she walked down the skybridge, with Crito reluctantly following.

The girl’s name was Liu Yiqing. At just seventeen, she was, in a way, the “boss” of Zhang Sinan and Crito. The three of them lived in Huayu City, spending their days as streetwise kids, just passing time for fun.

Back in the bustling underground casino, Zhang Sinan hung up and let out a long breath. He turned back toward the table. “Time to place bets, place your bets! Good luck!” the dealer shouted.

“I just bought a full spread for five thousand yuan. Should have won more,” Zhang said to the dice roller, unhappy about the money they held back, knowing they were about to beat the dealer.

The dice roller looked at the dealer, who looked displeased but finally waved his hand. The dice roller handed Zhang the money owed.

When Zhang Sinan left the underground casino, the dealer signaled the dice roller. The dice roller called over a plain-looking man and whispered something. The man nodded and summoned a group to follow Zhang.

Passing a corner, Zhang sensed something and quickened his pace. At the alley exit, people blocked his way. Zhang turned around, and the pursuers caught up. The alley was dark, faintly lit by yellow street lamps from outside. Zhang’s face remained cold.

“You think you can just win money and walk away? No way,” the leader said, tapping an iron rod against his palm.

“A hundred meters to the right is the undercover police platform. You’d better be careful,” Zhang said calmly.

“Mind your own business! This is Chen Sheng Society territory. Police won’t help!” The leader sneered. “Either leave the money or leave your life!”

Zhang sneered back, looking contemptuous.

“Don’t be ungrateful! Attack!”

Both sides lunged at Zhang. Using sharp, skilled moves, he fought them off.

Within three minutes, the attackers were writhing on the ground.

Bored, Zhang turned to leave. Then the leader pulled out a gun. Zhang didn’t notice. The man smirked and loaded a bullet, but suddenly a foot stomped on his hand. The man screamed in pain. Zhang looked up and saw a woman lifting her foot from the man’s hand. She picked up the gun lying nearby. The leader was screaming and cursing nonstop.

“Who are you?” Zhang asked but didn’t thank her.

The woman faced away, wearing a black tank top and shorts. She seemed not to hear him. She walked past the sprawled men like passing ants moving house, said nothing, and disappeared deeper into the alley.

Zhang followed a few steps and saw the leader’s hand nearly crushed, bl00d dripping.

If Liu Yiqing saw this, she would be shocked. She couldn’t believe anyone colder than Zhang Sinan existed. Zhang was not surprised — just curious what kind of person could break someone’s hand with one stomp.

The woman quickly left the scene. Zhang pretended to leave but, as she turned into another alley, he jumped and grabbed the edge of a nearby window.

Inside, a baby drinking milk saw his eyes and cried loudly. The mother looked out but saw nothing unusual.

Zhang Sinan pressed himself against the window, letting out a long breath. Then, he climbed onto the rooftop and started following the woman in the black tank top.

The woman seemed to notice something and quickened her pace. Zhang Sinan moved from one rooftop to another, keeping up with her.

Finally, the woman stopped at the bottom of a long, narrow apartment building. After looking around, she hurried inside. Zhang Sinan quietly followed her. On the building’s closed rooftop, a group of people dressed in black appeared to be performing some kind of ritual. When the woman arrived, they spoke in a strange language. She quickly put on a white mask and joined them, beginning to pray.

Zhang Sinan hid behind the rooftop door, watching everything secretly.

Performing rituals wasn’t unusual—this was typical for the theology sect. But this ritual felt strange—eight people stood on a bl00d-red pattern. Their hands were covered in bl00d. The mysterious woman with the white mask knelt calmly in the center, seemingly indifferent. Next to her, a black-clad person shook a bell while chanting odd spells with exaggerated movements.

Then, all eight suddenly knelt down, pressing their hands to the ground and chanting together.

So this woman was a member of the theology sect.

Zhang Sinan wasn’t very interested in the theology sect; he only knew they liked praying in weird poses.

Suddenly, he remembered he only had “ten minutes,” so he hurried out of the alley and checked the time. Well, it had already been twenty minutes.

As he quietly left, the woman in the center opened her eyes and looked at his back through the mask.

Feeling a chill, Zhang Sinan quickly controlled his breathing and left the building. He had to get to Liu Yiqing quickly, or this little troublemaker would definitely lose it.

Zhang Sinan soon stopped a taxi by the road.

“Hash mark Barbecue City,” he said.

Hash Mark Barbecue City was named because four streets crossed to form a “#” shape from above. The air smelled of burning charcoal, spicy seasoning, cumin, and chili powder sprinkled on the meat. You could hear the brushing of oil on skewers and the lively sounds of people playing finger-guessing games while drinking. Some places even played folk songs for atmosphere.

Zhang Sinan sat with Cuitou in a vintage-style barbecue restaurant playing Liu Yiqing’s favorite songs.

“Boss, Xiao Si must be stuck in traffic.Huayu is a city full of jams,” Cuitou tried to excuse Zhang Sinan’s delay.

“Even in traffic, there’s a casino tempting Zhang Sinan. It’s been twenty-five minutes…” Liu Yiqing glanced at the time. She propped her chin on her hand and looked at Cuitou, holding up two index fingers and two middle fingers. Cuitou immediately understood and pulled a crumpled cigarette from his pocket, carefully handing the second-to-last one to Liu Yiqing.

“Light it,” Liu Yiqing said, taking the cigarette.

Cuitou searched everywhere but couldn’t find a lighter. He smiled awkwardly, “I think I threw it out this morning with the empty gum box…”

“Then what are you waiting for? Go buy one!” Liu Yiqing scolded, raising her voice.

Cuitou slinked off to another street to buy a lighter.

He entered a brightly lit convenience store and pointed at the cigarettes behind the counter. “Hello, boss lady, one pack of these please.”

“Just arrived, wait a moment. I’ll get it for you,” the shopkeeper turned and went to the back storage room.

Cuitou noticed a girl sitting between two snack shelves, sitting up straight and staring at him with curiosity. She had blonde hair, and while her features weren’t stunning, her fair skin, straight nose, and thin lips gave her a certain charm. But her eyes looked like a curious, dull watchdog watching him closely.

Cuitou casually clicked a lighter, and the girl suddenly smiled. Surprised, he released the lighter, and her expression instantly went blank.

“Interesting,” Cuitou tried again, and the girl’s face switched between the two expressions with the lighter’s flame.

Curious, Cuitou crouched in front of her, clicking the lighter repeatedly while she kept changing her expressions.

An idea came to him. Playfully, he pulled out a cigarette, flicked the lighter, and smiled, “Wanna smoke?”

The girl tilted her head and blinked her clear eyes at the cigarette.

Cuitou smiled and pretended to put the cigarette in his mouth, showing her how to inhale and exhale.

The girl took the cigarette, her pretty brows showing confusion. She broke the cigarette in half and chewed it, making a very uncomfortable face. Cuitou laughed loudly. Suddenly, the girl spat tobacco all over his face.

Cuitou wiped his face, and the girl laughed.

The shopkeeper came back with the cigarettes and saw Cuitou covered in wet tobacco, while he was teasing the girl. She poked her head and quickly warned, “She’s a little… special, young man. Before her sister comes, I suggest you leave.”

“Is she dumb?” Cuitou looked at the girl, who was still chewing tobacco and shaking a bag of chips on the shelf.

“What a pity,” Cuitou said with a sigh as he left the store and headed quickly toward Barbecue City. It was a shame that such a pretty girl was… special.

He heard the click of high heels. A woman was approaching from the other side. Her mid-length black hair flowed smoothly like a waterfall. She had graceful eyebrows, almond eyes, a small nose, and thin lips painted bright red. Her pretty features together looked like a lazy cat, but her flowing eyes added a fresh charm. She carried a fashionable black leather bag and wore red high heels, walking hurriedly into the store.

The girl eating chips saw the woman and her eyes lit up. She threw down the chips and shouted happily, “Sister!” ignoring the shopkeeper wiping stains off her clothes behind her.

The woman caught the girl’s big hug, almost slipping, but smiled. She bowed slightly to the shopkeeper and said softly, “Sorry to trouble you.” Her gentle voice was like sugar sprinkled in the air, making people feel very comfortable.

The shopkeeper smiled, “Miss Su, we’re old friends. No trouble at all.”

Su Zhaoyin smiled and pulled the girl away, gently holding her shoulders. “Has Mu Bai been good today?”

Mu Bai nodded seriously. “Mu Bai has been waiting for sister here.”

Seeing tobacco fall from Mu Bai’s mouth, Su Zhaoyin frowned slightly but stayed kind, stroking Mu Bai’s head. “Then let’s go home with sister now.”

Su Zhaoyin reached out her hand. Mu Bai obediently put her hand in hers, and they left the convenience store together. The shopkeeper watched them go and sighed deeply.

What she knew was that these sisters lived nearby. The younger sister, Mu Bai, was special—25 years old but still like a child. The older sister, Su Zhaoyin, was 28 and beautiful. Even though she had a boyfriend, she never talked about marriage.

People in the neighborhood said Su Zhaoyin was held back—by that silly girl named Mu Bai.