The Last Mr. Dongguo

January 23, 1978, Monday, midnight.

The night was pitch black, and the weather was freezing cold.

The three hid in different locations, closely monitoring the area around the rental house. They occasionally exchanged information using pre-arranged coded signals.

The code was invented by Li Mengying, originally just something she and Fei Li passed around casually. Unexpectedly, after becoming Cheng Luan's special consultant, Cheng Luan discovered it could be used as a criminal investigation technique. To get closer to Li Mengying, Cheng Luan repeatedly pleaded with her, finally persuading her to use the code for criminal investigations. Li Mengying was initially reluctant to share it with Cheng Luan, but the nature of criminal investigations is unique, involving constant life-threatening situations. In emergencies, a simple distress signal could potentially save a life. Therefore, Li Mengying agreed to share her findings with Cheng Luan.

In this way, the three of them developed their own secret code, which enabled them to obtain valuable information about each other in every operation.

"Achoo!"

It had been sweltering summer just a while ago, but suddenly it felt like winter again, which made the petite Li Mengying a little uncomfortable. Although she had put on a coat, she still felt a chill. Li Mengying sniffed and stamped her feet.

Suddenly, Li Mengying sensed movement behind her. She quickly turned around and launched a side kick into the darkness.

"it's me."

The shadowy figure dodged Li Mengying's attack in a flash. A familiar voice reached Li Mengying's ears, and she saw Cheng Luan standing behind her, holding his coat.

"What are you doing? Aren't you in your own place?" Li Mengying asked, hands in her pockets, looking at Cheng Luan with a silly grin.

"I was worried you'd be cold, so here, take this." Cheng Luan said, draping the coat over Li Mengying's shoulders.

"You gave me your coat, aren't you cold?" Li Mengying asked seemingly with concern, but her eyes were glancing in Fei Li's direction. "You should wear it yourself. If I wear so much, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to move around if something happens." Li Mengying then took off her coat and stuffed it into Cheng Luan's hands.

Cheng Luan felt awkward and unsure whether to leave or stay. The two of them stood there blankly, looking at each other.

"Cheng Luan".

"Um?"

Li Mengying's sudden voice startled Cheng Luan, making the hairs on his body stand on end. You see, Cheng Luan had never been this nervous even when facing ruthless criminals, but in front of women, he was like an immature child.

"I wonder when this will ever end," Li Mengying said, trying to find a topic to ease the awkwardness.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."

Cheng Luan understood what Li Mengying meant and knew the difficulties she was facing, but he still patted his chest to assure her, acting like an older brother making a promise to his younger sister.

"Mengying, I know your difficulties. Feili is still not understanding. I also know your predicament. You are afraid that Feili will have bad consequences if he finds out. But I believe in Feili, and I believe in you. Please believe in me too. There is nothing that cannot be resolved. Feili is a grateful person. He will definitely understand what we are doing."

"And what about you?"

"Me?" Cheng Luan smiled, seemingly finding his place in Li Mengying's question. "My problems are nothing compared to yours. I can handle it myself. Haha, after this is over, I'll treat you to dinner..." Cheng Luan thought for a moment and added, "And Uncle Bai and Xiao Fei too."

"Okay, it's a deal."

Li Mengying slightly raised the corners of her mouth and gave Cheng Luan a sweet smile.

"Okay, we'll keep in touch using the code. I'll head back now."

Li Mengying nodded, watching Cheng Luan slowly disappear into the night. Not far away, Fei Li, clutching her coat, watched Cheng Luan return to his position.

The night grew even darker, and it was extremely quiet all around; the only sounds were the wind and one's own breathing.

Fei Li stretched her neck and inadvertently glanced at the bright moon in the sky, her heart skipping a beat. For so many years, the thing Fei Li dared not look at most was the bright moon at night, inevitably touching her most vulnerable heart.

A sharp "clang" came from the direction of the rental house. The three reacted almost simultaneously, quickly and orderly approaching the rental house.

Cheng Luan was closest to the target and was the first to rush into the house. In the dim moonlight, a figure leaped out of the window. Cheng Luan didn't hesitate and chased after him.

Fei Li and Li Mengying then entered the house, where the woman of the house lay in a pool of blood in the very center of the living room.

The two quickly left the room and searched for the murderer in the night. However, not only the murderer, but Cheng Luan also disappeared into the vast darkness.

The piercing sirens grew louder as they approached, the flashing lights standing out starkly in the darkness. Fei Li and Li Mengying sensed an unease and cautiously ran towards the flashing lights.

"Don't move, police officer, hands up!"

The familiar voice, the familiar words. Fei Li and the other person's expressions changed instantly. They looked at each other and quickened their pace in perfect unison.

Several police cars were parked less than 500 meters from the rented house. Several police officers, each holding a loaded pistol, pointed their guns in the same direction. Following the direction of the guns, a person with their hand raised high above their head was slowly walking towards the police cars. When the flashing police lights shone on the person's face, Fei Li finally recognized them—Cheng Luan. One of the officers with the gun was Bai Xin.

Why is Bai Xin here?

"Team Leader Cheng, I didn't expect it to really be you?"

Bai Xin hesitated; from his tone, it seemed he had long suspected Cheng Luan. But Fei Li and Li Mengying, hiding in the shadows, knew in their hearts that Cheng Luan was not the murderer at all.

"Bai Xin, it's me."

Calm and certain.

The unexpected confession struck Fei Li and Cheng Luan like a bolt from the blue. They couldn't believe their ears; why would Cheng Luan admit to being the murderer? Fei Li's mind raced; in just a few minutes, everything had changed dramatically. Why would Cheng Luan take the blame? What was he worried about, or what was he covering up? And where was the real killer?

Li Mengying sent a signal to Cheng Luan via communicator, hoping to get a response. They still held onto hope that perhaps it was all part of Cheng Luan's scheme. However, they received no reply.

Not far away, Cheng Luan walked up to Bai Xin with his hands behind his head. Bai Xin waved his hand, signaling his men to put away their guns.

"Why? Why kill?"

"Because I have a very serious illness, I eat meat and drink blood in order to 'prevent my blood from turning into powder'."

"Ridiculous, utterly absurd! Captain Cheng, when I received Shui Mingyue's intelligence, I was still skeptical. Today, I waited for you here, hoping to find someone else. Captain Cheng, I've always respected you and considered you a role model, but I never expected..."

Water and Moon!

It was another familiar name, the name of a comrade-in-arms who had long since passed away. This night brought Fei Li far too many unexpected events…