The Last Mr. Dongguo

The supermarket in Huguang Residential Area is a 24-hour convenience store. The small store is fairly well-stocked, with shelves neatly arranged with various daily necessities. Some items even have "50% off" signs. There's only enough space for one person to walk between the shelves, and at the far end of the winding, orderly shelving is the checkout counter. It's late at night, and the store is empty. The cashier sits idly in front of the register, fiddling with her phone and occasionally letting out silly laughs.

"Check out." A clear voice reached the cashier's ears. The cashier put down her phone and looked up. Through her thick glasses, a handsome face appeared before her. His sculpted and refined features made him look like a male protagonist straight out of a mobile phone, causing her to momentarily freeze in surprise.

"Check, please." The man pushed the drink toward the cashier, still smiling.

"Okay, okay!" The cashier snapped out of her daze, scanned the QR code, and said, "Three yuan!"

After paying, the man casually said "thank you" and immediately unscrewed the bottle cap. He seemed to have no intention of leaving; instead, he took two steps back, leaned against the doorway, and began to elegantly sip his drink. From the cashier's perspective, the man's handsome profile seemed even more captivating. The cashier glanced at her watch; it was almost midnight. She couldn't help but ask, "Are you waiting for someone? It's hot outside, why don't you come inside?"

The man twisted on his half-empty drink, glanced up at the security camera above him, then walked into the store and looked at the surveillance video on the counter. In a magnetic voice, he asked, "Isn't that the Huguang Residential Area across the street?" Although he asked for the location name, his eyes kept lingering on the screen.

"Yes, that's right. Is the person you're waiting for someone who lives in the Lakeview Residential Area?"

"Yes, but he's not home right now; he hasn't gotten off work yet."

"This neighborhood is full of intellectuals, and working overtime is a common occurrence." The cashier straightened her clothes, stepped out from behind the counter, and went to the back warehouse, where she was writing something down in a small notebook.

Are you working alone at night?

"Yes, the shop is small, we can't hire that many people." The voice came from the warehouse. The cashier was busy waiting for the next message, but after a while there was no response, so she peeked out and saw the man on the phone, walking quickly out the door. "I'm coming right now," he said, and the cashier knew that the person he was waiting for had returned.

Liu Wei dragged his weary body through the door. The moment he turned on the light, a familiar figure appeared on the living room sofa. After a brief moment of shock, Liu Wei quickly regained his composure, put away his coat and briefcase, and began to boil water to make tea.

"Could you be a little more normal next time you come?" Liu Wei put the tea leaves away, turned on the kettle, and sat down opposite the guest.

"Next time?" The customer looked up at Liu Wei, the same person who had just bought a drink at the convenience store. "Well, I guess so!"

"Hope? What? What do you want to see me so late?" Liu Wei took out a cigarette, lit it himself, and took out an ashtray from under the coffee table and placed it in front of him.

Your plan has failed.

Liu Wei's hand trembled slightly, and a piece of cigarette ash slipped from his fingertips. "Impossible. The plan is flawless. Chen Huan is completely under our control. Gu Hezhi's plan will be implemented soon, and that will be our time to step in."

"Unfortunately, Fei Li disappeared at this time."

"What? Fei Li has disappeared?"

"It's not just Fei Li, but also Cheng Luan, Li Mengying, Li Feng, and Gu Hezhi. In short, all the key figures involved in this matter disappeared at the same time. What do you think this means?"

"What do you want?"

"In our line of work, we rely on caution and skepticism; we must never leave the other party with any clues."

"I see. It seems my time is drawing near!"

"That's not the main reason I came here."

"What? Are you trying to save me or kill me?"

"No, you're mistaken. I'm here to discuss a collaboration!"

"No need! No amount of cooperation can save me now. But I must remind you that if the plan is indeed leaked, it means there's a mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. We must be wary of those watching from behind. Dying at your hands might be the best ending for me. Give my regards to him."

"Where is the real data?"

"Ha! Where's the real information? It's all just skeletons in Zeus's wardrobe!"

The sun had crept up on Bai Xin's face without him noticing, casting a golden glow that made his dark skin appear slightly yellow. Having not slept all night, Bai Xin rested his hand on his forehead, his brows furrowed. The interrogation of Liu Zheng had yielded no results, and the mysterious man had taken no further action. Everything seemed calm on the surface, but Bai Xin had a premonition that Liu Zheng's appearance was definitely not simple. Fei Li and the others were still nowhere to be found, and the Baizhugou incident had left him unsettled.

"Ring ring, ring ring..." The ringing of the phone made Bai Xin suddenly sit up, and a strong premonition made his fatigue disappear.

"I am Bai Xin."

The call was from Dongfang Lin. "Team Leader Bai, we just received a strange emergency call. The caller claims there was a murder in the Huguang residential area, and the victim is someone we're interested in. They specifically requested that you go to the scene."

Bai Xin had a bad feeling. "Okay, I understand. I'll be right there."

It was already past working hours, and apart from the occasional elderly person exercising, there was hardly anyone in the Lakeview Residential Area. The quiet atmosphere made Bai Xin feel a sense of indifference, but that was fine; at least it would make the crime scene investigation go more smoothly. Bai Xin led the team, with the technical team heading ahead first, followed closely by Han Zhen and Zou Wen. Since cars couldn't enter the residential area, Bai Xin and the others parked their car in the parking lot and quickly headed to the building where the incident occurred.

A conspicuous yellow warning tape had been put up. A sudden gust of wind made the tape whistle loudly. Bai Xin waved his hand, and Han Zhen was the first to step over the tape and go upstairs.

"What a quiet neighborhood!" Zou Wen couldn't help but sigh. "Cold and lifeless."

"Stop sighing. Favors can't put food on the table. Let's go upstairs and take a look." Bai Xin squinted and looked up, seeing a window open on the sixth floor.

When Bai Xin reached the sixth floor, a strong stench of blood filled his nostrils. He rubbed his aching nose slightly before stepping into the scene with Zou Wen. Han Zhen had secured the scene, though in reality, the entire area was almost entirely covered in blood. The gruesome scene shocked everyone present.

"Hello, is this 110? I need to report a murder. There has been a murder in apartment 601, building 1 of the Huguang residential complex. I think this is a case that Captain Bai is very interested in. I hope you can tell Bai Xin to go and investigate. He might be surprised to find out."

Dongfang Lin kept listening to the alarm recording on repeat, and the familiar voice immediately reminded her of the mysterious person.

Could this be related to Fei Li, Cheng Luan, and the others again? Dongfang Lin had another big question mark in her mind.