Chapter 22: Arrested
Winter mornings were destined to be quiet and cold, with most people staying in their homes, avoiding the harsh cold outside.
Leng Qing Qiu woke up from a dream again and stood up, walking to the balcony of the unfinished building.
Looking out, she saw a vast expanse of white fog, obscuring the pedestrians.
“…This is indeed a good day for traveling.”
Looking at her palm, Leng Qing Qiu smoothed her slightly messy long hair.
She had been living in this unfinished building for a long time, over two months by now. To avoid the police’s pursuit, she rarely went out and never went home. The last time she went out was to sneakily buy a padded coat.
This life in the shadows made Leng Qing Qiu uncomfortable, and at the same time, she missed Lu Zhiyin.
That gentle, thoughtful childhood friend…
“I wonder how her injury is…”
Leng Qing Qiu remembered Lu Zhiyin’s broken arms and legs from a previous car accident. She thought that in her absence, Lu Zhiyin must have gone to Long Qinxin.
Although she felt unhappy, there was nothing she could do about it, as she couldn’t even take care of herself properly.
Ultimately, it was all her own fault.
After being alone for so long, Leng Qing Qiu became prone to zoning out.
It took her a while to snap out of it. She tightened the padded coat, put on her hood, gloves, and mask, and checked her pockets to make sure she had her keys. Then, she left her hiding place of over two months.
“Let’s go back and see…”
Unable to bear the loneliness, Leng Qing Qiu decided to go back and see if Lu Zhiyin was at home. If not, she could get some money from home to facilitate her leaving the city later. If she was home, Leng Qing Qiu planned to say goodbye to Lu Zhiyin.
If possible, Leng Qing Qiu wanted to take Lu Zhiyin with her.
She couldn’t stay in this city anyway. She guessed she wouldn’t be able to go back to school, nor could she continue hiding in this unfinished building. The police would eventually find this place.
Having lived in this world for over a decade, taking countless lives, as she looked back, she realized she seemed to have reached a dead end.
It was too late for regret now. All Leng Qing Qiu could do was make one last gamble, hoping for luck to escape this city in a hurry.
“Hoo…”
In the corridor, Leng Qing Qiu breathed onto her gloves, seeing a distinct mist.
It was indeed very cold.
Tightening her mask, she left the building.
In the abandoned neighborhood, wanted posters with her image were already visible. Faint footsteps could be heard in the fog.
Leng Qing Qiu began to be glad she had some foresight and hadn’t continued hiding in her shelter.
The police had already started searching here. If she hadn’t left, Leng Qing Qiu would have been caught in at most two days.
Taking advantage of the winter morning fog, Leng Qing Qiu left the abandoned neighborhood. She walked through the densest parts of the fog, crossing the middle of the road, only swerving when she heard the sound of car tires.
The police walking along the sides of the street did not notice her. The fog today was too thick.
“…Hoo, good luck…”
Whispering to herself, Leng Qing Qiu quickened her pace. The fog would dissipate as time went by, and she had to hurry.
Fortunately, before the fog completely cleared, Leng Qing Qiu returned to her home.
She opened the door with her key.
“Lu Zhiyin, are you there?”
After entering the house, she first called out for Lu Zhiyin but received no response.
Casually closing the door, Leng Qing Qiu looked at the broken glass not far away from where she had fled.
Shards of glass were still on the ground.
“…”
Leng Qing Qiu sniffed. The air was filled with a strange odor, like a rotten rat carcass, she didn’t know from which corner of the house its owner had died.
Leng Qing Qiu wandered around the house for a long time, finally confirming that Lu Zhiyin had never returned.
“…She didn’t come back?”
Closing her eyes, Leng Qing Qiu began to suspect Lu Zhiyin. After she left, the police found her before Lu Zhiyin could return. And after she fled, Lu Zhiyin hadn’t returned home either. Leng Qing Qiu started to suspect that Lu Zhiyin had reported her.
However, she did not act on her suspicions, merely thinking that Lu Zhiyin was terrified of her and had eloped with Long Qinxin.
She inexplicably did not want to suspect Lu Zhiyin too much.
After pacing around the house a few times, Leng Qing Qiu went to the bedroom and opened the wardrobe.
“…Ha… I should leave her money.”
Her gaze swept over the cloth bag where Lu Zhiyin kept her money and her own wallet. After a moment’s hesitation, Leng Qing Qiu took her wallet.
She didn’t have much cash in her wallet. Logically, she should have taken money directly from Lu Zhiyin’s compensation, but she really didn’t want to touch Lu Zhiyin’s money.
She remembered that she was the culprit who caused Lu Zhiyin’s car accident.
“One thousand yuan… Forget it, it’s enough.”
Muttering to herself, Leng Qing Qiu went to another bedroom.
It was a long-sealed room used to enshrine the photos of her parents.
Walking up to the photos, Leng Qing Qiu wiped the thick dust off the frames with a towel. Once the dust was cleaned away, she bowed to the photos.
“Dad, Mom, goodbye.”
As she finished speaking, Leng Qing Qiu remained in that position for a long time.
After about five minutes, she stood up again, smashed the jar containing the hand of the person who had killed her parents, and left.
She had to leave the city quickly.
Worriedly, she opened the bedroom door. Outside, the fog had almost dissipated, and pedestrians could be seen in the distance.
Leng Qing Qiu had a bad feeling. She pulled her mask and hood tighter again, shoved her hands into her pockets, pretended to be an ordinary pedestrian, and walked along the street towards the exit of the city.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t gone far before a police dog barked at her and then rushed towards her, biting her small leg tightly.
The three police officers accompanying the dog were stunned at first, then swarmed and subdued Leng Qing Qiu.
The female officer in charge pulled off Leng Qing Qiu’s mask and hood and compared it with the wanted poster.
Although Leng Qing Qiu had been hiding in the unfinished building for two months and was thinner than in the wanted poster, she was still recognizable.
“It’s her, great! My year-end bonus is secured.”
With a cheerful voice, one police officer led the police dog away and fed it dried meat. The other two officers helped Leng Qing Qiu into a nearby police car.
She was handcuffed and thrown into the back seat of the police car, remaining silent throughout, as if she were not a captured fugitive.
She was captured so easily, and Leng Qing Qiu felt a sense of unreality. The pain in her leg brought her back to reality.
She was just an ordinary person. Fortune would not always favor her.
“…”
Lowering her head, Leng Qing Qiu closed her eyes. She had actually considered the possibility of being arrested.
Next, she would likely face a public trial, conviction, and execution. In other words, she wouldn’t live much longer.
