Chapter 242: Staying Alert

2022-05-20

Xiao Liu suddenly stopped right beneath where I was, frozen in place, like he was listening intently. The others followed his lead and halted too. Xiao Liu swept his flashlight left and right for a long moment before finally speaking. “Did you hear anything?”

They flashed their lights around too, then said, “Noise? Probably just a few mice scurrying around.”

But I knew exactly what noise Xiao Liu was talking about. That wasn’t a mouse. It was the sound of my finger bones tightening and grinding together, faint as it was. I could hear it crystal-clear. This kind of strain would wear anyone down fast. My muscles felt tight, burning with fatigue, and I could lose my grip or slip any second.

If I fell now, I’d land right in front of Xiao Liu. That wouldn’t just mean getting caught myself; it’d put Zhao Mingkun in danger too.

Summoning every last bit of strength, I felt the wounds in my mouth reopen. Fresh blood filled my mouth, metallic and strong. If not for the overpowering stench of the sewer, anyone would have noticed it instantly.

I was just about at my limit.

At that moment Xiao Liu finally said, “All right, let’s check the other side. And remember, we need them alive, got it?”

“Got it.”

The group gradually moved off into the distance.

As soon as they were gone, Zhao Mingkun let herself drop silently and landed without a sound. Graceful as a cat—no, even more so. Only then did I realize how she managed to appear behind me so easily. But there was no way I could pull off a landing like hers. I’d punch a hole right in the floor.

In a low whisper, Zhao Mingkun said, “Come down. They’re far enough away now. When they find nothing over there they’ll double back for sure.”

Sweat dripped down my face. The blood in my mouth was so thick I could taste nothing else. As soon as I opened my mouth blood trickled down my chin. “Give me a minute. I can’t do it as smoothly as you.”

Zhao Mingkun replied, “I’ll catch you. Just come down.”

Honestly, there was no way I could haul myself back up the way I came. My grip gave out and I dropped straight down. But to my shock, I didn’t hit the ground. Zhao Mingkun caught me, steady as could be.

A cold sweat broke out on my back. I never would’ve guessed someone who didn’t look all that strong could be hiding so much power.

I couldn’t help but say, “You’re amazing, you know that?”

She set me down and strode off. As we moved quickly, she said, “You’re barely 120 pounds. Trust me, catching you was no challenge.”

She frowned and added, “What happened to your mouth? Don’t tell me you bit through your tongue just to get out of there.”

“It took some effort to break free, as you saw,” I answered.

We retraced our steps but couldn’t be sure if anyone was watching from above.

I glanced at Zhao Mingkun; she looked back at me. I said, “If Xiao Liu was sent to look for me, then they’ve already planned everything out. I doubt anyone’s still watching from up top. They’re probably covering the other sewer exits, hoping to trap us inside.”

Climbing up, I told Zhao Mingkun, “Two choices: We go up, or we hide here in the sewers and wait it out.”

Zhao Mingkun didn’t even hesitate. “If they’ve chased us this far, they’re convinced you’ll try to escape through the sewer. And once they check the surveillance and see no one left from the alley, they’ll be sure we’re down here. That’s when they’ll do a full sweep.”

She climbed up after me, saying, “If that happens, we’ll really be stuck.”

“So you agree we need to get out now?”

I’d already nudged the manhole cover aside. Sunlight streamed in—no one was speaking up there, and it was clear nobody was guarding this spot. Sometimes the most dangerous place really is the safest. Maybe that’s what they mean by hiding in plain sight.

We exchanged a look and I replaced the manhole cover.

I whispered, “My plan is shot. Where to now?”

Zhao Mingkun said, “Follow me. Once we leave, we’ll be caught on camera. If anyone’s watching the surveillance feeds, someone will be here in five minutes flat. Once we’re out, we move fast, understand?”

I nodded.

She continued, “So when I make a move, you just stay quiet and watch, got it?”

Something about this felt off, but I didn’t say anything.

She headed out, and I hurried after.

Glancing back toward the alley, I saw that Sister Mao’s car was gone—must’ve been towed away already.

Zhao Mingkun dashed straight for the road.

The street wasn’t particularly remote; otherwise, Xiao Liu wouldn’t have found us so quickly. Zhao Mingkun darted into traffic, forcing the cars behind her to screech to a halt. She moved with no hesitation. The cars weren’t slow either–if the driver hadn’t braked in time, she’d have been hit for sure.

The car stopped just inches from her. The driver probably couldn’t see clearly, but from where I was standing, I could tell—if they’d been even a split-second slower Zhao Mingkun would be under the wheels.

She hit the pavement hard. The first car’s driver hurried out to check on her, instinctively raising his hands.

I knew exactly what Zhao Mingkun was getting at. Without hesitation I rushed forward, sprang into the car, and slid into the driver’s seat.

Zhao Mingkun climbed in after me, slowly.

“Go!” she urged.

I nodded. The engine was already running. In just a few seconds we were on our way.

“Are you out of your mind?” I snapped. “You almost got yourself killed! If that guy was a rookie driver you’d be roadkill by now!”

Zhao Mingkun just smiled. “Life and death often hinge on a single moment. Do what you can, but the rest… well, that’s in fate’s hands. Head west. In five minutes, pull over and we’ll catch a taxi.”

I finally got a taste of Zhao Mingkun’s wild side. I wondered if this was just how she lived every day. It was thrilling, fun even, but definitely not sustainable. Sure, you never know which will come first—an accident or tomorrow morning—but as long as you don’t go looking for trouble, your odds of surviving go way up.

Five minutes later, I pulled over wherever I could. Zhao Mingkun flagged down a taxi. With a stranger in the car, we rode in silence. For the next hour we just switched cabs again and again. She took the most twisted route possible, no direction at all. All told we must’ve changed taxis seven or eight times.

Finally, at a stop, Zhao Mingkun said, “We’ve run ourselves dizzy circling this long. Even if they’re checking the surveillance, it’ll take them ages to piece it all together.”

“So what now?” I asked.

She pointed to the ground. “Let’s go. We’ll loop around in the sewers again. By the time we climb out, you won’t even know where you are.”

I tapped my head. “Don’t be so sure. I’ve memorized every street and sewer in Dongxing City—above ground and below.”

“You’re pretty sharp, then,” she said.

I gave a shrug. “If I wasn’t, I never would’ve made it into the Special Investigation Team.”

We fell silent and wandered the sewers for over an hour before emerging again. This time we’d surfaced in the Western District. There might be surveillance cameras nearby, but nobody would think to check them for us now. Still, the longer we stayed the higher our risk of getting caught.

Zhao Mingkun gave me the address of an apartment complex. “I used to rent a place here. You go up first. I have something to take care of, I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

“What is it?” I asked.

She didn’t answer—just slipped away.

Shaking my head, I took the spare key and headed up. As soon as I pushed the door open, I heard glass hitting the floor. My brow furrowed as I stepped inside—one of the wine bottles had tipped over. I’d seen Zhao Mingkun’s tricks plenty of times. Little alarms like this, telling her if someone had broken in, were classic her.

But that wasn’t all. When I opened the door I watched as a strand of hair drifted to the floor. Another one of her moves—if someone entered, the hair would inevitably fall. Even if someone noticed, there’s no way they’d be able to reset it exactly the same.

Stepping further in, I noticed the bottle’s placement was odd—deliberately hard to mimic.

No wonder she’d managed to evade Team Leader Shao for so long.

Shaking off those thoughts, I walked inside.

The living room was bare. No television, no computer, no books.

Absolutely empty.