After the police on duty arrived, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue drove back home. Lin Dongxue was so tired that she yawned and said with tears in her eyes, “Before sunrise, I was wondering if I wanted to eat beef noodles in the morning, but now I have no appetite. I just want to take a nap. Sure enough, as old people say, ‘It’s better to just sleep than to eat a pig overnight’[1].”

“I actually want to eat beef noodles now that you’ve mentioned it.”

“No, no, I don’t want to go anywhere. I just want to go home and go to bed. I don't want to eat anything right now...” Lin Dongxue's phone rang, and her expression changed dramatically after answering. “What?!”

“What happened?”

“Sun Shu has been poisoned and is now being sent to the hospital...”

Chen Shi immediately turned a corner and was about to drive towards the hospital to see Sun when an oncoming truck suddenly rushed into their lane of traffic towards them. A pale youth sat in the driver's seat, grinning.

Chen Shi automatically swerved the car to the left, and suddenly remembered that Lin Dongxue was sitting on the passenger seat, so he tried to swerve right. However, it was too late; the truck crashed into Chen Shi's car. The huge impact caused the windshield to shatter and their heads were met by the ejected airbags.

The car drifted until it hit the railings on the side and stopped. Chen Shi felt like a group of bees were flying around in his head, humming. He raised his bleeding forehead and saw that Lin Dongxue's face was buried in the airbag, unconscious.

“Dongxue! Dongxue!”

Chen Shi tried to wake her as he checked her pulse. Lin Dongxue had just passed out and her pulse was normal.

The truck was left horizontal to the lanes, causing traffic to be completely blocked. Wang Sunxu jumped out of the truck, playing with a butterfly knife in his hand as he walked towards them.

Sure enough, his last goal is myself!

Chen Shi gritted his teeth, pulled out the pistol from Lin Dongxue's waist, took out the handcuffs, and opened the deformed door with a kick. He rushed out, pointing his gun at Wang Sunxu.

Wang Sunxu didn't expect Chen Shi to point a gun at him and was slightly startled. He raised his hands but still had a smile on his face.

“Do you even dare to shoot? Officer Song!”

Chen Shi's hands were shaking, and he couldn’t point the gun’s muzzle at the target properly. What happened three years ago had caused lingering psychological trauma.

Aware of this, Wang Sunxu stepped forward and Chen Shi made a determined decision; he shot all the bullets towards the heavens at once, the sound of the gunfire rang out as far as a few kilometers away. Then he threw away the gun and clenched both his fists tightly as he got into a fighting stance.

“You got guts!”

Wang Sunxu ran over while holding the butterfly knife back-handed, jumped up and aimed for Chen Shi's chest. Chen Shi's full attention was on Wang Sunxu's hand that was holding the knife. He grabbed the wrist with his right hand and punched Wang Sunxu's chest with his left fist.

Wang Sunxu cut the back of Chen Shi's hand with the knife and pulled back to continue playing with the knife, forcing Chen Shi back.

When he saw a chance, Chen Shi swept Wang Sunxu to the ground with his foot, but he didn’t expect that Wang Sunxu would use this to his advantage and stab Chen Shi’s leg with the knife. In pain, Chen Shi kicked him over two meters away.

Wang Sunxu stood up covering his chest, took out a second butterfly knife from his left pocket, and manipulated the two knives around in his hands.

Fighting blades empty-handed is itself a very difficult matter. Chen Shi's skill was better than the average police officer, but he was not as good as the armed police. He thought in his mind that defeating Wang Sunxu was unrealistic. To survive would be victory.

I have to stall for time!

He asked, “How did you poison him? We checked everything that he ate and drank, so how did you do it?”

Criminals like showing off, and Wang Sunxu was no exception. He laughed, “I put it in his medicine.”

“I checked the medicine myself.”

“That was a capsule. I knew you would unscrew it for inspection, so I stuck a lethal dose of poison on the inside of the capsule. You won’t be able to discover that.”

“Delayed killing, really smart! But since you've been to Sun Shu's house, why didn't you take action earlier on?”

“If I did that, you would concentrate all your resources against me and I will not be able to kill you... You are the last one. After you die, no matter whether I’m arrested or killed, it’ll all be worth it.”

“Do you think Wang Sunlei would be glad to see you like this?”

“You are not allowed to mention his name!” Wang Sunxu shouted emotionally. “It was you who killed him and then ruined my life. It was you guys who turned me into a monster little by little. Now is the time for all of you to repay the debt!”

“We ruined your life? It was your brother who ruined your life. Since he planned that stupid poisoning case, his life and your life have been implicated!”

“Stinking police, do you know what kind of childhood I've had?!” Wang Sunxu gritted his teeth.

“I do! A childhood worse than a dog!”

“It's all thanks to you! It's all the work of you all!”

Chen Shi laughed coldly, then he laughed heartily.

Wang Sunxu asked fiercely, “What are you laughing at?!”

“Fate is inherently unjust. There are many people in this world who are more unfortunate than you. They did not choose to kill anyone. You decided your own life! You chose to be a scumbag, but you also used your miserable childhood as a cover. Blaming everything on others, you are not even qualified to be scum. Killing gives you the illusion that you are extremely powerful. But it’s only self-consolation. Those who die at your hands are just afraid of you, but they don’t fear you respectfully. You are just a coward defeated by fate. No one reveres a dog, no matter how many people it bites! And no one will remember it either!”

Wang Sunxu clenched his fists tightly. He clenched his teeth so hard that they almost cracked. His eyes were full of fury and he yelled, “That's enough nonsense! Go and die, Song Lang!”

Police sirens were heard in the distance, and Chen Shi thought anxiously. Stall for a few more seconds. A few more seconds!

He took off his coat and threw it onto Wang Sunxu unexpectedly, then kicked him. Wang Sunxu fell to the ground and the police cars from behind surrounded him. The police drew their guns and shouted, “Don’t move!”

Wang Sunxu ripped off the coat in a distraught manner. He pounced on Chen Shi again with the determination to die along with him, and the police on the side shot him in the leg. Wang Sunxu fell to the ground.

Chen Shi immediately stepped forward, kicked the knife in his hand away, and put his knee on Wang Sunxu’s back, cuffing his hands behind his back.

“Hey, you’re not allowed to move either!” The policeman shouted.

“We’re on the same team!” Chen Shi said.

He said to Wang Sunxu's ear, “You have already won, I know you’ll expose my identity. Just say what you want to say. I'm tired of all the deception and lies. I'm tired, and I won't escape again. I’ll go to hell with you! “

Wang Sunxu stared at Chen Shi with one eye since his face was on its side. His nostrils twitched angrily, and a heavy pant blew away the dust on the road.

When the police came by to take over, Chen Shi rushed to check on Lin Dongxue's condition. After half an hour, Lin Dongxue was taken to the hospital. The doctor said that it wasn’t serious and that it was only a mild concussion. However, she needed to rest for a few days.

Looking at Lin Dongxue's face wearing a breathing mask, Chen Shi felt as if a knife was twisting in his heart. Maybe this was the last time he’ll see her.

He was a bit regretful. In the end, there was no chance to kiss her goodbye…

1. An old country proverb that emphasizes the importance of sleep.