Chapter 978: Lin Dongxue’s Efforts

On the third day of the mission, Tao Yueyue sat listlessly in the car. Chen Shi had assigned ten people to the task, split into two groups of five, stationed either in cars or in a rented apartment near Hao Yunlai’s home. There was also a mobile patrol for emergencies.

Surveillance was mind-numbingly boring, and Tao Yueyue was so bored she started yawning.

It was late at night, and Hao Yunlai was watching TV at home. They had to keep an eye on that window, and Tao Yueyue’s frustration was reaching its peak.

Just then, Xu Xiaodong got into the car and handed Tao Yueyue a bag, “I went to several streets to get these fried dumplings. They’re shrimp and pork. Try them… Oh, and this!”

He handed her a comic book. Tao Yueyue complained, “What’s this? I don’t read silly shoujo manga.”

“Uh… I saw a bookstore nearby and thought you might like it.”

“Do they have ‘The Vicomte of Bragelonne’? I haven’t finished that one.”

“Alright, I’ll go get it.”

“Don’t bother!”

But Xu Xiaodong ran off anyway and came back a while later with a book. He handed her ‘Twenty Years After,’ saying, “The bookstore didn’t have that one. Turns out it’s the sequel to ‘The Three Musketeers.’ The owner said this one is also a sequel.”

“I’ve read this already!”

“Ah? I’ll go exchange it.”

“No need. I’ll read it again.” Tao Yueyue opened the book, which had illustrations on the front page. One showed D’Artagnan leading the young king through a barricade. She sighed, “The most touching part is when they rescue Charles I. History books say Charles I represented feudal monarchy and was the head of the reactionaries, while Cromwell was the just one for beheading him. But Athos insisted on rescuing him, believing a king shouldn’t meet such a fate. That conviction is moving. History cruelly labels people as good or bad, but those who hold on to their beliefs, regardless of history’s judgment, are admirable.”

Xu Xiaodong, unsure how to respond, awkwardly said, “That’s not a dialectical materialist viewpoint.”

Tao Yueyue laughed, “Which of the Three Musketeers do you like?”

“Uh, who are they again?”

“Forget it, you clearly don’t read.”

“I like playing games. Have you played ‘Sekiro’?”

“Yeah, I beat all four endings.” Tao Yueyue said casually.

Xu Xiaodong felt a sudden defeat, always feeling pressured around Tao Yueyue. However, she found Xu Xiaodong considerate, caring, and very positive.

Without looking up from her book, she asked, “Why didn’t Sister Lin like you?”

“Huh?” Xu Xiaodong was startled, “Why ask that?”

“I’m curious.”

Xu Xiaodong scratched his head, “No particular reason. I just wasn’t her type… Did you know we used to be partners? Ever since Chen came, she stopped partnering with me.”

“Are you saying Uncle Chen stole Sister Lin from you?”

“No, no, I mean, as a cop, never fall for your partner. It just gets awkward.”

“Wise words!”

“But Chen really is charming—mature, steady, sharp. If I were a woman, I’d like him too.”

“No matter how much you flatter him, I won’t pass it on.”

“You little brat, you just love to argue!”

Tao Yueyue made a funny face at him. Just then, Xu Xiaodong’s phone rang. A colleague reported that Hao Yunlai was about to go out.

The five immediately went on high alert and followed him. In the end, Hao Yunlai only went to the corner store to buy cigarettes and returned to watching TV. They finally relaxed.

Such false alarms happened multiple times a day.

The next day, in an alley, a man wielding a kitchen knife was chasing two loan sharks. The man owed two million yuan, and with interest piling up, he couldn’t repay it without a job.

The loan sharks had come to intimidate him for some payment. Initially, they were slapping him around, but suddenly, the timid man snapped. He grabbed a knife and slashed one of their shoulders, transforming from a lamb to a tiger.

The loan sharks fled, looking back in terror. The man, brandishing his bloody knife, roared, “Stop! I’ll kill you! I’m not going to live either!”

Suddenly, a woman in a leather jacket appeared and kicked the man in the waist, causing him to stagger and drop the knife.

Before he could react, she flipped him over her shoulder and pinned him to the ground with her knee. Lin Dongxue shouted to the loan sharks, “Don’t just stand there, call the police!”

“Th-thank you!” They ran off.

“Hey, call the police!”

The man on the ground shouted, “Let go of me, you bitch! I’ll kill them! Let go!”

“Stay still!”

Once again, the Life Function had accurately predicted the critical point of the man’s outbreak, and Lin Dongxue arrived just in time to stop it.

These past two days had been tumultuous for her. During the day, she rushed around to prevent future criminals, and at night, she stayed in hotels. Explaining the Life Function to people made them think she was a lunatic, a jinx, or a disaster, and she was kicked out several times.

After repeated failures, she decided to change her approach, quietly following these individuals and intervening at their critical moments.

Despite the hardship, she was gratified to have saved a dozen lives that would have otherwise been lost, and she marveled at the eerie accuracy of the Life Function.

The man on the ground continued to struggle. Lin Dongxue was reaching her limit in restraining him. He kept shouting, “Who the hell are you to interfere with me? Let me kill those bastards!”

“Wake up! Killing them will solve nothing!”

“I don’t care about my life. Killing one is worth it, killing two is a bonus!”

“Shut up!”

Lin Dongxue suddenly noticed the man reaching for the knife on the ground. She didn’t have the strength to pull him away or prevent him from grabbing it.

At that moment, Lin Qiupu appeared and kicked the knife away, just a few inches from the man’s fingers. Lin Dongxue exclaimed, “Brother, you’re here!”

“If I didn’t come, could you manage?” Lin Qiupu handcuffed the suspect swiftly, pulled him up, and pushed him, “Let’s go to the police station!”