7:25 PM.
On the fifth floor, the third window from the left is the meeting room, still lit up. Mu Zi parks the jeep on the roadside outside the fence on the right side of the hotel, squinting his eyes, closely observing the meeting room's window.
Angle, force, and... time.
Everything must be perfect.
Only now does Mu Zi feel an indescribable tension throughout his body.
He's both eager for time to pass and somewhat fearful. This feeling quickly causes him to break out in a cold sweat.
His hands, tightly gripping the steering wheel, are already damp with sweat.
At 7:28 PM, the lights go out!
Mu Zi suddenly feels short of breath, even suffocating!
Stay calm, stay composed...
He breathes heavily, feeling his muscles lose coordination, his hearing and vision growing dull.
His sweaty hands slip on the steering wheel, inadvertently touching a perfume bottle in his pocket.
He takes out the perfume, sniffs it deeply like a patient gasping for oxygen.
The strong fragrance jolts his brain like a splash of cold water, bringing him back to his senses.
Finally, everything calms down.
He quickly starts the jeep, wipes his hands, and grips the steering wheel firmly.
Leaning out the window, he listens intently.
This way, he can clearly hear the voices and footsteps inside the fence.
"Manager Liu, just finished the meeting?" The sound of high heels and a young woman's sweet greeting.
"Yeah, damn, I'm exhausted!" That's Liu Jie's voice, growing clearer, undoubtedly approaching his motorcycle parked near the back door.
Mu Zi's body trembles slightly, his grip on the steering wheel tightening.
"Drive safely, don't go too fast," the woman's voice, tinged with a special tenderness.
"How about coming home with me?" Liu Jie's voice, flirtatious. It's clear enough to indicate he's reached his motorcycle!
"I'd rather not. What if a 'tigress' appears at your home and devours me?" Accompanied by the sound of high heels, the woman's voice grows distant, probably heading towards the row of bungalows.
Liu Jie says nothing more.
At this moment, Mu Zi is at his most tense and focused. His muscles are taut, ears pricked, eyes fixed on the pole tied with barbed wire in front of the car!
He's waiting for a signal.
A death signal from the Grim Reaper to Liu Jie, tragically and ironically, transmitted by Liu Jie himself to the Reaper.
Vroom, vroom...
The sound of a motorcycle starting!
Liu Jie has ignited his bike!
Now's the time!
Accelerate! Go!
Mu Zi shifts gears fiercely, steps on the accelerator, and the old jeep charges out like a maddened rhino!
Bang!
The jeep, like a headless fly, crashes into the thin pole at high speed and immense force, breaking it instantly!
This street isn't luxurious and lacks cameras, so no one sees this bizarre incident. After breaking the pole, the jeep swerves onto the main road, quickly disappearing into the night...
Liu Jie loves the thrill of speeding, thinking the Harley, costing him 190,000, is worth it only if he races.
He's leaving work late today, feeling frustrated and eager for a release. Speeding provides that thrill...
Like usual, as soon as he starts his bike and turns it around, he throttles hard, and the motorcycle roars into the alley between the fence and the building! Just as the bike shoots out, a loud bang is heard, and the light bulb above the alley suddenly goes out, plunging him into darkness! Bad timing! He turns on the headlight, trying to brake, but...
"Uncle Meng, I'm really sorry, I crashed into a wall. I have enough money for the repairs."
Mu Zi, full of remorse, hands Old Meng a whole pack of Sanwu cigarettes and a few hundred yuan, apologizing for the jeep now emitting smoke and in disarray.
"You kid? Well... alright, let's get it fixed." Old Meng, seeing the cigarettes, hesitates to complain, and they both head to the repair shop.
The repair shop is close, and they arrive quickly. As the mechanics busily tend to the jeep, sharp police sirens and ambulance sounds suddenly fill the night, piercingly loud.
"Something happened... Hey? Seems like it's near Mingdu Business Hotel!" Old Meng looks towards the direction of the police and ambulances, murmuring.
"Uncle Meng, I've given you all the money, I'm going to see what's happening there!" Mu Zi excitedly tells Old Meng and runs towards Mingdu Hotel.
"Young people and their curiosity, hehe." Old Meng watches Mu Zi's fast-retreating figure, shaking his head in resignation...
When Mu Zi arrives at Mingdu Hotel, dozens
of police cars and ambulances have already surrounded the area, with many onlookers gathered around.
Mu Zi doesn't push through the crowd. He taps an old man's arm and curiously asks, "Uncle, what happened here?"
The old man, with white hair, turns to Mu Zi. Under the flashing police lights, his aged face shows utter horror.
"Terrible! I've never seen such a ghastly death in my life!" The old man gestures while explaining to Mu Zi, "See that pole? It was connected to a wire on the hotel wall for hanging light bulbs. Talk about bad luck, a car hit and broke it! After breaking, the pole fell, the wire got detached from the bulb, but it didn't break, getting stuck in the fence gap. So, one end was still attached to the wall, the other stuck in the gap, spanning across the alley... Ah, that motorcyclist must have had his time up, so unfortunate. He must've been riding really fast, just whooshed past, and the wire cut through his neck like a knife... Young man, remember, never speed on a motorcycle, you see..."
As the old man explains, even he starts shivering, evidently shaken by the gruesome, bloody manner of death...