Hong Luo Si had finished her popsicle. Both stood up, ready to leave. However, a sudden feeling of a strong Deja Vue overcame her when a boy on the other side of the hallway complained to his grandfather. "Grandpa. You are so slow. Didn't you say you did martial arts?"
The old man replied. "I sure did. And I am still healthy and alive."
Roll*
She moved her eyes and saw an officer of the mall chase 2 teenagers riding on skate boards.
She mumbled her lips and spoke the same words that were yelled by the cop. "No skating in the mall."
"1000 YUAN!"
A person enveloped in a half-torn suit, which had not been washed for months, broke out of the surrounding crowd. His crazy gaze met Luo Si's entranced eyes as he ran up to her holding the plastic party knife close to his body, unhesitant of hurting those in his path.
Luo Si's eyelid twitched again when she spotted the mad attacker in front of her and 'Tangtang'. The latter was about to help her up, but turned around and slowly took in a hurried defense position, directed by the instincts her father had taught her.
Like a thunderous strike a long-forgotten memory fragment opened up inside her mind.
She remembered now.
When she had been invited by Wie Xiongtang to the mall in her past life, she had worn the same hoodie she did wore today. She had not been in the mood to go shopping as she was driven by anger of being humiliated, but bought the one piece to satisfy her best friend. After they had eaten their ice at the exact same spot, they were about to leave the mall when a bribed drunkard had suddenly attacked them. It had not ended very well and she had caught an infection from the wounds later on.
Later on Luo Si found out that it had been her ex-boyfriends doing, driving her to the edge of losing her mind. She had nearly lost her life back then just because Liuxian just felt like it.
Leaving her memories, a cold smirk formed on her face. 'A messanger from hell, let me send you back to Yama."
The attacker was only a couple of steps away, when Luo Si stood up fast yet unhuried. Stepping beside Xiongtang before grabbing her around the waist.
The old man stopped abruptly in his steps and widened his eyes when the echo haled in his ears. He saw his grandson moving his arms towards the face as he looked to the mainstage. His lips moved and the eyes followed. "A Martial Expert…"
Feeling the natur of belonging, Luo Si did what she was best at.
Crack* Splash*
Everything next happened in an instant. Two people fell. One was the chesty girl pulled into Hong Luo Si's embrace to the side. While the other crashed into the pool after missing his target.
"IYA!" An old wife screamed up and made the cop slip in shock.
The officer gave up the chase, seeing the new case next to him. "Nobody moves! What happened?"
When he stopped in front of the pool, he immediately roared, seeing the beggar lying down in the fountain.
Xiongtang stuttered appalled, still in shock of what had occurred. "I… I-I don't know. We were just about to leave when someone screamed and run at us. I don't know what happened next."
"What that young girl said is right! I can approve that. That beggar came out of nowhere and looked like he wanted to attack them." Somebody yelled out of the crowed.
The cop turned in annoyance. "Oi, this bastard is messing with me again…!" He stopped in his speech.
They all looked back at the person in the water. A red color came out from below and slowly spread.
The lifeless floating corps turned and a plastic knife, at the end of a long cut across the throat was tightly held onto.
Xiongtang lost the feeling in her legs, her stomach sickening. Luckily her waist was supported.
A dozen policemen moved around the fountain 5 minutes after the warden spoke into his walkie talky.
Ren Liuxian and Lin Rong had already long disappeared before the police stormed the mall.
"Such an idiot. That peasant had one simple task, but instead he killed himself. How stupid can one be?" The man in tuxedo was enraged.
"Sorry honey. It seems you are right again. All others are incompetent." Lin Rong gave him a kiss in apology. She was very unhappy seeing her show ending miserably.
…
A man in a black coat stood in front of Luo Si and her friend. "Don't worry ladies. We have already analyzed the scene and came to the conclusion that it was a suicidal attack. You are in no line responsible for anything that happened."
Xiongtang ran into the restroom, no longer ale to endure, painting the toilet in multiple colors. Hong Luo Si excused herself with a wry slime as she followed behind, comforting her after tossing the broken popsticle into the bin.
"Mr. Gordan, Sir. Please have a look at this. "A young officer came up to the coated man and held a tiny splint in his hand.
He was yelled at though, before the opposite even had the possibility to inspect the 'evidence.' "OFFICER FAN! You might be freshly schooled police officer and highly motivated as this is your first case. But I have to remind you that since you are under my jurisdiction, you are obliged to call me Inspector, INSPECTOR GORDAN!"
'Wow he called me by my name. Does that mean I'm the protagonist in this story? But I look so ordinary.'
"Ah, yes sir! I mean Inspector Gordan. But please have a look at this piece of wood." Officer Fan let go of the splinter for a second before it penetrated his hand when caught.
Inspector Gordan could only massage his temples to overcome the mental pain of watching the clumsy fresh blood.
Sigh*
"Alright, boy. Tell me. For Christ sake why this heavenly dropped piece of fucking wood is so important."
After the young policeman pulled out the splint from his palm, he excitingly explained. "Inspector, I found this piece of 'evidence' sticking out of the back of the dead mans' hand. Normally I would have dismissed it, but its wet sticky and cold…"
The officer stopped his explanation when Inspector Gordan brushed over his stretched-out hand and threw the piece of wood away with all his might. "Thank you, officer, no captain. Thank you, Captain Obvious for pointing out what happens to wood when coming in contact with water."
With his head tucked back, Officer Fan did not give up so easily and stretched out the other hand. "Then what about this?" A couple of wet banknotes were stretched out.
This time it was safely put inside a plastic bag which soothened Inspector Gordan a bit. It mattered little though, as the color was washed off halfway through already. "Wow. You found money in a well. What a surprise."
"But the victim was holding onto this tightly. Should we send this to the lab?"
"You know what? Do whatever you want. I don't care about your play money." Inspector Gordan did not want to endulge on this case. Solving a beggar's suicide in detail would give him no credits.
Inspector Gordan forcefully turned the young around and pointed at the corpse. "Listen here. That is a 100, no 200% verified accidental suicide. There was no second or third person involved. These poor girls just happened to be the actual victim in this scenario and you want to tell me that they killed someone with a fucking piece of wood? You might be too eager to see clearly. But there is the actual murder weapon right in the murders hand."
"I know it looks weird, if not pathetic, seeing someone die to a plastic knife, but I will tell you a little secret. I once cut myself with one of those at my daughters' birthday. Do not underestimate the power of plastic. Either way, that's a beggar we are talking about. No relatives or anything can be contacted nor identified so just let it be."
The case was closed and the police force dispersed.
"Grandpa, today was really exciting. And then the crazy man in the pool. Even the cops at the end. The girls were so lucky that the man missed them. If I had been in their shoes, humph, I would have gone Pah* Pah* Pah* with my fists. Just like Superman."
"Oho, you think they were lucky?" The old man did not see clearly, but he knew that it was not a simple failed attack that ended in suicide. It was the work of a master. A martial artist, showing a performance right in front of everyone, without them realizing.
'What a monstrous girl. I should keep this a secret, from martial artist to martial artist.'