"Pray tell, what mischief have you been up to this time?" Tie Wan casually inquired as she opened the record.
"Is helping someone considered mischief?" Xiang Ri scratched his nose.
"Helping? Do you truly believe I would buy that?" Tie Wan, realizing she wouldn't extract anything from him, shifted her gaze to the charming little girl beside her. "Dear sister, you must be the one who reported this, correct? Please, enlighten us about his misdeeds."
"Yes, Officer! He led a gang of ruffians to drive away all the customers from my family's shop!" The little girl seethed at the recollection.
"Is that so?" To be frank, Tie Wan found it hard to believe that Xiang Ri would engage in such behavior typical of petty thugs, and she cast a dubious glance his way.
"Am I really that dull?" Xiang Ri yawned, propping his feet up on the interrogation table.
"Be serious!" Tie Wan slapped his feet away and retorted coldly, "You certainly don't seem like that kind of person because you are indeed one!"
"Ha, familiarity breeds contempt; I'll sue you for defamation!" Xiang Ri grinned cheekily.
"Spare me the theatrics; that line is woefully outdated." Tie Wan's tone suddenly sharpened. "I must inform you, I have witnesses this time; you cannot escape."
"Just this girl?" Xiang Ri scoffed, casting a dismissive glance at the little girl.
"Officer, I am willing to testify! He wanted to smash our shop, no doubt about it!" The little girl glared back at him, her voice resolute.
"Young lady, you fail to recognize goodwill; I was merely helping you," Xiang Ri nearly wished to give her a playful tap on the head.
"Humph, clearly just a performance!"
"Enough! What exactly is going on?" Tie Wan, confused by the commotion, turned to the little girl. "Please, explain."
"Here's what happened…" The little girl recounted the events.
When she mentioned that the bald man was beaten to a pulp, Tie Wan nearly doubled over in laughter, praising her bravery.
Having grasped the situation, Tie Wan decided to forgo further recording. "Little sister, as much as I hesitate to admit it, you have misunderstood this time."
"Huh? How could that be? He is undoubtedly a bad person." The little girl pointed at Xiang Ri, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Look here." Tie Wan pulled out a photo from the record and pointed at a figure within. "Is this him?"
"That's the bald man! Sister, you must apprehend him!" The little girl jabbed her finger at the photo, as if trying to pierce it.
"He will be caught, but first, we must correct a misconception; he"—Tie Wan pointed at Xiang Ri—"is not affiliated with that bald man!"
"But why does that bald man fear him so much?"
"That's because last night he gave that bald man's boss a thorough beating, which is why the bald man is terrified."
"Oh, I see!" The little girl was startled.
"What do you mean?" Tie Wan asked, puzzled.
"There's a saying: 'Evil begets evil.' The bald man is clearly wicked, so he must be an evildoer, while he"—the little girl pointed at Xiang Ri—"is an even worse evildoer!"
"Indeed, little sister, you have spoken wisely." Tie Wan nodded in agreement.
"Hey, girl, keep it up, and I might just sue you for defamation," Xiang Ri grumbled, eyeing her discontentedly.
"What! You dare call me…? Do you believe I won't lock you up for 48 hours?" Tie Wan glared, threatening him.
"Then go ahead and lock me up; who's afraid of whom?" Xiang Ri shrugged nonchalantly, resting one foot on the table leg and shaking it rhythmically.
"You scoundrel! This is a police station, not your home; put that down!"
"Either lock me up or let me go immediately!"
"Get out!"
"Hey, girl, you're repaying kindness with ingratitude; how is that fair? Tell me, how will you make it up to me?" Xiang Ri called out to the little girl as he exited the police station, "escorted" by the female officer.
"Hmph, you're already a villain at heart!" The little girl halted her steps, turning to shoot him a fierce glare.
"Little brat, it seems if I don't teach you a lesson, you'll truly think the world revolves around you! Tell me, in what way do I resemble a bad person? If you can't articulate it, well, don't blame me for being unkind!" Xiang Ri raised his middle finger, bending it menacingly toward her head, poised to strike.
"What do you intend to do?" The little girl shielded her head, her eyes darting, and pointed to Tie Wan, who remained at the police station entrance. "That police sister said so."
"You actually believe her?" Xiang Ri shouted.
"Why wouldn't I? Am I supposed to trust a rogue like you?"
"A rogue? If I'm a rogue, then she must be a rogue's wife."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I'll have you know, she's my wife, and I often give her a playful pat on the backside."
"You're lying! That's just bragging!"
"Go ahead, ask her!" Xiang Ri said, exasperated.
"I will ask! Do you think I'm afraid?" The little girl huffed, marching over and boldly inquiring, "Sister, is it true that the bad man said he touches your backside?"
"What! He even said that to you…"
"Oh, I get it!" Before Tie Wan could finish, the little girl misinterpreted the meaning and rushed back to Xiang Ri, her expression discontented. "Is the police sister really your wife? How awful! How can you do this? You're clearly a bad egg!"
"Hmm?" Xiang Ri had intended to make a quick escape at the first sign of trouble, but hearing the little girl's words filled him with confusion. Did that police officer really admit to being his wife? This notion quickly dissolved; it was utterly impossible. Perhaps the little girl had misunderstood? That seemed quite likely. Just as he pondered this, the little girl suddenly cried out.
"Wait! If the police sister is your wife, then who was that woman you took to my family's shop to eat? She claimed to be your girlfriend. How despicable! I know now—you've been keeping another girlfriend a secret from the police sister, and I'm going to tell her!" The little girl strode confidently toward the entrance of the police station.
Watching the little girl's swaying backside as she moved, Xiang Ri shook his head, marveling at her boldness.
"Sister, that bad man has another girlfriend on the side," the little girl declared.
"And this... how is that relevant to me?" Tie Wan asked, puzzled.
"Oh, but you're his wife! How could it not concern you?"
"What! Who said I'm his... wife?"
"That bad man said so."
"That scoundrel!" Tie Wan clenched her fists, ready to settle the score, only to find that the "scoundrel" in question had vanished. She was so furious she could hardly contain herself. "You infuriate me! I will never forgive you!"
The little girl assumed Tie Wan was upset about the bad man having another girlfriend and, in her self-righteousness, added, "Yes, Sister, you absolutely must not forgive him! When you sleep at night, don't let him into your bed; make him kneel on a washboard, with a row of nails on top, and those nails must be the sharpest and most vicious…"
"Oh dear… little sister, perhaps you should just head home!" Tie Wan thought to herself; the world was a dangerous place, and this girl was driving her to madness.
As the clock struck seven in the evening, twilight had yet to fall, but the area between East City and South City was nearly deserted.
In the shadowy alley, two figures stood motionless. If not for their conversation, one might easily mistake them for wooden posts.
"Ma San, how goes the investigation?"
"No news yet."
"What's the matter? Two days have passed, and not a single clue?"
"The other party is exceptionally elusive, and given the method they used to erase traces, it's clear they're an expert in counter-tracking."
"I don't care what kind of expert they are; we must recover what was lost from the lab. Otherwise, none of us can report back to the organization."
"I understand that, but… have you read the autopsy report the professor provided?"
"Not yet; someone's dead; what's there to see?"
"Sigh… you remain so arrogant! I must tell you, one victim, L1, died from asphyxiation after having his throat crushed by a hand, while L2 was killed by a gun forcefully driven into his chest. The former could be accomplished by anyone with a modicum of strength, but the latter is quite another story. The entire gun was broken off and driven an inch deep into his chest. Can you manage that?"
"Are you telling the truth?" The speaking figure trembled.
"Absolutely! You can confirm this with the professor. Do you realize how much force that requires? And we still don't know if the opponent was using their full strength. If they weren't…"
"Could it be another Xiang Ri?"
"That unfortunate soul is already gone; there's nothing more to say! However, this one is far more challenging to deal with, and they possess the secret of A8."
"Damn it! Why are there so many perverts nowadays?"
"By the way, Niu Er, did you go into the lab today?"
"No, why do you ask…"
"Not good! Let's move!"
Having worked together multiple times, Niu Er understood immediately, and the two bolted toward the alley's exit.
However, a shadowy figure loomed in their path, the distant streetlight stretching its silhouette long and ominous.
"I have been waiting for you for a long time!" The low, chilling voice sent shivers down their spines.