With a sudden crash, Hong Xingchen was knocked to the ground by a special police officer from behind. Gong Su Su was quickly arrested as well, and Li Yuning smashed my reagent bottle with the butt of her gun, pulling me out.
The queen ant was immediately killed by Li Yuning and the others with insecticide. It was about to give birth, but I beat it to the punch.
"Lucky you arrived in time. Otherwise, I would have been reduced to ashes," I said.
"Hehe, how could I let anything happen to you?" Li Yuning replied, signaling the others to pry open the reagent bottles and rescue Zhao Simeng and the others.
When Gao Qiang came out, he was unconscious, so we had to rush him to the hospital. Zhao Simeng was better off, though slightly dizzy, likely from inhaling the hallucinogenic agents.
Following Li Yuning's suggestion, we decided to go to the hospital for a check-up.
Afterward, we didn't need to handle anything else. The criminals were caught, so we just focused on recovering.
Later, I heard that Hong Xingchen's artwork The Queen's Feast had been bought by an artist. After acquiring it, strange events began happening in the artist's home. One night, a fire broke out, consuming both the artwork and the artist. During the fire, people reported hearing eerie, maniacal laughter from a woman, spreading fear and panic throughout the area.
After being discharged from the hospital, we returned to the Gaogang City Police Station. Due to the Western bullet ant case, I realized that my relationship with Zhao Simeng seemed to have grown closer. I felt a bit embarrassed about it.
One day, Director Liu called us into his office. I thought he was going to assign us a new mission, but instead, he told us to take a few days off, assuring us that we needn't worry about suspension since we had just made a great contribution.
After the scare with the coroner, we were all a little anxious, but when Director Liu said this, we felt relieved.
I had planned to take a few days off and relax, but on the evening after work, Zhao Simeng called me.
"Since we're on break these days, can you help me with something?"
"What's up?" I asked.
"My dad wants me to attend a matchmaking event, but I really don't want to go, so…" she trailed off.
Matchmaking? I was confused. This didn't seem to have much to do with me. I said, "Why are you telling me this?"
"I want to borrow you as my boyfriend. After working on these cases together, I think you're decent, and out of everyone at the police station, you're the one I get along with the best…" she explained.
Hearing this, black lines immediately appeared on my forehead.
I hesitated about how to respond, but Zhao Simeng continued, "If you don't say anything, I'll take it as a yes. Meet me outside the Century Grand Hotel at 7 PM tomorrow. Just wear something casual."
Without waiting for my reply, she hung up. My goodness, what kind of situation is this? Looks like refusing isn't an option.
The next evening, at 7 PM, I showed up outside the Century Grand Hotel in a simple suit. I saw Zhao Simeng's Buick and knew she had arrived.
As I approached the Buick, I saw her standing there and purposely said, "Zhao beauty, the windshield repair was done quickly."
"You're here? You're on time. Let's go inside," Zhao Simeng said, waving for me to follow.
When she turned around, I realized that Zhao Simeng was wearing a black, form-fitting evening gown. Her delicate collarbones were fully exposed, and her graceful figure was outlined in a way that made her look incredibly alluring.
I said, "Didn't you tell me to dress casually? Why are you wearing…"
"I'm casual too," she interrupted, "but my dad insisted that I dress more formally. But you look good today, too."
As she spoke, we walked into the hotel lobby.
I noticed that the people here were all influential figures from Gaogang City. I knew that Zhao Simeng's father was the head of a real estate company, a typical businessman who only cared about money.
Zhao Simeng had learned forensic skills from her grandfather, but her father didn't believe in it and even advised her not to pursue it. However, Zhao Simeng refused to listen.
Her father had specifically arranged this matchmaking event, hoping to marry her off and have her leave the police force, abandoning her career as a forensic specialist.
After standing in the lobby for a while, many people began to notice Zhao Simeng. But when we approached a man dressed in a white suit and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, he turned to Zhao Simeng with a smile and said, "Simeng, you're here? And who is this with you?"
"This is Gu Wenbin," Zhao Simeng answered, pulling me closer and holding my arm tightly. "I know this is because of your father, but let me tell you, he's my boyfriend, so don't think otherwise."
As she said this, she tightened her grip on my arm. I nodded in agreement, playing along. Gu Wenbin seemed momentarily stunned, his face showing clear confusion. It took him a while before he spoke.
"You people in the police force, all you do is catch a few criminals. Compared to us businessmen, we serve the entire city. Our value is on a completely different level."
I sneered, "Mr. Gu, if it weren't for the police, you might not even be standing here talking to us."
Gu Wenbin's expression soured, but he quickly regained his composure. "I don't have time to argue with you. I have other matters to attend to." With that, he turned and walked away. Zhao Simeng rolled her eyes and muttered behind his back, "Can't win an argument, so he makes excuses to leave. What's so impressive about that?"
At that moment, I noticed more people arriving. However, two men at one of the tables caught my attention. They were sitting together, only drinking, their faces expressionless, and their movements stiff, as though they were two robots pouring drinks for each other.
The crowd had gathered, and Zhao Simeng's father, Zhao Tianming, appeared on the stage. "Welcome, everyone, to my daughter Zhao Simeng and Gu Wenbin's engagement ceremony."
What? Hearing the word "engagement," Zhao Simeng immediately shouted, "When did I agree to that? I already have a boyfriend!"
"Daughter, what are you talking about?" her father replied, trying to calm her. "Marriage is something for the elders to decide. Don't mind her, everyone. Simeng is just being shy and speaking nonsense."
In this day and age, arranged marriages are obviously not ideal. I could feel the tension in the air, and I was about to intervene when suddenly, from the nearby dining table, there were loud and frantic cries.
"Someone's dead! Someone's dead!"
We looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the man I had noticed earlier was slumped over at the table, blood spilling out from his mouth.
The food on the table was now soaked in blood, creating a terrifying sight. Many guests screamed and ran toward the hotel lobby.
Zhao Simeng and I immediately became alert.
"Everyone, don't touch the body. I'm a police officer. Let me handle it."
Upon hearing there was a police officer, the guests parted to make way for us. I called for backup as we approached the body. Zhao Simeng followed closely behind me. We carefully lifted the body off the table and laid it flat on the ground.