Chapter 2: Everything Was Familiar, Yet the Gunfire Was Different

Outside a residential complex in the south of the city, Zheng Tao pulled the car to a steady stop, like a leopard crouched in wait before the hunt. Together with Li Mo, he activated their law-enforcement cameras and strode toward the complex ahead, as resolute as a pair of battle-hardened soldiers.

Zheng Tao’s face was as calm as still water, showing no ripple at all. Although Puxian County was small, he knew the fugitive Wang Ze was unlikely to be hiding in the area they were canvassing. After all, this was the newest and most expensive residential complex in the county, a glittering jewel shining in a corner of the city. The people living here were undoubtedly the wealthiest in all of Puxian.

Li Mo, however, upon getting out of the car, quietly chambered a round in his pistol and switched off the safety, as though facing a grave enemy. In his mind, he rapidly replayed every detail of the case.

By rights, when the daughter of the provincial governor came to a small county like theirs, the county Party committee should have made arrangements long ago—either at the county compound, in a high-end hotel, or at the very least in the county reception house. But this time she had come during a vacation, without notifying anyone in advance, and so no one in Puxian had been alerted. As for the apartment in this complex, she had only borrowed it from a close friend who was doing business elsewhere.

After noticing Li Mo’s movement behind him, Zheng Tao frowned deeply. “Li Mo, you just chambered a round?”

“I turned off the safety, Master,” Li Mo hurriedly explained, like a child who had done wrong, quickly showing Zheng Tao the pistol’s disengaged safety.

Zheng Tao’s brow remained tightly furrowed, but after glancing at the safety, he said nothing more and led the way into the residential area.

Li Mo followed close behind him like a faithful shadow, constantly adjusting his own state of mind.

This complex was like a towering castle. Each building rose sixteen stories high, as though guarding the city. And with occupancy so high, if the two of them were to search door to door, it would be no different from trying to move a mountain by hand.

So the quickest and most effective method was undoubtedly to seek help from the property management.

Looking at Zheng Tao, as if reliving a memory from another life, he led Li Mo to the management office. Li Mo said nothing, like a quiet shadow, trailing silently after Zheng Tao’s footsteps.

The property management of this brand-new complex seemed quite reliable. After learning why Zheng Tao and Li Mo had come and checking their credentials, the manager immediately led them into the surveillance room.

“Our complex keeps surveillance recordings for one week. Anything older than that, like passing time, is overwritten by new memories,” the manager said with a smile to Zheng Tao.

Zheng Tao nodded and sat down directly in front of the surveillance computer. After the manager entered his permissions, he began fast-forwarding through the recordings from the past few days.

Li Mo stood behind Zheng Tao, his gaze drawn to the screen as though by a magnet.

He did this only to carry out one final verification—to confirm whether Zheng Tao was truly, as he remembered, able to spot a trace of the fugitive at that exact time and in that exact place on the surveillance footage.

Five... four... three... two... one...

When the countdown ended, Li Mo’s gaze snapped like lightning to the monitor in front of Zheng Tao.

At that very moment, Zheng Tao also happened to press pause on the keyboard. On the screen, a figure could be clearly seen scaling the wall and entering the complex in the early hours of this very morning.

After freezing and enlarging the image, Zheng Tao and Li Mo immediately confirmed the identity of the figure.

“It really is Wang Ze!”

Zheng Tao’s expression turned stern, and Li Mo also drew a deep breath.

It was all exactly the same as in his memory—without the slightest deviation. The timing, the image, even Zheng Tao’s words were like an exact duplicate.

After identifying the figure, Zheng Tao swiftly reviewed the surveillance logs like a hunting leopard, beginning to determine Wang Ze’s whereabouts.

What was baffling was that Wang Ze seemed not to have the slightest intention of avoiding the cameras. He had simply walked in so brazenly, as though there were no cameras at all.

Building 18, Apartment 1803!

Zheng Tao sprang up from the computer, took the spare key for the corresponding apartment from the property office, and dashed out like an arrow loosed from a bow. Li Mo hurried after him at once, and by then he could even clearly hear the drumbeat of his own heart.

Because, according to his memories of his previous life, what would happen next was this: Zheng Tao would take him up by elevator to the suspect’s location, and then, the instant they opened the door and rushed in, they would be met with gunfire.

Once inside the elevator, Li Mo breathed heavily like a drowning man, desperately trying to steady himself.

“Xiao Mo, you still haven’t calmed down?” Zheng Tao said sharply, his brow locked in a deep frown. “It was only a woman. If it’s over, then it’s over. What’s there to cling to for a grown man?”

Hearing Zheng Tao’s words, Li Mo stared blankly as though struck by lightning.

After being reborn, his mind had been filled entirely with Wang Ze’s case, and he had completely forgotten another important matter: his graduate-school girlfriend—no, his ex-girlfriend—whom he had supported for four years, had recently passed the civil service exam in the city and sent him a text message to break up decisively.

In his previous life, Li Mo’s condition had also been affected by this matter. Because of his poor state and distracted mind during the operation, he had been so easily shot by Wang Ze.

“Master, I’ve worried you. I’ve already put that matter behind me. I’m just a little nervous because I’m about to deal with a fugitive!”

“I’ll adjust right away!”

When the elevator doors opened, Li Mo took several deep breaths, calming himself and focusing all his attention.

After glancing at him, Zheng Tao shook his head and walked ahead.

Clearly, he did not believe Li Mo had truly let it go. But the most important thing now was catching the fugitive, so he did not dwell on it.

“Master, shouldn’t we call for backup from the bureau?”

Suddenly, Li Mo realized something: whether in his previous life or this one, after discovering the fugitive’s trail, Zheng Tao had never called for reinforcements.

“What backup do we need for just one fugitive?” Zheng Tao said dismissively. “Li Mo, our squad leader just retired. Your master here also wants to fight for that position.”

Only then did Li Mo understand why, in his previous life, Zheng Tao—a veteran officer with such experience—had not called for backup.

“If I become squad leader, I won’t treat you badly,” Zheng Tao said, patting Li Mo on the shoulder before heading toward Apartment 1803.

Li Mo hurried after him. Zheng Tao had not answered with any empty, lofty rhetoric; instead, he had stated his true reason directly. That meant Zheng Tao truly regarded him as one of his own, and naturally Li Mo would not refuse to cooperate.

Of course, most important of all was that in this life, Li Mo was confident he could work with Zheng Tao to bring Wang Ze down!

Inside the apartment, Wang Ze sat at the dining table, cutting into a piece of raw beef still streaked with blood using a dinner knife.

On the sofa, Chen Xi was bound hand and foot, yellow tape sealing her mouth. Her eyes fixed on Wang Ze in sheer terror, tears streaming down her face.

Her heart was filled with despair. That morning, hearing movement in the living room, she had come out of the bedroom to check, only to be attacked and knocked unconscious. By the time she woke, her hands and feet were bound, and she had been thrown onto the sofa.

The only thing for which she could be grateful was that she could feel no discomfort in her body. Clearly, while she had been unconscious, she had not been violated.

Feeling the fullness in his stomach, Wang Ze’s gaze lingered on the woman’s alluring figure, his eyes brimming with violation and desire. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, making him look all the more ferocious.

At that moment, Chen Xi was wearing pink short sleep shorts and a black camisole top, her straight, slender legs exposed to the air, glimmering with a delicate sheen beneath the sunlight.

Wang Ze yanked Chen Xi up from the sofa, roughly turned her body around, and said in a陰冷 voice, “Move even once, and I’ll kill you!”

Though Chen Xi had never known a man, she understood what was about to happen.

How could she allow herself to be at his mercy? She began to struggle wildly.

The woman’s defiance completely enraged Wang Ze’s violent nature. He swore in fury, seized her hair, and slammed her repeatedly against the sofa.

Chen Xi felt as though she were about to pass out, and her whole being sank utterly into despair.

At the same time, Zheng Tao and Li Mo had arrived at the door of Apartment 1803.

Zheng Tao gave Li Mo a warning gesture, then held the extended baton in one hand and took out the key with the other, inserting it into the lock.

Seeing this, Li Mo quickly drew his pistol, switched off the safety, and prepared to fire at any moment.

At this point, Zheng Tao’s entire attention was on opening the door, and he naturally did not notice Li Mo’s movements behind him.

Once the key unlocked the door, Zheng Tao led Li Mo swiftly inside.

After entering, Li Mo immediately looked toward the living room.

Seeing the two of them appear, a glimmer of hope surfaced in Chen Xi’s despairing eyes.

Wang Ze, who had been preparing to make his next move, noticed the change in Chen Xi and turned around, only to see Zheng Tao in uniform, baton in hand.

Wang Ze showed no fear at all. Instead, as though greeting old friends he had not seen for years, he smiled at Zheng Tao. “Two cops, plus her. That should be enough!”

“Enough for what?”

As Zheng Tao asked in confusion, he rushed toward Wang Ze.

“Ask the King of Hell when you get there!”

Wang Ze gave a cold laugh and suddenly raised his hand.

Li Mo, standing behind Zheng Tao, had been prepared for this all along. The instant the other man spoke, he lunged forward and dragged Zheng Tao behind the wall by the entryway.

Bang!

The moment the two men fell, a dull gunshot rang out.

Wang Ze, who had just moments ago been empty-handed, now had a smoking pistol in his hand, the muzzle aimed at Zheng Tao and Li Mo.

Seeing that he had missed, Wang Ze fired several shots at the entryway where Zheng Tao and Li Mo were hiding, while advancing toward them.

By then, Zheng Tao, who had been knocked to the ground, was already stunned. The fugitive actually had a gun?

And just as Zheng Tao was still reeling in disbelief, Li Mo—who had been counting the other man’s gunshots all along—moved.