Chapter 40

Shu Fu felt that her little “cutie” at home had recently become a bit less cute.

This was already the second time a task had completely disrupted her plans, and yet—she still had no choice but to do her best to complete it.

After all, failing to complete the task would result in a progress deduction. She had no other option.

By the time the property management and neighborhood committee staff reached the 21st floor, it was already past six in the evening. After inspecting her floor, there were still four more floors to check, which would take at least another one to two hours.

By this time, Shu Fu had already called Zheng Feifei. But realizing she probably wouldn’t make it in time for dinner, she directly said she’d stay overnight instead. Zheng Feifei let out a surprised “Ah” on the other end of the line but quickly became excited, saying they could wait for her to arrive and eat together.

“Don’t wait. I don’t even know what time I’ll get there. I’ll eat when I arrive. You all eat on time,” Shu Fu said, forcing herself to get through the call.

The task deadline was midnight tonight. There was no way she’d let others wait without eating just for her. Once she got there, she’d just grab some bread or instant noodles at Zheng Feifei’s place to fulfill the “eating” part of the task.

Besides, tasks that penalized progress usually came with some unexpected twist. The eating part probably wasn’t the real focus. She’d already prepared her nail gun and stun baton, both packed in her bag, ready to go.

Outside her door, along with the property and neighborhood committee staff, were three fully armed team members—and one of them was a familiar face.

When Liu Shuang saw who opened the door, she was momentarily stunned. She pushed her helmet back slightly, her eyes clearly saying: What a coincidence?

Shu Fu had already anticipated this.

That day when the rescue team arrived, the residents were still shaken from the night’s events. At first, no one was sure if the people outside were real rescuers or impostors. Some residents from the lower floors, being closer to the scene, had snapped photos of the rescue team and shared them in the resident group chat, asking if anyone recognized them and whether they might be disguised attackers.

One of those photos had captured most of Cheng Yu’s face.

By now, Shu Fu was used to these kinds of coincidences and felt no ripple of emotion.

That day, the military and rescue team had only done a preliminary sweep of the area. Inside the building, they’d checked each apartment to ensure residents’ safety. As long as doors and windows were intact and there were no signs of struggle or blood, the home was considered secure, and they’d quickly move to the next one.

At that time, Shu Fu hadn’t come face-to-face with Cheng Yu or Liu Shuang.

Now, however, they were doing detailed inspections. Residents who passed would have their photos taken on the spot and receive an electromagnetic card. The card had their photo on it, and each card corresponded to one person. When scanned at the building entrance, the security office’s computer would display the cardholder’s apartment number.

This would be their proof for entering and exiting the complex from now on.

“Captain Liu,” Shu Fu greeted her proactively.

“Why are you living here? Cheng Yu said you were staying with your relatives—” Liu Shuang cut herself off mid-sentence.

It was obvious that being a guest in someone else’s home wasn’t exactly ideal, especially in the current situation. A long-lost relative suddenly showing up at the door wasn’t likely to be very welcome.

And Shu Fu was a smart girl who didn’t like to trouble others. Once she sensed the situation, she’d naturally choose to leave. The east side of the city had the worst and most chaotic conditions in all of Lou Yuncheng, but it also had the cheapest rent…

Liu Shuang hadn’t finished her sentence, but she felt like she’d pieced together the whole story.

Looking at the girl in front of her, she changed her expression and spoke again. “So, you’re the one living in 2106. We heard you saved them.”

Before arriving here, their team had just finished inspecting the neighboring apartment, where the couple mentioned how they’d been rescued that night by the resident of 2106. So even before knocking, Liu Shuang had been curious about who lived here.

The couple had come by the next day to thank Shu Fu, even bringing a gift. But she hadn’t accepted it, nor had she shown any interest in forming a closer relationship. The couple had no choice but to repeatedly express their gratitude.

“Yeah,” Shu Fu responded calmly. She picked up her backpack and pulled out a nail gun. “I used this to save them. Is it going to be confiscated?”

“This is a construction tool. Do we look that petty?” Liu Shuang chuckled, taking the nail gun to examine the flashlight attached to it before handing it back with admiration. “You’re pretty clever. But of course, you’re a girl living alone—you need to be smart and tough.”

The team moved quickly once inside. The apartment was small, and the only occupant was Shu Fu.

She showed the property staff her rental contract, ID, and her username from the resident group chat.

Once everything was verified, they took her photo and used their portable equipment to create an electromagnetic card on the spot. They reminded her to keep it safe and then sent her the new security door code for Building 3 via a private chat in the resident group.

“Once Building 3’s inspections are done today, can I leave?” she asked.

“You can,” one of the property staff nodded, though looking slightly puzzled. “Heading out this late?”

“Going to see a friend in Building 4.”

“You can go, but once you’re there, you won’t be able to leave. You’ll have to wait until everyone in Building 4 finishes their inspections and gets their electromagnetic cards.”

“I know. I’m staying at her place tonight.”

As they left, Liu Shuang made sure to stay behind and remind Shu Fu to be cautious. If she saw any suspicious people, she should call the rescue line immediately. She also warned her not to be reckless—just because she’d successfully saved someone before didn’t mean every act of bravery would end safely.

The eastern part of the city was in chaos, and Liu Shuang reminded her to prioritize her own safety if anything happened. Finally, she asked Shu Fu to write down her phone number for her, explaining that she was still on duty and couldn’t use her phone. She’d add Shu Fu’s number to her contacts once she returned.

Shu Fu immediately tore off a sticky note from the table, wrote down her phone number and WeChat name, and handed it to Liu Shuang. Then, she opened the fridge and took out six sandwiches and a bag of oranges.

She had made them after calling Zheng Feifei. They contained ham, eggs, and cheese slices—no vegetables—just the most basic type of sandwich. After all, it wouldn’t be polite to visit someone’s home empty-handed.

Since she had time, she made several, wrapping each in plastic wrap. Most were stored on the shelving unit in her space, but she left six in the fridge along with the bag of six oranges.

She packed the six sandwiches and the bag of oranges into a plastic bag, tied it up, and handed it along with the sticky note to Liu Shuang.

Liu Shuang tucked the note into the inside pocket of her jacket but didn’t take the bag. “We can’t accept gifts while on duty.”

“It’s not a fancy gift—just oranges and ham-and-egg sandwiches. There are exactly six, so you can have something to snack on after finishing the inspection.”

Standing sideways at the door, Liu Shuang looked up and caught the expressions of her two team members.

They were part of the rescue team, not military personnel, so small gifts like this weren’t a problem. When other teams inspected Buildings 1 and 2, the residents gave them food and drinks as thanks, and they accepted them—as long as they didn’t eat during duty.

However, Liu Shuang had transferred from the military to the rescue team with Cheng Yu a few months ago, and she was stricter in this regard. She had refused all offerings from residents throughout the day. Everyone had been hungry, trying to finish the inspections quickly. Now, seeing a friend of the team leader offering food, they couldn’t help but be a little hopeful.

Ham-and-egg sandwiches sounded delicious—way better than gnawing on compressed biscuits back in the truck…

Liu Shuang knew exactly what they were thinking. She finally smiled and took the bag from Shu Fu’s hands. “Then I’ll thank you on their behalf.”

“You’re welcome, Captain Liu,” Shu Fu replied with a smile.

Liu Shuang was momentarily caught off guard by her smile, recalling how she had looked when they pulled her from the water. Now, seeing her clean, fair face, Liu Shuang felt an unexpected softness in her heart. “Don’t call me Captain Liu—just call me Sis from now on.”

“Sis Liu Shuang,” Shu Fu complied smoothly.

“Good girl. We’ll chat later.” Liu Shuang patted the spot where she’d tucked the note and left with the others to check the next apartment.

---

At 8:30 p.m., after dinner, Shu Fu put on her raincoat, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and headed to Building 4.

There were a few rescue team members guarding the entrance of Building 4. The new security door was installed, and each building had a different passcode known only to its residents. But since Building 4 hadn’t been inspected yet, even its residents didn’t know the code.

If Shu Fu wanted to enter, she needed the rescue team to open the door for her.

The two rescue team members stationed at Building 4 quickly opened the door after she showed her access card for the complex.

“Apartment 2106 in Building 3, visiting a friend in 1005,” Shu Fu said as she pulled down her mask and quickly gave the apartment number for registration.

One of them took her card to scan, while the other registered her information, reminding her that she could enter Building 4, but she wouldn’t be able to leave.

“I know, thank you.”

Her card checked out, the registration was complete, and Shu Fu was soon allowed through. While waiting for the elevator, she overheard the guards muttering, “A young girl visiting friends this late? Ah, to be young…”

Shu Fu: …

It’s not like I want to do this either. I’d much rather be relaxing in my little island hut, not worrying about the world…

It was raining tonight but not thundering. Shu Fu took the elevator straight to the tenth floor. The layout here was different from Building 3—the elevator was in the middle, and when she stepped out, three hallways branched off, with apartment numbers arranged in no particular order.

She circled around twice, the motion-sensor lights in the corridor flickering on and off as she moved. She wondered if she was disturbing any residents. Just as she passed one apartment, the door suddenly swung open. A woman in loungewear peeked out, her gaze meeting Shu Fu’s directly.

Even with the raincoat and mask, it was obvious at this close distance that Shu Fu was a young woman. The other woman looked at her for a moment, then withdrew, smoothly placing a bag of trash against the wall outside her door—as if she had just come out to throw out the garbage.

The door closed again, and as Shu Fu turned her gaze away, she caught sight of the apartment number: 1009.

Good, she had finally found the right area. Around the next corner was 1005. Just past that was the elevator, and only then did she realize she had made a huge loop.

Zheng Feifei hurried to open the door. Shu Fu stood outside, taking off her raincoat, and Zheng Feifei helped her with it. Seeing her still at the door, she tugged her inside. “Come in! Change your shoes inside!”

Before stepping in, Shu Fu glanced back toward 1009.

That feeling of familiarity struck her again—she was sure she had seen that resident somewhere before. She just couldn’t recall where.

Shu Fu knew that the more she tried to remember, the more her memory would refuse to cooperate.

So, after entering the apartment, she didn’t dwell on it further and instead focused on being a good guest. She politely greeted Zheng Feifei’s parents and pulled out her gifts from her backpack: six wrapped sandwiches and a bag of apples.

Shu Fu had no idea that a few nights ago, when she calmly and methodically gave advice over the phone, Zheng Feifei had it on speaker, and her parents heard everything.

After everything that had happened, Zheng Feifei understood that in her parents’ eyes, she would always be their child. No matter how reasonable her arguments were, they never had as much impact as when someone else said the same thing.

Maybe it was because she wasn’t decisive enough, not calm enough in a crisis, or lacked the ability to take charge during sudden emergencies. She hadn’t gained enough of her parents’ trust to make them believe in her.

But she knew that Shu Fu could.

Though younger, Shu Fu always seemed far more mature than her age. Every time Zheng Feifei faced a problem and felt overwhelmed, Shu Fu always had practical advice that quickly settled her restless heart.

Sure enough, that night, after her parents heard Shu Fu’s words, they completely abandoned their original plan. They only remembered one thing: If you don’t want your daughter to die, don’t be overly sympathetic, don’t soften your heart, and don’t hesitate to act.

The crisis eventually passed safely, and coupled with the incident involving the waterspout before, Shu Fu had now become someone who practically radiated in the eyes of Zheng Feifei’s parents.

Not only did they prepare a lavish dinner, but they also saved a portion of each dish just for her, even keeping a small pot of pork bone soup.

So, within five minutes of arriving, Shu Fu found herself seated at the dining table under their enthusiastic hospitality.

“Xiao Fu, you didn’t have to bring anything! Next time, just come straight over for dinner!” Zheng’s mom was incredibly warm. “Feifei told me you live alone, right? You must have to cook for yourself all the time. Our Feifei, even now, still manages to burn the simplest stir-fry…”

The entire meal was dominated by Zheng’s mom’s chatter. Zheng’s dad, wearing an apron, set down the soup pot and said, “Eat, eat!” before heading back into the kitchen.

“Uncle, you don’t have to keep busy, I’ve actually already eaten…” Shu Fu tried to protest, but when she turned around, Zheng’s mom had already served her a large bowl of bone broth.

“It’s fine, you young folks stay up late anyway. You can save it for a midnight snack, just have Feifei heat it up for you later! Come on, have some soup first!”

Shu Fu turned to Zheng Feifei for help, but she was trying to stifle a laugh. “Yeah, have some soup. We’ll eat the rest when we get hungry later tonight.”

“Your dad…”

“He’s making pancakes for you. His scallion pancakes are amazing! But they’re best fresh, so just have a taste later.”

Shu Fu: …

Under their watchful eyes, Shu Fu began sipping her soup. Zheng Feifei’s parents were excellent cooks. Maybe because ingredients were scarce, there were no additional vegetables in the broth—just a sprinkle of home-grown scallions and some white pepper. But it was flavorful enough.

The pepper helped with the dampness, and in this cold, wet weather, a hot bowl of pork bone soup with pepper warmed her right up.

Soon, the scent of scallion pancakes wafted from the kitchen. The aroma was so tempting that even though she had already eaten dinner, she felt like she could definitely manage another bite.

She suddenly remembered that back in her old apartment building in Suicheng, some neighbors loved making scallion pancakes like this. The smell would drift through the hallways even on rainy days. At that moment, Shu Fu’s memory clicked—she remembered!

She remembered who that woman from earlier was!

Rainy days, the smell of fried pancakes, dim hallway lights in the evening—her name was… right, Zhong Li.

---

A little while later, while munching on scallion pancakes, Shu Fu gathered quite a bit of information from Zheng’s mom, the neighborhood “know-it-all.”

“Yes, one of the residents in that unit is named Zhong Li. She’s from Suicheng too, but she moved here a bit later than us.”

“Actually, Zhong Li originally had her eye on unit 1018. That apartment is bigger—three bedrooms, two living rooms, and two bathrooms. Since there are four of them, I guess they wanted more space… But the other woman in the group didn’t agree. Don’t know why, but it seems like she’s the one in charge of the rental. Zhong Li wasn’t happy about it, and they even had a fight over it…”

“In the end, they had no choice but to move into 1009. But even after moving in, it wasn’t peaceful. They were arguing all the time. About ten days ago, I think they had a really bad fight, and the other couple moved out overnight. After that, it was just Zhong Li and her husband left in that unit.”

Zheng Feifei was always busy and had never paid attention to this stuff. Hearing her mom not only remember their names but also recount everything in such detail made her a little impressed.

She also shared what she overheard the night the complex was attacked by outsiders.

It wasn’t anything important—just the sound of a door unlocking. She might’ve misheard it because she was so nervous. But seeing her mom so animated, she decided to join in on the conversation.

Sure enough, even Zheng’s mom thought she probably misheard it. That night, every household was barricading their doors and windows. Who would’ve opened their door on purpose? That’s just nonsense.

Thinking back to Zhong Li’s expression when she saw her earlier, Shu Fu felt that she hadn’t recognized her, likely because of the mask. But even without the mask, Zhong Li might not recognize her. The only time they had come face-to-face, the door had barely been cracked open, and Zhong Li hadn’t even fully revealed her eyes.

She guessed that the couple who moved out in the middle of the night was probably Fang Xiwen and her husband. She hadn’t expected to hear news about them again after all this time. It was a shame they’d already moved out a week ago—otherwise, she could’ve stopped by to say hello.

As for Zhong Li, could she be the person connected to this mission?

Shu Fu recalled a minor task she had done back in Suicheng. At that time, she had acted cautiously and didn’t go out to participate directly. When the task was completed, she didn’t receive any progress bonuses, not even a lottery chance.

She had speculated that the key might lie between the conflicts on the first and second floors.

And Zhong Li was the second-floor resident involved in that incident.

After finishing a bowl of bone soup and, under Uncle Zheng’s expectant gaze, eating a scallion pancake, Shu Fu quickly stood up, pressing her hands against the table, and insisted she couldn’t eat another bite when they tried to serve more.

“Well, then let Feifei keep you company. I’ll cover the dishes, and you can eat more if you get hungry later.”

Shu Fu tried to help clear the table, but as soon as she carried a bowl into the kitchen, Aunt Zheng pushed her back out, and Zheng Feifei immediately pulled her into her room.

---

The apartment they rented had two bedrooms and a living room. The dining room and living room were connected, but conveniently, there were two bathrooms. Aunt Zheng believed that girls should have their own private bathrooms as they grew older, so she let Feifei have the room with an en-suite.

Now, Zheng Feifei pulled her inside to get washed up. “The bucket and basin are new. Since the water shuts off at nine, we filled some for you earlier. If it’s not warm enough, just add some hot water. The thermos is next to it, and the towel and toothbrush—”

“I brought my own towel and toothbrush.” Shu Fu had brought her backpack into the room as well. This is why staying over at someone else’s house was such a hassle. If her bag wasn’t too small to carry a full-size basin, she’d bring everything herself.

Besides, if you’re staying over, you can’t exactly say, “I already washed up at home,” and then crawl into someone else’s bed, right?

Zheng Feifei nodded and put away the new towel and toothbrush. “I’ve already washed up. I’ll wait for you outside.”

Shu Fu glanced at her phone while setting down her backpack. There was an unread text message and a friend request on WeChat.

Both the message and request were from Liu Shuang, who had clearly finished her task for the day. Shu Fu accepted the friend request and saved the number from the text in her phone under the nickname: Super Cool Sister Liu Shuang.

After washing up, she saw that Liu Shuang had sent her two red packets, saying that since Shu Fu was a young girl out on her own, there was no reason for Liu Shuang to eat her food for free. She insisted Shu Fu accept them, or she’d be upset.

After thinking it over, Shu Fu accepted one red packet, saying the money was enough, and then asked Liu Shuang about outboard motors for boats. Since Liu Shuang was a rescue team captain, she might have some leads.

Liu Shuang probably got busy again because she didn’t reply after sending the red packets.

---

That night went exactly as Shu Fu expected: they barely slept. Zheng Feifei had a lot to talk about, sharing the thrills of that terrifying night and hinting at her final days in Suicheng.

Zheng Feifei always felt that the period before leaving Suicheng was the greatest failure of her life. She would never have easily spoken about it to anyone. But after surviving the night raid by the thugs at Jixing Complex, bringing up what happened in Suicheng didn’t seem like such a big deal anymore.

Like the time she was staying at someone’s house, and another guest staying there tried to drag her into his room late at night. She fought back by smashing his head with her phone. Yet, he shamelessly accused her of leading him on, saying she smiled at him and even agreed to add him on WeChat, claiming she was playing hard to get…

Or her boyfriend, who had always sworn he loved her and would take good care of her. At the shelter, he got into a fight over his childhood female friend. In the end, the two of them clung to each other, leaving Zheng Feifei feeling like the third wheel.

But more than anything, she reminisced about the peaceful, mundane days in Suicheng—the days of clocking in and out of work while slacking off. Even the curry shop across from her office, which she never got to visit with Shu Fu, became a beautiful regretful memory.

Shu Fu didn’t have to work anymore. She lazed around all day, staying up late without feeling tired. Meanwhile, Zheng Feifei had been forced to rest these past few days and didn’t feel like sleeping either. By the time they finally dozed off, it was nearly dawn.

---

The next day was inspection day for Building 4. This building was a third larger than Building 3 and had the most residents. To ensure all inspections were completed, two teams arrived and split up.

One team started from the 12th floor and went up, while the other went down. The 12th to 10th floors were quite close together.

Based on Zheng Feifei’s earlier estimates, they thought they could sleep until noon. But before 8 AM, Aunt Zheng was frantically waking them up, saying the inspection team had already reached the 10th floor and was at unit 1002. They’d be at their door any minute.

So, the two of them, having barely slept, hastily tied their hair, brushed their teeth quickly, and didn’t even have time to wash their faces before heading to the door.

Their timing was perfect. As soon as they stood at the entrance, the inspection team arrived. It was a six-person team, with three fully armed members. One of them stood out because of his height and face—it was Cheng Yu.

Cheng Yu didn’t show the same surprise Liu Shuang had the day before upon seeing her. He obviously already knew from Liu Shuang that Shu Fu was staying in Jixing Complex, and he might have even known she was visiting a friend last night.

Wearing his full combat uniform, Cheng Yu exuded an even more intense, sharp aura. The gun at his waist carried a cold, smoky scent of gunpowder. The two team members standing behind him were equally serious and silent.

The three of them stood there, freezing half the air in the corridor. The few neighbors who had curiously opened their doors to peek before it was their turn for inspection quickly fell silent upon seeing this scene.

Zheng Feifei’s family had to go through the same inspection process Shu Fu did the day before, while Shu Fu only needed to show the magnetic card with her photo on it.

Cheng Yu took the card from her, and once again, she saw that hesitant look in his eyes, as if he wanted to say something but held back. But now, on duty, he was even less likely to speak unnecessarily.

After handing the card back to her, he took a tablet from one of the team members beside him, turned it on, and showed the photo on the screen to Shu Fu and Zheng Feifei’s family.

The photo on the tablet was slightly blurry, but it seemed to have been enlarged and enhanced. It showed the side profile of a bald man with a gloomy expression, clearly not someone with good intentions.

Sure enough, Cheng Yu informed them that the man in the photo was an important minor leader involved in the recent riot. Based on various reports, he was believed to still be in the eastern part of the city and possibly hiding in one of the neighborhoods targeted in the night attacks. He asked if they recognized the face.

Shu Fu guessed this must be an updated piece of information; otherwise, the wanted photo would have already been circulating online.

However, most residents of Jixing Community had been too focused on guarding their doors to get a good look at the attackers’ faces. Naturally, no one recognized the man.

Residents whose apartments hadn’t been inspected yet showed frightened expressions when they heard there might be a riot leader hiding in the building. Two elderly people even hurried back inside to fetch their reading glasses.

Shu Fu noticed the door to apartment 1009 was also open. Zhong Li was still wearing the same homey cotton-padded jacket. Her eyes darted over the inspection team, and her expression wasn’t good—she looked suspicious and uneasy.

But her unease felt different from the fear shown by the other residents. The others were purely scared after hearing about the potential threat, but Zhong Li’s expression seemed more like shock… and something else.

Shu Fu wondered if her bias from the incident in Suicheng was influencing her thoughts. But the more she remembered that Zhong Li was involved, the more off things felt.

Last night, when Shu Fu walked past the hallway, Zhong Li had appeared to open the door to throw out the trash. But in reality, the first thing she did when opening the door was glance at Shu Fu, scrutinizing her carefully. It felt more like she had heard someone walking outside and came out to check deliberately.

Was she being cautious?

It made sense to be wary of Shu Fu last night, but why was she so tense around the inspection team today?

The inspection of the Zheng family had concluded. The property manager, neighborhood committee, and two team members had already moved on to the next apartment. Cheng Yu lingered behind, stopping a few steps away from Shu Fu. But before he could say anything, Shu Fu grabbed his arm and yanked him into the apartment.

Under normal circumstances, with Cheng Yu’s skills, no one would’ve been able to get close to him so suddenly.

But he hadn’t put up any defenses against her. Even though his instincts kicked in the moment she pulled him inside—telling him to break free and subdue her—he immediately suppressed the reaction.

Zheng Feifei and her parents were startled by the sudden action, but Shu Fu quickly turned around and signaled for them to be quiet.

Her face was unusually serious, which made Cheng Yu snap to attention. He furrowed his brows and lowered his voice. “What did you find?”

Shu Fu spoke up. “Apartment 1009 is acting strange.”

She quickly explained her suspicions and mentioned the noises Zheng Feifei had heard through the door that night.

Zheng Feifei and her mother had thought they might’ve misheard, believing apartment 1009 hadn’t opened their door that night.

But what if they hadn’t misheard?

What if 1009 had indeed opened their door and hadn’t been attacked or killed by the rioters afterward? What would that imply?

“Got it. Lock the door and don’t come out,” Cheng Yu nodded. While unfastening the safety strap on his gun and placing his hand on the weapon, he turned and walked out.