Lost in the Otherworld

They ordered some food and drinks, then took out their textbooks, pretending to study together, but in reality, they were just killing time.

At first, Gaoyang was against the idea of killing Officer Huang with Qingling. But upon second thought, he realized that if Qingling failed, he would be next. If death was inevitable, he’d rather die standing. At least that way, he would retain some dignity. "I have quite a few questions for you," Gaoyang said after sipping his orange juice. "Ask away," Qingling replied, her attention focused on slicing her mango pancake into eight neat pieces, as if she were dispatching an enemy. "Besides me, do you have any other companions?" "I told you before, I knew two others. They're both dead now." "So you've been alone all this time?" Gaoyang asked, incredulous. "Not quite," Qingling’s eyes glimmered, "I have my sister." Gaoyang suddenly realized she was referring to her second personality, Qingling. "You two sisters... have had it tough," he remarked. "Better worry about yourself first," Qingling said, putting down her fork. "If the plan fails, I'll flee and hide." "And what about me?" Gaoyang asked. "I don’t know," Qingling replied coldly. "I won’t burden myself with dead weight." Gaoyang felt hurt. He wasn’t a burden; he had talents too! But on second thought, it was better not to embarrass himself in front of a beauty.

They waited until late at night when Officer Huang finally left the police station. He walked to his patrol car and was about to take out his keys when he froze. Looking down, he noticed the front tire was flat—Qingling had remotely slashed it with a knife. Officer Huang didn’t show much irritation. He took out his phone and started chatting and laughing while making a call. Then, he crossed the street and bought a pack of cigarettes. Qingling and Gaoyang maintained a distance of about fifty meters, carefully following him. As Officer Huang smoked and talked on the phone, he entered a small park, seemingly to take a shortcut. "The opportunity has come," Qingling quickened her pace. "Could it be a trap?" Gaoyang asked, suspicious. Qingling’s eyes sharpened, "Then let’s see who the real prey is." It was late, and the park was dense with trees and empty of people. As Officer Huang walked alone under the cover of night, Gaoyang became more convinced that this man was both mysterious and exceptionally dangerous. Qingling and Gaoyang took out masks and sunglasses from their bags, donning them as they followed Officer Huang deeper into the park. They waited for the right moment, then stealthily slipped behind a well-manicured shrub. Qingling extended both hands towards the surveillance camera mounted on a nearby lamppost. She focused intently, seemingly controlling something. Two seconds later, she clenched her fist, and a soft sound came from the camera—the “red dot” disappeared. "Go distract him, say anything to draw his attention," Qingling whispered. "Leave the rest to me." Gaoyang was extremely nervous, "Okay." Taking a deep breath, Gaoyang stepped out from behind the bush and quickly caught up, "Officer Huang." Officer Huang stopped and turned around, "And you are...?" Gaoyang pulled down his mask, "Oh, it’s me." "Gaoyang? What are you doing here so late?" Officer Huang smiled. Gaoyang continued his act, "I just remembered a clue about Li Weiwei and wanted to tell you." "Really?" Officer Huang smiled as he approached Gaoyang, his movements slightly hurried, "Alright, tell me..." Suddenly, Officer Huang's smile vanished. He swiftly turned, drawing his gun from his waist.