Picking Up Doomsday Girl 3

A police officer with an imposing demeanor stood before me, his roar like a thunderclap that deafened and shook:

"Zhuang Cheng, you broke the law, do you know that!?

"That girl is a murderer with many lives on her hands, and you not only illegally possessed firearms and ammunition, but you also harbored and concealed her!

"You're an accomplice, her partner in crime!"

I couldn't meet his gaze, so I hastily covered my ears and turned around, only to see my parents standing behind me, their expressions and tones revealing utter disappointment:

"We spent money to raise you, to send you to college, not to raise a criminal who disrupts social stability.

"Give up and go to jail. Don't contact us again after you get out.

"We don't have a son like you..."

My friends also appeared before me, but after meeting my gaze, they repeatedly backed away, shouting at me from a distance:

"Acheng, I never thought you'd actually break the law...

"Don't tell anyone you know me from now on. I don't have a friend like you, and I don't want to be implicated by you..."

The surroundings instantly plunged into darkness so thick I couldn't see my hand in front of my face, then lit up again.

Under the blinding spotlight, a judge looked down on me from on high and announced in a solemn and merciless voice:

"Defendant Zhuang Cheng harbored and concealed a murderer, illegally possessed firearms and ammunition, and showed no remorse. The circumstances are severe, and he is sentenced to life imprisonment, effective immediately!"

"!!!"

A sense of imbalance, a violent impact, pain.

I suddenly woke up.

But the surroundings were not my familiar bedroom.

After two seconds, I slowly came to my senses. It turned out everything before was a nightmare. I had fallen off the sofa while sleeping on it. This was my living room. Sunlight streamed in from the floor-to-ceiling windows, and I could faintly hear the sounds of the city.

It was already daytime.

Why was I sleeping on the living room sofa...

Right, last night I gave my bedroom bed to the mysterious beautiful girl I picked up from outside... That part wasn't a dream.

As I sorted through the jumbled thoughts in my mind, I pushed myself up from the sofa and immediately noticed a metallic object on the sofa.

It was a handgun.

Last night, I didn't immediately sleep in the living room; I had been playing with the handgun the whole time. While I wouldn't go so far as to say "real guns and live ammunition are a man's romance" is my motto, I was indeed deeply fascinated by it. While playing with the handgun, I imagined aiming and shooting at imaginary enemies, taking aim at the dining table, refrigerator, and television in my home, one after another, finding it endlessly enjoyable.

I wasn't afraid of accidental discharge. I often saw characters in action movies get into trouble because they forgot to disengage the safety. Although I knew very little about guns themselves, I was particularly impressed by the safety mechanism. I had brought my laptop to the living room earlier, and after researching related information online, I discovered that the safety on this handgun was disengaged. So, I locked it first.

However, no matter what, a real gun is a real gun, a terrifying weapon that can easily take a life. If the official forces discovered that I was illegally possessing a firearm and harboring an extremely dangerous murderer, the scene from my nightmare would likely become a ruthless reality, instantly destroying my future.

No, no... I can't be sure that girl is a murderer yet. I still know nothing about her.

What about her now? Has she woken up? Has she already left stealthily?

I picked up the handgun and hid it behind my back, nervously moving to the bedroom door.

The empty can was still placed on the doorknob, just as it was last night. I breathed a sigh of relief for the moment, took down the empty can, and then, like a character in a zombie game, quietly pushed the door open and peeked inside.

Fortunately, the girl was still in the bedroom. She lay on the bed, unchanged like the empty can, only her slightly raised chest rising and falling rhythmically with her breathing.

After a night, the bloodstains on her body were no longer fresh, having turned into dried, dark, congealed matter.

If you ignored the scattered bloodstains on her cheeks and the dirty, torn blue and white striped hospital gown, her innocent sleeping face looked like a pure and cute girl next door, with no connection to cruel and serious words like firearms, ammunition, murderer, or life imprisonment.

And after a night's sleep, my feverish excitement had cooled down, and I began to ponder the consequences of my impulsive actions.

I would absolutely not regret the choice I made; it wasn't my style. The only thing I couldn't be sure of right now was whether this girl could meet my expectations. Would the secret she hid not be as incredible as I hoped?

Suppose, after she woke up, I asked her about her origins, and she was willing to answer truthfully, but the final reveal was a completely uninteresting answer, it would truly be a disservice to the huge risk I was taking.

At that point, for self-preservation, I might have to secretly dispose of this girl.

Secretly dispose of her... I actually had such killer-like thoughts.

Perhaps secretly disposing of her wouldn't help. If this girl was truly a dangerous individual wanted by the official forces, with my amateur anti-reconnaissance skills, I couldn't possibly expect to evade their investigation. The traces left from last night might be enough for the official forces to pinpoint my location.

However, I probably also had the thought that such an accident might happen. It would be too boring to be let off the hook so smoothly. If only the official forces could find a clue and come looking for me.

Under the mixed emotions of anxiety and anticipation, I took two more steps closer to observe the girl's sleeping posture.

An accident happened.

The girl suddenly opened her eyes, and her arm, hidden beneath the covers, shot out with lightning speed, grabbing my collar.

At the same time, her body suddenly flipped up from the bed like a hunting beast, combining her wrist strength and body weight to disrupt my already unstable balance.

I struggled reflexively, but to no avail. Instead, she might have used Judo or some other technique to borrow my strength. For a moment, I didn't even know how to describe the process, only feeling my vision turn upside down, a violent impact hitting my torso.

When I came to my senses, I realized I was pinned to the floor, my limbs locked.

Although this was an unexpected sneak attack, I didn't expect a girl her age could suppress me to this extent. Had she been pretending to sleep all along? So she really wasn't an ordinary person? I couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

After completing this spectacular wrestling move, she neither spoke nor made any further moves. She simply pressed down on my back with her entire body, breathing heavily in my ear.

"You're awake?" I broke the silence first, anticipating her reaction.

After a long while, she finally spoke.

"Who... are you?" Her voice was sweet and childish, yet carried an undisguised threat. "Where is this place? Why am I here? If you don't want to suffer, answer me immediately."

"My name is Zhuang Cheng, and this is my home." The question wasn't unexpected, and I answered honestly and concisely. "I found you covered in blood near the abandoned construction site outside last night, so I brought you back."

"...I don't understand." She maintained her high level of alert, asking with a hint of confusion, "What do you mean 'so you brought me back'... what's the connection between those statements?"

"Didn't you tell me 'don't call the police'?" I replied patiently. "I couldn't just leave you out there, could I? What if some ill-intentioned vagrant found you?"

"Is that so? But..."

She took a deep breath first, then propped herself up on my back, freeing one hand as she seemed to pat down her body. Was she checking if I had taken advantage of her while she was unconscious?

No, she was more likely looking for her concealed firearm.

She was probably still very weak. Suddenly, her body lost balance, and she almost fell.

Seizing this excellent opportunity, I decisively pulled out my left hand, which she had been gripping, and quickly drew the handgun hidden at my lower back. Without looking back, I pressed the muzzle against her torso.

"Are you looking for this?"

At my words, her body stiffened instantly.

Score one for me!

I was one hundred and twenty percent satisfied with my extraordinary performance. Could this scene be added to an action movie?

Indeed, contrary to my energetic state, she was in a terrible condition. Even though she was on my back, she hadn't noticed the handgun I'd hidden at my lower back until now. From her initial strategy and demeanor, I sensed a seasoned and sharp aura, like that of a warrior. But a normal warrior wouldn't make a mistake like that, would they? This means she's not in her normal state... can I interpret it that way?

Perhaps she was only unharmed on the outside, but injured elsewhere... an internal injury?

"Tit for tat, now it's your turn to answer my questions." To avoid betraying my excitement, I spoke as calmly as possible. "Who are you, and where do you come from?"

"You think you've won just like this?"

Clearly, my unexpected counterattack hadn't intimidated her; instead, it had intensified her fighting spirit.

This alone doesn't count as my victory. The situation was sudden, and I hadn't had time to disengage the handgun's safety. Moreover, even with the safety off, it wouldn't be convenient to shoot someone in the residential complex. More importantly, I genuinely didn't want to shoot her.

However, she probably doesn't know that the safety on this handgun is currently engaged.

Does she not fear live ammunition either?

"You don't want to make a big scene here, do you?" I wasn't going to concede in this war of words. "Get off me first."

"I refuse." She was like a startled cat now, adopting a confrontational attitude without hesitation. "Now..."

Knock, knock, knock.

Just then, there was an unwelcome knocking at the entrance.

We both fell silent.

"Is anyone home?" a strange voice called from outside.

Who could it be, a delivery person? Did I order anything recently?

"I'll go send them away," I said, twisting my neck to speak to the girl.

"No," she refused immediately. "What if..."

"Or I can start shouting, or even open fire right now."

Hearing this bluff, she fell silent, seemingly weighing the pros and cons, or perhaps trying to gauge the sincerity of my threat.

Soon, she released me and actively retreated, standing on the bed from a superior position like a wary wild animal.

I immediately stood up from the floor, grabbed a random T-shirt from the closet, and left the bedroom, closing the door behind me. My close contact with the girl earlier had stained my clothes with blood. As I moved towards the entrance, I quickly changed my shirt, shouting "Coming, coming," while wrapping the dirty clothes around the handgun and casually hiding it behind the sofa.

Reaching the entrance, I opened the door and saw who was standing outside.

My heart nearly stopped.

Standing outside was a police officer with an aged face and a solemn gaze.

"Is there something I can help you with?" I consciously controlled my facial muscles.

"Excuse me, I'm a police officer. We're currently searching for an escaped serial killer." He first showed me his badge, then took out a photograph. "If you've seen this face in the vicinity, please provide any relevant information."

I took the photo and looked down. It was a headshot. Just one glance, and I felt like I was going to have a heart attack this time.

The "escaped serial killer" in the photo was none other than the girl I had hidden in the bedroom.