At two thirty in the afternoon, there were hardly any people outside the residential complex. The wage slaves had all gone to work, while the elderly and children left behind were taking their afternoon naps at home.
Cheng Yue rode around aimlessly on his self-balancing scooter, bored out of his mind, dignifying it with the name "patrolling."
He was still thinking about choosing an auspicious day, bathing and burning incense, then going before the kindly Buddha to have a good, long chat about all the misery he had endured over the past six months.
What sorrow. What suffering.
Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed the little square ahead, where several pieces of exercise equipment and children's play equipment stood.
A little girl in a beige jacket was sitting on the ground playing with sand, a flowerlike smile blooming on her delicate face. There were no adults beside her.
It was a lovely, heartwarming scene, but Cheng Yue had no time to appreciate it. He suddenly spotted a dark shape racing toward the girl from the opposite side.
Seeing that the Rottweiler was about to pounce on her, Cheng Yue instinctively abandoned his scooter and sprinted over with all his strength, diving forward to shield the girl beneath him in the nick of time.
The sand scraped against his arm, sending a sharp pain through it, but he had no time to care. He kicked away the dog clamped onto his trouser leg, scooped the girl up with one arm, and rose with her slung over his shoulder.
As though it knew this man had interrupted its hunt for food, the Rottweiler bared its teeth viciously at Cheng Yue, its eyes bloodshot.
Sensing the danger, the little girl clung tightly to Cheng Yue's neck and cried at the top of her lungs.
Cheng Yue had no time to soothe her. His gaze stayed fixed on the vicious dog, his nerves stretched taut as he stared it down, alert and ready to fight at any moment.
Just as the increasingly agitated Rottweiler prepared to attack again, a cleaning lady carrying her tools emerged from a nearby building. Seeing the standoff, she began shouting in terror.
"Stop shouting! Use your radio to call for help!"
Cheng Yue kicked the dog away again and called out for the cleaning lady to hurry and get help.
He had a radio on him too, but with the girl in his arms and the vicious dog to fend off, he had no way to call anyone.
The Rottweiler was rapidly losing patience. It lowered its forequarters in agitation, a growl rumbling in its throat as a warning of attack. Sensing danger, Cheng Yue swallowed repeatedly, then bit hard into the inside of his lip.
"Grr... woof!"
At that critical moment, Cheng Yue watched the vicious dog leap straight at him. As its gaping jaws descended, he raised his foot and kicked hard at its head, landing a clean hit.
The kick sent the Rottweiler flying three meters away. It fell to the ground, rolling and howling in pain.
Cheng Yue dared not let his guard down. Keeping his eyes locked on it, he cautiously edged backward.
Fortunately, Zhao Li arrived with his coworkers after receiving the call.
Seven or eight men carrying tools swarmed over. The Rottweiler had recovered somewhat, and perhaps realizing that these people had come to deal with it, it scrambled up and fled blindly.
At last, Cheng Yue could relax. He let out a heavy breath, but his lingering panic after the narrow escape kept him from noticing the little step behind his feet. Caught off guard when he tripped over it, he simply dropped onto his backside.
Someone reached to take the girl from his arms, and Cheng Yue instinctively tightened his grip. Looking up and seeing that it was Zhao Li, he finally loosened his hold.
"How are you doing? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Cheng Yue wiped away his sweat and gulped for air. "I'm okay. Nothing serious."
Zhao Li seemed unconvinced, but just as he was about to speak, the girl's grandmother rushed over. Grandmother and granddaughter clung to each other and sobbed, throwing their surroundings into chaos.
Cheng Yue waved a hand, signaling for him to handle the aftermath first.
Frowning, Zhao Li looked him over with a grave expression. Once he had confirmed there were no major injuries, he stood and took out his phone to call the police and an ambulance.
Large dogs like Rottweilers were prohibited in the city under the regulations. Naturally, their residential complex would never allow such a dangerous dog either.
So where had it come from, and how had it slipped past the security guards into the complex?
"That old woman was far too careless. She left the child playing alone in the living room and went to sleep in the bedroom. Worst of all, she didn't even lock the door."
"No one knows when the child got out. If it hadn't been for that young security guard, who knows what might have happened?"
Ji Huaijin returned to the complex in the last sliver of daylight. Since the Start of Summer, the days had grown longer, and people strolling downstairs after dinner were everywhere.
Especially after such a major incident in the complex that day, the garden pavilion was nearly full, everyone heatedly discussing what had happened.
The elderly woman who had just spoken waved a round fan to drive away mosquitoes and flies. "I saw it myself. That dog was frighteningly big. The young man's trouser leg was torn to shreds. I don't know whether he got bitten."
"Oh dear, then he needs to get his shots right away."
As they talked, the discussion veered toward what they would do if he really had been infected and rabies appeared in their complex.
Ji Huaijin's brows knitted tightly. His steady footsteps slowed until he came to a stop.
He immediately took out his phone and made a call. As a woman's recorded voice announced that no one was answering, his expression turned icy. He turned and strode toward the security office.
At that moment, Cheng Yue was sitting in a chair at the Police Station, helping the officers take his statement.
He should have been able to leave long ago, but the lengthy, tedious procedures meant he could only stay there and wait for further instructions.
The biggest issue was that the police were reviewing a great deal of surveillance footage and needed him to identify the vicious dog.
The footage showed that after running down a street, the dog had gotten into a Buick minivan. The vehicle had then stopped briefly beneath a bridge several kilometers away before turning back.
The officers had located the vehicle, but found no trace of the Rottweiler.
The owner said he had only wanted to take the dog because it looked like a good one. He hadn't expected it to make such a fuss, so he'd had no choice but to dump it.
The process was back to square one. The officers continued checking the surveillance footage, occasionally coming over to ask him about certain details.
And so Cheng Yue remained stuck there.
The scrapes on his body ached faintly, and he had trouble lifting his right arm. He guessed he must have strained it when he grabbed the child.
"Hungry?"
Zhao Li set some bread on the table, then filled a cup with hot water from the dispenser and handed it to him. "Have something to tide you over."
Surprise flashed in Cheng Yue's eyes. "Captain, why are you back?"
Zhao Li had come with him at first, but had later returned to report on the situation after being summoned by the property manager.
"There's nothing else to deal with over there."
Cheng Yue nodded and took a sip of water.
It was almost eight, but people were still coming and going at the Police Station. Every so often, a few agitated people would shout and argue, making their corner seem particularly quiet.
After a while, Zhao Li stood. "I'm going outside to make a call."
Cheng Yue had been zoning out. Hearing him, he looked up and replied, "Oh, okay."
Zhao Li paused, then added, "Call me if you need anything."
This time, he strode away without waiting for Cheng Yue to respond.
Outside, stars dotted the sky. Zhao Li pulled out a cigarette and held it between his lips, his eyes lowered to a number in his contacts, his expression unreadable.
The moment the call connected, a black Mercedes-Benz rolled slowly to a stop at the entrance.
The man who stepped out wore a well-tailored dark suit, his face cold and stern. The instant their gazes locked, an indescribable sense of pressure swept over Zhao Li.
Ji Huaijin calmly withdrew his gaze, his steady footsteps never faltering, as though it had been nothing more than a casual glance.
Cheng Yue was picking at the bread wrapper with his fingers when, perhaps sensing something, he suddenly turned to look behind him. His eyes went wide.
"What are you doing here?!"
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