Mortal Dawn and Dusk, My Eternal Life - Chapter 41

“Miss Su! I’ll say it again! We have an important case to handle right now! We don’t have time to be entangled with you here!” Gu Mingxuan’s voice involuntarily rose a few octaves, tinged with suppressed anger.

“Oh? An important case?” Su Mingyue feigned surprise, “Could it be… more important than me, this ‘important suspect’? General Gu, you must think clearly. If I truly am the culprit who drains human life force, and you let me go now, won’t there be more innocent souls in Tianjin?” Her words were spoken with a straight face, yet carried a hint of mockery, further infuriating Gu Mingxuan.

“You… you’re simply being unreasonable!” Gu Mingxuan, enraged, pointed at Su Mingyue, speechless for a long moment. He finally understood why the ancients said, “Only women and small men are hard to nurture!” This woman was simply more difficult than those heinous bandits!

“General Gu, please calm down.” Su Mingyue’s mood improved considerably watching Gu Mingxuan’s flustered appearance. She picked up her teacup, slowly took a sip, then unhurriedly said, “Actually, I’m staying here to help General Gu with a small favor.”

“Help?” Gu Mingxuan was startled, looking at her with some confusion.

“Yes,” Su Mingyue nodded, a cunning glint in her eyes. “I’m also quite interested in those ‘drained of life force’ cases. Perhaps… I can help General Gu find some clues?”

Gu Mingxuan’s eyes flickered upon hearing this. He had to admit that this woman’s medical skills were indeed remarkably strange. Moreover, she seemed not to be entirely ignorant about cases involving “non-human” forces. If she truly was willing to help… perhaps… But then he reconsidered and felt it was inappropriate. This woman was of unknown origin and suspicious identity. What if she was in league with the culprit? Wouldn’t that be inviting a wolf into the house?

“No need!” Gu Mingxuan finally shook his head, his tone resolute. “Our police bureau has our own set of rules for handling cases! We don’t need outsiders to interfere! Miss Su, I’ll say it one last time, you can leave! If you continue to be unreasonable, don’t blame me for being impolite!” He finished speaking, then ignored Su Mingyue, turned, and prepared to leave the reception room to gather his men and head to the Du mansion.

However, just as he reached the door and was about to pull it open, Su Mingyue’s clear, cold voice floated from behind him:

“General Gu, are you sure… you want to face that ‘thing’ alone? I warn you, that entity… isn’t as easy to deal with as an ordinary criminal.”

Gu Mingxuan’s footsteps abruptly halted. He turned his head, looking at Su Mingyue with a complex expression. This woman… what did she know?

Su Mingyue met his gaze, a meaningful smile curving her lips: “What? General Gu doesn’t believe me? Or is it… General Gu is very confident in his ‘cat-like’ abilities?” She intentionally emphasized the word “cat-like.”

Gu Mingxuan’s face instantly flushed crimson! This woman! She actually… she actually dared to bring that up!

“You… what nonsense are you spouting!” Gu Mingxuan said, somewhat embarrassed and angry.

“Whether I’m spouting nonsense, General Gu knows best,” Su Mingyue said leisurely. “I’m just kindly reminding General Gu that some things cannot be dealt with by sheer numbers. If General Gu doesn’t mind, I could… reluctantly accompany General Gu on this trip.”

Gu Mingxuan looked at Su Mingyue’s confident demeanor, his heart filled with struggle and… a subtle wavering. He knew this woman was right. Those “drained of life force” cases indeed had a sinister quality; they were definitely not comparable to ordinary murder cases. If she truly had some special means… But… how could he easily trust a woman of unknown origin?

Just as Gu Mingxuan hesitated, Su Mingyue, as if seeing through his thoughts, chuckled and said: “General Gu need not be troubled. Since General Gu doesn’t trust me, then my staying here is indeed meaningless.” As she spoke, she actually stood up, making to leave.

“Wait!” Gu Mingxuan almost instinctively called out to her. He didn’t know why he did this. Perhaps… it was because deep down, he felt that inexplicable familiarity with this woman and… a subtle, imperceptible dependence? Or perhaps… it was because he truly felt that this woman might be able to help?

“What? General Gu changed his mind?” Su Mingyue turned, raising an eyebrow at him.

Gu Mingxuan looked into her clear eyes, which held a hint of playfulness, and felt as if his thoughts had been completely seen through. He took a deep breath, and finally gritted his teeth and said: “I did change my mind, Miss Su. Since you don’t want to leave, then stay here. Without my permission, you are not allowed to leave this room by half a step! Otherwise…”

“Otherwise what?” Su Mingyue looked at him, amused.

“Otherwise… otherwise I’ll…” Gu Mingxuan felt a little guilty under her gaze, but still hardened his resolve and said, “Otherwise I’ll… I’ll treat you as an accomplice!” He finished speaking, and without waiting for Su Mingyue’s reply, he violently pulled open the door and walked out without looking back.

As he reached the doorway, he seemed to remember something and turned to the two police officers guarding the door, instructing them: “Watch her closely! Without my order, do not let her leave!” Then, he forcefully added: “Lock the door securely!”

“Yes, Captain Gu!” the two police officers quickly responded.

Then, with a “click,” the reception room door was mercilessly locked from the outside.

Su Mingyue looked at the locked door, the smile on her face gradually fading, replaced by a hint of helplessness and… amusement. This General Gu was truly… adorably childish. However, his flustered and angry, yet ultimately compromising demeanor, made her find him quite interesting.

She walked to the door and tried to push it. Indeed, it didn’t budge.

“No way… you actually locked the door?!” Su Mingyue said to herself, both exasperated and amused. She had only intended to tease him, and perhaps glean more information about the case from him, but she hadn’t expected that this General Gu would actually lock her in here! Well, now she couldn’t leave even if she wanted to.

However… this wasn’t bad either. She could use this opportunity to sort through her thoughts and figure out how to proceed. Tianjin was truly getting more and more interesting.