Chapter 52: Hot Noodles: We Have Changed the Future
“Who is the suspect?”
“Damn it, why does he have a gun?”
As Wang Qiang pulled out his phone, he asked urgently.
“Someone you wouldn’t expect!”
“It was actually Xiaocao who gave me the lead.”
“Otherwise, he might have gotten away.”
Song Lin sighed with a complicated expression.
“Xiaocao?”
Wang Qiang was stunned.
“Yes, it’s Xiaocao…”
Song Lin nodded.
“It’s a pity I didn’t listen to her earlier and bring him in immediately. Otherwise…”
He suddenly looked regretful and slapped himself.
“It’s all my fault…”
“I should have arrested him sooner…”
“I was too rigid with the rules…”
Song Lin blamed himself.
Seeing this, Wang Qiang glanced at Shiguang, silently asking what had happened.
“The parents of the couple from Room 402 were also murdered…”
Shiguang sighed.
Wang Qiang was shocked for a moment before his expression darkened.
Even though it wasn’t Song Lin’s fault, as a detective, the worst thing was seeing victims’ bodies—especially when the killer had already been identified but, due to a lack of evidence, more people ended up dead.
The guilt from such a situation was unbearable.
“Shiguang, call the forensics team and the crime scene investigators.”
Wang Qiang supported Song Lin and instructed.
“Got it!”
Shiguang immediately pulled out his phone to notify their colleagues.
“Uh… also, call an ambulance…”
Wang Qiang hesitated for a moment before adding in a low voice.
Song Lin immediately widened his eyes and glared at Wang Qiang.
“Heh heh…”
“I got caught up in the moment and forgot…”
Wang Qiang chuckled awkwardly.
“Having you as a disciple is truly my fortune…”
Song Lin rolled his eyes.
“Oh, and…”
“Call in the bomb squad too.”
“There’s… a grenade inside.”
Song Lin added just as Shiguang was putting his phone away.
This time, it was Wang Qiang’s turn to be shocked.
“You forgot?”
Song Lin replied flatly.
“What?! If there’s a grenade, why are we still standing here?”
Wang Qiang was dumbfounded.
“I can’t move. If you want to leave, you can carry me.”
Song Lin leaned against the wall, weakly responding.
“Shiguang, help me out here.”
Wang Qiang hurriedly went to support Song Lin, calling out to Shiguang.
“I’m still young; I don’t want to die yet.”
Wang Qiang muttered.
Hearing this, Song Lin let out a faint smile.
With Wang Qiang and Shiguang supporting him, they slowly made their way toward the courtyard entrance.
Tick… tick… tick…
Just as they reached the gate, the sound of a ticking clock echoed in their ears.
All three froze and instinctively exchanged glances.
They saw the fear in each other’s eyes.
“Shit! A time bomb?!”
Wang Qiang shouted.
Shiguang turned his head toward the sound, looking at a flower pot near the gate.
His face instantly went pale when he saw the bright red numbers counting down.
“Ten seconds left! Run!”
Without hesitation, Shiguang shouted, grabbing Song Lin and sprinting.
BOOM!
A massive explosion sent flames soaring into the sky.
The shockwave shattered car windows across the street.
Inside the village, the explosion shook the houses, and terrified villagers rushed out of their homes in panic.
Police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks soon filled the scene.
Under the watchful eyes of the villagers, three soot-covered men were carried onto an ambulance.
“Holy crap, we almost died…”
Inside the ambulance, Wang Qiang’s voice rang out.
A young policewoman rushed over anxiously.
“Captain Song! Team Leader! Shiguang! Are you all okay?”
She asked in a panic.
“I’m fine, just a little dizzy.”
Wang Qiang shouted back.
The explosion had left his head buzzing, and his ears were temporarily deafened.
“Master took a few bullets, but he won’t die yet.”
“Shiguang was knocked out by the blast wave.”
Wang Qiang listed their injuries.
Before the ambulance arrived, he had already checked their condition.
“Doctor, I think my master is about to die!”
Wang Qiang pointed at the pale, unconscious Song Lin and shouted.
“You should go with them to the hospital.”
The doctor placed an oxygen mask on Song Lin and instructed the young policewoman.
“Okay!”
She nodded and climbed into the ambulance.
With sirens blaring, the ambulance sped toward the city hospital, escorted by police vehicles.
Fang Xiaocao had just finished her shower and was sitting in front of her dressing mirror, blow-drying her hair.
[Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!]
A sudden frog-like ringtone startled her.
She looked at the phone on the bedside table.
“Who could it be this late?”
She put down the hairdryer and walked over to check.
It was a WeChat message.
She unlocked her phone and read it.
[Hot Noodles: Something happened in Tang City!]
Fang Xiaocao was stunned.
“What happened?”
She quickly replied.
[Hot Noodles: Axi was exposed. While murdering the old couple, he was caught in the act by Song Lin, leading to a shootout. Song Lin took three bullets, and Axi was killed on the spot.]
Fang Xiaocao was frozen in shock.
“How is Captain Song?”
She asked anxiously.
[Hot Noodles: In your timeline, he was being resuscitated. According to future newspaper reports, he survived and even received a commendation.]
“Hoo…”
Fang Xiaocao sighed in relief.
“What about the old couple?”
She recalled their frail figures supporting each other and felt a pang in her heart.
[Hot Noodles: They’re dead…]
[Hot Noodles: Axi planted a homemade time bomb in the courtyard. The explosion ignited the house, setting off gas tanks and grenades inside. Neither Axi nor the old couple left behind a single trace…]
“A… a bomb?”
Fang Xiaocao gasped.
“Axi… was that ruthless?”
She asked, her voice trembling.
[Hot Noodles: Yes.]
Fang Xiaocao felt a heavy weight in her chest.
Three lives—gone.
Not even their remains were left behind…
“Wait…”
“Are you sure Axi is dead?”
She asked, her voice unsteady.
For some reason, when she read the phrase “not a trace left”, an unsettling feeling crept over her.
She could almost see Axi’s sinister grin.
At that moment, a chilling premonition struck her—
Could Axi have escaped?
There was a long silence.
Fang Xiaocao received no response for quite some time.
“No way…”
“Did he really survive?”
She pressed anxiously.
[Hot Noodles: I can’t answer that. In my timeline, history has already changed. So far, no one like Axi has appeared in any crime reports.]
[Hot Noodles: According to the newspapers, Axi was shot dead by Song Lin.]
[Hot Noodles: But whether he truly died… In my timeline, Axi no longer exists.]
[Hot Noodles: However, because of our actions, we have changed the future. Song Lin, Han Xue, and Qi Yu—all of their fates are now different. So whether Axi is really dead… only you can find out.]
(End of Chapter 52)
