Seven Ноurs Earliеr
Sister Qin and Маdаm Gао ultimаtelу gavе Principal Gaо’s phonе number tо Lu Хiaо.
Evеn if theу hadn’t, Lu Xiao had рlenty оf waуs to find it himself.
As for Principal Gao, аfter reсeiving thе call, his initiаl intеntiоn was tо hеlр cоver for Gu Аn’аn tо sоme extent.
Нowevеr, аftеr a fеw threats from Lu Хiaо аnd fеаring that Gu Аn’an might havе unknowinglу provоked somеоne, he sрillеd еvеrything in one go.
Inсluding thе incident where Zhao Хi stоle class funds аnd frаmed Gu Аn’аn, he еxрlаined it сlearly and even sent over the surveillance footage.
Once or twice could be considered coincidences.
But could three times still be?
Lu Xiao quickly sensed something was off.
From the surveillance footage Gu An’an presented during her confrontation with Gu Wanrou at last night’s banquet to the two incidents today, everything seemed unreasonable.
Driven by an inexplicable impulse, after finishing his work, he drove to the entrance of Nan Cheng No. 1 High School.
Unexpectedly, he happened to run into Gu An’an leaving school.
Seeing her about to board the bus and leave, he hurriedly opened the car door and followed her on.
Now, meeting Gu An’an’s clear, bewildered gaze, he felt his suspicions were unfounded.
How could a young girl like Gu An’an, still attending school, possibly be involved in anything shady?
It must just be good luck.
Thinking this, Lu Xiao leaned against the window, planning to get off at the next stop.
Just then,
The familiar, cold, mechanical voice of the System echoed in Gu An’an’s mind once more.
[Ding!—Someone has hidden a bomb. The bus will explode in ten minutes.]
[Please prepare for rescue, Host. Reward: One million RMB.]
Nerves!
The task Gu An’an had been waiting for had arrived.
Another chance to earn a million.
But the money wouldn’t come easily.
What a joke—a bus explosion, and she was supposed to prepare for rescue.
Gu An’an’s eyes swept over the passengers on the bus, up and down, left and right.
For now, she couldn’t tell who had hidden the bomb.
What if the person with the bomb boarded at the next stop or the one after?
Moreover, if someone was bold enough to blow up a bus, what could her slender arms and legs possibly do against them?
They’d probably just detonate the bomb on the spot, blowing her to pieces.
But retreating, getting off at the next stop and leaving…
Gu An’an’s gaze fell on the bus passengers: a young mother holding a child, a student giving up their seat for an elderly person, and a young couple in love.
These were living, breathing people.
If she didn’t know, it would be one thing. But knowing and doing nothing—she couldn’t live with that.
Pursing her lips, she looked at Lu Xiao, who was standing by the window near the bus door.
As Nan Cheng’s newly appointed iron-fisted Law Enforcement Officer, if he had chased her onto the bus, he must already suspect something about her. In that case, why not seek his help?
Lu Xiao, who had been frowning as he waited for the bus to reach the next stop, froze.
The hem of his coat was gently tugged and shaken.
Looking down, he met Gu An’an’s stunningly beautiful face. Her peach-blossom eyes curved as she tried to put on an innocent, well-behaved expression.
“Lu…” She stopped herself from saying “Officer,” afraid of alerting the person hiding the bomb who might want to take everyone down with them.
Her voice softened. “Brother Lu, there’s something I need your help with. Can you help me?”
Lu Xiao had never heard anyone call out “brother” in such a soft, gentle tone—it seemed to resonate right at the tip of his heart.
An unnatural flush briefly colored his face, and the tips of his ears turned slightly red:
“What is it?”
Helping the little girl from Gu Wencheng’s family wouldn’t be a problem.
Gu An’an slowly took out her phone from her bag and handed it to Lu Xiao.
Lu Xiao’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, thinking she wanted to exchange contact information.
Then, Gu An’an tapped her finger on the screen. The moment Lu Xiao saw the content, his pupils contracted sharply.
The message clearly read:
[Officer Lu, don’t ask how I know this, but someone on this bus is hiding a bomb. It will explode in ten minutes. What should we do now?]
Lu Xiao’s expression instantly turned grave. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings before he looked down at Gu An’an, took the phone, and typed:
[Is this true?]
Gu An’an replied:
[Absolutely true. It will explode in ten minutes, but I don’t know if the person is already on the bus or will board at the next stop.]
After the next stop, the bus wouldn’t make any stops for a long stretch.
The suspect was either already on the bus or hadn’t boarded yet at the next stop.
They would have to figure that out themselves.
Lu Xiao’s expression grew colder. He wanted to believe Gu An’an, but without evidence, he couldn’t call for police backup without cause.
Yet, if he ignored it and assumed it was false…
He recalled Principal Gao’s response earlier—it was Gu An’an who had suddenly spoken up and given the hint.
Without any warning, leaving no time to react.
With so many lives at stake, Lu Xiao couldn’t treat this as a joke.
In fact, he almost wished it were just a whim of Gu An’an’s.
At that moment, Gu An’an was waiting for Lu Xiao to make the final decision, standing obediently beside him, ready to follow his instructions.
The two stood together—the man tall and handsome, the girl beautiful and striking.
They drew subtle glances from many around them.
Lu Xiao quickly made up his mind and tapped Gu An’an:
“At the next stop, you get off with me. I’ll handle the rest.”
He intended to take everything upon himself.
Hearing this, Gu An’an shook her head.
“I’m not getting off. I’ll stay with you.”
Even if they managed to avoid danger this time with Lu Xiao’s help, who knew if the System would assign a more difficult task next time?
Besides, she trusted Lu Xiao.
The youngest Law Enforcement Officer in Nan City’s history, formerly serving in the military before transitioning to this role.
Whether it was his skills, insight, or intelligence—
he was far beyond ordinary people.
With such a powerful ally right in front of her, only a fool wouldn’t seize the opportunity.
She refused to believe that someone like Lu Xiao, who had worked so hard to reach such heights at such a young age, would meet an untimely end—
especially not on a bus.
Gu An’an shook her head firmly, choosing to stay and help.
Lu Xiao had no choice and didn’t dare order Gu An’an off the bus loudly.
He feared the person with the bomb might already be on board.
His gaze began to sweep over the passengers on the bus, inch by inch.
A woman holding a child, a handbag slung over her arm, gently soothing the little baby in her arms. Her expression was tender, not someone who would carry a bomb.
Migrant workers heading to the city for work had their bags carelessly tossed on the ground, a corner revealing what looked like a large wrench, stained black with grease.
A couple in love were now arguing, with the woman and the man even starting to fight.
There were also office workers who had just finished their shift, elderly people picking up their grandchildren from school…
In the end, who was the criminal?