"Ah!" Lin Xiaoyan shut her eyes in fright, shaking her head abruptly. She didn't dare look down. It was too terrifying!
"Xiao Lin, what's wrong?"
Just about to leave, Ai Lin turned back and saw Lin Xiaoyan's frightened expression. She hurried forward to check on her.
As Ai Lin's hand touched Lin Xiaoyan again, the previously interrupted scene reappeared.
In the image, Lin Xiaoyan saw only a knife stuck in Ai Lin's stomach, blood flowing everywhere, lying silently on the ground. Outside the window, lightning and thunder roared...
"Sister Lin!" Lin Xiaoyan grabbed Ai Lin's arm, her face full of horror as she looked at Ai Lin.
Startled by the sudden grasp, Ai Lin asked, "Xiao Lin, what's wrong with you?"
Lin Xiaoyan didn't know how to start. How could she say it? Could she just straightforwardly tell her that she would be killed by a deliveryman tonight?
If she said it directly, she'd definitely be taken for a lunatic!
What to do? What to do? She couldn't just watch Sister Lin get killed...
Lin Xiaoyan was sweating in anxiety, but she didn't know how to open her mouth.
"Xiao Lin? Xiao Lin?" Ai Lin looked at Lin Xiaoyan with puzzlement.
Lin Xiaoyan looked at Sister Lin, thought for a moment, and said, "Sister Lin..., I think it's going to rain heavily soon. You... you better not order delivery tonight..."
"?" Ai Lin didn't understand what Lin Xiaoyan meant. After a day of work, she definitely didn't want to cook dinner. She'd already planned to tidy up and then order her favorite spicy hot pot.
"Well..." Lin Xiaoyan lowered her eyelids slightly, forcing herself to continue.
"On rainy days, some deliverymen delivering in the rain might feel unbalanced... I saw on the news before, a lone woman was killed by a deliveryman. That deliveryman, after being caught, said... because of the heavy rain, he still had to... had to deliver, felt uncomfortable in his heart, so he wanted to kill..."
After hearing this, Ai Lin laughed heartily, "Xiao Lin, you're so amusing. When did that happen? Nowadays, deliverymen are all required to undergo medical checks before hiring. If there's any psychological issue, they wouldn't be delivering!"
"Don't worry, I order delivery every day, and it's fine. Plus, our community is very safe."
Ai Lin looked at Lin Xiaoyan, "But you, living alone, you must pay attention to safety. If there's any danger, report to the police immediately. However, I suggest you buy some protective items online..."
Lin Xiaoyan noticed that Sister Lin didn't take her warning seriously at all. She was anxious, not knowing how to address this matter.
"Alright, it's getting late. I'll head back now. You pack up quickly and go home too, don't get caught in the rain!" Ai Lin glanced at the time and said goodbye to Lin Xiaoyan.
Lin Xiaoyan hurriedly called out, "Sister Lin!"
"Hmm?" Called again, Ai Lin felt a bit impatient.
"Um..., when you order delivery, you can let them leave the delivery at the door and wait a bit before going out to get it..." Lin Xiaoyan thought of an alternative.
"Okay, I got it. I'm leaving now." Ai Lin nodded haphazardly, clearly not taking Lin Xiaoyan's words to heart.
Lin Xiaoyan watched Sister Lin leave briskly, feeling scared, worried, and anxious in her heart...
"What to do?" Lin Xiaoyan sat paralyzed in the chair, repeatedly saying this sentence in her mind.
"Call the police?"
"No way!" Lin Xiaoyan didn't know Ai Lin's home address, nor when she would order delivery, or when the deliveryman would arrive...
Lin Xiaoyan closed her eyes, trying to recall the scene just now, despite her fear...
Soon, she noticed that when Ai Lin got up to open the door to take the delivery, she glanced at the time on her phone, 11:37 PM!
She had the time! Lin Xiaoyan was very excited, but then realized she didn't know Ai Lin's address.
Lin Xiaoyan got up and went to Ai Lin's spot. She nervously and cautiously rummaged through Ai Lin's things, muttering to herself, hoping nobody watched surveillance and thought she was stealing!
Finally, sweating profusely, Lin Xiaoyan saw a small parcel in the trash can. She quickly took it out, hoping and hoping it had the residential address on it...
"Ah! Great!"
Lin Xiaoyan saw that it indeed had Ai Lin's residential address. She quickly took out her phone, took a picture, and noted down the address.
As fast as she could, Lin Xiaoyan packed her things, emptied everyone's garbage in the office, locked the door, and went home.
As soon as she left the company, a hot gust of wind blew over. Lin Xiaoyan looked up at the ominous clouds gathering in the sky, feeling very oppressed.
On one hand, there was worry and fear for Sister Lin; on the other, there was the dilemma of how to inform the police.
Finally, in utter anxiety and agitation, Lin Xiaoyan returned to her rented place, looking at the time. It was now 7:30 PM, still some time before Sister Lin's murder.
At this moment, Lin Xiaoyan felt a splitting headache, even dizziness and nausea. She knew this was her body's reaction to extreme nervousness and fear.
"Relax... relax..." Lin Xiaoyan took a deep breath, continuously suggesting to herself to relax.
"First buy a phone card, then call the police!"
Using the remaining shred of her sanity, Lin Xiaoyan thought of this plan.
Having come up with the plan, Lin Xiaoyan immediately went out to a nearby service center to buy a phone card.
"Sorry, ma'am. All our phone cards now require real-name registration, please show your ID."
"…" Lin Xiaoyan was taken aback. "Could... could I... buy a non-registered phone card?"
Lin Xiaoyan tried to suppress her fear, quietly stating her need.
The clerk noticed Lin Xiaoyan's nervous demeanor, realizing this was a socially anxious person. With a smile, he patiently replied, "No, ma'am. It's the company policy now to implement one card, one name system, and it can't be..."
Seeing that it wouldn't work, Lin Xiaoyan had to leave.
Drizzling rain began to fall from the sky. Lin Xiaoyan glanced at the darkening sky, tightened her clothes, and hurried home.
Time ticked by, and Lin Xiaoyan kept thinking at home but couldn't come up with another solution.
She feared using her phone to call the police—what if the police paid attention to her?
Would she be arrested?
Lin Xiaoyan was extremely agitated, so she decided to eat first.
Having no appetite to cook, Lin Xiaoyan made instant noodles and ate them mechanically, with the image of Ai Lin being murdered constantly flashing in her mind.
Finally, the time was 10:40 PM, almost time. Lin Xiaoyan tightly gripped her phone, looking at the emergency number she had long entered.
"This is it..."
Lin Xiaoyan took a deep breath, rehearsed in her mind one last time what she needed to say, and then dialed the number.
"Hello, this is 110..."
Lin Xiaoyan's hand trembled slightly, her voice shaking, "Hello..., I... I want... to report something..."
The police call operator, Mao Hong, hearing the voice of a young girl on the other end, slightly trembling, gently asked.
"Hello, little sister, how can we help you?"