Chapter 1

Chapter 1

When I saw the message, the hair on my arms stood on end.

In the photo sent by the delivery rider, a tall, burly stranger clad in a black raincoat was dragging a sack filled with something unknown. He was hunched over, picking the lock to my girlfriend’s apartment.

My girlfriend lived alone!

Scared out of my wits, I immediately dialed the delivery rider’s number.

It rang once before being abruptly hung up.

A new message from the delivery rider popped up on the app:

“Bro, don’t call. I’m in the stairwell nearby, it’s not convenient to talk.”

“If you hadn’t told me earlier that this was a surprise for your girlfriend and to just leave it at the door, I would’ve handed the food to that Raincoat Man just now. You have no idea-he glared at me like he wanted to kill me. It was terrifying!”

I was frantic. “Fuck! Where is he now?”

The delivery rider sent another photo.

In the picture, the area outside my girlfriend’s door was empty, save for a trail of visible muddy footprints on the cartoon-themed welcome mat.

A chill ran down my spine.

“I just heard the door close. It looks like he’s already inside…”

“Bro, do you still want this food delivered? I have other orders to get to, and I’m about to go over my time limit.”

Who the hell cares about the food right now?!

I rushed to put on my clothes while calling my girlfriend.

However, what happened next made my scalp crawl.

My girlfriend’s phone was turned off!

Just a few minutes ago, she had been complaining to me about her perverted boss, who was always acting on whims and tagging her in messages in the middle of the night.

My girlfriend was definitely not the type of person to suddenly turn off her phone.

Unless…

Someone else had turned it off for her!

As soon as that thought surfaced, I panicked completely.

I didn’t have time to think. I kept trying her number while typing a message to the delivery rider.

“Man, please knock on the door for me. I can’t get through to my girlfriend, and I’m afraid something happened to her.”

It took a while for the delivery rider to reply.

“Bro, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but how do I know you’re actually her boyfriend? I’ve had people order food before just to trick me into taking photos of girls for them. Besides, it’s pouring rain out here, and I’m only making four yuan for delivering this river snail rice noodle soup. It’s not worth the risk. I’m almost out of time, so I’m going to leave the stuff at the door, take a photo for you, and head out.”

I was sweating with anxiety, terrified he would actually leave.

“Brother, I really am her boyfriend. I’m begging you, forget about your other orders.”

I sent him a five-hundred-yuan tip directly. “Please, knock on that door!”

The delivery rider replied: “Bro, it’s not that I’m being difficult, but you saw the photo. That guy is huge, and I’m scared too. Who knows what’s inside that sack!”

I suppressed the urge to curse.

“Two thousand. Just stay there and don’t move. Keep an eye on things for me. I’ve already contacted property management; they’re sending someone up right now.”

“I’m on my way there now!”

The delivery rider finally gave a reluctant agreement. “Fine, but I’m leaving the second you arrive. I’m seriously spooked.”

At that moment, I was incredibly grateful that I had saved the property management center’s number when I helped her move in.

Otherwise, I would be climbing the walls with worry.

I dashed toward the staff dormitory garage while calling the police.

The police informed me that the heavy rain had caused an eight-car pileup, and the elevated highway was completely gridlocked. They were doing their best to clear it, but it would take at least twenty-five minutes for them to arrive.

Even with the windshield wipers on full speed, my vision remained blurred.

Minutes passed, and I was still stuck at the first intersection, so frustrated I wanted to smash the steering wheel.

The car’s navigation showed that the route to her place, which usually took about ten minutes if I drove fast, was now estimated at forty-five minutes. The congested sections on the map were a deep, bruised purple.

What was I supposed to do?!

My only hope now was property management.

They had said they would send someone immediately, but there had been no update.

Just as I was frantically hounding property management for an update, a WeChat message actually came through from my girlfriend.