Chapter 5: The Candle

She left the residential area, but she didn't immediately turn on her flashlight. Almost no one could be seen along the way, except for the occasional flicker of flashlight beams. Su Mo decided to proceed in the dark, as turning on the light would make too evident a target, and she wasn't sure if she could get home safely in case of a robbery with no working emergency services.

She kept herself well-hidden within the darkness, and searched through all the shops she knew of along the way. Nearly all of them had their doors tightly shut, not to mention the supermarkets. It took a while before Su Mo found a candle shop that was open.

The shopkeeper was a hulking brute nearing 2 meters in height, with a thick beard reaching his temples, giving him a fierce and aggressive look. Instead of entering the shop immediately, she lingered in a corner for a bit.

A young couple was in the shop buying candles. Upon hearing the price, the woman's voice became sharp, as she pointed at the shopkeeper and scolded, "100 for a pack? Just ten sticks! Why don't you just go rob someone!"

The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow and slammed his muscular arm onto the table with a thud, his eyes flashing with menace as he spoke unapologetically, "If you can afford it, buy it; if you can't, get lost. Don't interrupt my business."

The pounding on the table made a creaking noise, and the couple shuddered. Fearing yet unwilling to be ripped off, they stood for a while before choosing to leave empty-handed.

Watching the couple disappear into the darkness, Su Mo took out three red banknotes, her hand slipping into her pocket and gripping the knife hidden at her waist. Lowering her cap, she entered the shop with predatory pricing with a muffled and mature voice, "Three packs of candles."

The shopkeeper lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth, blowing out a puff of smoke and glancing at her before saying gruffly, "Three hundred."

Without further argument, Su Mo threw the money on the counter. Seeing her so forthright, the shopkeeper didn't waste time and promptly tossed three packs of candles to her. She grabbed the candles and left the shop.

Heading back onto the dark streets, she tucked the candles into her clothes. Before she could get far, however, Su Mo felt the sound of faint footsteps behind her—they were tailing her! Realizing this, she broke out in a cold sweat and started to sprint, clutching the candles.

The footsteps behind her picked up pace immediately, getting closer and closer. Just when it seemed they would catch up with her, Su Mo pulled out the knife from her waist and darted into an adjacent alley.

Voices could be heard from the entrance of the alley.

"This woman sure can run, almost killed me," the gasping woman spat on the ground and pointed at the man's nose, cursing, "Without any light, I can barely see! If you can't get me those candles, you're dead meat!"

"I got it, I got it. Just keep watch at the entrance, don't let her escape."

As it turned out, the couple who had been buying candles hadn't gone far and circled back just in time to see Su Mo. Seeing she was all by herself, they got an idea.

"Come on out, girl. I just want the candles, I promise I won't hurt you," echoed the man's voice in the alley, as he picked up a stick and slowly walked in.

Camouflaged by the darkness and hiding motionless behind a trash bin, Su Mo clutched the knife tightly, her palms sweaty. The man's approach growing nearer and nearer, her heart thundering. She knew all too well that her fate would not be pleasant if she were caught, and now deeply regretted not having the nerve to seek out Lu Chen.

In such a scenario, she knew fighting head-on would certainly not end well. After a moment of thought, she stood up and feigned a fearful voice, pressing down her tone, "Don't hurt me, you can have the candles."

Relieved by her compliance, the man's heart leaped with joy but he remained on guard, "Put all the candles on the ground and walk out slowly."

Obediently, Su Mo took out the candles from underneath her clothing, walked to the middle of the alley, set them down, and stepped back a few paces. The man, reassured, walked over.

Just as he was bending over to pick up the candle on the ground, Su Mo rushed forward and plunged the dagger viciously into the man's back.

Heart-wrenching screams erupted in the alley as the man fell to the ground, pain coursing through him as blood poured from his back. He could never have imagined that a woman, seemingly incapable of hurting a fly, would carry a knife outdoors, and the woman standing watch outside was immediately thrown into a panic. She shouted into the alley, "What happened!"

Pulling out the dagger, a gush of warm blood sprayed Su Mo's face. It was her first time slashing someone with a knife, but she didn't have time to feel scared as she grabbed the candle from the ground and dashed out of the alley.

When the woman saw Su Mo running out with the blood-dripping dagger, she instinctively stepped aside in fear, watching as Su Mo disappeared into the darkness.

Racing back to the neighborhood, Su Mo headed straight for her door, only to be shocked by the sight before her: the table she had used to block the entrance had been moved aside. Someone had gone inside!

She placed the candle at the doorway, took a deep breath, and edged sideways into the room. Unexpectedly, the person sitting on her couch was none other than Lu Chen, with a man - gagged and trussed up - lying at his feet.

Lu Chen looked at her disheveled appearance, noting the blood not yet dry on her dagger, and stood to walk over to her, frowning as he asked, "What happened?"

Upon seeing him, Su Mo's eyes instantly turned red and tears began streaming down her face. The emotions she had suppressed over the last few days gushed out, "I went out to buy candles because we were out, then someone tried to rob me, and I stabbed him with a knife..."

Lu Chen listened quietly to her sobbing account and began to see her in a new light. He truly hadn't expected such a petite woman to stab a grown man.

Finally having someone to confide in and let her emotions out made Su Mo feel a lot better. Only then did she turn her attention to the bound man on the floor, a face that seemed familiar. "What's with him?"

"Caught him stealing, happened to stumble upon him," Lu Chen explained succinctly.

Su Mo crouched down next to the man for a closer look and remembered he lived on the third floor—Xin Lei, if she wasn't mistaken. She had spoken to him a few times before. She pulled the foul-smelling sock out of the man's mouth, recognizing it as her own... As soon as he could speak, he pleaded, "I won't ever dare again. I just wanted to get some food and candles. I've not eaten for three days."

Su Mo kicked him in the face, raging, "Is that your excuse for stealing? Couldn't you have asked to borrow some?" Dissatisfied, she kicked him a few more times as he cried out in pain.

"Need me to deal with this?" Lu Chen's voice was as cold as ice, chilling to the bone. Su Mo turned to see him, not sure where he had pulled out a military baton that extended into three sections with a flick of his wrist.

Xin Lei was sweating bullets now, begging for mercy; hunger had clouded his judgment—he found this man terrifying. Su Mo, equally frightened, quickly walked over to press down on the baton and said with an apologetic smile, "But killing him isn't right, is it? There'd be legal consequences. He's also driven by necessity, isn't he?"

Lu Chen gave her a sidelong glance and mocked, "I was only going to hit him until he stopped coming around. What were you thinking?" Accustomed to the military's straightforwardness, he believed physical force should be used when it could spare unnecessary thinking.

"Oh," Su Mo's lips twitched, realizing this man's actions could be easily misconstrued. She released the baton, picked up the sock she had just pulled from the thief's mouth, and stuffed it back in, grumbling, "Then don't fight here. Go into the stairwell. I've just cleaned this carpet."

Lu Chen: "..."

Xin Lei: "..."