Leni hurried towards the food stall where she worked.
That day there were indeed many orders that needed to be dealt with straight away.
Because of the 'little incident' with Mrs Mardiyah and Mr Topo earlier, Leni was late.
She ran until she reached the crossroads. She truly had no money at all that day.
The time on her phone showed 8.05 in the morning.
Leni was already five minutes late for her scheduled start.
The food stall where she worked was quite a distance away.
Even running as hard as she could, it would still take about fifteen minutes to get there.
Sweat began to pour down Leni's face.
The make‑up she had put on earlier in the morning slowly faded.
Her breath was already short and heavy, but she kept trying not to be late.
Leni stopped for a moment because she was exhausted.
By chance the traffic light turned red, and a dozen motorbikes lined up neatly at the junction.
In the very front lane, there was a motorbike rider with a passenger.
From their appearance they clearly looked like local thugs.
With their crumpled clothes, bodies covered in tattoos, and no helmets, their status was made all the more obvious.
Leni suddenly had a brilliant idea. She muttered slyly, "I can take advantage of this!"
She then noticed a motorbike rider just behind the two thugs.
A bespectacled young man, looking rather nerdy and different from the rest.
Among the dozen motorbikes that had stopped, he was the only one riding alone.
Leni muttered again with excitement, "Target selected! Yay!"
Without further hesitation, Leni hurried towards the motorbike rider who looked like a student.
With an innocent face, she immediately sat pillion behind him, as if they had arranged it from the start.
The young man was instantly shocked to find a stranger suddenly sitting on the back of his motorbike.
He turned at once, his brow furrowed, his eyes full of questions as he stared at Leni's serious expression.
"Who are you?!" Asked the young man cautiously.
Leni deliberately leaned closer, whispering in a low, mysterious voice, "Are you a student?!" She asked.
The young man nodded, still confused by the sudden situation, "Yes… I'm a student! Is there anything I can do to help?!" He asked in return.
Leni immediately pointed ahead, straight at the two motorbike riders who looked like village thugs.
With seriousness, she said, "Those two have been fugitives for five years! Child abduction, human trafficking, and international‑level narcotics!"
The young man quickly turned towards the direction Leni had pointed.
"How do you know?!" He asked.
Leni, without a shred of guilt, replied with convincing acting, "I'm from special police intelligence! We've been hunting them for three years! I hope students like you can help the police!" She whispered, yet her tone remained firm.
The young man began to panic. He blinked repeatedly like someone with a fit, and his body started to tremble, unable to believe he was caught up in such a situation.
He grew frightened and asked, "So… what must I do, Officer?!"
Leni pointed towards the thugs' motorbike in front, then straightened her posture as if giving a command.
"Follow them! At the next junction, there are already many other police officers ready to capture them! Don't let them escape!" She said, pretending to be stern and full of drama.
The young man grew even more panicked, his hands shaking on the handlebars, but in the end he nodded helplessly.
"Y‑Yes, Officer!" He stammered, as though he had just received the most serious mission of his life.
The traffic light had turned green, and the roar of motorbike engines around them rumbled.
The young man twisted the throttle carefully, while Leni sat upright behind him.
Her eyes sharply fixed on the two thugs ahead, as though she were truly carrying out a national secret mission.
The pair riding together, who looked like local thugs, immediately revved their motorbike and sped off towards the main road.
Leni barked with an authoritative voice, "Quick! Follow them! But don't let them notice!"
The young man jolted, his body still trembling, but he nodded obediently, "Y‑Yes, Officer!" He stammered.
Without a second thought, he accelerated his motorbike.
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He tried to keep his distance so as not to get too close and arouse suspicion.
Leni swiftly pulled her phone from her pocket and held it to her ear as though making an emergency call.
Her act remained serious, her sharp eyes fixed straight ahead.
"Mayday! Mayday! The target is being pursued! Secure the junction ahead immediately!" She shouted firmly and with authority.
From the phone came a reply, "Mayday! Mayday! Understood!"
The voice sounded convincing, though in reality it was only a police recording she had downloaded earlier from the browser.
The young man listened in awe.
His eyes welled up, he felt moved, and though his body still trembled, a sense of pride began to rise.
In his heart he said, "Wow, amazing! I'm helping special intelligence chase criminals!"
His grip on the handlebars tightened and he pulled the throttle harder.
Meanwhile, Leni sat upright behind him, smiling slyly.
Her plan was working smoothly. The nerdy young man truly believed that Leni was part of a secret operation.
After several minutes of speeding in pursuit of the two men who looked like village thugs, the next junction finally came clearly into view ahead.
Leni immediately gave instructions in a firm tone, "Slow the bike down, then stop under that tree! Better turn back! Don't go through the junction ahead!"
The young man nodded without saying much, his face still serious and tense.
"Yes, Officer!" He replied briefly.
The young man's motorbike slowed down and stopped right beneath a leafy tree.
Leni dismounted elegantly, then looked at the young man with a thin, authoritative smile.
She spoke, imitating the distinctive voice of police intelligence, "Thank you for helping the police! Your service will always be remembered!"
The young man nodded. He felt proud for having helped the police, even though his heart was still pounding furiously.
He then replied, "You're welcome, Officer! Best of luck!" He said.
The young man immediately turned his motorbike back in the opposite direction, but at that moment a middle‑aged woman shouted loudly from inside the food stall.
The middle‑aged woman called out quite sharply, sounding a little annoyed, "Leni! Do you know what time it is?! There are lots of orders today!"
Leni quickly answered while jogging towards the stall, "Yes, yes! Sorry, Mrs Tini, there was traffic!"
She hurried inside the food stall where she worked.
Coincidentally, right in front of that food stall stood the leafy tree where Leni and the young man had stopped.
The young man was startled, his eyes widened, and with great curiosity he asked the middle‑aged woman, who turned out to be the owner of the stall, "Excuse me, ma'am! Do you know that policewoman just now?!" He asked seriously.
Mrs Tini frowned, "Which policewoman do you mean, lad?" She replied.
The young man pointed towards the door of the stall, "That woman who just went inside!" He answered quickly.
Mrs Tini smiled, then said, "She's my employee, lad! Not a police officer! You're talking nonsense!"
The young man was shocked, then exclaimed, "What?! So just now… that wasn't a secret police mission?!"
Mrs Tini grew even more confused. She looked at the young man.
With a puzzled tone, Mrs Tini asked, "What secret mission do you mean, lad?! Anyway, I've got lots of orders to deal with!"
Mrs Tini then turned away and went back into her stall.
The young man stood silent for some time, holding back his embarrassment and simmering anger.
He stared blankly at the road, then let out a long sigh.
After a while, with a voice full of determination, he muttered, "From this moment on, I'll never again believe anything a woman says!"