Chereads / The Eternal Nexus / Chapter 9 - Chapter 9 : The escape(1)

Chapter 9 - Chapter 9 : The escape(1)

Bittu moved through the empty hallway, totally relaxed. After all, the anxiety and stress were erased, and the adrenaline helped manifest madness in him; he had become more natural and carefree. If one didn't know any better, people looking at Bittu would have never thought that he had just killed someone and was now in a hurry to escape from the police station. He looked just that relaxed and carefree.

There were no cameras pointed towards the washroom, which was obviously not right, as there should be cameras in all places of the police station to secure its safety. But when one thinks as to why there were no cameras in the way, one would get the answer from the call earlier. Qi Shu came to that place to answer the call from his boss; whoever that may be, which indicates him as a spy. So, he would definitely think of ways to safeguard himself from any harm, especially when he has a skill that was like a god's hand in the current tutorial dungeon because of skills scarcity. This ultimately provided Bittu with the chance to pull off what he just did; to pull the officer into his trap and begin his escape.

As Bittu walked his way out of the station, with his confident and carefree aura, no one suspected that a suspect of murder is trying to escape. Moreover, new recruits had just arrived at the station a few days ago, which further helped, as many officers did notice that Bittu was an unfamiliar face but didn't question him because of the many new faces in the station. They thought of him to be the same—a new recruit.

After walking out of the station unsuspected and not stopped by anyone, Bittu stopped a taxi, entered it, and told the driver to take him to Orchard Road. It was where John lives. 'It's time to meet John,' thought Bittu as he sat in the taxi, relaxed.

In the beautiful and peaceful night full of stars and a moon in the sky, in the bustling of the people, on the road, as they went home, worked, or went to the nightclubs, a white taxi moved along the road to Orchard Road with an escaped suspect. The escaped suspect was looking out the window, taking the beautiful scenery of the night in his eyes while praising them internally. But what the suspect didn't know was that the cops were in chaos right now, and it was because of what he did.

***********

At the police station:

Just as Bittu got into the taxi, an officer came to the interrogation room. A young officer was there to let Bittu go because he was said to be innocent by Mr. Qi. It was strange as to whenever Mr. Qi points someone as innocent or guilty, that person was then proved to be just that by solid evidence, so no one questions him. There were rumors in the station as Mr. Qi was an expert in psychology and he can know if one is guilty or not just by asking some questions to the said person in person. He was suspected at first, but after some investigation and checking, police believed him. Hence, when Bittu was said to be innocent by him, the officers let him off and sent this officer to send him out.

As the guy opened the room, he was surprised to find no one inside. He then felt that things were wrong when he saw no one inside and rushed to inform his superiors of his findings. He informed his superiors who also finding the empty room suspicious immediately called the CCTV room through his phone and told them to check where did the suspect in the room go to.

The officers in the CCTV room immediately did some checking of the camera in the interrogation room and the camera near the room and found whatever happened there. He saw that there was nothing wrong with them, and the suspect should be in the washroom right now while the officer near the room went outside, which was careless of the guy, but seeing he was new he didn't think anything was suspicious. Even though he thinks that, he still reports his finding to his superior. After a brief silence, the superiors asked the guy;

"What was the time they went into the washroom together and the officer came out?"

After checking the officer answered with a frown on his face, "Sir, They both entered at around 6:30 pm, and the officer came out at...6:43 pm."

The superior then immediately asked, "Has the guy come out even once after that?"

The officer answered, "....No, sir."

The superior then sent the officer that reported the issue to him to the washroom and then asked the officer in the CCTV room to check something out for him in a heavy voice, "Check if the officer that went into the washroom and the officer that came out are the same."

The officer in the CCTV room was shocked at the implication of that order but still proceeded to do so, "Yes, sir." After checking and finding that both of them don't match at all as, the officer before looked like he was from the east while the officer after looks like he is from the South. He with a heavy voice tells his finding to the superior and all he heard was a heavy sigh before the phone was disconnected.

As the superior put the phone off, the officer that was sent to the washroom returned with an angry, sad and dark face and proceeded to tell his finding to the superior.

"Sir, there is a....dead body in the....washroom."

"...Is it...Liu yan?"

"Yes, sir."

"Call for all the officers, a swine is roaming out there that we have to capture." The superior said in a voice full of anger.

It was really one of the many tricks played by destiny. There, Bittu was rushing to escape from the station to save his life because of the words said by Qi Shu and it's implications that being; people from the underworld area of the city coming to kill him because some boss said so.

Getting caught up by all the things that happened to him on the span of one day, he couldn't bring himself to belive and think that the only one that could have helped him was the police. In madness, he killed the officer to escape cutting off his only way to protection from the hitman from the underworld; the police. While the police that were about to let a suspect go and declare him clean was now after him like mad dogs because of his action which has now cemented him as a vicious and cold-blooded killer.

***********

In the taxi:

Bittu was marveling at a beautiful sight right now. The taxi was running on a bridge. The Tower Bridge stood proudly over the river, its majestic towers framed by the city lights. A symbol of Victorian elegance, it arched gracefully, inviting the glow of night to dance upon its steel frame. As the moonlight painted silver strokes across the river and helped light the towering bridge, it made a beautiful scene that any artist would like to capture.

As the car moved further away from this beautiful sight, Bittu was awed by the mesmerizing sights the game has. Wherever one looks a beautiful sight is what welcomes their eyes. Unbeknownst to him, these scenes weren't crafted by the 'AI Nexus' but captured from worldwide locations.

All the beautiful sights that he sees are the ones that Nexus has selected for this particular tutorial, just like it has done countless times before. If Bittu had visited outside his country in the outside world he would recognize these structures but he hasn't left his country at all and he only recognise many of the most famous structures of the world. What an irony it is, that the beautiful, peaceful and happiness filled places of all over the world are now being used as the backdrop for a bloody and hunted tutorial.

After about ten more minutes of ride Bittu reache his destination and got off the taxi, paid the driver and was ready to go to Johns place but he was stumbled to realise that he didn't know the way to Johns place. John has only provided him the name of his street, not the place he stays at.' Sigh,...It looks like John still managed to trick me' thought Bittu.

Bittu after thinking for a while decided to first change his clothing as he was sure, in the half an hour ride to this place the cops must know of his deeds and were now after him which was within his expectations. So, he had initially planned to leave the city with John's help and make his way to the villages that he was said to be from, by the system. But, seeing that he can't contact John anymore, he can only rely on himself.

He went to the clothing store and bought himself a black shirt, a black pant and a black outer jacket. He wasn't that fund of the black colour but he brought it because it could help him camouflage in the darkness of the night and help him escape if the cops arrived faster than expected. He brought the jacket not because it was cold in the city, even though in the outside world, right now winter has started. He brought the jacket just in case, so that he could hide his injuries if he got shot by the cops while escaping. He was just that cautious.

After wearing his new clothes, he threw the police uniform into a bin in an alley that was two houses from the clothing shop. As he moved through the area he read Tiong Bahru neighborhood written in one of the posters.

Nestled between modern skyscrapers, the Tiong Bahru neighborhood in Singapore exudes a charming blend of tradition and contemporary living. Lush greenery lines the streets, providing a serene backdrop to the historic Art Deco architecture that characterizes the area. Quaint cafes and artisanal boutiques dot the landscape, fostering a sense of community among the diverse residents who call Tiong Bahru home.

He entered a small restaurant, as he was here to learn if the police has sent his pictures to all the medias to help the police find him. If that was the case he has to flee this place quickly and go to the villages. The restaurant was relatively full as it was already nightime. He sat down on an empty chair after ordering a glass of tea and some noodles as he was still full from the food he ate at the palace.

While wating for a while, he heard a lot of people talking, chatting while eating and drinking but, all of those talks were nothing interesting and were not worth mentioning.

After a while, I looked towards the television. A news channel was played on the television but it was not about me which relaxed me a little. After a while, the tea and noddles were served which I enjoyed eating as they were quite delicious. After eating, I further stayed there for a while to see if my image will be shown in the television but seeing nothing there, I stood up and started to move out. The moment I reached the door, I heard something from the television that once again made me freez for a moment.

"An ergent announcement has been made by the police, this man that you can see on the screen is a vicious criminal that has just escaped the prision after killing one of the policeman working at the prison, he his about 170 cm to 180 cm tall, dressed in the police uniform. If anyone sees this man please inform the police department on the number 901. Any kind of help will be appreciated by the police. Thank you." said a female with her steady and beautiful voice.

After the announcement, the news before continued to play. But, the atmosphere of the restaurant changed from happy and cheerful one to one filled with tension and a slight amount of fear. After a moment of silence, everyone started to talk about what they heard. Bittu without looking back after returning from his momentary blankness started to move forward. He decided, he couldn't stay in the city anymore and needs to leave it right away.

He first wore his jacket that was still in the bag so that he could hide his face. After that he thought for a while and he had the perfect idea as to where he should go to escape from the police.

He ventured into a quaint bicycle shop nestled within the neighborhood, his gaze lingering on the assortment of sleek frames and spinning wheels. The allure of a motorcycle tugged at him, but financial constraints dictated his choice: a bicycle, a more humble companion on this impromptu escape.

As he pedaled away, the city lights guiding his way, the distant silhouette of the bridge came into view. His purpose remained unwavering – ascend the tower and navigate a clandestine path to the city's edge. It seemed prudent to avoid raising suspicions by inquiring about routes out of the city, especially under the cloak of night. Any connection to the recent police announcement could unravel his escape strategy, shattering the fragile peace he sought.

Arriving at the bridge tower, a sense of urgency pushed him forward. Securing his bicycle at the base, he stepped into the waiting lift, the ascent offering a brief respite from the chaos below. Emerging at the top, where moonlight painted silver strokes across the river, he couldn't linger in appreciation. The city sprawled out before him, a tapestry of shimmering lights and architectural giants. To the south, buildings of varying heights punctuated the skyline, revealing little about the escape route. A decisive turn to the north, however, unveiled a clearer path leading beyond the city limits. Though distant, the promise of freedom lay in that direction, while the southern expanse remained enigmatic, concealed by the urban jungle.

The city lights, like stars fallen to Earth, cast a mesmerizing glow over the landscape. In this nocturnal cityscape, each building told a story, and every alley held secrets. Bittu, standing atop the bridge tower, felt a mixture of awe and trepidation. The adventure to escape the consequences of his actions had just begun, and the city sprawled beneath him, both an obstacle and a canvas for his clandestine journey.