After Sergeant Kim had explained the situation, the team moved out of the secluded outskirts and returned to headquarters. That same night, several doctors were called in to do everything they could to ensure the three captives regained consciousness before dawn. They administered multiple treatments—pills and injections—designed to accelerate the clearing of the toxic smoke effects from their bodies.
Mr. Kim was the first to wake up. He opened his eyes, blinking in confusion, surprised to find himself on a hospital bed. He quickly noticed two men standing over him, staring with a piercing, intense gaze.
"Calm down, old man,"
One of the men said in a firm but gentle voice.
"We're the police. We got you out of that place. You're safe now."
Inspector Ray's calm tone seemed to soothe him slightly, though Mr. Kim still appeared shaken. The officers had hoped the old surgeon might wake first, as he would likely hold key information, but with Mr. Kim now conscious, they decided to press forward.
Slowly, Mr. Kim's breathing steadied. He turned his head and saw his wife lying in the next bed, still unconscious. His expression softened with relief.
"She's fine,"
Sergeant Kim assured him, following his gaze.
"She'll wake up soon, too."
Mr. Kim nodded, visibly relieved, and after another few seconds, he seemed ready to speak.
"Alright,"
Inspector Ray said.
"Let's start from the beginning. Can you tell us how you ended up in that building? Does it perhaps belong to you?"
Mr. Kim shook his head.
"No,"
He said, his voice trembling slightly.
"It was… three nights ago. My wife and I were closing up our workshop for the night when suddenly, this young man showed up out of nowhere. He just stood there, staring at us and saying nothing. We told him the shop was closed and that he should come back the next day. But as soon as I said those words… I don't know what happened next. I blacked out, like someone flipped a switch. Then when I woke up, I found myself tied to a chair in a lab, and my wife was right there next to me."
Inspector Ray and Sergeant Kim exchanged a brief, grim look. Mr. Kim's story was unfolding just as they'd feared.
"What happened after that?"
Sergeant Kim asked, leaning in slightly.
Mr. Kim swallowed hard.
"The young man would come time to time, and sometimes he had an old man with him. Every time he came, he'd torture my wife and I, asking questions about Uche. He kept demanding I tell him everything I knew, as if I was hiding something."
"Uche?" Sergeant Kim cut in, raising an eyebrow. "Do you know him?"
The man hesitated.
"Yes. Uche is… he's my only employee. We work together in my workshop out in the outskirts. I pay him daily."
"And how long has he been working for you?"
The sergeant continued.
Mr. Kim seemed to think about this.
"Maybe… six months or so? But I had no idea he was involved in anything dangerous, not until the young man told me Uche was a… 'Connect.'"
"A Connect,"
Inspector Ray repeated, his face growing even more serious.
"So, did you tell him anything?"
"No,"
Mr. Kim replied emphatically, his voice tightening.
"I didn't know anything about Uche's private life. I don't even know where he lives. But every time I told them that, the young man would accuse me of lying. He'd get angrier and… he kept hurting us."
Inspector Ray leaned over and whispered something to Sergeant Kim, then asked,
"Can you describe this young man for us?"
Mr. Kim nodded.
"He had red, spiky hair, a face that looked almost… chiseled, with a sharp nose. And his eyes—well, he looked like he could kill with just a look."
Inspector Ray took out his phone, pulled up an image, and showed it to Mr. Kim. The man's eyes widened, and he nodded in confirmation.
"That's him."
The inspector put his phone away.
"What else happened while you were in that lab? Did anyone else ever show up?"
Mr. Kim shook his head.
"No, it was just him, and sometimes that old man. The young man would go out late at night and come back hours later, but the old man stayed. He would secretly take care of us, and sometimes tell us to listen to the young man, to answer him truthfully, and then we'd be freed. He said if we cooperated, we wouldn't have to suffer anymore."
"Tonight… he went out again but came back with Uche. Uche was unconscious when he brought him in,"
Mr. Kim said, his voice quiet as he recalled the recent events.
Sergeant Kim raised an eyebrow again.
"So, tonight, he brought Uche to the lab… and Uche was already unconscious?"
Mr. Kim nodded.
"Interesting,"
Muttered the sergeant.
"Did you have any idea what sparked a fight between them?"
Inspector Ray asked, but before Mr. Kim could respond, they noticed the old surgeon—the one they'd been waiting to question—was beginning to stir. His eyes fluttered open as he adjusted to the lights above him.
Inspector Ray gave Mr. Kim a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Get some rest. We'll handle the rest from here."
They left Mr. Kim's bedside and approached the surgeon, hoping for more answers.
---
That same night, miles away, Mira and Uche had returned to their safe house after scouring every inch of Kante's known residence. They had searched thoroughly, going through every room and even scoping out the surrounding area. It was as though Kante's house had been abandoned for weeks.
There was no trace of him.
After returning home from their fruitless search, Mira and Uche sat across from each other, both staring off in thought, trying to piece together the events of the past few days. The silence stretched on until Mira finally spoke, her voice filled with frustration.
"If the cops had half a brain, they would've already locked down every exit out of the city by now,"
She muttered, shaking her head.
"But knowing them, they're probably sitting around waiting for the captives to wake up, hoping to get enough evidence before making a move."
Uche turned to her, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"So, don't you think we should forward the whole recording to them? If we don't, they're going to miss their chance."
Mira sighed.
"Right."
---
Seeing the two police officers approach, the old surgeon felt his hands begin to shake, an instinctive urge to shrink back or even vanish entirely overtaking him. He'd already pieced together what was coming; they were here to question him, and perhaps even take him away. After all, they'd just saw him with Snowflake—a notorious figure in the criminal underworld. If these officers found out he'd been hiding that bastard for the past few days, things could get very ugly very fast.
"I…I swear, I didn't know he was Snowflake,"
Te surgeon stammered, his voice wavering.
"Please, believe me—I didn't know anything until today."
Sergeant Kim's gaze was as cold as steel.
"You'd better calm down and answer us carefully,"
He warned, his tone low and full of menace. "Or else, you're going to regret it."
The surgeon gulped, nodding quickly.
"I will. I'll tell you everything, I swear."
Inspector Ray took a step forward, his voice sharper than Kim's.
"Let's start with the basics. I'm sure that building on the outskirts belongs to you, isn't it?"
He asked.
"It's the perfect place for you to hide from the gaze of officials while you do your dirty work. Am I wrong?"
The old man hesitated, then gave a reluctant nod.
"Yes…it's mine."
He muttered.
"So what can you say about Snowflake living there with you. Are you harboring a notorious killer? Or is he part of your organ trafficking gang?"
Inspector Ray asked.
The surgeon flinched as if struck. He swallowed hard, eyes darting between the officers.
"I'll explain,"
He said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes…I've been involved in the organ trafficking ring. But I had nothing to do with Snowflake until recently. Our group never knew who he was or even what he looked like. It's only in the past few days that I got close to him, and even then, I didn't understand who he really was until today."
Sergeant Kim exchanged a glance with Ray. Without a word, they both pulled up chairs next to the man's bed, their eyes fixed on him, sharp and unyielding.