Slowly, I open my eyes, rolling them to try and figure out where I am. My blurry vision spots the metal ceiling above me. I lift myself up from the bed, sitting up straight and ignoring the discomfort in my body.
There's an IV in my hand, and I'm in a hospital gown. Turns out I'm in a hospital. Just before, I was in a room in one of Hong Kong's five-star hotels, but somehow, someone managed to set a trap and nearly kill me.
I get off the bed, pull the IV tube out since it's no longer needed, and walk toward the window. I squeeze the curtains to find the sky still dark.
How long has it been?
As I stare outside, the door opens, and my eyes immediately turn. A young woman in uniform stands at the doorway, holding a tray, her eyes widening more each second she looks at me.
I stare back, and the tray of medicines slips from her hands. Such a clumsy woman—being a nurse is a joke to her.
She crouches, picking everything up in a hurry, but her hands betray her, shaking uncontrollably.
After gathering the items, she rushes outside, likely forgetting she's supposed to check on me.
Was she the problem, or was it me? I step into the bathroom and stare at my reflection. With my large brown eyes, short brown hair, and the scars on my face, I look the same. So, the problem must be her.
I return to the room, and at the same moment, a woman steps inside. She has the look of someone who doesn't have time to take care of herself but is still beautiful. Her short, curly hair says it all.
After a brief greeting, she shows her badge. "I'm Detective Bai."
After an explosion, I suppose it's only natural for annoying things like her to follow. She'll ask questions I don't have answers to. Hell, they won't even hesitate to blame me just to declare a victory in their case.
"There are some questions I hope you can help me with, Miss Lin Lijun," she says. "Can you cooperate with me?"
Here we go. Yeah, right—Lijun. They must know me by that name. Let's see that's my name.
She takes out her phone, plays a video, and hands it to me. I'm slightly confused but maintain my calm, as always. This isn't what I expected.
The video is an explanation of the identity of Scupper, the international criminal at the top of the wanted list. I've heard of him, and I'd bet he's a priority even for the FBI. He killed many important figures, and his identity is still a mystery.
The person explaining everything doesn't show his face, but he talks in detail as if he was the criminal's friend. I understand people want to make money with views, but I don't get why the detective shows me this pointless video.
But how could I be Scupper? No, the right question is, who's trying to expose this?
---
Soon, she has me inside the interrogation room. I sit quietly and wait, and stubborn as they are, they leave me here for about an hour, observing me through the mirror.
I have plenty to handle on my own, one being to find the person behind the explosion, and then the bastard trying these lame attempts to frame me. And here these officers are, wasting time.
Relaxing my back against the chair, I close my eyes in slumber. I'm not actually sleeping; I just need to collect my thoughts. I have a good guess that both incidents connect to one person. Who?
In the moment my eyes are closed, I feel two people step inside and pull up chairs to face me, with the table between us.
"What's your name?"
Seriously? It's not like they don't know. I open my eyes and answer lightly, "Lin Lijun."
"Lin Lijun. Born in 1997, which makes you 25. Your records are clean."
I meet his gaze, and I can see his eyes blazing with anger and hate. Does he know me from somewhere? From what I remember, his name is Zhang Xiwen. What a waste of looks to be just a detective.
Bai Yanran slides a picture toward me with some information. "Celine Wen. She's 18. Three days ago, she went missing at the Milan Club." Then, she adds another photo of a woman with green hair. "This is you. I hope you recognize yourself. This was taken the day Celine Wen went missing. Can you tell us what you were doing?"
I thought they'd be asking about Scupper, or if not that, the explosion. Instead, it's about the congresswoman's daughter who went missing a few days ago.
"Do you want me to explain what someone does in a club?"
Xiwen slams the table and, trying hard to suppress his anger, asks, "Where are you hiding her?!"
What's his brain for? Use your damn brain.
But suddenly, I feel strange in my stomach, as if I'm burning up. I have to endure this until the end of the interrogation, which doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon.
No, the pain is so intense, I raise my hand and grab my stomach. My body feels weak—this is unbearable. Where did this cramping pain come from?
I fall from the chair to the floor, struggling. In an instant, my body is covered in sweat.
The officers stare at me in bewilderment, likely thinking I'm faking. But their thoughts shift when they see me vomiting blood.
I've been poisoned. I'm sure of it. When did this happen? Who was behind it?
It's already evening when the ambulance speeds toward the hospital. Is this really happening? Am I going to die so easily, without knowing who's behind my death?
Somewhere along the way to the hospital, the ambulance suddenly hits something.
With no energy, my body rolls as the vehicle spins, and the moment it stops, darkness swallows me.