Memory Lost

L can feel the coolness of steel from the mouth of the gun against his temple as he gets up from the ground. In the dimly lit area, he can see Han Chen’s face stiff like a statue. His expression is hard to read.

L stands straight feeling a bit helpless. He raises his head and looks around quickly. Underneath his feet is wet mud. They are standing in a dark and forest-like area; it’s quiet all around.

And Han Chen is just too fierce. Even in the dark, you can sense his aura.

With Han Chen’s gun against his head, L takes a few steps forward and says nonchalantly, “How did you know that I’m L?”

Han Chen doesn’t answer. His gaze sweeps across his fingernails.

And then he remembers Su Mian.

When they were still above, they saw Ji Zi Chang’s nails when he rolled up his sleeves. Su Mian turned around and made eye contact with him, confirming his suspicion.

The fact that the seven-member organization can come up with this plan and know so much about the internal details, they must have a member take part and be very familiar with the development. They’re already clear on A’s and R’s profession, so the only person left is L. Ji Zi Chang has shown himself as someone who’s calm and composed, loyal, and not bothered by trifles. Even when his face was covered with mud, he didn’t seem to care——this seems to contradict with L’s personality.

But he’s dressed in simple and natural clothes while his watch is overly extravagant, shiny without any scratches or a speck of dust. If he’s an architect who visits the construction area often and really lives casually, how could he possibly be able to keep his watch looking so good?

Furthermore, his nails are clean and tidy. He was supposedly trapped inside a column; he should have been struggling for his life, so his nails should be full of dust. But although his clothes are dirty, his nails are so clean that they look like they’ve been carefully trimmed and cleaned.

Therefore, the answer is obvious.

Recalling how he and Su Mian had the same feeling at the time, strong coldness surges into Han Chen’s heart. He presses the gun against L; he has no intentions of answering him.

L knows that they have nothing to say to each other. He sees that Han Chen’s eyes are cold and scary, so he smiles and says unhurriedly, “Han Chen, I won’t guide you. It’s okay for me to die. I won’t let you find them.”

He says these words decisively and indifferently with a hint of retaliation. But Han Chen says, “I know.” L’s heart shakes. He then feels pain on his neck. Han Chen has..hit him hard.

“Too ruthless……” L curses. He faints immediately and falls to the ground.

Han Chen drags him to the side. He takes out a pair of handcuffs and locks it to a steel rod. He then starts to search his body.

He finds a cell phone and a flashlight.

Han Chen opens the phone and it has a signal. His, Su Mian’s and the others’ cell phones were all broken after the explosion. They all had trouble getting a signal.

He calls Qin Wen Long immediately, “Captain Qin, it’s Han Chen.”

Qin Wen Long almost cries after hearing his voice, “Han Chen! You fella is alive! What’s the situation?”

Han Chen doesn’t have too much time to talk, so he summarizes quickly, “Three levels below ground. From North to South, about 70 to 90 meters. From West to East, it’s about 200 to 250 meters. The ground has been shattered from the explosion. I’ve handcuffed L. After you guys take action and come down, arrest him immediately.”

Qin Wen Long seems to be even more anxious, “The search and rescue team is about to enter the underground, but you guys need to come up immediately! Ten minutes later, a subway train will crash into it. The building might collapse!” 𝑓𝐫𝑒e𝒘𝚎𝘣𝚗𝘰𝘷𝐞𝑙.co𝑚

Han Chen keeps silent for a moment and answers, “I got it. I’ll come after finding her.” He hangs up.

Although he didn’t explain much, his words: “I’ll come after finding her” causes Qin Wen Long’s heart to shiver.

Han Chen stuffs the phone into his pants’ pocket and takes off his police coat, only wearing a shirt. This enables him to move quieter. He holds up the flashlight and stares at the darkness ahead. There are still three people on their side. Is she alone helplessly and unable to escape? f𝙧ee𝘄𝐞𝚋𝐧૦ѵeƖ.c𝘰𝓶

He lowers his head and examines the marks on the ground quickly. He then gets up and rushes forward.

_____

The real underground, beneath all the construction, is dark and convoluted like a maze. There are no paths. There’s only the base, steel rods, and concrete, wooden frames and rocks.

Han Chen hops over a dirt wall. It’s like an endless dam-like mound ahead of him. The two sides have deep trenches; they’re dark and bottomless. A very faint sound of running water can also be heard.

Just when he is about to hop down, he hears light footsteps. If it was a normal person, they would not be able to hear them. It’s because the other person is walking very lightly.

He bends down.

Very quickly, he sees a shadow. It comes out of the dark concrete pillar. Wearing a black trench coat with a baseball cap worn very low, his face is hard to make out in the dark.

A.

He’s very careful as he looks around before stuffing both hands into his pockets. He walks along the dirt hill and hops down.

Han Chen waits until he’s at least 10 or so meters far before coming up to the dirt hill. The water covers up the sound of his footsteps. doesn’t notice him as he continues walking forward.

Everywhere is dark as if it’s the perfect place for ghosts to gather, and it’s very easy for them to fall into their world if they don’t pay attention to where they’re walking. Han Chen follows him from a far distance. They walk past the dirt hill and is about to come to a dead-end. There is a flat area in the front; maybe it’s close to their old hiding place.

At this time.

A person suddenly comes out from under the ground and is standing in front of A. Han Chen ducks down immediately and hides in a ditch. And from the dim lighting shining in the area, Han Chen can make out that person’s face.

Xu Si Bai.

A also stares at the person in front of him and is stunned.

But in the next second, Xu Si Bai has already pulled out his gun and is pointing it directly at A’s forehead.

“Where is Su Mian?” his face is cold as usual, as well as his voice.

Han Chen doesn’t move and remains quiet. His eyes are dark and solemn.

A keeps quiet for a moment. From Xu Si Bai’s point of view, he can see the disappointment flashing across his eyes. A smiles suddenly and answers lazily, “Forensic Investigator, how would I know? She probably ran off with S.”

Xu Si Bai presses his lips and says in a colder tone of voice, “Put both hands above your head and turn around.”

A puts both hands above his head slowly and lets out a long sigh before turning around. Xu Si Bai holds the gun against the back of A’s head with one hand while he searches his body with the other.

He finds a small remote device and a gun. A glances at him with calm dark eyes.

“What is this?” Xu Si Bai asks.

A answers nonchalantly, “Nothing. I made it for fun.” Before he finishes, he turns around and shoves his elbow against Xu SI Bai’s chest fiercely. He then attempts to grab the remote back.

Xu Si Bai twists his body to avoid him and holds the remote tightly in his hand. His chest takes a big hit. Just as A is trying to get the remote back, he feels something cool on the back on his head. It’s the mouth of a gun.

Han Chen.

“Let go!” Han Chen roars.

A feeling of worry flashes across A’s eyes. He doesn’t dare to move. He glances at Xu Si Bai. And Xu Si Bai is also looking at him with his hand on his chest while straightening up his back.

“What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?”

Han Chen and Xu Si Bai ask at the same time.

Xu Si Bai answers without changing his expression, “After I……killed the other three, I saw a man pass by carrying Su Mian. I chased him up to here and lost sight of him.”

Han Chen nods and looks toward A, “Lead the way. There are only a couple of minutes before the subway train crashes here. If you don’t guide us, we’ll all die. You’ll die too.”

Xu Si Bai keeps quiet.

A remains silent for a moment before laughing out loud suddenly, “Okay. I’ll lead the way. But do you guys think that you’ll be able to stay alive after getting out? My two big brothers, it’s still going to be a road to death. Follow me.”

Han Chen continues to hold the gun without moving. Xu Si Bai lowers his eyelids.

A is in the front while Han Chen and Xu Si Bai are behind him. Xu Si Bai is holding a flashlight as they walk along the dirt hill. Han Chen says suddenly, “Forensic Investigator, give me the remote.”

A continues walking as if he’s not listening. Xu Si Bai keeps quiet for a brief moment before answering, “No.”

Han Chen glances at him. Xu Si Bai’s eyes are calm like still water as they look to the front, “Han Chen, you take too many things into consideration. I only care about her safety. If necessary, I will trade them this remote for Su Mian. Therefore, I won’t give it to you.”

Coldness drowns Han Chen’s eyes, but he doesn’t say a word.