The moon was dark, the wind high.
Wen Shilin paced anxiously inside a remote warehouse.
The empty warehouse held only him, with no residents nearby and only a few scattered lights in the distance. Everything was quiet... except for Wen Shilin's restless heart.
"Lin Yan still isn't back... Did something go wrong while kidnapping them?"
"Did he strike too lightly and get caught?"
"Or was he spotted dragging three people and reported to the enforcers?"
"Lin Yan must be doing this for the first time—no experience means a high chance of mistakes... Ah, it's my fault for asking him to kidnap them. I'm making him break the law!"
"No, this is on me. I have to get him out."
After wrestling with his thoughts, a resolute glint flashed in Wen Shilin's eyes. He strode toward the warehouse entrance—just as a figure dragging three sacks approached leisurely from the distance.
Seeing him return unharmed, Wen Shilin froze.
"I was worried something might have gone wrong during the kidnapping, so I wanted to check..."
His gaze fell on the three sacks. "You succeeded?!"
"Kidnapping someone isn't that hard."
Chen Ling waved a hand dismissively and opened the sacks, revealing three figures inside—Xin Youquan, Qiu Dong, and Wang Yuning—gagged, bound hand and foot, and unconscious.
Wen Shilin's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected Chen Ling to actually pull off capturing all three and transporting them here undetected...
"How did you do it?" Wen Shilin couldn't help but ask.
Chen Ling replied casually, "I just hid along their way home, knocked them out one by one when no one was around, then borrowed a cart to bring them here... Don't worry, no one noticed."
For Chen Ling, kidnapping three ordinary people was hardly a challenge. He could've done it even more straightforwardly, but to avoid raising Wen Shilin's suspicions, he'd kept it low-key.
Wen Shilin nodded. "You've worked hard."
As they carried the three into the warehouse, Wen Shilin studied the unconscious figures lined up on the floor. Even after all this, they showed no signs of waking. He turned to Chen Ling, "Did you hit them too hard? Why aren't they waking up?"
"...I wouldn't know. It's my first time hitting someone—hard to gauge the right force." Chen Ling shook his head blankly.
"Ah... alright."
"Should we splash them with water to wake them up?"
"Better not. We're not kidnappers. We took them to ensure their safety." Wen Shilin glanced at the sleeping figures. "We have time—let them wake up naturally."
Chen Ling narrowed his eyes but said nothing more.
Just then, Wen Shilin seemed to remember something and hurried toward the warehouse exit.
"What's wrong?"
"I need to go home—the camera's still there. Without it, we can't photograph them as evidence for the interview."
Chen Ling glanced at the dark sky outside and frowned. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke, "Give me the keys. I'll fetch it."
As Wen Shilin opened his mouth to protest, Chen Ling cut in, "They should wake up soon. If I stay, I might not resist hitting them."
"Why?"
"Last night, they hollowed out a child... just like they did to my brother."
Wen Shilin froze. Silence filled the warehouse.
Chen Ling took the keys from him and walked out alone, his figure gradually vanishing into the night.
Watching him leave, Wen Shilin's expression turned complicated. He looked back at the three unconscious figures on the floor, lost in thought.
A few minutes later.
Splash!
A bucket of icy water drenched the three, nearly freezing them in the cold night.
They jolted awake, their eyes wide with shock and confusion as they took in the warehouse and Wen Shilin standing silently before them with an empty bucket.
"You?!"
"You kidnapped us?! What do you want?!"
"Damn it! This is illegal!!"
Amid their panicked shouts, Wen Shilin tossed the bucket aside with a dull thud. He yanked his tie loose, his cold gaze sweeping over them.
"Next, I'll be conducting an in-depth interview with each of you..."
"The content of this interview will determine your fate. If you cooperate, your judgment will come from the public and the law. If you don't..."
"I will deliver judgment on behalf of that child. Understood?"
---
Under the moonlight, Chen Ling, clad in his brown overcoat, entered a low-rise apartment building.
He was no stranger to Wen Shilin's home—he'd even delivered a corpse here this morning. Compared to the housing in District Three, this place was far better, but by Aurora City standards, it was cramped and shabby like a slum.
The reason Chen Ling hadn't wanted Wen Shilin to return alone was his fear that the forces behind the hospital, upon learning they were digging into forbidden truths, would send people to intercept them. Chen Ling himself had no fear—these people would only be walking into their doom—but if Wen Shilin got injured, the investigation would slow down.
Fortunately, the area around the apartment showed no signs of disturbance.
Most residents were likely asleep by now, the hallway utterly silent. Chen Ling climbed to the fourth floor, noticing few occupants—most units were either unfinished or showed long-term neglect.
He headed straight for the innermost door and slipped inside unnoticed.
"Messier than I expected..."
Chen Ling's gaze swept over the cluttered room. News clippings, unpublished article drafts, and covertly taken photos plastered the walls, resembling the hideout of a spy from his past-life movies.
Still, it fit the image of Wen Shilin—a single man in his thirties whose life seemed to revolve solely around journalism.
Chen Ling quickly located the camera and turned to leave. As he reached the stairwell landing, faint footsteps echoed from the floor below.
Tap—tap—tap...
[Audience Expectation +5]
The footsteps were steady and light, ascending from the third floor. Hearing them, Chen Ling paused, thoughts flashing through his mind like lightning.
He swiftly raised a hand to his chin...
By the time he rounded the corner into the stairwell, he had transformed into a middle-aged man in his thirties, briefcase in hand, descending the steps.
Under the moonlight filtering through the hallway, Chen Ling finally saw the figure climbing the stairs—a pale, hunchbacked man with his head bowed, moving sluggishly as if drained of energy.
And on his back, a grotesque paper figure with crimson-painted eyes lay motionless, silently watching.