Suo ran simply stood there trembling in the middle of the empty street, tears mixed with rainwater across his face while his hands shook faintly at his sides. He lowered his head briefly before wiping his eyes roughly with the back of his sleeve like he was trying to force himself back together through sheer will alone.His clothes were completely soaked through. Wet hair clung messily against his forehead while rainwater dripped continuously from his jaw. His breathing remained ragged beneath panic and fear, but he kept going anyway. "Wei Wei!" His voice echoed hoarsely down another empty side street before disappearing beneath distant thunder. "Jun Wei!" He looked frantically toward every passing car.
Lian ziho watched him silently from several steps behind now, his own clothes drenched, He noticed suo ran is not State of think anything or do.He swallowed once before stepping forward. "Suo Ran." Suo ran either didn't hear him or pretended not to. He kept walking farther down the street while scanning desperately through the darkness again. "Wei wei!" His voice cracked badly this time.
Then he grabbed Suo ran's arm firmly before he could continue farther. "Stop." Suo ran tried pulling away. "Let go." "Listen to me." "I said let go." His voice rose sharply now beneath panic and frustration. Lian ziho tightened his grip slightly anyway. "We need to go back." Suo ran turned toward him so fast his expression almost startled him. "What?" Lian ziho forced himself to stay calm despite the fear twisting inside his own chest too. "It's getting too dark." he said quietly. "We're not thinking clearly anymore."
"He's kidnapped and you're telling me to go home?" His voice cracked loudly through the storm now. "Suo ran!" "How can I go back without him?!" "He's alone somewhere right now!" His eyes were red he continued more "He must be terrified." Lian ziho said nothing at first because he knows what Suo ran said was fact.Jun Wei hated dark places, hated being left alone even during thunderstorms. The thought mase him uneasy. Suo ran continued before "He's probably waiting for me." His voice sounded weaker now."I can't leave him alone." Tears slipped down despite how hard he tried stopping them. He looked genuinely helpless standing there beneath the storm now.He was terrified.
Lian ziho forced himself to stay steady anyway because somebody had to. He stepped closer and spoke quietly but firmly. "And what happens if you collapse before we find him?" Suo ran froze slightly. Lian ziho continued before he could argue again. "Jun wei needs you thinking clearly." Suo ran stared at him silently. "Not destroying yourself in the middle of the street." Suo ran lowered his gaze shakily afterward while trying unsuccessfully to steady his breathing again. His shoulders trembled faintly now from cold, exhaustion, and panic all crashing together.
Lian ziho exhaled slowly before speaking again, softer this time. "You know Jun wei." A faint painful smile appeared briefly across his tired face. "He's scared easily… but he's stubborn too." Suo ran's fingers tightened weakly at his sides. "He's probably trying harder not to cry because he thinks you'll worry." That completely broke something inside Suo Ran. He looked away afterward while pressing one trembling hand hard against his mouth briefly like he was trying to physically force the emotion back down. "I should've protected him better," he whispered shakily. Lian ziho answered instantly. "And we still can."
Suo ran shut his eyes for one second while rainwater and tears mixed together across his face. Lian ziho stepped closer afterward and lowered his voice again. "Listen to me carefully." Suo ran slowly looked back toward him. "We need to organize everything." Lian ziho spoke steadily despite exhaustion pulling heavily at him too now. "Review the footage again, contact people and we have to think logically." He shook his head slightly while looking around the empty storm-covered streets. "Wandering blindly through rain won't bring him back faster." Suo ran's breathing remained uneven but he stopped fighting now. Lian ziho continued quietly afterward. "If Jun wei sees you again…" He paused briefly before finishing, "He shouldn't see you already broken."
Suo ran stood completely still for several seconds before lowering his head slowly. His shoulders trembled faintly again then quietly he whispered, "Okay." Then they simply began walking slowly back through the rain together beneath the darkening sky. But even then, suo ran kept turning around every few seconds toward the empty streets behind them.
Elsewhere in cai lang's office remained completely dark except for the pale glow of multiple computer monitors reflecting across scattered papers and empty coffee cups.zheng rui eyes tired after hours spent forcing his way through damaged police archives and deleted surveillance fragments connected to suo ran's father's old case. He noticed most of the files had already been destroyed deliberately,entire folders erased, and audio records corrupted. He saw timestamps altered badly enough to make reconstruction nearly impossible which only made him more certain someone powerful had cleaned the investigation intentionally years ago.
He rubbed tiredly over his face before leaning closer toward the monitor again as another recovery program slowly finished processing damaged archive fragments, static filled the speakers briefly before another error warning appeared. "Come on…" Zheng rui muttered quietly while typing rapidly again. "There has to be something left." Another corrupted folder opened afterward beneath layers of damaged police records. His expression sharpened he saw hidden beneath meaningless file numbers sat one partially deleted audio file labeled only with an old evidence code connected to suo ran's father's investigation.
Zheng Rui froze slightly then clicked it open. Then loud static exploded through the speakers first but recording quality was terrible. Distorted voices cut in and out beneath heavy interference like the file had barely survived deletion at all.He quickly adjusted audio filters while staring intensely at the screen. At first only fragments could be heard clearly then he heard someone was breathing hard then suddenly a voice broke sharply through the static.It was suo ran's father's voice. "You promised this would stay buried."
Zheng rui straightened in his chair then another distorted voice answered through interference this time it was older male voice impossible to identify clearly. "Lower your voice." "You lied to me." Suo ran's father snapped back instantly. Then something slammed loudly in the background like a fist hitting a table."People are disappearing."
Then static crackled across the speakers again before several seconds vanished entirely beneath corruption. Zheng rui frowned deeply while replaying the damaged section repeatedly trying to recover missing audio. Then another fragment suddenly surfaced clearer this time. "You don't understand what they'll do." Suo ran's father said harshly now.
The unknown voice answered afterward. "No!" the man replied quietly through static. "You're the one who doesn't understand." Another long burst of corruption tore through the recording before the second voice suddenly became horrifyingly clear for one brief moment. "If they discover the child survived, everything collapses." Zheng rui froze completely he didn't move for several secondsfinal sentence echoed repeatedly inside his head now. If they discover the child survived… His fingers slowly tightened against the edge of the desk. "Child?" he whispered faintly he replayed the recording again then once more "If they discover the child survived, everything collapses."
Zheng rui leaned back slowly in his chair, his mind started connecting pieces automatically against his will.They were missing evidence,altered police records and suo ran's father secretly hiding information himself before death then another realization hit him. "Wait…" His eyes narrowed slowly toward the frozen audio waveform on screen. "What child survived?" "This isn't about murder anymore." He turned sharply back toward the computer while his breathing slowly became heavier now. "Somebody's been protecting this secret for years." Zheng rui lowered his gaze toward the paused audio waveform again before speaking more quietly this time. "Who survived?" "Suo ran… what exactly were your parents trying to protect you from?"
Elsewhere Cai lang stood near the kitchen counter with one hand pressed tiredly against the back of his neck while exhaustion dragged through his body now. His head still hurt badly after waking up earlier. He lowered his gaze toward the phone in his hand again before pressing call once more. The line rang quietly through the silent apartment. Once.... twice then three times but no answer from suo ran. Cai lang frowned deeper,"Pick up!" he muttered under his breath while staring at the screen. The call disconnected again his jaw tightened faintly afterward. "Why aren't you answering?" he murmured quietly.
He lowered the phone slowly before rubbing hard against his tired eyes."Because I didn't answer earlier?" he asked quietly to himself. "What are you trying to do now…" Cai lang grabbed the edge of the counter briefly while exhaling slowly through clenched teeth. "Damn it." His headache had been getting worse ever since waking up.He pushed himself upright again afterward before walking toward the bathroom cabinet searching for headache medicine his movements were slower now.
He reached absentmindedly for the medicine bottle before his eyes suddenly stopped on something dark near his shirt cuff then slowly lifted his sleeve higher beneath the bathroom light. He saw there was blood and it was dried already. He froze for one second. "What?" He stared at the dark stain silently before touching it carefully with his fingers.His expression slowly darkened. "Whose blood is this?" I had changed clothes only several hours ago there shouldn't have been blood there at all. (....)
Cai Lang's fingers tightened faintly around the fabric now. "Where did this come from?"
Then suddenly another sharp throb of pain struck through his head again. He shut his eyes briefly while gripping the sink harder now beneath growing dizziness. For seconds something blurred across his mind. He saw door opening and someone leaving a room quickly then gone again instantly. He opened his eyes sharply afterward while breathing unevenly now. "What the hell…"He turned away from the sink slowly afterward before his attention suddenly shifted toward the security monitor mounted near the living room wall.
He noticed screen was dark. He frowned "Why is that off?" He walked toward it slowly before touching the system controls. Then his expression changed instantly after seeing the status logs he saw manual disable it was from earlier that day.He froze completely because he didn't remember turning the system off at all.He opened detailed timestamps afterward his eyes moved across the screen. He noticed that security disabled was during the exact same hours Lu zhen died. During the exact same timeframe surveillance footage captured suo ran entering Lu zhen's room.
Cai kang stared motionlessly at the glowing monitorHis fingers tightened faintly against the edge of the desk. "Suo Ran…" he murmured quietly beneath his breath. His mind replayed the footage again without permission. Where suo ran standing outside lu zhen's room then looking around for minutes then entering in room then leaving minutes later with his head lowered. Cai lang shut his eyes briefly afterward like he was physically trying to force the image away. "I want to trust you." he whispered. "So why does everything keep leading back to you?"
He lowered his gaze toward the disabled system logs again. "Why was the security system turned off exactly when you were there?" His voice dropped softer afterward. "What were you doing that night, Suo ran?" He rubbed hard over his face then he leaned both hands heavily against the desk afterward while staring silently at the frozen timestamps glowing on screen. "Tell me I'm wrong." he murmured quietly into the empty apartment. "Please…"
Back to Lian ziho, He stood near the side of the building with one hand pressed against his phone while the other remained buried tightly inside his soaked jacket pocket.He lowered his gaze toward the folded paper in his hand again where he had written the plate number from the black car shown in the school CCTV footage earlier. The numbers were slightly smeared now from rainwater and repeated handling.
He inhaled slowly before speaking once the line connected. "Da ge! "( Big brother) A tired male voice answered from the other side. "Lian Ziho?" Brief surprise followed. "Why are you calling me this late?" "I need help checking something." His voice remained calm outwardly, but tension sat heavily beneath every word now. "It's urgent." Silence followed briefly before the man sighed quietly. "You left law enforcement years ago and somehow your calls still sound like trouble."
Lian ziho ignored that completely. "I need registration details for a vehicle." "Officially?" "Unofficially." Another pause then quieter he said "What kind of trouble are you involved in?" Lian ziho looked out toward the rain-covered street silently for one second before answering. "A child was taken." The atmosphere on the other side changed afterward. "What?" From other side man sounded genuinely confused. "Wait...whose child?" A brief pause followed before he added suspiciously, "Since when did you get married?"Lian ziho looked offended. "Are you insane?" That man sounded defensive afterward. "You called me near midnight asking for illegal database access. What conclusion was I supposed to reach?"
Lian ziho rubbed hard over his exhausted face while cold rainwater continued dripping from his hair. "It's not my child." "Then whose?"lian ziho replied " Someone important." That man went quiet briefly after hearing the tone in his voice now. When he spoke again, the teasing had disappeared completely. "Ziho." His voice lowered slightly. "How bad is this?" Lian ziho's jaw tightened faintly afterward while his grip shifted harder around the folded paper containing the black vehicle plate number. "Bad enough that I'm calling you." Silence followed for one second. Then he said "Give me the number."
Lian ziho read the number carefully while his fingers tightened faintly around the paper now. He remained completely still while waiting then suddenly the typing stopped. "Da ge?" No response came for another few seconds. Then man spoke again, slower this time."Where did you get this plate number?" Lian ziho's felt something Uneasy after hearing his voice he replied,"From CCTV footage near a school." Another silence followed "That's impossible!" the man muttered quietly.
Lian ziho frowned. "What do you mean impossible?" More typing echoed briefly through the speaker before the answer came. "This vehicle was reported destroyed three years ago." Lian ziho froze. "What?" "Major accident outside Hangzhou." The man's voice sounded increasingly tense now. "Vehicle burned completely and registration terminated afterward." Lian ziho's expression darkened instantly. "Then why is it appearing on active surveillance footage tonight?"He didn't answer for second then quietly the man spoke again. "Ziho…""Stop asking questions about this vehicle." Lian Ziho straightened slightly. "What?" "Listen carefully to me." The man lowered his voice further afterward. "If this plate number appeared again, then somebody intentionally wanted it used."
Lian ziho's jaw tightened faintly "Who?" "I don't know." But the hesitation before answering said otherwise and lian ziho noticed it." Ge! " His voice sharpened now. "What aren't you telling me?" The man exhaled through the speaker. "You need to stop looking into this." "A child was kidnapped." "I know." Lian ziho replied "Then help me." Then from other side voice came,"Official records are already changing." Lian ziho froze completely. "What?" The man spoke lower now. "Someone accessed archived traffic databases less than twenty minutes ago."
Lian ziho's expression changed instantly. "They're cleaning records already?" The man answered "Yes." Lian Ziho's skin now. "Ge..." he said quietly. "Who has authority to alter records that fast?" The man didn't answer first then he murmured something that made lian ziho's expression Changed. "People you don't want attention from." Before Lian ziho could respond again, the man suddenly spoke much sharper now. "Delete the plate number." "What?" "And stop investigating this case." Lian ziho frowned instantly. "I'm not walking away while hun wei is still missing." The man's voice lowered almost to a whisper afterward. "Then pray you find him before they realize how much you already know." The line disconnected immediately afterward he slowly lowered the phone afterward.
Elsewhere light hanging from the ceiling flickered softly above the dark room while rain continued tapping from somewhere outside the old building and outside of locked room, beyond the hallway and heavy rain, a melody echoed softly through the building speakers for several brief seconds before cutting off again beneath static.Jun wei slowly sat up straighter now despite fear still trembling through him. His eyes widened slightly. This sound?...Train station…? He shifted slightly against the cold floor after hearing footsteps approach outside the room again. Voices followed soon afterward. Jun wei's heartbeat quickened. He slowly lowered himself farther against the wall while keeping his breathing carefully even like he was asleep.
The metal door outside didn't open this time. Instead the voices stopped nearby in the hallway just beyond it. Two men. Arguing quietly. "I'm telling you this is getting dangerous now." one voice muttered sharply. Jun wei listened harder immediately while holding his breath. Another man answered lower afterward. "It was already dangerous from the beginning." "No." The first man sounded increasingly uneasy now. "This changed after Cai lang started moving." Jun wei's eyes opened slightly beneath lowered lashes instantly. Cai Lang? Are they talking about cai ge? The second man became silent briefly before replying quietly, "Then we don't have much time left."
He stayed completely still while trying carefully to understand the conversation outside. "You think he figured it out already?" the first man asked. "I don't know," the second answered flatly. "But if he remembers anything, we're finished." Jun wei frowned faintly beneath confusion now. Remembers? Silence followed briefly outside before the first man spoke again, quieter this time. "Maybe we should move the kid tonight."
Cai ge? Why were they talking about him? Gege trusted him more thananyone so why were kidnappers talking about him like this? One of the men outside cursed quietly afterward. "If Cai lang reaches the archives before us, everything gets worse." Archives? Jun wei's confusion deepened. The second man lowered his voice afterward until Jun wei could barely hear him anymore. "That's why the boy matters." Jun wei's fingers tightened harder around the old photograph resting against his chest now. Then voices disappeared gradually afterward beneath distant thunder and rain. Jun wei remained completely motionless long after they were gone.
Was he trying to help them…?
But he cared about Gege! (...)
Then maybe… maybe hewas trying to stop them instead but if that was true… why did the kidnappers sound afraid of him?
(...)
Jun wei slowly lowered his gaze toward the old photograph still clutched tightly in his trembling hands now.