The guard tightened his grip on the flashlight and slowly pushed the door open. The old hinges creaked. His flashlight beam swept across rows of filing cabinets, shelves stacked with forgotten records, and decades of accumulated dust. At first everything appeared normal then he noticed one cabinet standing partially open near the back wall. The lock had been broken. Carefully, he approached. The beam of his flashlight moved across hundreds of files. Most remained untouched only one space stood empty. Someone had removed a file.
The guard frowned then something else caught his eye. A photograph rested at the bottom of the drawer. He picked it up slowly. He saw image was old it showed a group of people standing outside what appeared to be a hospital. There were doctors ,nurses and several officials and two children. The photograph had been damaged badly over the years. One child's face had been scratched away deliberately. It was not torn but it was scratched as if someone had spent a long time making certain the face could never be identified. The second child remained untouched.
The guard studied the image for several moments before turning it over. A handwritten sentence covered the back.The ink had faded with age, but the words were still readable. Only one of them remembers. His eyes returned to the photograph. Two children where one face destroyed and one face preserved. Neither child identified.The message only made the image feel stranger. Then something slipped from behind the photograph. A folded sheet of paper. The guard froze. Carefully, he unfolded it. His flashlight illuminated an old hospital document. The paper had yellowed with age. Most of the text was illegible. Water damage had destroyed entire sections. Only a few lines remained readable. His eyes moved slowly across the page then stopped. Beneath a section labeled Patient Status, someone had stamped a single word in red ink.* DECEASED.*
The guard blinked then looked lower. A second stamp appeared directly beneath the first. A newer stamp that wascadded years later.The second stamp covered the first one completely.* RECORD CORRECTED — PATIENT TRANSFERRED.* For several seconds the guard simply stared at the paper. Two official conclusions two completely different outcomes. One child had died and one child had been transferred. Yet both stamps referred to the same patient number, same child and same record.
Slowly, the guard lowered the document. His heartbeat began to quicken.The guard's fingers tightened around the paper then his flashlight beam drifted to the bottom corner of the document. Something was written there. Hidden beneath years of stains and fading ink. It was note. In note there were just four words. He squinted and read it once then again. His blood ran cold. *Subject transferred under Project Nine. * The guard stared at the words as a terrible realization slowly settled over him. "Whoever had taken the missing file already knew the truth. And if Project Nine was still active after all these years, then the child who was supposed to be dead might still be alive."
The guard's hands trembled slightly as he stared at the document. He had worked in the archive for nearly fifteen years. In all that time, he had seen missing files, damaged records, and even the occasional forged signature. But he had never seen something like this." It shouldn't have been possible." Slowly, he lowered the paper and looked back toward the empty space in the drawer. Money was there safe. "Someone hadn't broken in for money. " He looked other drawers."They hadn't come looking for confidential government information. They had come for this specific file. "
His gaze shifted back to the hospital document.Most of the page had been ruined by age and water damage, but one section near the bottom remained intact.a transfer authorization. The guard frowned and moved the flashlight closer. The signature approving the transfer had been blacked out. So had the receiving institution. Even the destination address had been deliberately erased. "Someone had gone through extraordinary effort to remove every trace of where the child had been taken." The guard's eyes narrowed he noticed that transfer had occurred three days after the child was officially declared dead. "No..." The word slipped out unconsciously. "That made no sense. A dead child couldn't be transferred."
He continued," Unless the death record itself had been false or had been made false. "
The guard looked down again.There, near the bottom corner of the page, was a handwritten note so small he had nearly missed it. The ink had faded badly. He squinted, then slowly read the words. *SECOND TRANSFER APPROVED*. *ORIGINAL DESTINATION COMPROMISED. * His heartbeat skipped. " Second transfer? The child had been moved twice? Why? What kind of child required multiple secret transfers?" Silent in room then something else caught his attention. He noticed back of the document. Slowly, he turned it over. At first he thought it was blank then his flashlight revealed faint pencil marks pressed into the paper. It was not writing but child's drawing.The guard stared at it. It showed three stick figures holding hands. One taller figure in the middle and two smaller figures on either side. Above them, a child's handwriting had scrawled four uneven characters. Most of the words had faded away only one remained readable. *BROTHER.*
The guard froze for several seconds he simply stared at the drawing then his eyes slowly returned to the old photograph. "What if the missing file wasn't important because of one child? " he continued, " What if everyone had been focused on the wrong person all along? " The room fell silent then suddenly, a floorboard creaked somewhere behind him. The guard's entire body stiffened he wasn't alone. Slowly, very slowly, he turned around. The flashlight beam swept across the darkness. Rows of cabinets and shelves. There was nothing it was empty. The guard tightened his grip on the flashlight and took a cautious step backward.The beam moved across the room once more still nothing then his light briefly landed on the far end of the archive near the emergency exit. His breath caught he noticed one of the doors was slightly open.He was certain it had been closed earlier. "Someone had been standing in this room only moments ago. "
Suo Ran left the cemetery as the first light of dawn began to spread across the sky. He got into the taxi without saying much, his body exhausted but his mind refusing to settle, and even as he leaned back into the seat he couldn't stop thinking about jun wei. where he was now, whether he had slept at all last night, whether he was scared, hungry, or alone. Suo ran turned his head slightly to look out the window, watching the wet city slowly pass by, while Jun Wei's face kept appearing in his thoughts, his small voice calling him "Gege!" his smile, his trust, all of it tightening a quiet ache in suo ran's chest.
"I'm sorry…" he murmured under his breath so softly even he could barely hear it, his fingers curling slightly in his lap as he added, "I still haven't found you." while the taxi continued moving forward through the empty morning streets. Behind the wheel, the driver sat calmly, neatly dressed, black-framed glasses reflecting faint light from the road, saying nothing, but through the rearview mirror his eyes kept drifting back toward the passenger again and again, watching, while Suo ran remained unaware of the attention fixed on him.
Meanwhile Lian ziho pushed open suo ran's house door using the spare key, the metal turning slowly in the lock as a dull ache pulsed through his ribs. The injury from the alley fight hadn't settled yet, and a bruise along his jaw made his expression stiff and strained. Still, he stepped inside without hesitation."Suo Ran?" he called out.But no answer came from inside. He entered in home. His eyes moved quickly across the room living room first it was empty, couch untouched and cup left on the table. Nothing recent, nothing moving.His brows slowly tightened."Suo Ran…?" he tried again, louder this time.No response.Lian Ziho exhaled slowly and moved forward, checking the kitchen next then bathroom and other room but suo ran was not there.
By the time he reached the hallway again, Lian ziho's expression had changed completely. For a brief second, he just stood there, unmoving then his mind did something he hated it imagined the worst without permission. Suo ran is gone. (...)
He is taken. He disappearing just like Jun Wei. (...)
His hand slowly lowered from the wall as the thought tightened around his chest. " No way…" he muttered, almost like he was trying to convince himself more than deny it.He pulled out his phone and dialed suo ran, his thumb moving faster than his thoughts. It rang once, twice, three times, each tone making his heartbeat grow sharper, until a cold automated voice answered, "Power off."
Jun Wei was already missing and now your phone is off. (...)
Where are you suo ran?we have to find Jun wei together! where are you?!
(...)
Lian Ziho exhaled slowly, trying to steady himself, but it didn't work, his thoughts breaking apart into faster, sharper pieces. He was just here last night… he wouldn't leave without saying anything… unless something happened… His jaw clenched tightly. "No…" he said again, firmer this time, as if refusing reality itself could change it. He turned sharply toward the door, urgency replacing hesitation. "This isn't happening." He walked out quickly, pain flashing through his ribs with every step, but he ignored it completely as the apartment door shut behind him with a quiet click that somehow felt louder than it should have. His grip tightened around the phone in his hand as he muttered under his breath, "Don't do this…" Lian Ziho stopped only for a second outside, scanning the empty street, his phone was already open in his hand, contacts scrolling, tracing, searching anything. But even as he started walking faster down the road, one thought kept pressing harder in his mind, heavier with every step: if Suo Ran is gone too… he didn't finish the thought. He couldn't.
Cai Lang arrived at the office earlier than usual,He looked exhausted and sleepy. He tried to distract himself to suo ran case. He ignored everything but his mind keep thinking about alley incident, poison case, chasing and now suo ran not answering calls. Without greeting anyone, he went straight to his desk and opened his laptop, fingers moving faster than his thoughts.The case file appeared on the screen again the black car that had nearly caused the accident, the fake registration, the partially destroyed chassis, all the fragments of something that should not have existed in the first place.
Cai Lang leaned back slightly, exhaling under his breath. "There's no way this is random." he murmured,rubbing his temple as he replayed the report details.His eyes narrowed as he reopened the repair logs tied to the vehicle. At first, everything looked normal routine maintenance entries, scattered timestamps, different service visits but then something caught his attention. His expression slowly changed. "Wait…" he said quietly, leaning forward.
The same service center appeared again and again.Each record pointing back to a single place. His fingers tightened slightly on the mouse as he scrolled further down. "Why would the same car keep going there?" he muttered, voice lowering. Then another detail surfaced there was name written and it was repeated across multiple entries. Cai Lang froze his breathing slowed as he focused on it. "That mechanic…" he whispered.The name belonged to someone who had died years ago. A fatal accident recorded in the same year as the so-called dead police officer from the corruption case. Cai Lang's eyes darkened slightly as he leaned closer to the screen. "Impossible!" he said under his breath,The records were real and timestamps were real. And the dead man's name was right there in front of him, still linked to repairs that should not have been possible.
Slowly, Cai Lang straightened in his chair, the sleepiness in his expression replaced by something sharper, colder.He exhaled slowly, eyes fixed on the screen. "So even the dead are still working on this case…" he murmured. His gaze dropped to the final line of the report, where a final service entry stood out recent. And under it, a handwritten note from the system he hadn't noticed before: *Service request submitted anonymously same identifier as prior incidents.* Cai Lang's fingers stopped moving.
Slowly, he leaned closer again, scanning the anonymous service request line one more time. "Same identifier!" His jaw tightened slightly as his fingers moved back through the records, opening older entries, cross-checking timestamps, searching for anything that could make sense of it. But instead of clarity, the pattern only became worse. Every connection led back to the same invisible thread repairs, transfers, deleted logs, and names that should not exist anymore. Cai Lang exhaled slowly, rubbing the side of his neck. "This isn't just a vehicle case…" he murmured. His voice was quieter now, heavier. "It's connected to everything."
His expression hardened. "Someone is still maintaining this system…" he said softly, more to himself than anyone else. "Even after all these years." Cai Lang closed the laptop slightly, then opened it again then reached for his phone, hesitating for a second before scrolling to suo ran's contact. The phone remained unreachable. Cai Lang frowned deeper. "Where are you…" he muttered. His fingers tapped the desk once, slowly, thinking. Then his eyes returned to the screen again. The final entry still sat there, unchanged and beneath it, a new line had appeared while he wasn't looking something that hadn't been there before.* Next service scheduled: ACTIVE. * Cai Lang's hand froze mid-air. "No…" he whispered, staring at the screen because according to the timestamp that service wasn't in the past it was happening now.
Elsewhere Jun Wei lay perfectly still on the cold floor, keeping his breathing slow and even as if he had already fallen asleep long ago, but inside his mind he was fully awake, sharp, listening to every shift of sound beyond the locked door.At first, he thought it was just another routine argument between guards, but the tone was different now no anger, no shouting, only something restrained and uneasy, like fear being carefully controlled. "Archive file is gone." one voice said suddenly, low and clipped.There was pause before another man reacted, confusion sharp in his tone,"What do you mean gone?" The first man exhaled sharply, frustration building under his voice, "The entire file, case storage blank and no trace, no retrieval log, nothing."
Jun Wei's fingers tightened slightly against the floor but he didn't move, forcing himself to remain still. The second man sounded stunned now, "That's impossible… those records are sealed under dual verification, no one can even touch them without authorization." The first man snapped back quietly, "And yet it's gone. It vanished last night." Silence followed then the second man lowered his voice, "If they found that file… we're finished."
Jun Wei's chest tightened slightly, though he didn't yet understand what are they talking. The first man hesitated before answering, his tone changing, becoming colder, more controlled, "No. They didn't find it." Another pause followed, longer this time, until he added in a quieter voice, "They found the wrong thing." Jun Wei's brows furrowed faintly even with his eyes still closed, confusion slipping through his careful act. Wrong thing? What did that even mean? Outside, the second man spoke again, urgency returning, "Then where is the real file?" The first man didn't answer first and when he did, his voice was almost reluctant, "If it's not in the archive anymore… then someone moved it before the system collapse."
Jun Wei's breath caught faintly before he could stop it, but he forced himself not to react. The second man's voice sharpened, "Who would even know about that level of access?" A longer silence followed,until the first man said "Only someone who understands what was inside it… and what it connects to." Jun Wei's heartbeat quickened now despite his effort to stay still, because he didn't understand the system, or the file, or the names but he understood one thing clearly: they were not talking about ordinary documents anymore.
The second man suddenly lowered his voice even further, almost a whisper, "Then this means the truth is already out there…" The first man paused, and when he spoke again, his tone carried something even more unsettling than fear, "No… it means someone already opened the wrong layer." Jun Wei slowly opened his eyes a fraction, his mind racing now as confusion deepened into unease, because the way they spoke made it sound like there were layers to the truth things hidden under other things and something had already been triggered without them realizing it.
Back to suo ran he was still in taxi. Exhaustion still on his body after everything he had been through since last night, but his mind refused to settle even for a second.The silence inside the car felt strangely heavy, broken only by the soft sound of tires rolling over wet morning roads. At first, he tried to ignore it, focusing instead on the passing scenery and the lingering thoughts of Jun Wei and the unanswered questions about his father. But something kept pulling his attention back the driver. Through the rearview mirror, suo ran noticed the man looking at him again and again.
Suo Ran's brow slowly tightened. After the third time, he finally spoke, his voice tired but firm, "Why do you keep looking at me? Focus on the road." For a brief moment, the driver didn't respond then, in the mirror, a faint smile formed on his face that made Suo ran uneasy. Suo ran gaze forward again, telling himself it was nothing, just exhaustion playing tricks on him, but the feeling didn't leave. The silence continued for a few seconds longer before the car suddenly turned sharply without warning, the force of the movement making suo ran's shoulder hit the door as he steadied himself. His eyes snapped up immediately. "What are you doing?!" he demanded sharply, now fully alert.There was no response and driver didn't even flinch.
Suo ran leaned forward slightly, his gaze moving past the windshield and that was when his expression changed. He noticed road ahead didn't look familiar at all.The direction was wrong.His house was in the west side of the city, but the car was clearly heading east, away from everything he knew. "Stop the car!" he said quickly, voice tightening but there was no reaction.The driver kept driving as if he hadn't heard him at all. Suo ran's breathing started to change slightly now, frustration mixing with rising unease. "I said stop the car!" he raised his voice, sharper this time. Still nothing. The car continued forward without slowing down, passing unfamiliar streets, empty intersections, and buildings Suo ran had never seen before. Panic began to surface now, not sudden, but creeping, like realization settling in too late. "This isn't the way to my house." Suo ran said again, more urgently now, his hand gripping the seat in front of him.Only then did the driver speak. The voice was calm,"I know."
The car continued forward in silence after the driver's calm reply, and suo ran already felt this was not coincident anymore.The road ahead grew narrower, emptier, until even the city noise disappeared completely, replaced by only the sound of tires against wet asphalt. Suo ran kept his eyes forward, trying to steady his breathing, but his fingers were already tense against his lap. "You're not lost right?! " he said quietly.
The driver didn't respond only glanced at him through the mirror again, that same unreadable calm still in his expression. After a moment, he spoke softly, "No." Suo ran's jaw tightened. "Then where are we going?" The driver's lips curved slightly, not quite a smile, but something close to it. "Somewhere you should have gone a long time ago." That answer made Suo ran sit up straighter, his heartbeat quickening. "I don't understand you." he said firmly. "Stop the car right now." The driver exhaled lightly, almost like he was amused by the demand "You say that a lot." he replied. Suo ran leaned forward slightly, frustration rising."Because you're not listening." For a brief second, something shifted in the driver's expression not aggression, not anger, but something quieter, like he was observing him too closely now. "I am listening." he said. "That's the problem."
Before Suo ran could respond, the car slowed, then stopped.Suo ran reached for the door. "Good!" he muttered, trying to steady himself. "This is where you.." The moment he opened the door, cold air rushed inside, and before he could even step out fully, a hand caught his wrist. Suo ran froze for half a second before instinct kicked in and he tried to pull away. "Let go!" he snapped, twisting his arm. The grip didn't loosen. Instead, the driver stepped out as well, moving closer with unexpected ease, still calm, still composed. "You're making this difficult!" the driver said quietly, Suo ran glared up at him. "Who are you?" The distance between them disappeared in a few steps, until Suo ran found himself backed slightly against the edge of the open car door.
The driver was now close enough that Suo ran could see his reflection clearly in the lenses of his glasses. The driver came little closer to suo ran's ear and said quietly, "Relax." That single word made suo ran's anger flare. "Don't tell me to relax!" he pushed again, trying to break free. "Let go of me right now!" The driver tightened his grip slightly, not hurting him, but firm enough to stop him completely. "I can't!" he said simply. Suo ran's eyes narrowed. "Can't or won't?" A faint pause followed, and driver's expression softened slightly, "Both." he answered. Suo ran struggled again, but the grip held easily. "You're insane!" Suo ran muttered, breath uneven. The driver didn't deny it instead, he reached into his pocket.Suo ran got tensed he thought he was going to shoot him. He closed his eyes and said,"Don't..." but it was too late. A black ribbon-like cloth appeared in the driver's hand.
Suo Ran's eyes widened instantly. "No..wait!" he tried to pull back harder, panic breaking through his control now. "What are you doing?!" The driver didn't answer he simply stepped closer again, slow, like he wasn't rushing at all. "You're safe!" he said quietly, almost gently, and that contradiction made Suo ran freeze for a split second. "Safe?!" Suo ran laughed in disbelief. "You're kidnapping me and you're saying I'm safe?!" But the driver didn't respond to the words. Instead, he gently raised the cloth and before Suo ran could fully react, it was wrapped around his eyes.
Suo ran struggled harder, twisting his head as he tried to pull away. "No...take it off!" he snapped, his voice sharper now, more panicked. "What are you doing to me?!" He felt the driver's hand on his wrist again, firm but controlled, stopping his movement without hurting him. "Stay still." the driver said softly. "It'll be easier if you stop fighting." "Easier for who?!" Suo ran demanded, trying to yank his hands back. "Let me go!" Instead of responding, the driver moved closer behind him.