“What the hell happened? How did I end up there?”
Under the dim streetlights, I walked down the tree-lined path bursting with green life, rubbing my chin in thought.
How had that silver-haired girl carried me here?
Given her petite frame, it seemed impossible for her to move an adult male nearly six feet tall.
So how had I ended up on that chair?
And what happened to the thug who attacked me after I lost consciousness?
Countless questions swirled in my head with no answers. Frustrated, I ruffled my hair.
“What’s wrong, Chief? Still thinking about what happened earlier?”
Lin Huiyan, walking beside me, tilted her head curiously when she saw me frowning.
She seemed just as troubled by my story.
It *was* unbelievable—a silver-haired little girl kicking a vicious thug flying. Anyone witnessing that would’ve been left slack-jawed.
Was she born with superhuman strength?
And did silver hair even exist in real life?
I strained to recall every detail of meeting that silver-haired loli, but my memories felt encrypted.
Her face was blurred like a pixelated image. Everything before and after remained hazy—as if someone had deliberately erased that memory.
“Lin Huiyan, did you see a silver-haired girl when you arrived?”
Clueless, I shook my head and turned to her.
“Nope. Hallucination, Chief? Or maybe a cosplayer?”
Silver hair—neither Lin Huiyan nor I believed such a color existed outside anime. The only explanation in reality was cosplay.
But where did that girl’s monstrous strength come from? And how had I blacked out?
I wracked my brain, but that memory stayed stubbornly blank.
Lin Huiyan scratched her chin, watching me slump.
“Cosplay? Possible. But what happened after?”
Her theory eased the hair-color mystery, yet the gap in my memory remained.
Where had those crucial moments gone?
“Eh, don’t overthink it. Maybe you fainted from sheer joy at seeing a loli?”
Seeing my tortured expression, Lin Huiyan joked to lighten the mood.
“Do I look like a lolicon to you?”
“Yes!”
“...Lin Huiyan, your bonus this month—”
“NO! Absolutely not! Just kidding, Chief!”
At the threat to her bonus, she frantically waved her hands.
Money truly makes ghosts push mills—even imaginary ones smelled tempting.
“Whatever. Not worth stressing over.”
Chasing the memory yielded nothing but emptiness. I gave up.
Time was precious now.
The missing persons case had entered day fourteen. Without progress, more would vanish.
“Oh right—I came to find Yang Hailiu!”
Suddenly, I remembered my purpose.
Hadn’t I tracked him down? And then...
“What’s wrong, Chief?”
Lin Huiyan’s voice cut through my panic as my face flushed.
“After meeting Yang Hailiu...”
I froze.
My memory jumped straight from finding him to the thug’s attack.
What happened in between?
A deep sense of wrongness gripped me.
“Stop torturing yourself. Just visit him tomorrow at Guanghai Normal University of Technology. We’ll get answers face-to-face.”
Lin Huiyan read my thoughts and offered a solution.
“Right. Even if I can’t recall what happened with Yang Hailiu now, tomorrow will clear everything up.”
Her words lifted the fog. Dawn broke through the storm clouds in my mind.
After a late-night snack with Lin Huiyan, I returned to my apartment.
I lived alone near the precinct—not with Mom.
My unit was modest but functional: one bedroom, a kitchen, a combined bathroom-shower. Nothing fancy, but livable.
Mom preferred her suburban villa, surrounded by mahjong buddies who kept her up all night. I visited often, urging her to move downtown. She refused, claiming only “backwater villages” suited her “eco-warrior soul.”
*How eco-friendly she really is? Only she knows.*
I suspected her reluctance stemmed from my deadbeat dad—the one who shattered her heart and vanished years ago. She’d rather be a mountain hermit than a city dweller.
As for my brother, his place was too far from the station. I couldn’t face daily bus-crush hell. I sent him living expenses and visited when I could. That big house must feel lonely with just him.
*After this case wraps up, I’ll visit him. Then we’ll both see Mom. Time for a proper family reunion.*
The thought quickened my steps toward apartment 403.
I flicked on the light. The dark room flooded with brightness.
Tossing my jacket toward the coatrack, I grinned when it landed perfectly.
Then I headed to the bathroom.
The calm before the storm passed quietly...
...
Before 5 a.m., I was awake.
Determined to solve the mystery, I dressed, grabbed my badge, and left.
First stop: the office. Firing a gun required paperwork—every bullet was logged. I needed to file a report before restocking.
Ten minutes later, the report was done. I headed to the armory.
Someone always manned it.
“Morning, Xia Yu!”
A soft voice called out as I approached.
“Morning, Fork. Your shift again?”
I looked up to see a familiar face waving. I waved back.
“Yep, stuck on duty. What brings you here so early?”
Spotting the report in my hand, he guessed my purpose.
“Missing persons case. Here’s my bullet usage report.”
I handed it over without hesitation.
“That case? You’re handling it?”
“Yeah.”
“Chilling. Twenty people gone in two weeks... gives me the creeps.”
He knew the basics—leaked from me—but had no real leads.
“Hence the gear request. Used a few rounds on that thug yesterday.”
Better prepared than sorry.
“Got it.” Fork took the report and slid a full magazine across the counter. “Take care of it.”
“Thanks.” I pocketed it.
“Hope you crack the case soon.”
“Appreciate it.”
After exchanging goodbyes, I left the station and headed for the bus stop.
