Lian Ziho still stood in the middle of the rain-damp street, the phone pressed tightly against his ear as the message echoed again and again in his mind. "You are listening to the wrong murder." His grip tightened until his knuckles turned pale. For a moment, all he could think about was the recording the weak, broken voice of Suo Ran's father, and that second voice that didn't belong there. Alive… or dying… or something in between. His thoughts darkened. If that was his last moments… then who recorded it? And why send it to me?
He didn't waste another second. Lian Ziho called Zheng Rui, pacing slightly as the phone rang. On the other end, Zheng Rui picked up almost instantly, his voice already tense, as if he had been expecting bad news. "You better tell me this is not another emergency!" Zheng Rui said sharply. Lian Ziho didn't respond to the tone. His voice was low, controlled, but heavy with urgency. "I need everything you have on Suo ran's father's death. Now!" Zheng Rui spoke again, slower this time. "Why? What did you find?" Lian Ziho's jaw tightened. "It's not a normal death report. It's a confession recording."
Zheng rui went silent.Even through the phone, Lian Ziho could feel the shift in Zheng Rui's breathing.When Zheng rui spoke again, "Recording?" he repeated, like he needed to confirm he heard it correctly. Lian Ziho nodded even though he knew Zheng rui couldn't see him. "Yes. Audio not archived playback." Another pause followed then Zheng Rui exhaled slowly, almost shakily. "That file… shouldn't exist." Lian Ziho's eyes narrowed instantly. "What do you mean shouldn't exist?" Zheng rui hesitated, and for the first time his voice lost its professional control. "I sealed it myself!" he admitted.
Lian Ziho stopped walking completely. "You did what?" Zheng Rui continued quickly, urgency rising now. "It was permanently deleted. From every accessible system. Not just hidden erased only someone inside the archive core could have recovered it." Lian Ziho's grip tightened around the phone. "So someone hacked police archive systems?" Zheng Rui's answer came slower, heavier. "…Or someone never actually lost access."
Zheng Rui said,"Lian Ziho… that file was not supposed to come back." Lian Ziho's expression darkened. "Then why is it in my hands?" Zheng Rui didn't answer first. When he did, his words were quieter than before. "Because someone wants you to see it." Lian Ziho's eyes sharpened. "Who?"Zheng rui didn't answer.His grip tightened around the phone.His eyes narrowed slightly as the pieces clicked together one by one. Jun wei missing first then Cai Lang getting attacked while digging into the same network of fake records then the archive file being accessed after decades of silence and now a confession recording sent directly to him, as if someone had chosen him specifically to carry it. His breath slowed. "No…" he muttered under his breath.
Zheng Rui heard it and responded, "What? What is it?" Lian Ziho's expression darkened as his thoughts sharpened. "This isn't random," he said slowly. "It's structured." Zheng Rui paused. "Structured how?" Lian Ziho looked up toward the dark road ahead, rain reflecting in fractured lines on the pavement. "Like someone is walking us through it." he said quietly. "Step by step."
On the other end, Zheng Rui fell silent again."There's something else," Zheng Rui said. Lian Ziho's eyes narrowed instantly. "What else?" Zheng Rui exhaled slowly before answering. "There's another copy of that recording." Lian Ziho froze mid-step. "What do you mean another copy?" he asked sharply. Zheng Rui hesitated again, then continued, his voice almost reluctant. "One that was never in our system." That sentence landed heavily. Lian Ziho's expression tightened as he processed it. "That's impossible!" he said. Zheng Rui replied quietly, "It shouldn't exist. But it does."
Without wasting another second, Lian Ziho ended the call abruptly and moved toward his car. His steps were faster now, urgency replacing hesitation. The earlier pain in his ribs flared slightly as he opened the door, but he ignored it completely and got inside. The engine started with a low hum, blending with the sound of rain that had begun to fall again, softer this time but steady. As he drove, his mind kept circling the same fragment of audio the weak, broken voice repeating itself inside his head. "You should have left the children alone." His grip tightened on the steering wheel.
What children?Suo Ran? Jun Wei? Or someone else entirely he hadn't even connected yet? His jaw clenched as the road ahead blurred slightly under the rain.He reached for his phone again, instinctively, but stopped mid-motion. Instead, his eyes narrowed as another thought struck him. If there were two copies of the recording, that meant the original hadn't been erased it had been duplicated before deletion which meant someone had preserved it on purpose. His expression darkened. "So someone wanted it to survive…" he whispered. "But why now?"
He slowed the car slightly, replaying the audio in his mind again and again, isolating the voice beneath the distortion. At first, he had assumed it belonged to Suo Ran's father. The identity had felt natural, expected. But now, with Zheng Rui's words and the system anomalies circling together, something else surfaced instead. His eyes narrowed sharply. "No…" he murmured, shaking his head once as if trying to dismiss the thought.His breath slowed. "That's impossible!" he whispered. His grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles turned pale. "It can't be…" he said again.
"The voice in the recording wasn't a dead man's confession. It was imitation." he continued,"Someone had been pretending to be Suo Ran's father or worse, using his identity as a cover for something already happening in the present." "So it wasn't the past," he muttered. "It's ongoing." Before he could process that further, his phone suddenly vibrated again on the passenger seat. Once then again. It was from unknown sender.
A new message appeared without warning. Only one line. *You're going to the wrong place.* Lian Ziho's eyes snapped down instantly.His breath caught slightly as his foot eased off the accelerator without conscious thought. Slowly, almost unwillingly, he lifted his gaze from the screen to the road ahead. And that was when he saw black vehicle. It was already behind him. No headlights flashing,no attempt to hide anymore just following.Lian Ziho's voice dropped into a low, controlled whisper as he tightened his grip on the wheel again. "So that's it…" he said slowly, eyes locked on the road ahead while the black car remained in his rearview mirror ."I'm not investigating this case…" His jaw clenched as the truth settled fully. "…I'm being moved through it."
Elsewhere Suo Ran and the driver were walking deeper into the valley together. The road beneath them was uneven and broken, dry grass and scattered stones.The taxi was now far behind, its headlights barely visible through the fog, just a fading glow that felt distant and unreachable.Suo Ran walked slightly ahead this time, his shoulders tense, eyes scanning the unfamiliar terrain. "This place… it doesn't even look like it's used anymore." he said under his breath.
The driver walked beside him at an easy pace, hands in his pockets, completely unbothered by the silence around them. "It isn't." he replied simply. Suo Ran glanced at him sharply. "Then why bring me here?" The driver didn't look at him instead, his gaze stayed forward,"Because you wanted answers!" he said calmly. Suo ran let out a short breath."I wanted answers, not a graveyard."
The driver gave a faint hum, almost like a quiet laugh."You assume everything abandoned is dead!" he said.Suo ran frowned. "And you assume everything confusing is normal?" The driver looked at him then, a slight curve forming at the corner of his mouth. "No!" he said. "I assume you notice things too late." That made Suo Ran's expression tighten. "You really enjoy talking in circles, don't you?" The driver shrugged lightly. "Only when the truth is straight ahead."
As they continued walking, the fog thickened in front of them, swallowing the path. Shapes of old, rusted structures began to emerge slowly abandoned industrial frames, broken fencing, and collapsed signage half-buried in dirt. Suo Ran slowed slightly, his instincts sharpening. "There are people here!" he said suddenly. The driver didn't deny it. "Yes!" he replied. That single word made Suo Ran stop for half a second. "You knew?" he asked. The driver kept walking. "I wouldn't have brought you if I didn't."
They walked further.Several men stood ahead near the entrance of an old structure, watching them approach without moving. Waiting.One of them spoke first, his voice carrying through the still air. "He actually came." Another replied after a pause, "No hesitation… that's rare." A third let out a slow breath. "He looks exactly like the file description."Suo Ran's entire body stiffened. "File?" His hand curled slightly at his side, tension rising in his shoulders. "What file?" he asked again.
The driver stopped walking beside him now. "He's asking the same questions his father did." one of the men said from the fog. That made Suo Ran freeze completely.
His breath caught. "My… father?" he repeated, barely audible. The driver spoke, his voice quieter now, almost controlled. "I told you!" he said. "You're not new here." Suo Ran turned sharply toward him. "Stop saying that!" he said, voice rising slightly. "What does that even mean?" The driver didn't answer instead, he looked at the men ahead, then back at Suo ran, as if weighing something unspoken.
As they walked deeper into the abandoned facility, the structures around them grew larger. Rusted metal beams disappeared into darkness high above, while broken windows reflected faint traces of moonlight through the fog. Somewhere in the distance, water dripped steadily from old pipes, the sound echoing through the empty complex like a slow countdown. Suo Ran kept looking around, his eyes searching every shadow, every doorway, every possible hiding place.
The driver noticed immediately. A faint smile appeared on his face. "Don't waste your time." Suo Ran turned toward him at once. "What does that mean?" The driver slowed slightly, then lifted a hand and lightly tapped Suo Ran's shoulder. The gesture was casual. Too casual. "The person you're looking for isn't here." Everything inside Suo Ran stopped. For a second he thought he had misheard then the meaning reached him. Jun Wei wasn't here.The fragile hope he had been carrying since the moment he was taken cracked apart instantly.
Tears gathered in his eyes before he could stop them. He quickly looked away, refusing to let them fall. The driver noticed the change his expression softened slightly and he took half a step closer, as if intending to say something. But Suo Ran stepped back first. His voice came out strained. "Then why am I here?" "Why bring me all the way here if Wei Wei isn't here?" The driver remained silent for a moment. Then he said quietly, "Because this isn't about finding him." Suo Ran stared at him. "What?" The driver looked directly into his eyes. "This is about understanding why he was taken."
Suo Ran's expression changed. His heartbeat quickened.The driver turned and pointed toward a large building ahead. A single dim red light glowed above its entrance while the rest of the structure remained swallowed by darkness. "Come with me." Suo Ran didn't move. The driver waited patiently. Eventually he added, "You've spent your entire life looking at pieces of the story." His voice lowered. "Tonight you finally see the whole thing." Neither of them spoke after that. Together they walked toward the building.
The metal door stood slightly open, waiting. The driver pushed it wider. A low creaking sound echoed through the darkness. "After you!" he said. Suo Ran hesitated for several seconds. Every instinct told him to turn around and leave. But Jun Wei's face appeared in his mind again. Slowly, he stepped forward and crossed the threshold. The room beyond was enormous. Most of it remained hidden beneath darkness only several dim red lights fixed along the walls provided any illumination. Dust drifted through the air.
Suo Ran stopped instinctively just inside the entrance, his eyes trying to adjust. Behind him, the metal door slowly closed with a deep echo that rolled through the room.Then, somewhere ahead in the darkness, he saw something that made him speechless.
Meanwhile Lian Ziho drove through the nearly empty road.The black vehicle behind him remained visible in the rearview mirror, never getting closer, never falling back. It simply followed. The steady pressure of its presence sat heavily in the back of his mind. His thoughts were still tangled around the recording and the possibility that someone had deliberately imitated suo ran's father when suddenly his phone vibrated again on the passenger seat.Lian Ziho glanced down briefly. He saw it was from Unknown sender again.
Before he could even reach for the device, the screen lit up by itself. Lian Ziho's eye narrowed. He saw file opened automatically without any input from him. "No..." he muttered under his breath, his hand tightening around the steering wheel. He hadn't touched anything. The attachment expanded on its own. Coordinates appeared across the screen. Several Incomplete numbers flickering constantly.
Lian Ziho glanced between the road and the phone, a cold feeling creeping into his chest. "This isn't an email..." he said quietly. The coordinates glitched once then again as if someone was forcing information directly into his device. His pulse quickened. "This is being pushed directly into my phone." The numbers stabilized for barely two seconds before vanishing completely.The screen returned to normal
Lian Ziho stared at the empty display for a moment. "What the hell!" Before he could process it further, his phone rang.Lian Ziho answered immediately and put the call on speaker. "What now?" His voice was already irritated. Zheng Rui sounded out of breath. More stressed than before. "Don't trust anything you're receiving right now." Lian Ziho let out a humorless laugh and rubbed his jaw. "Too late." "I'm serious." "So am I." Lian Ziho glanced at the screen again. "My phone just opened a message by itself."
From other side Zheng rui said,"That data pattern..." Lian Ziho focused his expression hardened. "What about it?" Another pause. Then Zheng Rui said quietly, "It matches Jun Wei's missing report trail." Lian Ziho's foot instinctively hit the brake. The car slowed sharply. Water sprayed beneath the tires. His eyes narrowed instantly. "What?" Zheng Rui exhaled slowly. "The transmission pattern. The same encrypted route signatures appeared when Jun wei disappeared."
Lian Ziho stared through the rain-covered windshield.His grip tightened around the wheel. "What exactly are you saying?" On the other end, Zheng Rui sounded exhausted. "I'm saying Jun Wei wasn't taken randomly." Lian ziho remained silent and zheng rui continued. "I spent the last hour pulling records that shouldn't even exist." Papers shuffled somewhere on his end. "Every movement connected to Jun Wei follows a cold-route system." Lian ziho frowned deeply. "A what?" "A transportation network." Zheng Rui didn't hesitate."Used for illegal transfers." He straightened in his seat. "Transfers?" "Identity relocations."
Zheng Rui added quietly, "Silent custody movement." Lian Ziho's expression darkened instantly. "Custody?" His voice sounded colder now. Zheng rui corrected him. "Not legal custody." Lian Ziho stared ahead. His jaw clenched. "Then what?" Zheng rui answered without hesitation. "Controlled relocation."Lian Ziho felt anger rise slowly inside him. Dangerous anger. "..Like cargo." This time Zheng Rui didn't argue because both of them knew that was exactly what it sounded like.
Lian Ziho leaned back against his seat and closed his eyes briefly. The stolen archive file, dead police officer, adoption records and fake identities. All of it suddenly felt connected by something much larger. Something hidden beneath the official story. His eyes opened again."The archive." Zheng Rui understood. "Yeah." "The stolen file wasn't the objective." "No." Lian Ziho leaned forward slightly. "Then what was?
Zheng Rui answered quietly. "The map." Lian Ziho froze. "The what?" "The archive system has a secondary layer. He continued, "It doesn't just track documents." Lian Ziho's pulse quickened. "What does it track?" Zheng Rui replied, "People." Lian Ziho asked, "Explain." Zheng Rui swallowed audibly. "The system was built decades ago. Officially it tracked identity changes." He stopped briefly. Lian Ziho immediately pushed. "Unofficially what?" Zheng Rui's voice had become grim now. "It tracked movement routes." He continued,"Routes tied to erased identities." Lian Ziho felt his chest tighten. "Meaning people disappeared!" Zheng rui finished the sentence for him. "And reappeared somewhere else."
Lian Ziho stared into the darkness.Zheng rui spoke again."There was one name attached to one of those routes." Lian Ziho's jaw tightened immediately. "Whose?"Zheng rui answered. "Jun Wei."Lian Ziho's grip tightened painfully around the steering wheel. "Meaning what?" "It means he wasn't just taken he was entered into the system." Lian Ziho stopped breathing for a second. His eyes widened slightly before narrowing again. "No..." he whispered. His fingers dug into the steering wheel. "He's a child."
The rain continued tapping against the windshield while the engine idled quietly beneath him. His grip remained locked around the steering wheel. "He was entered into the system." The sentence refused to leave his mind. His eyes moved back toward the phone screen. Then froze he saw new window had appeared. It was a tracking interface. Lian Ziho immediately straightened in his seat. "What the!" Rows of numbers flashed across the display. Coordinates, timestamps and movement logs.His pulse quickened. The data updated again then again it was live data.His expression changed instantly. "Zheng Rui."