Dangerous Figure

The sound came with extreme abruptness, as if it had rung out right outside the interrogation room. The two police officers were slightly startled. Hearing footsteps rapidly approaching, they first shot Han Su a vicious glare, then hurriedly began clearing the things off the table.

It was a stark contrast to their unhurried manner from moments ago.

Knock.

By then, the footsteps had already reached the interrogation room door, and someone reached out to push it open.

But the doorknob was blocked by a chair, so the door naturally would not open. The two officers intended to use the opportunity to clear everything away and turn the camera back. They would stall for as long as they could.

Yet they had not expected the door to make only a soft sound before opening at once, revealing several tall, thin figures outside.

Han Su and the two police officers were all startled, a faint sense of strangeness flashing through their minds.

They looked closely toward the door and saw that the chair which had been bracing the doorknob was quietly sitting by the wall, while the interrogation room door had been pushed inward, completely undamaged.

As though the chair blocking the door had only been an illusion.

They did not even have time to consider the oddness of it before turning to look at the people standing in the doorway.

Their collars were turned up, concealing most of their faces. The leader wore black sunglasses.

He glanced at the milk tea and broken hairs that had not yet been cleared off the table, seeming somewhat surprised, before letting out a derisive chuckle.

The agents who entered behind them wore expressions of both surprise and confusion.

This was the Public Security Bureau, the territory of these police officers. Faced with these unexpected visitors, they naturally felt somewhat displeased.

But while the man in sunglasses politely made a request of them, a capable-looking woman in a fitted black suit with short hair presented her credentials.

Outside the door, a fat man who appeared to be some kind of captain or bureau chief immediately went pale. He frantically waved the other officers away. Even the two officers who had just interrogated Han Su had no time to continue clearing the table and hurried out of the room.

Before leaving, though, they shot Han Su a vicious glare, seemingly warning him to know what he should and should not say.

The door finally shut, and quiet returned to the room.

Han Su silently watched the door. About two minutes later, it opened again, and someone entered. It was the man in sunglasses who had led the group earlier, accompanied by the capable woman in the black suit.

After entering, he removed his sunglasses, nodded at Han Su, and said softly, "Long time no see, Little Han."

"Officer Zhang."

Han Su nodded back at him.

He was actually extremely surprised, but he concealed it well.

He had not expected it to be this man, yet he should have expected it all along.

He knew this Officer Zhang, and knew him very well.

After that Kidnapping Case, the person who had been responsible for it all along was Detective Zhang, whose name was Zhang Chiguo.

After Han Su escaped the Dark Fortress, Zhang had been the one constantly asking him about every detail, taking his statement, arranging lie detector tests, and sending him to see a psychologist.

Likewise, he had helped the young Han Su persuade the volatile families of several victims to leave on numerous occasions.

And when Han Su could no longer stay at his old orphanage and needed to transfer elsewhere and complete school enrollment procedures, Zhang had helped him. For a time, Han Su had even lived with the old detective.

As a child, Han Su had always been grateful to this police officer who had taken such good care of him.

But he had stopped appearing many years ago.

Han Su, who still often went to the Public Security Bureau afterward to cooperate with investigations and questioning, had asked around about him. Yet those people had only said that he had left and been transferred to another department.

Han Su had once thought he had been pushed out and resigned from the Public Security Bureau. After all, the officer in charge of the case had seemed to be doing poorly in the Guard Hall at the time. He had not expected to see him under such circumstances.

"I joined a new department and no longer handle the old cases. I just didn't expect to run into you again."

Since they were acquaintances, Officer Zhang seemed somewhat more relaxed after sitting down.

Looking at the youth before him, now a head taller and completely grown into the appearance of an adult, he let out a low sigh.

His gaze swept over the milk tea that had been tossed into the trash, and his expression seemed somewhat wistful.

His transfer to this new department had actually been related to that old Kidnapping Case. After all these years, he had come to believe that this youth was merely a victim.

That case had placed them under immense pressure.

Most of the children involved had come from wealthy or influential families, and several of them had backgrounds frightening enough to make anyone wary.

He had been forced to take over the case and had no idea how much he had borne because of it. But he wore this uniform, so he had to shoulder that responsibility.

But this youth had been a victim too!

He had lost an eye and been left with such a horrifying scar on his face. More than half his life had already been ruined, yet those people would not even grant him his last shred of peace?

Han Su looked at Officer Zhang for a long while before slowly saying, "So now, Officer Zhang, do you believe me?"

Back then, although Officer Zhang had looked after him, he had not believed in so-called monsters or the Dark Fortress that had kidnapped more than twenty children.

He had only thought Han Su had been frightened out of his mind.

But now, he had appeared in an incident related to the Ghost Truck on Highway 59. Combined with his changed status, it inevitably gave Han Su hope.

"I always believed you."

Officer Zhang answered casually as he picked up the statement on the table.

Large sections of the statement had been crossed out. The police officer who had taken Han Su's statement did not believe him at all and had merely wanted him to admit that he had either seen things wrong or gotten high.

Most likely, they had also wanted to use that statement as a suitable reason to keep Han Su at the Public Security Bureau.

Officer Zhang only glanced at it before folding the statement and slipping it into his pocket. He said to Han Su, "I've already understood the situation, Little Han. I only have one question."

He stared at Han Su and asked softly, "How did you force that... Ghost Truck back?"

Han Su looked at him openly. By instinct, he sensed that this officer he had not seen in years now possessed a temperament unlike before.

In his memories, those eyes had been filled with unwillingness and confusion when facing matters like this. He had not understood why so many children had vanished, nor what the Dark Fortress Han Su spoke of was supposed to be.

But now, there seemed to be many more secrets in his eyes. He would not voice them, but they were exceptionally clear in his heart.

After a slight pause, Han Su, who had been silent for a long time, slowly said, "Song Chushi."

"I don't know whether you remember him, but he was also one of the victims involved in the kidnapping with me."

"A few days ago, he found me and asked about some details of that Kidnapping Case. Then he gave me this Spell, saying it was used by some Fishermen in Jiaogang Alley to worship ghosts and gods."

"He said that reciting this Spell could activate some Mysterious Power and drive away certain bad things. Since I have nightmares every day and wanted to sleep well for once, I memorized the Spell."

"..."

"Song Chushi?"

Upon hearing that name, Officer Zhang's pupils contracted slightly.

He was no longer the stubborn yet ordinary police officer he had been back then. He concealed his facial expressions well.

But Han Su's extraordinary powers of observation allowed him to notice it.

"Where is that Spell?"

Zhang Chiguo stared at Han Su, then suddenly waved a hand. "Don't recite it. Write it on paper—or do you have a recording?"

Han Su was slightly taken aback. He took a recorder from his pocket, looked at it, and said, "I was recording what those two agents said to me just now. I don't know if the Spell got recorded over."

"Hm?"

Zhang Chiguo frowned slightly but still took it.

The capable woman in the black suit immediately brought over a briefcase. It actually contained professional playback equipment. She put on headphones and listened for a while, then said to Zhang Chiguo, "It's the Fisherman's chant of Haijiao Port."

Only then did Zhang Chiguo breathe a sigh of relief. He gestured for her to continue outside with the analysis and prepare a report.

After doing all that, he stared at Han Su and slowly asked, "How did you know that Spell would work?"

"When ordinary people encounter something like that, they only panic and flee, don't they?"

"..."

Faced with his question, Han Su fell silent for a moment, then slowly smiled. "Officer Zhang, ten years ago, I was kidnapped by something you people didn't believe in."

"Ordinary people don't believe me, and they don't believe such things exist. But I do."

"From the moment I accepted that Spell, it was because I had always longed for this Mysterious Power. I only thought that if I were kidnapped again, at least I might have something that could help me deal with those things..."

"..."

He spoke with utter sincerity, so sincere that even the old detective could not see a single flaw in his words.

A trace of complicated emotion flashed through Zhang Chiguo's eyes, but he habitually concealed it and asked in an official tone, "Then when you recited that Spell, did you experience that kind of..."

"Feeling as though your spirit had come alive and was seeping into reality?"

Han Su keenly sensed something. Zhang Chiguo's expression was far too guarded when he asked that question, so Han Su held back some of his thoughts and merely asked slowly, "My spirit came alive... what do you mean?"

"It's nothing..."

Zhang Chiguo waved a hand, lowered his head to look at the statement, and asked, "Why were you there?"

Han Su said, "I ran into a little trouble in my life related to that Kidnapping Case. My brother took me to find someone for help, and that's how I encountered it."

"It's all in the statement. Is there a problem?"

Zhang Chiguo saw only sincerity and calmness on Han Su's face. His taut nerves gradually relaxed, replaced by faint exhaustion and emotion.

"Little Han, you really are an unlucky child..."

He even seemed somewhat helpless as he shook his head. "Why did something like this have to find you?"