They'll Beg Me to Leave

The veteran detective's right hand snapped down onto the holster at his waist, his knuckles jutting slightly from the force of his grip.

It was professional instinct.

In a dim, narrow, enclosed stairwell, facing a suspect who was very likely a serial killer, any move to close the distance would be taken as a signal of attack.

Kannazuki didn't move. He simply kept holding out the water, his eyes as clear as those of a fresh college graduate.

"Relax. This bottle's sealed."

Kannazuki spoke softly, then set the bottle on the step between them.

"You two were panting pretty hard. Putting too much strain on your hearts can cause trouble.

Quite a few people in Linhai City have had heart attacks lately. Better be careful."

Those words were like a long, thin steel needle, piercing the veteran detective's nerve endings with precision.

Heart attacks.

Zhao Gang, Wang Hu, Lei Bao-all had died of heart attacks.

"Are you threatening me?" the veteran detective asked hoarsely, his other hand already pulling out his radio.

Kannazuki stood and brushed the dust off his outdoor jacket, his movements unhurried.

"I'm just looking out for the taxpayers' guardians.

After all, if you two collapse here, who's going to prove my innocence?"

He walked past them and headed straight for the green fire door.

"Stop!" the younger officer barked, having caught his breath.

Kannazuki stopped and turned his head. Sunlight streamed through the gap in the door, leaving his profile half in light and half in shadow.

"Aren't you going to arrest me? Or are you planning to follow me on my next delivery?

The next order's in the old town. The streets are narrower there. Your Santana definitely won't fit."

The veteran detective quickly murmured a few words into his radio.

Less than ten seconds later, Chen Lei's cold, unquestionable order came through: "Bring him back. Follow procedure and summon him to assist with the investigation into the public-order incident at the Golden Sand Building."

"Kannazuki, you are being summoned in accordance with the law."

The veteran detective took out his credentials and flashed them in front of Kannazuki, a fierce gleam of relief in his eyes.

"Okay."

Kannazuki answered so readily that both officers froze.

He took his phone out of his pocket, unhooked his electric scooter key from his waist, and handed both to the younger officer.

"There's no passcode on the phone.

The scooter's parked to the left of the fountain in the square. Please lock it up for me. It's how I make my living."

Kannazuki held out his hands with his wrists together, even giving a faint, self-mocking smile. "Do I need cuffs?"

"No. You're assisting with an investigation. We're not at that stage yet."

The veteran detective snorted, secured his holster, and flanked Kannazuki with the younger officer.

The three entered the elevator.

Ryuk the husky's massive body descended through the elevator ceiling. He hung upside down over Kannazuki's head like an enormous bat, his bulging red eyes roaming over the two officers' faces.

"Heh heh. They're looking at you like a pig waiting to be slaughtered."

Ryuk blew a breath into Kannazuki's ear, cold enough to chill him to the bone. "You're walking into the station willingly. What if they won't let you out?"

Kannazuki ignored everything around him and watched the changing numbers on the elevator display, silently thinking:

They'll beg me to leave.

The black Santana crossed half the city and pulled into 118 Jianguo Road.

It was Kannazuki's second visit there that day.

Two hours earlier, he had been a delivery worker bringing coffee.

Two hours later, he was sitting on a hardwood chair in an interrogation room.

Interrogation Room Two.

The walls were lined with padded soundproofing, and a slogan hung in the center: "Leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist."

Kannazuki sat beneath the glaring incandescent light, his hands resting flat on the iron tabletop.

He was very quiet.