Chai Si, the boundless sea and sky

"...an AED defibrillator, cardiac stimulants, epinephrine."

The brilliant neon lights on the distant shore fell into the water, stirred by the waves until they gradually became patches of dim yellow and eerie green shimmer, rocking with the boat on the pitch-black sea.

"And finally, broad-spectrum antibiotics, in case we have to stay here a while."

Once the contents had been introduced one by one, the lid of a silver-white medical case snapped shut. A large hand with five long fingers pulled a long black tube from beneath the seat.

"This is a cautery gun. It can seal large wounds, burn through blood vessels and nerves, and keep people from bleeding to death. Very handy."

Accompanying that cheerful voice, the large hand heartily clapped the shoulder of a man in a white coat beside him.

"Let me introduce Dr. Nate. A good man. Not only did he supply everything, he was willing to come along personally to handle any emergencies... for instance, after I cut off your arms and legs, he can make sure you neither die nor pass out."

Dr. Nate said nothing. His lips were pressed tight, his face contorted and pale, like a patch of mist floating in the night.

The cautery gun was set down, and two hands clapped loudly. "Come on, say thank you to Dr. Nate."

The response was a series of muffled cries-a man with his limbs bound behind him, wrapped tightly in tape from head to toe with only his eyes and nostrils exposed, struggled desperately several times, making the little boat rock along with him and stirring up soft splashes.

"I'll say it for Dr. Nate: you're welcome. Just doing what I should."

The tall, powerfully built man in an expensive suit never stopped smiling as he leaned forward and gave the bound man a friendly pat.

His black hair was slicked neatly back, catching faint glimmers in the night out at sea.

"Don't rush. I haven't finished the introductions."

He spread his pale hands, then turned his right hand over and grasped, effortlessly pulling a heavy weight plate from beneath the seat. "Every severed arm and leg will have a twenty-five-kilogram weight plate tied to it. Then you can watch your limbs sink into the sea with a plunk..."

He whistled, nimbly wiggling several fingers downward like fish swimming to the bottom.

"...just like that."

The man wrapped in tape like a mummy let out another series of heavy, muffled cries, like a wild beast trapped in a sack.

The suited man leaned back in his chair and studied his captive for a while, seemingly amused.

"Ready to talk?"

The bound man writhed desperately several times. "Mmph, mmph!"

The suited man flicked open a knife, estimated where the mouth was, and slashed its tip deep through the tape-droplets of blood and a scream burst into the night together.

Slender fingers slipped into the bloodstained slit in the tape and pulled out a large wad of medical cotton.

As soon as it left his mouth, gasps and dry heaves spilled out together, broken and halting. "Who... who are you? What do you want..."

The suited man leaned closer, staring at his prey, his eyes so black that not a trace of light reflected in them.

"Whatever you want, I'll cooperate. You don't have to be so ruthless..." As the bound man spoke, the wound on his lips tore wider, contorting his face with pain. His whole face was wet in the darkness. "I'm just a nobody. No one..."

"That's where you're wrong."

The suited man raised an index finger, interrupting him. "A nobody, a little extra in a movie-if he dies, he dies. Nobody cares. If you want me to let you go, first you have to make me care about you, don't you?"

The bound man froze for a moment.

"You might ask, how can I start caring about you? First I have to understand you, empathize with you as a character."

The suited man interlaced his ten long fingers, like a white bridge built in the dark. A thin semicircle of light glimmered on his watch face.

"Come on. Tell me, who are 'you'?"

"I... my name is Evan. I'm twenty-nine. My hometown-"

"No, I don't want your résumé. Boring." The suited man interrupted him, then said encouragingly, "I want to know what hopes and disappointments you've had in your life. What's your dream?"

His face covered in blood and tears, Evan stared blankly. "My... my dream...?"

"Yes. Surely you weren't planning to be Wei Xilai's bodyguard for the rest of your life?"

Evan shuddered, a light of realization appearing in his eyes.

"Could this have something to do with Mr. Wei-"

"Besides," the suited man continued, ignoring him, "Wei Xilai met a violent death yesterday, and today you can barely save yourself. You weren't much of a bodyguard. You might as well give it up."

"I don't know anything..."

"Don't waste your energy." The suited man's thin lips cut into a smile like a blade. "A character who can't move me is just a sack of skin. I don't care how many pieces of his body sink to the seabed."

The boat fell silent for several seconds.

"Talk."

Evan probably never dreamed that he would begin baring his soul under circumstances like these.

"I... I understand. My dream is to become someone like Mr. Wei..."

"The richest man? A state legislator? A recipient of the Outstanding Contribution Award for Temperature Issues?" the suited man asked with a smile. "...or the true ruler of Blackmoor City?"

Evan only nodded without speaking. He gazed dazedly at distant Blackmoor City, at the neon advertisements and skyscrapers onshore. Beyond Central Bay, illuminated by countless lights, pitch-black waves gently lapped against the little boat, pushing it to and fro.

"Good." The suited man nodded. "What have you done to make that dream come true?"

"I haven't done anything," Evan said hurriedly, coming to his senses. "Mr. Wei's death had nothing to do with me..."

"Wrong direction." The large pale hand waved through the darkness, its owner's manner like a director explaining a scene to an actor. "I didn't say you had anything to do with his death. But after he died, you didn't take any action at all?"

"I don't understand..."

"You have a goal but take no action. Nobody can empathize with such a spineless character." The suited man almost seemed exasperated with his failure to improve. "If you won't even help yourself, why should I let you off?"

Evan held his bleeding mouth open, hesitated for several seconds, then finally said tentatively, "After Mr. Wei died... I didn't leave. I stayed. Does that count?"

"Oh?"

"Mr. Wei fired me the night before," Evan said hastily. "I should have left, but I didn't want to leave the Wei family, so I didn't tell anyone."

"Why did he fire you?"

"It was just bad timing." Evan's wet, gleaming mouth stopped moving. After a while, he said quietly, "I didn't do anything seriously wrong... I only tried on a pair of trousers..."

The suited man raised one eyebrow and one corner of his mouth. "Trousers?"

"Yes, yes... you'll understand once you hear me out." He paused, then suddenly said, "Did you know Mr. Wei spoke very quietly? When I first started working for him, I was surprised. Someone so important-I thought he'd have a loud voice."

Evan's teeth were stained blood-red, but he seemed to have forgotten his wound. Once he started talking, he couldn't stop.

"Only later did I understand. The quieter he spoke, the more closely other people had to listen. When he spoke, he didn't worry about whether people could hear him. That was the listener's concern.

"You see, even the rise and fall of his voice, its volume, had a purpose. There was something to learn from all of it... so, during my time off, I gradually started acting like Mr. Wei, dressing like him, even using a similar-smelling cologne. It felt like people looked at me differently when I went out."

The suited man offered Evan a cigarette.

He took a drag. On the dark sea beneath the night sky, the cigarette tip glowed red. His cheek twitched again with pain, but his tone and expression had grown much steadier.

"Lately, Mr. Wei and a group of us employees were staying at the estate in Upper State District. The night before last, he went to a banquet. It was my turn to be off duty, so I didn't go with him. When he suddenly came home early, I happened to be in his room, putting on trousers. He caught me red-handed.

"He probably thought I was having an affair with someone... his face went purple. But how could I do something like that? He didn't believe me. He shoved me aside and searched the bathroom and dressing room before confirming that I really was alone..."

Evan gave a bitter smile. "Only then did he realize I was wearing his trousers. I just wanted to know what it felt like to wear his trousers... but he flew into a rage, fired me on the spot, and told me to pack up and leave the next morning."

The suited man threw back his head and laughed, his deep, resonant voice striking the darkness.

"Very interesting, but that's all." His large hand patted the cautery gun. "You want to reach the pinnacle of wealth and power, and your idea of taking action is secretly wearing someone else's trousers? What could you possibly accomplish like that?"

"Of course it wasn't that simple."

Provoked into a momentary flash of anger, Evan argued, flecks of blood flying.

"Copying how he dressed and acted was only one part of it. I never let a chance to act slip by, either. Yesterday, as soon as I heard Mr. Wei had died in his study, it occurred to me that the news of my firing hadn't spread yet. Only Mr. Wei and I knew. With him dead, if I didn't say anything, it was as though I'd never been fired. Nobody would know.

"So I hurried straight to the study door, pretending to preserve the scene while waiting for the police, when actually, I secretly-"

Evan abruptly stopped.

In the darkness, only the lapping waves and his harsh, heavy breathing remained.

The suited man stared at Evan and slowly leaned forward, like a giant python lowering itself inch by inch from a branch.

"So... you went into the study," he said softly.

Evan seemed to realize that when an interrogator concealed his objective, the person being questioned would make mistakes he never even knew he shouldn't make.

"...and after you went in?"

When Evan still refused to answer, the suited man raised both hands. Between the dark sky and sea, they looked like two huge, blurry white palm-leaf fans-one hand could cover a grown man's entire head and face.

"Strange, isn't it? I introduced the first-aid supplies but never showed you what I'd use to sever your arms and legs. That's because I only remembered after boarding that I'd forgotten the chainsaw. Fortunately, I have some confidence in my grip... make a cut in the skin, and I can peel you apart layer by layer. Bones are much easier. Wedge them against the side of the boat, and one stomp will break them."

In the darkness, the suited man silently split his mouth into a smile, revealing eerily white, even teeth.

"Why did you enter the study?"

This time, Evan answered quickly. "I... I just wanted to see if I could pick something up... what if there was something valuable? I saw a watch..."

"Why did you enter the study?" The suited man's hand rested lightly on Evan's arm.

Evan swallowed a mixture of blood and saliva.

"You probably know that what went missing from Wei Xilai's study doesn't belong to this world. Those who touch it when they shouldn't can only end up like you are now, swept away and drowned by the fate it brings... with nothing but boundless sea and sky, and nowhere to go."

The suited man closed his eyes and drew a long breath through his nose, inhaling the briny sea air, the gasoline smell from the boat's engine, and Evan's fear deep into his lungs together.

When he spoke again, his voice had grown hoarse.

"Where did you hide the Phantasm from the study?"

The massive ordeal began today... yesterday, right after landing, I received a text saying my connecting flight had been canceled, so I hurriedly got a refund and rebooked. But there were no flights left, so I can only go to Guangzhou today to fly out. For no reason, I've ended up with a much longer journey and much less time.

The coming days are going to be tense, exhausting, and miserable. Adjust to jet lag? Who has that kind of luxury? Blinking counts as sleeping.

Sigh.

I really want to go home and settle in for a year, preferably with a new e-ink device in my arms.

(End of chapter)