Chapter 54: The Object in the Suitcase |
Shi Rang sat at the packing table near the door, a spot perfectly positioned to soak up vehicle exhaust and street noise. There were plenty of empty seats inside the shop, so this strange woman had absolutely no reason to approach a guy like him, completely disheveled and reeking of sweat.
She was dressed fashionably, her arms draped with shopping bags from designer clothing boutiques. Any single item she wore—the leather jacket, the knee-high boots, or the shorts—was worth more than Shi Rang's entire outfit combined. Yet, she had walked right up to him.
His exhausted brain managed to squeeze out a few possible explanations.
Attempting to maintain a shred of basic dignity in front of a stranger, he pulled a tissue from the table and wiped his face, rubbing away the dirt left from his bike crash. He took the opportunity to block the plastic bag with his body—Leader Jack was hiding in his pocket on that side as well.
"I am married."
The woman's slightly parted lips twitched. Whatever she had originally planned to say, she completely lost the words for it now.
She rolled her eyes and shifted her gaze to Shi Rang's electric bicycle parked nearby:
"Nice bike."
Shi Rang warily covered his pocket and whipped his head to look at his sole means of transportation, ensuring it was still there.
He used his thumb to shove his phone and wallet deeper into his pocket.
Suddenly, a packaged order of fried noodles landed between the two of them. The shop owner physically wedged himself between Shi Rang and the woman.
His savior had arrived!
"Sorry for the wait, Shi Rang. Let's grab a few drinks next time you have the chance—and what would you like to eat, miss?"
Shi Rang was massaging his aching temples. He was just about to thank the man when his eyes suddenly went wide. Grabbing his fried noodles and tucking his cola under his arm, he hurried away. He almost forgot his plastic bag, rushing back to snatch it up before the woman could call out and entangle him again. Finally, he hopped onto his electric bicycle and sped off without looking back.
Taking advantage of the distraction, he had briefly activated his Sensing ability and discovered that this woman was actually emitting a signal.
She was from the Anomaly Management Bureau!
Device Name: [Eta-2 "Witch Coven" Dedicated Communication Device #0015]
And a special operative from the Mobile Task Force at that!!!
All the exhaustion in Shi Rang's body instantly vanished. Enduring his headache, he fled the scene at top speed, terrified that if he lingered for even a second longer, she would pin him to the ground and turn him into a Containment Object on the spot.
The little electric bicycle zoomed away at forty kilometers per hour. Vanessa retracted her half-extended hand and smoothed out a bulging vein on her forehead.
For a brief moment, she really wanted to hop on her motorcycle, chase him down, and ask him exactly what he was feeling so guilty about.
"He did not seem like much when I saw him at noon, but now I seriously think this guy is suspicious as hell..."
"Um, what would you like to eat?" the owner asked again, offering an apologetic smile.
"I will take a portion of your best-selling fried noodles... Oh, make it two portions. My colleague wants some too." Vanessa pointed at the menu. "Boss, do you know that handsome guy from just now?"
"You mean Shi Rang? He is a good kid. Honest and dependable. But him—it is just a shame he has had such a hard life."
"Oh? What happened to him?"
The noodle shop owner was very talkative. While clearing the table to prepare for the upcoming evening rush, he started chatting with Vanessa:
"It is a long story. They had only been married for a few years when his wife left without a word. There has been no news of her all these years. He refused to believe what everyone told him and treated it as a missing person case, constantly searching for her. Nobody could talk him out of it, so everyone just got used to it and humored him... Sigh, he is not a bad person; he just cannot get over this hurdle. The Tenth District is a terrible place. How long can a young couple endure such hardship together? When the spark dies out, they just split up, right? If only they could have moved back to the Second District..."
Vanessa was not surprised to hear this kind of "story."
After all, she possessed a breathtakingly gorgeous face. People were visual creatures, and a beautiful woman could easily win over someone's goodwill.
"He is originally from the Second District?"
"Yeah, just like me. We both came from the Second District. But a few years ago, for some unknown reason, he lost his residency rights..."
Vanessa stopped paying close attention to the rest of the story.
She twirled her motorcycle keychain, waiting for the takeout order she promised to bring back for Agent Kyle.
From the Second District... No wonder he had yellow skin.
She had finally confirmed the source of that familiar feeling she experienced at noon.
He looked exactly like the type of guy who easily got himself into trouble...
Investigating suspicious individuals did not require an elite Mobile Task Force operative like her. She had other things to do.
Still, why did she have such an unsettling premonition...?
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Shi Rang slammed his apartment door shut. Pressing his back against the panels, he slowly slid down until he collapsed onto the floor.
The outside world was simply too terrifying. He had bumped into someone from the Anomaly Management Bureau just grabbing a bowl of noodles!
It was better to stay at home.
He was so exhausted he did not want to move a single finger. After sitting for a while, the savory aroma of the food finally lured him into opening the container. He snapped apart the disposable chopsticks, rubbed them together to remove the splinters, and buried his face in his meal.
Shi Rang did not forget to scoop out a few chopsticks' worth of noodles for the Mini-Humans, using the plastic lid as their makeshift plate.
Although their numbers were intimidating, feeding the Mini-Humans was a simple task. It was not much different from feeding ants. Leader Jack had a slightly larger appetite, but even he was full after just one extra noodle.
He wondered if they could even taste the flavors.
After eating, he dragged himself back to reality. Before the egg yolk leaking inside the plastic bag could seep onto the floor, he set about cleaning up the mess.
The Sheriff climbed onto his ear, allowing Shi Rang to listen to him while washing the eggs that were still intact.
"...Someone helped me clean up the scene?"
His immediate concern was for that person's safety.
Directly touching any living tissue of a Stitched Walker carried the risk of infection. Shi Rang had somehow managed to avoid getting infected, but others might not share his luck.
However, the current generation of walkers was afraid of light. Dawn had broken shortly after Shi Rang left, and the Bureau's report mentioned nothing about discovering any walkers.
Even if one or two had slipped through the net, they would likely have dried up in the sun by now.
But the real issue at hand was not the walkers...
Aside from the Anomaly Management Bureau and Shi Rang, there was actually a third party involved.
This group might be aware of anomalies and prepared against the infectious nature of the walkers. Yet, for some unknown reason, they had helped him out, almost as if they wanted to erase all traces of what had happened there...
Shi Rang paused his scrubbing and turned off the faucet, staring blankly as the water swirled down the drain in the sink.
Everything happened for a reason, and the appearance of this third party was no exception.
In truth, besides Shi Rang and the walkers, there had been one other person at the scene—
Director Bjorn.
Bjorn was on the Bureau's wanted list for defection. He had been carrying a suitcase, and in his dying, incoherent ramblings, he had mentioned a rendezvous...
Could this third party be the group Bjorn had planned to meet?
The question was, why would Bjorn try to rendezvous with Shi Rang?
The agreed-upon meeting place could not possibly have been the Yunling New District, could it?
If he had to pinpoint a connection between two men who had never met, there was one detail...
Connecting to the Bureau Archive was Shi Rang's own ability, but the Rapid Regeneration and Sensing abilities seemingly originated from the mutated Bjorn.
Could it be that the mutated Bjorn, in his delirious state, had mistaken the communication signal between Shi Rang and Intern Robin as a rendezvous cue? Did he then tirelessly track that signal across districts, working himself to the bone just to murder Shi Rang for ruining his plans?
If Shi Rang had not been in the Yunling New District at the time, would Bjorn have driven straight into the city just to take his life...?
Shi Rang's head started to throb again.
He shook the water drops from his hands and returned to the shower. He drew a basin of water for Jack and the Mini-Humans, who had been clamoring for a bath—just enough water to cover the bottom of the basin was plenty for them.
Afterward, Shi Rang retrieved the suitcase hidden behind the toilet.
It was sealed incredibly tight. Despite the numerous scratches and deep dents dotting its surface, the outer shell had not cracked the slightest bit.
While the Mini-Humans splashed around in their bath, Shi Rang sat on the bathroom floor, hammering away with a chisel and creating a metallic clatter.
After over half an hour, his arms numb from the exertion, he finally managed to pry the latch open.
Fortunately, it did not have any additional locks; it was just exceptionally sturdy.
"You opened it?" Leader Jack jumped out of the basin, shook off the water, and scurried over to Shi Rang. He hopped up and down, craning his neck. "What is inside? What is it?"
The other Mini-Humans rushed over as well, gathering into a small huddle around Shi Rang's knee.
Shi Rang lifted the heavily wrapped object from the suitcase and placed it onto the floor.
There was no Containment Object inside, no nuclear launch codes, no bank card holding astronomical sums, and no gold or jewelry. There were only two heavily protected documents.
The Mini-Humans read the contents faster than Shi Rang could. The collective gasp of shock they let out was loud enough for even him to hear clearly.
Through the thick plastic film, he could barely make out the titles of the documents:
[CVA-A-044 "Eye of God"],
and,
[Twelfth District Temporary Site Containment Object Transfer Plan].