The city was shrouded in fear.
In the darkness of night, the stars had vanished, replaced by black clouds that cloaked the heavens in an even deeper gloom than before.
Inside the police station, the special officer from Taiwan had just been summoned to the head office. His name was bai Yin. Yet before he could even settle in, another urgent call came through.....another body had been found, this time drifting lifeless in the river.
Without delay, bai yin sprang into action. He climbed into his car and rushed with the officers straight to the scene.
By the time they arrived, the body had already been pulled from the waters. A crowd of bystanders had gathered, pressing forward, murmuring anxiously. Police raised their voices, urging everyone to step back as they secured the area.
The victim was a boy, only fifteen years old. The marks on his neck revealed the truth.....he had been strangled first, before his body was thrown into the river.
"Take him in for examination," Bai yin ordered sharply.
And the results of that examination were nothing short of shocking.
The boy was the younger brother of the very girl who had been murdered just the day before.
His grief-stricken parents, already broken from losing their daughter, now collapsed at the news of their son's death. Their cries split the air as they fell to the ground, weeping uncontrollably, their sorrow beyond consolation.
But bai yin wasted no time on words of comfort. His voice was firm, decisive.
"I have no patience for negotiations or discussions. We begin the investigation immediately."
The atmosphere in the entire station grew heavy and still...like the silence that comes just before a violent storm.
Outside, lightning flashed across the sky. Rain began to fall in a thin, steady drizzle, sending everyone scattering indoors.
Bai yin could offer those grieving parents nothing more than a solemn promise: the murderer would be caught.
Soon, the news exploded across every channel once again.
Another killing.
The younger brother of the slain girl had now also been murdered.
Within their rooms, Teanguan heard the broadcast, his expression grim. At the same time, Kai too received the news. Wee and Lamai were left stunned, hardly able to believe what they were hearing.
The Institute immediately issued an announcement:
"All students, remain alert. Do not leave the premises under any circumstances."
Wee and Lamai understood at once.....this matter was far more serious than they had thought.
Kai, however, was already shackled by chains of the heart. Yet when her gaze fell upon the picture of her mother on her phone, the flame in her eyes blazed alive once more.
Teanguan lay awake in silence, his mind turning. He realized he would now have to watch over Wee and Lamai even more closely. But doing so… would only make his mission that much harder.