The emergency generators finally kicked in after what felt like an eternity. Fluorescent lights flickered to life throughout the factory, harsh and bright after the extended darkness, making Tòumíng squint as his eyes adjusted.
Nergui stood exactly where he'd been in the darkness, ten feet away, baton in hand, that unsettling smile still on his face. The light revealed more details: the expensive cut of his suit, the way his blank white eyes reflected the fluorescent glow without any sign of pupils or iris, the almost relaxed posture that somehow communicated extreme danger.
"Ah! Much better!" Nergui's voice was cheerful, genuinely pleased. "I do prefer when the lights are on. Makes things more civilized, don't you think?"
Tòumíng was deeply confused. "How can you even tell the lights are on? Your eyes look... uh... weird."
Nergui's smile widened. "I'm blind, yes. But I can hear the electrical hum from the fixtures. Feel the temperature change as the bulbs warm up. Sense the shift in air currents. The human body is remarkably adaptable when one sense is removed."
He brushed past the topic with casual ease and tilted his head in that bird-like way that suggested he was focusing on Tòumíng through means other than sight.
"But where are my manners? You gentlemen seem a little lost. Can I help you find your way back to your cells?"
Tòumíng blinked, his brain struggling to process this bizarrely polite interrogation. "Can't you tell we're... escaping?"
Nergui laughed—a genuine sound of amusement. "Of course not! I'm blind! How would I know?" He paused, his smile becoming slightly sharper. "That was a funny joke. Very clever."
He composed himself, the laughter fading, and pressed the baton against his own cheek thoughtfully, like a professor pondering a particularly interesting problem.
"I don't believe we've been properly introduced. My name is Nergui, my first name is a carefully guarded secret, so please don't ask." Another small chuckle, as if this was a delightful private joke. "And you are?"
Tòumíng felt deeply uncomfortable with Nergui's entire demeanor. The politeness felt wrong. Dangerous. Like a predator playing with food before eating it.
He turned slightly to Háo Héng, lowering his voice. "Listen, it's good if you run and hide. I'll distract him and—"
The baton moved so fast Tòumíng didn't even see it coming.
CRACK.
It connected with his collarbone with devastating precision. The bone shattered on impact, fragments grinding against each other as Tòumíng's entire left side exploded with agony.
He hit the floor, rolling, screaming, his hand instinctively going to the injury even though touching it made the pain infinitely worse.
"Tsk tsk tsk." Nergui's voice carried genuine disappointment. "It's very rude to not pay attention to an OFFICER when he's speaking to you."
He removed his gloves, expensive leather, probably custom-made, and slapped Tòumíng across the face with his bare hand. Not hard enough to cause real damage, but hard enough to communicate absolute dominance.
Then he put the gloves back on carefully, smoothing the leather over each finger with practiced precision.
"I apologize for my outburst," Nergui said, his warm smile returning like nothing had happened.
"I do try to maintain professional composure, but disrespect is one of my pet peeves. I hope you understand."
He straightened his suit jacket, the baton hanging casually at his side again.
"Now then. Since you are prisoners, and I am responsible for facility security, I'm going to have to ask you to please put your hands behind your back, lay face-down on the floor, and close your eyes. If you comply immediately, I won't have to hit you anymore. Doesn't that sound pleasant?"
Tòumíng did NOT like this. Did not like this AT ALL. Every instinct screamed danger. This man was terrifying in a way that had nothing to do with physical size or visible weapons and everything to do with the casual way he inflicted pain while maintaining that friendly demeanor.
"Háo," Tòumíng gasped through the pain of his broken collarbone. "Run."
"But—" Háo Héng's voice was small, terrified.
"RUN!"
Háo Héng ran, his footsteps echoing as he sprinted down the hallway, putting distance between himself and Nergui as fast as his legs could carry him.
Nergui sighed, a sound of genuine disappointment, like a parent watching a child make a poor decision.
"Resisting arrest as well. How impolite. You're really forcing my hand here, you know..."