Chapter Nine: The Transcript

Chapter Nine: [Statement]

In a secluded auto repair shop somewhere in the southern part of K City, a black Buick slowly rolled onto the lift. The large gates outside the shop gradually closed behind it...

When Hong Qi stepped out of the car, a man in his thirties to forties emerged from the office inside the shop. He wore a cap and a grimy, oil-stained mechanic's uniform, holding a welding torch in his hand.

His face was smeared with grease, making his features hard to discern, but his eyes were strikingly calm and gentle. Upon seeing Hong Qi from afar, he sighed and smiled wryly, "I knew it. Every time you take on a mission, you end up ruining several of my cars! I thought you wouldn't be needing me for another couple of days at least, but here you are already."

Hong Qi smiled faintly, stepped out, lit a cigarette, and tossed one to the man. The man took it, sniffed, and shook his head. "You know I quit."

"Come on, Uncle Tian, you're no fun," Hong Qi said with a wink.

Uncle Tian shook his head, replying, "At my age, all I want is peace. Not like you young folks..." As he spoke, he walked over to the car, lifted the hood, and a rush of hot air escaped. Glancing inside, he sighed, "Honestly... do you have a death wish when you drive? This is just a temporarily modified car, not a Lamborghini. If you really got into a crash, do you think you're invincible?"

There was a faint note of reproach and concern in his voice.

"Don't mention it," Hong Qi replied, shaking her head with a wry smile. "I had no choice... The target I was tailing almost died, and I had to save him."

"Don't make excuses. I know you too well—once you get behind the wheel, you go crazy," Uncle Tian chided.

Hong Qi didn't argue, only smiled. "How many hours to fix it?"

"Hours?" Uncle Tian laughed. "You think I'm a magician? Three days!"

Hong Qi thought for a moment. "Well... that's fine. Since the target saw my face, they might assign someone else to the case, so I can take a few days off."

"Was there anything special about this target?" Uncle Tian frowned. "I've lived in K City for years and never noticed anyone here worthy of the organization's attention."

"That kid..." Hong Qi took a deep drag on her cigarette and lazily exhaled a large, round smoke ring, her eyes thoughtful and slightly amused. "It's hard to say. Uncle Tian... he seems no different from any ordinary person. The readings on the tester showed nothing extraordinary... But I suspect he might be one of us—a 'kindred.'"

"A kindred?"

Hong Qi said no more, replaying the earlier events in her mind. When she'd unleashed her powers against the robbers' car, that kid inside had shown a startling sensitivity, as if he could sense impending danger. In that fleeting moment, he instinctively fastened his seatbelt and braced himself for impact...

Could such a reaction be innate?

•

In the hospital, Chen Xiao lay on a bed in the emergency room. His injuries had been attended to: his head and body were wrapped in layers of gauze and bandages, and he'd been disinfected and thoroughly examined by the doctors.

He'd been remarkably lucky. Despite the violent crash, not a single bone was broken—only bruises and abrasions, with multiple sprains caused by the jarring impact. According to the doctors, he would be sore for days to come.

Once everything was settled, Chen Xiao was questioned by two police officers taking his statement.

"I really don't know, officers," Chen Xiao sighed helplessly, lying there like a mummy with his head swathed in thick bandages and an IV drip in his hand.

The two officers exchanged glances. One said, "Mr. Chen, we understand you were taken hostage by the robbers by chance, but there are many inexplicable details at the scene. Three of the four robbers are now dead. As one of only two survivors, we need you to provide as detailed a statement as possible..."

Chen Xiao's head throbbed.

During his statement, he hadn't told the police the truth, especially not about the mysterious woman called "Hong Qi." What a joke! Was he supposed to tell them that a woman with superhuman strength had shouted at a car and sent it flying? If he said that, he’d probably be transferred from surgery to psychiatry in no time.

So Chen Xiao told the police that he’d been knocked unconscious in the car and, during the ensuing crash, saw and remembered nothing.

The police were deeply perplexed by the case.

Based on the scene and their investigation, the robbers' van had been so badly damaged that, by their estimate, for a seven-seater van to be flipped twenty meters, it would take a head-on collision with a truck traveling at over ninety miles per hour. Yet there was no evidence that a truck had ever passed through that area. The traffic investigators found no sign of another vehicle’s involvement.

In other words, it seemed the robbers' van had been launched through the air by sheer force of will...

It was as if they'd seen a ghost.

The traffic department checked surveillance in the area but found no record of any heavy trucks passing through at the time.

To make matters worse, the only surviving robber was showing signs of mental breakdown, babbling incoherently.

Seeing Chen Xiao's helpless expression, the police could do little. After all, he was the victim, an innocent citizen. Although they were a bit skeptical of his story—it was suspicious, after all! He was the least injured of everyone in the car, and from the marks left inside, it was obvious he'd been wearing a seatbelt... Was it standard practice for hostages to be buckled in these days? Did the robbers kindly fasten it for him?

"When can I be discharged?" Chen Xiao asked anxiously. Night had fallen, and he was worried about Ya Ya at home...

The police exchanged glances. They had already reviewed his file before coming to see him—what a tragic, modern tale. A young man of eighteen, orphaned, with an impeccable record—he'd always abided by the law. The police were reluctant to put more pressure on such a person.

"Is someone waiting for you at home?" one officer asked reflexively, noticing Chen Xiao’s anxiety, but immediately regretted it—his file clearly stated he was an orphan.

"No one," Chen Xiao replied at once—if the police found out about Ya Ya at home, that would be real trouble!

Never mind the Blueblood issue; Ya Ya had arrived naked, packed in a refrigerator... She had no passport or ID.

"I want to go home," Chen Xiao said, sitting up.

The officers frowned.

Chen Xiao sighed, his expression calm. "I can’t afford to stay in the hospital... I don’t have much money."

Sympathy flickered in the officers’ eyes. One said, "You don’t have to worry about today’s emergency fees. They’re covered..."

"But I have to go to school, and I need to work to earn money," Chen Xiao said with a wry smile. "I can’t just lie here. I still need to eat. And honestly, my injuries aren’t that serious—lying here or at home makes no difference. I need to save what I can."

With his insistence, he was finally allowed to leave the hospital, though the police kindly offered him a ride home.

At the entrance to his apartment complex, Chen Xiao declined the officers’ offer to help him upstairs—Ya Ya couldn’t be seen by outsiders! And that girl hated wearing clothes; if the police saw her and suspected human trafficking, that would be a disaster.

"Alright then. Take care," said the older officer, pausing to quickly jot down a number. "Here’s my phone number... If you remember anything, please call me. It might help the investigation. My surname is Xu; you can ask for me directly."

Bidding the officers farewell, Chen Xiao stood at the foot of his building and sighed—what a miserable day!

He’d lost all the clothes he bought, his bike was still at the bank, and now, injured as he was, tomorrow was Monday—he could call in sick to school, but it wouldn’t be so easy to get time off from work.

Laboriously making his way upstairs, Chen Xiao opened his door to a dark apartment. But there, sitting quietly on the living room sofa, was Ya Ya. Fortunately, she hadn’t crawled back into the freezer this time.

Ya Ya stared at Chen Xiao in surprise as he limped in. "You..."

"Just a little trouble," Chen Xiao waved his hand, his left arm in a sling across his chest. He sat down beside her with a sigh. "Sorry, the things I bought for you are all gone... And it’s so late, you probably haven’t eaten yet."

Ya Ya looked at him, concern in her eyes. "Your body is damaged... Is it—"

"Just an accident," Chen Xiao shook his head. "Are you hungry? I can’t cook like this, but there’s some bread in the fridge..."

Suddenly, Ya Ya smiled, her expression sweet and gentle. "I made food!"

"...You?"

Chen Xiao stared in disbelief. Just twenty-four hours ago, this girl didn’t even know what "hungry" meant!

Ya Ya pointed at the coffee table, where a cookbook lay open.

"I found it in your room and flipped through it."

With a hint of pride and excitement, Ya Ya hurried into the kitchen and returned with two bowls...

Fried rice? Egg drop soup?

Chen Xiao felt as if he’d swallowed an egg, staring at Ya Ya. "You made this?!"

She’d only just learned how to use the kitchen appliances that morning!

But seeing the steaming fried rice and the fragrant soup, Chen Xiao, whose heart had felt so empty, suddenly sensed a warmth blossoming within him...

He shook his head, trying to compose himself. Suddenly, he recalled what Hong Qi had said earlier that day: "Ya Ya, I have a question... This freezer—uh, this micro-biological chamber, you know how to operate it, right? Can you open it and show me?"

(Ahem, I got up late today... Sorry this chapter is a bit delayed. Another chapter will be up tonight—if you have votes, please don’t be shy~)