The lamp flickered on the ceiling above Florence’s head. She leaned against the backrest of the chair she sat in. A creak echoed throughout the dimly lit concrete room. The handcuff dug itself into the skin of her wrist, tying her up to the table nailed to the floor.

  William maintained this relaxed expression, scratching his nails against the two locks of the metal box on the table. He stared down Florence in her face. His left hand pulled down the right sleeve of his trench coat, hiding the burnt scar on his wrist. He grunted, furrowing his brow and curling his lips.

  “What do you want?” Florence asked.

  “Tell me,” William said. “Did you see everything that the Wellor System ordered? And don’t be a hassle about it.”

  “Absolutely… What about it? It is not like I—”

  “I know… I know this is a hassle. You can’t spread the word about what you saw there because no single Player will believe you. Do I stand corrected?”

  William snapped open one of the locks on the metal box.

  “Pardon me… why did those pink androids… no… why did the Wellor System hunt us down?” Florence shrugged, slumping her shoulders. “If the System already knows that, the Players will absolutely not believe what we saw.”

  William nodded. “Buddy, did you forget who is getting integrated here?”

  He pressed his thumb on the other lock. A click echoed, unlocking it. With a relaxed face, he closed his eyes and leaned forward. His shadows towered over Florence.

  Florence smacked her lips shut. Her air pipe constricted, stopping words from going up her throat. She inhaled and exhaled. But her heart pounded in her chest, rattling her bones in her body. She gritted her teeth, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

  A creak reverberated.

  William pulled Florence’s eyelid open.

  “That’s really disrespectful of you,” he said. “You know, you should always make eye contact when talking to someone.”

  He brushed Florence’s hair between his fingers. In a blur, he banged her face against the table. Her nose cracked. Blood flooded out from her nostrils, dripping from her chin and soaking her hospital gown. He yanked her head back, slamming her into the backrest. A snap rang out between the bones in her spine.

  Florence groaned, shifting her feet from right to left. Her face ached. “Pardon me, did… I… got a wrong number with me or something?”

  “Here is the thing, buddy,” William said. “You’re just going to answer my question, that is it. Do you understand?”

  Florence nodded, looking into William’s eyes. Her breath shivered.

  William released his grip away from Florence’s hair. He leaned away from her, sliding his palm across the table.

  “Absolutely, I… we will never ever tell any other Players about what we saw,” Florence said. “It is not like I got any friends here to tell them about it.”

  “Where is Stella?” William clasped his hands, twirling his fingers.

  “Pardon me, why her?”

  “Because I said so.”

  William clenched his fist, plummeting it toward Florence. His knuckles smashed against her nose. Her head jerked. The chair where she sat tilted backward, slamming into the floor. The handcuffs dug into her skin, still tying her to the table.

  “Did you already forget what I said?” William said. He kneeled down next to Florence, wiping the blood off her face.

  Florence groaned, cracking her neck. “Absolutely, I understood every single word that you told me.”

  William nodded, brushing the front and then back of his hand on his trench coat. He stood up, stroking his trench coat.

  Florence inhaled and exhaled, counting to four. “She is not… here. Just like—”

  William clicked his tongue, kicking her in the chin. Her jaw was dislocated. A sharp pain erupted in her face. Her nerves shrieked, which could pop her veins under her skin. She drooled from the corner of her mouth, spilling her saliva over the floor. She mumbled, but her words did not come out properly in any shape or form.

  “Such a hassle. Come on, speak up,” William said. “I can’t hear you. Did you hear me, buddy? Or are you legally deaf?”

  Florence shook her head.

  William raised his foot, stomping the sole of his shoe into Florence’s abdomen.

  Florence screamed.

  “Now… now don’t get excited,” William said. He gripped the side of the steel chair, setting it back upright. Its legs screeched on the floor. “I mean, what would be the fun in that?”

  He opened the metal box, spilling the healing serum across the table. He picked up one of the syringes, stabbing its needle into Florence’s chin. His thumb pushed down on the plunger. The serum flooded into her bloodstream.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Her jaw snapped back to its original spot. The vessel in her nostrils stitched itself together, stopping the blood flow. The screech in her nerves slowly died down into a numbing murmur. She slumped her shoulder against the backrest, breathing heavily between her lips. In and out.

  William maintained his stoic expression on his face. “This brings back those… good old memories.”

  Florence raised her eyebrows, widening her eyes. “Please do not—”

  William gripped Florence’s throat, stopping air from moving in and out of her lungs. She gritted her teeth, sinking her nails into his wrist. But she could not pull away from his tight grasp on her neck. Her face paled. Her muscles and nerves screeched at her to take in more oxygen.

  “Let me finish first,” William said. “Do you understand, buddy?”

  Florence nodded.

  William furrowed his brow. “Good, you should have known your place just like all those trash.”

  Florence’s vision blurred. Her eyes rolled behind her head. She slapped William’s forearm. Her fingers wrapped around his right wrist, softer than usual skin, tugging at it. But she could not pull his grip away from her neck. The oxygen level in her lungs depleted bit by bit. Her muscles numbed, relaxing every single fiber in her body.

  “You only open your filthy mouth at me when I ask you a question. And you better give me a satisfying answer this time,” William said. He pulled his arm away from Florence’s throat. Then he wiped his palm on the table.

  The air rushed into Florence’s lungs. She hunched over. The chains of her handcuffs rattled.

  “Where is Stella?” William asked.

  “She… is safe from you, that is for sure.” Florence gasped for air. Her chest rose and fell. “At home.”

  William clutched the metal box, turning his fingers white. He swung it. A gray blur smashed against Florence’s skull, knocking her over. Her spine cracked. The chair screeched across the room. Her knees thumped onto the floor. One of the nails holding the table down popped out.

  Blood dripped down from her forehead, splashing onto her lap. But her body dulled, unable to move a muscle up to her neck. Not even a single fiber of it. Her veins and arteries in her chest throbbed, crushing her rib cage. A tremor spread through her bones.

  William snatched a syringe, stabbing the needle into Florence’s nape. Her nerves within her vertebrae snapped back together, causing her fingers to twitch. The lesion on her forehead was stitched, stopping the blood from flowing out of her arteries. She sighed, gritting her teeth together. Inhaling and exhaling. A chill lingered at the tip of her hands. Her heart sank and danced at the same time. When… would this stop…

  “We’ve got eyes and ears everywhere. Of course, we know she isn’t there,” William said. “So, where is she with details of the location?”

  Florence cleared her throat. “You will never find her. Especially with that ridiculous heavily armed NPC—”

  William thrust the syringe towards Florence’s pupil.

  Florence closed her eyes. A creak echoed through the concrete room. But… for some reason… her skin still has not been pierced. She opened her eyes, staring at the needle inches away from her.

  Behind William, a pink android stood in front of an opened door. He looked over his shoulder.

  “That is enough. We found her,” the pink android said. “Remember what we are supposed to be doing here. Also, it’s offline now, so you’ve got a few minutes.”

  William nodded, setting the syringe down on the table.

  “Good. Carry on.” The pink android slammed the door shut.

  William turned his head, facing Florence eye to eye. She gritted her teeth, breathing in and out through her nostrils.

  “Let’s make a deal,” William said. “You’re not going to investigate this new supernatural case in this renewed contract from the Wellor System. Do you understand?”

  Beads of sweat broke out on Florence’s left palm. Her mind raced. Then she shook her head, widening her eyes.

  William slammed the table, clenching on one of the healing serums. His skin under his nails paled. “It’s not worth it to go after it. Just let it blow by and pretend you saw nothing.”

  “Why… I mean… It is my only way back to my sister. The least you could do is give us more clues about the ghost we’re going after,” Florence said. “Because telling us to not trust our closest one is very vague. Plus, it would be absolutely nice of you to give us more hints so that I could get another Wish Crystal—”

  “Another Wish Crystal? Don’t you have one already?”

  “It might be… Pardon me. I meant to say that someone else took it. I have—”

  “Someone took it? Who is it?”

  “I have absolutely no idea. A… someone else told me.”

  William clicked his tongue, releasing his grip on the syringe. He paced around the table, swiping his fingertips across its edge. His footsteps echoed in this concert room, shivering Florence’s spine.

  Florence sniffed, biting her bottom lip. She raised her eyebrow. Her gaze followed William’s movement.

  “If I’ve to guess… That stolen Wish Crystal of yours is being sold in an auction house at District Peak,” William said. “When I said house… whatever… you’ll get the point later.”

  “That… is not helpful,” Florence said. “I have no idea where—”

  “You’ll figure it out. Since it’s one of those wealthy Players who live high above all of us. And, believe me, it’ll make a lot more sense when you see it yourself.”

  “I know what you are talking about. But… pardon me, that does not give me much information about where this District is located.”

  “Believe me, that place ego is so massive… it’s literally looming over our heads.”

  “Pardon—”

  William hushed, pressing his fingertip on Florence’s lips. He stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her head.

  “Don’t be a hassle. Did you already forget what I said… again?” William asked.

  “Absolutely not,” Florence said.

  “This is the last question… how is Jack?”

  “He is fine… wait, you know him?”

  Florence looked over her shoulder, raising her eyebrows at William.

  He nodded.

  Someone from outside knocked on the door.

  William’s face paled. His eyes widened. He inhaled and exhaled, gripping Florence’s hair and slamming her on the table. Her forehead cracked through the table. Splinters scattered across the concrete room. She thumped on the floor. Her cheeks pressed against the floor. Her nerves screamed.

  Blood trickled down her skin. Her vision blurred. Her eyelids closed halfway shut.

  Footsteps reverberated.

  William moved away from Florence. He clutched the door handle, lowering his head. The hinges creaked.

  “You know what to do now.” William shoved his hands into the pockets of his trench coat, walked through the doorway, and got out of there. “Get it done now.”

  The pink androids moved into the concrete room. A clang rang. The gears inside their body winded. They extended their arms out, wrapping them around Florence’s armpit and lifting her up.

  They put a sack over her head. A damp and ammonia stench filled up her nostrils.

  Something hard, like metal, slammed into her left temple.

  Her mind blanked.

  And… without a blink of an eye… everything fainted to black…