A Fickle Lock

Restricting his movement and forbidding travel naturally meant he could no longer proceed with the Soul Kingdom of Heaven plan. Even in the sorcerer nations, Yaxiu had needed to rely on public transit systems to travel, let alone in the Nation of Stars with its mysterious chains mechanism; rapid travel was impossible without societal infrastructure and resources. Hearing this, everyone understood the true objective behind the serial murders. Weixi chuckled softly, Igola blew a smoke ring, Feili looked somewhat downcast, and Rose kept looking at her phone. "I understand," Yaxiu nodded. "A reasonable way to handle it." Lucia let out a breath of relief. She was actually very reluctant to tell a suspect that he was likely to be cleared without charges, and she was far from an advocate of vigilantism. Yet for some reason, even though all the evidence pointed directly at Yaxiu, she suddenly felt that he wasn't the kind of psychopathic monster who staged bait to murder people. Even with the outside crawling with officers and his hands already cuffed, he had listened through the details of the case without the slightest panic or haste, as if this were hardly his first time being arrested. The calm confidence in his eyes had even settled Lucia's anxious nerves. That was why she had told Yaxiu not to worry or let things escalate—cooperating obediently with the investigation was his best choice. "To stop me, she actually resorted to this...?" Yaxiu lowered his eyelids and exhaled. "It really is just like her. Crude and direct, but effective." "Rose, where is she?" "I've already sent her phone's location to you," Rose said. "She's moving toward the outskirts of the city." "I need a car," Yaxiu said, standing up. "The fastest sports car possible." "The Oracle Comet, limited to ninety-nine units nationwide. The fastest commercial sports car currently on the market." Rose tossed a car key to Yaxiu. "It's already autopilot-navigating over from the station garage. Do you need me to drive?" "No need." Yaxiu caught the car key. "Just how many cars did you bring on this trip?" "Just two: the Oracle Comet, which can catch up to anyone, and the Phantom Stars, which can carry everyone." Lucia sensed something was off. "Mr. Heath, you—" "Shh." Yaxiu pressed a finger to his lips and winked at the female officer. "Just a moment, please. I'll be right with you." "Weixi." He looked at the maid, who was eating grapes. "How much do you know?" "I've only seen her once or twice by chance." Weixi peeled away the grape skin and flicked the fruit across the room toward Yaxiu. "I'm not a pervert. I don't go chasing down pretty girls in a car to harass them." Yaxiu caught the grape in his mouth, entirely immune to her sarcasm. "Why didn't you tell me? If you can't give me a good reason..." "I thought she was like me—just hungry." Weixi chuckled. "Besides, do you really want me playing the snitch? When we get back, if I find out the Sword Princess or the Witch is scheming behind your back, do you want me to be the one ratting them out?" Yaxiu's lips parted slightly, surprisingly swayed by her twisted logic. If he permitted Weixi to tattle, she could openly sow discord and fan the flames in the future, which would be far more disastrous. He never doubted that if you gave Weixi a ray of sunshine, she would blaze brightly enough to burn everything to ash. He sighed and looked toward the doorway. "Igola, how is it?" The deceiver puffed away at his smoke. Beside him, all the police officers had vacant eyes and stood quiet as chickens. As a Mind legendary, he needed only his voice, a look, and a trace of hallucinogenic substance to completely relax ordinary mortals, making them forget the tragic reality of working overtime late into the night. "I dislike people pulling petty tricks behind my back," Igola said calmly. "And with such crude methods too—not an ounce of artistry to speak of." "...Aren't you constantly pulling tricks behind my and Harvey's backs, though?" "Of course." Igola arched an eyebrow. "What of it? Does a thief not care when the rotten lock on his own door is crudely jimmyed open?" "Leaving aside how atrocious your metaphor is, why did you have to emphasize 'rotten lock'?! You didn't need to add the word 'rotten' at all!" "Well, 'a fickle lock' sounded rather strange..." Yaxiu held his forehead, then turned to Rose, clasping his hands together in an apologetic, pleading gesture. "I'll have to trouble you again with what comes next..." "I'll handle it. It's not a major issue," Rose said calmly. "Dealing with an employer's homicide cases falls within an assistant's scope of duty." "I want to go too!" Feili stood up, full of self-blame. "I should have noticed sooner. I was supposed to know her best..." "You know her personality. The more people there are, the more nervous she gets, and she might even have an acute stress reaction," Yaxiu said. "Besides, the reason for all of this is me, so it has to be me." "I'll leave things here to you all. I'll be back soon." Yaxiu pulled Lucia up and slid open the balcony glass door. The raging wind and torrential rain immediately howled inside. Catching the umbrella Rose tossed to him, he said to Lucia, "My apologies, Officer Underwood. There are snipers outside, so I'll have to ask you to escort me down." "Good thing it's pouring today and visibility is very low." Yaxiu felt the rain lashing his face. "As long as we're fast enough, there shouldn't be an issue." "Mr. Heath!" Lucia thought he had lost his mind. "Every entry and exit is guarded by officers! You couldn't possibly—" "True, but this escape route is one you definitely haven't guarded." Lucia watched in sheer horror as Yaxiu pulled her onto the balcony, launched off the railing, and leaped down from the twenty-seventh floor. The instant her feet left solid ground, her mind went completely blank. It wasn't until the wind roared in her ears and she felt herself held tight in the suspect's embrace that her senses returned. They had jumped! Why? Why? Why?! Her daughter was still at home waiting for her call. She still wanted to take her daughter to Xiaguang Happy World this weekend. Her daughter's birthday was only a month away, and she had already prepared the birthday gift, and... and... "Close your eyes." Yaxiu's voice was clearly audible over the roaring wind. He covered Lucia's eyes with his hand. "It's all right." Like grasping at a lifeline, Lucia clamped her eyes shut, as if not looking would invite a miracle. Whoosh. The howling air died away, replaced once again by the pitter-patter of rain filling her ears. Lucia's heart pounded violently with tension. It wasn't until her feet touched the ground and Yaxiu told her she could open her eyes that she cautiously peeked them open. They were on the commercial street beside the hotel. Because of the torrential downpour and the late hour, there were no pedestrians around—only the neon signs of the shops glowing brightly through the veil of rain. Lucia stared at herself in a daze. She had jumped from the twenty-seventh floor, yet she didn't have a scratch on her? She even felt rather invigorated, as though she had merely completed a completely safe bungee jump. What had just happened? What did Yaxiu Heath do? Snap. Lucia looked up to see Yaxiu open the umbrella, not a single raindrop blowing under the canopy. "Officer Underwood, I'm heading out. Could you please take off the handcuffs?" "...Huh?" "I need to catch up to someone," Yaxiu said. "So I can't go back with you for now, but I will return to turn myself in. If you're worried about facing consequences, you can tell them I coerced you." Yaxiu's tone was so matter-of-fact and considerate, as if he took it for granted that she would actually agree. The dashing, resolute female officer lowered her head and fell silent for a long moment. Yaxiu didn't rush her. It wasn't until a sleek sports car smoothly glided around the corner and pulled up beside them that Lucia spoke: "Mr. Heath, can I trust you?" "Just call me Yaxiu," he replied. "You can believe in me just as you would believe in miracles." Lucia stared blankly at him, then let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "What is that supposed to mean...?" She took out her key and unlocked the cuffs. Yaxiu used his key fob to raise the sports car's gullwing door and handed the umbrella to Lucia. "This umbrella is yours." Watching Yaxiu slide into the sports car, Lucia couldn't help but ask, "It wasn't really you who committed those crimes, was it?" "Why do you say that?" Yaxiu chuckled. "You almost had me convinced I was the killer." "If you're not the killer, all the more reason you should cooperate with the investigation. We would definitely clear your name. Running away and resisting arrest will only escalate the situation," Lucia urged earnestly. "If you must go, you could at least take me with you. I could cover for you to some degree by saying you went to follow up on a lead." Yaxiu gave her a surprised look. "Officer Underwood..." "Lucia Underwood." For some reason, the female officer volunteered her full name. "Miss Lucia, thank you for your concern." Yaxiu smiled. "I don't know if this counts as compensation, but when I turn myself in, I'll say that your persuasion caused me to turn over a new leaf and return from the stray path." "Oh, right. Earlier you mentioned your child is a loyal reader of mine." He retrieved an autograph board from the car and quickly jotted down a few words. "Mr. Heath appreciates her support." Lucia looked down and saw, penned in ink across the board: "Wishing happiness and joy to Lucia Underwood and her beloved child." Clutching the autograph board, she watched the glossy black door lower into place and the engine roar to life. The sports car left behind an afterimage in the veil of rain before vanishing around the street corner.