My childhood friend is in her mature, sophisticated form again today. - Chapter 45

A knock on the door. Cheng Ran walked in carrying a cup of coffee and placed it on the desk.

What time do we leave tomorrow?

“Early. Six o’clock.”

“Don’t rush in when you get there. Observe the surroundings first.”

“Know.”

Cheng Ran leaned against the edge of the table, looking at her. “Are you nervous?”

Lin Jiqiu thought for a moment. “I’m not nervous. It’s a different feeling, I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

“How does it feel?”

“It’s like unwrapping a gift. You don’t know what’s inside, but you have to unwrap it.”

Cheng Ran was silent for a few seconds, then took a small object from his pocket and handed it to her. It was a small, round metal disc, slightly larger than a coin, less than half a centimeter thick, with a frosted surface and a small raised edge. “What’s this?”

“A spare locator. Stick it on your underwear, peel off the backing and stick it directly. The signal and the communicator are on the same frequency, so if the communicator is lost or runs out of power, this will still work.” Cheng Ran paused, “Last time when you were underwater, the communicator almost got wet.”

Lin Jiqiu took the disc. “No water got in that time.”

“Almost.”

A slight smile curved her lips as she put the disc into her pocket. “Is there anything else you need to tell me?”

Cheng Ran thought for a moment. “‘Echo’ is indeed the middleman of the ‘Source,’ and he might not be alone. There might be security nearby, and there might be weapons. Once you get a picture of his face, don’t linger, leave immediately.”

“good.”

Cheng Ran looked at her, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded. “Go to sleep early.” He turned and walked to the door, then stopped. “Lin Jiqiu.”

“Um.”

“Your father’s affairs are not your fault.”

This was the second time he’d said it. Lin Jiqiu looked at him. “I know. You should go to sleep early too.”

The door closed. She sat on the edge of the bed, peeled off the adhesive backing of the spare locator, and stuck it to the inside of her collar. The metal disc felt cool against her skin, but after a while, it warmed up with her body heat and she couldn’t feel it anymore.

The next morning at five o’clock, Lin Jiqiu was woken up by her alarm clock. It was still dark; the morning light seeped in through the gaps in the curtains, like a thin layer of mist. She dressed in the dark, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and went downstairs. Ayou was already in the kitchen; steam was rising from the pot on the stove. He poked his head out when he saw her come down. “Boss, eat before you go.”

“Too late.”

“The porridge is ready, it’ll cool down quickly.” Ayou came out carrying a bowl of porridge and placed it on the coffee table. It was congee with preserved egg and lean pork; the preserved egg and lean pork were still intact, and the chopped scallions were neatly sprinkled on top. Lin Jiqiu sat down, picked up a spoon, and took a few sips. It was just the right temperature—not too hot, not too cold. She put down the spoon and pushed the bowl towards the center of the coffee table.

“I’m leaving.”

“Boss,” Ah You called out to her, his lips moved a few times, and after a long while he managed to squeeze out a sentence, “Come back soon.”

Lin Jiqiu nodded, opened the door, and went out. The wind chimes tinkled. A-Zuo was already waiting in the car, starting the engine, the headlights shining in the morning mist. Lin Jiqiu got in, and A-Zuo drove the car out onto the street.

“Boss, I’ll go with you this time.”

“No need. You stay at the firm.”

“Brother Cheng asked me to go.”

Lin Jiqiu glanced at him. A-Zuo’s expression didn’t change, but his fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly. “He said it’s too dangerous for you to go alone, and told me to wait for you from the shadows. I’m not going in; I’ll just wait outside.”

Lin Jiqiu was silent for a few seconds. “Then let’s go together.”

The car entered the highway. The sky gradually brightened, the morning mist dissipated, and sunlight shone from the east. Lin Jiqiu leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed, her mind filled with images of that office building—the glass curtain wall, the card reader in the lobby, and the target between the fifteenth and eighteenth floors.

“Boss,” A-Zuo began. “Hmm.” “Do you think ‘Echo’ would recognize you?” “Probably not. He’s never been to the agency. He might have given him my photo through the telescope, or he might not.”

“What if he knows him?”

“That’s even better. It saves me the trouble of introducing myself.”

A-Zuo’s lips curved slightly.

It was not yet ten o’clock when they arrived at the coastal city in the south. Lin Jiqiu asked A Zuo to park the car in an alley near the office building, and then got out and walked over. The sun was shining brightly, and the sea breeze blew in from the end of the street, carrying a salty and fishy smell. Lin Jiqiu bought a cup of coffee at a convenience store across from the office building, sat by the window, placed his backpack on the chair next to him, and pointed the dashcam on his shoulder strap towards the office building.

It was still early. She slowly sipped her coffee, gazing out the window. Many people were coming and going: office workers in suits, cleaners in overalls, deliverymen. Just like last week, there were no particularly striking faces. She finished her coffee and waited another hour. At 11:30, she went to the restroom and returned with a fresh cup of coffee.

It was 12 o’clock. Lunchtime, and more people were coming and going. She observed everyone leaving the office building but didn’t see anything suspicious. At 12:40, the flow of people gradually thinned out. At 1:30, she saw someone walk out of the office building.

He didn’t come out of the lobby—he came out of a side door. The man was wearing a dark jacket and a baseball cap pulled low, obscuring his face. He was of medium build, walking at a moderate pace, and carrying a black briefcase. Lin Jiqiu’s fingers tightened slightly on her coffee cup.

“Cheng Ran.” She lowered her voice. “Yes.” Cheng Ran’s voice came through the communicator, very clear. “A person came out of the side door. Dark jacket, baseball cap, black briefcase. It could be him.” “Did you get a picture of his face?” “No. The brim of his hat was too low.” “Follow him. Don’t get too close.”

Lin Jiqiu put down her coffee cup, picked up her backpack, and walked out of the convenience store. The person walked east along the sidewalk, his steps steady, without looking back. Lin Jiqiu followed behind, keeping a distance of about fifty meters. There weren’t many people on the street, and she didn’t dare to get too close.

The man reached an intersection and stopped to wait for the red light. Lin Jiqiu also stopped, pretending to rummage through her backpack, her eyes constantly watching his back. The light turned green, and he crossed the street and entered a small alley. Lin Jiqiu followed. The alley wasn’t long, lined with old residential buildings on both sides, with small shops on the ground floor—a barbershop, a general store, and a fruit stand. The man went into the fruit stand, bought a few bananas, and then continued walking.

At the end of the alley was a narrower road, lined with parked cars on both sides. The man walked to a black SUV, opened the door, and got in. Lin Jiqiu stopped at the alley entrance and noted the license plate number. The SUV started, pulled out of its parking space, and drove away in another direction. She turned back and texted Cheng Ran: “License plate number, black SUV.” A reply came quickly: “Received. I’ll check.”

Back near the office building, Lin Jiqiu bought another coffee at a convenience store and sat down to continue waiting. Would that person come back? Maybe not. If he really was “Echo,” his work was done. At three o’clock sharp, his phone vibrated. Cheng Ran’s message: “That SUV belongs to a car rental company, and the renter’s name is ‘Li Ming.’ No further information can be found; it might be a fake identity.”

At 3 PM, Cheng Ran’s voice came through Lin Jiqiu’s communicator. “His IP is online. Floors 15 to 18. Same as last week.” Lin Jiqiu looked up at the glass curtain wall of the office building. “He’s back. He came in through the side door.”

“Observe carefully.”

Lin Jiqiu stared at the side entrance of the office building. At 3:30, the man emerged from the side entrance, this time without a hat, still carrying the same black briefcase. Her finger pressed on the dashcam on the backpack strap, the camera pointed at his face. He took a few steps, stopped, took his phone out of his pocket, glanced at it, and then continued walking. This time she didn’t follow. Enough, capturing his face was enough.

She packed her things and left the convenience store, heading towards where Ah Zuo had parked. The first thing she did after getting in the car was to remove the dashcam and take out the memory card, putting it in her pocket.

“Boss, did you get a picture?”

“I got the photos. I’ll have Cheng Ran check them when I get back.” A Zuo started the car and drove out of the alley.

It was almost midnight when they got back to the office. Ah You was still waiting on the sofa, Ah Hua was curled up on his lap, Ah Mo was squatting on top of the bookshelf, and Ah Ju was lying under the coffee table. When Lin Jiqiu pushed the door open, Ah You suddenly woke up, and Ah Hua jumped off his lap.

“The boss is back!”

“Hmm.” Lin Jiqiu changed her shoes, walked to the sofa, sat down, and handed the memory card to Cheng Ran—who had come downstairs sometime earlier. “I got a picture. His face.”

Cheng Ran took the memory card, inserted it into the tablet, and pulled up the video. The image was a bit shaky, but the face was clear—a middle-aged man, around forty years old, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and slightly downturned lips. Cheng Ran took a few screenshots, zoomed in, and compared them to the photos in the database.

“I’ve seen this person before.” Cheng Ran’s voice lowered.

“where?”

“Internal information of the Stargazers. Not ‘Echo,’ but someone else. Code name ‘Mirror.'”

Lin Jiqiu’s fingers tightened slightly. “A mirror? A mirror meeting?”

“Possibly a core member of the Mirror Society. ‘Echo’ and ‘Mirror’—perhaps the same person using two identities.”

“Still two people?”

“Uncertain. But if it’s the same person, he’s closer to the ‘source’ than we thought.”

The room fell silent. Ah You brought over two cups of tea and placed them on the coffee table without making a sound.

“Chengran, continue investigating his background tomorrow. The more detailed the better.”

“good.”

Lin Jiqiu picked up her teacup and took a sip. The tea had gone cold and tasted very astringent. She looked at the printed face on the coffee table—a square face, thick eyebrows, and slightly downturned lips. She memorized that face.