novelraw Chapter 972: Lost (8)
Chapter 972: Lost (8)
It wasn't just the Joan in the white sweater, the Joan in the hoodie, and Agu Moss.
Although the passageway was relatively quiet, there were still some passersby. Those who witnessed the incident were now looking at Agu Moss, who had collapsed to the ground, in shock and confusion.
Clearly, the onlookers didn’t recognize Agu Moss or see the full details of the two women and one man involved in the struggle. But seeing someone suddenly attacked, then another person fall to the ground, naturally piqued their curiosity about what had just happened.
With pedestrians rushing over, the expressions of the two Joans were strikingly different. The Joan who had attacked Agu Moss furrowed her brow, visibly irritated, while the Joan in the white sweater clenched her teeth and immediately turned to run.
The hoodie Joan sneered but quickly noticed something was off—her expression changed drastically. She realized the Eye of Horus ring on her finger was gone.
When did it happen? Was it during the struggle when she was pinned to the ground and strangled?
The target had always been the ring on her hand.
The hoodie Joan’s gaze turned cold. She took a large step forward, chasing after the fleeing Joan in the white sweater.
"Hey! Stop!!"
Two bystanders arrived at the scene, only to see Agu Moss lying on the ground, blood gushing from his abdomen. They abandoned any thoughts of chasing the attacker and instead began shouting for help.“Joan…”
Agu Moss lay on the ground in unbearable pain, his blurry vision catching the sight of the two Joans running off—one chasing the other.
It seemed like they were both pursuing something.
He had never seen this side of Joan before. When she coldly declared she would destroy everything while still calling him "darling," it was as though she had lost her soul. Her body felt like an empty shell, like a walking corpse long since decayed.
In a daze, Agu Moss slowly closed his eyes. The cries of the bystanders faded away. His vision narrowed until he could only see the back of the hoodie Joan disappearing into the distance. She was chasing after something.
---
“Is the body missing?”
The head of the Criminal Investigation Team, who had just arrived, was shocked by the bizarre report he was hearing. After the victim’s body in the restroom had inexplicably vanished, even stranger events unfolded.
When the forensic team returned after searching for clues, they discovered that the bloodstains that should have remained by the body had also disappeared.
The blood wasn’t wiped away—it had completely vanished, as confirmed by UV light testing.
Han Bingjiang, though still unconscious, now posed a significant problem. Without the body or blood evidence, how could charges be filed against him?
The case had reached a deadlock, with no progress possible due to the missing evidence.
“What about that woman—Joan, is it? Has she been found yet?” the team leader asked helplessly.
From what the interrogators had gathered, Han Bingjiang repeatedly mentioned Joan, leading to the airport broadcast calling for her. While it was a long shot, any clue involving this woman could potentially lead somewhere.
“No sign of Joan yet, but we’ve just received reports of a malicious assault in Zone C. A foreign man was stabbed in the abdomen with a sharp object—the weapon was...a dining fork!”
“A fork!” the team leader exclaimed.
The report mentioned that the victim in the restroom may also have been killed with a dining fork. It was, after all, the bloody fork that led to Han Bingjiang’s arrest when it fell out of his clothing.
“Forks, bodies, blood…” The team leader frowned. “Check the bloodstains on the clothing Han Bingjiang used to wrap the fork. Are they still there?”
“Huh?” The team members were confused but hurried to comply under the team leader’s glare.
They returned shortly, visibly alarmed. Holding a sealed evidence bag, one officer stammered, “Sir...the bloodstains on the clothes...they’re gone!”
“What?”
The team leader was visibly stunned. He had seen the evidence upon arrival, and the bloodstains were clearly there.
Could everyone’s eyes have deceived them?
“This is too bizarre…” he murmured. Then, suddenly decisive, he barked, “Find that woman who attacked the foreign man! Bring her in immediately! I have a feeling the answers lie with her. Move!”
“Yes, sir!”
---
Meanwhile, Song Haoran strolled leisurely through the airport with Song Ying.
Despite the tense situation, Song Haoran’s ever-present smile made him appear completely unperturbed. His calm demeanor reminded Song Ying of Luo Qiu.
She couldn’t help but feel frustrated. While she recognized her own tendency to panic, knowing didn’t help her change it. She envied their composure but was also irritated by it.
“What was that kid’s name again?” Song Haoran suddenly stopped and asked.
“Paul, you mean?” Song Ying replied instinctively.
Nodding, Song Haoran turned abruptly and headed toward a stairwell leading to a smoking room. Song Ying followed, puzzled, only to see him approach a small storage room near the cigarette vending area.
Song Haoran reached for the lock on the storage room door. With a firm twist, he broke the lock and opened the door.
“Is this it?” Song Haoran asked, gesturing toward the small room.
“How could he be here…” Song Ying trailed off, stunned.
Inside the storage room was Paul, wrapped in a long black coat—the same coat Joan had been wearing earlier. Lying nearby was a woman in a uniform, likely an employee from the cigarette vending area, unconscious.
“It seems this situation is far from simple,” Song Haoran said, narrowing his eyes as he observed Paul. “His backpack is here too.”
“So Luo Qiu has already met Paul?” Song Ying asked, frowning. “And he’s interacted with that Joan in black?”
“Possibly,” Song Haoran replied, kneeling to open Paul’s backpack.
“Hey, don’t rummage through someone else’s things! That’s unethical!” Song Ying protested.
“Maybe there’s a clue inside. Don’t you want to know why there are two Joans?” Song Haoran teased.
Song Ying hesitated but eventually watched as he began searching through the backpack. It contained simple items: a sketchbook, a pack of crayons, a small bag of candy, and some trinkets.
“What's this kid's deal?” Song Haoran suddenly exclaimed.
“What is it?” Song Ying leaned in curiously.
Song Haoran flipped open the sketchbook to a specific page and held it up for Song Ying to see.
The drawing was extremely simple, even crude—yet upon closer inspection, it sent chills down one's spine.
In the black outline of a room, one woman held a small knife, while another lay on the ground. The floor was heavily colored red with crayon.
The color of blood!
"How could this child draw something like this?" Song Ying asked, her lips slightly parted in shock.
"Children tend to remember what they see," Song Haoran said calmly. "We often think kids easily forget things, but the truth is, they remember far more than adults, sometimes even for a lifetime."
"Then… could this be the scene of the murder?" Song Ying asked, disbelief in her voice.
"Things seem to be getting more interesting," Song Haoran said with a smile, gazing thoughtfully at the sleeping Paul.
Suddenly, Song Haoran picked Paul up and said to Song Ying, "Come on, let's hide. Maybe we'll see something interesting soon. If they hid him here, they'll likely come back."
"Huh? Wait a minute…"
Seeing Song Haoran already carrying Paul and searching for a hiding spot, Song Ying sighed, slung Paul's backpack over her shoulder, and closed the storeroom door before following him.
Being around Song Haoran was never boring. But his penchant for trouble was truly exhausting… How had he even found Paul hidden in there?
The two quickly hid—pretending to be travelers napping in a rest area near the stairs. Of course, Paul was covered with a coat to disguise him.
"Will this even work?" Song Ying asked, frowning. It felt like Song Haoran had completely forgotten their original purpose.
Weren’t they supposed to find Luo Qiu?
"They're coming," Song Haoran suddenly whispered, gesturing for her to be quiet. He turned his head slightly to look back.
"Joan… there are two of them!"
Ahead and behind, the two Joans were in a desperate chase. The one leading wore a white sweater, while the one behind had on a hoodie. The Joan in the white sweater headed toward the stairs leading to the smoking area.
"Looks like the show is about to start," Song Haoran said, smacking his lips as if anticipating something exciting.
"Ugh, how can you think about eating now? What are you eating anyway?"
"Soft candy, found it in the kid's backpack. Want some? It's pretty good," Song Haoran said, extending his hand.
"You’re unbelievable! Stealing a kid’s snacks!" Song Ying rolled her eyes, stood up in frustration, and walked toward the stairs. She wanted to see what exactly was going on with these two Joans.
Song Haoran shrugged, picked Paul up, and glanced at the candy in his hand. "When did this brand start making this flavor? Never noticed before."
He curiously checked the production date.
July 11, 2025.
"2025?"
…
…
"Thank you," Joan suddenly said.
Luo Qiu stopped walking and looked at her with a curious expression.
Joan quickly added, "You saved me, and I didn’t properly thank you. That was rude of me."
"What’s it like to be an actress?" Luo Qiu asked out of the blue.
Joan was startled by the question. After a moment of daze, she smiled bitterly. "It’s never as glamorous as it seems. Some love it, while others despise it but keep going. We’re all just forcing ourselves to endure it. Honestly, decades from now, who would even remember us?"
"True," Luo Qiu nodded. "Let’s go. Time is running out."
He pointed in a direction that wasn’t the location mentioned in the announcement. Joan frowned and instinctively asked, "Time is running out… what do you mean?"
"Your time," Luo Qiu said after a moment. "Or rather, the time left for all of you. That’s just my interpretation."
"I don’t understand what you’re talking about," Joan said, feeling uneasy as her previously lowered guard rose again.
"Do you believe everyone is unique?" Luo Qiu asked suddenly.
Joan stared at him, puzzled.
"Everyone is unique, at least within the same timeline," Luo Qiu explained. "That’s why you never see another version of yourself. It’s this uniqueness that keeps time and space stable. Think of the world as a clock. Each of us is a cog in its mechanism. When a cog stops, wears out, or needs replacing, it’s a natural process. But if an extra, foreign cog is added, disrupting the balance, what happens to the clock?"
"I… I don’t understand."
"Your hand," Luo Qiu said softly.
"My hand…" Joan instinctively raised her arm. "My hand!"
To her horror, her hand had become translucent, as if it were fading away. She could see through it to the ground below.
"You’ll be erased," Luo Qiu said seriously. "Think of it as a self-defense mechanism. The system will eliminate components that don’t belong, ensuring stability and restoring order so time can move forward. Do you understand now?"
"I… I’m going to disappear?" Joan, terrified, reached out to grab Luo Qiu’s arm, but her hand passed right through him.
"So I said, your time is running out."