Chapter 1

The phone rang while I was still groggy.

A glance at the digital clock in the living room told me it was close to one in the morning.

My wife still hadn’t come home.

The caller ID showed an unknown number, ringing persistently.

In the dead silence of the night, the ringtone sounded especially jarring.

Uneasy, I picked up.

“Hello, this is Zhang Lei, an officer with the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Cang City Public Security Bureau. My badge number is 723xxx. Are you Mr. Zhong Huiming, husband of Ms. Ding Ning?”

“Yes.”

“Is it convenient for you to talk right now? Is there anyone else with you?”

“It’s convenient.”

The voice on the other end was steady: “I’m sorry to inform you that your wife, Ding Ning, has been involved in a personal injury case in our jurisdiction. She is not in any life-threatening danger at the moment, but we need a family member to come and cooperate.”

“Alright.”

“Please proceed immediately to the ‘Green Channel’ entrance on the third floor of the First People’s Hospital. We have arranged for a female officer to wait for you there. She will explain the situation to you in detail when you meet.”

“Please do not disclose this to anyone for now, to avoid causing secondary harm to your wife. Thank you!”

When I tried to ask for more details, Officer Zhang avoided answering, only stressing that I should get to the designated location at the hospital as soon as possible.

Everything else, he said, would be discussed in person.

I wanted to press further, but the call was already disconnected.

When I called back, the line was busy.

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might leap out of my chest.

A very bad premonition was rising from deep within me.