It was late at night when the alley between the residential buildings was quiet. There was only one dim and flickering old street lamp in the alley, casting shadows on the brick walls. The graffiti on the walls was blurry, giving off a sense of the 80s. The street lamp flickered more intensely, and a figure suddenly appeared, breaking the harmonious scene in the alley. Dressed in a black hat, black trench coat, black boots, and black sunglasses, the figure stared at the pile of cardboard boxes in the alley. It was Yin, a dark figure standing out under the street lamp.
The street lamp shook even more, making Yin afraid that it would fall. Without looking back, he threw the suitcase over the pile of boxes and jumped over himself. The cardboard boxes toppled and scattered in the narrow alley, almost tripping the several men who were chasing after him. Yin tightly held onto the suitcase, taking larger steps than ever before. As he caught his breath, Yin looked back and saw the thugs still searching through the boxes. He couldn't help but feel relieved. Yin turned at a T-junction and completely lost the pursuers.
Yin began to rejoice in his victory. Looking back now, everything that had just happened seemed to be arranged perfectly. He had encountered a pile of cardboard boxes just when he was about to be caught, and after escaping, he happened to come across a fork in the road. It was a perfect combination for escaping danger. Perhaps it was fate looking out for him.
As Yin snapped back to reality, he realized that he had arrived at a place he had never seen before. Of course, it was still an alley, like the many alleys he had run through before, but this one was much cleaner and the walls had a touch of European style. Yin wasn't interested in architecture, but he noticed an open ventilation duct next to him, with the cover missing. In an uncertain place like this, a inconspicuous corner seemed to be the best hiding spot. With this thought in mind, Yin shrugged, hid the suitcase behind his back, and crawled into the duct. The duct was just big enough to fit one person. After crawling in, Yin realized that the ventilation duct was not a good place to sleep. The walls were cold, the thin metal felt fragile to the touch, and there was a constant cold breeze. Where was the wind coming from?
But since he had already entered, it seemed foolish to turn back now, and there was a possibility of being caught. Yin decided to crawl deeper into the duct to see where it led. He pushed the suitcase while supporting himself with his hands. Yin's gaze switched back and forth between the suitcase and the darkness ahead. The cold wind blew on his face, making his eyes dry. In such a cramped space, Yin had to control his movements as much as possible because he could feel that the thin metal beneath him was only a thin layer. As he moved forward, the metal would dent along with his movement. It was obvious that the ventilation duct was not designed for passage, and Yin began to realize this. But it was too late for regrets now. Yin watched helplessly as a screw popped out from its original position.
"Ah!" Yin fell out of the duct, hearing someone scream. He quickly got up and stared at the person in front of him, hiding the suitcase behind him and pointing his index finger at the person. The person was shorter than Yin, and Yin believed that the difference in size was somewhat intimidating, but the person simply reached out and slapped Yin's extended finger.
"Aren't you afraid that I have a weapon?" Yin asked.
"If you say that, do you think I would believe you?" the person replied.
The person brushed aside their long hair, revealing a sly smile. Yin took a step back, but ended up against the wall, staring at the person in front of him in confusion. Black beret, black boots, black leather jacket, and hands hidden behind their back, this person seemed to be a fellow traveler.
"You're not from here either, right?" Yin took another step forward, feeling relieved.
"Maybe, maybe not, but I know for sure that you're not," the person replied, still maintaining that mischievous smile.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave," Yin said, not wanting to get entangled with this mysterious person any longer.
"Hey, don't go. I'm really curious about what's inside that suitcase of yours," the person casually followed along.
"Hey! Are you working with those people?" Yin shouted at the person.
"Hey, don't be nervous. You guessed wrong, I'm not anyone. I don't have anything in my hands," the person raised their hands to show their innocence.
"Then don't interfere with my business!" Yin turned to leave.
"Hey! Do you know where this is?"
Yin looked around. It was a passage with an unknown purpose. One end had a sign indicating the way to the exit, while the other end was pitch black, and Yin couldn't see the path. At this moment, Yin could simply go towards the safe exit and prove how foolish the person's question was. But reason told him that leaving through the safe passage would surely alert the security personnel in the building. A person dressed in black coming out of a service passage in the middle of the night was as suspicious as it could get.
"The ventilation duct is broken because of you, and now I can't escape," the person said, looking up at the ceiling, hands on their hips.
Yin didn't say anything, he couldn't understand what kind of person would appear at this time and in this place, and still be so carefree.
"Follow me," the person crossed their arms and walked in the opposite direction of the safe exit. Yin had no other choice but to follow.
"So," after walking a few steps, the person asked the same question again, "what's inside that suitcase?"
"I don't know," Yin looked to the side.
"You don't know? Then why are you carrying it?" the person's tone remained light as they continued walking ahead.
"I'm just completing a mission, doing what I'm supposed to do."
"What's your mission?"
"Isn't it obvious? I can't let this suitcase be taken by someone else. I have to..."
"Then you don't have much professional integrity, carrying such an important thing and following someone you don't even know," the person turned their head and smiled, "Do you know where I'm taking you?"
"Who are you?" Yin suddenly stepped back, "Don't come any closer!"
"What's the point of coming closer? Does your little suitcase have a working gun?" the person continued to approach Yin, unfazed.
"What do you want?" Yin held onto the suitcase tightly, ready to fight, slowly moving closer.
"I can give it back to you, but you have to tell me what's inside," the person said.
"I really don't know!"
"Then tell me who gave you this suitcase."
Yin didn't answer, but his expression gradually changed from anger to confusion.
"Well, you must know where you're supposed to take this suitcase, right?"
Yin still didn't answer. He stood up straight, put down his hands, and stared at the person in front of him with empty eyes.
"I don't know..."
The person frowned and walked towards Yin. They saw that Yin's eyes were filled with confusion, and he seemed much smaller than before, as if he could collapse with a gentle touch. The person grabbed one of Yin's hands, placed the suitcase in it, but the handle slipped from their hand and fell to the ground.
"What's wrong with you?"
Yin's pupils trembled, his eyes slowly turned to face the person, and he struggled against nonexistent things on the ground. Finally, he managed to utter four words from his throat:
"I don't know..."
"Hey! What are you pretending to be crazy for?!"
Yin suddenly grabbed the suitcase, got up, and ran towards the direction of the safe exit.
"Hey! Don't go that way..." the person hurriedly chased after him, "Ah, damn it."
Yin almost instinctively ran towards the green light of the sign. He saw Mr. Pito waiting for him at the exit, and he heard the footsteps and curses of the person chasing him from behind. He couldn't distinguish which way was the right path, but he couldn't care about that now. Time didn't allow it, and neither did his sanity.
The motion sensor lights in the stairwell turned on one by one. Yin raised his hand to chest level while running, so he could see the suitcase and feel reassured. Then, the piercing sound of an alarm rang out, but it couldn't drown out the footsteps and curses of the person behind him. Yin had become like a walking corpse, no sound could make him stop. He had to deliver the suitcase to where it needed to go, no matter where that was.
Yin escaped from the stairwell and was greeted by the dim daylight and security guards waiting at the entrance. Yin gritted his teeth, swung the suitcase horizontally, and knocked down the person blocking his path. He leaped down the stairs at the entrance, flipping over roadblocks and police lines. The red and blue lights flickered, and the headlights of cars on the road shone on him, creating a mosaic of zebra stripes that swayed. Sirens, barking dogs, car horns, the noise of the crowd, and someone's shouting, these sounds penetrated Yin's mind, almost deafening him, until one voice quieted everything down.
A gunshot.
Yin stopped, turning his head in confusion to see the person on the ground and the police officer standing next to the body, holding a gun. He looked around in a daze, surrounded by riot police with shields, and outside the cordon were crying children, frightened women, and men with eerie expressions.
Yin didn't raise his hands. In front of everyone's eyes, he opened the suitcase.
There was nothing inside.