Bravely, Wenjie withstood the growing pressure on his head. What was this technology these men used to create nightmares, that weakened his mental resilience? His thoughts were unable to distract him for long.

Captain Luo slapped the table with one hand. The sound echoed between the walls and rang in Wenjie's ears. 

“The thief's tools you told me about. You didn't just hear about it. You used it!”

Every word was like a hammer blow. But this time, Wenjie didn't avoid the older's gaze. “You know that's not true!”

Captain Luo walked around the table. He stopped in a slightly stooped position, his hands braced in front of him. His eyes narrowed to slits. “Where are your accomplices?”

“I don't work for Ding Shenghuo. He gained access to my apartment. He and his people left before you arrived.” That was so absurd. Why was he even answering him? Wenjie exhaled deeply. Briefly, he closed his eyes and shook his head. 

Once again, Captain Luo banged his fist on the table, which creaked suspiciously. “Don't lie to me. We know everything about you.” 

Wenjie leaned back. His hands dropped from the table to his lap. “Ding Shenghuo is hiding in a car repair shop with his people. I can take you there.” 

Captain Luo placed a piece of paper and a pen on the table for him. “You're not going anywhere. Write down the address!”

Wenjie remained silent. His hands formed fists. He didn't know the address. Ding Wei had always forced him to wear a blindfold. In terms of time, that hadn't even happened yet. 

“You'd better cooperate with us!” Captain Luo walked around the table again, grabbed him roughly by the wrists and forced him to put his hands on the tabletop. 

“I didn't see the street's name,” Wenjie confessed. 

Suddenly he felt a cold hand on the back of his neck. “So you were there.” A lurking undertone crept into Captain Luo's voice. “What is your real goal? The fact, that you reported the theft is a red herring.”

“Liao Detong. Ding Shenghuo wants to sell the painting to him and gain access to his vault.”

Captain Luo let go of him and slapped the back of his head with the flat of his hand. Wenjie pressed his lips together. This wasn't the real Luo Jian. He couldn't forget that. But the longer the questioning went on, the deeper the images and words dug into his consciousness. 

Wenjie tried a different approach. “You've seen my paintings. Compare it with the fake painting in the museum. If I worked for Ding Shenghuo, he wouldn't have had to hire someone else.”

Without warning, Captain Luo grabbed him by the hair and pressed his head against the tabletop. His ear hurt from the sudden impact. He tried to wriggle out. The man's other hand gripped his shoulder like a vice. Luo Jian leaned down towards him so that Wenjie could feel his breath. 

“Liao Detong would have exposed your forgeries immediately. But I don't believe you about Ding Shenghuo. Who are you really working for?” 

“Police violence won't get you any other answers,” Wenjie replied calmly. It hurt. 

Captain Luo yanked him back up, but continued to hold him. “So you're admitting that there's someone else?”

“Xu Zhengqing.” 

The air in front of his eyes flickered. For a fraction of a second, the dust turned into tiny pixels. Through the transparent background, he saw a figure. A furrowed brow. Narrowed eyes. A scrutinizing look. Monsieur said something. Wenjie didn't hear it. 

A maelstrom engulfed him. The air shattered into a thousand shards before his eyes. He was back in his apartment. The same game. The police confiscated his paintings. Captain Luo dragged him to the police office. With one small difference. His behavior towards him was much more violent this time. 

He literally pushed him towards the chair. When he stumbled, he grabbed him roughly and pushed him down. Wenjie's heart was beating wildly. This reality was wrong. He had just seen it. But that didn't change the effect Captain Luo's brutal approach had. 

He screamed at him. Ran up and down in front of him, gesticulating wildly. Then he hit the table again and acted so out of place that Wenjie felt sick. At the same time, he realized what Xu Zhengqing was trying to do. Then he should have it. Everything. 

“No matter what I say, you've already made up your mind.” Wenjie spat on the table. 

That immediately earned him a slap in the face. It stung his cheeks more than any word Captain Luo had thrown at him in the past. He remembered the reprimand after Shuting had thrown herself off the roof. The argument a few days later. 

“Why should I work hard? I will never be in the light. My father is Zhuang Yaobai. You have him on your conscience, just like your teacher. Because you don't listen.” Tears welled up in his eyes as he spoke. Lies. All lies. But the man in front of him was just a mirage of Captain Luo. 

“You want to know who I work for? Xu Zhengqing. The one you'll never catch because he's always one step ahead of you.” He felt the hand pulling his hair again and pushed him forward headfirst. 

It happened so quickly that Wenjie barely had time to breathe. A throbbing pain shot through his forehead. White flashes danced before his eyes. He tasted blood in his mouth. The illusion shattered. 

Xu Zhengqing stood in front of him. For a fraction of a second. He watched him, with his unyielding expression. 

He was drawn back into the nightmare, to Captain Luo, who condemned him. Wenjie didn't know which was worse. His words or his fists. The intervals became shorter and shorter as Wenjie began to call out Monsieur's name. Each time, Xu Zhengqing came a little closer. 

Until he placed his hands over the cuffs that prevented Wenjie from standing up. His face was only half a meter away from his. “Do you want it to stop?” he whispered. 

Wenjie gasped. “Yes ...” His voice trailed off. 

Xu Zhengqing remained silent. 

“Please.”

A smile flitted across the old man's lips. He straightened up and raised his hand. 

Wenjie felt another twinge in the crook of his arm. His eyelids fell shut.

to be continued ...