Victor's footsteps hurried down the upper-floor hospital corridor, carrying a sense of curiosity mixed with tension that pressed against his chest. Upon arriving in front of the door of that specially numbered VVIP room, he took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping into the room, which felt tranquil yet oppressive.Inside, Jacob West stood erect beside the bed where Derek lay. The middle-aged man stared blankly at his son, who still showed no signs of waking, with a breathing tube and various medical devices attached to his body. The atmosphere within the room felt heavy and suffocating.“Victor,” Jacob called out in a deep voice without shifting his gaze from Derek's pale face. “How are the results of your investigation in the field? Have you found any clues about the bastard who left my son lying like this?”Victor immediately bowed respectfully, answering with a suppressed tone of regret. “I apologize, Mr. Jacob. Until now, there are no significant developments at the

"Good grief, I thought that pest was already gone.” Said one of Carlos's peers in the corner of the classroom as soon as Carlos stepped inside.The man's gaze locked onto him with a mocking look, accompanied by a derisive laugh, which was then followed by the looks of his friends who joined in mocking Carlos's arrival.The atmosphere in that senior lecture hall felt so suffocating to Carlos. His footsteps felt heavy as he entered the room and found several pairs of eyes instantly fixed on him with condescending stares.Without paying attention to the whispers that began to echo around him, the youth chose to sit in his favorite corner desk located near the back row.He immediately pulled out his notebook and worn-out laptop from his bag, trying to focus on preparing the assignment material that the lecturer would soon discuss. However, that false tranquility did not last long when the sound of arrogant footsteps approached his desk, followed by a small chuckle that sounded extremely a

"Hello... hello Carlos?” Fae repeated rather frantically. “What happened?” she kept asking, then checked her phone and saw that their call had been disconnected.The disconnected phone call at the other end left questions lingering in Fae's mind, but the desperation heard from Carlos's voice just now made the woman's instincts immediately rush to respond. Without wasting a single second, Fae turned straight toward Victor, who was standing near his desk in the hospital's VVIP room.“Victor, get ready! We have to go pick up Carlos tonight right now,” Fae ordered in a firm and urgent tone.Victor, hearing that sudden instruction, immediately furrowed his brow, looking at Fae with a doubtful gaze. “Pick him up now, Miss? The clock already shows midnight. Let me and the others just go pick him up there.”Fae shook her head strongly, flatly refusing her loyal assistant's suggestion. “No, Victor, I must go along with you.”“But, Miss... your own condition hasn't fully recovered from the acci

"Eventually, my eyes might actually hurt from still seeing him in this place." A woman who accidentally turned to the side and glanced at Carlos quickly muttered in annoyance.Her face, which had been talking and laughing with her friend a moment before, rapidly turned annoyed, followed by cynical glares from the others in the same direction.The atmosphere in the campus's main corridor felt much colder than usual for Carlos. His footsteps carrying a worn-out backpack felt heavy as he trod the floor tiles toward the final semester exam room.Whispers and cynical glares from other students immediately greeted his presence as soon as he passed by, creating an intensely hostile atmosphere.Before Carlos even reached the classroom door, an obstruction suddenly appeared before him. Steven stood arrogantly, crossing his arms over his chest with a smirk, surrounded by several loyal followers ready to hurl mockery."Oh look, who still has the nerve to come to this campus," Steven said in a lo

"Did you find it?" One of them, who was the commander of the investigative team, checked his subordinate.One of them shook his head, stepping forward while taking off his gloves. "No, sir. There is no handycam of the kind they mentioned in this place."The commander of the team then drew a deep, exasperated breath. "Check once more. There might be some part of this place that was missed or gaps we don't know about."The man complied and put his gloves back on to search again.Hours passed slowly beneath the police tape stretching in front of Carlos's small flat. The damp odor and smell of fresh blood inside the room seemed to emphasize just how cruel the incident that had just occurred was. Outside, Victor stood with a hardened jaw, awaiting the results of the sweep conducted by the police forensic team.Not long after, the senior police officer leading the team emerged from the doorway with an apologetic expression, taking off his latex gloves and walking over to Victor."How are th