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, revealing a sense of the 80s. The street lamp flickered more intensely, and a figure suddenly broke the harmonious scene in the alley - black hat, black trench coat, black boots, and black sunglasses. It was Yin, a dark figure standing out under the street lamp.
The street lamp shook a few more times, making Yin afraid that it would fall. Without looking back, he threw the suitcase high over the pile of boxes and then jumped over himself. The 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 bigger steps than ever before. As he caught his breath, Yin looked back and saw the idiots still searching through the pile of boxes, which made him happy. Yin turned at a T-junction and completely lost the men.
Yin began to celebrate his victory in his mind. Looking back now, everything that had just happened seemed to be arranged perfectly. He almost got caught, but then he stumbled upon a pile of boxes and escaped. Then he happened to come across a fork in the road. It was like a perfect combination of escape. Perhaps it was fate protecting him.
When Yin came back to his senses, he realized that he had arrived at a place he had never seen before. Of course, it was still an alley, like many other 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, a inconspicuous corner was probably 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 for 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 continuous cold breeze. Where did the wind come from, really?
But since he had already entered, it seemed foolish to turn back, and there was a possibility of being caught. Yin decided to crawl deeper into the ventilation 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 small 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. When he moved forward a little, the metal would dent as well. 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 their sizes would be intimidating, but the person simply reached out and slapped Yin's extended finger.
"Aren't you afraid that I have a weapon?"
"If you say that, why would I think you have one?"
The person brushed aside their long hair, revealing a sly smile. Yin took a step back and found himself 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 and felt relieved.
"Maybe, maybe not, but I know you definitely aren't," the person said, still maintaining that mysterious smile.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave," Yin didn't want to continue dealing with this mysterious person.
"Hey, don't go. I'm really curious about what's inside your suitcase," the person casually followed along.
"Hey! You're not with those people, are you?" 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 an unknown passage, with a sign indicating the way to the emergency exit at one end, and darkness at the other. Yin couldn't see the path. At this moment, Yin could simply go towards the emergency exit and prove how stupid the person's question was. But reason told him that leaving through the emergency exit would definitely 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 the most suspicious thing.
"The ventilation duct is broken because of you, and now I can't escape either," the person said, looking up at the ceiling, hands on their hips.
Yin stared at the person without saying a word. He couldn't understand what kind of person would appear in such a place at this time, and still be so carefree.
"Follow me," the person crossed their arms and walked in the opposite direction of the emergency 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 away.
"You don't know? Then why are you carrying it?" the person's tone remained relaxed as they continued walking.
"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..." Yin couldn't finish his sentence.
"Then you have no professional ethics. You're carrying something so important and yet you're following a stranger," 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 nonchalantly.
"What do you want to do?" Yin held the suitcase tightly to his chest.
The person also became nervous, leaning to the left and then jumping to the right, landing in front of Yin. They punched Yin's arm, causing him to cry out in pain. The suitcase fell to the ground, and the person used their leg to sweep it away, picking it up and carrying it on their shoulder, staring at Yin with a cunning smile.
"I'll give it back to you, I just want to know what's inside," the person said.
"No! Give it back to me!" Yin assumed a fighting stance, stepping forward step by step. The person also stepped back, hiding the suitcase behind them, staring at Yin expressionlessly.
"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, walked towards Yin, and saw that Yin's eyes were filled with confusion. Yin seemed much smaller than before, as if he would 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, and his eyes slowly turned to stare at the person. The person waved their hand in front of Yin, and Yin collapsed to the ground.
"Are you okay? Why did you suddenly... Do you have some kind of mental illness? Alzheimer's, the kind that makes you forget things?"
Yin propped himself up with his hands on the ground, tilting his head back and to the side, facing the person with his profile. His eyes rolled to the limit of his vision, staring at the person. He opened his mouth, as if gasping for air, as if wanting to say something. In this twisted position, Yin struggled against nonexistent things on the ground, and finally squeezed out 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 emergency 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 after him. Yin couldn't distinguish which way was the right path, but he couldn't care about that anymore. 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 his chest, holding it at the height of his heart, so he could see the suitcase and feel at ease. 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 a walking corpse, and 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, knocking down the person blocking his path. He leaped down the stairs at the entrance, flipping over the barriers and police lines. The red and blue lights flashed, 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 a voice quieted everything down.
A gunshot.
Yin stopped, turning his head in confusion to see the person on the ground and a 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 perimeter were crying children, frightened women, and men with strange expressions.
Yin didn't raise his hands. In front of everyone's eyes, he opened the suitcase.
There was nothing inside.