While strolling to her apartment building, ir thought about how she left Wesley alone in the hospital. She realized that it was a poor way to repay him, and he was as helpless as a kitten up a tree. The girl was considering paying him a visit when a man appeared out of nowhere.


    The man wore a mask and a cap, and she couldn''t see his face. She was startled for a moment, wondering if he was a bad guy.


    She was about to run away when the man asked, "Are you Wesley''s ir?"


    ir was confused. "I''m ir, and I know a Wesley. What''s this about?"


    Now that he had confirmed who he was talking to, the man looked around vigntly before fishing something from his pocket and holding it out to her. "Please give this to him. It involves the lives of 128 people."


    The man ced a micro-SD card in ir''s hand, and closed her fingers in a fist around it. ir was more puzzled than afraid, and slowly opened her fingers, looking at the SD card in her hand. When she raised her head again, the man was gone.


    She looked around, but only darkness met her gaze. She got goose bumps all over.


    ''This thing must be really important. I should probably call Wesley, '' she thought, closing her fist around the SD card. She took out her phone, about to call Wesley, but her battery was dead.


    She had to turn around to hail a taxi; she decided to go to the hospital.


    At this moment, she saw two men in masks approaching her out of the corner of her eye. Her gut instinct told her that something was not right. With that, she ran away as fast as her legs would take her.


    Like she thought, the two men ran after her as well.


    ir realized that they wanted the SD card. She had to find a ce to hide it. There! The perfect spot!


    At the hospital, Wesley had closed his eyes, deciding to surrender to sleep. Suddenly, his phone began to vibrate under his pillow.


    It was a foreign number. Wesley saw no red gs, since he did get called to service from all over. He sat up in the bed and answered it.


    "Wesley Li?" The person on the other end of the phone was using a voice changer, pitched extremely low, so Wesley couldn''t tell if it was a man or a woman.


    "And you are?" Wesley asked.


    "It doesn''t matter who I am. What matters is..." The person paused, and then a woman''s shriek came from the other end. "You hear that? I think you know that voice."


    He did know it, to his consternation. And judging from how it sounded, she was in pain, or danger, or both. His hands balled into fists. "What do you want?" he asked through gritted teeth.


    This was no ident. Whoever it was waited until he wasid up in the hospital, and then kidnapped ir.


    "She has something we''re looking for. We asked her about it, but she won''t talk. She''s s


    e couldn''t drag Wesley into this. To focus away from the pain, her mind retreated. She pictured herself in a bridal gown, and Wesley in his dress uniform, medals glinting beautifully. Wedding music was ying, and everyone was happy. She could see it, hear it, smell it, taste it. It was as real as anything, and she felt safe and happy here in this secret ce in her mind.


    Their leader wore a ck mask. He looked in his forties, based on the wrinkles around his eyes and his gray hair that spilled around the top edges of the mask. He was very thin. "Colonel Li, if you can persuade her to give us what we want, then you''re free to go. Both of you," he said with a smile.


    Actually, these people didn''t know where it was. Who had it? ir, or Wesley? The two men following the mysterious man didn''t see anything too clearly. They just knew his ns, andy in wait.


    But even if she didn''t have it, ir was still Wesley''s beloved woman. They kidnapped her to threaten Wesley. If she did have it, then torturing Wesley would be the way to make her cave. If she didn''t have it, then Wesley might be able to track it down for them.


    Wesley didn''t fall for his trap. His eyes were locked on ir''s feet, and he said in a cold voice, "I have it, actually. I can give it to you, but you have to let her go first."


    "Ha-ha! Turns out the news I bought is true! She''s important to you." The man burst outughing.


    "She is." Wesley didn''t deny it. ir could hear this through her pain-filled haze. Her heart started to race wildly in her chest.


    "After all, she saved my life once," Wesley added.


    ''I did? When did that happen?'' ir was confused.


    The man sat on a chair. "You''re a good man, Colonel Li. Let''s cut the crap. Give it to me, and you two can leave. Otherwise, the only way you''ll leave here is in body bags."