Chapter Two: The Man Who Heard Secrets

He did not challenge her, because porcelain shattered outside. Han stood at the stairs amid pieces of a soup bowl. One arm was bandaged; his other hand clutched rusty keys. At the sight of Shen Yan, he ran. They chased him to the north side of the estate. Han broke through the abandoned clock tower door and descended a spiral stair. Damp thickened underground, with water whispering behind the walls. "Uncle Han!" Minglan called. He unlocked the deepest storeroom. There was no prisoner inside. There was a burned car, its front crushed, dark blood still staining the passenger window. The car from Xingyao's crash. Han lifted a can of gasoline and drenched the wreck.