M sat back in his chair, staring at the bank of monitors showing Hana’s apartment from every angle. His expression was thoughtful, his mind running through every detail of the previous interrogation. Something about her demeanor still gnawed at him. She had seemed too calm, too composed given the situation.

Evans stood behind him, arms crossed, watching the same screens. “She’s a tough one to read,” he muttered.

M didn’t respond right away. His eyes narrowed as he studied Hana’s movements on the screen. She was sitting at her desk, writing. From this distance, it was impossible to make out the details of what she was writing, but the cameras caught her every move.

“She’s not going to make this easy,” M finally said, his voice low.

“What do you think she’s writing?” Evans asked, glancing over at M.

M shook his head. “Hard to say. Whatever it is, she knows we’re watching.”

Evans frowned. “You think she’s figured out the cameras?”

M didn’t answer immediately. His eyes never left the screen as he watched Hana stand up from her desk and walk toward the window, staring out into the city.

“If she hasn’t yet, she will soon,” M said after a long pause. “But that’s not the real issue.”

Evans raised an eyebrow. “Then what is?”

M leaned forward, his fingers drumming lightly on the desk. “The real issue is what she does once she realizes. She’s smart enough to use that knowledge to her advantage. And if she’s figured out the cameras… she might already be outplaying us.”

Evans let out a breath. “Then what’s the plan?”

M didn’t answer. Instead, he continued to watch Hana, his mind racing through every possible scenario. He knew that Hana wasn’t just any suspect. She was dangerous—more dangerous than anyone in the FBI seemed to realize.

Across town, Hana paced her apartment, pretending to go about her nightly routine. She’d already found the cameras. The FBI thought they could trap her, watch her every move. But they didn’t understand how resourceful she was, how quickly she could adapt. The realization that her apartment was bugged had only sharpened her focus.

Her fingers twitched, eager to open the Soul Ledger again, to finish what she had started. But she couldn’t do it here—not with the cameras watching. Instead, she needed to be smarter, to outwit them at their own game. They expected her to crack, to make a mistake, but she was already two steps ahead.

Hana glanced at the clock on the wall. It was past midnight. She had to make her move soon before the pressure became too much. She had to escape—not just from the watchful eyes of the FBI, but from the Soul Ledger itself. It was a burden she hadn’t anticipated, a power that came with too much risk.

She stepped away from the window and returned to her desk, her fingers brushing over the journal she had been writing in. The coded names were hidden within the lines of poetry and random thoughts she had scribbled earlier. The FBI might be able to see what she was writing, but they wouldn’t understand it.

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Hana paused, thinking. Her mind raced with possibilities. How could she slip away unnoticed? How could she continue her mission without them catching on?

Suddenly, an idea struck her. She grabbed her phone and opened a ride-sharing app, booking a car to pick her up around the corner. She needed to leave without drawing suspicion, to appear like she was just stepping out for a breath of fresh air. If she made it look like a simple errand, the FBI would keep watching her empty apartment while she moved freely.

The car was scheduled to arrive in ten minutes. Hana glanced around her apartment one last time, making sure everything looked normal. She left her phone on the desk, knowing they’d be tracking her movements through it. Let them think she was still here.

She slipped on her coat, grabbed a scarf, and quietly left the apartment, making her way down the stairs. Every step felt like a calculated move in a chess game, each decision critical to outsmarting her pursuers. As she exited the building, the cold night air hit her face, and she breathed in deeply.

The car was waiting at the corner, just as she had planned. She slipped into the backseat, instructing the driver to take her to a location far from her usual haunts—somewhere the FBI wouldn’t expect. The car pulled away, and Hana watched as her apartment faded into the distance.

Her mind raced. She was free, for now. But the Soul Ledger was still with her, still a weight on her conscience. And she knew she couldn’t run forever.

Back in the surveillance room, M’s phone buzzed. He glanced down at the screen, his brow furrowing as a notification flashed.

Evans noticed his reaction. “What’s going on?”

M’s fingers flew across his phone’s screen. “Hana’s phone just went inactive. No calls, no data.”

Evans looked over at the monitors. “She’s still there, though. We’re watching her. Right?”

M’s eyes narrowed. “Are we?”

Evans leaned in, his gaze fixed on the screen showing Hana’s empty desk. “What do you mean? She hasn’t left the apartment. We’d know.”

M stood abruptly, grabbing his coat. “Get a team to her apartment now. Something’s wrong.”

Evans hesitated for a moment, then quickly followed M out the door. “What do you think she’s up to?”

M didn’t slow his pace as they moved through the corridors of the FBI building. “She’s playing us. If her phone’s dead, and we haven’t seen her move, then she’s either incredibly lucky, or she’s already made her move. My guess is the latter.”

As they reached the parking lot, M barked orders into his phone, mobilizing a team to Hana’s apartment. Time was running out, and he knew it. Hana wasn’t just smart—she was calculating, precise. And if she had figured out the surveillance, she was already ten steps ahead.

The car ride to Hana’s apartment felt longer than it was. M’s mind raced, piecing together the puzzle. Hana had to know about the cameras, about the fact that they were watching. But how had she slipped past them?

When they arrived at her apartment building, the FBI team was already swarming the area, setting up a perimeter. M and Evans moved quickly through the building, taking the stairs two at a time.

As they reached her apartment, M nodded to the agent who had already unlocked the door. They entered cautiously, scanning the room for any signs of movement.

The apartment was still, quiet. Hana’s desk sat in the corner, her journal lying open where she had left it. M approached the desk, his eyes scanning the pages. It was filled with random thoughts, meaningless phrases. But something about it felt off.

Evans came up beside him, frowning. “Doesn’t look like much.”

M flipped through the pages, his eyes narrowing. “She’s hiding something. This isn’t just random writing. It’s a code.”

Evans glanced at him. “A code? For what?”

M didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and walked through the apartment, inspecting every corner. He paused at the window, staring out into the night. “She’s already gone.”

Evans blinked in confusion. “What do you mean? We would have seen her leave.”

M turned to face him, his expression grim. “She left the moment we stopped paying attention. And now, she’s ahead of us. We need to find her before she disappears completely.”