Six months later, on a cold morning, in a meeting room, Senior Officer Alexander suddenly asked, “Do you believe the police will catch the criminals?”

“Huh? What did you say?” Leo blinked in confusion, sensing something was off.

Alexander realized he had zoned out. He cleared his throat, looked down, and scribbled in his notebook: A virtual waste of space, indifferent to reality.

Then, he took a sip of coffee, shaking himself awake. “Tell me your interpretation of the Cloud Suicide case.”

Leo furrowed his brows and glanced at the two people across from him. They were from the Internal Affairs Bureau, and they’d come to see him early this morning. The lead officer was Alexander Fields, a man in his late forties, with short gray-white hair and a gloomy appearance. He spoke in a disjointed manner, as if his mind wasn’t fully present. The woman with him was Emily Zhang, likely a newcomer, who was very quiet.

But anyone who made it into Internal Affairs wasn’t someone to be underestimated. He decided not to overthink it. Whatever they asked, he would just answer.

He looked up at the light gray ceiling, furrowed his brow, and began to speak.

It was a suicide case he had been involved in two years ago. Even after all this time, the details were still vivid, still haunting.

From time to time, Alexander made notes, and when Leo finished his account, he suddenly asked, “Aside from what you’ve mentioned, do you have any other interpretations of the case?”

Alexander dragged out the words, his tone loaded with meaning.

“Anything else?” Leo was taken aback. He quickly explained, “No, nothing. I wasn’t on-site. Everything I said is based on rumors I found online. If you don’t believe me, you can check my duty logs from that day.”

“Oh, really?” Alexander raised the corner of his mouth, giving him a half-smile.

At that moment, Emily suddenly spoke up, “Do you have any religious beliefs?”

“That’s none of your business, is it?”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“It is.” Alexander tapped the table, the sound sharp and deliberate.

“Alright,” Leo sighed, “I don’t believe in anything.”

“Then why did you interpret the case from a religious perspective?” Emily asked.

“I was just messing around,” Leo scratched his head.

“Messed around? Explain that.”

“There are all sorts of bizarre religions in the Metaverse. Ever seen one that worships Italian meatball pasta?” He spread his hands. “When you see so many weird things, your mind tends to wander. That’s all.”

“You’re a seasoned Metaverse player?”

“In a world where reality and the virtual are already intertwined, who isn’t?”

“Alright, let’s not digress. Let me get more specific. What’s your take on the victim’s expression?” Alexander returned to his earlier question.

“Expression?” Leo shifted uncomfortably in his seat, straightening up but accidentally knocking over his coffee cup.

The black liquid spilled across the pale table, looking like dark bloodstains. He quickly grabbed some napkins to wipe it up, but his sleeve got stained. “Sorry, I’ll be right back.”

As Leo hurried off, Alexander glanced at Emily. “Did he tell the truth?”

“He told some of it, but not all.”

“So, it’s a lie then…”

The conversation continued for a bit longer, but Leo, claiming a headache, asked for a break. Alexander and Emily didn’t protest and agreed to reconvene another time.

Once they left, Leo took the rest of the day off. He left the precinct, made his way to the station’s parking area, set his capsule car to follow mode, and headed up the mountain road next to the precinct, walking slowly downhill.

Nova was a mountain city, and due to extensive geothermal development, the further down you went, the thicker the clouds and mist became. Walking through it felt like stepping into a traditional Chinese landscape painting, a calming experience for the mind.

But today, the effect was minimal. The unpleasant images from earlier kept replaying in his mind like a broken projector.

“Idiot, play some music,” he sighed. Over the years, the only thing he could talk to openly was probably this AI-driven capsule car.

The capsule car began playing soothing music. “I can tell you a joke!”

“No need! Switch to privacy mode. Those two seemed to know I was at the scene.”

“If it’s not your fault, what are you worried about?”

“Yeah, what am I worried about?” Leo repeated, “I guess I won’t be losing sleep over it.”

“You should see a therapist.”

“Bullshit. I’m perfectly fine.”

At a fork in the road, to the right was a canyon, to the left a hill. Either way, it would be a long detour. Though it was still early, someone was waiting for him.

He got into the car. “Forget it, let’s just go home.”

The capsule car lifted off, silently following the electromagnetic track by the roadside, heading toward the distant concrete forest.

About half an hour later, Leo returned to his apartment’s docking terrace.

He grabbed a package and entered the building. As usual, he picked up the scattered empty bottles, set down his father’s alcohol detox medication, and then knocked on Sophie’s door.

“Sophie, you’ve got a package.”

The door opened just a crack, and Leo passed the paper bag through. “Have you been taking your meds on time?”

With a loud thud, the door slammed shut.

Leo was used to this, but today, it felt a bit more depressing.

He went back to his room and sank into the small sofa.

Sophie was his biggest concern: three years ago, she’d gotten seriously ill and, after many setbacks, had finally managed to control the condition. Recently, she’d suddenly expressed a desire to play games, which had made him very happy. But soon, he realized something was off: Sophie had been locking herself in her room all day and had ordered an expensive haptic suit. But someone like her, how could she get addicted to the virtual world?

Worried, he started following her, but Sophie’s movements were strange, hopping from one planet to another.

What was she hiding? What was she looking for? He was deeply concerned—was her old illness relapsing?

Last night, he had followed Sophie to an unexpected digital church and gathered some strange data, intending to analyze it today to uncover Sophie’s secret.

With that thought, he stood up, put on his virtual suit, and powered up his computing rig.