Ten Day Ultimatum

"Dad, there’s a parent-teacher meeting next Friday afternoon. Will you be able to come?"
I jolted back to reality, eyes snapping open as sharp pain pierced my neck—I couldn’t afford to surrender to despair.
Though the seat reclined slowly, I was now fully supine, rendering Zhang Huanan’s grip less effective. From this angle, he struggled to maintain his hold and was forced to shift back.

As the seat settled, I felt around with my left hand until I found another button. Pressing it caused the entire seat to begin sliding backward.
"You motherf—" Zhang Huanan grunted, his words cut off as the seat shoved him further back, robbing him of space to maneuver.
I finally broke free from the wire’s grip, a dull ache radiating from my throat. But this was life or death; anything less than fatal was a superficial wound. In a flash, I raised my handgun and turned around, but darkness enveloped me—my mind still struggling to clear after the suffocation.

Relying on sound and instinct, I aimed the gun straight ahead, prepared to confront Zhang Huanan.
Suddenly, the entire car began to shake violently.
It took a few seconds to register what was happening—it was an earthquake.

I’d never experienced one before, even after living in Inner Mongolia for over thirty years. This tremor was so intense it left me reeling, struggling to maintain balance.
After firing two shots into the darkness—both missing—Zhang Huanan sprang forward, seizing my hand with an iron grip.
Having sparred with him before, I knew he wasn’t especially strong, but his movements were always insidious and precise. With one hand, he pressed down on my handgun while the other reached for my left pinky, twisting it viciously once he caught hold.

Caught off guard, I instinctively recoiled. In that moment, my vision finally returned—just in time to see Zhang Huanan pull a hammer from seemingly nowhere.
Before I could react, the hammer hurtled toward my head.
In an instant, the world spun around me, as if my soul were about to leave my body. I recognized the disorientation as a precursor to fainting. These next seconds were all I had.

The car began sliding erratically due to the tremors. Through the window, I saw buildings on either side of the alley crumbling, cracks spreading across their facades—and even the distant sky seemed to fissure…
Wait… was the sky splitting open?
Before I could process the surreal image, Zhang Huanan swung the hammer again, and I barely managed to dodge.

I forced myself to focus. If I didn’t end Zhang Huanan here, he would surely kill Xuanxuan. Countless others would fall to his schemes. Even if it cost me my life, I had to drag him down with me.
I drove my finger hard into Zhang Huanan’s eye, feeling a surge of warmth as it pierced his eyeball.
He screamed, releasing the gun. I didn’t hesitate—aimed at his chest and pulled the trigger.
The bullet tore through his lung with sickening precision, but before I could process the victory, the hammer came swinging back—this time toward my temple.

Everything blurred into chaos. I lost all sense of direction. Whether it was the earthquake’s tremors or the hammer’s blow, I couldn’t tell. I wanted to fire again, but my balance was gone.
Darkness swallowed me. I had no idea where I would fall.
The hammer kept striking my skull, but strangely, all I felt was a distant numbness. Warm liquid soaked my eyes, blurring my vision. I heard the dull thudding echo in my head—a morbid drumbeat of impending doom.

Everything was shaking. Everything was breaking.
A deafening cacophony surged from afar—like crashing waves—screams, cries, cars colliding, buildings collapsing, all erupting at once.
No—I couldn’t die. Not yet. I had to settle the score with Zhang Huanan. I had to break free and help others.

I needed to call the team. Lives depended on it. Every second wasted in this chaos meant more people would die.
It was my duty. I couldn’t just lie there and do nothing…
But would I even survive this?
…

Am I even alive right now?
When I opened my eyes, I was facing nine strangers.
The room resembled an interrogation chamber, but something was off—we never used round tables in such settings. A round table doesn’t create pressure. It fosters comfort. That’s why interrogation rooms have square tables. Dining tables are round.

At first, I thought this was another of Zhang Huanan’s tricks… but then it hit me—both of us should be dead.
I touched my head. The skull felt slightly caved in, but there was no blood. My fingers slid to my neck—sharp pain. The injuries were still there, yet I hadn’t died.
What the hell was going on?

Neck and skull trauma are often fatal, yet here I was—alive, seeing, hearing, feeling pain.
A veteran at the precinct once told me that when people die, their life flashes by—like an old film reel. But I didn’t recognize any of the nine faces before me. Their expressions mirrored my own confusion.
So this wasn’t a memory flash. Was I dreaming?

A minute later, a figure in a goat mask ruthlessly executed someone. In that moment, I understood my «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» purpose. Dream or not, hell or not, my duty remained.
I could continue paying my debts here. I needed to hunt the wicked and save the innocent. This time, I wouldn’t hesitate. I wouldn’t regret. I was still a police officer—even here.
To my surprise, I drew the identity of a Liar, plunging me into a moral dilemma. Should I save others—or survive long enough to stop that masked psychopath myself?

After a few seconds of internal struggle, clarity washed over me—never give in to a suspect’s manipulation. He wanted us to turn on each other. I wouldn’t let that happen.
As long as we lived, there was hope.
But even if I won this game, I could never return to the life I’d known.

I’d taken a life.
I could never face Xuanxuan again. Only the law’s judgment awaited me now.
So this is where my journey ends.

Life doesn’t offer second chances. I can’t change my past.
I don’t even have a cigarette in my pocket. Not even the lighter Xuanxuan bought with her allowance. The days ahead will be brutal. If only I could have one last DCXC.
Let me finish what I must. Then I’ll leave—quietly.

My name is Li Shangwu.
I shall now distort the truth.