RIPPLES OF EMOTIONS

Hu Lei slept like a little pig even though her name was being thoroughly defamed. Unfortunately, her beautiful dreams were interrupted in the middle of the night by her ringing phone. She opened her eyes after the first ring and picked up the call. The restricted number put her on high alert.

"Lei'er, I might be in a bit of trouble." The person speaking sounded weary and tired, but she recognised the voice immediately.

"Dad, what happened?" She asked sitting up.

"I am not sure about this matter. But it seems that there are people after me." Her father spoke in a strained manner.

"What did you do?" Hu Lei was clear about his patterns. She doubted that people would suddenly be after him without cause.

"Hu Lei, it is not what you think. I did not do anything bad. There was a certain product which I handled a little in a laboratory in Amazon. I improved it a little and now they are after me."

"Did you take this product from the owners?" She asked with gritted teeth.

"I only borrowed it to continue fiddling a little. Anyway, I am the one who improved it so it should be mine." The crackling voice sounded childish.

Hu Lei sighed. It is just as she had thought. It was not the first time that her father had pushed legal and moral lines in pursuit of medicine. He would cheat, steal, coerce and extort if needed to further his means. The messes she had had to clean for him since it all started Russia when she was only sixteen had only increased over time. She had thought that he would change now that he was alone.

"You have to return what you took." Her voice became cold with anger.

"I have returned it already. I left it in one of the motels I stayed in, and I saw men in black fatigues come in after I left. I think they are after me specifically." The interference on the line was stronger. "I have tried to do what I could, but now… you have to help me, Lei'er."

Hu Lei felt disappointed in her father even as she heard the desperation in his voice. He had promised to let her live her life the way she wanted. He had said that he would not drag her into his problems once she returned to Supreme. He had sworn that he would not do anything that would get him in trouble.

"Who is after you?" She asked calmly.

"I… know. They… like private military." The connection was breaking, and Hu Lei could no longer hear all the words.

"Where are you?" She asked while stepping out of her bed.

Even though her father was the way he was, she loved him dearly. He was the parent that had not given up on her when she could have been mentally incapacitated or even psychopathic. Moreover, he had been the best father after they had left Supreme City. Perhaps, if she had not proven to be highly useful, he would have continued to be that kind and indulgent man towards her. Regardless of the circumstances, she would not abandon him.

Unfortunately, before the man could answer, the phone call was disconnected.

Hu Lei did not panic or try to call back. After all, there was no number to dial. She understood that most places that her father travelled to did not have the best telecommunications infrastructure. In addition, panicking would not help her in any way.

She walked to the closet and took out a pair of old ordinary jeans that she had not donned since she had come back. She wore the form-fitting pants and a simple long-sleeved top. She also found her old leather jacket and a pair of black boots that she had hidden in her closet as a memento of her old life. She put these on to complete her outfit.

With the change in clothes, her personality also seemed to become different. There was no lingering smile or facial softness indicating that she had ever laughed or frowned. Her face had become like a block of ice. Her eyes no longer held ripples of emotions. It was almost as if she no longer had the presence of a human.

She opened an innocuous drawer in her closet and revealed a spacious safe. She keyed in series of numbers and it opened, revealing a collection of strange items. There were a number of passports in a range of colours along with several stacks of notes in different currencies. The most surprising items were the butterfly daggers, darts and caltrops among other small weapons.

Deep within, Hu Lei felt bitterness as she looked at the items though her emotionless face did not change. She had only kept these items because she had been thinking of defending herself or escaping if her dark past did come knocking. With the way she handled things, she had felt that the likelihood of this happening was low. These items were insurance. Who knew that she would be forced to dig these out before half a year was over?

Without hesitation, she placed the collection in the hidden compartments of a simple backpack. She would have preferred to leave some of these things in the safe, but she would not take such a risk. Burning or dumping these valuable resources would be better than leaving evidence if anything happened. In the main opening of the bag, she threw in clothes.

She slung her bag over her shoulder casually once she was satisfied that anything suspicious was properly concealed. Next, she checked the room with sharp eyes and ensured that everything was normal. If she did not come back in the expected time, it would not do if she was reported missing.

In truth, she expected to be back within the week. However, there was nothing certain. If there was an accident, she did not want undue attention. Always be prepared for the worst. This was a lesson which had been deeply ingrained in her. Ideally, people should assume that she just left the country naturally once again.

Finally she faced the item that she had been avoiding: her phone. Discarding it meant that she would have no contact with Zhong Feng. This person had become an indelible part of her life. She wondered if she should send him a short message before destroying the phone.

Her eyes which had begun to show ripples became calm again. If the worst happened, where would that leave him? Even if she did not know his complete thoughts of her, she felt that there was a connection. When she came back, she would explain everything. There was no need to alarm him.

Without further ado, she dismantled her phone as she walked to the kitchen. She destroyed the card and dropped the rest in water before placing it in an old ramen packet. She would find a public dumpster dispose of it on the road. These actions were not really necessary, but she had her reasons.

Finally, she locked the house and placed the keys in a flowerpot outside the door.

With measured steps, she went to the shed at the back of the house. With smooth movements, she revealed a powerful motorcycle which she had covered in a protective sheet since acquisition. It was a beautiful machine, but it was not very useful in Supreme because she liked her beautiful dresses. Now, she did not have time to think about fashion.

The undeniable power in her compact little body was displayed as she manually pushed it from the shed to the road without a sign of strain. This was also part of avoiding unnecessary attention. Once she was far enough, she put on her helmet and rode off into the night.