My stomach tightened after I translated the Russian beside it.
“Warehouse by the docks,” I murmured to myself.
The more I tried to crack this thing, the deeper I fell into it. Hours passed by in a blur, and I didn’t even realize how much time I’d spent chasing every possible interpretation.
Before I knew it, it was almost midnight, and my eyes were starting to sting despite the thrill of discovery that kept me locked in place. One thing I’d come to realize from this whole situation was that someone out there was planning something big.
They were using this book to send secret messages to each other. At this point, I could bet my life that the man from the library was in on whatever was going on. That’s why he didn’t want me to take the book with me.
Wait a second.
Given the secrets hidden in this book and the man’s obsession with it, wouldn’t he come after me for taking it home?
Shit.
My pulse quickened at the realization that I might have walked into something much bigger than me. Right now, I was supposed to be crippled by fear, but that didn’t stop me.
I kept unraveling truths I wasn’t ready for until I eventually fell asleep on the table. Hours passed, and then I was awakened by the sound of my alarm clock buzzing incessantly.
My head pounded like a friggin’ drum, and my neck was stiff from the way I lay on my table. I let out a quiet groan and stretched, basking in the warmth of the rising sun.
I rubbed my tired eyes while struggling to get out of my chair. That’s when I realized something was missing on my table. My laptop was still where I left it, and my notebook and pen were untouched. But somehow, that psychology book had vanished without a trace.
“What the hell?” I mumbled, scanning the room for it. “But it was right here.” I gestured toward the spot where I’d left it last night, then wiped my palm across my face.
I hadn’t risen from this desk all night, and the book never left my table. So where the hell was it? I looked around, trying to make sense of it. The door was locked from the inside, and my roommate had traveled two days earlier. Nobody else had access to my dorm.
My keys were still on the table—untouched—and my window was shut. So how did this happen?
I stood in the middle of the room after searching everywhere and finding nothing. My fingers combed through my hair, confusion and fear bubbling inside me.
The only logical explanation I could think of was that someone had come in here while I was asleep and taken the book. But how did they get inside? Was I even safe?
This was a mystery, one that was more terrifying than it was intriguing.
“Fuck,” I whispered to myself, my heart racing in my chest.
Chapter 4 —Demyon
I followed her back to her dormitory and waited patiently in my car for hours. I’d already dismissed my lieutenant, asking him to take care of the other issues that needed my attention.
The full moon reached its peak in the night sky, its ethereal glow silvering everything in its path. I sat in silence, observing the environment through the tainted glass of my vehicle.
I watched the campus transform from lively daytime chatter to a cool, quiet evening. The streets were empty, streetlamps casting long shadows on the sidewalks.
Every now and then, a few students would walk past my car: some in groups, some alone. Nobody suspected my vehicle or why it was parked in the courtyard for hours. Everyone just went about their activities, ignoring my presence.
Good. The last thing I wanted was to draw attention to myself anyway.
From the driver’s seat of my SUV, I could clearly see her through the lit window of her dormitory. Her curtains were parted, revealing the cozy interior, and in the soft light, her every move was on display.
I watched her with a small grin playing on my lips, amused—not just by her beauty and innocence, but also by the determination in her features. It was almost midnight, and she was still up, working on her laptop.
A few hours ago, when I first started watching her, I thought she was just studying the book for her research. However, it turned out that she wasn’t reading the book itself; she was reading the paper hidden in it.
At first, I thought it was just a fleeting moment of curiosity—nothing more. Nothing less. But that wasn’t the case. This nosyyoung girl seemed intrigued by the content of that paper and was fixated on figuring it out.
From my car, I couldn’t see or tell exactly what she was doing. But judging by the look on her face and the encrypted message in her hand, it was clear she was trying to decipher the code.
