The Girl Who Restarted Time

Lu Jia’er told the truth for most of Xu Lei’s questions. In this way, she would not invite any suspicion from Xu Lei. When she was in an environment where every corner was covered with surveillance cameras, her personal tracks could be regarded as transparent, if not complete. She would rather tell the truth than make up lies to cover up the facts.

“The surveillance cameras at the building I lived in were hacked once before.” Lu Jia’er said as things were.

“Did you report it to the police?” Xu Lei stared at Lu Jia’er.

“Yes, I did. The answer we got was that you could not find the criminal.” Lu Jia’er said, “Besides, as a matter of fact, last night, we were tracked.”

“You were followed?” The looks in Xu Lei’s eyes changed.

“Last night, after dinner, we parted ways. Jason wanted to make up with Su Han so he went to find her. Only, it turned out that she was not at home. My robot Amy was cut off from power as well. My boyfriend and I hurried over. Someone began to follow us since we left the apartment.” Lu Jia’er explained.

Hearing this, Xu Lei added, “We received a surveillance video report the Bureau of Transportation handed over just now. Last night, Jin Xiangdong and Yan Bo (Jason)’s cars were followed according to the report.”

Lu Jia’er added, “I suppose I might have been one of the targets.”

While the truth could likely expose her identity, it couldn’t be ignored that the deepest danger was often times the deepest safety.

Xu Lei looked at Lu Jia’er. “Have you or Su Han provoked anyone? Who have you been in contact with recently?”

“No, she and I don’t have a lot of friends!” Lu Jia’er replied, “Deputy Xu, it has been 30 hours since I contacted Su Han the last time. You have gotten some tips. I hope that you can put this on record and begin to investigate as soon as possible!”

“Of course!” Xu Lei promised.

“Thank you.” Lu Jia’er was grateful.

“You are welcome!” Xu Lei went on, “I will contact you again when we have news!”

“Okay. But, Deputy Xu, I may have to pay a visit to the States soon. If you find any updates, please contact Jason, Su Han’s ex-boyfriend.” As she mentioned this, Lu Jia’er took out a pen and a notepad. She wrote down Jason’s number and gave it to Xu Lei.

Xu Lei took the notepad and threw Lu Jia’er a look. “Professor Lu, are you on business trip to the States?”

Lu Jia’er did not give an explicit answer. “Personal matters.”

Xu Lei nodded. “Well, I will let you know as soon as we hear from Su Han!”

Lu Jia’er stepped out from the Provincial Public Security Bureau. She saw Jin Xiangdong standing next to a black Audi A6. Tall and slender, Jin Xiangdong was like a car show boy at auto exhibitions. One could not help but cast more extra glances to him.

Lu Jia’er smiled at him and walked over. After she got into the car, Jin Xiangdong drove directly to the airport.

“What is going on with Su Han?” Jin Xiangdong’s long fingers were holding onto the steering wheel. He voiced his question in a deep voice.

“I was told that the case is under investigation. However, I think that mine and Su Han’s identity may have been exposed due to this.” Lu Jia’er was frowning.

“The ones tracking us last night may not mean ill. Instead, they were likely to protect your safety.” Jin Xiangdong said.

At this, Lu Jia’er turned to Jin Xiangdong. She had to say that, on some points and some matters, their minds were in sync. Upon knowing that Su Han was kidnapped, Lu Jia’er combed the entire matter. She had the same idea as well.

Lu Jia’er said, “Probably.”

“Has Xu Lei detected anything?” Jin Xiangdong asked.

“Currently, he has not found anything further. But I cannot tell when he isn’t that deep into the case yet.” Lu Jia’er was worried.

Lu Jia’er’s worry was shared by Jin Xiangdong. He held her hand. “I hope we can be cleared by customs smoothly later.”

“What do you mean?” Lu Jia’er asked Jin Xiangdong with confusion.

“Nothing. Maybe, I am just overthinking.” Jin Xiangdong did not go further.

However, that “overthinking” of Jin Xiangdong’s turned into reality. They did not make it to Los Angeles because they were stopped at the VIP customs clearance. Then, Lu Jia’er and Jin Xiangdong were brought to the VIP meeting room by two black-suited men.

As they stepped into the room, they saw a middle-aged man a bit over forty sitting at the head of the table.

The middle-aged man stood up and announced his identity, Li Yao—Captain of Search Unit of International Network Security Department of Ministry of State Security.

“Mr. Jin, I have some questions for you. Sorry that we have to hold you up for a few minutes. Please, sit.” Li Yao said.

Li Yao must have investigated Jin Xiangdong, if he had not known him previously, to address Jin Xiangdong as Mr. Jin directly.

Jin Xiangdong and Lu Jia’er sat down. The former gazed at this Li Yao. Jin Xiangdong had met this man once before, a man that was a mysterious investigator of a mysterious unit.

Jin Xiangdong could still stay composed. “What is the matter?” He asked.

“Last night, the traffic surveillance system of City B was hacked by two groups of people. Are you one of them?” Li Yao asked.

“What if I say no?” Jin Xiangdong replied.

Hearing this, Li Yao put on a meaningful smile. “Mr. Jin, you are not trying to change your tickets again, are you?”

“You got any proof?” Jin Xiangdong grinned as well.

Li Yao took out a folder from the chair he was sitting next to and gave it to Jin Xiangdong.

Jin Xiangdong reached over. He browsed through the file and said with a smile, “You cannot prove that I was the hacker with this.”

“Of course not. But I know that you infiltrated the surveillance system, not to sabotage anything, but to trace another group of people.” Li Yao came straight to this point.

Jin Xiangdong’s eyes flickered. “So, can I say that you have located information on the other group of hackers?”

“Currently, we only have part of the information.” Li Yao admitted.

“Are you seeking information that I know by asking me here?” Jin Xiangdong replied with a question.

“Yes.” Li Yao did not deny it.

Li Yao being so candid made Jin Xiangdong both relieved and worried.

Jin Xiangdong looked at his wristwatch and said, “We only have 15 minutes.”

“Then let’s make the long story short.” Li Yao said.

So, Jin Xiangdong told, in brief words, how he interacted with the invader bot times. Li Yao not only recorded his words and wrote down some notes.

“Mr. Jin, there has been rumors in the world of IT that any program you write is perfect. I cannot believe your program was hacked.” Li Yao shared his insight.

Jin Xiangdong grinned. “All programs have bugs. There is nothing that can be regarded as flawless or perfect!”

“So, the hacker is more skilled than you are?” Li Yao commented.

Jin Xiangdong gave a lukewarm answer. “Behind an able man there are always other able men.”

“According to your experience, do you think the hacker is a competitor or a skilled expert?” Li Yao asked.

“Maybe, an alien!” Jin Xiangdong said.

Lu Jia’er, who was sitting next to them and listening in, pressed her lips together. She could not help but chuckle. The man Jin Xiangdong was talking to was from the Ministry of State Security. How could Jin Xiangdong make jokes?

Li Yao did not pull a long face, though, to hear this. He smiled. “Mr. Jin, your theory may well be possible.”

Lu Jia’er looked at Li Yao. This person was humorous. But after Jin Xiangdong answered his questions, it would be her turn now.

Just as she expected, Li Yao turned to Lu Jia’er. “Professor Lu, it is a pleasure to meet you. Can you tell me why you went to the lab of Department of Biology of F University?”

How sharp this question was!

Luckily, Lu Jia’er had already read Li Yao’s thoughts. “I went to perform an experiment.” She answered.

“What kind of experiment?” Li Yao kept on asking.

“An experiment to recover memory through genes.” Lu Jia’er told him the truth.

“You lost your memories?” Li Yao wondered.

“Yes.” Lu Jia’er admitted.

“What is the cause of memory loss?” Li Yao went on.

“A car accident.” Lu Jia’er said.

Li Yao’s eyes flickered, with a trace of suspicion. “How did the experiment turn out? Did it succeed?”

“You should know the results since you are aware of the black-out in the middle of the experiment.” Lu Jia’er said.

“Okay. Sorry we have bothered you. Boarding time is almost up. We shall meet again after you come back.” With that said, Li Yao stood up.

Jin Xiangdong and Lu Jia’er walked out of the VIP meeting room after the round of questions were completed. On the surface, it might appear that they had powered through the trial. As a matter of fact, they were now under surveillance.

Over a dozen hours later, the plane landed at Los Angeles International Airport.

It was around noon. The sun was glaring. Jin Xiangdong and Lu Jia’er were walking amongst a crowd.

She found this airport both familiar and strange.

This was the first time she paid a visit to this city after she became a psychiatrist and the first time since she got her memory back.

She had come to this airport in the old days. However, back then, for her, the world was dark. Still, there were some pieces worth remembering and recalling.

Lu Jia’er smelled something nice. She stopped.

Jin Xiangdong stopped with her and looked to the direction where she laid her eyes on. It was a burger shop.

Before Jin Xiangdong asked, Lu Jia’er had begun to explain, “I remember when we were traveling and leaving from this airport, my foster mom would buy me a burger from this burger place and let me bring it on the plane.”

“You have an acute sense of smell.” Jin Xiangdong said.

“Yes. Once, I had to rely on my sense of smell and touching sense to know where I was.” Lu Jia’er said.