On October 29, 2000, Amelia returned to the television station she had not stepped into for a very long time. The high-ranking figures at the top had reached a tacit agreement to quietly suppress the entire Train to Paradise affair. They were generous with their payouts, at least: Amelia had spent a full month in the hospital without having to pay a single cent out of pocket, and upon signing a non-disclosure agreement, she received a lump-sum compensation of one hundred thousand dollars. Resolving to leave the horrors of the Train to Paradise behind her, Amelia decided to throw herself back into her work. She had not expected a crushing blow the moment she stepped through the doors. Though various circumstances had saved her from being outright fired, her long absence meant her standing at the station had plummeted. The cozy little private office that was once hers now belonged to someone else, her anchor position on the news had been snatched away, and she found herself relegated to handling tedious internal paperwork.
The dull, administrative drudgery put Amelia in a foul mood. Yet, having just returned, she was forced to swallow her bitter resentment and put on a professional face if only to save face. When the end of the workday finally arrived, she resolved to meet up with a friend at a local bar to blow off some steam. Just as she was gathering her things, her cell phone buzzed, displaying an unfamiliar number. «Hello?» she answered.
«Amelia, it's me-Brook Lee!» a familiar voice greeted her through the receiver. Amelia gasped, her heart leaping into her throat. She darted panicked glances in every direction, and seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she slunk into a quiet corner by the wall like a thief. «Lee, how dare you call me? Do you have any idea that you're a wanted man right now?» She did, in truth, still care about Li Yunlong's fate. After being thoroughly screwed over by those so-called federal professionals, she hadn't realized what had happened at first. But during her long weeks of recovery in the hospital, she had plenty of time to reflect. Comparing Li Yunlong's actions to those of the government agents made it clear who had actually saved them. Information had been scarce in the hospital, but once she returned to the station, she used her position to gather quite a few details. Though she couldn't piece together the full picture, her analysis yielded several useful facts. On the night of September 25, right after the destruction of the Train to Paradise, federal authorities went after Li Yunlong again. They surrounded his house, but having clearly failed to capture him, they took their frustration out on his property. They ransacked the place, stripping it clean and leaving the lovely villa structurally unsafe, before issuing an arrest warrant for him. Amelia felt immense sympathy for him, but that did not mean she was willing to stand by his side and defy the federal government. «Don't ever call me again!» she snapped, hanging up without hesitation. Seconds later, the phone rang again. Amelia glanced at the screen, saw the same number, and hung up once more. After fruitless attempts, the phone finally fell silent.
Around ten ten that evening, Amelia left the Deep Bomb Bar alone. The night had been a blast, and her spirits were noticeably lifted. Her mood would have been even better if her friend had come home with her for a late-night heart-to-heart, but luck had favored her companion instead. Having picked up a handsome young blonde at the bar, her friend had eagerly run off to a hotel, leaving Amelia to make her way back alone.
Her original car had been impounded by the police as evidence because of its connection to Li Yunlong. She had taken a taxi to the bar, but coming out, her luck ran dry-there were no cabs waiting outside. As she strolled down the pavement, Amelia pondered visiting a used-car lot in a couple of days to buy another ride; getting around without a car of her own was proving far too inconvenient.
A sleek Mercedes smoothly matched her light pace, coasting along the curb before the passenger window slid down and the horn gave a gentle double-tap. Amelia felt a flush of mild conceit mingled with irritation. My charm really is undeniable-even when I try to lay low, I still attract these flirtatious pests. She hardened her expression, preparing to give the driver a piece of her mind. But as she turned and bent down to glare through the window, she froze. Sitting behind the wheel was Li Yunlong himself. «What the hell!» Amelia hissed, dropping her voice to an urgent whisper. «Lee, are you insane? This is a busy part of Los Angeles! Cops roam around here with nothing better to do! Get out of here right now-I don't want to watch you get dragged off to jail!» She straightened up quickly, just in time to spot a patrol car cruising in their direction. Amelia instinctively stepped back toward the wall. Though she couldn't fathom why he was being so brazen, she had no intention of turning him in.
What Li Yunlong did next made Amelia wonder if he had truly lost his mind. He leaned halfway out the open window, flashed a foolish grin, and waved at the officers. «Hey, fellas! Busy night?»
To Amelia's utter astonishment, the police officers clearly recognized Li Yunlong, yet made no move to arrest him whatsoever. Instead, one of them flicked him off with a vicious glare, barked a few crude insults, and then drove off as if Li Yunlong were completely invisible.
Li Yunlong turned back toward Amelia with a triumphant grin. «How about that, Amelia? Feeling a bit better now?»
Amelia felt as though her brain lacked the processing power to comprehend what had just happened. What kind of madness was this? Had the police force become so utterly corrupt that they would turn a blind eye to a wanted fugitive taunting them in broad daylight? In a total daze, she found herself climbing into Li Yunlong's passenger seat.
«Wanna head over to my place for a bit?» Li Yunlong asked.
«Sure…» Amelia murmured, her mind still wandering in the clouds. By the time she snapped back to reality, the car was already parked outside his house. Warm light flooded through the windows, and even through the front door, a cozy, inviting aroma seemed to drift into the air. Amelia felt a sudden pang of envy. The man never lacked money, living comfortably every single day. Even leaving all the lights on while away-wasting electricity just to make the place look homey-was enough to make anyone feel a bit jealous.
Stepping out of the vehicle, Li Yunlong unlocked the front door and gestured inside. «Come on in, Amelia.»
Amelia stepped out and walked into the house, noticing that the interior layout was identical to her previous visit. Just then, she realized Li Yunlong hadn't followed her inside. What is he doing? She turned her head and saw him standing at the threshold, waving a hand toward his Mercedes. To her utter disbelief, the brand-new luxury car suddenly folded in on itself, shrinking smaller and smaller until it transformed into a palm-sized paper cutout of a car that flew straight into his outstretched hand. Amelia's eyes widened in sheer shock, her mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg. Overwhelmed with utter confusion, she pointed at Li Yunlong, then at the paper car, babbling incoherently for a long moment without managing to utter a single coherent sentence.
It wasn't until Li Yunlong shut the door, walked over to brew a fresh cup of tea, and placed the warm mug into her hands that Amelia finally jolted out of her stupor. «Lee! What on earth did you just do? Are you telling me we rode all the way here in a car made of paper?»
Li Yunlong cupped her hands gently around the mug to steady her. «Here, sit down and have some tea.»
Recognizing how shaken she was, Amelia forced herself to sit back, taking slow, deliberate sips until the mug was empty. She set the cup down, closed her eyes, and carefully savored the lingering aftertaste of the tea. After a long silence, she reopened her eyes. «Thank you, Lee. The tea was wonderful.»
«How are you feeling?» Li Yunlong asked gently.
Amelia rubbed her temples with two fingers. «Like my brain has been turned into mush. I thought creating lifelike puppets out of paper men was already mind-bogglingly absurd, but making a functioning car out of paper? I didn't even notice! I was sitting right inside it-a car made out of paper-while you drove me all the way to your house! That defies all known logic!»
Li Yunlong gave a relaxed smile. «Amelia, you boarded the Train to Paradise yourself. If a train like that can carry passengers, why shouldn't my paper car do the same?»
Amelia opened her mouth to argue that the Train to Paradise and a paper car were two completely different things, but on second thought, both belonged to the realm of the supernatural. Neither abode by the laws of physics, so perhaps a paper car carrying passengers wasn't so bizarre after all. No, I'm letting him twist my thinking! In all my life, I've never heard of anyone taking a ride in a paper car!
Li Yunlong waited patiently for her to digest his words, but Amelia's thoughts abruptly veered in a completely different direction. «Lee, I know you're wanted by the authorities. While I'm certain you were framed, how on earth did you pull that off? Making those cops act as if you were completely invisible?»
«At first, a bunch of hotheaded officers tried to bring me in,» Li Yunlong replied nonchalantly. «But after I played a few harmless pranks on them, none of them wanted to come anywhere near me again.» Though he made it sound lighthearted, the reality had been an absolute nightmare for the Los Angeles Police Department. Li Yunlong hadn't physically harmed a single person, but any officer who attempted to arrest him became the victim of his malicious tricks. Worse still, these weren't simple childhood pranks-they were psychological mind games capable of shattering a person's sanity. For an entire week, as soon as night fell, Li Yunlong would slip into the police station to strike up casual conversations with the officers tasked with catching him. Even though he was standing right in front of them, they couldn't lay a finger on him. If they tried to ignore him, he wouldn't attack, but he would trap them in place, talking endless, nonsensical gibberish that drove them to total distraction and rage. The unluckiest officer among them suffered a complete mental breakdown from Li Yunlong's constant chatter, drawing his service weapon and opening fire inside the station. The man had to be tackled by his colleagues and committed to a psychiatric facility, where he remained to this day, his career thoroughly ruined. By now, everyone in the LAPD, from the precinct chiefs down to the beat cops, knew about Li Yunlong. Even the station commanders didn't dare order their subordinates to pursue him, terrified that another officer would be driven insane and shoot them instead.