[2086] Apaimanee is dead

17th April, 2086

Suwan managed to clear up with the authorities on what happened, and worked throughout the Songkran break. Walee was transferred to another private hospital for further treatment and would not be coming back physically to work until a month later.

The man came to his office to access some documents, but found that someone was waiting for him there.

“…Brother?”

“Hey, I see you’ve made your dream come true. Here you are, a proud investigator.”

It was his brother, no doubt about it. His face was just like how Suwan imagined he would look like when he grew older, but his voice was the same as that man from Huren’s penthouse.

“You…you came back…I…” Suwan teared up.

His brother chose to come back to him after all. It was a dream he dared not dream.

“Yeah, I’m sorry for not coming back to you sooner.” The man made no move to get closer to his younger brother. “But, I’m sorry. Again.”

“Huh?”

“Apaimanee is dead.”

Suwan froze.

“What…do you mean?”

“How many times can one’s memory be rewritten until one’s sense of self is corroded? What I mean is that, I’m no longer the Apaimanee you know, and I have no more reason to live. I’ll die.”

“But Sin…my nephew…he’s your son! He told me you had two sons, and your wife is still alive…”

“I’m just tired, Suwan.” He smiled. It was a weak smile. “This is the last time I’ll see you. When we meet again, I hope you can take care of me.”

“What the heck do you mean by that? Hey, explain! Brother! Apai!!!”

The office went completely dark, and when the power came back on, the man was gone.

Suwan sank down in his chair. A message came into his phone.

“Levana Wright…?”

After everything cleared up, Nil and Sud were released from their confinement.

After hearing how they defeated Huren and watched a few snapshots from Chan’s memories, Sud wanted to fight too.

“I always have to run away! If I become as strong as Sin, I don’t have to worry about anyone trying to trick me just because I’m a kid!”

Nil jumped, but Sud did not notice.

“I don’t object.” Sin crossed his arms. “What about you, mom?”

Malee patted the little boy’s head.

“Sure. Are you willing to take him in, Chan?”

“Looks like a pain in the ass, but I can handle him.” Then, he turned to Sin. “It’d be difficult without you, though.”

“Huh? Where’re you going?” Sud blinked.

“Back to the island. I’m taking a break. A long, long one.” He clenched his teeth. “That man’s gone and die at his own convenience. I need a break from that.”

“That man? Which man?”

“Your dad, Sud.” Nil said replied no one spoke. “He… Well, I guess you need to see for yourself.”

Sud left with his brother, Su, and Chan. Malee stayed behind and touched Nil’s neck.

“I need to know if I can trust you. You betrayed everyone: first Haschai, then Khun Huren. How can I know that you will not betray me as well?”

“That’s very funny of you to ask, Khun Malee. I’m pretty sure you found every bug I secretly planted in the system. Haschai and his crew may be eccentric, but they are not amateurs. Why are you pretending like you don’t know anything?”

The corner of the woman’s mouth lifted slightly.

“Sud seems to like you, and I do have a bad habit of spoiling my boys.” She went to the door. “Take it as your last chance at redeeming yourself, because it is clear that you trust no one, and therefore you cannot win against me and my team.”

Nil wanted to roll their eyes, but they could not do so. Not in her presence.

“Nil, come on! We’re going to get food! Let’s go!” Sud came in and pulled the cyborg horse by the collar. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

“Hey, no pulling…”

As Nil walked past Malee, they heard her whisper.

“I hope you find it in you to trust people. Trust goes both ways.”

Nil followed Sud outside, where the rest of his family were waiting. They could hear Chan mumbling about whether they’d have cyborg food, while Sin talked to Su with incomprehensible bird noises. Sud kept pulling.

I’ve gotten soft, Nil thought. Malee was an enemy and a tyrant. She was a charming woman, and that made her a fearsome foe. They could not simply stop. It was clear that they could not hope to destroy her, so the only way was to persuade her from going to the extreme ends. That, or find a way to orchestrate her downfall and watch from a front row seat.

If they could utilize her sons for that, if they could persuade Sud to stop her from going off the wrong path, then that could be a way to prevent her from going off the deep end.

Days later, Sin left on one of Crystal’s ships. He said his goodbyes to everyone except one person: his own father.

Apaimanee was nowhere to be found, and even Sud was getting frustrated with the hide and seek.

Nobody was as frustrated as Suwan, though. He was left in the dark about most things concerning his older brother’s life after the airport attack.

Sin could only offer his uncle an apology. That was not enough, but Suwan did not want to ruin the mood, and so waved his nephew goodbye with a big smile.

Malee was calm, but she felt uneasy about the island trip. Something was going to go wrong, and no matter what she did, she could not prevent it. And so, she let her son go.