Chapter 1

Dad frowned deeply. “This wasn’t a random attack, was it? How much hatred could they possibly have for this kid?”

Normally, even in a revenge attack, the assailants wouldn’t go to such extremes.

The young officer respectfully replied, “Dr. Miles, preliminary investigations by Detective Reed’s Serious Crimes Unit have ruled out robbery and random attacks. It’s definitely a vendetta. Detective Reed and his team are now checking all newly reported missing person cases across the city.”

“Understood.”

Dad quickly pieced together the body parts, hoping to find some useful information to help solve the case. But it was all in vain. Even teeth, which can identify a person no matter how disfigured, had been taken by the criminals along with the head. Identifying the true identity of a nearly pulverized body, without any clothing, was almost impossible!

I floated in the air, half relieved, half wistful. Good, Dad didn’t recognize me. Otherwise, he’d probably call me a loser again…

Dad sighed. “What a pathetic kid! Why inflict such cruelty on a child because of their parents’ feuds…”

There were tears glimmering in Dad’s eyes.

Dad, meticulously piecing together every inch of bone. Dad, desperately searching for every bit of useful information. Dad, showing sympathy for a stranger, a headless female corpse.

He felt so… unfamiliar.

I knew Dad didn’t like me. When I was in elementary school, I had a fever on a rainy night. He took me to the emergency room alone. Dad thought Mom, who worked tirelessly day and night, deserved some rest, so he didn’t wake her. But Dad didn’t know that Mom got an urgent mission notification shortly after. She didn’t even wash her face before rushing to the scene.

And it was that rainy night that Mom died in a shootout with The Viper.

Mom’s body… Dad handled that one too.

I was too young then to understand what death meant, what it felt like. Now that I think about it, even Dad wouldn’t want to personally send off his own wife, right?

It was all my fault, for getting that strange fever on that particular night. It was only natural for Dad to hate me. If I hadn’t been sick, Dad would have fought to stop Mom from going on that mission, and if she hadn’t gone, Mom wouldn’t have died.

It was all my fault…

I looked down at Dad, who still hadn’t recognized me on the autopsy table. I glanced at the body again, fragmented and soiled. Covered in what looked like mud or blood, each piece of flesh looked gray and black, no different from leftover food dumped in a sewer. Even I couldn’t have recognized myself. No wonder Dad didn’t.

The tranquil morgue was suddenly pierced by a ringing phone. Dad stopped, frowning, and looked at the two young officers. They shook their heads quickly.

“Dr. Miles, we didn’t bring anything in!”

Dad then realized it was his own phone. He pulled off his gloves to check. It was Aunt Sarah.

“Hello? I’m busy…”

“Oh, Miles, I don’t know… Chloe, have you seen her? I can’t reach her phone…”

“Chloe?”

Hearing my name, Dad’s brow furrowed.

“I don’t know! I disciplined her yesterday. She’s probably out messing around. Just ignore her!”

Aunt Sarah sounded anxious. “Why did you scold her again? I heard Chloe scored really well on her college entrance exams, enough for the police academy! She was so happy yesterday!”

“Police academy, my foot! Someone as worthless as her? She should just pick some easy major, get a regular job, and make money! Becoming a cop would be an insult to the entire profession!”

Dad’s voice was as sharp as ever.