Chapter 4 - Going Undercover

"Fear?" Halia looked at the doctor with interest.

"As we're trying to track down a serial killer, I didn't want to overload you with useless memories, so I specifically downloaded information from Sara's amygdalae to your brain. I'm sure that she was terrified before she died, so I was certain that her memory of the serial killer was stored in her amygdalae," the doctor explained.

"Well, that worked quickly," Halia said in amazement.

"I didn't expect it to work so quickly either. It's a shame that you didn't see the killer's face properly though."

Halia tapped herself on the head in frustration.

"Take it slowly. These memories will eventually come to you, just like any other memory," Dr. Li comforted.

At that moment, Halia's superior, the police chief, entered the room.

"Was the surgery a success?" he asked.

"Yes," Dr. Li replied.

The police chief glanced at Halia and walked over to her side. He then placed a file in front of her.

"These are detailed examination reports from the forensics department. As you can see, we've been suspecting for a while that the killer is a doctor because of the precision of the cut on these victims' necks. We actually sent 10 detectives undercover to 10 hospitals in the area where we found the victims. Unfortunately, Sara's mission did not end well," the police chief explained as he shook his head.

"We've already withdrawn all our undercover detectives and we're planning to send you in to replace Sara. She was employed as a nurse at Peking University Hospital (PUH), one of the biggest hospitals in Beijing. There is a very big possibility that the killer is a doctor there. Hopefully, something will be able to trigger your memory."

Halia nodded her head in understanding.

...

Later that afternoon, Halia arrived at the entrance of PUH dressed in a casual white t-shirt and jeans. She glanced across the huge building in front of her and took a deep breath. She was just a new cadet and hadn't even been sent out on the field before, yet, here she was, on a mission as an undercover!

As she looked up, her gaze suddenly froze. Halia felt her heart race and her palms sweat. The hospital's logo: it was a pair of hands holding a cross against a red background!

This was the last thing that Sara saw before she died!

The police chief was right, the killer was definitely linked to this hospital in some way. But, knowing this only made Halia more nervous. She could still remember how it felt to have her neck slashed and she never wanted to experience that pain again! Nor did she want anyone else to experience it either!

"I must catch the killer," she told herself. That was the only way to guarantee everyone's safety. Halia took another deep breath and finally walked into the hospital. She then headed to the ER department; the same department where Sara worked undercover.

Halia had never been good at biology. In fact, she failed that subject in senior high school. So, it was a surprise that she ended up as a nurse (even though it was just an act).

The ER was a chaotic place. People were running around, children were screaming and machines were beeping. Halia walked awkwardly across the ward to an older-looking lady in a dark aqua-colored uniform. Halia assumed she was the head nurse since she seemed to be supervising and her uniform was darker than the other nurses'.

"Are you May?" Halia asked as she approached.

The woman in her early 40's turned and glanced at Halia. She then waved her hand, "Follow me."

Halia was a little surprised by the woman's indifferent attitude. She was neither welcoming nor cold; was she a robot?

"This is the locker room," the woman said as she opened the door to a room. She then walked inside to a locker in the corner, "This is your locker. Your uniform is inside. You can change the locker combination after you're done. The ER is a busy place, I need to get back to work. Come find me after you've changed into your uniform, I will find something for you to do."

"Thank..." Before Halia could respond, the woman left.

Halia picked up her uniform and sighed, "What am I doing here?"