Chapter 27 - Friends?

After saving Halia, Jackson knew she'd be taken to the police station, so he waited outside for her and followed her. That's how he ended up at the cemetery at 1am in the morning, watching her hug another guy.

Jackson sighed. "Her boyfriend will take care of her. I think my work here is done," he said to himself before he left.

...

The next day, Halia reported to the police chief after sleeping in a little. When she walked in, she noticed another officer sitting next to him.

When the police chief saw her, he smirked, "I almost thought you had run away."

"You told me to get some rest, so I thought I deserved to sleep in a little."

The police chief laughed.

"Halia, I would like you to meet someone. This is Captain Tang from the Beijing Special Police Unit (SPU). I'm sure you've heard of the SPU before; they are an elite tactical unit created to tackle matters of a larger scale, including anti-terrorism and riots."

"The government heard about Dr. Li's success with your surgery and memory transfer, so they have asked you to assist the SPU with an important case. Of course, only the Captain will know about your identity as well as a proper handler, but the entire unit will be there to back you up."

Halia's eyes opened wide. The SPU? They usually required years of training.

"I don't think I have the skills to assist," Halia said worriedly.

"Don't worry, I'll let the Captain explain," the chief said as he gestured for the man next to him to talk.

"Early last year, the famous arms dealer, Arvin Chen, was finally caught after a decade and a half of supplying weapons to criminals both domestically and internationally," the Captain began.

"He was a huge concern to national security because he supplied to some of the biggest criminals and also had ties to international terrorist groups. After he was caught, the arms world fell silent for a bit. Everyone was scared of being caught, so they decided to lay low. But, that was until three months ago, when a new name finally appeared on our radar. Supposedly, this new kid has a broader supply of guns and weaponry and he claims he can make bombs! Of course, he created a lot of enemies as soon as he appeared on the scene, but he also attracted the attention of Arvin's previous clients. Word has it, he is currently working on a deal with an international fugitive, Remy Durand. This man caused a lot of trouble back in France and we are worried he may be up to no good here."

The Captain then paused for a second and suddenly asked, "Halia, we've received intel that you are familiar with Jackson Wu, is that correct?"

Halia looked at the captain in confusion, "I met him at the hospital. Why do you ask?"

The captain turned to the police chief, "Tell her what you told me."

The chief took a deep breath and asked, "A few days ago, when he was brought to the station for kidnapping and spiking you, he claimed he was your friend. I wasn't sure whether to believe him at that time. But, yesterday, Detective Yang told me something really interesting: he told me that Jackson Wu saved you at the abandoned warehouse...So, are you really friends?"

Halia looked at the chief in surprise. If Jackson Wu was really the one that was brought to the station when she was spiked, then he was also the one who carried her out of the bar and took her to a hotel. In other words, this confirmed what Isaac had told her and what she guessed - Jackson Wu was the one she kissed!

Halia blushed.

She then tried to think about what happened at the abandoned warehouse the previous night. That's when she remembered Jackson buttoning her shirt...

Halia quickly covered her face in embarrassment.

"I guess we're acquaintances, but I wouldn't consider him a friend..."

Captain Tang sighed, "Well, I'm giving you a chance to get to know him better."

Halia looked at the man questioningly.

"Our new arms dealer is Jackson Wu! We are sending you undercover to catch him..."

Halia froze. She didn't know Jackson Wu well, but he had saved her three times, how could she catch him? Her heart felt a little heavy and uncomfortable.

"But he knows I'm a nurse. How do you expect me to get close to him?" she said, trying to make an excuse.

"This is where Dr. Li's technology comes in handy. We are transferring you knowledge from one of our expert advisors."

"Knowledge? What kind of knowledge?" Halia asked.

"Knowledge of weapons and explosives, of course. Dr. Li has done extensive tests in transferring knowledge and he's figured a way to do it on a live person without affecting the 'donor'. Your cover is that you actually hold a double degree in chemical and mechanical engineering, but you couldn't find any jobs after you graduated, so you did another degree in nursing and recently became a nurse. We are hoping that the knowledge we transfer to you will help you convince Jackson that you can help him and become a part of his operations. Once you're in, you can help us gather the information we need to catch him."

Halia did the maths in her head. Say she started university when she was 18 and a double degree took 5 years, then she would have graduated when she was 23. After that, a nursing degree would have taken 3 years, so she would have graduated when she was 26. She was turning 27 in 2 weeks. These guys were certainly cutting it close with this cover.

"I don't think he'll believe me..." she said with doubt.

"He's saved you three times! He's an arms dealer, not a charity worker. He definitely sees you as a friend or has some interest in you. So, we can't think of a better person to gain his trust in a short period of time. Plus, you'll have the knowledge we've given you. If he needs proof, you can show him your skills. It's not like he would ever guess that you had someone else's knowledge transferred into you."