Interrogation

"That's about the gist of it."

 At the New Darwin Police Station, Clarice finally breathed a sigh of relief after recounting the events to a female police officer.

 The policewoman regarded Clarice with a skeptical look. "So, if I understood you correctly, you're saying a starship captain was being pursued, sought refuge in your room right after you finished showering?"

 "Yes, but that's not the point. I'm not accusing anyone of sexual harassment."

 "Then you saw a cloaked figure downstairs, and you believed they were tracking the captain," the policewoman continued nonchalantly.

 "It's not just my belief; they did catch up to us later."

 "In other words, several cloaked figures arrived, but you and the captain fled before any contact. So, essentially, those people never really got to you, right?" the policewoman asked.

 Clarice hesitated for a moment before replying, "Yes."

 Then she exclaimed, "But they were after us! My friend was injured, and he couldn't reach many people. They were hunting him down! I swear, it's all true!"

 The policewoman shrugged, "I'm not doubting your honesty, but even if everything you said is true, there's no evidence those people attacked you. Maybe it was all in your imagination?"

 "How dare you dismiss everything I've been through with just an imagination! Or do you need to see my body lying by the roadside before you realize, 'Oh my God, I've seen this victim before, and everything she said yesterday was true'?" Clarice retorted angrily.

 The policewoman shrugged casually, "If something like that really happened, your body would surely be disposed of secretly, not lying on the roadside."

 Clarice's expression changed drastically.

 The policewoman chuckled, "Don't worry, I was just kidding. Let me contact the Saint Juan Mountain Sanatorium to check on their end."

 With that, she picked up the phone from the desk and dialed.

 Clarice visibly relaxed as she waited. She had heard the sound of the cloaked figures blasting the door during their escape. With the policewoman's call, the truth would soon be revealed.

 Feeling much lighter, Clarice leaned back in her chair, lost in thought.

 Perhaps she recalled the amusing moments with Reno, or she sensed the thrill behind this perilous encounter. It might have been the thought that one day, when she grew old, reminiscing about this event could be a tale for a lifetime. A hint of a smile appeared on Clarice's face.

 Unbeknownst to her, the policewoman making the call was now looking at her with a hint of surprise.

 After a moment, she hung up the phone and said, "Your name is Clarice Austen?"

 "Yes."

 The policewoman shook her head, "I received a response from the Sanatorium. There's no one named Clarice Austen there."

 Clarice stood up abruptly, "That's impossible! They're lying. I was there just an hour ago."

 "The reply came from the director of the sanatorium," the policewoman replied.

 Clarice's heart sank. "No, no, this can't be..." She grabbed the policewoman's hand, saying, "I really was there."

 "Hey, hey, calm down." The policewoman pulled her hand away gently and spoke soothingly, "Maybe there's been some mistake. Let's take it slowly, have a cup of coffee to clear our heads, and then we can figure out what's going on."

 She got up and went to the nearby coffee machine, poured a cup, tore open a packet of white powder, and poured it into the cup before offering it to Clarice, "Drink."

 Taking the coffee, Clarice held it but didn't move, eyeing the policewoman suspiciously.

 The policewoman smiled, "I added some tranquilizer to help calm your nerves. It's good for you."

 Clarice nodded and took a few sips before saying, "Where do you want me to start?"

 "Let's begin with how you met Johnny Reno, shall we?"

 Clarice nodded, about to speak, when she suddenly remembered something, looking at the policewoman skeptically, "I mentioned him as Reno, not Johnny Reno."

 The policewoman continued to smile at her.

 A chill ran down Clarice's spine.

 She wanted to get up and run, but found herself powerless, her vision dimming, and everything fading away.

 The policewoman's face swirled in front of her eyes, growing larger and smaller, her voice becoming distant, as if coming from afar, then becoming indistinct.

 Everything became so unreal, intangible. Clarice tried to reach out and grasp something, but ultimately caught nothing, slowly lying down...

 ...

 When she woke up again, Clarice found herself in total darkness, surrounded by emptiness, unable to see anything.

 Clarice cried out in terror, "Hello, is anyone there? Help me!"

 No one responded. 

No matter how much Clarice shouted, the only reply was the empty echo.

 Unable to contain her deep fear any longer, Clarice burst into tears.

 Her cries echoed from all sides.

 Suddenly, Clarice heard a loud bang.

 A light appeared before her eyes.

 The light was blinding, making it impossible for Clarice to open her eyes fully. After a moment, she adjusted, moving her hand away, only to find herself in an empty room, illuminated by light emanating from the walls. Except for herself, there was nothing else to be seen, not even a door, as if she were encased in a giant eggshell.

 A solemn voice echoed in the room, "Your name."

 "What?" Clarice asked in astonishment.

 "State your name!"

 "Clarice Austen."

 "Your relationship with Reno."

 "I have no relationship with him," Clarice shouted, "Please, let me go."

 "Where did he go?"

 "I don't know..." Clarice cried again, "I've told the police everything I know. Why won't you believe me?"

 "Did he tell you where he was going?"

 Clarice shook her head.

 Unbeknownst to her, in another room, several people were staring at a screen.

 Leading them was a middle-aged man with a small mustache, followed by two trench-coated figures and four men in black.

 Several others in black were operating something in front of the screen. One was speaking into a microphone, while another was observing a chart.

 When Clarice shook her head, there was a slight change in the chart.

 The black-clad monitor immediately said, "There's a fluctuation; she's lying."

 The black-clad person with the microphone immediately shouted, "You're lying! Tell us, where did he go?"

 A booming voice resonated in the room, shaking Clarice to the core, making her tremble on the ground.

 "Answer the question!"

 As if the voice of a deity were interrogating her, Clarice couldn't bear it any longer and cried out, "I said, the Far Horizon Hotel. He might be there, but I'm not sure."

 Watching the chart, the black-clad person said, "She's not lying this time."

 The middle-aged man with the small mustache grabbed the microphone, "Do you know anything else?"

 "No, I really don't,"

 Clarice shook her head repeatedly.

 The man with the small mustache asked, "How did you open that door?"

 "What?" Clarice was puzzled.

 "That door! The one at the sanatorium."

 Clarice shook her head, "I don't know... I really don't know. I was just following him, and then he left me at the police station."

 No matter how the man with the small mustache asked, Clarice couldn't provide any more information. She truly didn't know anything more.

 The man with the small mustache put down the microphone, "Send out the tactical team to the Far Horizon Hotel and bring him back."

 Several black-clad figures nodded in unison.

 The man with the small mustache turned to the trench-coated figures behind him, "We're going too."

 "What about her, sir?" Someone pointed to Clarice.

 "Bring her along. She can be bait."