An Eye for News Chapter 9
“Politics
and Legislative Commissioner… So what?!
Se Cai
was still brooding from his dressing down but he knew he had to keep his eyes
on the prize.
The
commercial building was so big, he didn’t believe it only had one entrance.
Unexpectedly,
after he b.u.t.tered up the building manager, he successfully got the manager to
reveal to him the location of the building’s back stairwell!
The
steel door creaked heavily as it opened into a gaping maw.
It was
obvious that staircase didn’t see regular use. The air inside was stale and it
reeked of mildew.
It belied
the commercial building’s long history. Even though the front was remodeled
many times, the stairwell had been left to its own device and it showed.
“This
staircase is the building’s original fire escape. It led straight to level 33,
the rooftop. Are you sure you want to do this? There’s 33 floors’ worth of
climbing and many of the lights had fallen into disrepair. It’s very easy to
slip and fall. Why don’t you wait here and I’ll get you a flashlight…”
The
manager said kindly, noting the camera equipment that was weighing Se Cai down.
“Thank
you but I need to go asap. Also, a kind reminder, blatant disregard of a
building’s fire escape is a fineable offense…”
Se Cai
admonished lightly to repay the manager’s kindness.
“Oh.
There’s no need to worry about that, our boss has some contacts over at the
fire department. We’ve never been fined…”
“Then,
could you help me take care of my tripod. I’ll come back to get it later!”
Before
the manager could reply, Se Cai shoved the tripod into his hands and jogged up
the stairs.
He knew
it was going to be a long slog but since the front entrance was blocked by
police, this was the only way available to reach the news.
To get
this news, Se Cai had given it his all.
Unbeknownst
to Se Cai, acquiring the Eye for News system had gradually changed him. He
started to show true pa.s.sion for his work, for the pursuit of truth!
“F*ck,
this place sure is dark. Thank G.o.d for my enhanced vision!”
Se Cai
observed after he had ran past several floors.
The
manager was right, more than a few lights in the stairwell was broken. The
whole place was shrouded in darkness.
It was then
that Se Cai found out the system had also granted him night-vision. Then again,
it was after all to be expected since it was a common feature in most
cam-recorder.
However,
able to see in the dark and able to climb up 33 floors were 2 distinct things.
Se Cai’s
physical was considered fit since as a reporter, he had to spent most of the
days running from one news source to the next.
Despite
that, this wasn’t easy for him either. After about 20 floors, the small camera
around his neck started to feel like a dumbbell.
“d.a.m.n,
I might have overestimated myself…”
Se Cai
remarked breathlessly as he slumped to the floor.
He
sucked in a deep breath and picked himself up again. A mysterious force was
pushing him forward, urging him to hold on.
“Chances like this come once in a
lifetime. I mustn’t let this slip away!”
“This
is all to revenge against the Blue Sky Rehab that wanted to take your hand. Se
Cai, you have to keep going or that day will never come!”
“Stay
focused… For the sake of News Point!”
Se Cai
kept feeding himself encouragement. After an interminable time, finally he
glimpsed a ray of light in the dark. It was the skylight! He had reached the 33rd
level!
Before
he could rejoice though, cruel reality hit Se Cai like a brick to the face.
The
wisps of light that streamed down from the dusty skylight revealed a heavy lock
that prevented Se Cai’s way forward.
“F*ck
me! Why that manager didn’t mention there’s still a locked door!”
Se Cai
swore as his blood boiled.
He
calmed down enough to realize it was unrealistic to go back down for the keys
then. He leaned into the wall and looked around.
His
eyes eventually fell upon an air duct that was on the wall.
The air
duct was about 10 meters off the ground and was wide enough for a grown man to
fit through. With his enhanced hearing, Se Cai could pick up strands of rushed conversations
coming from its other end. It should lead him directly to actual scene.
“When
G.o.d closes a door, he opens a window, well, an air duct.”
Se Cai
gathered himself and leaped to grab at its edge.
Thankfully,
the air duct was of the older model that didn’t have an operating fan or else
Se Cai wouldn’t have been able to get through.
A thick
layer of dust covered every surface of the duct. Se Cai crawled purposefully
through the darkness, staining his clothes and face along the way.
His
determination though held firm. This was all for the news that he wanted!
“I see
it!”
Se Cai
yelped in delight when he saw the duct was reaching an end.
The
other end of the duct was parallel to the rooftop’s floor. The aluminum
covering had long since rusted away, leaving behind a huge hole. It had however
provided Se Cai with the best vantage point to take in everything that was
happening on the roof.
Se Cai
cheered silently, the spot was 100 times better than he had expected. The
jumper was literally 5 meters away from where he was, but thanks to the shadow
inside the air duct, Se Cai was perfectly hidden from all prying eyes.
“Phew,
thank G.o.d all that effort wasn’t wasted!”
If the
police had let him through, he wouldn’t end up with such a valuable spot
because there was no way police would allow him such close proximity to the
jumper for fear of agitating him.
In
other words, the rejection had accidentally led Se Cai to a better outcome!