"And remember," the security man added, his voice a low drone, "some of these tapes might have the wrong date. Old system, you know." 

Jisung stifled a groan. Three days he'd spent navigating the bureaucratic maze, enduring the condescending sighs and thinly veiled impatience of overworked officials. Three days for this? He managed a tight-lipped smile. "Noted." 

The surveillance archive room was a disaster. Dust clung to every surface, and the air was thick with the scent of mildew and neglect. Jisung stood in the doorway, his sharp eyes scanning the chaos before him. Tapes were scattered across the floor, some still in their cases, others lying loose like forgotten relics. The shelves were crooked. Tangled cables. It was a miracle anything in this room still functioned.

“We don’t get many requests to review old footage, so… well, you can see how it is.”The security guard said, his voice tinged with embarrassment.

Jisung nodded, his expression unreadable. “I’ll manage.”

The guard hesitated, clearly unsure whether to stay or leave. He said something about being nearby if needed and quickly retreated, leaving Jisung alone in the dimly lit room.

For a moment, Jisung simply stood there, taking it all in. The room was a graveyard of forgotten evidence, a place where time seemed to have stopped. But Jisung wasn’t deterred. If anything, the disarray only fueled his determination. He rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

Hours passed as he sifted through the tapes, his movements methodical and precise. Each tape was labeled with a date, but the handwriting was often illegible, and some were missing labels altogether. Jisung’s patience was unwavering, his focus razor-sharp. He knew what he was looking for: the footage from the day of the robbery. And he wouldn’t stop until he found it.

Finally, his fingers brushed against a tape labeled with the correct date. He pulled it out, blowing off a layer of dust before inserting it into the ancient playback machine. The screen flickered to life, the grainy footage showing the exterior of the jewelry store. Jisung leaned forward, his eyes glued to the screen.

The footage was shaky and poorly lit, but it was enough. Jisung watched as a car pulled up to the store, its license plate partially obscured by shadows. A figure appeared, its face hidden under the hood. It moved quickly, its actions deliberate. Jisung’s heart rate raced as he followed its movements, his mind quickened to piece together the sequence of events. 

The car sped away, disappearing down the street. Jisung rewound the footage, watching it again and again, his sharp eyes catching every detail. The car turned into a tunnel, its taillights glowing faintly in the darkness. But as Jisung continued to track its path, something strange happened. The car entered the tunnel. But it never came out.

Jisung frowned, rewinding the footage once more. He watched closely, his fingers tapping impatiently on the desk. The car entered the tunnel, swerved sharply to the left, and then… nothing. It was as if the vehicle had vanished into thin air.

"Impossible," Jisung said, his jaw tightening. "Cars don’t just disappear."

He leaned back in his chair, his mind racing. The tunnel was a blind spot, a section of the road where the cameras couldn’t reach. It was the perfect place to evade detection. Jisung’s lips curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. "Smart," he thought. "But not smart enough."

He grabbed a map from his bag, spreading it out on the desk. His fingers traced the route the car had taken, stopping at the tunnel. He studied the surrounding area, his sharp eyes scanning for any possible exits or alternate routes. That’s when he noticed it: an abandoned construction site near the tunnel. It may appear that it doesn't have any surveillance cameras in the area, but…

This was the missing piece. Searching for the registration of surveillance cameras for the abandoned construction site, which were found faster than the previous one. 

He played the recording. Jisung’s pulse quickened. The camera angle showed the 2nd exit of the tunnel, where a sign read, 'Under Maintenance.’

"Bingo" he muttered with a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. 

The car had indeed exited the tunnel. Jisung leaned closer to the screen, his sharp eyes narrowing as he zoomed in on the vehicle. The license plate was partially obscured by shadows, but he caught a glimpse of the numbers, just enough to work with. His hand moved quickly, scribbling the digits onto his notepad with precise, hurried strokes. 

"Got you," he said, a flicker of triumph in his eyes.

"There isn’t much time left for you. I’ll catch you, and then I’ll show the whole country the real identity of you blood diamonds."

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