The old factory was eerily silent, the air thick with the scent of damp rust. Li Chuan, Cheng Mo, and Su Man sat around a worn-out wooden table, a detailed map spread open in front of them.
Multiple red marks dotted the map, indicating possible locations where the remaining Shadow Project data might be stored.
Su Man pointed at one specific mark, her tone heavy. "This place—'Floating Light Financial Data Center.' It might contain the second part of the data."
Cheng Mo frowned. "'Floating Light Financial'? That one not one of the biggest private financial database companies in the world meh? Their security tighter than national defense lah, how to go inside?"
Su Man tapped her fingers against the table. "You're right. Their system is nearly impenetrable—forcing our way in is impossible. But when I was part of the Shadow Project team, I learned about a hidden 'backdoor'—an unregistered offline access point buried inside the system."
Li Chuan raised an eyebrow. "Offline access point? Meaning it's not directly linked to the main server?"
Su Man nodded. "Correct. But if we can find it, we can bypass most of their security and access the data from within."
Cheng Mo narrowed his eyes. "Problem is, where exactly is this so-called backdoor? And… does it even still exist?"
Su Man inhaled deeply before answering. "There's only one person who knows its location."
Li Chuan caught the uncertainty in her voice and his gaze sharpened. "Who?"
Su Man's finger slowly moved across the map—stopping at a name.
Shen Qiu.
The air in the room grew heavy.
"Shen Qiu?" Cheng Mo frowned. "He's involved in this too?"
Su Man nodded, her expression complex. "He was well-known in underground cybersecurity circles. At one point, he briefly worked on a subproject of the Shadow Project. During that time, he was one of the few who had access to Floating Light Financial's security framework."
Li Chuan's gaze flickered slightly before he asked, "Are you sure he knows the backdoor's location?"
Su Man sighed. "Three years ago, I would have been certain. Now… all I can say is, he has the highest probability."
Cheng Mo's expression turned cautious. "But the question is—will he tell us?"
Li Chuan's eyes darkened slightly as he spoke in a calm yet dangerous tone. "If he's truly on our side, he'll help. But if he has his own agenda…"
Silence fell upon them once more.
Su Man broke it by rapping her knuckles against the table. "Either way, we need to find Shen Qiu first."
"If he knows where the backdoor is, we make him talk."
"If he doesn't… then we find another way."
Meanwhile, at a Hidden Safehouse
Shen Qiu sat before his laptop, his fingers flying across the keyboard. His forehead glistened with sweat, but his eyes remained laser-focused.
On the screen, lines of encrypted code scrolled rapidly, responding to his decryption attempts.
"Almost there…" he muttered under his breath.
Suddenly—
Beep!
A red warning message flashed across the screen.
"Unauthorized Access Alert: Third-Party Intrusion Detected."
Shen Qiu's expression changed immediately.
Someone was trying to hack into his system.
Without hesitation, he closed all windows, yanked out an external hard drive, and stood up, preparing to leave the place immediately.
But before he could move—
The lights flickered.
Then—
BANG!
The door was kicked open violently, and two armed men in black stormed inside.
Shen Qiu's body tensed. He instinctively took a step back, but before he could react further, one of the men raised a gun—aiming it directly at his forehead.
"Mr. Shen," the man said in an icy voice. "Someone wants to have a chat with you."
As soon as those words left his mouth, the door behind them creaked open again.
A tall figure stepped into the room.
Dressed in a dark gray trench coat, his face was partly hidden in the shadows. His voice was deep, laced with a hint of amusement.
"Shen Qiu… it's been a while."
Shen Qiu narrowed his eyes, his voice calm but laced with caution.
"…Li Feng."
The man smiled faintly, but there was no warmth in his expression.
"We need your help."
His tone was smooth, but the threat underneath was unmistakable.
"Of course, you're free to refuse…" Li Feng's voice dropped slightly. "But I'm afraid the consequences might not be so pleasant."
Elsewhere—Li Chuan and the Others Set Off
Back at the factory, Li Chuan, Cheng Mo, and Su Man had already left the building, now inside a heavily modified SUV, speeding towards Shen Qiu's suspected hideout.
Cheng Mo checked his firearm, frowning slightly. "You sure Shen Qiu still there ah?"
Su Man's voice was steady. "Not sure. But if I were him, I wouldn't run. He'd still be trying to crack the data."
Li Chuan gazed out at the cityscape, the neon lights reflecting in his eyes. His voice was low.
"Let's hope we get there in time."
But none of them knew—
At this very moment, Shen Qiu was already in danger.