3 AM. The city's lights flickered against the dark sky, like a silent sea of burning stars. Li Chuan and his team had evacuated the old district, regrouping at one of Storm's safe houses. Shen Qiu remained glued to his system, meticulously tracing every digital footprint left by "Eclipse-17." Meanwhile, Cheng Mo and Su Man ran a final check on their weapons.
Li Chuan sat at the table, his gaze fixed on the holographic map projected on the wall. Dozens of blinking markers scattered across the digital surface—each representing a potential security breach within Storm's network. His fingers moved slowly, tracing a few critical points before stopping at one particular coordinate.
"Shen Qiu." His voice was low.
Shen Qiu immediately turned around. "What is it?"
Li Chuan pointed at a specific location on the map. "If I were 'Eclipse-17' and needed to extract top-level intelligence from Storm's database while erasing all traces within the shortest time possible… Where would I set up my operation?"
Shen Qiu's eyes narrowed as he quickly ran a query through the system. A few seconds later, his expression shifted.
"Damn…" He exhaled sharply. "There was a hidden access log—timestamped just three hours ago. And the access point…"
Su Man stepped forward, her brows knitting together as she saw the glowing red marker on the screen. "The Sixth Security Station? No way. That's one of Storm's most fortified sites, unless—"
"Unless he was already there." Cheng Mo finished the thought, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Which means our dear 'Eclipse-17' is likely one of them."
Li Chuan stood up, reaching for his sidearm. His voice was steady. "Target confirmed. We move."
Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the Sixth Security Station.
Disguised as a high-end financial firm, the building appeared nondescript from the outside. But inside, it was a labyrinth of surveillance tech, biometric locks, and top-tier security measures.
Yet, as they infiltrated the facility, something felt… off.
The main hall was eerily silent, its flickering lights casting long, distorted shadows across the floor. A faint metallic scent hung in the air.
Su Man's grip on her weapon tightened. "This… doesn't feel right."
Cheng Mo knelt down, running a finger through a dark stain on the floor. It was still warm. He clicked his tongue. "Whoever was killed here… didn't die more than ten minutes ago."
A sharp beep echoed from Shen Qiu's terminal. His face darkened. "Comms are jammed. This place is under someone else's control."
Li Chuan's expression remained unreadable, but his eyes carried the weight of a decision made in mere seconds. He gestured for the team to spread out and search.
Not long after, Su Man discovered a fallen Storm operative slumped over his desk, a single gunshot wound in his chest. The man was long gone, but his terminal screen was still active, displaying an unsent email.
The recipient?
Li Chuan.
The subject line was brief.
"They found me. I don't have much time—Eclipse-17 is—"
The rest of the message was drowned in blood, smearing the words into illegibility.
Su Man inhaled sharply and pressed her earpiece. "We're too late. The message was cut off."
Meanwhile, Shen Qiu had stumbled upon a still-active server in the main hall. A countdown flashed on its screen.
00:02:36
Li Chuan's eyes narrowed. "A timed data wipe."
Shen Qiu's fingers flew over the keyboard. "I'm on it!"
Cheng Mo surveyed the room, his smirk deepening. "This… feels too perfect."
Su Man shot him a glance. "What do you mean?"
He gestured toward an intact security camera in the corner. "The cameras aren't disabled. If someone really wanted to erase all traces, they wouldn't leave the footage intact. This isn't just a cleanup. Someone wants us to see this."
Li Chuan's voice grew colder. "You're saying this was staged?"
The countdown ticked below one minute.
Shen Qiu grit his teeth. "I just need a few more seconds!"
A sudden mechanical whir echoed through the space. The elevator was descending.
Li Chuan's grip on his firearm tightened. "We have company."
Su Man aimed at the doors, Cheng Mo shifting into position behind cover.
With a soft chime, the elevator doors slid open.
A man in a crisp black suit stepped out, his demeanor composed, eyes calmly scanning the room before landing on Li Chuan.
"You found this place faster than I expected," he mused, his voice carrying an air of amusement.
Li Chuan's gaze remained sharp. "Eclipse-17?"
The man's lips curled slightly. "Perhaps."
Cheng Mo scoffed. "Drop the act. Your little game is over."
Instead of panicking, the man leisurely unbuttoned his sleeve, revealing a sleek metal emblem embedded into his wrist—a Storm insignia.
"I am a member of Storm," he said, his tone measured. "And unless you have solid proof against me, you're out of line."
Li Chuan didn't move, didn't speak. His mind was already processing the real game at play.
A whisper crackled through his earpiece—Shen Qiu's voice.
"I cracked it! The database logs are back—Eclipse-17's real identity is—"
A soft, metallic click.
A faint electric hum filled the air.
Then—
BOOM!
The entire station plunged into darkness.
In the pitch-black void, the man's voice resonated like a phantom's whisper.
"The hunt… has only just begun."