Where is it? Where is it?
Wang Hai's eyes swept the audience, his senses on high alert. Instinct screamed that someone familiar was among the crowd.
But this was foreign soil. If someone looked familiar, there was only one possibility—it wasn't a friend. He'd seen them before… and likely not under good circumstances.
During his service, he'd tangled with more than a few dangerous enemies. That kind of familiarity didn't come from casual encounters.
He wasn't the only one. Taishan, Zhong Lei, Black Hawk, Zhu He, and Luo Yu—all were alert, their instincts honed and ready to respond.
Intuition doesn't lie.
Wang Hai scanned row after row, urging his memory to place the feeling.
"There!" he muttered sharply, pupils narrowing.
His gaze locked on a man sitting in the fifth row. Blue-striped suit. Brown skin. Mixed heritage. The man appeared focused on Chen Mo's Q&A session, but Wang Hai caught the subtle flickers of his gaze shifting—always toward the first-row VIPs. Specifically, toward Nobel Prize winner Dorivitz. Chen Mo's seat was right beside his.
Definitely suspicious.
Wang Hai's eyes fixed on the man's side profile, trying to pull a match from memory.
"Zhong Lei, Hibiscus Protocol. Fifth row, seventh seat. Blue-striped suit. Keep your eyes on him. Taishan, focus on the boss. Be ready to move."
Zhong Lei and Zhu He didn't react overtly, but their gazes shifted, eyes sweeping the indicated row.
"Problem?" Zhong Lei asked calmly.
"My gut says yes. He's where that sense of familiarity is coming from. He's not a friend—that much I'm sure of. I just need to remember where I've seen him."
Wang Hai had always warned them—foreign faces that looked familiar were rarely a good sign.
"Need backup?" Black Hawk's voice came through the earpiece.
"Negative. Stay in position and stay sharp. We're not sure if this guy's a threat yet. Let me think."
Everyone remained on high alert. If anything went down, they could be at Chen Mo's side within seconds.
Where had he seen that face?
In the fifth row, Lerik appeared to be enjoying Chen Mo's speech, occasionally glancing at Dorivitz. Then, as if nothing were amiss, he casually took out a Bluetooth earpiece and raised his phone to his ear.
"How's it going?"
"All in position," came the reply through the earpiece.
"Awaiting orders."
Lerik's lips curled in a faint smirk. His eyes flicked toward Dorivitz again before returning to Chen Mo. If there weren't so many people, and if the bodyguards weren't so clearly trained professionals, he would've considered grabbing Chen Mo too. But the mission was Dorivitz. He was the top priority.
He had already observed the venue. Chen Mo's security detail was no joke. As his eyes drifted across the room, they brushed past Wang Hai.
Wang Hai was still combing through his memories, but his instincts screamed louder by the second. He kept glancing back at the man.
Then, their eyes met.
Both men froze for a fraction of a second.
Wang Hai's mind instantly replayed a scene.
Years ago. His team had been tasked with infiltrating the western border to dismantle a terrorist base. He'd scouted ahead and, while lying in the grass, spotted a man leaving the stronghold in a vehicle. The raid was successful—the base destroyed, the leader eliminated—but that man had escaped.
Now, he remembered the face. It was him. No doubt about it.
That man was part of a terrorist group.
At the same moment, Lerik's heart skipped.
He knows me?
The recognition was mutual. In that brief eye contact, both men knew exactly what the other had seen.
Survivors of battle recognized each other—not just by face, but by gaze. That cold, calculating tension in the eyes. It only took one glance to realize you were being watched.
Lerik made a split-second decision. His voice was low, urgent.
"Plans have changed. Execute secondary protocol. Now. Now!"
"Taishan, Lei—protect the boss!"
As Lerik issued orders, Wang Hai's voice echoed through his team's earpieces, equally urgent.
Zhong Lei and Taishan moved the instant they heard it. Chen Mo was still speaking on stage, unaware of the danger. The two bodyguards shot forward like bullets, muscles tense, eyes sharp. Their only job was to protect Chen Mo. Whether there were more enemies in the crowd didn't matter at that moment.
Chen Mo noticed the movement. His pupils contracted. Something was wrong.
He scanned the area, then instinctively stepped back, body ready to react.
His sudden pause drew confused looks from the audience. Everyone turned toward him.
Then—
Bang!
The lights in the entire forum went out. Darkness engulfed the venue.
"There's a bomb! Run!"
A shrill voice cut through the silence, slicing into the crowd's nerves.
BOOM!!!
An explosion erupted outside the venue.
It had all happened in under five seconds—lights out, shouted warning, explosion.
The shockwave triggered chaos.
Panic exploded. Screams, shouts, cries. The audience surged toward the exits in blind terror. Chairs toppled, people fell, some trampled. Painful yells mixed with sobbing.
Taishan and Zhong Lei had already made it to the stage. Taishan threw himself in front of Chen Mo, shielding him with his bulk. Zhong Lei flanked him, scanning for threats as they moved to evacuate.
Wang Hai and Zhu He moved in from the sides, wielding bulletproof briefcases like shields. They hustled Chen Mo out through a pre-planned escape route.
On the move, the team formed a tight formation around Chen Mo, shielding him from the stampede.
Amid the chaos, a woman in a striking dress moved with purpose. Her eyes tracked Dorivitz, locked onto him through the fleeing crowd. From the shadows of the venue's corner, she stepped forward...