The man leaned closer, his face now only a short distance from the narrow gap between the shelves. Another few inches... and he would see them.The man's fingers brushed lightly across the dusty floor. He frowned as he looked at something near the edge of the shelf. Lian ziho was ready to react if he had to. Beside him, Zheng rui slowly lifted one finger, silently telling him to stay still.
Lian ziho gave the smallest nod without taking his eyes off the man. The stranger reached a little farther under the shelf. Then his fingers closed around a small rusted bolt lying in the dust. He picked it up, looked at it for a second, and clicked his tongue softly. "Just junk!" he muttered.Lian ziho quietly let out the breath he had been holding. The man stood up and casually tossed the bolt aside. It rolled across the concrete floor before coming to a stop near the broken wall. "Find anything?" the taller man asked from the other side of the room. "Nothing!" the second man replied. "Only old scrap." The taller man looked around one last time before walking back toward the hidden router. "Then whoever came here was careful."
The second man folded his arms. "Should we keep searching outside?" The taller man nodded once. "Check the tracks. If they found this place, they couldn't have gone far." "Got it." The two men turned toward the doorway. Their footsteps echoed through the maintenance room before slowly fading outside. Lian ziho and Zheng rui remained hidden without moving. Neither of them spoke. They waited.Only when the sound of footsteps disappeared completely did Zheng rui quietly whisper, "Don't move yet."
Lian ziho frowned. "They're gone." Zheng rui kept his eyes on the doorway. "Not yet." Lian lowered his voice. "We should leave while we have the chance." Zheng rui slowly shook his head. "They're too careful. They won't walk away that easily." Lian ziho sighed quietly. "You're being overly cautious." Zheng rui finally looked at him. "And you're being impatient." Lian ziho held his gaze for a second before looking toward the doorway again. "If we stay here any longer, we'll lose them." Zheng rui answered calmly. "If you rush out now, they'll find us." Lian clenched his jaw. "We can't just keep hiding." "We can if it keeps us alive." Lian let out a quiet breath, clearly unconvinced. "I'm going to check."
Before Zheng rui could stop him, Lian ziho slowly stepped out from behind the shelves and carefully leaned toward the doorway. Zheng rui immediately reached out and caught his wrist. "Lian ziho." Lian ziho tried to pull free. "I'm only taking a look." "No." "They're already gone." "You don't know that." Lian ziho looked back at him with obvious frustration. "You worry too much." Zheng rui's voice remained calm but firm. "And you trust your instincts too much." Lian ziho gently pulled his wrist free and took one more step toward the doorway.
At that exact moment, a phone began ringing outside. Lian ziho froze instantly. Before he could take another step, Zheng rui grabbed his hand and quickly pulled him back behind the shelves. Lian ziho stumbled slightly and almost lost his balance, but Zheng rui caught him with his other hand on his shoulder before he could make any noise.The sudden movement brought them much closer than either of them expected. Lian ziho looked at him with widened eyes. Zheng rui met his gaze for only a moment before quietly whispering, "Stay still." Lian ziho didn't argue this time. He gave a small nod and remained completely silent.
Outside the doorway, the footsteps suddenly stopped. One of the unknown men reached into his pocket, took out his phone, and answered the call. "Yes?" He stood quietly as he listened to the person on the other end. After a few seconds, he replied, "We're checking now."His eyes slowly swept across the area outside the maintenance building before he spoke again. "No, nothing yet." He listened one last time, his expression giving nothing away. "Understood." The call ended, and he slipped the phone back into his pocket.
A few seconds later, the second man returned from the opposite side of the building and stopped beside him. "What did he say?" he asked quietly. The taller man looked once toward the maintenance room before answering, "He wants us to keep searching." The second man frowned. "Still no sign of them?" "No." He folded his arms and looked down the railway tracks. "But if they came here, they can't be far." The second man nodded slowly. "Should we search the warehouses again?" The taller man thought for a moment before replying, "No. Check farther down the tracks first. We'll come back if we have to." The second man looked toward the maintenance building one last time. "You really think someone's still hiding around here?" The taller man gave a small shrug. "I don't ignore possibilities." The second man let out a quiet breath. "Fine. Let's move." The two of them walked away together, their voices becoming quieter as they headed farther down the railway.
Hidden behind the shelves,Lian ziho and Zheng rui silently let out the breath they had both been holding. Lian ziho glanced sideways at Zheng eui before quietly rubbing his wrist where he had been grabbed. "You didn't have to pull me that hard." Zheng rui looked toward the doorway."Yes, I did." Lian ziho frowned. "I wasn't going to run outside." Zheng rui finally looked at him. "You were one step away from doing exactly that." Lian ziho looked away with a quiet sigh."Maybe." Zheng rui's expression softened just a little. "You rely on your instincts." Lian ziho gave a small nod. "They've kept me alive." "And today they almost got you caught." Lian laughed. "You really don't miss a chance to prove you're right." A faint smile appeared on Zheng rui's face. "Only when I am." Lian ziho rolled his eyes. "You're impossible." "I've heard that before."
For a brief moment, the tension between them eased. Then Zheng rui's expression became serious again.He slowly peeked through the gap between the shelves, watching the doorway for several more seconds. Satisfied that no one had returned, he gave a small nod. "Let's move." Lian ziho straightened. "Finally." Zheng rui raised a finger. "Quietly." Lian ziho nodded once. "I know."
The two of them slipped out from behind the shelves and moved carefully through the maintenance room. Zheng rui led the way while Lian ziho stayed a few steps behind, keeping watch on the doorway and broken windows. Every few seconds they stopped to listen. The old building remained silent except for the wind pushing through the cracked walls. They stepped into the narrow hallway, their footsteps light against the dusty concrete floor. Lian ziho glanced into one of the side rooms. "Empty." Zheng rui checked another doorway. "Same here." They continued deeper into the building, passing abandoned storage rooms filled with broken shelves, rusted barrels, and scattered tools.
Lian ziho paused beside a small office with shattered glass covering the floor. He slowly pushed the door open with one hand and looked inside. A desk stood against the wall, its drawers hanging open. Papers were scattered everywhere. "Looks like someone searched this place already." he whispered. Zheng rui stepped inside and carefully looked around without touching anything. "Not searched." Lian ziho looked at him. "Then what?" Zheng rui pointed toward the floor. "Someone was looking for something specific."
Lian ziho followed his gaze and noticed that only one drawer had been emptied while the others remained untouched. He nodded slowly. "You're right." They left the office and continued farther down the hallway. The building seemed endless, each room looking almost identical to the last. Lian rubbed the back of his neck. "Whoever used this place knew how to stay hidden." Zheng rui answered quietly, "Which means they planned to come back." Lian ziho looked down the dark corridor ahead. "Then maybe we're not finished here yet." Zheng rui didn't reply. He simply kept walking.
Elsewhere elevator descended deep beneath the city, far below the streets where ordinary people lived their lives, until it reached a level that officially didn't exist on any blueprint. A soft mechanical chime echoed through the confined space before the reinforced steel doors slowly slid apart.Cai lang stepped out.
He enter in space that looked less like an office and more like the command center of a private intelligence agency.Thick concrete walls surrounded the entire facility, reinforced with steel beams that disappeared into the ceiling. Endless rows of computers filled the room, each occupied by analysts whose eyes never left their monitors. Hundreds of security camera feeds covered an enormous digital wall, displaying live footage from highways, train stations, intersections, airports, shopping districts, warehouses, and countless streets across the city. Every few seconds another screen changed, another camera appeared, another stream of information updated automatically.The only sounds inside the headquarters were the constant tapping of keyboards, the faint humming of powerful servers hidden behind armored glass, the occasional ring of encrypted communication devices, and the quiet voices of analysts exchanging information with absolute precision.
Along one wall stretched an enormous investigation board covered with photographs, maps, vehicle routes, satellite images, phone records and countless faces connected by colored strings. Every missing person report, every known suspect and every unexplained incident had been arranged so carefully that the entire wall looked like a living puzzle. As soon as Cai Lang stepped into the underground headquarters, every member of the investigation team immediately stood. "Boss." Their voices echoed through the concrete room before silence returned.
Cai Lang acknowledged them with a slight nod and continued walking toward the center of the operations floor, his expression calm and unreadable. A senior analyst hurried over with a tablet held tightly against his chest. "Boss, our teams completed the search of the abandoned rail yard." Cai Lang didn't even look at the tablet. His eyes remained on the investigation board as he said calmly, "Result." The analyst straightened. "No trace of the target. The transport van disappeared approximately forty-two minutes after leaving the rail yard. The license plates were changed twice, the drivers switched vehicles at least once, and every surveillance trail ends here." He enlarged a digital map and pointed toward a flashing red marker.
Cai Lang studied it for only a second before quietly shaking his head. "No." The analyst blinked in confusion. "Boss?" Cai Lang folded his arms, his sharp gaze never leaving the screen. "They didn't disappear." His calm voice made the entire headquarters fall silent. "They wanted us to believe they disappeared." Several investigators exchanged uneasy glances while another analyst rushed forward. "Boss, we recovered one clear traffic camera image."
The largest monitor displayed Jun wei sitting inside the transport van. His face was pale, his shoulders slumped with exhaustion and fear lingered in his eyes, but he was alive. Cai Lang stared silently at the image. His expression never changed, yet the fingers at his side slowly curled into a tight fist before relaxing again. After several seconds, he finally looked around the room. "Gather everything." Nobody moved, waiting for the rest of his order. Cai Lang's voice became firmer. "Everything connected to Jun Wei. I want every movement, every photograph, every security camera, every witness statement, every traffic report, every phone signal, every vehicle, every abandoned building and every warehouse from the last three months."
The headquarters instantly erupted into motion. Keyboards clattered, encrypted phones began ringing and massive digital maps spread across dozens of monitors. "Running facial recognition!" one technician called while another replied, "Accessing private surveillance networks now!" A young analyst looked up nervously. "Boss, there are more than twelve thousand cameras covering the possible routes." Cai Lang looked directly at him without hesitation. "Then review twelve thousand cameras." The technician swallowed and nodded firmly. "Yes, Boss."
Another notification suddenly echoed through the headquarters, causing several analysts to look toward the largest digital screen. A technician quickly raised his hand. "Boss, we've identified thirty-seven vehicles that traveled alongside the transport van before separating." Cai Lang immediately walked toward the screen, his long coat shifting slightly with each calm step. The technician enlarged the digital map, revealing three bright red routes branching away from a single point. "The convoy split here!" he explained while pointing at the first intersection. "Then several vehicles continued north, others headed toward the industrial district, and the remaining group disappeared into the mountain roads."
Cai Lang narrowed his eyes as he quietly studied every route. After several moments, he spoke without looking away. "Professional." One investigator frowned in confusion before asking carefully, "Boss... you think they planned this?" Cai Lang slowly folded his arms across his chest. "Not planned." He paused briefly, his calm gaze remaining fixed on the glowing map. "Rehearsed." The senior analyst looked surprised. "Rehearsed?" Cai Lang turned toward everyone, his expression as composed as ever. "People don't execute a convoy split this cleanly without practice." He pointed toward the three routes displayed across the monitors. "Every driver knew where to go. Every timing was synchronized. Every blind spot was chosen in advance." He lowered his hand slowly. "This operation began long before Jun wei disappeared."
Several investigators exchanged uneasy looks. One young technician quietly muttered, "Then... they expected someone to chase them." Cai Lang nodded once. "Exactly." Another analyst stepped forward, holding several printed reports. "Boss, we've also reviewed nearby security footage." Cai Lang glanced toward him. "Anything useful?" The analyst hesitated before answering. "Very little." Cai Lang remained silent. The analyst quickly continued, "Whoever organized this disabled multiple cameras minutes before the convoy arrived. Backup recordings were erased remotely, and several private surveillance systems were damaged by signal interference." Cai Lang's eyes sharpened slightly. "Electronic countermeasures." The analyst nodded. "Yes, Boss." Another technician spoke from across the room. "Boss, traffic control confirms several road accidents happened almost simultaneously along the possible pursuit routes."
Cai lang looked toward the map again. "Delays." The technician nodded. "Yes." Cai lang quietly exhaled through his nose. "Every obstacle was designed to slow investigators. "He turned toward everyone gathered around him. "They weren't simply escaping." He continued,"They were controlling how we searched." The investigators understood exactly what that meant. Whoever had taken Jun Wei possessed resources, planning and experience far beyond an ordinary criminal organization.
A senior investigator stepped forward and said . "Boss..." Cai Lang looked at him. "If they're this prepared..." The investigator hesitated before finishing quietly. "...then who are we actually hunting?" Cai Lang remained silent for several long seconds before slowly turning toward the enormous investigation board. His looked across hundreds of photographs connected by colored strings until they rested on Jun Wei's picture beside Suo ran and Lian Ziho. He stared at it quietly before speaking. "People who have spent years making sure nobody could find them." He continued,"But nobody disappears completely." He lifted one hand and pointed toward the board. "Every lie creates another trail." His finger shifted toward the digital map. "Every escape leaves another mistake." Then his eyes settled on Jun Wei's frightened photograph displayed across the largest monitor. "And every secret eventually demands a witness."
Cai Lang slowly turned back toward the operations team, his expression growing even more determined. "Expand the search radius." Immediately several analysts answered together. "Yes, Boss." Cai Lang continued issuing orders without pause. "Request satellite imagery from every neighboring district." "Yes, Boss." "Purchase every available private surveillance archive." "Understood." "Cross-reference fuel purchases made by heavy vehicles during the last forty-eight hours." "Already starting." "Check abandoned factories, underground garages, isolated warehouses and privately owned compounds." "Teams are moving now." A communications officer hurried over with another tablet. "Boss, local authorities are requesting access to our investigation." Cai Lang didn't even glance at the screen. "Denied." The officer blinked. "Boss?" Cai Lang calmly explained, "The more people involved..." He looked toward Jun Wei's photograph again. "...the more opportunities our enemy has to watch us." The officer immediately nodded. "Understood." Nearby, another analyst suddenly stood up. "Boss! We found something unusual." Cai Lang walked over without hesitation. The analyst enlarged another surveillance image. "One vehicle from the convoy briefly stopped for exactly forty-three seconds before continuing." Cai Lang studied the footage carefully. "Why stop?" The analyst shook his head. "We don't know."
Cai Lang looked toward another screen displaying the surrounding roads. His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "Not a delay." He spoke quietly. "A transfer." The analyst's expression immediately changed. "You think Jun Wei changed vehicles again?" Cai Lang nodded once. "Most likely." He looked around the headquarters. "Find every vehicle that entered or exited that location during the following five minutes." Several voices answered immediately. "On it!" "Running comparisons!" "Checking traffic databases!" "Matching tire patterns!" The headquarters erupted into motion once again. Cai Lang remained standing before the giant screens, silently watching hundreds of blinking locations spread across the digital map.
Cai Lang slowly closed one hand into a fist before quietly saying,"Hold on a little longer, Jun Wei." His eyes hardened with absolute determination. "We're getting closer."
Suddenly, a notification echoed through the underground headquarters, cutting through the constant sound of keyboards and humming computers. One of the technicians froze in front of his monitor, his fingers stopping halfway above the keyboard as his eyes widened in disbelief. "...Boss!" he called, his voice noticeably tense. Cai Lang didn't turn around immediately. He remained standing before the giant investigation board, his hands resting calmly behind his back. "What is it?" he asked without raising his voice.
The technician swallowed nervously before quickly typing a few more commands. "I... I found something." His words immediately caught everyone's attention. Several nearby analysts hurried over, gathering behind his workstation while trying to see the screen. One of them leaned forward, his brows knitting together. "What did you find?" he asked quietly. Without answering right away, the technician enlarged another surveillance recording onto the largest screen in the headquarters.