The engine of the armored Imperial Pharmax logistics truck rumbled with a heavy, low-frequency vibration as it cut through the desolate coastal highway. Outside, the pre-dawn mist hung thick and heavy over the jagged cliffs, swallowing the ocean below.
Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was quiet. Neither Chen Ying nor Chen Yan had slept more than a collective two hours over the past two days, their bodies operating on pure adrenaline and cold discipline. During a brief straightaway along the unmonitored coastal road, Chen Yan pulled the massive transport over to the shoulder.
Without a word, he closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the steering wheel for a mandatory seven-minute window to stabilize his hands. Chen Ying sat perfectly still beside him, her dark eyes tracking the ticking digital dashboard clock. They couldn't afford to waste a single second, yet entering a high-security fortress with fatigued reflexes was a text-book death sentence.
