The driver instantly stopped moving.The corridor behind them was empty. Only flashing red emergency lights painted the concrete walls with long moving shadows. His expression immediately changed. "Where is he?!" he said sharply. Qin Yue instantly turned around too, scanning both sides of the corridor. Her eyes widened slightly. "He was just behind you." The older man's face hardened and genuine panic appeared in his expression. "Spread out!" he said quickly. "Search the side corridors."
The driver moved, checking every corner as he walked. He opened one small storage room. It was empty then another maintenance room.He clicked his tongue in frustration. "Seriously? This isn't the time for him to wander around." Qin Yue quickly moved toward another hallway. "Suo Ran!" she called. "Answer us!" Somewhere above them alarms continued blaring while distant gunfire echoed throughout the building.
Every passing second made everyone more anxious. The older man's expression gradually grew heavier. "He couldn't have gone far!" he said.
The driver rubbed his forehead in annoyance. "Can he stop disappearing at the worst possible times?" Qin Yue sighed. "I swear he has incredible timing." The driver pointed at her. "This is not timing anymore. This is talent." Qin Yue almost laughed despite the situation. "Honestly, yes." The older man looked at both of them."This isn't funny."Both became serious again. The driver quickly nodded. "Right. Sorry." Qin Yue folded her arms and looked around cautiously. "The problem is that we're under attack and he somehow still managed to get distracted."
The driver let out a disbelieving laugh. "It's almost impressive." The older man exhaled quietly and shook his head. "Later." His voice became firm. "We can complain later. Find him first." Qin Yue immediately nodded. "I'll search the left side." The driver pointed ahead. "I'll take the center corridor." The older man nodded once. "I'll check the rooms on the right." Then he added, his expression becoming serious again, "Nobody goes too far alone."
The alarms continued screaming throughout the building as all three separated. Red emergency lights flashed above them every few seconds, making the entire underground passage feel unsettling. Qin Yue checked every side room she passed.The driver walked forward carefully, his eyes constantly moving from one corner to another. He muttered under his breath, "Unbelievable. If he isn't here, I'm really going to lecture him." He sighed. "Who disappears in the middle of an armed invasion?"
Then suddenly driver stopped walking. His gaze shifted toward a small room at the end of another passage. Red emergency lights flickered inside. "There!" he said quietly.Suo Ran stood beside an old glass display case. His hands rested inside his pockets while he stared silently at something inside, completely unaware that everyone had been searching for him. The driver walked over. "What are you doing here?!" Suo Ran calmly pointed toward the glass. "I was looking at this."
The driver leaned over to look at it too. Then he stared at Suo Ran in disbelief. "In this dangerous situation, you're looking at old things?!" He pointed around them dramatically. "Do you have any idea how serious the situation is right now?" Suo Ran folded his arms and looked at him. "I know."
The driver's eyebrow twitched instantly. "Clearly you don't." Suo Ran shrugged. "I only stopped for a minute." The driver stared at him. "A minute? A minute is enough time for armed people to surround us." Suo Ran sighed. "But they didn't." The driver pointed at him immediately. "That's not the point." Suo Ran looked completely unbothered. "Then what is the point?"
The driver opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again. "The point is… don't disappear." Suo Ran nodded once. "Okay." The driver blinked. "That's it?" Suo Ran shrugged again. "What else do you want me to say?" The driver looked like he was about to lose his mind.At that moment Qin Yue and the older man arrived. The older man's entire body visibly relaxed the second he saw Suo Ran standing there safely. He quietly exhaled a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "Are you okay?" he asked immediately.
Suo Ran looked at him and nodded. "I'm fine." The older man walked a little closer. "You shouldn't disappear like that." Suo Ran sighed. "I'm not a kid. I know what I'm doing." Qin Yue instantly frowned. "Hey." Suo Ran looked toward her. She crossed her arms. "I know you don't like us." He said nothing. "But at least respect him." She pointed toward the older man. "He's around your father's age." Then she narrowed her eyes slightly. "Is this how you would talk to your father?" Suo Ran froze for a brief moment.
Before he could answer, the older man immediately interrupted. "Qin Yue." She looked at him. "Enough." His voice wasn't angry. Just gentle. Qin Yue sighed and nodded. "Fine." The older man then looked at everyone. "We have to move." The driver immediately nodded. "They're getting closer." Qin Yue checked her gun once more. "Let's go."
Everyone started moving again, but Suo Ran stayed behind for another second. His eyes slowly returned toward the glass display case. Inside was an old photograph. It was covered with dust. Time had faded the colors. Several people stood together in the picture. There were adults, child but one person stood out to him.Their face had been completely scratched away.
Deep lines ruined every detail until they became unrecognizable.Someone had done it deliberately. His eyes narrowed. Why erase only one person? Who was it? A strange feeling suddenly settled in his chest."Suo Ran." The older man's voice pulled him back. Suo Ran blinked and looked away. "I'm coming." Then he walked after them through the narrow corridor beneath the flashing red lights.
Elsewhere control room was silent except for the low hum of machines and the soft beeping of countless monitors arranged across an enormous wall. Dim blue light illuminated the room, reflecting off metal surfaces and polished floors. Rows of security screens displayed different areas of the compound. Corridors. Entrances. Locked doors. Guards patrolling. And in the center monitor…Jun Wei.
The mysterious man stood in front of the largest screen with both hands clasped behind his back. His black gloves, long coat and dark hat concealed most of his appearance, leaving only his calm eyes visible beneath the shadows. His gaze remained fixed on Jun Wei, who lay quietly on the bed inside the locked room.
Jun Wei had one arm tucked beneath his cheek while the blanket covered half of his body. At first glance, he looked asleep. Peaceful. Harmless. Completely unaware that someone was watching him.The mysterious man's eyes softened slightly.
"Such a cute little boy!" he said quietly.His voice was gentle then his expression changed."But unfortunately..."He paused for a moment."...you have connections with them."His gaze lingered on Jun wei's face for several more seconds.A quiet sigh escaped him. "You really don't know anything, do you?"
On the screen, Jun wei shifted slightly beneath the blanket, his small form barely visible under the dim room light before he settled again, pretending stillness. Behind him, the quiet was broken by approaching footsteps. A subordinate entered the room immediately and lowered his head with practiced respect. "Sir!" he said. The mysterious man did not turn around; his gaze stayed fixed on the monitor, as if the boy on the screen mattered more than anything in the room. "Everything ready?" he asked calmly.
The subordinate stepped forward carefully, holding a tablet in both hands. "Yes, sir. The preparations for tomorrow have been completed." The man accepted it without looking away from the screen, his tone indifferent. "Good." The subordinate hesitated, shifting uneasily before speaking again. "Sir… should we increase security around the boy?" For a brief moment, silence stretched.
The mysterious man's expression did not change, but something colder settled in the air. Then he slowly shook his head. "No." The subordinate blinked, confused. "No?" he repeated softly. The man moved one hand behind his back, still watching the monitor. "He isn't the dangerous one." The subordinate frowned slightly. "Then who is?" Only then did the man turn his head just enough for his profile to be seen, eyes still unreadable. "The dangerous people…" he said quietly, gaze returning to Jun Wei on the screen, "…are the ones trying to reach him."
The subordinate lowered his eyes. "I understand, sir." The room fell silent again, heavy and controlled, before the man spoke once more. "Has the boy remembered anything?" The subordinate answered quickly,"No, sir." Something subtle shifted in the man's expression a faint relaxation in his shoulders. "Good!" he said softly, almost to himself. The subordinate hesitated, curiosity slipping through despite himself. "Sir… if I may ask… he looks ordinary. He doesn't seem dangerous at all." His eyes flicked toward the screen. "He doesn't even know what's happening. So why is all of this necessary?"
The mysterious man remained silent for a long moment, studying Jun Wei as if seeing something beneath the surface no one else could. Then he answered quietly, "Because ordinary people become extraordinary when they are connected to extraordinary secrets." The subordinate stiffened slightly. The man continued, voice even but firm. "Knowledge can save someone… and sometimes knowledge destroys them."
The subordinate went silent, but then cautiously asked, "What about Suo Ran?" He exhaled once, slow and controlled. "He'll come." The subordinate frowned. "You sound certain." The man nodded without hesitation. "He always does." The subordinate studied him carefully. "You know him that well?" A faint, unreadable smile appeared. "Better than he realizes." Before the subordinate could respond, the man tilted his head slightly toward the monitor again. "What do you think the boy is doing right now?" The subordinate glanced at the screen. "Sleeping?" he guessed uncertainly.
The man gave a soft, almost amused breath. "No." He pointed subtly at Jun Wei's hand under the blanket. The subordinate leaned in closer and saw it. The boy's fingers were clenched tightly around the fabric, small but deliberate movements betraying alertness. The subordinate's eyes widened slightly. "He's awake?" The man nodded once. "He's pretending." A hint of admiration flickered in the subordinate's expression.
The mysterious man's voice softened slightly. "He's smarter than people expect… but still a child."His gaze lingered on Jun wei."Children believe promises. They trust easily. They love without hesitation." He paused, expression growing distant. "And because of that… they become vulnerable." The subordinate said nothing. Jun Wei shifted again beneath the blanket, and the man's attention sharpened and faint smile returned. "You miss them!" he said quietly, almost gently.
The subordinate frowned. The man's voice softened further. "You miss Suo Ran… and Lian Ziho too." He gave a slow, knowing nod to himself. "Good." The subordinate stiffened. "Good?" The man folded his arms, eyes still fixed on the screen. "The more he trusts them…" he said slowly, "…the easier tomorrow will be." The subordinate's expression changed instantly. "Tomorrow?" The man nodded once. "The meeting." The subordinate straightened. "The heir?" This time, the man did not answer at once. He simply stared at Jun Wei for a long and said "Tomorrow changes everything."
The man calmly adjusted his glove, then turned toward the door. "Increase security." "Yes, sir." "No mistakes." "Understood." He took a few steps before stopping again, not looking back as he spoke one final warning. "If Suo Ran arrives before tomorrow…" The subordinate immediately tensed. The man's voice dropped colder than before. "…do not underestimate him." "Yes, sir!" the subordinate replied quickly.
Then the mysterious man walked out, his footsteps fading into the darkness beyond the monitors. The room remained filled with the quiet glow of screens and on the largest monitor, Jun Wei slowly opened one eye beneath the blanket, his tiny fingers tightening around the fabric as if silently confirming he was still listening.
Early morning light spread through the car windows, but inside the vehicle everything felt heavy and suffocating, as if the night had never ended at all; papers were scattered across the dashboard, half-empty coffee cups rolled slightly with every turn of the engine, and Zheng Rui's fingers tightened around a freshly printed file as he stared at the grainy security footage without blinking, while Lian Ziho leaned forward from the passenger seat,exhaustion visible under his eyes but completely ignored by his focus,"Play it again!" Lian Ziho said sharply.
Zheng rui rewound the footage without argument, the toll station camera flickering across the screen showing multiple black vehicles passing in sequence,"There!"Zheng Rui muttered, pointing at the convoy, "this one,"and Lian ziho narrowed his eyes,"That's the same transport van." he confirmed, then paused as the footage continued, his brows slowly tightening, "Wait…" he added, leaning closer, and in the next second the screen showed something unusual, the convoy did not continue as one unit but instead split cleanly into three separate routes, disappearing in different directions, and for a moment the only sound inside the car was the low hum of the engine.
Lian Ziho looked at one of file."They didn't lose direction." he said, "they separated intentionally!" Zheng Rui nodded slowly, jaw tightening, "Which means they weren't trying to escape," he added, "they were trying to erase the trail." Lian ziho leaned back slightly, his expression darkening, "No!" he corrected quietly, "they were expecting pursuit," Zheng Rui glanced at him, "Exactly!" he said, "this wasn't panic." then he lowered the file in his hand, voice dropping, "this was planning."
Lian Ziho spoke again, slower this time, "Planning doesn't happen overnight!" he said, "this level of coordination…" he stopped, eyes narrowing, "this started before Jun Wei disappeared." Zheng Rui exhaled sharply, gripping the steering wheel tighter, "Which means the kidnapping wasn't the beginning." he said, "it was just the execution." Lian Ziho looked down at the scattered files in his lap, suddenly unable to ignore how many moving parts had already been in place before they even noticed something was wrong, "We're late!" he said quietly, more to himself than to Zheng Rui, and Zheng Rui didn't deny it, only muttered, "We've been late since the moment it happened!"
A few minutes later, Zheng Rui pulled out a separate small case from under the seat, opening it carefully as if handling something far more sensitive than paper, and inside lay Jun Wei's bracelet, slightly scratched from earlier handling, but still intact, "I've checked this three times already." Zheng Rui said quietly, "but something kept bothering me."
Lian Ziho glanced at it without much expectation at first, until Zheng Rui tilted it under the light and adjusted the angle, and that was when it appeared, faint but deliberate, etched inside the inner curve of the bracelet, a symbol so small it almost blended into the metal, "What is that?" Lian ziho asked, leaning closer, Zheng Rui's expression froze mid-motion, and for the first time since the investigation began his voice lowered, "Lian Ziho…" he said slowly, "look at it carefully."
Lian Ziho frowned, taking the bracelet gently but firmly, rotating it under the light, "It's just engraving." he said at first, then paused, eyes narrowing, "No… it's not decorative." Zheng Rui shook his head, "It's not!" Lian Ziho tried again, "I don't recognize it," he admitted, and that was when Zheng Rui spoke with certainty, "I do!" Lian Ziho looked up sharply, "You do?" Zheng Rui nodded once, slow and heavy, "This symbol belongs to an old family," he said, then corrected himself, "or something bigger than a family."
Lian Ziho's brows furrowed deeply, "Define 'bigger,'" he demanded, and Zheng Rui exhaled through his nose, tension building in his jaw, "An organization that stopped existing publicly years ago." he said, "officially erased from records, unofficially… never fully gone," Lian Ziho's grip on the bracelet tightened, "That's not possible." he said immediately, but Zheng Rui shook his head, "I've seen this before," he insisted, "not on paper… in field reports that were never supposed to be archived," Lian Ziho's expression darkened further, "What kind of reports?"
Zheng Rui hesitated for the first time, then answered quietly, "Disappearances!" Lian Ziho froze slightly, "Explain!" he said, and Zheng Rui leaned back, rubbing his temple, "There were cases years ago," he began, "children vanishing, but not like normal kidnappings," he continued, "no ransom, no communication, no bodies recovered, just… erased existence," Lian Ziho's voice turned lower, "And this symbol appeared there?" Zheng Rui nodded once, "On sealed files that were locked away." he said, "until they were quietly removed from circulation."
Lian Ziho stared at him, disbelief mixing with dawning realization, "So you're saying Jun Wei…" he stopped, unable to finish, and Zheng Rui finished it for him, voice grim, "I'm saying he was never an ordinary target " Lian Ziho shook his head immediately, "No!" he said, "he's just a child." but Zheng Rui's expression didn't soften, "That's exactly why it doesn't make sense." he replied, "why go through this level of coordination for a child unless…" he paused, then said it anyway, "unless the child is not the real objective."
Lian Ziho spoke, voice low and controlled but shaken underneath, "Then what is?" Zheng Rui didn't answer immediately, instead looking back at the bracelet again, then he said quietly, "If I'm right…" he paused, "Jun Wei was never supposed to be found." Lian Ziho's entire body went still, his eyes widening slightly as the meaning landed fully, "Never supposed to be found?" he repeated. Zheng Rui nodded slowly, "Which means someone has been making sure of that for a very long time."
Lian Ziho leaned back in the seat, his hand slowly tightening into a fist, "Then why now?" he asked sharply, and Zheng Rui glanced ahead at the road, voice turning colder, "Because something changed," he said, "or someone broke the balance!" Lian Ziho exhaled slowly, staring down at the bracelet again, then whispered, "Jun Wei doesn't even know what he's holding…" Zheng Rui's jaw tightened, "No!" he agreed, "and that's what makes this dangerous," then after a pause he added, "because once he does…" Lian Ziho finished it quietly, "everything will move."
Jun Wei sat quietly on the mattress with the blanket wrapped tightly around himself, his thoughts wandering toward Suo Ran and Lian Ziho again when suddenly click. The lock outside moved. Jun Wei immediately looked toward the door and his body stiffened. The door slowly opened, but this time it wasn't a guard. A tall man stepped inside. He wore a long black coat that reached his knees. Black gloves covered both hands, and a black hat cast a shadow over most of his face, hiding his eyes beneath the brim. He walked calmly.
The door shut behind him with a soft click. Jun Wei immediately hugged the blanket tighter, his eyes filling with caution. "Why are you here again?" he asked. The man stopped several steps away from him. Jun Wei frowned. "Who are you?" The man didn't answer immediately. Instead, he simply looked at him, studying him then a faint smile appeared on his face. "I've been looking for you for a very long time."
Jun Wei blinked, then his brows furrowed. "Why?" The man folded his gloved hands behind his back. "That's a difficult question." Jun Wei shook his head immediately. "No, it isn't." The man looked slightly amused. "Oh?" Jun Wei hugged the blanket tighter. "If you were looking for me… then there should be a reason." The man stared at him for a moment before nodding. "That's true." Jun Wei swallowed nervously. "I want my Ge-ge!"
The man's eyes softened slightly. "Do you?" Jun Wei nodded immediately. "Yes." The man remained quiet for several seconds before asking softly, "Do you really know who they are?" Jun Wei blinked. "What?" The man slowly took another step closer. "Do you know who Suo Ran really is?" Jun Wei frowned. "He's Brother." The answer came instantly, without hesitation. The man smiled faintly. "And Lian Ziho?" Jun Wei answered again. "Lian-ge." The man nodded once. "Are you sure?!" Jun Wei looked confused. The man crouched down until he was closer to Jun Wei's eye level. His voice remained calm. "But do you actually know who they are?" Jun Wei stared at him. "I don't understand." The man tilted his head slightly. "Do you know where Suo Ran came from?" Jun Wei shook his head. "Do you know what happened before he met you?" Jun Wei shook his head again. "Do you know what Lian Ziho is hiding?" Jun Wei froze slightly. "Hiding?
The man smiled faintly. "Everyone hides something." Jun Wei shook his head. "No." The man looked at him quietly. Jun Wei's expression became serious. "Ge-ge doesn't lie to me." The man didn't argue. He simply asked another question. "Does someone need to lie to keep secrets?" Jun Wei froze. For several seconds he couldn't answer. Then he slowly said, "No." The man nodded. "Exactly." The room became quiet. Jun Wei lowered his gaze, then suddenly looked back up. "What about you?" The man blinked once. Jun Wei pointed at him. "You're hiding things too." The man chuckled softly. "That's true." Jun Wei narrowed his eyes. "Then why should I answer your questions?"
The man unexpectedly laughed quietly, a genuine laugh, not mocking, like he was impressed. "You're smarter than they said." Jun Wei frowned immediately. "They?" The man instantly stopped laughing. He had said too much. Jun Wei noticed it immediately. "Who are they?" The man stood up again and silence filled the room. Jun Wei's eyes followed him carefully. Then the man softly asked another question. "Do you know who you are?"