Jun Wei sat quietly on an old bed, his small hands gripping the edge of the thin blanket beneath him. The room was much larger than an ordinary bedroom, yet somehow it felt more suffocating. The walls were made of old concrete stained by years of moisture, and countless pipes ran along the ceiling overhead.Dim yellow lights flickered every few seconds, never fully bright enough to chase away the shadows hiding in every corner.
Jun Wei hugged his knees tightly against his chest. His eyes had already become slightly red, but he stubbornly refused to cry. He shook his head at himself, as if he was trying to chase away the fear building inside him. "No!" he whispered quietly.Then he took a deep breath, then another. He remembered Lian-ge had once told him that breathing slowly could help calm his heart whenever he was scared. So he tried. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, repeating the process over and over again. But every time he managed to calm himself for a moment, another frightening sound echoed somewhere outside.
His fingers slowly tightened around the sleeves of his shirt. Then Suo Ran's face appeared in his mind. The way he would always instinctively stand in front of him whenever something dangerous happened. The way he always pretended everything was under control even when he himself was worried. The way he would sigh helplessly before helping him anyway. Jun Wei's lips trembled slightly. "Ge-ge..." he whispered.
Then Lian ziho face surfaced in his thoughts. The way he always teaching him things and always explaining things he didn't understand. Jun wei remembered something he had said before. "Don't panic immediately whenever something bad happens." Jun Wei sniffled softly and repeated the words under his breath. "Don't panic." Then he quickly shook his head. "No." He corrected himself almost immediately. "Lian-ge will come." He nodded once, as if convincing himself. "Lian-ge will come." Then he whispered another name. "Ge-ge will come too." His fingers gripped his sleeves even tighter. "They promised." He repeated the words over and over again like a prayer."They promised.Lian-ge will come and Ge-ge will come.They promised." The fear didn't disappear completely, but somehow repeating those words made him feel a little less alone.
Then suddenly, footsteps echoed outside the room. Jun Wei became alert, his entire body stiffening as he lifted his head toward the door. The footsteps stopped right outside, followed by voices. He saw two guards were talking.Jun Wei carefully climbed off the bed and slowly moved closer to the door.He was careful not to make any noise, his socks barely making a sound against the floor. He quietly sat beside the door and listened.
One of the men yawned lazily. "The transfer was successful." Jun Wei blinked in confusion. Transfer? The second man answered immediately. "Good. The boss will arrive tomorrow." Jun Wei frowned slightly. Tomorrow? His eyes widened a little as he listened harder. The first guard laughed quietly. "After all these years..." The second guard exhaled slowly. "They finally found him."Jun Wei instantly froze. Found who? His fingers slowly tightened around his sleeves. Me? His heartbeat suddenly sped up. The two guards continued their conversation outside as if they had no idea someone was listening.
"Honestly, I thought this day would never come." One of the guards spoke with a quiet laugh in his voice.The second guard agreed. "It's really unrealistic!" Jun Wei frowned in confusion as he sat beside the door listening carefully. What are they talking about? That didn't make sense.His brows slowly furrowed as his thoughts became tangled together. Nothing they were saying seemed to connect to him, yet somehow he couldn't stop feeling uneasy.
Then one of the guards lowered his voice. "You know... I heard a lot of people died because of this."The second guard answered quietly, "I heard that too." He paused before adding, "Families. Organizations. People disappeared."Jun wei frowned,confusion slowly turning into uneasiness. What were they talking about? None of it sounded normal. None of it sounded like something connected to a child like him.
Then first guard spoke again. "And now everything is finally moving." The second guard let out a heavy sigh. "I just hope this doesn't become another disaster." Jun Wei instinctively hugged his knees tighter against his chest. His thoughts became messy. Why I can't understand anything? Who had they found? And what kind of disaster were they talking about?Then suddenly the first guard laughed quietly to himself. "Still hard to believe." The second guard sounded curious. "What?" The first guard answered, "That such a small person caused all this."Jun Wei's eyes widened instantly.Small person?
Me?He shook his head.No...that's doesn't make sense! Then the second guard suddenly spoke again, sounding slightly nervous this time. "Careful. We're not supposed to discuss it." The first guard sighed quietly. "Right."
The door unlocked,and Jun wei sat upright, his body tensing as the door slowly creaked open. A woman stepped inside carrying a tray with food a simple bowl of rice, a few vegetables, and a small cup of soup but everything about her presence felt strict and controlled.She wore black clothing similar to the guards outside, which made Jun Wei instinctively scoot backward until his back pressed against the wall.The woman paused for a moment, observing him quietly, then let out a soft sigh. "You don't have to be afraid." she said gently.
Jun Wei didn't respond, his eyes fixed on her as she placed the tray onto the chair beside the bed. "Eat!" she added simply. He stared at her for a moment longer, noticing she looked younger than the guards. He asked quietly, "Where am I?" The woman looked at him briefly, then turned her gaze away. "I can't answer that." Jun Wei lowered his head slightly, his fingers tightening around his sleeves. "Can I go home?" The woman went silent for a moment, then answered softly, "Not yet."
Jun Wei hugged his knees tighter. "When?" he asked, voice small but desperate. She hesitated. "I don't know." His lips pressed together. "Can I call my Ge-ge?" She shook her head once. "No." Jun Wei lowered his gaze, the woman continued watching him for several seconds longer than before. Then unexpectedly she spoke again, "Your brother is looking for you." Jun Wei looked up, hope flashing across his face as his eyes widened. "Really?" She nodded once. "Yes." His expression softened instantly, "And another person too." she added. Jun Wei blinked, leaning forward slightly. "Lian-ge?" The woman hesitated for a second, then nodded. "Probably." And smile appeared on Jun Wei's face. "I knew it!" he whispered.
The woman watched him closely. "You trust them a lot?" she said quietly.He answered without hesitation, "Of course." "Why?" she asked. Jun Wei blinked, "Because they always come." The woman froze slightly at that.Jun Wei continued softly, looking down at his hands, "If I'm scared… they come. If I get lost… they come. If I cry… they come."
Something flickered in the woman's eyes, emotional and brief, before she quickly looked away and regained control of herself. "Eat before it gets cold!" she said, turning toward the door.Jun wei suddenly called out, "Jiejie." She stopped. He looked at her and said,"Am I in trouble?" The woman didn't answer.Jun Wei lowered his gaze,fingers twisting nervously together. "Because everyone keeps talking about finding someone." he said softly, "Is it me?"
Several long seconds passed before she answered in a low voice, "No." Jun Wei looked up slightly, waiting. She continued, "But somehow… you ended up standing in the middle of something much bigger than yourself." Jun Wei blinked, not fully understanding her words. The woman sighed quietly, almost regretfully. "Never mind." Then she turned and left the room and door locked again, leaving Jun wei alone once more in the silent space.He sat still for a long time, staring at the food, then toward the high window, then back at the sealed door.
Elsewhere car moved quickly through the wet highway, tires cutting through the early morning mist.Lian Ziho sat in the passenger seat, his eyes fixed forward but his thoughts clearly elsewhere, jaw tight with restrained urgency. In the driving seat, Zheng rui slow down car and said, "I don't think this kidnapping is random." Lian ziho turned his head toward him, his expression sharpening. Zheng rui continued,leaning slightly forward. "The rail yard was only a transfer point. This wasn't improvised. It's a professional operation. They are multiple locations,
coordinated movement and expensive resources." He paused briefly, then added more firmly, "Nobody spends that much effort on an ordinary kidnapping." Lian Ziho's expression changed instantly.
Zheng rui's phone suddenly rang.He answered,his tone sharp. "Talk." On the other end came a quick, urgent report from one of his contacts. Zheng rui's eyes narrowed as he listened carefully. "Vehicle spotted and Security camera image recovered." the voice said. Zheng rui's entire posture shifted instantly. "Send it now." The line disconnected, and within seconds, the image appeared on his screen. He turned the phone so Lian Ziho could see as well. Lian Ziho leaned in,his breath tightening as his eyes focused on the frame.
The car slowed and then came to a complete stop at the roadside without warning. Zheng rui opened the image fully, holding it steady as both of them stared at it. Inside the vehicle, partially visible through a tinted window, was Jun Wei.He was curled slightly in the seat.His face pale,eyes lowered but unmistakably conscious.The sight of him hit Lian ziho like a sudden weight dropping onto his chest, his grip on the phone tightening unconsciously. "Damn it!" Zheng rui put down his phone and said, "Atleast he is fine!"
Lian ziho stared at him." You called this fine!"
he said coldly, his tone sharper than before, as he abruptly brushed his hand against the car window in frustration.
"I'm not saying he's safe." Zheng rui replied, voice steady but firm, "I'm saying he's alive. That changes everything." Lian Ziho scoffed under his breath, leaning back for a moment before leaning forward again, " Alive and trapped in a moving vehicle we can't even trace properly yet. That's what you're calling 'changes everything'?" Zheng rui shot him a quick glance. "Yes. Because now we stop guessing. Now we move." Lian Ziho's fingers curled against the edge of the window frame, "If anything happens to him because we're 'moving,' I swear.." he stopped himself, shaking his head slightly.
Zheng Rui's voice lowered. "You think I don't know that?"He ran a hand through his hair, eyes still fixed ahead. "We just got confirmation he's alive. That means they haven't eliminated him. They're keeping him for a reason." Lian Ziho's gaze sharpened immediately. "And that reason matters more than his condition?" Zheng rui turned slightly toward him. "No. It means we still have time." Lian Ziho looked away, exhaling slowly through his nose as he tried to regain control over his emotions."Where do we start?" he asked.
Zheng Rui looked back at the image once more before locking his phone. "We track the vehicle and narrow the route. Now no more delays." He paused, then added with a harder edge, "This stops now." Lian Ziho nodded once, but his eyes stayed dark. "It better!" he said quietly.
The older man slowly walked toward the wall of photographs, his steps unhurried but heavy with something unspoken. His gaze stopped on a particular picture Suo Ran, Jun Wei, and Cai Lang standing together, captured in a moment that felt too ordinary compared to everything surrounding it now. He stood there for a long time, silently staring at.suo ran watching him carefully. "Is he really that important?" he asked, his tone guarded but direct. The older man didn't look away from the photograph when he answered. "Yes."
Suo Ran folded his arms, his expression tightening as he took a slow step forward. "Maybe that person doesn't even want any connection with you anymore."he said flatly. Qin Yue lowering her eyes slightly while the driver glanced toward the floor, sensing the tension building. The older man spoke again, voice steady and certain."That's impossible." Suo Ran frowned. "Why?" he pressed. The older man's gaze remained fixed on the image. "Because some connections don't disappear simply because time passes."
A faint, almost bitter smile appeared on Suo Ran's lips. "You're very confident," he said, tone sharper now. The older man replied without hesitation, "Because I know him." That answer made Suo Ran pause for half a second before his eyes narrowed. "Or maybe you only know the version of him when you met last time!" Brief glance with the driver, both of them sensing the direction of the conversation changing.Suo Ran didn't stop. "People change!" he continued, his voice firm now, "You said it yourself. I changed." He looked directly at the older man now. "So how can you be certain he hasn't changed too?" Old man replied, "Because no matter how much a person changes… some people remain important."
His gaze sharpened as he pointed toward the wall of photographs, his voice rising. "Then why did you bring me here?!" He took a step forward, closing the distance to the images. "Just to show me all of this?" His hand moved again, this time pointing straight at Jun Wei's face in one of the photographs, his expression tightening as something raw flickered beneath his anger. "You know he's missing." he said, his voice starting to shake despite his effort to stay steady. "And I'm standing here with all of you without a single clue."
Suo Ran lowered his hand slightly, but his voice didn't soften yet. "I don't know where he is." he continued, eyes scanning the room "I don't know what he's doing right now." His throat tightened, and for a brief moment his voice dropped lower. "I don't know if he's hurt." His breathing became uneven, frustration mixing with something deeper, something harder to control. "I'm scared."His hands clenched into fists at his sides. "What if something happened to him?"Then, more quietly, " I can't lose him."
The older man spoke, his voice steady but low. "We know." Suo ran shook his head, taking a step back as if rejecting the entire statement. "No..." he said sharply, "You don't." His eyes moved across all of them now, frustration and fear mixing together in a way that made his voice sharper but more fragile at the same time. "You don't know what it feels like to stand here and hear all of this without knowing anything.""He's not wrong." Driver said quietly, glancing between Suo Ran and the older man. "If you expect him to understand everything without context, you're only going to push him further away." Qin Yue exhaled softly at that, crossing her arms again, "For once." she muttered, "he actually said something useful." The driver frowned at her. "I'm useful all the time."Qin Yue raised an eyebrow. "Debatable."
Suo Ran, however, wasn't listening anymore. His chest rose and fell unevenly, frustration still burning behind his eyes. "You keep talking like I should just accept this." he said sharply, gesturing toward the photographs again. "Like I should just stand here and understand something I was never part of in the first place." His voice lowered slightly,"I don't care how long you've been searching. I don't care what you believe. I care about finding him." The driver opened his mouth as if to respond, but stopped when the older man slowly raised a hand, silencing him without words.
Then suddenly sharp alarm suddenly pierced through the building, loud and urgent, cutting through the room. Red emergency lights flashed above them, painting the walls in harsh, flickering tones. Before anyone could react, the door at the far end of the corridor slammed open with a force. Footsteps rushed in after fast, coordinated, and heavy. Several people in black tactical outfits poured into the space, weapons drawn, their movements trained and precise. One of them stepped forward quickly, breathing hard as he spoke. "Boss! Some people broke into our compound!"
The driver's posture straightened, his eyes scanning the incoming threat.Qin Yue's expression turned cold and focused in an instant.The older man didn't move at first, but his gaze sharpened like steel. Suo Ran took a step back instinctively, eyes widening as he looked around the sudden chaos. "Who are they?!" he asked, "Why is all this happening now?!"The driver stepped forward slightly, his tone firm and decisive. "Boss! Let me take care of it!" he said, already shifting his stance as if preparing to move.Qin Yue quickly raised a hand, scanning the intruders. "They're not local." she said sharply, "This level of coordination… they came prepared." The older man spoke,"No." The driver paused mid-step.The older man's gaze hardened as he looked at all of them. "We don't split here. We face this together."
The driver exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders once as his expression turned completely serious. "Understood!" he said, stepping back into position beside Qin Yue. Qin Yue didn't argue this time; she only adjusted her stance slightly, eyes locked on the entrance. "They breached the outer layer too easily." she said under her breath. "This is not a small team."
Suo Ran stood slightly behind them now, confusion and tension mixing in his chest as he looked between all of them. "Can someone tell me what is going on?!" he asked again "First you talk about missing children, then what was that years, then this now people are breaking in?!"he stepped forward. "None of this makes sense!" The driver glanced at him briefly while still keeping focus ahead. "Stay behind us!" he said firmly. "Don't move unless we tell you." Suo Ran frowned. "I don't need protection." Qin Yue cut him off sharply. "Yes, you do."
Before Suo Ran could respond, another loud crash echoed from the corridor. One of the tactical doors further down the hall was forced open, metal screeching as boots flooded in. The echo of shouting voices grew closer."Sector clear move forward!" someone shouted from outside. The driver clicked his tongue, pulling something small from his waistband. "They're moving in formation." he said. "Three entry points. They're not guessing ...they know this place." The older man moved, taking a slow step forward, his presence alone shifting the energy in the room. "Then we adjust." he said calmly.
Qin Yue exhaled once, then without hesitation reached beneath a concealed panel near the wall and pulled out a compact firearm, checking it in one smooth motion. The shift in her demeanor was immediate no hesitation,only focus. "So it's like this!" she murmured.The driver let out a short breath. "Finally!" he muttered then he also drew his weapon, locking it into position with practiced ease. "Stay behind cover." he added quickly, glancing at Suo Ran without slowing down. The older man walked toward a hidden storage panel near the wall and opened it, retrieving a weapon with controlled familiarity.
Suo Ran's eyes widened instantly as he took a step back. "Are we seriously going to fight them?!" he blurted out.The driver didn't even look at him properly, already checking his angle toward the corridor. " Enough talking." he replied. He raised his gun slightly and pointed forward. "Follow me." Qin Yue shifted into position on the opposite side, her eyes locked ahead. "Don't get in the line of fire." she added sharply.The older man stood slightly ahead of them now,"They want a path," he said quietly. "We won't give them one."
Suo Ran stood frozen for a fraction of a second, his breathing uneven as he looked at all of them each of them ready,and moving like this was something they had done before. "This is insane…" he muttered under his breath, but no one responded to that. The driver tilted his head slightly. "Now!" he said, and in the next instant, the first shot echoed through the corridor.
They moved quickly through a concealed metal door hidden behind the archive wall, the heavy panel sealing shut behind them with a low mechanical thud that cut off the gunfire from the previous room. The moment they entered, the atmosphere changed completely. The corridor was narrow and industrial, lined with exposed pipes and old.
Emergency red lights blinked overhead in slow intervals, casting broken shadows across the walls and making every movement feel unstable and uncertain.
They moved in a tight formation down the passage, passing locked storage rooms and narrow side doors that looked like maintenance access points. Somewhere deeper in the building, distant footsteps echoed, followed by muffled voices that seemed to be moving in the same direction but on a different level. The driver lowered his voice immediately. "Stay low!" he whispered sharply, scanning ahead as he walked.
Qin Yue followed close behind, her eyes constantly shifting between corners and intersections. "Do not separate!" she added firmly.The driver glanced back briefly at Suo Ran and instinctively reached out, grabbing his wrist for a moment. "Stay right behind me." he said quickly, tightening his grip slightly before releasing it again to adjust his Gun. Suo Ran nodded once, and he followed closely in the dim red light.They turned another corner, moving past a row of old storage doors, the sound of distant movement growing slightly louder behind them.
The driver looked forward again, focusing on the path ahead, but when he instinctively glanced back a second later, his expression changed. His eyes narrowed. He stopped abruptly. "What?" she asked sharply, turning her head. The driver didn't answer at first. He scanned the corridor quickly, then spoke in a low voice. "Where is he?"Qin Yue frowned and looked behind them. The narrow corridor was empty. Only flickering red light and moving shadows. Her eyes widened slightly. "He was right behind you." she said,stepping back a half-step as she checked both sides. The driver turned fully now, his grip tightening on his gun. "Suo Ran!" he called.