Chapter 27: She Has Arrived

Wang Shengyu seemed stunned for a moment and hurried to explain, “Dad, why are you yelling at me? I’m driving right now, about to go deal with those guys—grab the ones who leaked secrets and threaten them a bit. How would I move any money?”

“If it’s not you, then who? Listen up, don’t play games with me. That money came from pawning my burial savings—not the time for fooling around. Send it back right away!”

“It really wasn’t me!”

“I don’t care if it was you or not. Find that money and bring it back, or we’re both done for!”

Click.

The call was abruptly ended. Wang Shengyu seemed anxious now; he kept pressing the horn, the tracker’s dot darting ahead, the car speeding up.

The fat man widened his small eyes, staring unblinkingly at the display. The flashing red dot showed the car was approaching eighty miles per hour. Once it hit that mark, the speed protection would engage—slowing down would be impossible.

Zhou Yi turned to look at the screen as well. The flashing red dot had turned green, and the fat man slapped his thigh with excitement.

“Over eighty miles! The show’s about to start!”

Zhou Yi patted the fat man’s arm, unlocked the seatbelt, and signaled for him to follow as he got out of the car.

The fat man was confused by the gesture, but didn’t ask questions. He grabbed his laptop, hopped out, slammed the car door shut with his hip, and followed Zhou Yi toward a small side road.

Looking at the direction of the path, the fat man’s confusion deepened. “Where are we going?”

Zhou Yi shook his head, put a finger to his lips, and didn’t explain. The two hurried toward the air-raid shelter.

The little green dot was moving quickly, almost back to the Runyang Bridge, and Wang Shengyu’s shouts echoed in their ears.

“Get out of the way, get out of the way, ah ah ah! Why can’t I slow down? Bang! Bang! Bang!...”

A burst of sharp static forced Zhou Yi to yank off his headset, the fat man wincing as he did the same, rubbing his ears. He looked at his computer—the little green dot had disappeared on the bridge.

At that speed, a crash meant survival was nearly impossible—not at all like Zhou Yi’s earlier accident with the guardrail and plunge into the river. The fat man frantically tapped at his computer, instantly switching to the traffic camera feed.

The bridge was a scene of chaos. The sapphire-blue Maybach was engulfed in flames, billowing black smoke rising, nearby cars swerving away, but several collisions had occurred. With such devastation, Wang Shengyu had no chance.

Suddenly, Zhou Yi felt a strange summons inside him. He grabbed the fat man, speaking with difficulty, sweat pouring down his face. He knew that unknown power was back.

“Quick, we need to get inside!”

Seeing Zhou Yi’s change, the fat man dropped his laptop, wrapped an arm around Zhou Yi’s waist, and rushed toward the shelter, pulling aside the rain tarp and turning the spiral lock on the door with one hand.

He could feel Zhou Yi’s weight increasing, as if resisting his strength. Not daring to hesitate, the fat man held tight and charged straight into the inner room, collapsing from exhaustion once they reached their hideout.

Panting, he patted Zhou Yi’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”

Zhou Yi lifted his head—the oppressive feeling had lessened. He glanced warily at the door, whispered to the fat man, “Hide behind the door. If anyone comes in, shut it quickly. This place can cut off all signals. I sense someone is coming, and though I don’t know their intentions, they must know something.”

The fat man wasn’t afraid. In fact, his face grew more excited—this kind of mystery thrilled him. After all, they’d been repeating the same routine, but today the cycle was broken and the next step was unknown. Seeking the truth was worth any risk.

“Alright, be careful yourself!”

With that, the fat man sprang up, hiding behind the iron door—the second and final barrier. With the door ajar, a faint signal remained. He listened intently.

Soon, the sound of high heels clicked closer. The fat man glanced at Zhou Yi, gripping the iron ring on the door and holding his breath.

Zhou Yi had already picked up a stun baton, eyes fixed on the entrance. As the footsteps approached, a figure in red stepped inside, holding up a phone flashlight.

Seeing Zhou Yi sitting atop a box, she patted her chest in surprise. “There’s someone here? I got lost nearby and wandered in—what is this place?”

With that, the woman in red stepped further in. The shelter’s lights were off, and Zhou Yi couldn’t see her face clearly, but her voice was unmistakably familiar. He nodded, gestured inside, and said, “This is my secret base—good for escaping the heat. How did you end up here?”

A casual remark, the woman in red laughed, moving further in without any sign of fear toward strangers.

Zhou Yi walked over to the generator, grabbed the pull cord, and yanked twice. Instantly, the whole room was ablaze with light.

And at that moment, the fat man made his move.

The roar of the generator masked his actions—he stood up, shut the door, and quickly twisted the spiral iron ring. The repeated clicking was audible, and the nearby computer instantly showed the network connection severed.

The woman in red was surprised to see a second person. She glanced at the fat man, frowning slightly—she clearly didn’t know him.

Zhou Yi stared at her. Even though she had changed clothes, he recognized her at once: the woman in red from his memories. Some inexplicable emotion surged within him, and for a moment, he wanted to grab her collar and demand answers.

The woman in red blinked, seemingly unfazed by the situation. Still smiling, she eyed the fat man, then Zhou Yi.

“What is it? Am I a dangerous person? I just wandered in here by accident, I’m not spying. If you think I’m intruding, I’ll leave—no need for this.”

She spoke meekly, but took two steps toward Zhou Yi—clearly, his build made him seem easier to handle.

The fat man spat, and made his move.

He showed none of the clumsiness typical of his size. Jumping onto a box, he grabbed a wooden stick and swung it at the woman in red, who dodged nimbly.

Zhou Yi stayed still, but watched her movements closely.

As she turned, exposing her back, Zhou Yi raised the stun baton and jabbed it at her neck.

She shuddered, gave Zhou Yi a puzzled look, then slowly collapsed.

Zhou Yi’s grip didn’t loosen. The fat man rushed over, took the stun baton, and the woman in red twitched a couple more times, then lay still.

The fat man wiped his brow, glanced at the floor, and noticed two black spots on the back of her neck. Shaking his head, he looked at Zhou Yi. “That was pretty harsh. She’s not dead, is she?”

Zhou Yi shook his head. He didn’t know. Based on her previous demeanor, she hadn’t taken them seriously—probably didn’t expect he’d have a stun baton and strike so quickly.

“Don’t waste time. Tie her up. Otherwise, just the two of us can’t control her.”

The fat man didn’t argue. Her evasive moves had shown she was no ordinary woman.

Their surprise attack had given them an edge, but if it came to a direct confrontation, even ten or eight of them wouldn’t stand a chance.

They searched around, found no rope, but the fat man’s backpack had several rolls of tape.

Working together, they bound her hands and feet, then positioned her into an N shape, wrapping her tightly like a rice dumpling, leaving only her head exposed.

“All done. But when will she wake up?”

The fat man wiped his sweaty brow, looked at Zhou Yi, and shook his head.

“I don’t know either.”

“I meant to ask, do you know her? How did she find this place? Unless you know the area well, it’s almost impossible to get here—there’s grass everywhere, no path, and the front is blocked.”

Zhou Yi shook his head again, handed the stun baton to the fat man, and grabbed a bottle of water.

“I remember that red dress, but nothing else—just fragments. So I want to get some answers out of her. Get ready, I’m going to wake her.”

The fat man was stunned. He hadn’t expected Zhou Yi, who seemed frail, to be so ruthless, showing no mercy to a woman, let alone any chivalry.

“Splash her? Isn’t that a bit violent? How about something gentler, like a tap?”