Chapter 16
902 Words
A new message. From that encrypted channel.
'Coordinates updated. Lab entrance located north of the sewage hub. Warning: internal traps detected. —Su'
Qin Lie gave it a quick glance. Then deleted it.
Through the curtain of rain, his headlights sliced through the darkness.
Ahead lay the old industrial district.
The Silver Cross Society's blockade was just two hundred meters away, their searchlights sweeping back and forth across the area.
He slowed down.
And killed his lights.
The bike glided into the shadows along the roadside.
The engine died.
Silence fell over the surroundings, broken only by the sound of the rain.
He removed his headset. The signal jammer Old K had given him was still radiating heat.
Five minutes were up.
The second wave of drones could appear at any moment.
Qin Lie gazed toward the industrial district. It was pitch black—like the gaping maw of some colossal beast.
The laboratory lay within.
The Ark.
The place holding those tormented souls. The bones of his fallen comrades.
He tightened his grip on the handlebars until his knuckles turned white.
Not yet.
To go in now would be suicide.
He had to wait. Wait until midnight. The precise moment the sewage sluice gates opened. Qin Lie turned his vehicle around and drove away from the blockade line.
In his rearview mirror, the beams of searchlights swept across the spot where he had just been parked. It was empty.
The Silver Cross Society thought he was inside. In reality, he was outside.
The roles of hunter and prey—sometimes, the only difference between them lies in a single thought.
His phone vibrated again.
This time, it was Old K.
"Still alive?"
"Yeah."
"Good. See you at midnight. Don't be late."
The call ended.
Qin Lie tucked his phone inside his jacket.
The rain continued to fall.
It drowned out the roar of the engine.
And it drowned out the s*******r that was about to begin.
He accelerated.
His vehicle vanished at the end of the street.
Leaving behind nothing but a trail of water.
Which, very quickly...
Was washed away by the rain.
As if he had never been there at all.
But something had changed.
The dragnet remained tight.
Yet the mesh had already been torn.
Qin Lie knew the location. He knew the time. He knew the entrance.
What the Silver Cross Society didn't know was this: they thought they were closing the gate to trap a dog.
In truth, they were inviting the wolf into their own den.
Midnight.
The Sewage Hub.
That would be the hour of their death.
Qin Lie turned into a narrow alleyway and stopped his bike.
He was two kilometers from the industrial zone—a spot offering a clear, unobstructed view.
He remained seated on his bike, closing his eyes.
He regulated his breathing.
Employing the Breath-Holding Technique.
His heart rate dropped to thirty beats per minute; his body temperature fell until it nearly matched the ambient air.
His werewolf aura was completely suppressed.
He became like a stone. Like a piece of deadwood.
Waiting.
Time ticked by, second by second.
From a distant clock tower, the chimes rang out.
Eleven fifty-five.
Five minutes remaining.
Qin Lie opened his eyes.
A fleeting glint of green light flashed within his pupils.
Then, just as quickly, it faded away.
He swung his leg over the bike.
He performed one final check of his gear.
Short sword. Signal jammer. Map.
Everything was in place.
The engine warmed up.
Eleven fifty-eight.
He started the bike.
And drove slowly toward the blockade line.
He wouldn't be crashing through it by force.
He was going to slip right in.
Parked along the roadside was a Silver Cross Society supply truck. The driver was nowhere to be seen. The doors were unlocked.
Qin Lie stopped his motorcycle.
And walked toward the supply truck. He pulled open the rear door.
Inside, boxes were stacked high—medical supplies, inhibitors.
He slipped inside.
He pulled the door shut.
Darkness.
The cargo compartment vibrated slightly.
The driver had returned. The engine roared to life.
The vehicle began to move.
It headed toward the gates of the industrial zone.
The checkpoint.
"What's in the truck?"
"Medical supplies. Urgently needed at B-7."
"Open it up for inspection."
Qin Lie held his breath.
His hand rested on the hilt of his short sword.
If he were discovered...
He would fight his way out.
Footsteps approached.
The handle of the cargo door turned.
*Click.*
It locked.
"Alright, move out. The Archbishop is waiting for this shipment."
The truck accelerated.
It crossed the blockade line.
Entering the industrial zone.
In the darkness, Qin Lie unclenched his hand.
His palms were slick with sweat.
But not from fear.
From exhilaration.
The prey had entered the cage.
No.
The hunter had entered the cage.
The truck came to a halt.
The sounds of unloading began.
Qin Lie waited.
Until the surroundings fell silent.
He drew his short sword.
He sliced through the floorboards of the cargo compartment.
Beneath lay the sewer system.
A foul stench wafted upward.
He dropped down.
Landing without a sound.
The current flowed swiftly.
Following the map...
Northward.
Midnight had arrived.
Ahead, the booming roar of a sluice gate opening echoed through the tunnels.
The opportunity had come.
Qin Lie submerged himself in the water.
Swimming toward that codename...
*Ark.*
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