Ice skates forward, regardless of east or west.

1

4:20 a.m.

Sabah rainforest.

Gu Xidong stood at the edge of the ventilation duct, clutching the silver USB drive in his hand.

Raven's voice still echoed on the walkie-talkie: "She's been out of contact for three hours."

He put the USB drive into his inner pocket.

Turn around.

Captain Lin stood three meters away, watching him.

"Are you going back?"

Gu Xidong remained silent.

He walked towards the foot of the mountain.

The gunfire had stopped. Captain Lin's men had taken control of the ground. Three armed men were kneeling on the ground, their hands covering their heads. Two team members were searching them.

Gu Xidong passed by them.

It didn't stop.

Captain Lin caught up with them.

"The helicopter won't arrive until dawn. Going to the dock now won't help."

Gu Xidong stopped.

Turn around.

Look at him.

How many people are still inside the underground fortifications?

Captain Lin was taken aback.

"What?"

"Ye Shen said Volkov sent people. Not just the Sea Serpent Gang, but also his own men."

Captain Lin remained silent for three seconds.

"You mean—"

Gu Xidong had already started walking back.

Head towards the ventilation opening.

2

The vents are still there.

The iron ladder is still there.

He grabbed the iron ladder and climbed down.

One square. Two squares. Three squares.

Captain Lin shouted from above, "Are you crazy? The place could collapse at any moment!"

He did not answer.

Continue.

Five squares. Six squares. Seven squares.

Step on the ground.

Darkness surged in from all sides.

He turned on his flashlight.

The corridor is still there. The emergency lights are still on. The explosion just now collapsed part of the corridor, and cement blocks were scattered all over the ground, but the main corridor is still passable.

He ran forward.

Twenty meters. Fork in the road. Turn left.

There was blood on the ground.

fresh.

He squatted down and dipped his finger in it. It wasn't dry yet.

Someone is injured. They ran inside.

He stood up.

Keep following up.

3

Walk another twenty meters.

A door.

The iron gate was half-open. Light shone through the crack in the gate.

He stuck it to the door.

listen.

There are voices inside. Russian. A hurried conversation.

"...Is the explosives loaded?"

"All set. Detonate in ten minutes."

"withdraw."

The footsteps were coming this way.

Gu Xidong slipped behind the door.

The first person rushed out.

He smashed the man's neck with the butt of his rifle. The man collapsed.

The second person paused for a second.

He lunged forward. He covered his mouth with his left hand, while the dagger in his right hand slashed across his throat.

Blood splattered on the wall.

Warm.

He dragged the body to a corner.

Keep going.

4

The passage is getting deeper and deeper.

The slope went downhill. The air grew increasingly humid. The smell of mildew mingled with the stench of blood and a hint of chemicals.

He remembered what Volkov had said.

"Chimera experiments. Illegal medical programs in multiple countries. Subjects: severely injured athletes, terminally ill patients, political prisoners."

This underground fortification is more than just a stronghold of the Sea Serpent Gang.

It may be the site of an old laboratory.

He quickened his pace.

There's a fork in the road ahead.

Three.

He squatted down to look at the ground.

The middle footprint is the newest. The pattern on the sole matches that of the two armed men from before.

He walked towards the middle.

Twenty meters.

A door.

The iron gate was tightly shut. A red light shone through the crack in the gate.

He pushed the door open.

The door was locked.

He took a step back and kicked.

Once. Twice. Three times.

The door lock snapped open.

The door slammed against the wall.

Inside is a circular hall.

It has a diameter of 30 meters and a dome height of 10 meters. Emergency lights, emitting red light, are hung on the surrounding walls.

There was a pile of things in the center of the hall.

Let's take a closer look.

It's a corpse.

Dozens of bodies. Piled up like a small mountain. In varying degrees of decomposition, the newest still bleeding.

He stood still.

Shine the flashlight over there.

The corpse's face.

Some had their eyes open. Some had their eyes closed. Some faces were so badly damaged that they were unrecognizable.

The one on top.

Wearing a blue tracksuit.

The left chest bears the logo of the 2017 National Championships.

5

He walked over.

Squat down.

He reached out and touched the corpse's face.

It's cold.

It's hard.

It wasn't Ling Wufeng.

It was another person wearing the same clothes.

He stood up.

Take a step back.

The flashlight swept across the pile of corpses.

There were people wearing red tracksuits. And people in white tracksuits. Different countries, different eras, different ways of dying.

There's a sign hanging on the wall.

Russian. English. Chinese.

Project Number: CH-17-09

"Experimental subject: Ling Wufeng"

"Time of death: November 9, 2017"

Note: Brain tissue has been extracted; recipient: Ling Wuwen.

He looked at the line of text.

long time.

Footsteps sounded behind me.

He turned around.

Three armed men stood at the door.

The gun was pointed at him.

The opening in the middle.

"Put down your weapons."

He didn't move.

three seconds.

He released the gun from his hand.

The gun fell to the ground.

6

They pinned him against the wall.

search.

The silver USB drive was found.

The leader looked at it, then stuffed it into his pocket.

"The key is also with you?"

Gu Xidong remained silent.

The man punched him in the stomach.

He bent over and dry heaved.

Another person came up and searched. They pulled out the transparent film from his inner pocket. A fingerprint replication film.

It was handed to the leader.

The man looked at it.

"take away."

The two men lifted him up.

Walk outside.

Walk through the corridor. Go uphill. Turn left. Turn right.

Another door.

Push away.

Inside is the interrogation room.

A chair. A lamp. A bucket of water. A pair of pliers.

They forced him into a chair.

Tie their hands and feet with rope.

The man in the lead stood behind the lamp.

I can't see the face clearly.

"The key is with Ye Shen. Where is the others?"

Gu Xidong looked at him.

"He's dead."

The person remained silent for three seconds.

"Where are the fingerprints?"

Gu Xidong remained silent.

The man took the transparent film out of his pocket.

Hold it up under the lamp.

The fingerprints are clear.

He smiled.

"Thanks."

He put the film into his pocket.

He turned and walked towards the door.

"Get rid of it."

The door closed.

7

He was the only one left in the interrogation room.

The lights are very bright.

It stung my eyes so much I couldn't open them.

He looked down at his left knee.

The trouser legs were covered in blood.

The bullet hit the outside of the knee. It went through, leaving two holes. Blood was still flowing, trickling down the calf and into the shoe.

He pressed his right hand against the wound.

pain.

But I can still tolerate it.

He tried to break free from the rope.

It was tied very tightly. My wrists were chafed and bleeding.

I can't break free.

He looked up at the ceiling.

It's made of cement. There are two cracks. Water seeps out of the cracks, drop by drop, falling to the ground.

He closed his eyes.

Her face is in my mind.

Standing in front of the check-in counter. Wearing a black down jacket. Hat pulled low. Pale face.

she says.

"wait for me."

He opened his eyes.

Looking at that lamp.

8

The door opened.

A person walked in.

Not the same few as before.

Short in stature. Dressed in casual clothes. Holding a bunch of keys.

He walked up to Gu Xidong.

Squat down.

Look at him.

"Gu Xidong?"

Gu Xidong remained silent.

The man took his phone out of his pocket.

Click on a photo.

It was Ling Wuwen.

She's standing in a room, wearing a black evening gown, facing the camera. The photo was taken secretly, from a crooked angle, but her face is still clearly visible.

Do you know him?

Gu Xidong looked at the photo.

three seconds.

"know."

The man put his phone away.

stand up.

"She asked me to save you."

He took out his key and cut the rope.

Gu Xidong stood up.

He felt a sharp pain in his left knee the moment he landed, and he grabbed the wall for support.

The man looked at him.

"Can you still walk?"

Gu Xidong nodded.

"able."

9

The man led him down another path.

This is not the way we came.

Narrower. Lower. You have to bend over to walk.

Gu Xidong followed behind.

My left knee bled with every step I took. The blood left intermittent streaks on the concrete.

The man turned around and glanced back.

"You are badly injured."

"fine."

The man continued walking.

It took ten minutes to walk.

An iron gate.

Push away.

Outside is a rainforest.

Dawn was approaching. The eastern sky was turning grayish-white.

The man was standing at the door.

Pointing down the mountain.

"Walk two kilometers over there, there's a village. There are boats in the village. Take a boat to Tawau, and someone will pick you up from the airport."

Gu Xidong looked at him.

"Whose side are you on?"

The man remained silent.

"Ling Wufeng's."

He turned around.

Walk back inside the door.

The iron gate closed.

Gu Xidong stood still.

long time.

10

He walked down the mountain.

Every step my left knee took felt like stepping on a knife's edge.

Blood flowed down his trouser leg and formed a dark red scab at his ankle.

Two kilometers.

It usually takes me twenty minutes to walk. Now it takes me an hour.

We've arrived at the village.

A wooden boat was moored on the riverbank.

An old man on the boat, with a cigarette in his mouth, watched him approach.

"Gu Xidong?"

He nodded.

The old man put out his cigarette.

"Get on the ship."

He boarded the ship.

The old man poled the boat away from the shore.

The river water was murky and brown. Palm trees lined both banks. The sky was growing brighter.

He leaned against the gunwale.

He took his phone out of his pocket.

Turn on.

One signal bar.

A message.

It was sent by a raven.

"Ling Wuwen is still alive. Location confirmed. Volkov has locked her in the villa's basement."

He looked at the line of text.

long time.

reply.

"Key obtained. Fingerprint obtained. I'm back."

send.

The signal is lost.

The ship continued moving forward.

The river water was rushing loudly.

He closed his eyes.