Ice skates forward, regardless of east or west.

1

5:40 a.m.

The deepest part of the underground fortifications.

Gu Xidong stood at the end of the corridor. The bleeding from his left knee had stopped, but every step he took felt like walking on broken glass.

He used his gun as a crutch to support himself as he walked forward.

The last door is ahead.

An iron gate. Thicker than the others. An electronic lock was welded onto it, its red light flashing. There was fresh blood on the lock.

He pushed the door open.

The door was open.

Inside is a circular hall. It is fifty meters in diameter.

The dome is fifteen meters high. The surrounding walls are lined with server racks, their indicator lights flashing red and green like countless blinking eyes.

A person was standing in the center of the hall.

Ye Shen.

He was standing with his back to the door, operating a terminal. Code scrolled across the screen, and with each line scrolled, a row of lights in the server rack went out.

He is destroying data.

Gu Xidong raised his gun.

"Ye Shen".

Ye Shen stopped.

He didn't turn around.

"You've arrived."

He turned around.

His face was thinner than it had been a few hours earlier. His cheekbones were prominent, and his eye sockets were sunken. There was blood at the corner of his mouth, which had dried to a dark brown.

There was fresh blood on his clothes on his chest, and it was still seeping out.

He was shot.

Gu Xidong looked at his wound.

"Who hit him?"

Ye Shen smiled.

"Volkov's men. They've come to silence us."

He coughed. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"You're too late. The key is already..."

He didn't finish speaking.

Gu Xidong rushed forward.

His left knee collapsed on the third step. He fell to the ground, the gun slipping from his hand. He braced himself with his hands and got up.

Ye Shen stood still.

Look at him.

Gu Xidong rushed to him.

A punch landed on his face. Ye Shen took a step back, not dodging. A second punch. A third punch. Ye Shen fell onto the server rack, causing the indicator lights to flash wildly.

Gu Xidong rode on his back.

Press down on his neck with your left hand.

Raise your right fist.

"The key!"

Ye Shen looked at him.

The corners of his mouth were still smiling.

Blood gushed from his mouth, flowing down his chin and neck.

"Inside my...spine..."

Gu Xidong stopped.

"What?"

Ye Shen coughed.

"Chip implantation... seventh cervical vertebra..."

He raised his hand and pointed to the back of his neck.

"Dig it out..."

2

Gu Xidong let him go.

Make him lie on the ground.

There is a scar on the back of my neck. It's old and has been healed for a long time. The scar is about three centimeters long and is located right at the seventh cervical vertebra.

He drew a dagger from his waist.

The blade gleamed under the emergency light.

He took a deep breath.

The tip of the knife was aimed at the scar.

Cut it open.

The skin is pulled back, revealing the white fascia underneath. Below that is the spine.

Blood gushed out.

He brushed it aside with his fingers.

I touched a foreign object.

Hard. Small. About the size of a fingernail.

He used the tip of his knife to pick it out.

Chip.

Silver. Stained with blood. Gleaming faintly under the light.

He put the chip in his inner pocket.

Ye Shen lay on the ground, her face turned to the side, looking at him.

"You've won..."

He coughed up blood.

"This battle..."

Gu Xidong squatted down in front of him.

How do I access Volkov's list?

Ye Shen smiled.

"You already have the key."

"What about the medical records? Ling Wuwen's medical records?"

Ye Shen looked at him.

three seconds.

"In his hands."

He coughed. Blood gushed from his mouth and pooled on the ground.

"If this is made public... she'll be treated like a monster... and sent to a laboratory..."

Gu Xidong clenched his fists.

"How should it be destroyed?"

Ye Shen shook his head.

"It can't be destroyed..."

His breathing grew weaker and weaker.

"Backup... three... Monaco... Zurich... Hong Kong..."

Gu Xidong grabbed his collar.

"Where? Exact location?"

Ye Shen looked at him.

His gaze began to glaze over.

Tell Ling Wuwen...

Gu Xidong bent down.

"What did you say?"

Ye Shen's lips moved.

"Before her brother died... he begged me..."

Gu Xidong leaned closer.

"What do you want from me?"

Ye Shen's eyes were fixed on the ceiling.

The lips were still moving.

But there was no sound.

Pupil dilation.

Breathing has stopped.

3

Gu Xidong stood up.

He was in excruciating pain in his left knee and leaned against the server rack.

The indicator lights on the server rack were still flashing. Most were off, only a few rows remained lit. The data was still being destroyed, but it was too late. Most of it was gone.

He looked at Ye Shen's corpse.

He lay face down on the ground. Blood was still flowing from the wound on the back of his neck. The blood seeped into the cracks in the floor and disappeared.

He squatted down.

He reached out and closed Ye Shen's eyes.

stand up.

Turn around.

Walk outside.

He stopped as he passed the terminal.

The last few lines of code were still scrolling on the screen. He couldn't understand them. But he saw an icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

A folder.

Title: Ling_WF_2017.

Ling Wufeng. 2017.

He clicked on it.

It contains video files.

First.

He clicked play.

An operating room appears on the screen. A surgical lamp illuminates the room. A doctor in surgical scrubs stands there. A person lies on the operating table, their face obscured, only half their profile visible.

Ling Wufeng.

He recognized that profile.

Exactly the same as Ling Wuwen.

The video's time is displayed in the bottom right corner: 2017.11.9 14:23:17

The surgery has begun.

He turned off the video.

Copy the entire folder to the USB drive he brought.

Pull it out.

Put it in your pocket.

Turn around.

go out.

4

The corridor is very long.

He walked while holding onto the wall. His left knee screamed with every step. Blood seeped from the wound again, flowing down his calf and into his shoe.

The shoes were already full, making a squelching sound with every step.

There is light ahead.

exit.

He went outside.

The morning light in the rainforest was blinding. He squinted and shielded his eyes with his hand.

Captain Lin ran over.

"Are you fucking crazy? Going down alone?"

Gu Xidong remained silent.

He took the chip out of his pocket.

Silver. Stained with blood.

Captain Lin looked at the thing.

"What is this?"

"Key".

Captain Lin took it and wiped it with his clothes. The chip gleamed in the sunlight, and the circuit patterns on it were clearly visible.

Where is Ye Shen?

"He's dead."

Captain Lin remained silent.

three seconds.

"Let's go. The helicopter has arrived."

5

The helicopter rotor churns the air.

Gu Xidong leaned back in his seat, looking out the window. The rainforest receded beneath his feet, and the palm trees transformed into a green sea.

The Labu River, like a brown ribbon, meanders through the green landscape.

He took his phone out of his pocket.

Turn on.

The signal is at full strength.

Information poured in.

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

Ling Wuwen's response: "Wait for me."

He looked at those two words.

long time.

reply.

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

send.

He looked out the window.

The clouds were very thick. The helicopter passed through the clouds, and nothing could be seen below.

He closed his eyes.

Her face is in my mind.

In the basement. Waiting.

6

Tawau Airport.

He stepped off the helicopter.

He felt a sharp pain in his left knee the moment he landed, and grabbed the hatch for support. Captain Lin reached out to help him.

"You're in a wheelchair."

Gu Xidong shook his head.

"Need not."

He walked forward.

Every step felt like walking on a knife's edge.

There weren't many people in the waiting area. Some people looked at him, at his blood-covered body, at his limping leg, and then looked away.

He walked to the check-in counter.

"The next flight to Europe."

The staff looked at his passport.

"Sir, you are injured. Do you need help?"

"No need. The next bus is coming up."

Staff members are typing on keyboards.

"Transfer in Singapore, then to Frankfurt, then to Nice. Departure in two hours."

"order."

He handed over his credit card.

7

Airport waiting area.

He sat in the chair with his left leg stretched out.

His trousers were rolled up, revealing the wounds. Two bullet holes, one on the outside of his knee and one on the inside.

The bleeding has stopped, but the surrounding skin is red, swollen, and shiny.

He took a first-aid kit out of his backpack.

Disinfect. Bandage. Apply a bandage.

The movements were very slow. Each movement made my fingers tremble with pain.

After he finished wrapping it, he leaned back in his chair.

Close your eyes.

Boarding will take place two hours later.

Thirteen hours of flight.

Another transfer.

He didn't know if it was too late.

8

My phone vibrated.

The Raven's Message.

"Volkov moved her to the villa's basement. The basement has three levels. She's on the lowest level. I'll send you the exact location."

Below is a map.

Villa structural diagram. The basement is circled in red.

He zoomed in to look at it.

Three floors. Each floor is 200 square meters. The entrance is behind the kitchen. There is a direct staircase leading to the entrance.

He replied.

"receive."

Raven.

How's your knee?

He glanced at his left leg.

"fine."

Raven.

"That's a lie."

He didn't reply.

9

The boarding announcement came on.

He stood up.

The moment his left knee hit the ground, he grabbed the chair next to him. He steadied himself. He continued walking.

The covered bridge is very long.

He walked step by step.

Every step hurts.

But he didn't stop.

Step into the cabin.

I found a seat. By the window.

sit down.

Fasten your seatbelt.

Outside the window, the ground support vehicle was still busy.

The baggage carts delivered the last batch of checked baggage into the cargo hold. The refueling trucks were leaving.

He leaned back in his chair.

Close your eyes.

The plane taxis. Takes off. Passes through the clouds.

All that could be seen outside the window was white.

He took out his phone.

The last message was sent to Ling Wuwen.

"Wait for me. One day."

send.

Shut down.

Put it in your pocket.

10

Thirteen hours later.

Frankfurt Airport.

He was transferring flights. Nice.

Two more hours passed.

When he got off the plane, his left leg was so swollen that he couldn't take his pants off. He used a knife to cut open the pant leg and re-bandaged it.

Rent a car. Head to Monaco.

Border check. Passport handed over. The policeman looked at him, at his blood-covered body, at his eyes.

"Sir, do you need help?"

"unnecessary."

The passport has been returned.

He stepped on the gas.

Monaco emerges from the night. The golden dome of the casino, the lights of the marina, the villas on the hilltop.

He drove up the mountain.

We stopped about 500 meters from the Volkov villa.

get off.

He landed on his left knee and grabbed the car door for support.

Stand firm.

He looked at the brightly lit building.

Ling Wuwen is inside.

Deepest part of the basement.

Waiting for him.

He took the chip out of his pocket.

Silver. Stained with blood. Gleaming faintly in the moonlight.

He put the chip back in his pocket.

Go forward.