Ice skates forward, regardless of east or west.

1

Monaco.

The summit of Monte Carlo.

2:17 a.m.

Gu Xidong leaned against a cypress tree, his left leg stretched out, his knee so swollen that his pants were taut. The high fever occasionally blurred his vision; he blinked, focusing on the brightly lit building five hundred meters away.

Volkov's estate.

The main building has three floors, with warm yellow light streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Four black SUVs are parked in front. Bodyguards in black suits stand beside the cars, with communication headsets clipped behind their ears and their hands on their gun holsters.

He looked down at his phone.

The manor layout diagram sent by the raven zoomed in on the screen. Behind the main building was a garden, at the end of which stood a separate stone building—the wine cellar. The wine cellar had three underground levels, the bottom level being the prison cells.

Ling Wuwen is there.

He put his phone back in his pocket.

Take the syringe out of the backpack.

Antibiotics. Second injection.

The needle pierced his upper arm. The medication was injected. It was cold. He pulled it out and pressed it with a cotton swab.

The high fever made his heart beat faster. One hundred and ten beats per minute. He counted.

He threw the syringe back into his backpack.

stand up.

The moment his left knee hit the ground, a sharp pain shot from his knee to the back of his head. He steadied himself against a tree trunk, waiting for the pain to subside.

Stand firm.

Head towards the manor.

2

The sound of a raven came through the headphones.

"Thirty seconds. The entire city will be without power for thirty seconds. I have people at Monaco's power company."

Gu Xidong crouched low as he walked through the bushes.

"You have three minutes to reach the wall. The wall is three meters high and has an electric fence on top. The electric fence will fail after the power outage, and you will have ten seconds to climb over."

He sped up.

His left knee screamed with every step. He ignored it with willpower.

"After climbing over the wall, turn left, go around the main building, and cross the garden. There are patrol teams in the garden, in groups of four, passing by every fifteen minutes. You will enter the garden thirty seconds after the power outage. They have flashlights, but they won't be able to react in thirty seconds."

He reached the foot of the wall.

Squat down.

and so on.

A countdown played in my headphones.

"10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1."

The whole of Monaco was plunged into darkness.

The casino's golden dome went out. The streetlights went out. The villa lights went out. The marina lights went out. Only the moonlight remained on the sea.

He jumped up.

Grab the top of the wall.

The power grid was out. He climbed over it.

Landing.

He was in excruciating pain in his left knee and knelt down on one knee.

stand up.

Run to the left.

3

The main building was completely dark.

He walked along the base of the wall.

We've arrived at the garden.

Under the moonlight, four dark figures stood on the path. They held flashlights and were pressing switches. The flashlights didn't light up—the backup power needed ten seconds to start.

They didn't see him.

He walked through the garden.

They ran towards the wine cellar.

Ten seconds remain out of thirty.

The wine cellar door was in front of us.

Stone building, iron gate. There's an electronic lock on the gate. The red light isn't on—there's a power outage.

He pushed the door open.

The door was open.

Go in.

It was pitch black inside. He turned on his flashlight, and the beam illuminated the descending stairs. The stone steps were steep, each one worn smooth.

He went down.

One floor. Two floors. Three floors.

At the very bottom.

An iron gate.

There was no lock on the door. There was only a bolt, bolted from the outside.

He pulled open the latch.

Push open the door.

Inside are prison cells.

Ten square meters. A bed. A chair. An emergency light—the backup power came on, and the light turned on.

A person is sitting on the bed.

Ling Wuwen.

She was wearing a black evening gown, her hair disheveled, and her face pale. Her handcuffs were to the bed frame, and her wrists were chafed and bleeding.

She looked up at him.

three seconds.

"You've arrived."

He walked over.

Squat down.

Use a dagger to pry open the handcuffs.

The skin on her wrist was broken, and blood was seeping out. He wiped it with his clothes.

She looked at him.

"Your legs."

"fine."

You have a fever.

"fine."

He helped her to her feet.

She leaned against him.

Walk outside.

4

I walked to the stairwell.

Footsteps could be heard from above.

A lot of people.

Gu Xidong turned off the flashlight.

They pulled Ling Wuwen behind the wall.

The footsteps grew closer. A flashlight beam flickered in the stairwell. Someone was speaking. In French.

"...Cell check. Target confirmed."

The other person answered.

"What's causing the power outage?"

"I don't know. Let's confirm the target first."

Gu Xidong drew his gun from his waist.

Ling Wuwen pressed down on his hand.

She shook her head.

He took something out of his pocket.

Silver. USB flash drive size.

Volkov's key.

She lifted it up.

He looked at the thing.

"What do you mean?"

She slipped the key into his hand.

"You go. I'll stay."

He looked at her.

"no."

She stood on tiptoe.

Kiss him.

three seconds.

Loosen up.

What did Ye Shen say before he died?

He was stunned.

How did you know?

She didn't answer.

Just looking at him.

"What did you say?"

He took the chip out of his pocket.

Silver. Stained with blood.

"This is the key in his spine."

She took it.

Looking at that tiny thing.

"Anything else?"

He was silent.

three seconds.

"He said your brother begged him before he died."

She didn't say anything.

The flashlight beam was getting closer and closer.

She returned the chip to him.

"Go away."

He doesn't understand.

She pushed him.

"Go. Take the key and go out. Release the list. Release my brother's video. Let the world know the truth."

He grabbed her hand.

Let's go together.

She shook her head.

"I can't leave."

She rolled up her sleeves.

An IV line was inserted into his arm. The IV tubing led to a pump on the wall.

"He gave me something. I don't know what it is. If I leave now, I'll collapse within three minutes."

He looked at her.

three seconds.

He lowered his head and kissed her forehead.

stand up.

Turn around.

Heading towards the stairs.

5

He went upstairs.

The footsteps grew closer.

The flashlight beam shone on his face.

The first bodyguard paused for a second.

He fired his gun.

The bodyguard fell down.

The second one. The third one.

He attacked while simultaneously moving forward.

The magazine is empty. Replace it with a new one.

His left knee screamed with every step. He ignored it with willpower.

It rushed to the ground.

Five bodyguards stood at the entrance of the wine cellar.

He lunged forward.

Roll. Fire. Roll. Fire.

Four fell. The fifth pounced.

He struck him with the butt of his gun. The man dodged and punched him in the left knee.

He fell down.

The man was on top of him, his hand gripping his neck.

His vision went black.

The gun slipped from his hand.

He touched the dagger at his waist.

Pull it out.

It pierced the man's ribs.

The man screamed. He let go.

He pushed him away.

Get up.

His left knee couldn't bear weight. He used a gun as a crutch.

Run towards the garden.

The patrol team caught up.

A bullet whizzed past my ear.

He plunged into the bushes.

roll.

stand up.

They ran towards the wall.

6

The wall is in front of us.

Three meters high.

He jumped up.

Grab the top.

Turn it over.

Landing.

His left knee made a dull thud as it hit the ground. He fell to the ground.

I can't get up.

A black Mercedes sped towards us.

The car door opened.

The raven is in the driver's seat.

"Get on the bus!"

He climbed into the back seat.

The car door closed.

The car sped off.

Bullets struck the car. Clang, clang.

The car rounded the bend.

The sound of bullets faded into the distance.

He lay down in the back seat.

He was panting heavily.

The raven looked at him in the rearview mirror.

"Where is she?"

He didn't speak.

Looking at the roof of the car.

Outside the window, the lights of Monaco came on again. Casinos, yachts, hotels, villas.

Thirty seconds have passed.

7

Safe house.

The raven helped him inside.

Let him lie on the sofa.

His left leg was so swollen that his trousers were about to tear. Raven used his knife to cut open the trouser leg, exposing his knee. The skin around the wound was black, and pus and blood seeped from under the bandages.

"You're infected. You need to go to the hospital."

Gu Xidong shook his head.

He took the chip out of his pocket.

Silver. Stained with blood.

Place it on the table.

"The key and the list are both in there."

The raven looked at the tiny thing.

"Where is she?"

Gu Xidong remained silent.

Looking at the ceiling.

long time.

"she makes me go."

The ravens remained silent.

three seconds.

He picked up the chip and plugged it into the computer.

A decryption interface pops up on the screen.

Enter the key.

Fingerprint scanning.

Progress bar.

10%. 30%. 50%.

The file is open.

The names of three hundred people. Politicians, referees, officials, athletes. Records of receiving money. Records of handling affairs. Methods of being controlled.

He flipped down.

The last folder.

Title: Ling_WF_2017.

Click to open.

Video file.

First.

He clicked play.

Operating room. Operating lights. Doctor in surgical scrubs. A person lying on the operating table.

Ling Wufeng.

Bottom right corner time: 2017.11.9 14:23:17

He looked at that image.

long time.

Turn off.

He turned to look at Gu Xidong.

Gu Xidong lay on the sofa with his eyes closed.

But I didn't sleep.

8

Four o'clock in the morning.

My phone vibrated.

Unknown number.

Gu Xidong answered the call.

It was Volkov's voice on the other end.

Mr. Gu.

He didn't speak.

Volkov smiled.

"You were very brave. You broke in all by yourself and rescued the key. My men couldn't stop you."

Gu Xidong spoke.

"Where is she?"

"Ling Wuwen? Still in the basement. He's perfectly fine."

pause.

Do you want to save her?

Gu Xidong remained silent.

"I'll be waiting for you alone in the study tomorrow night at eight o'clock. I won't bring any weapons or anyone else. We'll talk."

Gu Xidong spoke.

"What are you talking about?"

Volkov remained silent for three seconds.

"Let's make a deal. You give me back the key, and I'll return it to you."

The phone hangs up.

Gu Xidong looked at his phone.

long time.

A raven was nearby.

"trap."

Gu Xidong remained silent.

He looked out the window.

Dawn was approaching. In Monaco, the sea was tinged with a greyish-white hue.