Without Phoenix as a stabilizing force, the remaining two began to take action.
Of course, they remained quiet on the surface.
The “Haina” base only allowed internal calls and no unapproved signals, making it a well-defended island.
Thus, they couldn’t activate the communication system.
The detention room was bare, with only two chairs in plain view.
They could only clasp each other’s hands and write on their arms under the cover of their sleeves, using the most primitive method.
The young man with the prosthetic eye, called A-Fan, seemed to have calmed down, shaking his leg anxiously: “Is Ning really crazy? Why did he turn on us?”
They weren’t entirely unprepared before coming.
Everyone agreed that even if relations between “Haina” and “Panqiao” were bad, they wouldn’t immediately tear each other apart.
“Panqiao” was united, and if they thought capturing the severely injured Shan Feibai would completely subdue “Panqiao,” they were naive.
Of course, they weren’t blindly optimistic.
Though the three had a good relationship with Shan Feibai, they weren’t core decision-makers of “Panqiao.”
Before leaving, Phoenix had discussed with Yu, the second-in-command of “Panqiao,” that she would send a signal before entering the “Haina” base.
If they lost contact for more than three hours, “Panqiao” should prepare for an all-out war with “Haina,” holding nothing back.
Yu Shifei was a bioroid with near-perfect execution capabilities, able to carry out “no holding back” to the utmost.
In their view, the relationship between the two groups had reached a point of sharp confrontation, incompatible like fire and water.
Now that “Panqiao” had lost the initiative, continual retreat would only embolden “Haina,” which would in turn devour them.
But Ning Zhuo had made the worst Haina, acting as if he genuinely intended to use this opportunity to eliminate “Panqiao.”
Even with psychological preparation, they were inevitably shocked.
After all, if they truly tore each other apart, Shan Feibai might not die, but the three of them would be the first to suffer.
Phoenix, who had been dragged away, was a warning.
Kuang Hexuan also seemed unsettled, sweating profusely.
A-Fan, the young man with the prosthetic eye, looked like he was about to cry: “Kuang-ge, do you think Ning likes both men and women? People outside say that he—”
Kuang Hexuan’s liver was burning with anger. He clenched his fingers several times to resist the urge to slap A-Fan: “You still have the heart to think about this?!”
Despite his words, Kuang Hexuan’s face turned red as he pursed his lips, stood up, and pressed his ear to the door.
To his disappointment, the soundproofing was excellent.
Not a single noise came from outside.
The excessive silence worsened Kuang Hexuan’s mood.
He paced the interrogation room restlessly, like a cat on hot bricks.
A-Fan whined: “Kuang-ge, stop pacing. I’m getting dizzy.”
After several laps, Kuang Hexuan seemed to make up his mind. He sat down again, grabbed A-Fan’s wrist tightly, and wrote: “How long has it been?”
A-Fan steadied himself: “There’s no clock here.”
Kuang Hexuan thought for a moment: “About two hours, I think.”
A-Fan’s expression grew tense: “Then second brother and the others should be arriving soon?”
Kuang Hexuan closed his eyes: “I mean we need to find a way to break out and coordinate from inside and outside.”
Hearing this, A-Fan’s hand immediately froze.
His prosthetic eye darted around nervously before dropping down, as if afraid the invisible surveillance around them would notice his expression and betray their confidential discussion.
He lowered his eyelids and quickly wrote: “Kuang-ge, I think we should keep our lives first. As long as there’s life, there’s hope.”
“But we can’t just let ourselves be wasted!” Kuang Hexuan grew more determined as he spoke, “They’ve decided to break all ties. Are we going to keep hesitating?”
A-Fan: “…Didn’t we agree that if we lost contact for three hours, Second Brother and the others would come to rescue us?”
Kuang Hexuan: “Second Brother also told us not to be inflexible! When Second Brother makes a move, they’ll definitely take us as hostages. By then, it will be too late. If we act now and create chaos from the inside, it will be easier for Second Brother to make his move!”
A-Fan stared at Kuang Hexuan in a daze.
After a long pause, he hesitantly wrote: “Without Sister Phoenix, it’s just the two of us?”
That was indeed a problem.
But Kuang Hexuan seemed genuinely agitated and fired up: “Then what? Sit and wait to die?”
A-Fan couldn’t come up with a better plan: “Brother, I’ll follow your lead. What do we do?”
They spent 20 minutes formulating a simple plan.
They had been searched before entering.
“Haina” had made it clear: anyone found carrying weapons would be killed on the spot. They, of course, didn’t want to risk that.
This also had its advantages.
As long as the outside didn’t start fighting, “Haina” wouldn’t be heavily armed and on high alert against the two of them.
However, they couldn’t wait too long before “Panqiao” made their move. It would be best to act 7 or 8 minutes ahead of time.
They would create some noise to lure nearby “Haina” members inside. Kuang Hexuan, skilled in close combat, would then take action to seize their equipment and engage in guerrilla warfare inside the building, using the complex rooms and terrain as cover to collect weapons.
As long as they could stir up chaos inside “Haina” for five minutes, their objective would be achieved.
Having agreed on the plan, they both tensed their muscles, pretending to have given up resistance after a discussion. They acted dejected while silently counting the time.
The moment they had been waiting for arrived.
Kuang Hexuan took a deep breath and gave A-Fan a look.
A-Fan obediently closed his eyes, his chest heaving dramatically.
Kuang Hexuan stood up, swung his arms, and banged on the door: “Hey, is anyone there?”
There was, of course, no response.
This was within their expectations.
Kuang Hexuan glanced back at A-Fan.
A-Fan tried to stand but immediately staggered, grabbing his chest and gasping for air as if having an asthma attack, his body slumping.
Kuang Hexuan cursed, grabbed A-Fan, and noticed the veins bulging on A-Fan’s temples. He silently praised the kid’s acting skills.
He took a deep breath and shouted: “Is anyone there! Get over here! If he dies, who will take responsibility?!”
They were gambling.
“Haina” hadn’t killed them immediately, implying they were still useful.
Letting someone die here wouldn’t serve their purposes either.
Sure enough, within a minute, a mechanical identification sound came from outside the door.
Kuang Hexuan tightened his sweaty fist, adjusting his crouching position to accumulate more explosive power.
He prepared seven or eight killing moves, ready to strike at the first opportunity—
The next second, Ning Zhuo walked in, his beautiful green eyes coldly scanning the two of them.
Kuang Hexuan’s muscles instantly tensed up: “…”
Damn, this one is unbeatable.
An awkward atmosphere quickly filled the room.
Only A-Fan, unaware of the change in situation, continued to play his part, wheezing loudly.
Ning Zhuo said, “Stop pretending. I’ve seen what a real asthma attack looks like.”
A-Fan: “…”
He didn’t know if this was true or a bluff, hesitating for a moment.
That moment of hesitation ruined their plan.
Kuang Hexuan, irritated, pushed A-Fan aside and glared angrily at Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo: “Whose idea was this?”
Kuang Hexuan, taking responsibility: “Mine!”
Ning Zhuo coldly: “Why are you so eager to get out? Aren’t your people coming soon?”
Kuang Hexuan was stunned, his mind reeling with confusion.
…Did Phoenix let something slip? Or was “Haina” already prepared?
If they were prepared, then Second Brother and the others…
But Kuang Hexuan’s pause made the same mistake as A-Fan earlier.
This gave Ning Zhuo an opening.
Ning Zhuo nodded slightly: “Oh, I see.”
He casually picked up a communicator: “Tang Kaixiang, level one alert. Someone is trying to get themselves killed.”
Kuang Hexuan’s mind buzzed, his blood boiling. He took a step and swung his fist at Ning Zhuo’s face!
In his fury, he lost all sense of strategy, knowing he stood no chance against Ning Zhuo, but unable to do anything.
Ning Zhuo glanced up, seeing his suicidal intent, stepped back to avoid his fist, and considered whether to grant him his wish.
But in that step back, Ning Zhuo’s lower back silently brushed against a slightly cool palm.
No one in “Haina” dared to stand this close to him!
Ning Zhuo, who disliked being touched on his waist, felt a flash of anger and immediately grabbed the wrist behind him.
Kuang Hexuan looked past him, his expression shifting from rage to joy: “Boss!”
Shan Feibai, whose wrist was caught by Ning Zhuo, didn’t resist, staring at him.
Their eyes met, both filled with a hard intensity, seeming to collide.
The skin of Shan Feibai’s seized wrist, already bloodless, turned almost green under Ning Zhuo’s grip.
After experiencing a life-and-death situation, Shan Feibai seemed unfazed, with a small dimple appearing at the corner of his mouth: “Brother Ning, can I handle my own people?”
Ning Zhuo released his hand, not explicitly agreeing but not refusing either.
Shan Feibai turned to Kuang Hexuan: “What’s the plan with Second Brother? If there’s no action a few hours after you come in, they’ll make a move?”
Kuang Hexuan looked troubled, glancing at Ning Zhuo.
Shan Feibai weakly sighed: “I can barely stand, don’t make me waste my energy here. How many hours?”
Kuang Hexuan softened and told the truth.
Shan Feibai turned back, smiling: “Ning-ge, could you lend me a radio to communicate with the outside?”
His smile was quite eye-catching, resembling a carefree, innocent young heir.
Ning Zhuo knew Shan Feibai was crafty, but with his life in Ning Zhuo’s hands, he wouldn’t waste his tricks here.
He picked up the communicator, operated it briefly, and then tossed it to Shan Feibai.
Shan Feibai cleared his throat, his usually clear voice now hoarse from dehydration: “Second Brother, don’t move, I’m still alive.”
This message, transmitted via “Haina’s” internal communication, echoed through the speakers on the cliff, reverberating through the mountains.
Yu Shfei, the second-in-command of “Panqiao,” who was about to make a move, looked up.
The mountain wind blew his silver hair back, his purple, patterned eyes glowing with circuit-like light.
Recognizing Shan Feibai’s voice, he moved his finger away from the particle cutter’s trigger and gestured to the others.
From the speaker, Shan Feibai added jokingly: “…I’m alive for now, but if you move, I can’t guarantee it.”
There was no response from outside, everything was calm.
But that was enough.
A-Fan, who had been sitting on the ground in a daze, saw Shan Feibai easily defuse a potentially deadly situation. He sprang up and rushed over, crying: “Boss, you’re okay, you’re okay…”
“I’m fine.”
Shan Feibai’s tone was light as he patted A-Fan’s face:
“Unfortunately, some people are not.”
A-Fan and Kuang Hexuan both exclaimed in surprise, bewildered.
Shan Feibai grabbed A-Fan’s collar, lifting him slightly, and smiled: “Who took the business in Bert District yesterday afternoon for me?”
A-Fan, bewildered, blinked his artificial eyes and glanced at Kuang Hexuan.
“It was me.”
Relieved that Shan Feibai was okay, Kuang Hexuan relaxed a bit and scratched his head: “It was just a deal for new materials—”
