Night enveloped Linjiang City beneath a heavy blanket of river fog and bone-chilling dampness.
The wind blowing through the broken window of the Side Courtyard carried the distinctive scent of the Yangtze River—a mixture of mud, fish, and distant coal smoke. It was bitterly cold.
Qin Shu leaned against the bedside beside Floating Cloud, absentmindedly rolling a dried medicinal leaf between her fingertips.
Her gaze, however, pierced through the broken window lattice and rested upon the darkness and thick fog to the southeast.
That was where the Linjiang Docks lay.
The old food basket A-Fu had taken away had vanished like a stone sinking into the depths of a lake.
There had been no news.
Every moment of silence was like a dull blade sawing relentlessly across Qin Shu’s taut nerves.
Warehouse No. 3…
That crude drawing…
Would Jiang Chen understand it?
Would the operation succeed?
And A-Fu…
Was he safe?
The icy flame inside her chest burned silently amid her anxiety.
Her deep brown eyes remained as tranquil as a frozen lake, though violent undercurrents and silent prayers surged beneath the surface.
Floating Cloud’s faint breathing sounded unusually clear within the oppressive silence.
Every breath reminded Qin Shu of the source of those hideous whip marks across her back.
Bang!
A deep, distant explosion suddenly shattered the quiet night like a massive hammer striking the heavens.
Then came a second shot.
A third.
Short.
Sharp.
Accompanied by the shrill scream of bullets tearing through the air.
Gunfire.
Qin Shu’s body stiffened instantly.
Her fingers clenched around the dried herb, crushing it into powder.
Her heart seemed to be seized by an invisible hand.
For a brief instant, it stopped beating altogether.
She sprang to her feet and rushed to the window, throwing the battered wooden frame wide open.
A freezing gust laden with dense river fog slammed into her face.
The fog was so thick it seemed impossible to penetrate.
Far to the southeast, the darkness above the docks was torn apart by chaotic beams of light.
Those were not ordinary lamps.
They looked more like searchlights.
Rapid bursts of gunfire crackled continuously through the mist, carrying across the great distance with unmistakable clarity.
Mixed among them were faint, hurried shouts.
It was happening at Warehouse No. 3.
Jiang Chen’s people had made their move.
An icy shiver swept through Qin Shu’s entire body.
Not from fear.
But from overwhelming tension that nearly suffocated her.
Had they succeeded?
Had they obtained the evidence?
Had A-Fu delivered the message in time?
Had that crude drawing truly pointed them to the correct target?
The gunfire did not last long.
Yet to Qin Shu, it felt like an entire century.
Chaotic shouting…
Hurried footsteps…
The harsh clanging of metal…
Together they formed a terrifying symphony of death.
Finally…
The gunfire grew sparser.
Then stopped altogether.
Only the searchlights at the docks continued sweeping wildly through the dense fog, like a frightened beast desperately searching for its prey.
It was over.
Too quickly.
Had they escaped after succeeding?
Or…
Qin Shu gripped the icy window frame so tightly that her fingernails dug deeply into the splintered wood.
Her deep brown eyes remained fixed upon the darkness churned by the searchlights.
Within her chest, the icy flame churned violently beneath the crushing weight of uncertainty.
She could not hear the outcome.
She could not see what had happened.
She could only piece together an ominous premonition from the sudden burst of gunfire and the chaotic lights.
The operation had most likely failed.
Silence once again settled over the Side Courtyard.
It felt even heavier than before.
Almost impossible to breathe beneath.
Only the distant mournful whistle of ships drifting from the docks echoed faintly through the fog like the growl of some enormous beast.
Inside Xu Feng’s study in the front courtyard of the Governor’s Mansion.
The massive oak doors remained tightly shut, sealing off every sound from outside.
The crystal chandelier poured down a glaring white light that illuminated Xu Feng’s face, twisted into a mask of furious rage.
Like a lion driven completely mad, he paced back and forth behind the enormous rosewood desk.
The hem of his dark green military uniform sliced sharply through the air.
The room reeked of expensive cigars and suffocating pressure.
Wang Zhenbiao stood respectfully to one side.
A fresh scrape on his forehead still oozed blood.
His military uniform was stained with mud.
His face had turned deathly pale, and he scarcely dared breathe.
“Useless!”
Xu Feng suddenly stopped pacing.
“A bunch of useless fools!”
He seized a heavy brass paperweight from the desk and hurled it onto the floor.
Crash!
The paperweight shattered into pieces that scattered in every direction.
“Right under your noses!”
“My docks!”
“My cargo!”
“You let someone infiltrate the place!”
“And they even opened fire!”
Xu Feng’s hoarse roar shook the room.
Every word carried terrifying brutality.
Even the crystal chandelier trembled slightly overhead.
“Wang Zhenbiao!”
“I ordered you to kill every last one of them!”
“So who the hell did you kill?!”
“Where are they?!”
“How many did you catch?!”
“And what about my cargo?!”
Wang Zhenbiao shuddered.
His head lowered even further.
His voice trembled with fear.
“Governor, please calm your anger! I… I was incompetent! Those people were extremely slippery! It was as if they’d already scouted the area beforehand! They came in from the river under the cover of the heavy fog! Our men were caught completely off guard. Their firepower was fierce… They used Mauser pistols… and grenades! They blew open the warehouse door, but before they could move the cargo, our men on shore surrounded them. The firefight was very brief… They stole a small sampan and jumped into the river to escape… The fog was too thick… We… we lost them…”
“They escaped?!”
Xu Feng spun around violently.
His hawk-like eyes locked onto Wang Zhenbiao with poisonous intensity.
“How many died?”
“The brothers guarding the warehouse…” Wang Zhenbiao answered in an increasingly faint voice. “Three… three were killed… and… seven were wounded…”
“Three of my men are dead!”
“Seven wounded!”
“And my cargo?!”
“The cargo… the cargo is unharmed! It’s still inside the warehouse! The lock was blown apart, but nothing was missing! Every crate of the… the long guns… is still there!”
Wang Zhenbiao hurriedly added the explanation as cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
“Nothing was missing?”
Xu Feng’s voice suddenly dropped.
Its icy calm was even more terrifying.
“They risked their lives breaking into my warehouse…”
“They blew open my doors…”
“And all they did was fire a few shots for my entertainment?”
Wang Zhenbiao was speechless.
His entire body shook uncontrollably.
Ignoring him, Xu Feng slowly swept his bloodshot eyes across the furnishings inside the study.
The enormous rosewood desk.
The ferocious painting of Tiger Descending the Mountain hanging upon the wall.
The heavy safe standing in the corner.
Finally…
His gaze settled upon the fresh wound at Wang Zhenbiao’s forehead.
That injury…
Did not resemble a bullet graze.
It looked more like…
The mark left behind by hand-to-hand combat.
An icy chill mixed with enormous suspicion gripped Xu Feng’s heart.
Had the operation failed?
The cargo had not been taken.
Was it merely a probe?
Or…
Had the intruders’ true objective never been those weapons at all?
“Investigate!”
Xu Feng’s voice struck the room like falling ice.
Filled with murderous intent.
“Search!”
“Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find out who they are!”
His fist slammed heavily onto the rosewood desk.
The impact sent documents and brush holders bouncing into the air.
“Everyone at the docks!”
“Everyone on duty!”
“Every dockworker!”
“Every boatman!”
“Not a single one is to be overlooked!”
“Investigate every last one of them!”
“And inside the mansion…”
His poisonous gaze swept toward the tightly closed study door, as though it could pierce every wall in the residence.
“Every servant.”
“Especially those who can enter the study…”
“Or get near the alley behind the warehouses.”
“Watch them all.”
“I want to know who’s been acting strangely.”
“And who’s been communicating with outsiders.”
“And…”
His voice became even quieter.
Colder.
Crueler.
“Keep a close eye on that abandoned courtyard.”
“See whether that ‘dead person’ has been living a little too comfortably lately.”
His words carried unmistakable meaning.
Every syllable dripped with venom.
Wang Zhenbiao stiffened.
“Yes, Governor! Understood! I’ll take care of it immediately! I’ll definitely find the traitor!”
Not daring to delay for even a moment, he saluted before practically fleeing from the study.
The back of his uniform was already soaked with cold sweat.
The study was left with only Xu Feng inside.
He remained standing where he was.
His chest rose and fell violently.
His heavy breathing echoed through the silent room.
The harsh white light cast deep shadows across his hard, chiseled face.
Within those hawk-like eyes, a terrifying storm raged.
Rage.
Suspicion.
And the cold murderous intent of a predator whose most sacred boundary had been violated.
Someone had leaked information.
Inside his own Governor’s Mansion.
Right beneath his nose.
The entire mansion…
Even Linjiang City itself…
Was like an enormous fortress riddled with unseen cracks.
And somewhere within those cracks…
A venomous snake lay hidden.
Watching him silently.
Waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Slowly, Xu Feng turned toward the enormous painting of Tiger Descending the Mountain.
The tiger in the painting bared its fangs with overwhelming ferocity.
Yet behind that cold glass frame…
Lay his greatest secret.
His fingers unconsciously curled tighter.
His knuckles cracked audibly.
The study.
The docks.
The leak.
Were those three things connected by a fatal thread he had yet to discover?
The Side Courtyard.
Silence settled once more.
Heavier than before the gunfire.
More suffocating.
Qin Shu still stood before the open window.
The icy river wind swept through the thick fog, stirring the faded gray-blue jacket stained with Floating Cloud’s dried blood.
Her deep brown eyes remained fixed upon the searchlights still sweeping wildly across the docks.
The gunfire had stopped.
Had Jiang Chen’s people escaped?
Or…
What about the cargo?
Had they secured the evidence?
And A-Fu…
Had he been exposed?
The overwhelming uncertainty battered her strained nerves like relentless waves.
The icy fire burning within her chest blazed even more fiercely amid anxiety and immense danger.
Xu Feng’s furious investigation now hung above her head like a sword ready to fall at any moment.
Just then…
From the secluded path leading toward the kitchen outside the courtyard came the faint sound of slow, dragging footsteps.
As they neared one corner outside the Side Courtyard wall…
They paused.
Only for an instant.
Qin Shu’s ears caught the subtle sound immediately.
She held her breath.
Her body tightened like a drawn bowstring.
Her sharp gaze pierced through the darkness and heavy fog, locking onto the direction from which the sound had come.
The footsteps had paused beside the corner where miscellaneous items were piled against the outer wall.
Then…
A soft sound drifted through the night.
Like a dead leaf falling onto the ground.
It was the sound of the old food basket being gently set down.
A-Fu.
He had returned.
Qin Shu’s heart began pounding wildly.
The basket had been left there…
Had the delivery failed?
Or…
Did he no longer dare carry messages?
Was he safe?
Was there…
Anything inside the basket?
The dragging footsteps did not linger.
They continued toward the kitchen.
Growing fainter and fainter until they disappeared into the thick fog.
The cold wind drove the dense mist against Qin Shu’s face.
Its chill pierced straight through her.
Slowly, she withdrew her gaze.
Her deep brown eyes became even darker.
She did not move.
Instead…
She slowly raised her left hand.
Dark brown stains from the crushed medicinal herbs still marked her fingers.
She extended her index finger.
Using that dark stain…
She drew three clear, parallel lines across the dust-covered wooden window frame.