Sinkport Prison.
Six hundred seventy meters below the surface.
The elevator doors closed behind Dousaka Francis. With his first breath, the smell of rust and damp earth filled his lungs.
This prison, known as the “Artificial Seabed,” was the lowest point of human habitation.
Where artificial sunlight could not reach, there were no seasons, no distinction between day and night, only a damp chill that seeped into the bones and air so heavy it felt almost viscous.
Every prisoner confined here was a heinous criminal, with no chance of redemption.
Dousaka walked past rows of cells, observing the inmates through the bars. Their faces were indistinct but he could feel countless cold, numb gazes staring back at him.
He stopped in front of one cell.
Inside, a man sat with his back to him, a chessboard set up before him. Naturally, there was no opponent, he was playing alone.
The corridor’s candle like lights were positioned behind him, casting a twilight glow over the slightly long white hair at the back of his head, while leaving most of his face hidden in shadow.
He held a black piece and tapped it onto the board, producing a crisp, clicking sound. The candlelight seemed to flicker in response.
Noticing Dousaka’s footsteps, the white haired man tilted his head slightly.
His gaze did not focus immediately. Only after Dousaka spoke did he identify him by voice, then reach for the glasses on the table.
“…Sir” Dousaka said in a low voice.
Lu Xun put on his glasses, his gaze narrowing as it focused on his subordinate.
“Mm.” He nodded.
Dousaka began delivering his report in a hushed tone.
During this period, acting under Lu Xun’s orders, he had been moving between the surface and the underground, gathering intelligence, cleaning up loose ends, preserving what remained of their influence and making strategic arrangements…
Ever since Lu Xun had been imprisoned, they had suffered a heavy blow. The remnants left in political and military circles were barely surviving, tails tucked between their legs.
There was good news and bad news; overall, things were naturally far from optimistic. Dousaka relayed everything one by one in concise, objective terms.
Lu Xun rested his head lightly on one hand, listening. Months of confinement had allowed his hair to grow slightly longer, giving him a less crisp appearance. With glasses on, he even seemed somewhat scholarly.
But when he lifted his eyelids and his icy green eyes, filtered through thin silver lenses, fell upon Dousaka, the sharp, assessing chill in his gaze remained exactly as it had always been.
After a while, Dousaka finished his entire report and received new instructions.
Next, Lu Xun would say “You may go,” and he would take his leave, departing from Shen Harbor Prison… Yet Dousaka waited a full thirty seconds and the man across from him remained silent for just as long, as if expecting something important to be said.
Dousaka suddenly realized. “Sir… there is one more matter, regarding your younger brother.”
Lu Xun leaned forward slightly. It was a posture of attentive listening.
“He asked me to pass along a message to you,” Dousaka said. “Also, he requested a few items. At the moment, he is…”
Lu Xun listened quietly until the end. At last, a trace of doubt and something that could only be described as helplessness, appeared on his otherwise indifferent face.
“What does he want that for?” Lu Xun said. “Tired of living? Planning to launch himself into the sky?”
Dousaka gave an awkward smile, unsure how to respond. “He didn’t explain his reasons… Should we give it to him? Or refuse?”
“…,” Lu Xun closed his eyes, pressing his fingers against his brow. With a soft click of his tongue, he said, “Give it to him.”
………
News spread quickly among the underlings. The night after Mammoth warned the two of them, the very next day, the circle of people who had once hovered around Lu Pei, flattering him endlessly, scattered like startled birds and beasts.
“Faster than when my family got raided” Lu Pei couldn’t help remarking at the speed of the underground.
Aside from Ren Yao, he hadn’t offended anyone and his attitude had always been polite. Perhaps Mammoth had given some instructions as well; apart from cold looks, no one deliberately made things difficult for him.
Yuan Que, however, was a different story.
He had once brutally beaten several of Mammoth’s capable enforcers, nearly sending them to their graves. Those men held considerable influence in the mining camp and because of that, there were always people looking to trouble him.
When rumors spread that Mammoth suspected him of being a traitor, a group immediately blocked his path, demanding to “play a game” with him. Leading them was one of Mammoth’s trusted aides, Elton, whom Lu Pei privately called the Silver Horned King.
“Come play darts, Yuan Que,” the man said with a grin. “Here, an apple. Put it on your head. Stand a little farther away.”
Yuan Que stared at Elton, casually tossing and catching the apple.
“Oh.”
He played their little dart game.
Five or six of them lined up, throwing small knives at him. Their aim wasn’t particularly good, some tried seriously, others were clearly doing it on purpose.
Elton took a knife, aimed straight at Yuan Que’s face and hurled it directly toward his forehead.
Before the blade could pierce his eye, Yuan Que raised his hand, caught the handle mid flight, twisted his wrist and sent it flying back. The knife embedded itself neatly at Elton’s feet.
With a sharp “thunk” it lodged into the concrete floor.
“Missed” Yuan Que said.
Elton’s expression turned constipated and his aggressive demeanor immediately shrank.
After a round of futile harassment, they threw out a few sarcastic remarks and left.
Yuan Que stood there, holding the intact apple. After a moment’s thought, he bent down and picked up the knife embedded in the ground.
When Lu Pei woke from his afternoon nap, he found an apple and a fruit knife by his pillow.
Both had been washed. Droplets of water still clung to them, soaking into the tissue laid underneath.
Lu Pei: “?”
Lu Pei: “Th.. this… where did this come from? Why is there an apple?”
Yuan Que: “Won it. From a game.”
Lu Pei: “What game?”
Yuan Que briefly described the knife throwing game. Lu Pei was stunned. This guy really had something wrong with him.
But when he heard that Elton had been the one to pick a fight, his thoughts settled into a heavy weight pressing on his chest.
“He got Mammoth’s approval,” Lu Pei said as he peeled the apple.
Yuan Que: “Possibly.”
Lu Pei: “They’ve been picking on you for a while, haven’t they?”
Yuan Que emphasized, “They never succeeded.”
“Mm, mm, you’re stronger,” Lu Pei said, slicing off a piece and handing it to him. “Here, your reward. Please enjoy.”
Yuan Que ate it, chewing and swallowing in a few bites. Seeing his expression unchanged, Lu Pei assumed it must at least be sweet, so he took a bite himself.
His face twisted instantly. It was sour. Like the sour candies he used to eat as a child.
“Mammoth has always been wary of you,” Lu Pei said, handing him the rest of the apple. “But it’s the same with me.”
The two of them were both, in a sense, planted beside Mammoth by Zhou Zu. Naturally, neither could be wholeheartedly trusted.
Lu Pei fell into thought.
Earlier, when Ren Yao had poisoned his food, it had probably been done with Mammoth’s silent approval. That fool’s acting skills were better than he’d expected.
“Time to prepare to leave,” Lu Pei murmured.
Yuan Que gave no response.
The following days passed under an unfriendly, oppressive atmosphere.
At the cafeteria, the special meals prepared separately for them were gone. Lu Pei had to line up with everyone else and eat food that was barely edible.
When he was with Yuan Que, the exclusion hadn’t felt particularly obvious but one noon, Yuan Que went out on a mission, leaving Lu Pei alone.
Lu Pei found a long table and sat down, only for someone a few seats away to wave him off. “Go, go, this seat’s taken.”
He finally found an empty table but the people beside it said, “Don’t be an eyesore. Move.”
“Get lost. Not here.”
“Scram.”
Holding his tray, Lu Pei was kicked around like a ball.
That was still within the range of tolerable rudeness. Some others stared at him with leering eyes, calling out to him, calling him “pretty boy.” Lu Pei hurried away, only for them to burst into loud laughter behind him, saying vulgar things like, “Boss is tired of him, let us have a turn.”
Just getting a meal left Lu Pei thoroughly disgusted.
Thinking of how Yuan Que had endured this for so long, he couldn’t help feeling a bit of admiration.
In the end, You Rulan took him in.
“Ruby, sit here.”
“Thanks,” Lu Pei set down his tray.
You Rulan seemed completely oblivious to his situation, chatting as usual and even promoting business on the side.
He usually ate quickly but Lu Pei noticed he deliberately slowed down to match his pace.
Lu Pei maintained a normal expression and ate at his own speed.
Only when he was nearly finished did You Rulan set down his chopsticks and casually bring it up, “Mammoth’s been in a bad mood lately, you know that. As a boss, he has to make sure his subordinates aren’t harboring any disloyalty. You and Yuan Que are so close… naturally, he thinks a bit more.”
“If you want to switch dorms, I can talk to the administrator for you,” You Rulan lowered his voice. “It’s a sensitive time. Better to avoid suspicion, wouldn’t want the boss thinking you’ve got other ideas.”
“Avoid suspicion?” Lu Pei repeated. His eyes curved into a smile. “With you?”
You Rulan’s expression stiffened.
Lu Pei wiped the corner of his mouth. “Thanks. I’ll think about it.”
Only when Yuan Que wasn’t around did Lu Pei truly feel just how muddy and oppressive life here was.
That same night, Dousaka came to see him, bringing the items he had requested.
From the reception room to the dormitory, a mere two hundred meters, the dim streetlights cast an uneasy darkness. Lu Pei instinctively glanced around and that habit saved him once.
He immediately noticed three shadows trailing behind him.
Realizing he’d spotted them, one of them let out a chuckle, saying nothing.
But both sides knew very well what would happen if Lu Pei stayed where he was.
They sped up.
Lu Pei bolted.
Each footstep behind him sounded like a death sentence. He threw every ounce of strength into sprinting toward the dormitory building. Only when he reached the second floor did the footsteps chasing him finally stop. He heard their curses drift up:
“Let him get away.”
“Another wasted night.”
“We’ll get him sooner or later.”
Lu Pei shuddered, his back drenched in sweat.
He had to leave. As soon as possible.
Once he left the mining camp, Dousaka would arrange for him to enter Lu Xun’s sphere of protection. Then he wouldn’t have to live in constant fear anymore.
Rationally, he knew they wouldn’t barge into the dorm to abduct him. Still, he spent the entire night trembling, not daring to sleep.
It was very late when Yuan Que returned.
“Not sleeping?” Yuan Que said. “New mission. Tomorrow, you and I are going to Hexing Street…” He paused when he saw Lu Pei’s pale face. “What are you afraid of?”
“I ran into…” Lu Pei began, then stopped. “Wait, you said tomorrow we’re going to Hexing Street? Mammoth’s orders?”
Yuan Que: “You ran into?”
Lu Pei: “Business first. Hexing Street, are we meeting someone?”
Yuan Que: “Mm. You knew?”
Lu Pei: “…”
He let out a long breath.
Here it was again. Another unavoidable plot trap.
Their two roommates were asleep. Lu Pei pulled him out into the corridor.
“I know,” Lu Pei said in a low voice. “I also know Mammoth is planning to deal with us. I don’t have a perfect plan yet. Tomorrow, we play along… then we take the car and run. What do you think?”
Yuan Que didn’t answer immediately.
He remained silent, studying him.
Although his attitude had softened somewhat and circumstances had forced them onto the same side, Yuan Que had never explicitly agreed to Lu Pei’s proposal to leave together. He didn’t trust him fully. There was always a reservation.
The momentary silence from Yuan Que did not escape Lu Pei.
He could tell, from those few seconds of quiet, that the balance between them had not yet tipped. The leverage he had offered so far was not enough. There was still a crucial step missing, Yuan Que had not fully acknowledged him as a partner. They had not yet reached the point of truly standing side by side.
And yet, time was running out.
Tomorrow would bring the hunt. Tonight was the only chance. There was no time left to probe slowly, to test boundaries.
Then there was only one option left.
Play the victim.
“When I came back tonight… someone was following me.” Lu Pei leaned both arms against the railing, resting his head on them. “They wanted to…”
He didn’t finish.
He didn’t need to.
Yuan Que understood immediately. His voice turned cold in an instant. “Who?”
“I didn’t recognize them. They kept following me.” Lu Pei still felt the lingering fear; his tone dipped, half real, half performed. “I was scared. I couldn’t sleep.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Yuan Que, then turned his head away again.
Some things were better implied than said outright.
“I want to leave,” he said softly.
Half of Lu Pei’s face was buried in his arm. His eyelashes trembled faintly. The cold night air dried his eyes and with a single blink, they turned slightly damp.
This was the key, don’t meet his gaze, don’t cry, just stay in that subdued, fragile state.
From past experience using this tactic on Lu Xun, it usually took thirty seconds to a minute before the other party relented.
So he waited.
He was gambling.
Gambling that Yuan Que cared enough about him now… to yield.
Lu Pei counted his breaths, calm on the surface.
One breath.
Two.
Three……
Barely three seconds had passed when he heard it.
Yuan Que said:
“Alright.”