"Hey..."
Chen Mo stirred awake, his phone buzzing beside him.
As he picked up, Ink Girl's calm voice came through:
"Mo-ge, two people are trying to sneak into the villa. They're climbing the second-floor balcony."
Sneak in?
The sleep fog vanished in an instant.
His villa was equipped with a hidden surveillance system, monitored 24/7 by Ink Girl. This was the first time the system had issued a real-time intrusion alert.
"Can you identify them?" he asked sharply.
"Their faces are camouflaged, lighting's poor. No clear frontal shots. But based on features and gait... they're foreigners," Ink Girl replied.
"Foreigners... wearing disguise... trying to infiltrate my house in the middle of the night?" Chen Mo muttered, already sliding out of bed.
He leaned down, gently picked up Xiao Yu, who was still sleeping soundly.
"Chen Mo? What's wrong?" she murmured, eyes half-open.
"Shh, I'll explain later," he whispered. Without another word, he carried her out of the room and headed straight for the basement.
If someone was breaking in, this was no common burglary. Whatever their motive, his first priority was Xiao Yu's safety.
"Ink Girl, notify the community's security team immediately," Chen Mo ordered, locking the heavy iron door behind them.
The basement was secure, reinforced by a steel gate that would take serious effort to breach. At least here, they were safe—for now.
Just as he set Xiao Yu down gently on the couch, his phone vibrated again.
"Mr. Chen?" A hurried male voice came through. "We just received an alert from your villa. Is there an emergency?"
It was Zhuang Ji, the head of security for the residential area. He and his team were already en route.
"Two unidentified men broke into my home. We're safe, but they're still inside. Surround the villa—don't let them escape," Chen Mo said, expression dark.
Zhuang Ji's tone turned grim.
"Understood. We're almost there. Mobilizing full response—don't worry, we'll handle this."
Inside the villa.
Jack and Bor crept through Chen Mo's bedroom, weapons drawn. Their faces were tense.
"Damn it. No one's here," Bor muttered, lifting the still-warm blanket on the bed.
"The sheets are still warm. Check the other rooms—he's nearby."
No longer bothering with stealth, they split up to search.
"Nothing," Bor called a minute later.
"I'll check the basement," Jack said grimly.
He stopped in front of the iron security door, scowling.
It was locked. Reinforced.
"Jack, we've got company," Bor's voice rang out from upstairs.
Jack rushed back just as Bor peered through the curtain.
"Security. Outside the villa. A lot of them."
"Shit. Retreat—back exit!" Jack growled.
They bolted up the stairs. The operation had failed. There'd be no second chance tonight. The only hope now was that Chen Mo dismissed it as a regular break-in.
But as they hit the landing—
"Upstairs! Don't let them escape!" shouted a voice from below.
The villa door burst open. A squad of security guards charged inside.
Bor didn't hesitate. He flung himself over the balcony, landing hard in the grass below.
Jack followed close behind, hitting the ground in a roll. They scrambled to their feet, spotted a parked patrol vehicle, and dove in.
"Stop them!" one of the guards shouted.
Jack revved the engine and floored it, slamming the vehicle through the gate railing.
As they sped away, Bor stuck his head out the window and yelled, "See you later, yellow-skinned monkeys!"
Back in the villa.
Chen Mo stood quietly in the living room, scanning the rooms with narrowed eyes.
Beside him, Xiao Yu clung to his arm, clearly shaken.
Zhuang Ji and his team returned, faces heavy with frustration.
"Where are they?" Chen Mo asked.
"They got away," Zhuang admitted, avoiding eye contact. "Could be just two thieves. We've notified the police."
"Thieves?" Chen Mo repeated coldly. "You're telling me two small-time burglars breached a high-security villa district, snuck into my home, and almost reached the basement... unnoticed?"
His tone was calm, but the sarcasm was like ice.
Zhuang Ji's face turned red.
"I—I understand. We take full responsibility. We're investigating and will give you a proper explanation."
"Tomorrow morning. I want answers," Chen Mo said, voice firm.
"I'll assign an armed guard to your villa tonight. Please rest assured, Mr. Chen."
Chen Mo didn't reply. Xiao Yu tugged gently on his sleeve.
"It's late... let's go back to bed."
He took a deep breath and nodded.
Later that night, back in their bedroom.
Chen Mo held Xiao Yu in his arms.
"Try to sleep. Just two petty thieves, that's all. Everything's fine," he murmured.
Xiao Yu didn't say anything, but her grip on his arm didn't loosen.
Kaili International Hotel.
Back in their suite, Jack and Bor looked worse for wear.
Jack was pacing, clearly agitated.
"That was too clean," he muttered. "They were waiting for us."
"Think we were ratted out?" Bor asked.
Jack ignored the question and picked up his satellite phone.
The line connected. A voice answered instantly.
"Is the mission complete?"
"No," Jack said flatly. "We were compromised. He probably suspects something. Should we continue?"
There was a long pause, then a low growl on the other end:
"Useless. You can't even handle a simple infiltration?"
The voice turned cold.
"The mission continues. I don't care how. If you don't complete it—don't bother coming back."
Click. The line went dead.
Jack lowered the phone slowly.
Bor whistled. "So... plan B?"
Jack didn't answer.
But in his eyes, something darker had surfaced.