"Huh? Why say it leads straight to Qian Duoduo's home? Aren't we already in his estate?" Su Mali was baffled, her voice echoing thinly against the cold, damp stone walls of the underground corridor. She looked around at the oppressive shadows, her eyes wide as they searched the darkness for some sign of the luxury she expected from the name.
Jing Shu shook her head, the movement slight in the dim light. "I doubt Qian Duoduo even knows about this. I think the man pretending to be your Uncle Gou, that Lin Yi, arranged it. He used the road closure at Xishan to force us to circle wide, slip in from behind, and deliberately pass by Qian Duoduo's grounds."
"And then?" She blinked, her lashes still damp with the humidity of the tunnel. What was the connection?
"So your last known data point sits at Qian Duoduo's place. After you disappear and the final ping's on his turf, what do you think your father will do?" Jing Shu rolled her eyes, the gesture hidden by the gloom. The logic seemed so obvious it shouldn't have needed stating.
Su Mali's mouth fell open, her jaw tightening as the realization hit her with the force of a physical blow. "My father will go for Qian Duoduo's throat. If he really has no idea, he will think my father is picking a fight. They could end up shooting at each other."
"People at their level shouldn't be that impulsive, right?" Jing Shu rubbed her nose, feeling the faint grit of dust on her skin. Those with rank and weight should be steadier, calculating risks rather than reacting with raw emotion.
Su Mali clutched her hair, her fingers tangling in the messy strands. "You don't understand. Every time I get kidnapped, my father loses his mind. We should go up. I need to tell him I'm safe, or he really will flip Xishan."
Jing Shu frowned, her mind turning over the possibilities. A manipulator like Lin Yi would surely know those pressure points. Was he only trying to pit Wu City's top two against each other?
It wouldn't be that simple.
"Which is why we take the passage," she said, her voice firm. "Go the opposite way of expectation. No one will guess we chose the underground. Do you know how many of his people are waiting for you up there? And do you really want to walk in a rainstorm and get eaten by red nematodes?"
Su Mali shook her head hard, the thought of the parasitic worms making her skin crawl.
"Good. Move. This time nothing will go wrong. Trust me." Jing Shu tugged her toward the passage, her grip tight and steady.
They returned to the shaft where they had fled the elevator terror, the smell of burnt electrical components and stale air still clinging to the space. That was their way in.
The loose stones were still on the ground, scattered in the wake of the earlier chaos. The frame that had crushed Wang Chuang had been patched by Fei Zhuzai's crew, the new metal gleaming dully in the dark. The body had been tossed who knew where, leaving nothing behind but a faint, lingering scent of iron.
Jing Shu spent a long time searching for an elevator switch, her fingers trailing over the rough surfaces and hoping to reactivate the new lift, but found nothing. The controls for this huge tunnel had to be in Lin Yi's hands alone. No one else rated access to such a critical artery.
"Let's go." She swung down into the dark opening and pulled Su Mali after her. Su Mali agreed in a small voice, her spirit flagging. She did not want the passage, but Jing Shu's presence always made her obedient without thinking. "Useless," she scolded herself, her eyes stinging and near tears.
Jing Shu moved quickly, her boots clicking rhythmically on the uneven floor. She was dropping markers on the map app inside the space, estimating their current position and distance traveled. She had no idea how deep the tunnel ran. There was no signal, no GPS, only the absolute silence of the earth pressing in from all sides.
"I'm hungry." Su Mali's stomach growled, the sound loud in the quiet tunnel. She bit her lip, shivering in the cold air that smelled of wet dirt and old stone.
Jing Shu had woken hungry herself, the physical exertion of the day taking its toll. She fished a compressed ration bar from the pocket sewn into her pants and handed it over. "Chew twenty-eight times before you swallow."
Su Mali nodded, nibbled at the dry bar, then chewed diligently. "Oh heavens. What was this? Delicious." Like a small hamster, she munched in contentment, the simple food bringing a spark of life back to her face.
Fed, she walked faster, her pace steadying. Meanwhile Jing Shu's lips worked on treats that weren't only ration bars but chocolate, pistachios, mixed nuts, and other snacks, all without opening her mouth. They went straight from the space to her tongue, the flavors exploding in her mouth. Su Mali had no clue what she was eating.
"Three kilometers."
"Four kilometers."
At first there were forks, even the node they'd passed earlier, but gradually the branch points vanished. A straight tunnel stretched ahead, rough-hewn and echoing. This scale wasn't Qian Duoduo's doing. It looked like a smuggling corridor, hidden deep beneath the surface.
Poor rich man. Someone dug an artery under his estate and he never knew. The plot's grand.
"All the earlier forks are sealed," Jing Shu murmured, her voice a low vibration. "Lin Yi wants us pushed to the end."
It was now about the shen (monkey) hour (3 PM - 5 PM). Su Mali had been missing four or five hours. Who knew what the surface looked like now.
Jing Shu quickened her pace, the urgency of the situation settling in her chest.
-
"They chose the passage? Then we go to Plan B," Lin Yi said, watching the nine-panel wall of feeds, the pale blue light reflecting off his lenses. The corner of his mouth tilted in a sharp, cold arc.
"Ling Qi, start."
"Understood, boss."
The rumor flashed like lightning through the digital networks of the city. The daughter of Wu City's natural gas magnate, Su Mali, had been secluded by Qian Duoduo at Xishan for his special tastes.
Within moments the city boiled with indignation and gossip. Worse, the gas magnate Su Xiangnan was said to be hauling thousands of propane bottles toward Xishan; he was threatening to die with that old thief Qian Duoduo.
No one knew where the story began, but it took root instantly. In minutes the top of Wu City knew. Given the stakes, the government dispatched Wu City's First Brigade, a unit trained as special forces, with the fire department in support. Second Brigade Commander Li Yuetian was ordered to assemble on standby, ready to deploy at once.
In less than a few hours, thousands flooded into Xishan, the mountain roads choked with vehicles and personnel. It was the largest surge since the disaster crowds during the spring deluge.
When Qian Duoduo heard the news, his first thought was, "What trick is that old ghost playing now? Was last time not enough for him?" The last time, Su Xiangnan had played him hard, and the memory still rankled.
"Let us talk, Brother Su. Family is off-limits. We don't joke with lives. I truly haven't seen your daughter. There must be a misunderstanding," Qian Duoduo said, appearing calm in a Tang jacket, the dark silk smooth over his frame. The walnut worry stones in his hand rolled with a steady, rhythmic click.
His daughter went missing. What did that have to do with him?
Su Xiangnan's already dark face turned darker, the veins in his neck standing out. Hands on hips, he pointed at Qian Duoduo, his finger trembling with rage. "You think I'm joking with you. Do you believe I'll blow up your Xishan? Do you believe if I shout once, you'll hear a boom outside?"
Bang.