Chapter 107

Chapter 107

"Wait, Xia Qing, let me go for a second."

Xu Zhangying initially allowed Xia Qing to hold him tightly. Relieved to find him unharmed, he suddenly remembered the heavy scent of blood on himself. "Xia Qing must be uncomfortable holding me this close," Xu Zhangying thought, tilting his head back, only for Xia Qing’s large hand to press against the back of his skull, keeping him in place.

"I reek, and I’m covered in grime," Xu Zhangying muttered, his voice stiffening as if struck by paralysis. In his head, Xia Qing was still in that spotless white suit, and he instinctively didn’t want to dirty it.

"It’s fine. I’m the same," Xia Qing murmured, clutching him tight, as if needing to feel his breath and warmth to believe he was real.

Zhao Yang, who had just gotten up from the floor, asked incredulously, "How did you know we were here?"

Pinned in Xia Qing’s arms, Xu Zhangying turned his head to look at him. Seeing Zhao Yang unharmed, he couldn’t help but smile. "I didn’t know. That’s why I followed those four guys—figured it had to be you."

As he spoke, Xu Zhangying expertly ran his hands over Xia Qing’s shoulders and arms, checking for bullet grazes. Instead of wounds, his fingers brushed against the cold metal of a gun gripped around his waist.

"Holy shit."

The moment Xu Zhangying touched the icy firearm, he froze, his smile stiffening as if struck by paralysis.

But the next second, in the darkness, everyone heard the beta Police Superintendent roar:

"—The hell?! Who handed *our* ‘good boy’ a gun?!"

Zeiss, the actual gun owner: "...”

The others: "...”

If Xu Zhangying hadn’t shown up, the so-called "good boy" would’ve personally shot those terrorists outside—not to mention the ones he might’ve already taken down earlier.

Two seconds later, Xia Qing released Xu Zhangying, who finally got a clear look at the chaos in the room. Zeiss and Zhao Yang looked exhausted, submachine guns in hand, while Lin Shuhua sat and Tang Youning lay injured in the sudden ambush.

Lin Shuhua leaned against a shelf, his injury unclear in the dim light, but his steady breathing and silence were reassuring. In stark contrast was Tang Youning, curled up by another shelf, clutching his head and sobbing.

Xu Zhangying couldn’t bear it and instinctively moved toward him with Xia Qing. Taking the flashlight from Xia Qing, he crouched down and nudged the Elite Alpha, who was curled into a ball. "Hey, Tang Youning, let me see."

After calling twice, the teary-eyed Tang Youning clung to Xu Zhangying’s leg but only sniffled without speaking. Xu Zhangying shined the light over his scalp, searching for injuries, until Xia Qing spotted the blood and said, "Right side."

Xu Zhangying immediately parted the hair on the right side of Tang Youning’s head, revealing a gash about four to five centimeters long, still bleeding. Thankfully, it seemed superficial—likely from slamming into the sharp corner of a metal shelf.

"How’d you even manage to hit the shelf? Didn’t see it or just fell?" Xu Zhangying muttered, already digging through his pockets for gauze—swiped from a first-aid kit before tailing the terrorists.

"It’s not that bad. Better than getting shot. He’s been knocking his head into everything. Only started crying when you showed up," Zhao Yang remarked dryly from the side.

Two minutes ago, *he* had been the one to kick Tang Youning, but in the heat of the moment, he hadn’t had time to consider where the guy would roll.

Standing between Lin Shuhua and the sniveling Tang heir, Zhao Yang still felt uneasy and instinctively moved to check on him. But just then, Lin Shuhua let out a gritted groan to his right. Zhao Yang immediately turned. "Hey, where are you hurt?"

Lin Shuhua’s face was pale. Zhao Yang crouched beside him as Zeiss stepped in with the flashlight, revealing a gunshot wound through Lin Shuhua’s shoulder blade, blood soaking half his body. Zhao Yang’s temper flared.

"You took a bullet and didn’t *squeak*?!"

Hearing the commotion, Xu Zhangying chucked the rest of the meds from his vest and pockets to Zeiss, asking worriedly, "Senior Shuhua, are you okay?"

Zeiss caught them and replied calmly, "He’ll live, but we need to stop the bleeding now."

"Rich boy who’s never bled before, but you’re a pro at acting tough," Zhao Yang growled while ripping off Lin Shuhua’s jacket, cursing while slapping hemostatic gauze on the wound and swiftly wrapping it with gauze.

"You didn’t *see* it, so yeah, I *pretended*," Lin Shuhua snapped, wincing in pain, his tone biting. "You’re impossible."

Zhao Yang took the needle-free injector handed by Zeiss and administered the painkiller into Lin Shuhua's upper arm, sneering, "Since you're hurt, I won't argue with you for now."

Everyone couldn't help but think, *Buddy, you just did.*

Meanwhile, Xu Zhangying had been pressing gauze against Tang Youning's wound for a while. Even though the bleeding didn’t stop—clearly requiring stitches later—it wasn’t even as bad as Lin Shuhua’s. It wasn’t even as bad as the graze on Xu Zhangying’s shoulder.

"Alright," Xu Zhangying said, amused, patting Tang Youning’s shoulder. "You’re the Tang family’s rep, so toughen up a bit. Sit up now."

As he spoke, Xu Zhangying noticed the bulletproof vest on Tang Youning and put on a fake surprised tone to tease him, "Hey, where’d you get this vest?"

The previously sniffling Tang Youning indeed looked a little embarrassed and slowly sat up, wiping his nose with his sleeve. "They gave it to me," he muttered, looking away.

Xu Zhangying shared a look with Xia Qing, who was crouched beside him, then blinked playfully. "Guess you’re the favorite, huh? Everyone just handed you the only bulletproof vest."

Tang Youning didn’t respond, instead looking like a kicked puppy, using his sleeve to wipe his eyes. Xia Qing silently handed him the remaining piece of gauze, making Tang Youning flinch and wave his hands. He held back his tears, and Xu Zhangying burst into laughter beside him.

While Zhao Yang patched up Lin Shuhua, Xu Zhangying took the opportunity to discuss the current situation with Zeiss and Xia Qing.

Xu Zhangying first explained his own circumstances—after taking out the terrorists in the room, he had returned to the kitchen passage on the first floor, guessing that anyone escaping the auditorium would take that safest and most convenient route. But as soon as he arrived, he spotted the four terrorists suddenly appearing in the kitchen.

Xu Zhangying immediately realized they were pursuing escaped hostages—most likely Zeiss and Xia Qing, since he knew the two, stationed backstage in the conference hall, would react quickly upon receiving the message. So, he chose to tail them, following their lead to locate the two and ambush them at the critical moment.

He didn’t expect to find not only Xia Qing and Zeiss but also Zhao Yang and the other three.

Naturally, Xu Zhangying left out the bloody fight in Andre’s room and that eerie call from "Messiah." Even so, Zhao Yang and the others could feel the weight behind Zeiss’ earlier remark—*"The only one in AGB who could pull this off is Edmund."*

Counting the four in the room and the four just now, even if it was an "ambush"—taking out eight guys in just half an hour?

Xia Qing just watched as Xu Zhangying told the story, smiling. His gaze lingered on the dried bloodstains on the beta’s cheek, the shirt and trousers soaked in blood. Just as he lowered his eyes, Xu Zhangying reached out and grasped his hand.

Xia Qing looked up to see the composed man still conversing naturally with Zeiss, his expression calm and focused. Yet, his grip tightened a little, as if silently saying, *"It’s okay," "Don’t worry."*

Zeiss crossed his arms, leaning against the shelf. "*Garden of Eden*—could it be the one you heard about at the dark web auction? The City of David, Babylon, and Eden. These three organizations must be the core of LEBEN."

Xu Zhangying nodded. "The codenames match, so they’re likely the same. According to the dark web doctrine, each of these sub-organizations is led by a high-ranking member. Opposite the City of David’s *‘Seraphim’*, Eden is overseen by *‘Cherubim’*, if I recall."

Zhao Yang, tying the last loop of the bandage, frowned in confusion. "The what now?"

"Cherub, Cherubim," Lin Shuhua said weakly. "The angel of wisdom in the Bible, the one adorning the Ark of the Covenant."

Xu Zhangying looked surprised. "Senior Shuhua, you know the Bible too?"

"My grandmother was a Christian. I picked up some things," Lin Shuhua murmured, pale as a ghost, his left gold-rimmed glasses cracked—probably the first time in his life he’d been this disheveled.

"Right, we all know you’re the genius," Zhao Yang said mockingly after finishing the bandage. "Even like this, you still have to show off."

Lin Shuhua didn’t bother arguing anymore. Xu Zhangying suspected he was about to blow a gasket.

But Lin Shuhua’s words reminded everyone. Xu Zhangying rubbed his chin. "The Ark of the Covenant, Cherubim, Eden, Messiah—these all seem connected. Eden sounds like a place. Octavius seems convinced Messiah is the successful result of the experiment. Serbia, 1987—that’s not much older than we are."

Zeiss frowned. "Why did Andre refuse to admit the experiment succeeded, while Octavius’ people are certain it did? And why go to such lengths—a full-on terrorist strike at the LSA Conference—just to persecute these high-ranking officials over a supposedly successful experiment from 30 years ago?"

Xu Zhangying crossed his arms, leaning against Xia Qing, and shook his head. "If this entire massacre was just to interrogate former high-ranking members, the price is way too steep. And would Messiah really let them do this?"

Xia Qing said calmly, "We won’t figure it out right now. The priority is to notify the authorities outside and report the situation. A hostage crisis of this scale will require military intervention."

Zhao Yang stood up, his face grim. "They even used EMP. A logistical nightmare for the military too."

Qi Feng, Shao Qiaoqiao, Li Jiali, and Benjamin were all still in the conference hall. Xu Zhangying was worried sick—though seeing Xia Qing, Zhao Yang, and Tang Youning unharmed had taken some weight off his shoulders.

Xu Zhangying looked at Lin Shuhua: "Senior, can you move with those injuries?"

Though pale, Lin Shuhua nodded: "Painkillers kicked in fast. I’ll manage."

Xu Zhangying straightened up, glancing at the four corpses by the door, and said gravely, "Then we gotta move fast. This place isn’t safe anymore. Just like these four, others might realize they’re missing and hunt us down—they know the safe routes well too."

Zeiss hesitated slightly: "So, are we still taking this route?"

"Of course not," Xu Zhangying blinked, "Now that I'm here, there’s a new path."

His words gave everyone a flicker of relief—hard to imagine how a single phrase could bring such comfort in such dire circumstances.

With that, Xu Zhangying turned and said, "Let’s go, Tang You—what are you doing?"

The Tang family’s Elite Alpha, who’d just calmed down, crouched by the shelves again, arm stretched underneath, digging around for who-knows-what.

"I’m looking—" Finally, under everyone’s puzzled gazes, Tang Youning pulled something out from beneath the shelf.

"A phone."

For a moment, everyone went dead still—even Zhao Yang, who was helping Lin Shuhua up.

Jesus—how’d they forget this?

Amid the sudden hail of bullets and flying debris earlier, who could remember where that abruptly appearing phone had gone?

Tang Youning—the guy you couldn’t count on—always pulled through, whether grabbing a gun, detecting footsteps, or now—fishing out a phone from under the shelf, blood still dripping from his head.

But when Zhao Yang saw the shattered screen, he couldn’t help but mutter, "That thing’s totaled—no way it still—"

Before he could finish, Tang Youning held down the power button, and a white glow lit up everyone’s faces again.

"Incredible."

They were shook.

After booting up, Tang Youning handed the phone to Xu Zhangying. Even with the screen wrecked, it worked—and most importantly, it had no password.

It’d been out less than two months. Aside from the UAE SIM card, everything was factory settings—even the pre-installed apps remained untouched. It could make calls, access the internet, and even displayed news alerts and weather updates—obviously standard gear for Life operatives.

Zhao Yang and the others watched, waiting for him to call Laura right away. Instead, he swiftly opened the messaging app and sent a single-digit text to a number.

"3."

Zeiss frowned. "Why send Laura just ‘3’? Why not call?"

"Laura knows ‘3’ means—it’s the route number we’re about to take," Xu Zhangying replied, eyes fixed on the phone. "We’re burning daylight."

Zhao Yang was equally puzzled. "Why not just call and explain?"

"Because the phone has tracking and surveillance," Xia Qing said from the shadows.

That hit them like a truck. Just as Zhao Yang opened his mouth to ask why, he stopped—because he’d figured it out. No wonder those four gunmen had zeroed in on them so fast.

It was because the dead men had phones pinging their location.

"This phone just connected the dots," Xu Zhangying swiped the screen, his expression grim. "We’re moving now. These four must’ve had phones too, and if their phones have been sitting here with this one for five-plus minutes, I’ll bet backup’s already rolling in."

The moment the words left his mouth, their faces went grim, and they were moving before he finished talking.

Since Zhao Yang was supporting Lin Shuhua, Xu Zhangying took over the rearguard position, while the others checked their firearms and equipment.

"Only Team E and Laura know the route codes, so LEBEN operatives definitely wouldn’t know which one Route 3 is—it’s also the farthest path from the venue. Right now, we’re in the southwest corner of the hotel. Turning right 200 meters ahead leads to the Garden Restaurant, then we’ll cross the Pool Atrium to reach the hotel’s laundry facility."

"The laundry facility is massive too. In the laundry room on the westernmost side, there’s a keypad door—that’s the service corridor for new and old linens. By now, Laura and the others must already be on their way through the service corridor to meet us."

In the darkness, Zeiss watched Xu Zhangying’s face flicker in and out of the dim glow—this beta police superintendent, who had never participated in large-scale security operations yet remained by-the-book, had truly become the person most familiar with the safe routes within a 300-meter radius.

Zeiss lowered his gaze.

"Xia Qing, so you really do know how to shoot."

Xu Zhangying held out his hand to catch the bullets Xia Qing unloaded from the P90's magazine—they were the same caliber as his Beretta 92FS. He looked up at the Elite Alpha with slight disbelief, murmuring quietly.

Xia Qing silently and swiftly finished unloading the magazine, then lightly brushed the back of his hand against Xu Zhangying’s cheek. "I do. Don’t worry."

Xu Zhangying stuffed the bullets into his pocket with a clatter, like packing sunflower seeds (a Chinese idiom referring to casually handling small objects; footnote added for context), his expression bewildered. "The world really has gone sideways."

The others quietly continued organizing their gear while listening to the hushed exchange between the two. But Tang Youning suddenly sidled over, standing beside Xu Zhangying and whispering, "I can shoot too, Senior."

"Oh?" Xu Zhangying looked up, surprised at the sight of Tang Youning, whose forehead was still smeared with blood. Then he glanced around at the guns and bullets scattered on the ground, bent down, and picked one up. "You want a gun? How about a P90?"

Tang Youning’s eyes widened slightly. The next second, his bruised but still delicate features lit up with vivid excitement. The normally unshakable Elite Alpha shook his head cheerfully. "No need, Senior. The Kevlar is enough for me."

"Oh, alright," Xu Zhangying nodded, though still a little puzzled. "Right, carrying a gun would make running harder. Just stay in the middle of us."

"Is he out of his mind?" Zhao Yang, who was supporting Lin Shuhua, stared at the Tang family heir, whose mood changed on a dime, his expression incredulous.

Lin Shuhua, leaning on Zhao Yang’s shoulder, lifted his eyes briefly before looking away again. "He’s much smarter than you."

"You’re not right in the head either," Zhao Yang’s temple twitched as he gritted his teeth. "If I hadn’t spent so long bandaging you, I’d have dumped you already."

"I’m not lying," Lin Shuhua muttered faintly, seemingly immune to Zhao Yang’s harsh words. "He’s the one among us who knows exactly what he wants. You’re his opposite."

"You’re talking about yourself," Zhao Yang sneered. "Don’t lump me together with you. We’re nothing alike."

Suddenly, the phone screen lit up. Xu Zhangying saw a cryptic text message.

"E.T. phone home!"

—E.T. phone home!—A classic line from the movie *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial*.

Xu Zhangying couldn’t help but chuckle softly at the message. Zeiss glanced at the screen and nodded in understanding. "From Chief Amber?"

"Seems Laura’s busy. She must already be on her way here," Xu Zhangying murmured, staring at the phone. This seemingly cryptic message allowed the beta police superintendent, familiar with the two AGB veterans (Advanced Guard Bureau, an elite security division), to roughly guess the nature of their banter.

With that, Xu Zhangying looked up at the group and smiled, his tone firm. "Let’s go."

Everyone had been waiting for this. They immediately headed for the door, with Xu Zhangying taking rear position. He stared at the message for a few more seconds before preparing to toss the phone away.

But just then, the screen flickered inexplicably. Xu Zhangying instinctively glanced down and saw a YouTube news notification.

At first, it was just a passing glance. But the next moment, when Xu Zhangying suddenly realized what the English headline was saying, his entire body froze.

Xia Qing, standing beside him, also saw the news. Even the usually unflappable Elite Alpha went pale.

Zhao Yang, supporting Lin Shuhua, reacted a bit slower, but Tang Youning was the first to turn back. "What’s wrong, Senior?"

Zeiss also turned around, only to see Xu Zhangying white-knuckling the phone instead of discarding it, his gaze locked onto the cracked screen.

But the next second, Zeiss clearly heard the chilling, digitally altered male voice from the phone's speaker, issuing the ultimatum in English: "...At 15:00, if none of you show up, we will execute the first batch of 50 hostages... 3 IGO officials and 1 LSA scientist..."

Zeiss's face went white as he rushed to Xu Zhangying's side. The video's background showed the LSA Conference venue, just a few hundred meters away from them. In the frame, a man wearing a plaster mask cracked another man's forehead with the butt of his gun, shouting, "Shut up!"

Xu Zhangying’s lashes flickered before his gaze settled on two familiar figures beside the masked man.

Qi Feng and Li Jiali.

Without thinking, Xu Zhangying checked the time displayed on the screen.

14:27.

He lifted his head and met a pair of amber eyes staring back at him. For a moment, he felt like he was stuck in a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from.