Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The contempt in his voice stung Wen Jueqian.

But he also knew he was at their mercy—they held all the cards. He had to dangle something even more tempting to get their attention.

"You need the core technology for the 7th-Gen Inhibitor?"

That was the main project at the research center. Jin Wang had infiltrated Aegis for so long, even rising to the position of Wen Yanxu's assistant.

Why else would they move now, if not to get their hands on the 7th-Gen Inhibitor tech?

"Heh."

The masked man let out a cold, sharp laugh.

"The 7th-Gen Inhibitor?" His voice dripped with mockery. "That kind of tech that goes against nature? We'd only ever destroy it."

Jin Wang kept staring at the screen in his hand, brow furrowed, getting impatient. "Quit wasting your breath on him. Did you send the message? Any reaction from Wen Yanxu?"

"What's the hurry? Let our dear President Wen sweat a little longer—the more he sweats, the easier the negotiation, right?" The masked man waved it off, but still looked down to fiddle with his phone.

Wen Jueqian took in everything they were saying.

He kept trying to fish for information while his hands kept working on the restraints underneath him.

"You grab me, threaten Wen Yanxu, and now you're saying it's not about the 7th-Gen Inhibitor? Then what is it? You're just like those Rustfire mercs—in it for the money?"

"What do you know?" The masked man sneered, then looked away, like giving him another second was a waste of time.

He turned back to his light-computer, ignoring Wen Jueqian.

His expression suddenly turned grim. He said to Jin Wang, "Hinge got back to us. Aegis HQ and the Federal Maritime Police are on the move. Word about the attack here is already out."

The sounds of fighting outside had been dying down, sure enough.

Jin Wang's face went pale. He muttered a curse under his breath and immediately hit his encrypted comm.

"Hey? What the hell's going on over there? Why'd you stop the attack?" Jin Wang kept his voice low, but the fury was barely contained. "We've got the hostage and the goods, but you can't even break through? What the hell did you promise us?!"

Wen Jueqian couldn't make out the voice on the other end, but he caught fragments:

Heavy losses.

Defenses too strong.

Can't hold out.

Rustfire seemed to be retreating.

Jin Wang's face was turning green. He snarled into the comm, "Useless! A bunch of useless mercs who can't even do what they're paid for! If you bail, what are we supposed to do? Hello?"

The other side hung up on him.

Jin Wang slammed the communicator against the back of the front seat with a dull thud.

His face was twisted in rage and panic, his chest heaving.

"Rustfire's about to break." Jin Wang gritted out through his teeth, looking at the masked man. "The Federal Maritime Police are probably closing in. They're gonna bolt."

Wen Jueqian's heart slammed against his ribs.

Things had changed.

But the masked man wasn't panicking like Jin Wang. He went quiet for a few seconds, like he was quickly running the numbers.

"Let 'em run." His voice was eerily calm. "We have a backup plan."

Jin Wang snapped his head toward him. "What backup plan?"

The masked man didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked at Wen Jueqian—a look that made his blood run cold.

"The plan was for Rustfire to break into Shadowfall Island while we slipped out in the chaos with the key and the data."

His voice dropped to a low murmur. "Now Rustfire's useless. Wen Yanxu's gonna free himself up and come for us."

After a brief pause, his gaze landed back on Wen Jueqian.

"But we've still got this card to play. No matter how tough Zone One's shield is, with a bargaining chip this heavy in our hands, we might just crack it open. Hinge's extraction team is waiting offshore for the signal."

Jin Wang took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to settle down. He glanced at Wen Jueqian, his eyes dark and unreadable.

"You mean..."

The masked man made the decision on the spot.

"Get to the edge of the shield. Contact Hinge—tell them the plan's changed, we need an emergency pickup. Send them part of the key info and data samples we got to make sure they actually show up."

"Fine."

Wen Jueqian's heart sank like a stone.

They weren't just running—they were using him as a ticket and a shield.

He moved faster. The strap was only half cut, his wrists already aching, his fingertips damp.

But he couldn't stop.

The vehicle kept moving through the silent night.

Meanwhile, a tactical aircraft cut through the night sky in stealth mode. Wen Yanxu was leading his team, closing in fast on the tracked coordinates.

Just then, Wen Yanxu's light-computer buzzed.

It was the special alert tone he'd set for Wen Jueqian.

He looked down at the screen.

A video message.

Wen Yanxu opened it.

The camera was pointed at someone in a white mask, marked with a broken-chain pattern.

No need to look twice—this symbol was a regular in Aegis Group's security briefings and high-level threat files.

Over the years, they'd hit Aegis's R&D centers, factories, and even sales networks with attacks and sabotage. They'd never launched an armed assault on Rustfire's scale, but their fanatical ideology and sneaky infiltration kept Aegis security on high alert.

As a top exec, Wen Yanxu had seen this emblem in internal bulletins more than once, always with the same warning: members are fanatical, unpredictable, and extremely dangerous.

He never expected that this persistent, haunting organization would have allied itself with the Rustfire mercenary group and somehow wormed its way right into his inner circle.

"Good evening, the esteemed President Wen."

"Guess where that beautiful, charming fiancé of yours is right now?"

The camera abruptly swung around, whipping to face the back.

Wen Yanxu's breath caught in his throat.

In the frame, Wen Jueqian's eyes were teary, looking a complete mess.

Wen Yanxu's heart clenched violently, then exploded with bone-chilling rage—and beneath that, a deeper dread.

His fingers gripping the edge of the holo-device tightened abruptly, knuckles going bone-white from excessive force.

Wen Yanxu stared at the darkened screen, his face completely blank.

The aircraft fell silent; everyone was watching him, but no one said a word.

But Qiao Yuexun could genuinely sense Wen Yanxu's suddenly volatile pheromones.

This made his heart sink.

He'd always known Wen Jueqian meant something special to Wen Yanxu.

But "special" could mean a lot of things.

It wasn't until Qiao Yuexun saw it with his own eyes—how this Alpha, who could stay calm and controlled even during his susceptible period, looked when he saw Wen Jueqian being threatened—that he understood.

Wen Jueqian's importance to Wen Yanxu was likely far greater than he'd previously estimated.

This realization had Qiao Yuexun recalculating everything.