Chapter 107: Exposed

2022-05-20

Bending two sturdy iron bars isn’t as tough as it sounds— all you really need is a damp towel and a stick. First, run the wet towel through the bars, then knot it tightly. Stand the stick upright between the loops and twist, like you’re turning a valve.

That’s exactly what Gu Chen was doing now. In no time, the iron bars bent inward, leaving a gap big enough for Gu Chen to slip through. Meanwhile, the rubber spy camera hidden in the workshop hadn’t captured a thing— the place was still empty.

Gu Chen eased one leg through the gap, then his body, careful not to make a sound. He moved with painstaking caution, straining to avoid even the slightest noise.

But just then, the camera placed on the roof caught something: the masked man and Scarface stepped out of the building, heading straight for the workshop. If Gu Chen hesitated even a moment, they’d catch him for sure.

Half in and half out, Gu Chen was completely exposed—if they spotted him now, he’d never have a chance to resist.

“Gu Chen, get inside, now. They’re coming this way,” Team Leader Shao said, calm as ever.

Gu Chen heard him and hurried up. As he rolled fully inside, he slashed through the towel he’d taken from the kitchen, grabbing it quickly—but the stick slipped, clattering loudly onto the windowsill.

There was no time to reach for the stick now.

Gu Chen pressed himself flat against the workshop wall and didn’t dare move.

On the camera feed from the roof, the masked man and Scarface were nowhere to be seen. Gu Chen hadn’t set up a rubber camera outside the window, so he had no idea where they’d gone. He could only hope they wouldn’t notice the dropped stick or the gaping window bars.

Minute after agonizing minute crawled by—our nerves stretched to the limit. Nothing happened. Gu Chen didn’t move a muscle. After ten long minutes, Gu Chen nervously peeked outside. Not a soul in sight. We all breathed a sigh of relief.

But the moment Gu Chen turned his head, someone grabbed him from behind in a blur so fast it showed up on camera as nothing but a shadow.

The next instant, a hand yanked off Gu Chen’s camera from his chest. The lens filled with a mask— the masked man. He angled the camera at his own face.

Then he handed the camera to the man beside him and ripped out Gu Chen’s earpiece.

No one said a word—everybody holding their breath.

The masked man pulled a rubber spy camera out of his pocket. Mary gasped, “That’s the one that was by the wall! I can’t believe he had it this whole time.”

He fitted the earpiece onto himself and spoke in a low voice: “Hey, can you hear me?”

No one dared reply without Team Leader Shao’s order.

He called out again, twice, then shrugged at the silence.

“Can’t hear me? Fine, then I’ll get started.” With a wave he signaled his partner to film the scene.

“Three!” said the masked man.

At that moment, the camera finally panned across the whole factory. Sometime during the commotion, a group had gathered on the second floor. Liu Feier and Liu Yinyan were tied to chairs, their mouths gagged, both struggling helplessly.

We saw that two of Liu Yinyan’s fingers had already been cut off. Though someone had bandaged the hand, the pain was clear even without fresh blood. Liu Feier looked pale and exhausted—she’d lost a finger, too.

“Two!” the masked man continued through the earpiece.

At last, Team Leader Shao spoke. “What do you want?”

The masked man let out a wild laugh. “Team Leader Shao! You finally decided to talk to me?”

As he spoke, a few people rushed down from upstairs and tied up Gu Chen as well. Gu Chen may have been skilled, but facing so many at once, even he couldn’t guarantee a win—especially with Liu Yinyan and Liu Feier’s lives on the line. He had no choice.

Watching Gu Chen get tied to the stair railing, the masked man finally spoke again, “What do I want? You’ll understand in time—think of this as your welcome gift. We’ve got plenty of time ahead of us. Now that you know who all of us are, what comes next is up to you.”

“What is it you actually want?” Team Leader Shao asked again.

This time, the masked man dropped the cryptic talk and said evenly, “Alright, since you’ve asked so many times, I’ll make a practical demand.”

He checked the time, then continued, “Soon, someone will bring in a bag full of cash. This was part of the deal with Liu Yinyan. When the money arrives, you’ll send someone in to deliver it.”

Team Leader Shao’s face softened—demands meant contact, and with contact came the chance to save their people.

“Fine. I accept your terms,” Team Leader Shao said steadily. “As long as you don’t hurt anyone, we’ll meet whatever demands you have.”

Mary pointed behind her and whispered to Team Leader Shao, “They’re here.”

Team Leader Shao didn’t switch on his mic to reply. “Alright. Brief the captain on the layout and situation inside. They should position themselves, but nobody acts without my order. There’s a lot we can see, but what about the things we can’t?”

We counted six people in the camera feed: the masked man—the one who called us; Scarface—a brute you wouldn’t want to cross; Old Zhang—fond of drama; Jesse—the fake gentleman-detective; and Vivian—the firecracker of a mixed-race woman.

Noticeably missing were Moriko—the silent woman—and another important player, Lai San.

Old Zhang and Lai San were thick as thieves. If Old Zhang’s here, where did Lai San go?

It wasn’t long before the housekeeper appeared.

That jogged my memory— the housekeeper had gone out earlier with Liu Yinyan. But in the workshop there was just Liu Yinyan—no sign of the housekeeper. Only now, when he finally showed up, did we realize he was the one sent to collect the ransom.

The housekeeper had served Liu Yinyan for decades and followed his orders without question. Sending him for the money ensured he wouldn’t tip us off— all part of the plan. If this was all masterminded by the masked man, he was truly a frightening opponent.

When the housekeeper returned, he seemed surprised we’d located them already.

“How—how did you find this place?” Clutching the bag, the housekeeper asked nervously. “How’s Mr. Liu? They made me bring ten million— that’s what they want, just ten million. For Mr. Liu that’s nothing, so please, don’t do anything reckless.”

Team Leader Shao glanced at the housekeeper but didn’t waste time explaining. “Hand the money over. That’s what they asked for. Don’t worry, we’ll keep Liu Yinyan safe. Now, who’s going in?”

Time was tight. We couldn’t stand around arguing.

Xiao Liu and I spoke up at the same time. “I’ll go!”

We exchanged a quick look, but before I could say more, Xiao Liu snatched the bag. “Let me do it. I’m a few years older, a bit more experienced.”

Everyone present knew—once you went in there, your life was on the line. I’d often wondered—if I died on a case one day, would it be worth it? I never found an answer. Plenty of people in this world aren’t afraid of dying. I’m just not one of them.

The truth is, facing death, I’m terrified. But sometimes, death isn’t the scariest thing there is.

As I’ve grown older, more and more I’ve realized—there are things in this world far more important than life itself.

As Mencius once said: ‘Life is what I desire, but there are things I desire more than life. Likewise, death is what I loathe, but there are things I loathe more than death.’

So before Xiao Liu could react, I snatched the bag from him and calmly opened the comm channel. “This is Wu Meng. Jesse knows me. I’m going in now.”

“Wu Meng. Wu Meng,” the masked man repeated my name twice with interest. “Alright, you come on in.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, a heavy iron door swung open just a crack. A hand reached out, crooked its finger, beckoning me inside.

“Be careful.” Team Leader Shao patted my shoulder and leaned in close, whispering, “Your safety and Gu Chen’s come first. Even if they escape, it’s not the end of the world. We know their faces now. Even if it takes five or ten years, we’ll catch them in the end. But a human life—once lost—never comes back. Understand?”

Team Leader Shao straightened and looked me in the eye.

I nodded.

Xiao Liu looked anxious. “Careful, alright? Don’t let anything happen.”

“Relax,” I grinned. “Unless you suddenly win fifty million on the lottery, I’ll be just fine.”

Xiao Liu snorted and tried to joke back. “Ha, then I can rest easy. I’ve bought lottery tickets for four years and never won a cent.”

“Don’t go dying on me,” Mary suddenly cut in coolly. “I’m still waiting to argue with you.”

Guan Zengbin chimed in too. “Yeah, people like you are nearly extinct—you’re keeping our species diverse, you know…”

They joked, but worry showed plain in their eyes.

For some reason, warmth bloomed in my chest.

That lonely orphan—without knowing exactly when—I had gathered people around me.