The tension in Lian ziho voice caught zheng rui attention. "What?" "It's moving." Zheng rui confused he asked, "What do you mean moving?" Lian Ziho stared at the screen. The coordinate marker shifted slightly. A new timestamp appeared beside it. Updated thirty seconds ago then twenty seconds. "This isn't historical data." "It's updating live." The line went silent several seconds passed."No..." Zheng rui said.Lian Ziho continued watching the screen.The marker moved again."They're still transferring him."
Lian ziho grip tightened until his knuckles turned white. "They're separating them on purpose."Zheng Rui heard him and nd didn't disagree because both of them had reached the same conclusion.Then Zheng Rui spoke again. "There's one more thing." Lian Ziho immediately frowned. "What?" He continued, "Jun Wei isn't just a victim."Lian ziho asked, "What does that mean?" Zheng rui didn't answer first he looked files once again then said, "He has a tracking signature attached to him."Lian Ziho blinked. " what?" Zheng rui replied, "A signature." Zheng Rui sounded uncomfortable saying it. "The system identifies him automatically." Lian Ziho's expression darkened. "Children don't get tracking signatures." "I know." "So where did it come from?" Then Zheng rui answered."It's connected to an old police database." Lian Ziho froze. "What?" "The signature source traces back to abandoned investigation files." His voice lowered further. "And one specific case." Lian Ziho already knew.
Then Zheng Rui confirmed it. "Suo Ran's father." Everything stopped for several seconds neither of spoke. Lian Ziho stared through the windshield.Why would a missing child carry a tracking signature? Why would that signature connect to Suo Ran's father? Why would an old investigation still be active after all these years? Before he could think more suddenly his phone screen flickered again.He noticed that coordinate window glitched and numbers flashed across the display then stabilized. It was displayed for three seconds.
Lian Ziho read them.It was northern industrial border. Decommissioned rail yard zone. His eyes widened then the screen erased itself. The coordinates vanished completely. Lian Ziho looked up toward the dark horizon beyond the road. For several seconds he sat and started to thinking , calculating and remembering abandoned industrial sectors. Then slowly his expression hardened. "So that's where you're hiding him..." His voice was barely above a whisper.He turned the steering wheel sharply.The tires sprayed water across the road.The car swung around and accelerated.
Elsewhere in building the entire wall was covered with photographs hundreds of them arranged in a order. His breath caught as he stepped closer, realizing what he was seeing. There were pictures of him, from childhood to adulthood, moments he didn't even remember being captured, and among them were images of Jun Wei, and others he recognized Lian Ziho and Cai Lang like fragments of a life he never realized was being observed.
Suo Ran's voice broke the silence sharply as he turned toward the driver, "What is this? Why are my photos here? What are you trying to do?"
The driver, standing casually behind him, gave an easy smile as if nothing about the situation was strange and replied, "I thought you look good so I took it." He tilted his head slightly toward the wall, continuing with a light tone, "Isn't all of it beautiful?" Suo Ran's irritation flared instantly as he snapped, "What nonsense are you speaking?" The driver glanced back at him, still calm, and added, "It's true that in person you look more beautiful." That was enough to make Suo Ran's anger sharpen as he stepped forward, "Can you stop this crap and tell me the truth?!"
The driver didn't answer instead, he stared at the photographs for a long moment before saying, "This is what you are seeing." Suo Ran frowned, confusion mixing with anger as he asked, "What does that mean?" Before he could process the answer, the driver stepped closer until he was right beside him and leaned slightly toward his ear, his voice dropping into something colder, "Someone has been watching you over years." Suo Ran reacted instantly, turning sharply as if to strike him, but the driver caught his wrist mid-motion, holding it firmly without force but enough to stop him completely. "Why are you getting closer?" Suo Ran snapped, struggling against his grip, but the driver only loosened his hold slightly and said, almost casually, "Easy… easy… I'm kidding." Suo Ran yanked his hand back, breathing harder now, anger and unease mixing in his expression as he demanded, "You said someone is watching over me! Tell me who that person is!" The driver opened his mouth to answer, his eyes still fixed on the wall of photographs, but before a single word could leave him, the heavy door behind them suddenly creaked open again, and both of them froze as footsteps echoed from the entrance.
Meanwhile Lian ziho kept driving through the storm. Rain hammered against the windshield while the wipers moved back and forth endlessly. The road ahead was almost invisible beneath the darkness, yet he never slowed down."Hold on, Wei Wei..." he whispered. His voice was nearly drowned out by the rain. "Just hold on a little longer." His grip tightened around the steering wheel. "Your Lian-gege is coming." His jaw clenched. "I'll find you." The words sounded more like a promise than a hope. "Don't be afraid." A flash of lightning illuminated the road ahead. "Just wait a little more." His chest tightened painfully. "No matter where they took you..." His eyes hardened. "I'll bring you home."
The car sped through another curve. Then something on the passenger seat caught his attention. Lian Ziho frowned.He saw small object slid out from beneath a stack of papers. His eyes widened slightly. It was a cheap little keychain with a worn cartoon character hanging from it.And just like that, the present slipped away, pulling him back into memory. He was in the car with suo ran on a quiet afternoon Lian ziho been talking casually about something trivial when his eyes caught the rearview mirror, where the same small keychain swayed gently with the movement of the car. He blinked in surprise and asked, "When did you put that there?"
Suo Ran looked up from his phone, confused, "What?" "The keychain!" Lian ziho said with a light smile. "It looks nice." Suo ran stared at it for a second, then shrugged slightly, "Is it?"Lian ziho laughed, "You don't think so?" "Not really." "Then why did you hang it up?" For a moment Suo ran gone quiet, then his expression softened into something rare, a faint genuine smile that only ever appeared when jun wei was involved. "Jun Wei asked me to." he had said simply. Lian ziho smiled."Oh." Suo ran glanced at him, "What?" "Nothing," Lian ziho grinned, "I should've known." Suo Ran rolled his eyes faintly, "He said it would protect the car." Lian ziho laughed softly, "And you believed him?" "No." "Then why put it there?" Suo Ran turned to look out the window, voice quiet and steady, "Because he did." That memory now struck Lian ziho harder than it ever had in the moment.
Lian Ziho stared at the keychain resting in his hand. Suddenly the empty passenger seat felt unbearably quiet. The storm outside seemed distant. His throat tightened. "Suo Ran..."His grip tightened around the keychain. "Where are you...?" His voice cracked slightly. He looked away as though avoiding his own thoughts. "I can't do this alone."Lian Ziho lowered his head briefly. "Suo Ran..." His fingers tightened around the small keychain. "Where the hell are you?" The words sounded angry but beneath the anger was fear.For a second his vision blurred then he slammed a hand against the steering wheel.The horn blared loudly through the storm. "No." His voice turned sharp.He forced himself to sit upright.
"This isn't the time." His jaw tightened. "Get a grip." The rain continued falling outside. Lian Ziho wiped a hand across his face and placed the keychain on the dashboard where he could still see it. "No crying." His voice sounded more determined. "Not yet." His eyes returned to the road. "I have to find Jun Wei." The engine growled as he accelerated again. "I have to find Suo Ran." The speedometer climbed higher. "I have to protect them." The darkness ahead seemed endless but his expression hardened. "Just wait for me." His hands tightened around the steering wheel one final time. "Both of you." Then the car surged forward through the storm, disappearing deeper.
Lian Ziho's car rolled to a stop at the edge of the abandoned rail-yard facility. For a moment he remained seated behind the wheel, staring through the windshield. The rain had stopped, but the storm clouds still covered the sky.Old floodlights flickered weakly in the distance. Somewhere nearby, loose chains swayed in the wind, producing an eerie metallic sound that echoed through the empty yard.Lian Ziho opened the car door and stepped out.
His eyes slowly scanned the facility. "This has to be it..." His voice was barely above a whisper. Then he looked toward the largest warehouse standing at the center of the abandoned rail yard. "Please let me not be too late." He shut the car door quietly and moved forward.The rail yard was silent. Lian Ziho slipped between stacks of rusted containers and approached the warehouse entrance.The metal doors were partially open. Someone had gone through recently. He immediately noticed that.
Carefully, he stepped inside.Only a few lights remained operational. Most of the building was dark. Lian Ziho moved slowly. He started watching and searching. Then his eyes landed on something. There were two chairs. Positioned near the center of the warehouse. His heartbeat accelerated he walked closer. The chairs were empty but restraints still hung from them. One chain swung slightly back and forth.His eyes narrowed he noticed fresh footprints covered the dusty floor around them. "Someone had been here recently." Lian Ziho crouched beside one of the chairs. His fingers brushed against the rope. "They were here..." The realization hit him instantly then something else caught his attention. A small piece of fabric snagged on a jagged metal edge nearby. Lian Ziho reached for it. The moment he touched it, he recognized it. His expression changed. "Wei Wei..." It was from Jun wei's jacket.Relief and panic inside him at the same moment.
He slowly closed his hand around the fabric. "I'm close..." His voice sounded hoarse. "So close." He stood again and scanned the warehouse.Lian Ziho moved deeper into the building. The further he went, the darker the warehouse became. Several emergency lights flickered weakly overhead, creating long shadows between rows of machinery and storage racks.His hand instinctively moved toward the metal pipe he had grabbed outside before entering. He tightened his grip then a sound stopped him. Lian Ziho froze instantly. It wasn't a sound of voice or footsteps. It was sound of chain.
His eyes narrowed. He listened sound again but nothing. Several seconds passed then again. *Clink.* His heartbeat quickened. The sound came from somewhere deeper inside the warehouse. Lian Ziho followed it.The sound led him toward an isolated storage section near the back of the building. There he saw a metal door was slightly open.Lian ziho stopped outside and started to listening again.
Slowly, he pushed the door.The hinges creaked softly. The sound echoed through the darkness. Lian Ziho stepped inside. Then froze he saw two figures sat in the center of the room. They were tied to chairs and their heads lowered."They're here!" He exhaled sharply. "Thank God!" His voice was barely audible. "Thank God you're alive..." But even then he didn't rush forward.Lian Ziho forced himself to focus. His eyes swept across the room. The room appeared empty and that bothered him more than armed guards would have. His expression darkened. "Why would they leave you alone?"
Lian Ziho stared at them for several seconds. Then looked around once more time but there was nothing.Slowly, he stepped toward them. "Suo Ran..." His voice was low. He moved closer. "Wei Wei..." Still nothing. The room remained silent. Lian Ziho reached them at last. He saw bruises on Suo ran's face.His jaw tightened. "Hang on..." He knelt beside them. "I'm here." His hand reached for the ropes binding Suo ran's wrists. The skin beneath them was red and raw. Seeing it made his expression darken further. "Damn it..." he muttered under his breath. "What did they do to you?" Carefully, he began loosening the knots. Then suddenly Suo Ran's fingers twitched. Lian Ziho froze. His eyes lifted toward suo ran's face."Suo Ran?" His voice softened unconsciously. "Come on." He lightly touched suo ran's shoulder. "Wake up." For a moment nothing happened. Then Suo Ran's eyebrows tightened slightly as if fighting through a deep sleep.Lian Ziho leaned forward. "That's it." His voice became firmer. "Wake up." Nearby, Jun wei remained motionless, his head hanging forward.Seeing him like that made anxiety return.Lian Ziho looked between them both, his pulse hammering inside his chest.
Suo ran drifted slowly back toward consciousness. At first everything felt distant and heavy.His eyes snapped open instantly. Fear crashed into him before his thoughts could catch up. They're back. His entire body tensed. Without thinking, he turned toward the chair beside him. Jun Wei was still unconscious. His head hung forward.Then he saw Lian ziho beside him. His eyes widened. "Lian Ziho?" Suo Ran stared at him in disbelief. For a second he genuinely thought he was hallucinating. "What are you doing here?" Lian Ziho beside him and started working on the ropes around his wrists. "Saving your life." His voice was rough. "Again." Even now, Suo Ran almost rolled his eyes. "You're impossible." "And you're tied to a chair." Lian Ziho shot back without looking up. "So maybe let's focus on one disaster at a time."Despite everything, suo ran laughed softly then reality returned. "How did you find this place?" Lian Ziho pulled another knot loose. "Long story." "That's not an answer." "It's the only one you're getting right now." "Lian Ziho!" "Later."
"You can interrogate me after we leave." Suo Ran opened his mouth to argue. Then closed it again.He grabbed Suo Ran's arm before he could move too quickly. "Your circulation's been cut off for hours." Suo Ran ignored him and turned toward jun wei. His entire focus shifted.He gently touched his cheek."Wei Wei..." No response came. Suo Ran's chest tightened. "Jun Wei." His voice became stronger. "Wake up." His heart began sinking. "Wei Wei..." Then jun wei's eyelashes trembled.Slowly his eyes opened.They were unfocused and confused at first then they found suo ran. Everything changed instantly. His eyes filled with tears. "Gege..." His voice broke halfway through the word. Suo Ran felt something inside his chest crack. "I'm here."
moment. Jun Wei stared at him. His lips trembled then the tears started falling.
"I thought..." His voice shook violently. "I thought you weren't coming." Suo ran wiped the tears from his face.His own eyes stung but he forced himself to smile. "What nonsense." Jun wei grabbed his sleeve so tightly that the fabric stretched. As though he was afraid suo ran would disappear if he let go. Suo ran didn't pull away instead he gently rested a hand on jun wei's head. "Didn't I promise?" Jun wei nodded weakly. More tears slipped down his face. Suo Ran swallowed hard. "And when have I ever broken a promise to you?" Jun wei buried his face against suo ran's shoulder. This time he couldn't hold back the crying anymore. His small body shook.
Suo Ran wrapped both arms around him and holding him tightly. "It's okay." His voice became softer. "You're okay now." "Gege..." Jun Wei's fingers tightened around his shirt. "I was scared." He closed his eyes briefly. "I know." His own voice sounded strained now. "I'm sorry." Jun Wei shook his head "No..." His voice was muffled against suo ran's shoulder. "Don't say sorry." Suo ran's throat tightened. He couldn't answer. Nearby, Lian Ziho watched quietly because after everything that had happened, this moment belonged to them. He simply sat there and waited.
Then suddenly footsteps sound came. All three froze. The sound echoed through the facility.Jun Wei lifted his head and his face turned pale. Fear returned instantly. "Gege..." His fingers grabbed suo ran's sleeve again. "They're back." Suo Ran's expression changed he pulled jun wei closer. "Don't be afraid." His voice was calm but he was afraid too. The footsteps continued growing louder. Lian Ziho was already on his feet. Every trace of relief disappeared from his face. "Move." His voice became sharp.He grabbed suo ran's wrist with one hand and jun wei's shoulder with the other. "Now." The footsteps echoed through the warehouse.It was getting closer and closer. Lian Ziho quickly scanned the room. His eyes landed on a narrow gap hidden behind several large storage shelves. A maintenance passage.It was invisible in the darkness. "There." He pulled them toward it. Suo ran half-carried jun wei beside him.The three squeezed into the narrow passage just as voices echoed from somewhere outside the room. Lian Ziho pushed them deeper into the darkness. The space was barely large enough for all three of them. Jun Wei pressed against suo ran. Suo ran pressed against the cold wall. Lian Ziho stood in front of them. Blocking them from view. Nobody spoke and moved.
The warehouse door slammed open so hard that the sound echoed through the entire building.Flashlights cut through the darkness, their beams sweeping across the floor, walls, and ceiling. Hidden inside the narrow maintenance passage behind the shelves, Suo Ran felt his entire body tense. Through the small gaps between the metal shelves, he could see at least six or seven men entering the room. Every one of them carried a flashlight and several carried weapons. One of the men spotted the empty chairs first. "What the hell?!" he shouted. His voice echoed through the warehouse. Another man rushed forward and grabbed one of the loose restraints hanging from the chair. "They were here!" A third man immediately pointed at the ropes lying on the floor. "I checked this room myself!" His voice sounded genuinely panicked now. Then another man kicked one of the chairs so hard it crashed across the floor.
The sound made hun wei flinch beside suo ran. "Are you telling me they vanished?" the man snapped. "Into thin air?" Nobody answered.The leader stepped forward. Unlike the others, he wasn't shouting. His face was calm.His eyes slowly moved across the room.There were empty chairs, loose ropes. He took everything in without saying a word. Then his expression darkened. "Stop talking." The room fell silent and every man straightened. Every flashlight lowered slightly. The leader looked around once more before speaking again. "Search everything." Instantly the warehouse exploded into movement. Flashlights swept through every corner and men split apart. Some searched behind crates and others checked maintenance rooms. Others inspected machinery and storage racks. From their hiding place, suo ran watched the beams move closer and closer. His arm remained wrapped protectively around jun wei. He was trembling suo ran could feel it. Every few seconds another flashlight passed dangerously close to their hiding place. Jun wei tried to stay quiet but eventually a small frightened sound escaped him. "Gege..."
Suo Ran reacted instantly. He gently covered jun wei's mouth with his hand and looked directly into his eyes. Then he slowly shook his head. 'No...Don't speak' . Jun wei understood. Tears gathered in his eyes but he nodded. His small hands grabbed Suo ran's sleeve tightly. Suo Ran's chest hurt seeing him like this. He wanted nothing more than to take Jun Wei home. To get him away from all of this.
Then one of the kidnappers suddenly turned toward their section of shelves. Lian ziho noticed his expression hardened. The flashlight beam moved slowly across the floor. It was getting closer and closer. Jun wei stopped breathing. Suo ran felt his own heartbeat pounding inside his chest. The kidnapper took another step then another. The flashlight climbed higher. It swept across old pipes, rusted containers then broken equipment. Getting closer with every second. Soon suo ran could see the man's boots through the gaps in the shelves. He was only a few meters away now. One more step. One more look. That was all it would take. Jun Wei's fingers tightened around suo ran's sleeve.Suo ran held him tighter. Beside them, Lian ziho slowly tightened his grip around the metal pipe in his hand.The kidnapper raised his flashlight slightly and took another step.