Better Late Than Never

Upon hearing the internet cafe manager's reply, Fang Linyan felt a buzzing in his head, as if all the blood in his body were surging toward his brain. Unable to care about anything else, he scanned his surroundings, spotted his electric scooter toppled nearby, and immediately hopped on it to speed away.

After the electric scooter had dashed a few hundred meters, Fang Linyan took several deep breaths, chanting "stay calm, stay calm" to himself. He slowly regained his rationality and gradually reduced his speed to a normal pace. It was clear by now that he could no longer arrive on time; the only thing he could do was salvage the situation. But if he were to cause further trouble in his panic, he might lose even the chance to salvage anything at all!

Soon, Fang Linyan arrived outside Huichuan Pier No. 5. He had visited this place during the day; it was nothing more than a patch of abandoned warehouses. Only some of the facilities on the pier showed signs of use, though they were also covered in dust.

However, under the shroud of darkness, the place now appeared eerie and terrifying, giving one the illusion that infinite danger lay hidden within, causing cold sweat to bead on his palms. Fortunately, there were large areas of marshland nearby, and the croaking of numerous toads helped mask the noise of Fang Linyan's movements, putting his mind slightly at ease.

Having arrived, Fang Linyan knew he was definitely late—at least ten minutes behind schedule. But since he was already here, how could he be content without taking a look? Even if it was risky, he had to give it a shot. He parked his electric scooter in a concealed spot and then, following his memory from the day, crept forward on tiptoe.

His reconnaissance from earlier that day proved immensely useful. Fang Linyan quietly slipped past an abandoned warehouse. He had secretly unlatched a window there during the day and left it slightly ajar; it opened with a single pull, allowing him to climb through with great difficulty.

Fang Linyan was suffering from a terminal illness, and this simple act of climbing through a window left him gasping for air, his heart pounding. He felt as if a heavy stone were pressing against his chest, making every breath a struggle. He forcibly suppressed his wheezing, crept to the second floor of the warehouse, and peered out toward the pier.

At this sight, Fang Linyan was struck with shock. The pier, which had been completely deserted during the day, was now occupied by a yacht bobbing with the waves. Only a few lights were lit on the vessel, clearly an attempt to remain inconspicuous.

Not only that, but in the open space in front of the pier sat three vehicles—all identical black Lincoln Navigator SUVs. All three had their headlights on, and one even had its high beams engaged, illuminating the entire area as if it were broad daylight.

Yet, this place, which should have been bustling with activity, was deathly silent; even the sound of the distant sea lapping against the embankment was clearly audible.

That was not all; the crucial point was that the open ground was littered with corpses!

These bodies were all dressed in black suits and appeared to be well-trained; he could even see firearms in the hands of many of them!

Fang Linyan had come well-prepared this time. He took a simple pair of binoculars from his pocket and looked through them, only to discover a horrifying fact: the expressions on most of these corpses were ones of terror, fear, and even distortion, as if they had been subjected to extreme fright before death.

Furthermore, their manner of death was exceptionally gruesome. Severed limbs were everywhere, and some had even been cleaved in half from top to bottom. Fang Linyan even noticed that the door of one Lincoln Navigator looked as if it had been struck by a sharp blade, leaving a gash over half a meter long with curled, smooth, and razor-sharp edges.

"The situation seems quite complicated. It looks like two factions were supposed to trade something here, and then someone pulled a double-cross?"

Fang Linyan muttered to himself.

Then, within the field of view of his binoculars, something appeared that made his heart race!!

It was a case!

A silver-white case with a high-tech aesthetic!

It was exactly the Silver Case mentioned in the mysterious text message!!!

The case had a crack in it, and some of its contents had spilled out. On the handle of the case, there was a pale, severed hand! The hand had been cut off at the wrist with a clean, smooth cross-section. Despite being severed, the five fingers of the hand were still tightly gripping the handle, showing just how desperate the owner had been to protect it.

Fang Linyan grew excited at once, and an urge immediately welled up within him: rush down, grab the case, and run!

It seemed that although he was late, he hadn't arrived too late. The case was at most twenty meters away from him in a straight line; he only needed five minutes to grab it and vanish into the night!!

Fang Linyan was a man of immense execution, never one to drag his feet. Without another word, he bent over and jogged breathlessly along the corridor, heading straight for the first floor. Just then, however, the sound of an engine—"vroom, vroom, vroom"—came from the distant sea, and immediately after, a Speedboat came racing toward them.

The searchlight on the bow cast a brilliant beam of light, leaving a long trail of white foam in its wake!

Seeing this, the frustration in Fang Linyan's heart was unimaginable. Yet, his resolve, tempered by months of hardship, was incredibly firm. Almost instantly, he made the optimal choice and ducked into the warehouse next to him.

Once inside, he realized that while the warehouse looked quite spacious from the outside, it was actually packed with debris, leaving very little room for a person, and it carried an indescribable, fishy, and rotting stench. As Fang Linyan hid and his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he gasped, for he had discovered something truly terrifying.

There was another person in the warehouse.

It was a woman in a suit and skirt. Though he couldn't see her face, the skin exposed was fair and delicate, and her well-tailored office attire showcased a heart-stopping figure. Her slender waist only served to accentuate her curves, creating a striking visual impact. However, he could see that a rusty screwdriver had been driven into the center of her back, buried up to the hilt, striking a vital point.

It seemed her vitality was incredibly tenacious; even after such a severe injury, she had managed to grit her teeth and crawl in here. Fang Linyan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anxiety, and crept toward her. He caught a faint, pleasant fragrance from her—he had no idea what perfume she used.

He then tested her breath with his hand, finding her skin cold and delicate, but feeling no breath at all. Realizing she was already dead, he let out a sigh of relief and lay down by a gap to continue watching the outside.

But as the saying goes, even the most careful person makes a mistake. Fang Linyan's attention was mostly on the outside, with the remainder on the woman, causing him to overlook a miniature syringe lying on the ground nearby!

After the Speedboat docked, two men jumped off. One was very tall, wearing a black trench coat, and held a very peculiar silver handgun without the slightest hesitation. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Fang Linyan felt as if a shimmering, rippling light were dancing across the surface of the gun he held.

The other man was even stranger; his right hand was actually carrying a small round shield! The surface of the shield featured two red circles, and inside the red circles was a blue-and-white five-pointed star! It looked just like a child's toy.