Deja vu

Several people came out of the warehouse and expertly unloaded the "goods" from the vehicle.

Pretending to be unconscious, Lin Ze felt someone haul him up and sling him over a shoulder. The person started moving.

They seemed to enter a spacious area filled with noisy chatter.

"Fuck, we finally got some business."

"This batch looks pretty good. Those sick freaks shouldn't complain this time."

"Our boss really knows her stuff. She brought in this many without breaking a sweat."

Lin Ze heard every word of their chatter clearly. There was no doubt about it-he had reached their hideout.

The person carrying Lin Ze entered a room, dumped him on the floor, cuffed his hands together, then shut the door and left.

With the door closed, the voices outside became too muffled to make out.

Lin Ze opened his eyes and found himself in unfamiliar surroundings.

All four walls were made of reinforced concrete. The building seemed sturdy, but that was child's play for Lin Ze.

He glanced at his hands, cuffed behind his back, and tried to struggle to his feet, but it was no use. He couldn't get any leverage.

None of that was a problem, though. The cuffs were just wide enough for a child's wrists to slip through. Switching to Qiqi would let him escape.

He had originally revived Qiqi so he could see Tony again before finishing the mission. He hadn't expected it to come in handy here instead.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside.

Lin Ze hurriedly closed his eyes.

With another clang, the door opened, and a man and a woman walked in.

The woman was Nicole, of course. Back on her own turf, she had reverted to her true colors, swapping her respectable clothes for a plunging V-neck camisole that exposed her cleavage and the garish tattoos covering her skin.

The man was her new buyer, a Black-Market Doctor.

Splash!

Water splashed Lin Ze "awake." The man gripped his face and pried his eyelids apart to examine his eyes carefully, then began pressing on his abdomen.

Fuck, was this quack planning to harvest his kidneys?

Lin Ze cursed inwardly. With his hands restrained, he could only let the man do as he pleased. He didn't dare act rashly; the slightest movement would prompt the doctor to pin him back down.

He knew the buyer was inspecting the goods.

As the saying went:

Aether's waist was a blade that killed.

If this doctor dared covet it, he would have to face his wrath.

Apparently satisfied with Lin Ze, the man nodded to Nicole, confirming the goods were up to standard.

He shoved Lin Ze onto the floor and locked the door. The two went outside to haggle over the price.

This was a good opportunity. Lin Ze had to catch them all while the doctor was still here.

Switch characters.

Aether's figure vanished, replaced by Qiqi.

The handcuffs slipped off, and Lin Ze switched back to the Traveler.

Qiqi was great, but according to the plan, Steve should have followed these people here too, so Aether would be more convenient.

Lin Ze rubbed his wrists.

Time to check the wallhack.

He activated Elemental Sight.

Good. The green dot representing Steve was already outside, raring to go.

He looked around and found the room where the children were being held, only a dozen or so paces away. Lin Ze counted thirteen children, not including Paimon.

Now that he knew the situation, he summoned the Dull Blade and aimed at the door.

"Be swept away by the wind!"

The flimsy door flew high into the air before crashing to the floor.

Boom!

The small-time thugs inside jumped in fright, then grabbed their weapons and charged at Lin Ze once they recovered.

He swung his sword.

"Wind Blade!"

Every thug charging at him was hurled to the floor, landing with bruised faces and battered bodies.

"Damn it!"

Seeing things go south, Nicole hurriedly fled toward the exit.

The doctor was bolder. With a vicious expression, he drew a gun and fired at Lin Ze.

Heh. A cold smirk curled Lin Ze's lips.

"You're too slow!"

He kicked the gun aside, raised his sword, and gave the fellow a gastroscopy.

The doctor rolled around on the floor in "delight."

"Aah! Aah!"

Lin Ze: Please don't make weird noises.

Clang.

The warehouse doors opened, and a handsome man with a resolute gaze ran in, sunlight at his back and a string of FBI agents behind him.

"Get down!"

Steve shouted and raised his arm. His trapezius, pectorals, and biceps worked together as he hurled the shield into the crowd.

A series of metallic impacts rang out. Lin Ze looked up to find a whole swath of enemies around him knocked down.

So fucking cool.

"Freeze!" "Police!"

"Hands up!" "Hands on your head! Get down!"

The situation was quickly brought under control. Lin Ze hacked open the door to the room holding the children, and Paimon came up to greet him.

"Hehe, I knew you were the best, Traveler."

The little one had woken up a while ago, though the other children were still unconscious.

"Otilia! Oh my God!"

Sally found her daughter in a corner of the dim room. What a stroke of luck.

The little girl had already been sold, but she happened to get caught up in Nicole's business troubles. The buyer had returned her, which was how she had ended up back in this warehouse.

The police took away every member of the group, including Nicole, Frank, and the others who had failed to escape and received an enthusiastic lesson from Captain America at the entrance.

The children were put into ambulances. Their nightmare was finally over.

As parties involved in the incident, Steve, Lin Ze, and Paimon accompanied the police to the station for a visit.

They cooperated with the police and finished giving their statements.

The police conducted urgent interrogations through the night and swiftly dispatched officers, uprooting the underground networks trafficking children and trading organs on the black market.

Once everything was done, they walked out of the police station.

It was broad daylight already.

"Mmm, so sleepy. Paimon wants to go to bed."

The little one rubbed her eyes and yawned, stumbling forward in a daze and nearly veering into a drain.

Steve picked her up with a smile.

"You were so brave this time, Paimon. Great job."

He stroked her soft hair as he praised her.

Lin Ze was sleepy too. He could barely keep his eyes open.

"I'll make something to eat when we get home, then we can rest. What a night."

"Don't bother. I know a Chinese restaurant nearby that serves great food. Let's eat there before heading back."

Steve spoke.

Lin Ze nodded.

"But it's a little late now," Steve explained. "Their famous Lobster Buns are only served before ten. Once that time passes, you're out of luck."

Scarcity marketing. Lin Ze understood the trick, though he really had never tried a Lobster Bun.

"Lobster Buns!"

At that, Paimon wasn't sleepy anymore. "What a shame. It's already ten past ten."

"Ten past ten... Ten past ten!!!"

Oh no! His mission!

Lin Ze opened the panel. Sure enough, the time had already passed.

Tony's press conference had already begun.

What should he do?

Growing frantic, Lin Ze spotted Steve's motorcycle parked by the road.

"Sorry, Cap. I need to ask you a favor."