The old air-raid shelter was behind City Central Hospital.
Few people went there even during the day. Masses of dead vines climbed the outside of the old wall, and gray-white concrete steps led down to a heavy iron door. A faded number was painted on it. Beside it hung a sign left over from an earlier era, its lettering blurred by rain until only the words "Civil defense passage" remained legible.
A Special Investigation Bureau cordon vehicle stood at the mouth of the alley.
Night had already fallen. One streetlight was broken, and the remaining one flickered in the wind. The faint sound of an ambulance came from beyond the hospital's back wall, then quickly faded into the distance.
When Lu Wenchuan got out, the dressing on his wrist had just been changed. Thick gauze wrapped it. Song Zhixia had applied three Line-Sealing Patches to the outer layer and secured a monitoring clip inside his cuff. He glanced down at it without a word.
Xu Zhihan got out on the other side. The fourth Fragment was sealed inside a black metal box, which Song Zhixia carried herself. The box was small, but fine tremors kept running across its surface, as though a bell inside refused to stop ringing.
Song Zhixia looked at the two of them and spoke first. "This time, the equipment goes in first."
Lu Wenchuan nodded. "Equipment first."
Xu Zhihan glanced at the iron door. "The equipment won't last long."
Song Zhixia's expression turned cold. "Then let the equipment die first anyway."
Standing beside them, the Deputy Captain felt a chill down his back and quickly lowered his head to check the Detection Sphere.
The lock on the iron door had long since rusted solid. The moment the cutter touched it, a sound came from behind the