Light Fortress

"Discussing why a second generation rich kid with a half a million in savings would only buy a hundred yuan pair of cheap headphones..."

The girl's voice faintly arose.

The sound quality was a bit rough, also mingled with a very faint electrical hissing noise.

Gu Shen had just snugly inserted the in-ear headphones and put on a cap when he heard Chu Ling's complaint.

He had always communicated with the girl through screen texts.

The voice he heard during their first encounter in the train car had long since faded like a dream, not distinctly remembered.

Chu Ling's voice was pleasant to the ear, ethereal like an elf's, but unlike her delicate appearance, her voice sounded strong and full-bodied, making one feel grounded and secure.

This time, Gu Shen did not feel like he was dreaming.

"You connected so quickly, huh."

He earnestly explained, "It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to revert to frugality from luxury. There's also the matter of the 'electronic bill'..."

Even knowing early on that there was half a million on that card, he would have made the same choice.

"I've been waiting already," the girl said with a laugh, somewhat helplessly, "Have you forgotten what I do?"

"Regarding the electronic bill, I can help you smooth things over, just erasing some records is all. Buy a better set of equipment next time. Actually, the first pair of glasses you had were pretty good."

Gu Shen was somewhat surprised.

The scene of himself picking and choosing in the supermarket...had Chu Ling seen it? But it was within reason; with her powerful connection privileges, it wouldn't be strange for her to see anything.

"But for this operation...you did actually buy the right equipment," Chu Ling said. "There are too many places that require real-time surveillance; just be careful not to expose yourself. I'll help you keep watch."

Night fell, and as he moved away from the city center, the dazzling neon lights gradually faded.

The old city district was like a silent, faded tapestry, clear in its colors. After the sunset, one by one, the streetlights illuminated only their immediate vicinity. The dark and light appeared as if cleaved apart by ink—

Gu Shen was pressed into a secluded corner, just outside the scope of a streetlight's glow, donning a loose-fitting black tracksuit, like a shadow standing on end. At that moment, he silently gazed at the security line a hundred meters away.

10:45 PM.

Fifteen minutes remained until the operation commenced.

He had arrived an hour early, choosing a prime location at a blind spot in the surveillance, where he could clearly oversee the entirety of the old building's security line. At present, he could see security patrols positioned by the line, and a shuttle bus pulling up beside it.

"Has the shift change arrived early?" Gu Shen was trying hard to regulate his breathing, calming his mind. "Plans never change as quickly as... Is it time to take action now?"

Ordinarily, they would arrive five minutes early.

"Perhaps this is all part of the plan?" Chu Ling said softly with a chuckle, "Take another close look."

Gu Shen had always had good eyesight. Squinting, he saw several workers in bulky protective gear and masks disembarking from the shuttle, one of them stepping forward to converse with the security personnel at the front of the security line.

"These are researchers responsible for extracting on-site information," Chu Ling explained slowly. "Because the bodies of the two Transcendents who attacked you were severely damaged, their identities can no longer be discerned... Hence, they need to rely on certain technical means to reconstruct the scene."

In a low voice, Gu Shen asked, "Does this mean, these researchers are all from the Judgement Institute?"

"They should be," responded Chu Ling. "With such a major incident involving you, Zhou Jiren would definitely scrutinize this case closely, following the trail from those two Transcendents to uncover the assassination organization behind them."

Gu Shen nodded, in line with what he had previously thought. He suddenly paused, "Wait a minute..."

"They should be?"

"When you're the fish on the chopping board, you might as well make a final leap for life."

"Zhou Jiren is about to make a move. Those people don't want to wait quietly for their demise. If they destroy the original crime scene and the evidence, they could end up with no evidence to convict them with." Chu Ling's voice carried a mocking tone, "The real researchers haven't arrived yet. Those are imposters."

Cold sweat beaded on Gu Shen's forehead.

The fake researchers had already taken out their credentials. It seemed that the security personnel responsible for patrols were complete outsiders, summoned suddenly due to the emergency... They did not recognize the counterfeit credentials nor realize that some were impersonating shift workers.

Someone was already opening the security line to let them through.

"No need to worry. The show has just begun. It won't be so easy for them to succeed."

Chu Ling's voice became serious at this moment, "Have you memorized the infiltration route? The action is about to start."

Gu Shen nodded.

He intently watched the distance.

Just as the security personnel were about to let them through, a dark figure slowly emerged from the decrepit night of the old building, stretching out a hand to stop the researchers clad in cumbersome protective gear.

...

...

"Hold on."

When that voice sounded.

It wasn't just the researchers who were startled.

Even the security personnel entrusted with patrols were taken aback.

Most of the security here had rushed over at the first sign of the fire outbreak, evacuating people and protecting victims... Due to the urgency of the matter and immediate deployment, after completing these tasks, they set up the security line strictly according to higher orders.

For twenty-four hours, they had kept outsiders from entering, all to protect the integrity of the primary crime scene, awaiting the arrival of the subsequent personnel tasked with taking over.

They were certain, no one had entered the scene.

Yet, this voice was clearly coming from inside the security perimeter... Damn it!

Out of the dark and gloomy old building emerged a slender young man, with handsome features and skin so pale he looked like a vampire — seemingly so fragile that a gust of wind might knock him down.

"Zhong... Mr. Zhong Wei!"

The captain responsible for guarding the scene recognized the young man's identity and immediately stood at attention to salute him.

The sudden fire incident seemed to involve something significant.

The security personnel who arrived first were given only one directive: protect the scene. They knew nothing else, only that after tonight's shift change, a very powerful special case unit would take over the investigation.

The captain had slightly more information, just a bit more than the others — he had seen an additional photograph.

It was a photograph of Zhong Wei.

Rumour had it that the leader of the imminent special case unit — the so-called person in charge — was this frail-looking young man before them.

"Hmm."

Zhong Wei gave the captain a polite nod of acknowledgment as if they had met before, then took out his credentials and briefly introduced himself to the other security personnel: "Special case unit, Zhong Wei."

"You... You've been here already?"

The captain gave a wry smile. That voice earlier had scared the daylights out of him; he thought there had been some oversight.

Fortunately, it was one of their own.

"Just arrived," Zhong Wei said without explaining, his voice calm, "The colleagues taking over haven't arrived yet, so I just took a look around the scene."

In fact, he had been here all along.

It's just that the security personnel hadn't noticed.

This case involved a Transcendent. Zhong Wei had arrived at the old building the moment he was notified, to prevent any accidents before the commissioners from the Judgement Institute could arrive.

After Zhong Wei appeared.

On each side of the security line, everyone became unusually silent.

The few researchers accompanying him, clad in bulky protective gear and face shields, visibly stiffened in their movements.

Only the lead individual remained composed throughout, slowly pulling back their credentials after the inspection.

"Mr. Zhong Wei... I just checked their credentials... The seals are fine..." The captain sensed something was off and signaled his team to pull back the security tape.

"Oh? But seals can't be faked, can they..." Zhong Wei approached the lead researcher, "Since it's real, I might as well check again."

He extended his hand, signaling for the credentials to be handed over.

The other slowly offered the credentials.

At the moment of exchange—

A muffled laugh emerged from within the soundproof mask.

With a "hiss", the credentials burst into flames, flaring up like a magician's fireworks.

The fire exploded out of nowhere!

This scene caught all the nearby security personnel off guard; they didn't even see what happened but only witnessed a sudden bright burst of fire, like a starting pistol signaling a chase—

The researchers, clad in their oversized protective gear, started to charge forward, their bodies unexpectedly strong like bulls, knocking over the security personnel in front of them. They then broke through the security line and aggressively made for the old building.

"Bang!"

Zhong Wei's expression turned grim as he kicked and shattered the nearby fireworks in anticipation.

His speed was astonishingly fast, the seemingly frail frame hiding a ferocious power. He turned with a sweeping leg kick, flipping one of the burly researchers who were trying to breach inward.

The "magician" who had caused the chaos in the first place turned and ran.

Zhong Wei shouted angrily, "Stop them!"

Over a dozen security personnel rushed in, tackling the robust men who were desperately trying to break into the old building.

These men were only physically strong, not Transcendents!

They had to catch the ringleader... Zhong Wei's eyes were ice-cold as he instantly focused on the fleeing figure. The man was cunning, darting into a minibus, ready to drive away.

Zhong Wei took a deep breath, and he began to run, his speed inhuman, more akin to a cheetah.

As the minibus started up, Zhong Wei leaped, grabbing onto the roof with both hands. Following that, the mid-sized bus careened wildly, leaving plumes of smoke in its wake, swaying like a serpent as it drifted. Zhong Wei clung on like a nail hammered firm.

With a violent pivot turn.

Zhong Wei maintained his balance, rolled aside with the momentum, and kicked in the window to land inside the minibus.

He spoke coldly.

"Since you dared to come, don't even think about leaving."