Canglang King: the King Hidden in the Dust

The water in the underground river is like an ice knife, scraping across the skin piece by piece. Ye Xiao gritted her teeth and followed Battle in the dark waterway. The current was so strong that it almost knocked him down several times, but he held on to the heavy password box tightly and dug into the cracks in the rock wall with his other hand, moving forward step by step. Battle was obviously very familiar with this underground river. He broke the water in front to clear the way. Occasionally, he turned around and shouted "lower your head" or "be careful where you step", and Ye Xiao followed his instructions to avoid it. In the darkness, the only sounds that could be heard were the sound of water flowing, breathing, and the occasional flapping wings of bats emerging from the cracks in the rocks. This underground world is deadlier and more depressing than the Gobi Desert. I don't know how long it took, but there was a faint light in front of me. Battle stopped and signaled Ye Xiao to be quiet. He quietly stuck his head out and observed for a moment, then turned back and lowered his voice: "The exit is here. Outside is a Populus euphratica forest deep in the Gobi, thirty miles away from Xiquan Town. Wu Division's people will not catch up here, but the eyes and ears of the 'One Eye' are still there. We have to change clothes quickly and leave the waterway." The two climbed out of the water and got into a dense forest of dead Populus euphratica. It was about to break, and the pale morning light filtered through the twisted branches, casting mottled shadows on the ground. The air is dry and cold, with the smell of decaying poplar trees. Barter pulled out several tarpaulin bags from a hollow poplar tree and opened them. Inside were several sets of worn cotton coats, leather hats, a few pieces of dry naan and two jugs of water. "Put them on." Battelle threw a suit to Ye Xiao, "Get rid of your bloody clothes and the box, and find a way to wrap them up so that no one can see them." Ye Xiao took off his soaked coat and put on a bloated cotton coat. He wrapped the lockbox in layers of oilcloth and torn sacks, tied it tightly with hemp rope, and carried it behind his back, looking like a homeless man carrying heavy objects. Barter put on a herdsman's robe and hid his saber under the robe. He looked like an old Kazakh man on his way in the morning. "Just now in the water, I touched the bodies of the men in black." Battelle whispered while tying his robe, a solemn flash in his one eye, "There is something wrong with their uniforms." Ye Xiao's eyes narrowed: "What's the problem?" "It's not the stuff that 'One Eye' usually uses." Battelle took out a small cloth bag from his arms and opened it. Inside were several badges and buttons that had been torn from the man in black. The badge is pure black, with an abstract wolf head pattern embroidered with silver thread on it, but it is different from the wolf head pattern Ye Xiao has seen. This wolf head is more realistic, with exposed fangs and sinister eyes. The buttons are made of special steel and are engraved with tiny letters and numbers on the back. "I have seen the 'One-Eyed' men. Their badges are golden wolf heads, which are relatively rough. This kind of pure black and silver wire has fine workmanship and elegant materials, like the standard of the regular army." Battelle handed a badge to Ye Xiao, "There is also this, look at the back." Ye Xiao took the badge and looked at it carefully in the morning light. Sure enough, there is a row of tiny Russian letters engraved on the back of the badge, which translates to: "99th Special Operations Detachment." There is also a series of numbers below: S-07. "The 99th Special Operations Detachment?" Ye Xiao frowned, "Which troop is this from? Russia? Or..." He thought of Wu Division's collusion with foreign forces, and the code name "Beichen" that appeared on the document. "It's not a regular Russian force." Battelle shook his head with a deep look in his eyes, "I fought in Afghanistan when I was young and saw many badges of Russian special forces, but they are not like this. This '99 Detachment' is very unfamiliar. But there is one thing. It is certain that they are professionally trained special operations units with well-equipped equipment and extremely high tactical literacy. The fact that "One Eye" can mobilize this kind of power shows that the backer behind him is stronger and more terrifying than we imagined." Ye Xiao's heart sank. He originally thought that "One Eye" was just a mercenary leader, but he didn't expect that there might be a regular special forces unit behind him! Which country does this force belong to? Under whose command? What is the relationship with "Beichen"? Is Master Wu being taken away by them a blessing or a curse? He picked up the steel button, and the code engraved on the back was slightly raised under his fingertips. He suddenly remembered that during the ambush in Yelugou, the man in black who wounded Liu Zi was not using the common AK series, but an HK416 assault rifle equipped with a silencer and a tactical flashlight - this was a NATO standard, expensive and not something ordinary mercenaries could afford. "And this." Battle took out a crumpled piece of fabric from the cloth bag, which was the lining of the man in black's uniform. "Look at this label." Ye Xiao took it. The label was in English and read: "TACTICAL GEAR INC. - MADE IN GERMANY." High-end tactical equipment made in Germany. This kind of equipment is usually only purchased by elite troops or top mercenary groups in developed countries. "German equipment, Russian organization, and this special badge..." Ye Xiao murmured to himself, his mind racing, "This is not like the army of a single country, but more like an 'international column' composed of personnel from multiple countries, receiving unified command and equipment. And those who can form and maintain such a team can only be..." "Transnational criminal groups, or intelligence agencies." Battelle He spoke, with a cold light flashing in his one eye, "'Beichen'... If 'Beichen' is such an organization, then the Ye family's collusion with it is equivalent to planting a nuclear bomb in the country. Master Wu being taken away by them is not necessarily a bad thing. With the methods of 'Beichen', someone of Master Wu's level will either be incited to rebel or silenced. He won't live long." Ye Xiao was silent for a moment, carefully putting away the badges, buttons and pieces of cloth. These seemingly inconspicuous small objects are key clues to reveal the true face of "Beichen". He raised his head and looked at Battle: "Are you sure about the origin of this badge and equipment?" "Sure." Battle said firmly, "I have been working abroad for twenty years, what team have I not seen? This kind of configuration and style are definitely not wild. And..." He paused, and his voice lowered, "When I was in the 'Blood Wolf' , I have heard some rumors. It is said that "Beichen" has branches all over the world. They have their own armed forces, and their code names are numbers. It sounds like S-07, a team number in a certain area. " Ye Xiao took a deep breath, and the cold air of the Gobi morning filled his lungs, making him more awake. The situation was more complicated and dangerous than he expected. What my father faced back then was not only the internal enemies of the Ye family, but also a huge dark network with tentacles extending around the world. And I am now standing at the starting point of fighting against this network. "We must leave here as soon as possible." Ye Xiao stood up and carried the disguised password box. "The people of 'One Eye' and 'Beichen' will soon search this Populus euphratica forest. We need a new identity and a safe route. , And... More information about 'Beichen'." Battelle nodded: "I know a place, outside the border, where there is an old Kazakh named 'Old Camel' who specializes in helping people with 'road tickets' and fake identities. However, he charges a lot, and he only cares about gold. Your gold is enough for the two of us, but we need to take care of more people when we get there." "Gold is not a problem." Ye Xiao patted his arms. There is something more important, "The key is safety. We cannot take the main road, we must cross the Gobi and bypass all checkpoints and sentry posts." "Follow me." Battelle picked up a cloth bag and took the lead into the depths of the Populus euphratica forest. His footsteps were very light, like a seasoned Gobi wolf, familiar with every sand beam and every tamarisk bush. Ye Xiao followed closely. The two walked one behind the other through the dead Populus euphratica forest. The morning light gradually became brighter, but the wind in the Gobi became even colder. It blew on my wet hair and instantly formed a layer of white frost. Ye Xiao felt dizzy, which was caused by the combination of blood loss and cold. But he gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep up with Battle. He knew that if he stopped now, he would die. After walking for a while, Battle suddenly stopped and listened. In the distance, there was the faint roar of a helicopter, hovering over the Populus euphratica forest from far to near. "It's a 'one-eyed' person, or a border guard." Battelle whispered, pulled Ye Xiao and hid behind a huge poplar tree. The tree trunk is hollow, forming a natural shelter inside. The two held their breaths, listening to the helicopter hovering overhead, and the searchlight beam swept through the forest, passing over their heads several times through the gaps in the trees. Fortunately, the trees in the Populus euphratica forest are densely packed, most of them are dead, and their branches are twisted, forming good shelter. The helicopter circled a few times and seemed to find nothing unusual. The roar gradually faded away. Barter breathed a sigh of relief and whispered: "It seems that they didn't find us. However, we can't stay here anymore. We have to speed up and get to the camp of the 'Old Camel' before dark." Ye Xiao nodded and was about to get up when suddenly, his eyes were attracted by the rough bark of the poplar tree next to him. At a height of one person above the ground, several vague characters were carved into the bark of the tree. It was not Chinese characters, nor Mongolian or Uyghur, but a kind of hieroglyphics that he had never seen before. It was crooked and twisted, as if someone had dug it out with nails. He took a closer look and found that next to the characters, there was an extremely simple wolf head pattern, which was somewhat similar to the wolf head on the black badge shown by Battle just now, but more primitive and rough. "What is this?" Ye Xiao asked in a low voice. Battle also came over, took a look, and his one eye suddenly shrank: "This is... The old mark of the 'Cang Wolf'! I saw it several times in the Gobi when I was young. It is said that Ye Yutian often left such marks at the station to indicate the direction or convey messages. This pattern... Is at least ten years old!" Ye Xiao was shocked. My father had actually been here before! Is this mark a road sign left by my father? Pointing to where? He carefully identified the hieroglyphs. Suddenly, the shape of one of the characters reminded him of a special symbol that appeared on the account book in the lockbox - it was a mark that occasionally appeared next to the code name "Beichen", shaped like an eye and a star. Could it be that the mark left by his father was related to "Beichen"? Is he using this method to record the traces of "Beichen"? Or is this Populus euphratica forest itself a secret contact point for "Beichen"? Ye Xiao stretched out her fingers and gently stroked the rough scratches. The vicissitudes of time are felt at the fingertips. His father has been dead for many years, but these traces are like ghosts, guiding his son in the direction he wants to go. "Let's go." Battle urged, "It's not safe here. This mark shows that people from 'Beichen' may have been here, or this is one of their eye spots. We have to leave quickly." Ye Xiao took one last look at the wolf head mark and hieroglyphs, took a deep breath, and turned around to follow Battle. But he knew in his heart that this discovery, like a key, opened a door to a deeper secret. The relationship between his father and "Beichen" is far more complicated and direct than what is recorded in the account books. The two continued to walk through the Populus euphratica forest. Ye Xiao's mind kept replaying the wolf head mark and its similarity to the "Beichen" symbol. He touched the lockbox in his arms, and the key inside seemed to become hot. The wind in the Gobi is still howling. But Ye Xiao knew that what he was pursuing was no longer just family hatred, but a huge secret that could shake the world. And his steps became firmer and more ruthless.

The button with the word "Wolf Eye" engraved on it glowed blue in Ye Xiao's palm. It was too small and inconspicuous, but it was like a red-hot iron, making his fingertips numb. The border line, the Blue Wolf King, the things left by his mother, the pursuit of the Zhao family - all these fragments seem to be connected by this small button. Outside the factory, the three injured people had disappeared. Only a few drops of dark red blood were left, slowly solidifying in the dust. Ye Xiao didn't chase him, nor did he stop. He put the buttons into his pocket, hid the metal box again, and then turned it out through the window on the other side. The afternoon sun is a bit dazzling. He walked in the grass, his steps were very light, but every step seemed to be stepping on the edge of a huge shadow. He knew that the Zhao family would not give up. The three people just now were just a test, the real killer move was yet to come. He did not return to the city, nor did he go anywhere where he might be monitored. Instead, we walked along a dry river bed and walked deeper into the suburbs. The reeds on both sides of the river bed are withered and yellow, making a rustling sound in the wind, like countless people whispering. The sky is getting dark. Twilight is like a layer of gray gauze, slowly covering the earth. Ye Xiao stopped in front of an abandoned pumping station. The pumping station has long been out of service, the red brick walls are covered with vines, and the windows are dark, like blind eyes. He went around to the back of the pumping station and climbed in through a broken ventilation duct. It was dark inside, and the air was filled with the smell of rust and engine oil. He sat down against the wall, took out the pack of cheap cigarettes from his pocket, took one out and lit it. Smoke spiraled up in the darkness, torn into irregular shapes by the airflow from the vents. He took out the "Wolf Eye" button. Look at it carefully by the dim light of the cigarette butt. The material of the button is very special. It is not an ordinary metal, but more like an alloy. The words engraved on the back are very fine and have sharp edges, as if they were laser engraved. The most important thing is that there is a tiny depression in the center of the button, which has a very strange shape, like some kind of interface. Why did mother keep this? What exactly is "Wolf Eyes"? A codename? A token? Or a key? He remembered what Uncle Li said - "The things your mother left behind are all inside." It seemed that Uncle Li didn't know the existence of "Wolf Eyes" either. In other words, Uncle Li knew, but didn't have time to tell him. The cigarette was finished quickly. Ye Xiao put out the cigarette butt on the concrete floor, and the sparks flashed and went out. He closed his eyes, forced himself to calm down, and sorted out the existing clues: The mother was poisoned and the Gu family was involved in the case. The Zhao family has connections with overseas mercenaries behind their backs, and their target is "Wolf Eyes". The "Wolf Eyes" are hidden in mother's relics and are related to the border line. Su Wan is lying to him, Gu Chen is threatening him, and something bad may have happened to Uncle Li. Every clue points to a huge whirlpool. And he was standing in the center of the whirlpool. I don't know how long it took, but he suddenly opened his eyes. In the dark, hearing becomes extremely sharp. He heard the faint sound of water—not river water, but the sound of boots in standing water. From the other direction of the pumping station, it was approaching quietly. More than one. At least two, or more. Ye Xiao did not move. He just sat quietly, like a rock, blending into the darkness around him. Breathing was very soft, so soft that it was almost inaudible. The right hand hangs down naturally, and the fingertips touch the handle of the brick knife. The cold metal touch came, like some kind of silent comfort. The footsteps stopped outside the door of the pumping station. Very close, so close that you can hear the other party's suppressed breathing. Then, there was a very slight sound of metal friction - the sound of a gun being loaded. Ye Xiao's eyes turned cold. He stood up slowly without making any sound. Through the faint moonlight coming from the vents, he could see the silhouettes outside the door - two people, both wearing dark clothes and night vision goggles, holding short guns in their hands. They are testing. Didn't rush in immediately, but first shined a flashlight in. The beam of light swept back and forth in the darkness, passing over the wall, past the machine, and past the place where Ye Xiao had been sitting just now. The light beam stopped at the opening of the ventilation duct. There are traces of him crawling in, and the dust has been rubbed away. The gunmen gestured to each other, and one of them slowly moved to the door, aiming his gun at the pipe mouth, while the other ducked in through the main door. Ye Xiao moves in the darkness. His movements were as light and soundless as a cat's. The interior space of the pumping station is large and filled with discarded machinery and equipment, which is perfect for getting around. He walked around behind a huge water pump and held his breath. The gunmen searched carefully. Stop every step and listen. The muzzle of the gun moves with the gaze, ready to fire at any time. But he couldn't find his target, and there was nothing in the darkness except the sound of his own heartbeat. "Over there," another gunman whispered outside the door, pointing his flashlight toward the other side of the pumping station. The gunman inside the door immediately turned in that direction. The moment he turned around, Ye Xiao moved. He dodged out from behind the water pump and didn't attack. He just threw the brick knife out of his hand. The brick knife flew out in a spin, and the handle hit the gunman's wrist hard. There was a "bang" gunshot, the bullet missed and shattered a piece of glass. The gunman screamed and the gun flew out of his hand. Ye Xiao had already stepped forward and grabbed his throat with her left hand. She grabbed the brick knife with her right hand and put the blade against his temple. Everything happens in a flash of lightning. The gunman outside the door reacted very quickly and immediately turned his gun and shot at Ye Xiao. But Ye Xiao had already expected it. He pulled the hostage in his arms and lowered himself. All the bullets hit the machine, and a string of sparks burst out. "Back off!" Ye Xiao shouted, his voice echoing in the empty pumping station. He held the hostage and slowly moved towards the door. The people outside the door did not dare to shoot, so they could only retreat step by step, but the gun was always pointed at Ye Xiao. Under the moonlight, Ye Xiao saw the faces of these two people clearly. They are all young, in their early twenties, with fierce eyes, and the numbness and cruelty unique to mercenaries. They are not members of the Zhao family, they are more like hired killers from abroad. "Who sent you here?" Ye Xiao asked, the blade getting closer. The restrained person did not dare to move and could only squeeze out a few words through his teeth: "Zhao... Zhao family. We want 'Wolf Eyes'." "Where." "I don't know. We are only responsible for... Getting things back." Ye Xiao stared into his eyes. There was no sign of lying in those eyes, only fear and the desire to survive. He relaxed, but didn't let go. He just looked at the gunman outside the door. "Get out of the way." Two words. The person outside the door did not move. He just looked at Ye Xiao coldly, his finger on the trigger, his knuckles turning white. The moonlight flowed over the muzzle of his gun, like some ominous omen. The atmosphere was deadlocked. Three seconds, five seconds, ten seconds. Every second seems like a century. Suddenly, there was the sound of a car engine in the distance. From far to near, at a very fast speed, the light beam of the car lights swept across the outer wall of the pumping station, drawing out swaying shadows on the ground. The attention of the gunman outside the door was distracted for a moment. At this moment, Ye Xiao moved. He pushed the hostage in his arms towards the opponent violently, and at the same time, he stooped forward and swept the brick knife across, hitting the opponent's knee hard. Two muffled sounds sounded almost at the same time. The hostage bumped into his companion, and they both fell to the ground. Instead of finishing the attack, Ye Xiao turned around and rushed into the darkness. After a few ups and downs, he climbed over the wall of the pumping station and disappeared into the night. He didn't run far. Just hiding in a shadow outside the wall, observing quietly. The car stopped in front of the pump station, and two more men in black jumped out and rushed into the pump station. Soon, curses and reports came from inside. "Run away." "Chase." The engine sound sounded again, and the car sped away. The pumping station returned to silence, with only the moonlight still shining coldly, illuminating the bullet casings on the ground, the kicked-in door, and the smoke that had not yet dissipated in the darkness. Ye Xiao walked out of the shadows. He did not leave immediately, but walked to the side of the pumping station and took out a small object from under a pile of debris. It fell out of the gunman's pocket during the fight just now. A lighter. Exactly the same as the one he got from Gu Chen. The silver shell is engraved with the early logo of Yip Group. It's just that there is no engraving on the bottom of this lighter, but a miniature camera is welded to it. Ye Xiao crushed it. Plastic fragments crunched in the palm of my hand. He spread his hands and the pieces fell to the ground, like some kind of broken lie. He raised his head and looked into the distance. The city is brightly lit, like a false sea of ​​stars. But the real starry sky was obscured by neon and haze, and not a single star could be seen. "Wolf Eyes." He whispered these two words, and his voice dissipated in the night wind. Then, he turned around and walked towards deeper darkness. The brick knife is slightly hot in the hand, like a beast about to wake up.

The button with the word "Wolf Eye" engraved on it glowed blue in Ye Xiao's palm. It was too small and inconspicuous, but it was like a red-hot iron, making his fingertips numb. The border line, the Blue Wolf King, the things left by his mother, the pursuit of the Zhao family - all these fragments seem to be connected by this small button. Outside the factory, the three injured people had disappeared. Only a few drops of dark red blood were left, slowly solidifying in the dust. Ye Xiao didn't chase him, nor did he stop. He put the buttons into his pocket, hid the metal box again, and then turned it out through the window on the other side. The afternoon sun is a bit dazzling. He walked in the grass, his steps were very light, but every step seemed to be stepping on the edge of a huge shadow. He knew that the Zhao family would not give up. The three people just now were just a test, the real killer move was yet to come. He did not return to the city, nor did he go anywhere where he might be monitored. Instead, we walked along a dry river bed and walked deeper into the suburbs. The reeds on both sides of the river bed are withered and yellow, making a rustling sound in the wind, like countless people whispering. The sky is getting dark. Twilight is like a layer of gray gauze, slowly covering the earth. Ye Xiao stopped in front of an abandoned pumping station. The pumping station has long been out of service, the red brick walls are covered with vines, and the windows are dark, like blind eyes. He went around to the back of the pumping station and climbed in through a broken ventilation duct. It was dark inside, and the air was filled with the smell of rust and engine oil. He sat down against the wall, took out the pack of cheap cigarettes from his pocket, took one out and lit it. Smoke spiraled up in the darkness, torn into irregular shapes by the airflow from the vents. He took out the "Wolf Eye" button. Look at it carefully by the dim light of the cigarette butt. The material of the button is very special. It is not an ordinary metal, but more like an alloy. The words engraved on the back are very fine and have sharp edges, as if they were laser engraved. The most important thing is that there is a tiny depression in the center of the button, which has a very strange shape, like some kind of interface. Why did mother keep this? What exactly is "Wolf Eyes"? A codename? A token? Or a key? He remembered what Uncle Li said - "The things your mother left behind are all inside." It seemed that Uncle Li didn't know the existence of "Wolf Eyes" either. In other words, Uncle Li knew, but didn't have time to tell him. The cigarette was finished quickly. Ye Xiao put out the cigarette butt on the concrete floor, and the sparks flashed and went out. He closed his eyes, forced himself to calm down, and sorted out the existing clues: The mother was poisoned and the Gu family was involved in the case. The Zhao family has connections with overseas mercenaries behind their backs, and their target is "Wolf Eyes". The "Wolf Eyes" are hidden in mother's relics and are related to the border line. Su Wan is lying to him, Gu Chen is threatening him, and something bad may have happened to Uncle Li. Every clue points to a huge whirlpool. And he was standing in the center of the whirlpool. I don't know how long it took, but he suddenly opened his eyes. In the dark, hearing becomes extremely sharp. He heard the faint sound of water—not river water, but the sound of boots in standing water. From the other direction of the pumping station, it was approaching quietly. More than one. At least two, or more. Ye Xiao did not move. He just sat quietly, like a rock, blending into the darkness around him. Breathing was very soft, so soft that it was almost inaudible. The right hand hangs down naturally, and the fingertips touch the handle of the brick knife. The cold metal touch came, like some kind of silent comfort. The footsteps stopped outside the door of the pumping station. Very close, so close that you can hear the other party's suppressed breathing. Then, there was a very slight sound of metal friction - the sound of a gun being loaded. Ye Xiao's eyes turned cold. He stood up slowly without making any sound. Through the faint moonlight coming from the vents, he could see the silhouettes outside the door - two people, both wearing dark clothes and night vision goggles, holding short guns in their hands. They are testing. Didn't rush in immediately, but first shined a flashlight in. The beam of light swept back and forth in the darkness, passing over the wall, past the machine, and past the place where Ye Xiao had been sitting just now. The light beam stopped at the opening of the ventilation duct. There are traces of him crawling in, and the dust has been rubbed away. The gunmen gestured to each other, and one of them slowly moved to the door, aiming his gun at the pipe mouth, while the other ducked in through the main door. Ye Xiao moves in the darkness. His movements were as light and soundless as a cat's. The interior space of the pumping station is large and filled with discarded machinery and equipment, which is perfect for getting around. He walked around behind a huge water pump and held his breath. The gunmen searched carefully. Stop every step and listen. The muzzle of the gun moves with the gaze, ready to fire at any time. But he couldn't find his target, and there was nothing in the darkness except the sound of his own heartbeat. "Over there," another gunman whispered outside the door, pointing his flashlight toward the other side of the pumping station. The gunman inside the door immediately turned in that direction. The moment he turned around, Ye Xiao moved. He dodged out from behind the water pump and didn't attack. He just threw the brick knife out of his hand. The brick knife flew out in a spin, and the handle hit the gunman's wrist hard. There was a "bang" gunshot, the bullet missed and shattered a piece of glass. The gunman screamed and the gun flew out of his hand. Ye Xiao had already stepped forward and grabbed his throat with her left hand. She grabbed the brick knife with her right hand and put the blade against his temple. Everything happens in a flash of lightning. The gunman outside the door reacted very quickly and immediately turned his gun and shot at Ye Xiao. But Ye Xiao had already expected it. He pulled the hostage in his arms and lowered himself. All the bullets hit the machine, and a string of sparks burst out. "Back off!" Ye Xiao shouted, his voice echoing in the empty pumping station. He held the hostage and slowly moved towards the door. The people outside the door did not dare to shoot, so they could only retreat step by step, but the gun was always pointed at Ye Xiao. Under the moonlight, Ye Xiao saw the faces of these two people clearly. They are all young, in their early twenties, with fierce eyes, and the numbness and cruelty unique to mercenaries. They are not members of the Zhao family, they are more like hired killers from abroad. "Who sent you here?" Ye Xiao asked, the blade getting closer. The restrained person did not dare to move and could only squeeze out a few words through his teeth: "Zhao... Zhao family. We want 'Wolf Eyes'." "Where." "I don't know. We are only responsible for... Getting things back." Ye Xiao stared into his eyes. There was no sign of lying in those eyes, only fear and the desire to survive. He relaxed, but didn't let go. He just looked at the gunman outside the door. "Get out of the way." Two words. The person outside the door did not move. He just looked at Ye Xiao coldly, his finger on the trigger, his knuckles turning white. The moonlight flowed over the muzzle of his gun, like some ominous omen. The atmosphere was deadlocked. Three seconds, five seconds, ten seconds. Every second seems like a century. Suddenly, there was the sound of a car engine in the distance. From far to near, at a very fast speed, the light beam of the car lights swept across the outer wall of the pumping station, drawing out swaying shadows on the ground. The attention of the gunman outside the door was distracted for a moment. At this moment, Ye Xiao moved. He pushed the hostage in his arms towards the opponent violently, and at the same time, he stooped forward and swept the brick knife across, hitting the opponent's knee hard. Two muffled sounds sounded almost at the same time. The hostage bumped into his companion, and they both fell to the ground. Instead of finishing the attack, Ye Xiao turned around and rushed into the darkness. After a few ups and downs, he climbed over the wall of the pumping station and disappeared into the night. He didn't run far. Just hiding in a shadow outside the wall, observing quietly. The car stopped in front of the pump station, and two more men in black jumped out and rushed into the pump station. Soon, curses and reports came from inside. "Run away." "Chase." The engine sound sounded again, and the car sped away. The pumping station returned to silence, with only the moonlight still shining coldly, illuminating the bullet casings on the ground, the kicked-in door, and the smoke that had not yet dissipated in the darkness. Ye Xiao walked out of the shadows. He did not leave immediately, but walked to the side of the pumping station and took out a small object from under a pile of debris. It fell out of the gunman's pocket during the fight just now. A lighter. Exactly the same as the one he got from Gu Chen. The silver shell is engraved with the early logo of Yip Group. It's just that there is no engraving on the bottom of this lighter, but a miniature camera is welded to it. Ye Xiao crushed it. Plastic fragments crunched in the palm of my hand. He spread his hands and the pieces fell to the ground, like some kind of broken lie. He raised his head and looked into the distance. The city is brightly lit, like a false sea of ​​stars. But the real starry sky was obscured by neon and haze, and not a single star could be seen. "Wolf Eyes." He whispered these two words, and his voice dissipated in the night wind. Then, he turned around and walked towards deeper darkness. The brick knife is slightly hot in the hand, like a beast about to wake up.

The night is like thick ink, splashing on the edge of the city. Ye Xiao walked on an abandoned railway line. The tracks were cold, the sleepers were rotten, and there were waist-deep grass on both sides. In the distance, the city lights are like a false sea of ​​stars, but here, there is only the moonlight and the sound of the wind. He held the "Wolf Eye" button in his hand. The metal surface glowed with a faint blue light under the moonlight, and the tiny depression was like an open eye, staring at him coldly. Why did mother keep this? The border line, the Blue Wolf King, the pursuit of the Zhao family - all these seem to point to this inconspicuous little thing. He stopped. Take out the lighter from your pocket - the one that fell from Gu Chen's car. The silver shell is engraved with the early logo of Yip Group. He turned it over and examined the bottom. There is a line of small words engraved there: "Gift to Brother Yu, let's encourage each other." Two objects, one from my mother's relics, and the other from the Gu family. What is the connection between them? Ye Xiao squatted down and picked up a sharp piece of gravel from the side of the railway track. He used gravel to draw several lines on the sleepers, trying to clear his mind: Mother → Died by poisoning → There is a "Wolf Eye" button among the relics Father → Missing → The lighter is in Gu Chen's hand Gu family → Infiltrating Ye family → Colluding with Zhao family → Hunting him down Zhao family → Connecting with overseas mercenaries → The target is "Wolf Eye" The clues are like scattered beads and need to be strung together with a thread. And that thread is probably hidden in the purpose of "Wolf Eyes". He took out his phone and opened an encrypted photo album. There were only a few photos inside, taken while he was at the border. One of them is a close-up of the Blue Wolf Flag. On the upper left corner of the flag, there is a small pattern embroidered - the eye of a wolf. The shape is almost exactly the same as the depression in the center of the button in the hand. Ye Xiao's pupils shrank slightly. A terrible conjecture came to mind: Could the "wolf eye" not be a token, but some kind of switch? Or is it the key to a secret? At this moment, the phone vibrated. It's not a phone call, it's a text message. Coming from an unknown number, the content is only a string of coordinates and a time: "N23°07′, E113°15′. Eight o'clock tomorrow night." No signature, no unnecessary explanation. But Ye Xiao recognized the coordinates. It was an old industrial area in the north of the city, not far from the abandoned warehouse he went to yesterday. Tomorrow night at eight o'clock, what will it be? Trap? Or a clue? He did not reply or delete it. Just put the phone back in my pocket and continue walking along the railway line. He needed a safe place to spend the night and more information. Two hours later, he came to an abandoned textile factory. The factory building is huge, like a dead giant beast, the skeleton is still there, but the flesh and blood has rotted. He chose this place because the terrain was complex and easy to defend but difficult to attack. More importantly, this was once one of the earliest industries of the Ye family. He climbed over the wall and entered the main factory building. Moonlight leaked from the damaged roof, casting mottled light and shadow on the dusty ground. The air is filled with the smell of dust and mildew, as well as a faint smell of chemicals - the smell left over from the early printing and dyeing workshops. Ye Xiao walked to a corner where some discarded machine parts were piled. He used a brick knife to pry open a rusted iron box. It was empty except for a thick layer of dust. But he was not disappointed. Instead, he reached in and groped around in the mezzanine. My fingertips touched a hard object. He took it out. It was a small bag wrapped in oilcloth. The oilcloth was brittle and fell apart at the slightest touch, revealing its contents—a work notebook and several old photos. The cover of the notebook has fallen off and the pages are yellow. He carefully opened it. The handwriting was very sloppy. It was a worker's record. The date is stuck at twenty-five years ago, and it records the daily production of the textile factory. But when you turn to the middle, the handwriting changes and becomes neater, like the handwriting of a manager. The recorded content has also changed. It is no longer production data, but some strange purchase lists: special fibers, encrypted communication modules, micro sensors... And a series of coordinates, distributed in various border areas. Ye Xiao's breathing stagnated slightly. These coordinates highly coincide with the coordinates behind the photos on his mobile phone. In other words, this seemingly ordinary textile factory was actually supplying a secret project on the border? He continued to turn back. In the last few pages of the notebook, the records become more secretive. Using symbols and abbreviations that he couldn't understand, like some kind of password. But in the blank space of one of the pages, a line of words was lightly written with a pencil: "The wolf's eyes have returned and the border has been reopened." Ye Xiao stared at this line of words for a long time. Then he picked up the old photos. The photo is faded, but the content is still legible. It was a group photo of employees from a textile factory. In one of them, standing in the middle of the front row was actually his father Ye Yutian. Ye Yutian is very young, wearing a gray tunic suit with a serious expression. Beside him, stood a woman wearing white overalls - Ye Xiao recognized her, that was her mother. On the other side of the mother, stood a man, wearing a dark suit, with a vague face, but his figure and temperament looked very much like Gu Chen's father, Gu Zhenhai. On the back of the photo, a line of words was written in pen: "The first batch of goods was successfully delivered. Witnessed by the Gu and Ye families." Ye Xiao's fingers trembled slightly. He finally understood something. My mother worked in this factory and came into contact with projects related to "Wolf Eyes". The Gu family is also involved, maybe even earlier. Later, something went wrong with the project, and my mother discovered the truth and was silenced. The father tried to trace it, but was framed and hunted, and eventually disappeared. The Zhao family is probably the driving force behind the Gu family. Do they want "Wolf Eyes" to restart the secret project on the border? At this moment, footsteps were heard outside the factory. Very light, very mixed, more than one person. Ye Xiao quickly closed the notebook, stuffed it into his arms, and then quietly moved behind a pillar. The moonlight shines down from the hole in the roof, illuminating the doorway. Three black figures flashed in and spread out, forming a search formation. Wearing black combat uniforms and night vision goggles, they moved skillfully and professionally. Not a policeman, not an ordinary gangster, but a well-trained mercenary. Ye Xiao held her breath. He could smell the familiar smell of gunpowder smoke and sweat on their bodies. They were overseas mercenaries, the same people who were chasing him before. The three of them searched carefully and slowly approached his direction. The distance was getting closer and closer, ten meters, five meters, three meters... Ye Xiao could hear their breathing, which was suppressed and heavy. Just when the person at the front was about to go around the pillar, Ye Xiao moved. He did not attack, but threw the brick knife in his hand violently, and the brick knife spun and flew towards the iron wall at the other end of the factory. "Clang!" The sound of metal collision exploded in the empty factory building, and the echoes buzzed. The three mercenaries were attracted at the same time, and their guns turned towards the source of the sound. Ye Xiao took the opportunity to duck out from behind the pillar and rushed towards the nearest mercenary. The man reacted very quickly and immediately turned the gun, but Ye Xiao was faster. He turned sideways to avoid the muzzle of the gun, grabbed the opponent's wrist with his left hand, grabbed the brick knife with his right hand, and hit the opponent's Adam's apple hard with the back of the knife. The man groaned and fell to the ground. The other two men immediately opened fire, and the bullets hit the pillars, sparks bursting out. Ye Xiao used the body as a cover, took off the brick knife and threw it again, this time hitting the second mercenary's knee. Amid the screams, Ye Xiao had already thrown herself in front of the third person. The man abandoned his gun, pulled out his dagger, and stabbed Ye Xiao in the chest fiercely. Ye Xiao ducked down and raised the brick knife. The blade swiped across the opponent's wrist and the dagger fell to the ground. Then, he gave an elbow and hit the opponent's temple hard. The battle ended too quickly. From the start to the end, no more than thirty seconds. Of the three mercenaries, one was unconscious and two had lost their combat effectiveness. Ye Xiao didn't kill them. He squatted down and found a satellite phone and a photo from the first mercenary's pocket. The photo shows a bust of a middle-aged man, with sinister eyes and droopy mouth corners, showing a kind of natural cruelty. On the back of the photo, there was a line of words written in Russian: "Find 'Wolf Eyes', he will be next." Ye Xiao stared at the line of words, her heart feeling cold. Next. Who's next? Father? Or... Him? He stood up and walked to the door of the factory. The moonlight still shines coldly on the railway tracks, the grass, and this dead industrial ruins. He clenched the "Wolf Eye" button in his pocket, and the metal touched his palm, like a fire that would never cool down. Tomorrow night at eight o'clock. Old industrial zone in the north of the city. He has to go to an appointment. Whether that's a trap or the truth.

Chapter 16: Names in the Recording The wind in the highlands was like a knife, blowing across Ye Xiao's cheeks. The world in the scope is stable and cold, and the valley locked by the crosshair is sinking into the indigo twilight little by little. He maintained his trigger-pulling posture, breathing long and thin, almost at the same frequency as the pulse of the earth beneath his feet. Until the phone vibrated again in my pocket. It was not a call or a text message, but an audio file that had been automatically downloaded. He looked away without moving his body. He only used his other hand to take out his mobile phone and inserted the earphones into his ears. Tap your fingertips on the cold screen and play. There is no prelude, no background noise filtering, a clear dialogue directly pierces the eardrums. It was the voices of two men, one was old and hoarse, with sickly breathing, and it was Gu Zhenshan. Another young and cold person with a businesslike indifference is Commissioner Chen. "... The border deployment is completed?" Gu Zhenshan asked, with a suppressed cough mixed with every few words he said. "It's done. Three tactical teams of 'Z-01' have been stationed outside Blackstone Valley, and the signal shielding is normal." Commissioner Chen replied. "Very good... Where is the old thing?" "Ye Yutian? Still at the same place. The medical team just reported that the situation has worsened." "Tell the important point." "..." "Speak!" "... Ye Yutian is critically ill. According to the prediction of the internal medical team, he will not survive tonight." Click. Ye Xiao's finger unconsciously pulled the trigger at that moment. Of course, there was no bullet in the chamber, but the empty sound was extremely harsh in the silent highlands. His pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints, and his breathing stopped completely at that moment. His chest seemed to be tightly clenched by invisible giant hands, and even his ribs were groaning. Critically ill. Can't survive tonight. These two words were like two scorching flames ejected from the barrel of a gun, instantly burning through all his calmness and plans. There was never any news that his father was seriously ill, not officially, not by the Gu family, not even by the so-called "special task force". They hid it and used the most complete silence to weave a web of death. In the headset, the conversation continues. "... Are you sure?" Gu Zhenshan's voice revealed a hint of unnoticeable excitement, even though it was covered up by his cough. "Confirmed. The report of the medical team is here. Brain atrophy, organ failure, typical sequelae of long-term drug control." Commissioner Chen's voice was calm, as if he was reading out a cargo list, "Do you want to... Deal with it in advance?" "No. Let him die inside, cleanly. His death will be announced to the public early tomorrow morning. Seize the time and put an end to the 'Wolf Eye' matter." "Understood. Then Ye Xiao's side..." "A brick mover cannot make waves. Once Ye Yutian dies, the Ye family will be a land without an owner. If he understands, give him a bite of food. If not..." Gu Zhenshan paused and let out a creepy low laugh, "You know what to do." "Copy." Beep—— The call was cut off. The world returns to silence. There was only the sound of wind, but it was bone-chilling cold. Ye Xiao slowly took off his headphones, his movements as slow as a replay. He turned off the screen of his phone, and the blackened mirror reflected his expressionless face. Only the mole next to his nose was as red as blood in the remaining skylight. Ye Yutian is critically ill. Not missing, not imprisoned, but about to be murdered. A violent aura permeated from the depths of his bone marrow, but it was suppressed under his skin without leaking a trace. He is like a volcano about to erupt, but its surface is covered with ice that will never melt. He put away his sniper rifle, his movements still steady, but every joint made a subtle, overwhelmed friction sound. He did not go down the mountain immediately. Instead, he continued to lie there, until the last trace of skylight was swallowed up by darkness, until a few lights lit up in the valley, which was the camp of Zhao's private army "Z-01". He looked at the lights quietly, as if trying to carve their locations into his mind. Half an hour later, he got up, shouldered his gun, and returned to the lumber camp along the way he came. The jeep was still parked in place, like a dormant beast. He did not get in the car immediately, but walked to the pile of sleepers and took out a smaller metal box from the secret compartment. Open it, and inside is an old-fashioned miniature recorder and a tape. He loaded the tape and pressed play. The tape rotates and makes a slight rustling sound. A few seconds later, a familiar and old voice came out, with the weakness and unwillingness before death, it was Uncle Li. "... Young Master... If you hear this recording, it means that I am no longer here... Gu Zhenshan lied to you, Commissioner Chen is from the Zhao family... 'Wolf Eyes' is a key and a shackle... They want to use it to open a bloody road at the border..." The recording is intermittent, and it was obviously recorded under extremely dangerous circumstances. Ye Xiao squatted in the darkness, listening to Uncle Li's intermittent breathing and instructions. There was no expression on his face, but the knuckles of the hand holding the tape recorder were turning white. "... Master... Master, he... Is imprisoned underground in the 'Ren'ai Sanatorium' in the west of the city... It was a cover... Controlled by the Zhao family... They have been using medicine... To maintain the illusion that he... Is 'critically ill'..." Ren'ai Sanatorium. Ye Xiao's eyes suddenly became as sharp as a knife. It turned out that his father had been in the city all along, in the place he thought was the safest, being treated as a prisoner and a medicine jar. The so-called critical illness is an artificial illusion created to legitimately annex the Ye family and to force out the "wolf's eyes". At the end of the recording, Li Bo's voice became weaker and weaker, accompanied by a violent cough, and finally there was only a whisper that he squeezed out with all his strength: "... We must... Go back... To know... The truth..." —— The recording ended, and the tape automatically bounced up. Ye Xiao turned off the recorder and stuffed it and the phone back into the metal box. He stood up, his 1.76 Meter tall body standing as tall as a pine tree in the night wind. He didn't take another look in the direction of Blackstone Valley, nor did he pay attention to the lights of "Z-01". He turned around, opened the door, and got into the cab. The engine roared, and the jeep suddenly jumped out of the lumberyard, its headlights cut through the thick night, and sped towards the city. The car was going very fast, but his hand holding the steering wheel was steady without any trembling. The scenery outside the window quickly retreated and turned into blurry shadows. It was very dark inside the car, with only the dashboard glowing with a cold light. Ye Xiao's face was half-lit, and the mole next to her nose was looming in the shadow. Only Li Bo's last words remained in his mind, echoing over and over again, drowning out the noise of the engine and the sound of the wind. "You must go back to know the truth." Yes, you must go back. Go back to the city full of lies and traps, to the place called a sanatorium but actually a prison, to meet the father who was declared "critically ill". Not to inherit anything, not to save anything, just to tear apart the layer of hypocrisy, to pull out the maggots hiding in the dark one by one and expose them to the scorching sun. The jeep drove onto the highway and merged into the late night traffic. Ye Xiao stepped on the accelerator, and the speedometer's needle slowly moved towards the red area. He held the steering wheel with one hand, took out the "Wolf Eye" button from his pocket with the other hand, and placed it in the palm of his hand. The blue metallic luster flows under the light of the dashboard, like an eye full of mockery that opens in the darkness. He closed his fingers and held the button tightly in his palm. The edges of the metal pinched the flesh, bringing a clear and sharp sense of pain. The pain made him sober. "Go back." He whispered to himself, his voice as cold and hard as iron in the closed carriage. Then he let go of his hand, grasped the steering wheel again, and looked directly at the endless stretch of road ahead. The light beam of the car lights pierced the darkness, as if trying to open a bloody path to the truth in this thick night.