When Qiu Bulao was talking with Lin Feng, his gaze kept drifting intentionally or unintentionally toward me and Sun Fatty. That cold, icy look made me feel extremely uncomfortable. Fortunately, their conversation ended quickly. Qiu Bulao jumped down from the table with a stern face, said nothing, and directly headed toward the inner room where Gao Liang was guarding Huang Ran and the others. Passing by us, Director Qiu inexplicably glanced once again in our direction. After he left, Sun Fatty patted my shoulder and said, "Don't take him seriously. I checked into Old Qiu's background. He's like someone obsessed with The Matrix back in the day. Not to brag, but he's doing alright now. I heard he used to wear trench coats and sunglasses every day, but Director Gao gave him a scolding, and only then did he take that outfit off. Imagine what kind of look that was."
I wasn't interested in what Old Qiu was like back then. What mattered now was what he went in there to do. After Qiu Bulao entered the inner room, Hao Wenming exchanged a look with Ouyang Pianzuo, who smiled slyly and said to Lin Feng, "Old Lin, what's going on here? What are you all planning?"
Ouyang Pianzuo, Director of the Fifth Division, held a special position. He was responsible for the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation's overall equipment and personnel training. Except for Wu Rendi, all the other directors had to show him respect. Po Jun once said that there was a time when Qiu Bulao somehow offended Director Ouyang. Since that day, when his investigators went to the Fifth Division to get their gear, special ammo and other supplies were never fully issued to them. Ouyang Pianzuo seemed to have it all planned out, only giving them just enough equipment to get through cases, which caused several close calls during investigations.
That wasn't the worst part. The Fifth Division stored all the investigators' Life Tokens — those special talismans we had just blood-dripped onto when we joined the Bureau. Once a drop of blood was placed on the token, it was valid for life. But suddenly, Ouyang changed the rule, saying that to guarantee the token's quality, blood had to be refreshed every week. This rule was only enforced on the Second Division's unlucky investigators. The blood collection method was also changed — Fifth Division personnel used medical instruments to draw full syringes of blood each time. Within a month, Second Division investigators all looked pale and light-footed. It wouldn't be long before they themselves became cases for the Bureau. Later, it was only through Hao Wenming and Lin Feng acting as intermediaries and Qiu Bulao speaking soft words that Ouyang Pianzuo finally let up.
No one could afford to offend Ouyang Pianzuo. Lin Feng glanced out the window one last time and then squatted in front of us. "There are too many wild wolves outside. Dealing with them isn't our Bureau's strong suit. We're too passive like this, it's not a solution. I discussed it with Old Qiu — we need a bait to lure out that demonized white wolf. If we kill it, the wolf pack will scatter on its own." He gave me the same icy look Qiu Bulao had given earlier, making me shiver inside.
With the outside pressure temporarily lifted, Hao Wenming leaned on the table and glared at Lin Feng. "Don't target people from our First Division. Whoever wants to be that bait, it's on you and Qiu Bulao. I'm just saying — why can't you just guard properly?"
Hao's face showed mild anger, but Lin Feng laughed lightly. "Hao Wenming, what are you thinking? Would I really send one of our own as bait?" (When he said this, I saw Ruan Liang suddenly tremble for no reason, and his expression toward Lin Feng became unnatural.) Lin Feng then smiled and looked at me. "We are borrowing you for a bit. But you're not the bait. That's already arranged. Among us, your shooting skills are the best. Once the bait goes out," he paused, pointing toward the small window near the door, "you stay here and handle the wolf pack. Within this line of sight, nothing that moves should get away, right?"
Before I could answer, Sun Fatty had already figured out who the bait was. He looked toward the inner room, then turned back to Lin Feng with a smirk. "Director Lin, besides that little girl, who are you planning to choose between Stuttering Zhang and Fatty Huang? I'd say go with Fatty Huang. He doesn't say a word of truth, and those wolves outside probably have something to do with him. Anyway, you all don't like him, so throw him out. If the bait dies, that's your problem solved. If he's lucky and survives, and the big white wolf gets taken down, then at least the immediate problem's solved. Fatty Huang's the best choice — it's a win-win."
Lin Feng smiled at Sun Fatty. "You're interesting. Why didn't I notice this side of you before…" His words were cut off as the inner room door opened. Qiu Bulao came out first, followed by Huang Ran, Meng Qiqi, and Zhang Zhiyan, all handcuffed with two pairs of handcuffs. The white-haired Yang Jun and Gao Liang came out last.
…
Lin Feng saw them come out and no longer paid attention to Sun Fatty. Instead, he returned to the window without a word, stuck the muzzle of his gun outside, and began firing blindly without even aiming. In no time, he emptied more than half a magazine. Then he turned around and said to no one in particular, "Hey, someone, give me some ammo." As soon as he spoke, Sun Fatty, Po Jun, and I all instinctively lowered our heads. Lin Feng extended his hand, but no one responded. Just as he was about to fetch more ammunition himself, Ruan Liang, unable to bear it any longer, handed him a standard magazine.
Gao Liang paid Lin Feng no attention. Instead, he turned to Hao Wenming and said, "Take off their handcuffs. Meng Qiqi is going out." The room fell into stunned silence. No one had expected that Old Qiu's conversation would produce such a direct result. The three remaining individuals each had different expressions—Huang Ran kept his head down, silent, as if none of this concerned him. Meng Qiqi, on the other hand, casually extended her cuffed wrists to Hao Wenming for him to unlock. Zhang Zhiyan wanted to protest but became increasingly flustered. He tilted his head, squinted hard, and after a long effort could only stammer out, "Qi… qi… qi…"
Director Hugo's face darkened; he was the first to react. "Are you people insane? Sending a woman out as bait for a pack of wolves? That's something only the devil would do. For God's sake, stop this madness!" Sun Fatty chimed in flatly, "And what about Fatty Huang and Stutter Zhang? Why are those two in the back shouting encouragement?"
Huang Ran raised his head at that, glanced briefly at Sun Fatty, then lowered it again. In that instant, a flicker of helplessness crossed his face. Zhang Zhiyan's face flushed red. After struggling for a while, he finally stomped his foot and blurted out a full sentence: "Qi… Qi can't go!" Gao Liang smiled and asked, "If not Meng Qiqi, then who should go as bait?" Zhang Zhiyan didn't answer directly but turned to stare straight at Huang Ran.
Huang Ran kept his head down, feigning ignorance. He was playing it cool—so long as no name was spoken, he could pretend the accusation wasn't aimed at him. Finally, Meng Qiqi grew impatient. "Enough with the nonsense, alright? Is this the time to argue about being bait? Give me back my stuff. This has nothing to do with any of you."
Zhang Zhiyan stomped again, "Qi…" Meng Qiqi waved him off in annoyance, "If you can't speak, then don't. Listen, I'll say this one last time: at the beginning of the year, Blind Jin predicted my fortune. This year, my star is under Sirius, with the Wuqu star lending its power, and a great benefactor to assist. Except for the benefactor not having shown up yet, everything else has come true. Plus, he said I'll live to seventy-six—seventy-six! What do I have to be afraid of?" With that, she turned to Gao Liang and said, "Return my belongings. Don't mess up the timing of Wuqu star lending its power."
Gao Liang's smile faded. After glancing at Huang Ran, who still didn't react, he said to Hao Wenming, "Give her things back." Hao nodded and went into the right room to retrieve Meng Qiqi's belongings.
Sun Fatty shook his head and whispered to Director Gao, "You're seriously letting her go? Gao, you actually believe in fortune-telling? I'm telling you, superstition kills." Gao Liang snorted, gritting his teeth, "What you're doing is superstition…"
The Bureau's archives contain profiles of individuals like this, but I'd never paid much attention to names. Too late to regret that now. Fortunately, someone nearby was in the know. I leaned toward Po Jun and whispered, "Dajun, who's Blind Jin? Is he with the Religious Affairs Commission?" Po Jun replied, "No, he's not affiliated with the Commission. And he's not blind—he just always wears sunglasses. Down south they call him Blind Jin, up north, he's known as Jin Xiezi. Very few people know his real name. Jin Xiezi is a highly skilled diviner and feng shui master, freakishly accurate. Director Gao tried to recruit him once, but he was too expensive, so it didn't work out. These days, Macau casinos sponsor him as a feng shui consultant, and he rarely tells fortunes. Never thought Meng Qiqi would've crossed paths with him."
No wonder Meng Qiqi was so willing to act as bait, and Gao Liang didn't object. At that point, she had already sorted and equipped herself with all her belongings. I checked my gear, and Sun Fatty handed me the remaining red-marked magazines from him and Po Jun.
Just as Gao Liang was about to order us to move the table, Ruan Liang, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke: "You're not seriously sending this young lady out as wolf bait, are you? Even if she were a drug trafficker, that'd be too much." When no one answered, Ruan Liang walked over to Lin Feng and said, "We don't need to go out at all. Let's just stay inside. The local forestry folks told me this is a wolf pack. If we make it through the night, they'll retreat at sunrise."
Lin Feng didn't want to argue but was irritated enough to respond. "Those out there aren't ordinary wolves. If we hole up and play defense too long, something will go wrong."
"We could fall back to the underground warehouse," Ruan Liang suggested. "The hatch opens downward—wolves can't push it open. The entrance is small, and even if they manage to force it open, we can seal it again after shooting a few of them. One rifle would be enough to hold the line." As he spoke, he pointed to the floor near the right room.
"There's an underground warehouse here? Why didn't you mention this earlier?" Gao Liang's expression darkened. He pulled Ruan Liang over. "Why's there an underground warehouse beneath this building? What's stored inside?"
Ruan Liang scratched his head. "This outpost used to be a military transit station. Important supplies were stored below. After the post was converted, the main entrance was sealed. Only a personnel hatch remained, which we now use as a cellar."
Gao Liang glanced in the direction he indicated, then turned back sharply. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"
Ruan Liang forced a bitter smile. "The station might reopen someday. It's a military secret. If that girl hadn't volunteered to be bait, I wouldn't have said anything until the last moment."
Gao Liang thought for a moment, looked down, then pointed at Meng Qiqi's pile of belongings and said to Hao Wenming, "Take her gear back for now." Then he called me over and pointed at Ruan Liang. "Shen La, go check out the warehouse with him."
I nodded and followed the two of them to the spot. Ruan Liang pulled aside a tarp that had been spread like a floor mat, revealing a recessed metal hatch. It had an embedded lock and a side handle.
I squatted and pulled the handle. As expected, the hatch was firmly locked. I stood up and said, "It's locked. Use a key."
Ruan Liang looked embarrassed. "No key." Seeing Gao Liang frown, he quickly explained, "You think someone like me gets a key to a strategic supply warehouse? That kind of key stays with the military escorts and must be returned immediately. I only went down once with a superior during inspection."
He hesitated, then added, "Aren't you all from the Bureau? Can't even open a lock?"
That line felt off. I replied, "We're not thieves. None of us can pick locks… Da Sheng, come over here."
Halfway through, I remembered Sun Fatty had that skill.
He'd been listening and strolled over. Squatting by the hatch, he glanced at the lock and sneered, "Domestic embedded multi-sided lock. Obsolete junk."
Gao Liang asked, "Old or not, can you open it?"
Sun Fatty took another look. "Honestly, I could open this with a piece of dried noodle."
He was exaggerating, of course. Still, with just two iron wires—one long, one short—inserted into the keyhole, he twisted them skillfully. Less than two minutes later, click. He lifted the handle and pulled the hatch open.
He stepped aside and motioned. I leaned in for a look. It was pitch black below, but my innate ability allowed me to make out a narrow, winding staircase.
Gao Liang looked too, but the hatch was too small. After observing for a while, he said, "You and Ruan Liang go down first and scout it out. See if it's suitable for shelter. Shen La, since you're not familiar with the place, let him lead."
Ruan Liang had no objections. He pulled a military flashlight from his pack and descended first. Before I followed, Sun Fatty handed me a flashlight. I didn't plan to take it, but he whispered, "Just for show. Flash it around sometimes. Don't let him realize you're… different." I took the flashlight, turned it on, and followed Ruan Liang down.