Fang Xiu stopped the car, looked all around, and frowned. There was no one there. 

He was wearing a dark jacket and a slightly old-fashioned pair of sunglasses. As low-key as possible, he parked the car by the side of the road and rolled down the window. His eyes glanced over the crowd hurriedly coming and going. He saw nothing unusual. 

The communication from headquarters had been cut off for unknown reasons, so he had a bad feeling. He put a cigarette in his mouth and touched the guns hidden at his waist and under his pant leg. He opened the car door and got out. He walked into a newsstand and pretended to flip through a magazine, glancing out of the corner of his eye from behind the sunglasses, sizing up the crowd. 

Just then, a payphone next to him rang. Fang Xiu stared. He didn’t move. 

The phone rang for a moment, and then the caller hung up. He deliberately lingered for a while longer, flipping through a military magazine and beginning to chat with the proprietor. After a moment, the payphone rang again. He closed his eyes, got out his wallet, and bought a newspaper. He turned and squeezed between two people who were also buying newspapers and picked up the phone. “Hello?” 

“It’s me,” Hu Bugui’s voice came from the phone. “The plan has changed. Is there anyone following you?” 

Fang Xiu paused. “I haven’t found anyone at present.” 

“Did you drive?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Leave the car. You have a single-use phone card on you right now. Change to it and give me the number. Then go to the nearest subway station. I’ll tell you where to go.” 

A field agent was always prepared for this kind of thing. Fang Xiu didn’t waste words. He immediately gave him the number. He didn’t ask why they had suddenly changed places or broken off the connection. No communication equipment was completely hidden. They could be overheard anytime by the other side using all kinds of means. 

As he transferred from one means of transport to another, Fang Xiu kept his phone in his pocket and didn’t take it out. He had his earbuds in his ears. He didn’t need to respond; he only needed to act according to orders. 

Fang Xiu could sense that though Hu Bugui’s voice sounded pretty calm, it was graver than at any time before. He couldn’t resist being a little perturbed. What was going on? Had the communication equipment from headquarters been bugged? What had they been doing all this time? 

The omnipresent wanted notices in the papers the last few days hadn’t had specific photos of the RZ Unit’s members, but Zheng Wan’s photo had been published. The claim was that they were a criminal gang roaming over the whole country, illegally selling human organs. Zheng Wan meanwhile had been called a missing person. Why not directly mention the RZ Unit by name? Was it because people above were protecting the RZ Unit, or was it because Zheng Qinghua knew that he couldn’t appear in public view? 

If they couldn’t appear in public view, what was it that had made all the countries’ governments shut their eyes and stop their ears? What benefits had Utopia given them? 

“Leave the station,” Hu Bugui’s voice came over the earbuds. 

Fang Xiu turned and left the subway, finally picking up the phone. “What’s going on? Have you been spotted? Has the new comms system been tapped?” 

Hu Bugui gave an affirmative and didn’t explain. 

Next, Fang Xiu asked, “What’s your situation now? Are you safe?” 

“Don’t worry,” said Hu Bugui. 

Fang Xiu nodded and left the station as he had said. When he had reached the entrance, he seemed to remember something. He resisted, but after a while he couldn’t resist anymore. He asked, “How is Chang Dou? I saw that he wasn’t with you then… Of course I don’t mean anything by it, just that that brat’s experience is limited. I’m afraid he won’t even know to have a backup phone ready…” 

Fang Xiu’s speech paused. He had heard a laugh come from the other end. For a moment, he couldn’t tell whose it was. There was no one but Su Qing who could be so improper when it was time to be serious, but…Su Qing was already standing in front of him. 

Su Qing was thickly bundled up, seeming not to find it too warm. He hadn’t made any adjustments to his face, and he was standing in a particularly noticeable place. He looked like he was waiting for someone and refused to be distracted. But the clothes he was wearing, the high collar turned up to his chin, and the rose earrings in his earlobes visible under his soft hair all unfailingly gave off a heavily alluring air. 

Fang Xiu found that it wasn’t that he hadn’t made adjustments to his outward appearance, it was that he had adjusted it in the direction of a peacock—many people passing by took another look at him. As though he was afraid of not attracting an audience, he even smiled at everyone who looked at him, as though he had simply gone out on purpose to flirt.

Fang Xiu’s steps paused. Then he walked over to him. Su Qing didn’t look at him, only pretended to pick up a phone call. He brought his phone to his ear, then turned around and crossed the street. Fang Xiu didn’t speak to him. He followed about ten meters behind him. 

Only when the two of them had walked into a little alley did Su Qing take off his coat as he walked, revealing a form-fitting cropped jacket underneath. He picked up a parcel by his feet and tossed it to Fang Xiu. Fang Xiu reached out to catch it and found that there were clothes inside. He understood what Su Qing meant and quickly changed. The two of them made countless turns in the little alleys. When they came out again, they had completely changed their appearances. 

Only then did Fang Xiu see that vehicle at the corner—the vehicle Hu Bugui had sent a photo of over the communicator. It had a huge freight carriage behind it. Then, as if finally relaxing, Su Qing walked up beside him and put an arm around his shoulder, very forcefully slapping him twice. “You’re back.” 

Fang Xiu also relaxed. “Fuck, you people, carting around a corpse and fleeing all over, that’s really something.” 

Su Qing smiled. 

Fang Xiu punched him in the chest. “Fine, that’s enough affection. It won’t be good if Captain Hu sees. You’re a family man, restrain yourself a little.” 

When he followed Su Qing into the truck, he found that there was no one inside but the two of them. He couldn’t resist turning to look at him. He asked, “Are they in the carriage behind?” 

Su Qing had already slowly driven the truck away. He shook his head. “No.” 

Fang Xiu stared. Su Qing looked at him in the rearview mirror and quietly said, “Our comms system is being monitored. We have to be a little more careful.” 

“What’s going on?” 

“We’re investigating it now.” Su Qing didn’t go on to explain. He picked up a phone and dialed a number. “We’ve passed Area 1.” 

“OK, I’ve got it,” Fang Xiu heard Hu Bugui say. “I’ve picked up Chang Dou.” 

At this point, 11235 had already scoured the whole city proper following a signal. He couldn’t resist displaying a trace of interest on his face. He said over the comms, “Hey, it seems you’ve been suspected.” 

The other person didn’t answer. It seemed that they were still acting according to instructions. 

After a moment, he received a text message: “I’ve seen the truck.” 

“The one that bowl woman’s body is in¹?” 11235 raised his eyebrows and suddenly asked, “Are your people all there? When you get in the truck, find an opportunity to tell me. It’s fine, I have a way to follow your signal.” 

Three minutes later came a third text message. “Strange, there’s only me and the person picking me up in the truck.” 

11235 gave an “ah” and laughed quietly. “What’s strange about that? They’re dealing with all of you separately, testing which one of you is the traitor.” 

The fourth text message said: “Follow. Don’t alert them.” 

11235 laughed inscrutably and put a gun on his back. He cut off the communication and dialed another number on his phone. “Old swine, it’s me.” 

An aged voice came from the phone: “What is it?” 

“A spot of trouble. The other side has a master. They suspect your little swine.” 

“That’s not important, the important thing is Zheng Wan’s body. When you’re sure of the location, deploy personnel. No matter what, we need to get Zheng Wan’s body.” 

“Not important?” 11235 smiled grimly. “Old man, do you mean that if your little swine is found out, I don’t have to report, I can just execute on the spot?” 

The other person paused. The smile on 11235’s face grew larger and larger. After a while, the person quietly said, “You settle the matter as you see fit.” 

“Ah,” 11235 gave a short, emotional sigh and efficiently hung up the phone. A map popped up on the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose. A point of light was quickly moving forward along a highway. 

“There’s always a price to be paid.” 11235 sighed with the weariness of experience and shook his head. As though feeling that this still wasn’t enough, he added, “This is called, climb a thousand walls and you’ll fall off of one.” 

Meanwhile, after going through countless twists and turns, the RZ Unit’s core members had at last gathered together. Who knew how many of these huge trucks Hu Bugui and the others had prepared. As more people came, they weren’t allowed to sit in the cockpit. They got into the truck’s carriage. As soon as they walked in, they knew that this was the location that had been transmitted in the video in everyone’s collective recollections.

There was a woman on a dissection table with a white sheet over her. Only her face was revealed—close up, everyone could see that this was Zheng Wan. 

Chang Dou was squatting to one side, staring at Zheng Wan’s body as though staring at a dream partner, nearly salivating. If the occasion hadn’t been wrong, he really would have wanted to go over and start feeling around. 

Hu Bugui’s gaze swept over them. He quietly said, “We’re leaving here quickly. Su Qing, put up the shielding net.” 

The shielding net was a very crude, very powerful thing. Simply put, it was a pocket-sized edition of the shielding tool the blue seal base had used before. As soon as this thing was put up, all known communications signals would basically be cut off. 

That person tensed. They knew that their own communicator wasn’t turned off. 11235 must have heard these words. The shielding net would block the tracking signal. It would be for the best if he was fast enough…

Just when the vehicle had started, the people in the carriage suddenly shook. Apart from Zheng Wan, whose body was fastened to the dissection table, everyone bumped together. 

“Get out!” 

Apart from Chang Dou, none of them were unfamiliar with these circumstances. The others reacted quickly, each picking up weapons and hiding. Fang Xiu, apart from reacting quickly and picking up a weapon, also quickly picked up Chang Dou and, holding down his head, dragged him behind the truck’s carriage. 

One of the truck’s tires was shot. 

At the same time, the shielding net production device inside the carriage cried out sharply. Chang Dou whispered, “They’ve torn through the shielding net! They have a pulse disrupter!”  

Fang Xiu coldly said, “Shut up!” 

Just then, he at last understood what Su Qing had meant by their “comms system” being monitored. He had meant that one of the people who had taken part in the meeting that day had sold them out. 

But Su Qing began to laugh. He pressed a button on a remote in his hand. The truck’s covering suddenly folded down. The instruments inside, the dissection platform, and the corpse were all revealed before the eyes of all the others, as well as a big group of armed people not far away wearing Utopia uniforms. 

He crushed the remote in his hand. Its microchip had a tiny energy hub hook on it. Su Qing’s fingers touched the silvery-white hook, and an enormous light leapt out from the truck’s carriage. A faint grid seemed to rise in the air, rising to the sky with the truck as the center, sweeping outwards. 

The Utopia personnel at the front of the group bore the brunt and overturned. There was a hail of gunshots. The RZ Unit really was going for no risk, no reward, and no pain, no gain this time. 

“That person” suddenly felt an unspeakable delight—they were only three steps away from Zheng Wan’s body. An opportunity like this wouldn’t come again. So they immediately took a step to the left, pressing the button of an air storage locker in their hand, which would make it convenient for them to carry away Zheng Wan’s body. Then they smoothly pressed down on the fasteners on the dissection table and pulled the sheet off her body…

But there was only Zhen Wan’s head on the dissection table. Beneath it was a plastic mannequin body. 

11235’s lenses recorded this image with importance. A slightly strange smile appeared at the corners of his lips. “Ah, as expected, you’ve been duped.” 

Then a bullet broke through the air, passing right through the back of that person’s head to the forehead. 

Dead in one shot. 

The last expression on Xue Xiaolu’s face was disbelieving astonishment. 

The other remote in Hu Bugui’s hand was also crushed. Everything around them began to shake violently. It seemed they had been prepared—meanwhile, a truck quickly drove up from behind them. Kou Tong looked out the window and glanced expressionlessly at Xue Xiaolu and Zheng Wan’s head fallen to the ground. “Get in, we’re withdrawing.”