Lin Yaying paced back and forth inside the train car, and when Wang Ailin finally woke up, it had been half an hour.
"Ms. Wang Ailin, you’ve finally woken up," said Lin Yaying.
She observed the Asian girl in front of her, dressed only in a white tank top and underwear, her pale thighs turned inward and her slightly red knees touching, her body covered in cold sweat.
"What are you going to... do?" Wang Ailin’s voice trembled.
"You’ve been pretending to be asleep all this time, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand," Lin Yaying said.
"You noticed?" Wang Ailin was somewhat surprised.
"It was hard not to notice... Your breathing was rushed; that’s not how someone sleeps. You look very nervous, but there’s no need to be; I’m here to recruit you, not to hurt you," Lin Yaying patiently explained.
"Recruit...?" Wang Ailin was confused.
Lin Yaying glanced at the other people inside the train car and said, "Gentlemen, could you give us two ladies a moment alone, please?"
"What about our money?" the kidnapper asked.
"Right this way," the bald man standing next to Lin Yaying said, casting a disdainful glance at the kidnapper.
"Say whatever you want... we’re going," the kidnapper turned to his partner, not bothering to argue with the bald man, and wisely left through the train car door.
As the bald man left, he looked at Lin Yaying, as if confirming something, and Lin Yaying nodded before turning her attention back to Wang Ailin.
"Bang." The train car door shut again.
"Alright, now it’s just the two of us," Lin Yaying said as she pulled out a folding knife and approached Wang Ailin.
Wang Ailin, watching the sharp blade, squinted her eyes in fear, thinking Lin Yaying was going to torture her.
Wang Ailin tensed her body, bracing for pain, but nothing happened. When she opened her eyes again, she saw that Lin Yaying hadn’t hurt her; instead, she cut the ropes around her wrists.
"I thought this might make you more comfortable. Look, we should really talk and clear up the misunderstandings between us," Lin Yaying said.
"Who are you? What do you want me to do for you?" Wang Ailin rubbed her wrists.
"My name is Lin Yaying, and I come from a place you cannot understand, far from you, yet not unreachable," Lin Yaying answered.
"If I can’t understand, Ms. Lin, then I can’t help you. Clearly, you think I can understand, which is why you’re here, right?" Wang Ailin said.
"Right now, you might not understand, but you will understand in the future... It’s because I’ve seen what you become that I sought you out now," Lin Yaying explained.
"You mean... you come from the future...?" Wang Ailin asked.
Lin Yaying reached out to touch Wang Ailin’s cheek, and with a smile, asked, "Do you know the sexiest part of your body?"
"Um... my back?" Wang Ailin guessed.
"No, it’s your brain," Lin Yaying smiled.
Diana, utterly clueless, didn’t want to return to Opportunity City immediately; she had a feeling that Wang Ailin was waiting for her, and she couldn’t go back yet.
However, it was already 3 PM. Watching the busy pedestrians and the flowing traffic, the bustling city seemed even more alive, making the girl from the desolate Opportunity City feel out of place.
Wandering around aimlessly didn’t make any sense, so Diana decided to seek help from the Administration Bureau. After some thought, she opted to overstep her bounds and directly ask Steve for help.
Steve was organizing his thoughts at the command center of the Opportunity City Administration Bureau when he received Diana’s call. He left the command room and went to the restroom to take the call.
"Diana? Are you planning to come back to Opportunity City now? You’re one of the assassins’ targets; it’s safest at the Administration Bureau," Steve said.
"I’m sorry, Steve, I can’t come back yet; I haven’t found Wang Ailin. I need your help now," Diana said.
"Listen, Diana, I’d love to help, but everyone on the list needs assistance, and summoning them hasn’t yielded any results. You should come back and plan for the long term," Steve advised.
"No, I don’t want to find her only to find she has turned into a corpse. That’s not what I want." Diana paused, then continued, "Can you use the Administration Bureau’s spy satellites and intelligence network to find Wang Ailin?"
"What are you talking about? Diana, that’s not something I can decide. Only the chairman of the Administration Bureau has the authority to decide on such matters," Steve explained.
"Can you help me with this?" Diana asked.
"I... I don’t know. I can only try to help you, but it’s unlikely that the chairman would use a national defense-grade satellite for a researcher," Steve said.
"Wang Ailin is not an ordinary researcher," Diana stated.
"That satellite is also not an ordinary spy satellite," Steve responded.
Diana didn’t speak; Steve was right. The Administration Bureau’s spy satellites were not intended for finding people but for monitoring Spirit Explosion Areas. The satellite network tracked dangerous Spiritual Energy sealed areas, including perilous inner seas and uninhabited deep mountains, 24 hours a day.
"I’ll ask for you... Diana, where are you right now?" Steve asked.
"I’m... hold on..." Diana looked around and saw a bus stop, then glanced at the sign.
"I’m at Brunklin South Station, near a bookstore," Diana said.
"Good, why not find a place to sit and wait? I’ll call you after I’ve spoken to the chairman," Steve suggested.
"Thank you, Steve," Diana said, but she held little hope.
After ending the call, Steve looked at his phone with furrowed brows. He pulled out another phone, opened the contact list, and dialed a number.
A few seconds later, the call connected.
Steve said, "At Brunklin South Station, near the bookstore, don’t mess this up this time."
After hanging up, Steve finally left the restroom.
Lucina leaned against the wall, staring at the empty chair in front of her while stuffing chips into her mouth, waiting for Chen Ke to reappear.
But the night passed, and Chen Ke didn’t return.
"It’s only been one night and one morning..." Lucina muttered to herself.
"He used to disappear suddenly for a while, then just as suddenly reappear," Lucina tossed aside the chip bag.
"This time, he only disappeared in front of me... Maybe it was always before," Lucina sighed.
"But his departure this time was so tense," Lucina clenched her fists and rolled out of bed.
The safe house was as empty as ever, but this time, Lucina felt an extraordinary emptiness.
Knock, knock, knock...
There was a knock at the door.
"Ha! I knew it!" Lucina exclaimed, quickly running to open the door.
Standing outside was a worker from the fish farm, his brows furrowed and his eyes filled with tension.
"What’s up?" Lucina felt a chill.
"Somebody is looking for Chen Ke... said they’re from the Administration Bureau," the worker whispered quietly.
Lucina also tensed up, her eyes involuntarily glancing at the pistol on the table behind her.