The protest outside Silver Circle's Eastern Office reached ten thousand by noon.
By two p.m., riot gear was deployed.
By three, news anchors started speaking in code—calling the protest "unauthorized civil assembly" instead of a movement.
And by dusk, someone important disappeared.
6:44 p.m. – Outside the Nanshui Library
Qian Juxiao was last seen walking alone after delivering a cache drive to an independent broadcaster.
CCTV footage cut halfway through the sidewalk. A black van. No plates.
Gone.
No ransom. No message. Just silence.
Crimson Circle HQ – Upper Balcony
Guo Yuwei slammed the report onto the table. "This is retaliation. Luo's pulling people off the board."
Xu Shanyue stared down at the city, her eyes unreadable.
"She's the first," Guo growled. "There will be more."
Xu nodded slowly. "Unless someone makes a move bold enough to stop him before he feels safe."
Guo blinked. "You mean Lin Feng?"
"No," she said. "I mean me."
Underground Safehouse – Location Withheld
Lin Feng read the text three times.
"Qian. Taken. No trace."
For a moment, the room froze.
Su Qingyue's breath hitched, and even Mouse—the most irreverent of them all—looked pale.
"Don't tell me to calm down," Su snapped. "She's one of ours. We don't just let people vanish."
Lin Feng's voice was quiet, but iron.
"We're not letting it go."
He pulled a folded sheet from his coat—another old tunnel map, marked with old police safe routes and one handwritten note:
"Sector K-9. Emergency transfer corridors. If they're smart, they'll use that route to avoid trace."
Mouse leaned in. "Wait... you think she's still underground?"
Lin Feng nodded. "Not gone. Just moved. They're still hiding her. That means there's time."
Su Qingyue looked at him. "You're going in, aren't you."
"I built this game," Lin Feng replied. "I'll play it to the end."
Luo Zixuan's Private Study – That Night
Greycoat entered, calm as always.
"She's secured. Transfer scheduled in 48 hours."
Luo didn't look up from his whiskey.
"She's bait," he said. "Lin Feng won't stay quiet. And when he comes to rescue her... we bury them both."
He set down his glass.
"Make sure the cameras are working. The city will need a villain."
Greycoat frowned. "You want to broadcast his fall?"
Luo smiled.
"No. I want them to cheer when he breaks."