The footsteps outside approached in a chaotic, disorderly manner.
Chu You could clearly hear the security officers at the Safe Department opening lockers one by one, inspecting them.
“Don’t leave any small storage lockers unchecked—search every one thoroughly!”
“Maybe it’s some kind of Shanyu’er who can shrink their body… Stay sharp, the Director said he’ll be back soon.”
“Report! Minister Lin is not in his office.”
“Not here? Forget it, no time to report. Gather the team and lock down the building immediately.”
The voices grew louder and closer.
The next moment, the unmistakable sound of metal scraping rang almost right ‘in front’ of them.
Inside the hidden space, Chu You pressed her body tightly against Lin Mo’s, deliberately suppressing even the slightest breath.
Outside the row of lockers, the Safe Department officer frowned slightly—the last locker had been searched, yet the intruder still hadn’t been found.
Could it be a Shanyu’er who can phase through walls or become invisible?
But the underground storage’s walls were embedded with Shanyu interference materials; unless the Shanyu’er was at least of the Erosion Moon rank, penetration was impossible.
Invisibility was even less likely.
The thermal sensing devices in the circular corridor were not just for show.
The officer stood before the opened locker, pondering for a long time but still couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation.
Inside the secret space, Chu You’s feelings grew increasingly uneasy.
The material of the “Silent Walker” suit was as thin as cicada wings, so… the warmth radiating from Lin Mo’s chest was distinctly perceptible, and Chu You felt her ears burning hot, overwhelmed by the shame of feeling as if she were wearing nothing while being held by Lin Mo.
Especially, an indescribable strange emotion was sprouting and spreading inside her heart.
This was a feeling Chu You had never experienced since she transmigrated.
Although the cramped space was pitch black, she slowly turned her face away, trying to avoid that burning gaze she could sense even in the darkness.
At this moment, Lin Mo’s heartbeat was also unusually fast.
Though Chu You’s body was stiff with tension, the softness of her form in his arms made him feel… reluctant to let go.
An intangible, sticky atmosphere spread between them.
Lin Mo instinctively licked his suddenly dry lips, deliberately slowing his breathing—each inhale felt like drowning in the faint scent drifting from Chu You’s hair and neck.
He lowered his head slightly, warm breath brushing the sensitive skin behind her ear. “Don’t move.”
Feeling the slight trembling of the body in his arms, Lin Mo almost whispered, his voice low and hoarse, “They’re still here.”
Chu You pursed her lips; her palms, pressed against the tight suit, were soaked in cold sweat, her breath burning hot as she struggled to control her trembling.
This sensation was peculiar.
At least for Lin Mo, every subtle change in Chu You’s body made his heart race uncontrollably.
Almost instinctively, Lin Mo’s hand on her waist gently stroked.
That motion made Chu You’s breath hitch; she tightened her grip on Lin Mo’s clothes, then lightly bumped his chest with her forehead in mild protest.
In the darkness, Lin Mo’s Adam’s apple bobbed; he dared not move further.
Just then, a noisy exchange of voices and footsteps approached from afar, accompanied by several respectful “Director” addresses, clearly penetrating the hidden space.
Chu You instinctively held her breath—it was Zhao Dongyuan!
That guy was meticulous and obsessively detail-oriented, not someone easy to fool.
In the underground storage, Zhao Dongyuan, clad in a sharp Executioner’s uniform, wore a solemn expression, his sharp eyes scanning every corner of the room.
Finally, he stopped in front of the constant temperature storage cabinet, reached out, and opened the door, retrieving the metal box that stored the chameleon serum.
The lid opened slowly.
Zhao Dongyuan’s gaze fell on the empty slot inside, a flash of realization crossing his eyes—the serum was indeed missing.
But then, that realization was replaced by deeper confusion.
This prototype experimental serum, with extremely strong side effects, stolen… what exactly was the intention?
If it was for those embarrassing side effects, one could easily find black market drug stores with large quantities—cheap and safe.
Zhao Dongyuan couldn’t help but fall into thought.
Beside him, the officer who had arrived at the storage first cleared his throat and reported solemnly, “Director, we responded immediately after the alarm, quickly arriving from the first floor but found no abnormalities.”
“After descending the elevator, we split into pairs and carefully searched every corner, finding no Shanyu residue or any other traces.”
The officer paused, seemingly recalling something, then added, “Oh right, we sent someone to report to Minister Lin earlier, but he wasn’t in his office… When asked, the storage guard said the Minister had been here roughly twenty minutes ago but didn’t notice if he left afterward… Do you think the intruder might have run into Minister Lin? Could the Minister be in danger?”
At this, Zhao Dongyuan’s eyes narrowed slightly, silently pondering for a moment.
Then, he slowly turned to his subordinate, his tone even but carrying an unshakable certainty: “Who do you think Minister Lin is?”
Zhao Dongyuan’s voice rang sharply in the silent storage room.
“He’s the youngest Jinwu-class Executioner, known as ‘Number One Under the Scorching Sun’… How many people in Binhai could pose a threat to him?”
This was both an answer to his subordinate’s doubts and a way of convincing himself.
He gently placed the empty metal box back in its spot, closed the cabinet door with a crisp click.
“Continue locking down the building. Increase vigilance. Since we can’t find him, we’ll just wait for him to slip up.”
Zhao Dongyuan ordered, but his gaze swept over to the deepest row of lockers, his gray, misty left eye seeming even more profound than usual.
“Yes, Director!”
“Yes!”
“……”
The Safe Department officers immediately moved into action.
At this point, the number of personnel remaining in the underground storage dropped by more than half.
Zhao Dongyuan moved toward the deepest locker, finally standing firmly before it.
The next moment, he suddenly raised his hand, fingertips lightly touching an inconspicuous area in the middle of the locker.
Inside the hidden space, a glimmer of gold flashed deep in Lin Mo’s eyes—he instinctively tightened his arms around Chu You, staring into the darkness ahead, lost in thought.
“What kind of person could it be?”
Zhao Dongyuan’s voice echoed in front of the locker, faintly reaching the ears of the two inside the hidden space.
“A-Class Secret Security Gate. Without the Minister’s authorization, it cannot be opened at will…”
“But where could the Minister be right now?” Zhao Dongyuan muttered to himself, his tone full of puzzlement.
“Looks like we can’t just focus inward; more personnel need to be dispatched to search outside.”
His muttering abruptly stopped.
Immediately afterward, footsteps sounded, moving away from near to far.
Inside the hidden space, Chu You breathed a slight sigh of relief… judging by the sounds, Zhao Dongyuan must have left.
“Ah—”
At that moment, Lin Mo suddenly sighed.
Though it was pitch black, Chu You, upon hearing the sigh, slowly lifted her head.
“Zhao Dongyuan must have noticed something…” Lin Mo explained quietly.
“The A-Class Secret Security Gate he mentioned is right here. Behind us is the branch’s most important secret vault.
As the Director of the Safe Department, Zhao Dongyuan has the authority to open the hidden door in emergencies, but he didn’t do it.”
Hearing this, realization flickered in Chu You’s eyes as she lowered her voice: “…I get it. Earlier when he said to send people out to search, that was just for us to hear, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, to be precise, he said it for my sake.”
“Looks like that guy isn’t as rigid and serious as the rumors say. He can adapt after all.”
“Rumors are not always to be trusted.”
The two chatted lightly, their tension slowly easing.
Only then, with some relaxation, did Chu You notice a subtle, unusual awkwardness.
She gently bumped Lin Mo’s forehead, her tone puzzled: “You’re really cautious, huh? The illustrious Branch Director and Jinwu-class Executioner, yet you still carry a gun when you go out?”
Her words held a teasing, playful edge, seemingly to lighten the mood.
“Ahem…” Lin Mo was unusually silent, and after a while, awkwardly cleared his throat twice.
Chu You frowned slightly. “You…”
She stopped mid-sentence.
Wait, what?!
The next moment, Chu You suddenly sensed something in the darkness, her pupils trembling as shock mixed with embarrassment and disgust flickered across her expression.
“Lin… Mo!”
“You better put that damn thing away right now.”
“Or… you’re dead meat!”
LMAO. It is not a gun senior, not necessarily.