Chapter 92: Escape Window |
"Are you going there alone?"
It wasn't until Shi Rang picked up his suitcase that the Sheriff realized he wasn't joking.
"Has he gone mad?"
"You are just one person. How are you supposed to deal with the Bureau?"
"We have already waited three days, a little longer will not hurt. Wouldn't it be safer to wait for the Alliance to capture the entire third party?"
"What about the intel?"
The clamor of the Mini-Human townsfolk made the Sheriff's head buzz.
Without waiting for Jack to pass on a message, he took a powerful leap, jumping from the glass bowl on the coffee table onto Shi Rang's knee, then scrambled up his clothes.
He finally reached Shi Rang's ear just as the man zipped up his Hiking Backpack and stood.
"Are you kidding me? Do you even have any counter-surveillance experience? They probably just changed their vantage points. You will not make it far before someone knocks you out with a baton and kidnaps you! Besides, you have no idea if she is even in that so-called—"
In response, Shi Rang merely asked the Mini-Humans to climb down from him.
There would be no outside help on this trip. He would face the threats of the Bureau and the third party completely alone. He could be captured, killed, contained, or end up implicating all the Mini-Humans...
It was time to set off.
Once he made up his mind about something, no one could persuade him otherwise.
He was not going to reveal his secrets completely to the Mini-Humans, explain everything in detail, and seek their permission.
Faced with his icy resolve, the Sheriff had no choice but to back down.
"Stay safe, and do not push your luck."
The Sheriff then floated back down to the coffee table and ordered the Commanders of a Hundred to maintain order and conduct a roll call for all the townsfolk.
"Thank you."
Shi Rang checked one last time to ensure the food and curtains were exactly where they needed to be. He waved at them, grabbed his suitcase, left the apartment, and slipped into the Fire Escape.
Sector 257 was about 120 kilometers away from his home. It would only take three hours by taxi, which was no farther than the tourist destination where he and Ying Shang had gone for their honeymoon.
The intel Shi Rang had passed on yielded rich results. Scarlett, who was responsible for liaising with him, sent back an encrypted email the very same day she pieced together the bait information. She confirmed that there were indeed some strange anomalies in Yunling City. The Alliance would dispatch a few Special Commissioners over, and she also warned Shi Rang and his informants to stay safe.
It only took the Alliance a single day to verify the lockdown situation in the Yunling New District. Just as expected, they were extremely interested in any information related to the Bureau.
Now that two days had passed, they might very well initiate their operation tonight.
To reward Shi Rang, the Alliance would present him with a Medal of honor during their next rendezvous, along with a more secure communication device.
This proved that the New World Society backing Deer Hunter had drawn the Alliance's attention—their genuine, undivided attention.
A clever Spy could never compare to the significance of a well-established, intricate organization. The latter's utility was boundless.
Additionally, Scarlett had specifically instructed him "not to toss her this kind of garbage street-thug intel without processing it first next time." Shi Rang chose to ignore that.
It just meant he was playing his First Persona perfectly.
He would just have to work twice as hard later.
For now, he pushed all thoughts of espionage out of his mind.
A few minutes ago, the Mini-Humans' Reconnaissance Post had spotted an Alliance patrol vehicle circling the vicinity—likely sent to protect him. The fake thugs who had been tailing him immediately fled. Seizing this brief window, Shi Rang grabbed his pre-packed luggage and made his move.
He knew a safe route. He had taken it once before when escaping the Yunling New District, and he could take it again now.
Shi Rang knew very well that he was no elite secret agent, but the unexpected had happened entirely too fast.
He had originally leaned toward the theory that Ying Shang was kidnapped by a third party, but the audio records pointed straight to the Bureau. Once he drew the high-level attention of the Alliance, he would inevitably be subjected to heavy surveillance. By then, even if the third party was eradicated, going to Sector 257 to search for her would be as difficult as scaling the heavens.
The Alliance could be manipulated into dealing with the third party, but it was impossible for them to openly clash with the Bureau just for his sake.
He would be trapped by the very "momentum" he had manufactured, deviating from his original intentions, left with no choice but to continue fabricating the movements of the New World Society.
He had to act immediately, before the Alliance formally decided to absorb the New World Society.
In the Fire Escape, Shi Rang donned his Sunglasses, Sun Protective Face Mask, and Baseball Cap. He slipped out of the Apartment Building, choosing a side gate he rarely used to exit the residential compound. Relying on his familiarity with Yunling City, he ducked into narrow, unmonitored alleys, weaving through the backstreets until he finally boarded the notoriously unpunctual Public Transportation.
He boarded and disembarked prematurely time and time again, transferring stations and changing directions, constantly moving away from his actual destination. Eventually, he caught the Last Passenger Bus and made it out of the city.
The late-night bus departed shortly after he got on. The three other passengers on board did not even glance his way when he boarded. Shi Rang carried his suitcase to the very back, hugging his backpack as he leaned against the window.
Before long, Yunling City transformed into a distant Steel Forest beneath the indigo night sky. The main highway leading out of the city was mostly occupied by vehicles heading back in.
'I hope I shook off that third party.'
This was not the exact bus he needed to take to reach the facility in Sector 257—things could never be that perfectly convenient. Shi Rang would have to get off in a little while and hail a cab to drop him near his final destination.
If he could not find a cab... he would cross that bridge when he came to it.
Before setting out, he had prepared contingencies for all three factions. He could reveal his identity as a Spy to the Alliance; he could pose as an employee to the Bureau personnel; he could use the data in his head to maneuver around the third party. But theory was just theory. Plans could never keep up with changes; he could only take it one step at a time.
Hasty and high-risk—his plans always seemed to end up in this sort of state.
But this was the only way. He could not connect directly into the interiors of those large and small facilities through the Terminal Station. He had to physically go there and act as the signal source to establish a "connection."
He had already waited two years for this clue. He refused to wait any longer.
The mobile phone against his chest suddenly began to vibrate.
'Who would be calling me?'
'Could it be the third party calling to threaten me?'
Shi Rang took out the phone. The screen displayed a large name: "Angie".
The moment he pressed accept, Angie's fury erupted from the phone's speaker.
"Senior Journalist, where are you?" Angie sounded out of breath. "You are truly amazing. Last time you ignored my messages, and this time you are just flat out not at home?"
The last time Ying Shang's good friend had visited, she brought Shi Rang the clue about Grey Dog.
After that, Shi Rang's life had spiraled into complete chaos, and he completely forgot about updating Angie.
Thinking of the three hundred-plus tenants living in his apartment, Shi Rang could not help but feel a twinge of guilt.
The Mini-Humans had probably been terrified out of their wits by Angie's knocking.
"Why are you at my door?"
"Why don't you take a look at what you have done? I didn't give you the intel on that Thief so you could go pick a life-or-death fight with them! Wouldn't it have been better to just trail behind the Police and pick up the photographs? You even had the Newspaper Office run a report! Do you have any idea that Blue Signal might come looking for you? If you go off on some secret operation again, you might just walk right into their ambush—where are you right now?"
"I have already resigned."
Those words from Shi Rang instantly silenced Angie.
A moment later, he added, "I quit right after publishing the report."
"...Oh. Uh, so, you... you just went out to grab a bite?"
"Something like that."
"Then what was the point of me rushing all the way over here... Fine. As long as you aren't doing anything stupid. A new gang has entered the city, so things might not be very peaceful recently."
'A new gang?' Shi Rang's heart skipped a beat.
"What new gang?"
"None of your business, 'Ordinary Citizen Mr. Shi.' Just stay indoors lately—especially tonight. In case a gunfight breaks out or something... I have to go. Watch your back."
Angie hung up the phone.
Shi Rang clicked the phone screen off, staring at his own reflection on the darkened glass.
The news regarding the Pingyuan City massacre only mentioned that a journalist had gone undercover to expose the crimes. Since Angie had given him the intel just a few days prior to the incident, she undoubtedly knew that was complete nonsense.
How did she know he had put himself in danger back then?
Ying Shang and Angie had been inseparable during their university days, but Shi Rang and Angie were merely acquaintances. Because she disliked his introverted personality and constantly whispered in Ying Shang's ear about it, he used to hold quite a grudge against her. It was only Ying Shang's disappearance that forced them onto the same front.
Angie had studied a humanities major and seemed to have worked as a clerk in some agency. After Ying Shang vanished, she, like Shi Rang, had changed jobs to search for her. However, Shi Rang had never asked what exactly her new job entailed.
Looking back, Angie always came straight to his door whenever she needed to find him.
She never discussed specifics over the phone. Not only did she come and go in a hurry, but she also strictly used the Fire Escape. Furthermore, the information she provided was far beyond what any ordinary person could obtain.
The intel she offered had steered Shi Rang's investigation toward Pingyuan City, and he just so happened to encounter an Alliance strike team while he was there. All these signs and details piled up before Shi Rang's eyes, piecing together an unbelievable answer.
It seemed that everyone who cared about Ying Shang had been dragged into "another unknown world."
Angie was a Special Commissioner for the Pan-Continent Alliance.