My childhood friend is in her mature, sophisticated form again today. - Chapter 52

“He will come.” Cheng Ran’s voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing something.

How did you know?

“Because today is Friday. Zhao Heng said that Echo would go to the mailroom every Friday afternoon. He hasn’t come for the past six days, which means he doesn’t come every day. So the probability of him coming today is high.”

Lin Jiqiu didn’t reply, shifting her gaze back to the hair salon. Raindrops drifted slanted into the half-open roller shutter door. The young woman stood up, pulled the door down a little, and then sat back down to continue playing on her phone.

Time ticked by. At 11:20, a black SUV pulled up in front of the mailroom. It wasn’t the black sedan from last week; the model was different, and the license plate was different too. But the person who got out was similar in build, wearing a dark jacket and carrying a black briefcase. He strode into the mailroom, spoke a few words to the young woman, took two packages from the shelf, put them in his briefcase, and turned to leave.

Lin Jiqiu’s fingers tightened slightly on the car door armrest. Cheng Ran raised his tablet, aiming the camera at the person’s face. The rain was too heavy; the image was unclear. The person got into the SUV, started the engine, and drove out of the parking space.

“Yes,” Lin Jiqiu said.

A-Zuo started his car and followed the SUV. The rain was getting heavier, and there were many cars on the road, making it difficult to keep up. A-Zuo maintained a distance of about fifty meters, not too close, not too far. The SUV made several turns, passed through several streets, and drove onto the elevated highway.

“He’s leaving the city.” Cheng Ran looked at the navigation on the tablet. “He’s heading north of the city.”

Lin Jiqiu looked out the car window; the wipers were whirring rapidly across the windshield, but the rain still blurred her vision. “He’s not going to the same neighborhood as last time.”

“Perhaps. Echo has more than one stronghold.”

The SUV drove on the elevated highway for about twenty minutes, then exited at the north exit and turned onto a cement road without any road signs. Large fields stretched out on both sides of the road, and in the distance were several gray-white buildings that looked like factories or warehouses. The SUV stopped in front of an iron gate and honked twice. The gate slowly opened, and the SUV drove in.

A-Zuo parked the car on the side of the road about 100 meters from the iron gate and turned off the engine. The rain was still falling, hitting the roof of the car with a dense pattering sound.

“Where is this place?” Lin Jiqiu looked at the iron gate. The wall was very high, with barbed wire on top, so the inside couldn’t be seen.

Cheng Ran picked up the tablet and pulled up a satellite map. “This area is the industrial zone in the north of the city, with many abandoned factories. The building inside this door isn’t marked on the map; it’s probably privately built.”

“Can we fly in and take a look?”

“The rain is too heavy. The bluebird’s ability to fly is limited in this kind of weather.”

Lin Jiqiu was silent for a few seconds. “Then let’s wait. Wait for the rain to stop, or wait for the people inside to come out.”

It rained all afternoon. Lin Jiqiu’s back was stiff from sitting in the car, and even after shifting her position several times, her legs were still numb. Cheng Ran kept looking at the tablet, and A Zuo had his eyes closed but wasn’t asleep. His breathing was shallow, and his ears were constantly twitching, listening to the sounds around him.

Around four o’clock in the afternoon, the rain finally subsided. The sky was still overcast with thick clouds, but the rain had turned into a misty vapor. Lin Jiqiu took her backpack from the back seat, unzipped it, and took out a small waterproof bag. She opened the waterproof bag; inside was Qingque.

No, it’s not a bluebird. It’s a new clone. It’s larger than a bluebird, with a wider wingspan and darker feathers—a deep gray that almost blends into the overcast sky. This was Cheng Ran’s suggestion—”a bird clone capable of short-distance flight in the rain.” She spent three days fine-tuning the new clone’s body structure, making it more water-resistant and more stable in flight.

“Are you ready?” Cheng Ran asked.

Lin Jiqiu nodded. She closed her eyes, took the new clone out of her backpack, and placed it by the car window. The clone flapped its wings, then flew out silently, gliding low over the wet ground, passing through the gap in the iron gate, and flying into the walled area.

Lin Jiqiu saw the scene inside through his clone’s vision. A large courtyard, paved with cement, with several cars parked there—the black SUV and two black sedans. At the far end of the courtyard was a two-story building with gray-white exterior walls; all the windows were closed, and the curtains were drawn tightly. On the side of the building was a tin shed, under which were piles of cardboard boxes and wooden frames.

The clone flew to the side of the building and slipped through a ventilation opening. Inside was a short corridor with two rooms on each side. At the end of the corridor was a door, light shining through its crack. The clone flew to the door, landed on the doorknob, and looked inside.

The room was small, furnished with a few tables and chairs. Files and cardboard boxes were piled on the tables, and a map was pasted on the wall, with several points marked in red. Two people were sitting in the room. One was the man who had picked up the package earlier that day; the other was an unfamiliar face—short hair, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a dark sweater. The two were talking.

“When will this batch of goods be shipped?” the man with glasses asked.

“Next Wednesday. The logistics have been arranged.”

“Where is the destination?”

“Same as last time. Three locations, developed separately.”

“Any news from Wenqu?”

“No. After Jingyuan closed, Wenqu went silent. They’re probably waiting for new instructions.”

“What about an echo?”

“Echo says it’s operating as usual. Money is still being transferred, and goods are still being shipped. We’re waiting for further instructions from above.”

Above “the top” and “Wenqu”. Above the echo is Jumen. Above Wenqu is Qixing.

The clone transmitted these words to Lin Jiqiu without missing a single one. She memorized every single word.

The man with glasses stood up, walked to the map on the wall, and pointed to a red dot. “The goods from this location had a problem last time. They were detained by customs for three days. Although they were eventually released, the risk is too high. I suggest changing the route.”

The person picking up the package thought for a moment. “Changing the route requires Echo’s approval. You write the report, and I’ll submit it.”

“good.”

The two men were silent for a moment. The man with glasses picked up a folder from the table and flipped through it. “There’s one more thing. Someone’s investigating our finances. Not the police, but an individual.”

Who is it?

“I don’t know. But the echo says that this person has already found the mailroom floor. We should be on high alert.”

The person picking up the package put down their pen. “Understood. I’ll arrange it.”

The clone paused for a moment, confirming there was no further information, then returned the way it came. It exited through the ventilation duct, flew across the yard, passed through the gap in the iron gate, and returned to the car.

Lin Jiqiu opened her eyes and put her clone into the waterproof bag. Cheng Ran looked at her. “What did you hear?”

“The echoes are still there. The cash flow is still running. They know someone is investigating, but they don’t know it’s us. Wenqu has fallen silent; after Jingyuan closed, Wenqu is waiting for new instructions.” She paused. “They have three shipping points, one of which had goods seized by customs.”

Cheng Ran recorded this information on the tablet. “Shipping point. It might be a node in the flow of funds.”

“It could also be a point of technology export.”

“Whatever it is, we need to find those three locations.”

Lin Jiqiu looked at the iron gate. “It’s marked with a red dot on the map, but I can’t see the exact location. My clone’s angle wasn’t good; it was blocked.”

“Can we go in one more time?”

“Not today. They’ve become more vigilant; sending too many clones in might get us discovered.”

Cheng Ran thought for a moment. “Let’s go back first. Organize the intelligence, and then decide on the next step.”

A-Zuo started the car, turned around, and drove back along the cement road. The rain had completely stopped, but the sky was still overcast. A sliver of light shone through the distant clouds, illuminating the wet farmland and reflecting a faint silver hue.

Lin Jiqiu leaned back in her seat, looking out the car window. The industrial area receded into the distance, finally disappearing from the rearview mirror. She closed her eyes, her mind replaying the conversation she had just overheard—”Someone is investigating our financial chain. Not the police, but an individual.” Not the police, but an individual. That person was her.

It was already dark when he returned to the office. Ayou was waiting at the entrance with an umbrella, but the rain had stopped. He watched the car pull up and came to greet him. “Boss, why are you so late today?”

“There’s been progress.” Lin Jiqiu got out of the car, changed his shoes, and walked into the office. Ayou followed behind, folding his umbrella and leaning against the door. Azuo went to park the car, and Chengran followed Lin Jiqiu inside.

Ayou went to the kitchen to get the dishes. Azuo returned quickly and sat down behind the counter. Lin Jiqiu sat on the sofa, and Cheng Ran sat opposite her. Ayou brought the dishes to the table: sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and tomato egg drop soup, all still steaming hot.

“Boss, let’s eat first.”

Lin Jiqiu picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of pork rib, chewed it twice, and swallowed it. “Chengran, can you trace those three shipping points?”

“Yes. Start with the ‘customs seizure’ mentioned in the conversation. Screen out the logistics companies whose goods have been seized by customs in the past three months and find those that are related to Beichen Zhiting. The scope won’t be too large.”

How long will it take?

“One or two days.”

Lin Jiqiu nodded and picked up another piece of pork rib.

Ayou stood to the side, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back. He turned and went back to the kitchen, bringing out two bowls of rice and placing them in front of Lin Jiqiu and Cheng Ran.

After finishing her meal, Lin Jiqiu went upstairs. She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind filled with the image of the bespectacled man standing before the map. Three red dots. One of them had been seized by customs. What were those goods? Technical equipment? Medicine? Or something else? She didn’t know. But the Echo was operating, funds were flowing, indicating that although a portion of the outer network of the Northern Star Court had been destroyed, its core was still functioning.

She turned over and pulled the photograph from under her pillow. Her father’s face was somewhat blurry in the lamplight. She thought of Master Yu, Zhao Heng, and the telescope. These people were all pawns of the Northern Star Court. She and Cheng Ran were too, but they, as pawns, were unwilling to play by the rules.

“Still not asleep?” Cheng Ran’s voice came through the communicator.

“I can’t sleep.”

“I’ve sifted through some of the customs records. Three logistics companies have had their goods detained in the past three months. The types of goods are different, but the delivery addresses all point to the same area.”

“where?”

“East of the city. Not far from Jingyuan.”

Lin Jiqiu sat up. “Another stronghold?”

“Maybe. I’ll go check it out tomorrow.”

“good.”

She put down the communicator and lay back down on the bed. The ball on her wrist vibrated gently. She placed her hand on it, feeling its faint warmth. Cheng Ran was still working, lost in thought. Neither of them slept. The streetlights outside cast blurry patches of light through the curtains, and as she gazed at those patches, her consciousness slowly sank away.