The City of Spades, with distant mountains like dark eyebrows, shrouded in mist.

Halfway up the mountain, a simple yet elegant mansion stands quietly, seemingly blending into the surrounding natural scenery. The mansion is built against the mountain, backed by majestic peaks, surrounded by lush greenery, and a gentle breeze carries the freshness and tranquility of the mountain forest.

A man dressed in men's clothing stood quietly in the river.

Her gaze was deep, as if it could pierce through the layers of clouds and look directly at the mountain peak.

Just as she was immersed in the tranquil and beautiful scenery, a waiter's voice came from inside the door: "Hello, do you have an appointment?"

Chuanliu nodded slightly, his voice steady, "I've already spoken to your boss on the phone."

Upon hearing this, the waiter showed a respectful expression. "So you are a distinguished guest. Please wait a moment while I go and inform you."

After saying that, he turned and strode into the courtyard.

A moment later, an elderly man dressed in a Chinese robe walked out with a leisurely gait. He had a smile on his face and his eyes gleamed with wisdom, as if he was not surprised at all by Chuanliu's arrival.

He respectfully nodded slightly to Chuanliu and said with a smile, "Miss Chuanliu, it's been a long time. How have you been?"

Chuan Liu returned with the same warm smile, his tone relaxed and friendly: "Uncle Zhou, it's been a long time. You don't need to be so polite."

Uncle Zhou then said, "Mr. Wu and that other person are already waiting for you inside. Please follow me."

A wooden plaque hangs above the gate, with the words "10 of Spades" prominently displayed.

Instead of going to Zhuge Hall as originally planned, Chuanliu went straight to the residence of Wu Fangming, the "10 of Spades".

Wu Fangming had been waiting there for a long time. When he saw Chuanliu, a joyful smile appeared on his face.

And in the hall, there was a familiar face whom I hadn't seen in a long time.

He wore glasses, his beard was clean-shaven, revealing a slightly sallow face that had regained much of its color. After a short rest and careful grooming, although he was still thin, he already had a rather refined and cultured appearance.

That's the hacker, JFox.

Chuanliu had contacted Wu Fangming in advance and, taking advantage of the fight between Jiulong and Susan's men in the base, successfully rescued Jihu from the secret room.

Qian Chuan's suspicions were entirely correct, but they couldn't find any motive behind Chuan Liu's actions, so the speculation was left unresolved.

Who said saving the fox was either to help Jiulong or to help Susan?

Why can't it be helping himself?

Upon seeing the newcomer, Wu Fangming spoke first with a smile: "Little sister, what a coincidence! I was just talking about you with Jihu when you appeared."

Jihu was initially alerted by the sudden intrusion and flinched slightly. However, when he recognized the person as the boy he had seen in the secret room, his tense expression instantly relaxed.

He heard Wu Fangming address the other woman as "sister," and a hint of doubt flashed across his face as his gaze shifted between the two.

Seeing this, the "young man" smiled slightly, moved closer to the fox, and said in a clear female voice, "Fox, it's only been a short time, don't you remember me?"

Jihu carefully examined the person in front of him, then suddenly his eyes lit up as if he understood something. He stammered to Wu Fangming, "She, she...she is Chuanliu?"

Chuan Liu returned the smile with a smile, "How are you doing? Are you settling in with Brother Fang Ming?"

Wu Fangming laughed, "You have no idea, when this kid was first rescued he didn't utter a sound, he wouldn't say a word no matter what I asked him, he was terrified."

Jihu forced an embarrassed smile. "I'm really sorry, I thought it was Jiulong's people again."

Chuanliu asked, "What exactly happened to you after we were separated upon landing on the island?"

Jihu shivered inexplicably and recalled, "Aunt Wu and I were captured by Jiulong's men. They felt that Aunt Wu had no use for them, so they left her in the red-light district to fend for herself. They originally wanted to force me to work as a male model in the nightclub, but after they heard about my ID card 'Nine of Hearts,' they brought me to Jiulong."

Jiulong took my ID card and asked what I did for a living. I thought if I could demonstrate my worth, I could at least save my life. So, I told him I was a hacker. This is also the decision I regret the most.

Chuanliu and Wu Fangming listened quietly. If Jihu, a person who was so weak that he couldn't even kill a chicken, didn't have any other expertise, he would be no different from a dead person on Paradise Island.

They probably would have done the same.

What they couldn't have imagined, and neither could Jihu, was that Jiulong was just missing such a "talent," and that this "opportunity" would drag him into hell.

“Then he locked me in that dark, secluded room,” Jihu sighed and continued, “You’ve all seen the machine in that room. Jiulong told me that it was pieced together by someone before, but that person died two years ago for some reason, and the machine stopped working.”

He told me to continue my previous research and promised that he would set me free once I succeeded.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Wu Fangming stroked his chin, clearly not thinking that Jiulong would be so kind.

Once the rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked; once the birds are gone, the bow is put away.

Moreover, this person is Jiulong.

The former shook his head. "I didn't believe it, but I had no choice. He locked me in a secret room, where I ate, drank, and relieved myself all in one place. No matter how much of a homebody or how boring I am, I couldn't stand such a dark, damp, and smelly place."

He would come to check on my progress every day, and he even sent Zhuang Qiang and He Dadong to act out a scene, testing whether I still had any intention of escaping. I fell for it both times; I didn't even step out of the escape room before they beat me up.

"That's why when I found you before, you looked like you were ready to die for Jiulong at any moment," Chuanliu said.

Extreme Fox nodded helplessly; he was truly terrified of being beaten.

He knew that once Jiulong caught him red-handed, he wouldn't let him die.

But he won't be allowed to live a carefree life either.

A profound silence fell over the hall, so quiet that one could almost hear the quiet passage of time.

After a long silence, Jihu finally broke free from his inner fear and began to gradually calm his emotions.

At this moment, Chuanliu's voice broke the silence again: "If I'm not mistaken, you should already have a conclusion on the research project that Jiulong gave you, right?"

Upon hearing this, Jihu's heart skipped a beat. He raised his head and met Chuanliu's clear and sharp eyes.

After that brief eye contact, Jihu involuntarily looked away from those eyes and lowered his head again, as if he were running away from something.

But his silent reaction proved the girl's guess.