Mr. Si
Iceland's tranquility is like a fragile membrane, vulnerable to puncture at any moment by pressure from afar. Si Qi stood in the command room of the medical center, a holographic projection displaying limited information about "Gu Zhixing" before him. An independent journalist specializing in investigative reporting, he had interacted with Shao Wen (Shao Wei's biological mother) for several months. After her death, he and his family moved to Trondheim, Norway, and he has since vanished from the face of the earth.
"Trondheim..." Siqi drummed his fingertips on the table. There was one of Europe's largest underground information black markets, and a journalist moving there with his family wasn't just looking for a quiet life.
"Boss, the 'Watchmen' are moving very quickly. We have just locked onto Trondheim, and their people have already entered Norway." The confidant's voice came through the encrypted channel with a hint of urgency.
Si Qi's eyes glared. He had to find Gu Zhixing before the Watcher could. "Prepare the plane. I'm going to Trondheim."
"Your safety..."
"As you say." Si Qi cut off the call and turned to walk towards Shao Wei's ward. He knew it wasn't the best time to leave, but seizing the initiative was the only way to survive. He needed that possible evidence, not only to confront Shao Qing, but also to give Shao Wei an explanation—to prove that they weren't just passive victims, but could also take the initiative and tear apart the dark curtain that had shrouded them for over twenty years.
Inside the hospital room, Shao Wei still sat reclining in bed, gazing out the window at the gray-blue sea. The aurora had vanished, replaced by low, leaden clouds, heralding a new snowstorm. His complexion was worse than it had been in the past few days, a nearly transparent white, as if the life force was slowly draining from his body. The medication Dr. Chen had administered stabilized the further collapse of his pheromones, but it couldn't awaken his dormant will.
Si Qi pushed the door open and walked in. His footsteps were particularly clear in the silent room. Shao Wei did not turn around, not even an eyelash fluttered.
"I'm going to be away for a few days." Si Qi walked to the bedside and went straight to the point.
Shao Wei's pupils shrank slightly, but he remained silent.
"Go to Trondheim," Si Qi continued, observing his reaction. "Find a journalist named Gu Zhixing. Someone your mother had contact with before she died."
This time, Shao Wei's body stiffened for a moment, barely perceptible. He slowly turned his head, and a flicker of emotion finally appeared in his icy blue eyes. It wasn't anticipation, but deep fatigue and... a hint of mockery.
"So, you still have to rely on that thing you don't even know exists?" His voice was hoarse. "Siqi, what's the fundamental difference between you and him? You're both calculating and exploiting."
Si Qi's heart was pierced by these words, but he did not refute. He just said in a deep voice: "This is not exploitation. This is self-rescue. It is also to seek justice for your mother."
Shao Wei sneered, turned his head back, and stopped looking at him: "Whatever you want."
His reaction made Si Qi even more convinced that Shao Wei must know something, perhaps a vague hint from his mother before her death, or perhaps some fragmented memory that had been revived after the chip was removed. But he refused to communicate, refused to cooperate.
Si Qi suppressed his anxiety, pulled a simple, unmarked metal bracelet from his pocket, and placed it on the bedside table. "This is a top-level positioning and vital signs monitor, and also an emergency call device. After I'm gone, no matter what happens, if anything seems amiss, immediately press the button on the side. Dr. Chen and Dr. Li will escort you to the backup safe house."
Shao Wei glanced at the bracelet without any expression.
Si Qi gave him a deep look, said nothing more, and turned to leave. The door closed behind him, dull and decisive.
---
The harbor of Trondheim was filled with a mixture of fish, fuel oil, and rusted metal. Si Qi, dressed in a nondescript dark work suit, blended into the bustling crowd at the dock. According to clues, Gu Zhixing was last seen at a basement bar called "Siren's Song" in the harbor area, a gathering place for information brokers and desperate criminals.
Inside the Siren Song, the lights were dim and the air was stagnant. The odors of various low-quality alcohols and pheromones mingled, creating a dizzying atmosphere. Si Qi walked straight to the bar, ordered a glass of the strongest local rum, and then pushed a specially crafted metal coin emblazoned with a rare orchid, Shao Wen's favorite species, towards the bartender.
The bartender, a burly man with a scarred face, paused while wiping his glass. He glanced at the metal coin, his expression changing slightly. This was a token provided by Dr. Chen, possibly used by Shao Wen when she contacted certain informants.
"Who are you looking for?" the bartender lowered his voice.
"Gu." Si Qi only said one word.
The bartender was silent for a few seconds, then pointed toward the filthy corridor behind him. "The room at the back. Be careful. A lot of people are looking for him lately."
Si Qi put away the coins and downed the wine in his glass. The strong liquor burned his throat, but it made him more sober. He walked through the crowded and noisy crowd and headed towards the dim corridor. At the end of the corridor was a mottled iron door. He knocked on the door, but there was no response. He tried to push it, and it opened.
The room was empty, filled only by a thick smell of dust. Scattered on the table were old newspapers and photos, and the walls were covered with various clippings and maps, connected by red lines, forming a tangled web. Si Qi recognized them immediately: some of the clippings concerned several covered-up laboratory "accidents" from years ago, and the locations marked on the maps included the area near the mountain cabin where they had stayed as children!
Gu Zhixing is indeed investigating the "Twin Project"!
Si Qi quickly flipped through the items on his desk. Most of it was a compilation of public records, but there were also some blurry photos and handwritten notes, pointing to an overseas account codenamed "Pure Land" and several secret flows of funds. Just then, the tiny receiver in his ear transmitted a hurried warning from his confidant:
"Boss, there's an ambush! At least six people, armed, are attacking us from the front and back! They're the Watchers!"
Si Qi's eyes turned cold. As expected! He quickly stuffed the most valuable notes and photos on the table into his arms, and at the same time rolled violently to the side and back!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The bullet from the silenced pistol barely grazed his body before piercing the wall where he had been standing, leaving a deep hole. Three figures in black combat uniforms leaped in from the doorway and ventilation duct like ghosts, their movements swift and brutal.
Si Qi, using the debris in the room for cover, engaged in a fierce exchange of fire. His combat skills and marksmanship were both top-notch, but the enemy outnumbered him and their coordinated tactics were undeniably elite among the Watchers. Bullets whistled, sawdust flew, and the narrow space was filled with smoke and the smell of blood.
Si Qi hit someone in the shoulder and was also grazed on the arm by a stray bullet. He fought and retreated, trying to get closer to the only window. At this moment, out of the corner of his eye, he saw an inconspicuous, seemingly abandoned ventilation grille in the corner of the wall move.
No! There's a fourth person!
He dodged suddenly to the side, and a bullet almost flew past his temple! The fourth gunman half-poked his body out of the hidden ventilation hole, the muzzle of the gun pointed at him!
At the critical moment——
"call out!"
A very slight sound, unlike that of a pistol, piercing the air was heard. The gunman, who had just emerged from the vent, suddenly stiffened. A tiny red dot appeared on his forehead, and then his head drooped limply.
Sniper?!
Not only Siqi, but even the remaining two "watchers" were visibly stunned.
At this moment of pause, Si Qi seized the opportunity and fired two accurate shots, killing the two closest people. At the same time, his body broke through the window glass, jumped from the second floor, and fell into the shadows below which were piled with abandoned fishing nets.
"Boss! The support vehicle is at the alley entrance at three o'clock! Is the sniper one of ours?" The confidant's voice was filled with surprise and doubt.
"I don't know! Retreat first!" Si Qi scurried through the alleys, the wound on his arm burning with pain. Who was the sniper who had shot at that crucial moment? It wasn't someone he had arranged.
The support vehicle came speeding over, and Si Qi opened the door and jumped in. "Go to the backup contact point!"
The car merged into the traffic. Si Qi leaned back in his seat, panting, and pulled out his notes and photos. The photo was a little blurry, but it was recognizable as a secret meeting between Shao Wen and a bespectacled, elegant man, set in what appeared to be a library. The notes recorded several key names and dates, as well as a repeatedly circled location: "Icefjord Archives, Ilulissat, Greenland."
Gu Zhixing wasn't here. The clues he left behind pointed to the icy land further north.
"The Ice Fjord Archives in Chailulissat. Background, authority, all information." Si Qi ordered immediately. He had a strong premonition that Gu Zhixing might be there, or perhaps, that was where he would find the final answer.
At the same time, he contacted Dr. Chen from Iceland Medical Center.
"How is Shao Wei?"
"Mr. Si Qi?" Dr. Chen's voice was a little nervous. "Mr. Shao Wei...half an hour ago, he insisted on leaving the ward and going to the rehabilitation garden for some fresh air. Our people followed him, but he...he suddenly disappeared!"
Si Qi's heart sank! "It's gone? Where's the bracelet signal?"
"The signal... is blocked! It's in the greenhouse area of the healing garden!"
Almost at the same time, Siqi's encrypted communicator received a highly encrypted message from an unknown number. After decoding, there were only a few short sentences:
"The chips are shifting. Greenland, Ilulissat. The main force of the 'Watchmen' has moved north. Be careful inside."
At the end of the message, there was an extremely short, one-time positioning signal, indicating that the source was moving rapidly, heading towards Keflavik International Airport in Iceland!
Shao Wei has been taken away! Was it not the Watchers, but another force? Who sent this message? The sniper?
"Go to Keflavik Airport immediately! Block all departure gates!" Si Qi shouted at the driver, his voice trembling slightly with fear and anger. He called up the one-time positioning signal and watched it flicker on the screen like a struggling heartbeat.
He thought he was taking the initiative, but he didn't expect that the other party was one step ahead and directly stole the most important person he left in the "safe" fortress.
Greenland. Ilulissat.
All the clues and all the people seemed to be pushed by an invisible hand towards the colder and more isolated ice field.
The wind and snow were about to cover all traces, and the chessboard of the game had suddenly escalated.
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