Mr. Si
The clamor of Keflavík Airport was sealed off from the VIP corridor. Si Qi watched as the one-time location signal on the surveillance screen vanished completely half an hour ago, like a drop of water merging into the ocean. There was no boarding record, no entry or exit information. Shao Wei and the people who had taken him away seemed to have vanished into thin air.
"Boss, we've checked. The last external image captured before the signal disappeared was very blurry. We can only confirm that it was a black van without a license plate. The person who took Mr. Shao away was wearing a uniform similar to that of airport ground staff and his movements were professional. Mr. Shao showed no obvious signs of resistance." The confidant's voice was filled with frustration.
No resistance? Si Qi frowned. Was it voluntary, or was it coerced? That message warning "Beware of insiders"... was there a mole inside the medical center?
"What about Greenland?" Si Qi's voice was as cold as ice.
"The Ilulissat Icefjord Archive, ostensibly a privately funded institution for the collection of polar climate and historical documents, actually has a deep background, connected to several ancient Nordic families. Its authority is so high that our personnel are unable to conduct an in-depth investigation. Furthermore, there are indeed signs of a large-scale deployment of 'Watchmen' to Greenland, led by... Silver Wolf."
Si Qi's pupils shrank slightly. Silver Wolf, one of the highest-ranking operational commanders of the Watchers, was Shao Qing's absolute confidant. His personal deployment meant Shao Qing was determined to capture Greenland.
There are evil inside, powerful enemies outside, and Shao Wei is nowhere to be found. The situation suddenly becomes extremely bad.
"Prepare the plane, fly directly to Ilulissat." Si Qi ordered without hesitation. Whether this was a trap or not, he had to jump into it. Shao Wei was there, and so were the answers.
"What about Iceland? The traitor..."
"Leave it to Dr. Chen and Dr. Li. We don't have time." Si Qi turned around, his eyes scanning the small jets already prepared on the tarmac. He couldn't fully trust anyone now, except himself.
---
The night in Ilulissat is shrouded in the aurora borealis, and massive icebergs drift in the deep blue waters of Disko Bay, emitting a low, thud-thumping sound. The Icefjord Archive, a concrete building carved into the mountainside, stands out against the dreamy, icy landscape.
Si Qi didn't go directly to the archives. Following an inconspicuous mark in Gu Zhixing's notes, he found the Blue Iceberg, a dilapidated wooden inn on the edge of town. The innkeeper, a taciturn old Inuit man, saw Si Qi take out the orchid metal coin, and a glint flashed in his cloudy eyes.
"Mr. Gu left a message saying that if anyone with the 'Orchid' comes looking for him, they should wait at the foot of the 'Silent Giant,'" the old man said in stiff English, handing him an old brass key. "The room is on the top floor."
"The Silent Giant" is the local name for a massive iceberg at the entrance to the bay. Siqi followed his words and arrived at the beach in the cold midnight. Under his feet lay permafrost, and before him lay the black sea, dotted with blue icebergs. The aurora borealis twisted across the sky, and all around him was the faint sound of wind and the crackling of ice.
After waiting for nearly an hour, just when Siqi thought the information was wrong, a figure wearing thick cold-proof clothing and goggles appeared silently behind him.
"Mr. Siqi?" The voice was processed by a voice changer and became low and hoarse.
Si Qi turned around abruptly, his muscles tense. "Gu Zhixing?"
"It's me." The man removed his goggles, revealing a weathered face, but with sharp, clear eyes. He looked about forty years old. "Time is running out. The 'Watchers' have sealed off the perimeter of the archives. To make a long story short, what Miss Shao Wen gave me before her death wasn't a specific document, but a key and an address."
He handed Siqi a tiny metal object similar to a USB drive and a hand-drawn map marking the internal structure of the archives, with an abandoned archive deep underground circled.
"The key requires Mr. Shao Wei's biometric information—iris, fingerprint, and pheromone sample. Only by verifying all three simultaneously can we unlock the core data stored in the archives' underground server. That's the original data and financial transactions from the 'Twin Project' that Miss Shao Wen secretly backed up using her early project privileges, as well as... General Shao Qing's instructions for handling the 'failed experimental subject.'"
Si Qi gripped the cold key tightly. Sure enough! Shao Wei's threat wasn't groundless! But... "Shao Wei has been taken away and is no longer with me."
Gu Zhixing's face changed: "What?! Impossible! The news I received was that you would come together..."
"Where did you get the message from?" Si Qi asked immediately.
Gu Zhixing's eyes flickered. "An... anonymous channel. They seem to know all about Miss Shao Wen and the plan, and have been secretly providing assistance, including last time in Trondheim..."
It was the sniper! It was also the person who sent him the message to remind him to "be careful of the inside"! Who is this person?
"We must get into the archives as soon as possible. The Watchers could storm at any moment." Gu Zhixing suppressed his doubts. "Without Mr. Shao Wei, we can't get the data. Finding him is our top priority!"
At that moment, Siqi's satellite phone vibrated, and an encrypted video request came in. He hesitated for a moment, then answered.
The image shook briefly, then stabilized. The background was an unfamiliar room filled with sophisticated medical equipment. The camera panned to a chair where Shao Wei sat. His face remained pale, but his eyes were remarkably calm, even holding a sharpness Si Qi had never seen before. He had changed into a clean black turtleneck and the gauze bandage behind his neck had been replaced.
"Siqi." Shao Wei spoke, his voice coming through the equipment, a little distorted, but very steady.
"Shao Wei! Where are you?" Si Qi's heart was in a state of tension. Shao Wei's state was not right. He was too calm and did not seem to be under duress.
"I'm fine." Shao Wei's gaze seemed to penetrate the screen and look directly at him. "Listen, time is limited. Take Mr. Gu to the B-7 area underground in the archives. There is an abandoned maintenance passage there that leads directly to the back door of the server room. The password is the date of my mother's death. Enter it in reverse."
Si Qi was stunned. How could Shao Wei know all this? He didn't even know the exact date of Shao Wen's death!
"Shao Wei, who is with you? What on earth are you..."
"Do as I say!" Shao Wei interrupted him, his tone carrying an unquestionable command, which was extremely rare in him. "The Silver Wolf people will arrive at the 'Blue Iceberg' in ten minutes. You must move immediately. After you get the data, go to the abandoned whaling station on the east side of the town. There will be support there."
The screen suddenly went black and the communication was interrupted.
Si Qi and Gu Zhixing exchanged glances, each seeing the surprise and doubt in the other's eyes. Was Shao Wei not only safe, but also seemingly in control? Was the person who had taken him away a friend or foe?
There was no time to think about it, as the roar of a snowmobile engine could be heard in the distance.
"Let's go!" Si Qi shouted softly, and he and Gu Zhixing quickly disappeared into the shadow of the coastline.
---
The underground chambers of the archives were even more vast and complex than they had imagined, a cold maze. With the internal map and password provided by Shao Wei, they avoided several obvious surveillance cameras and patrols and arrived safely at Area B-7. Here, abandoned filing cabinets and old server chassis were piled high, and the air was thick with the smell of motor oil and dust.
I found the hidden maintenance passage, entered the reverse date code (how did Shao Wei know that?), and the heavy metal door slid open, revealing the brightly lit server room behind. Unlike the shabby exterior, the interior was top-notch, with humming cabinets neatly arranged and a chilly airflow.
In the deepest part of the computer room, they found the independent terminal that required triple biometric verification.
The terminal screen lights up and prompts waiting for verification.
Si Qi looked at the cold interface, his heart heavy. Without Shao Wei, they would have failed.
At this moment, the terminal screen suddenly flickered, a progress bar popped up, and a synthesized electronic sound rang out:
"Remote biometric verification initiated... Iris scan... Passed. Fingerprint simulation... Passed. Pheromone spectrum matching... Passed. Authorization confirmed. Welcome, Mr. Shao."
Si Qi and Gu Zhixing watched in shock as the progress bar quickly filled up. Remote verification?! Where did Commissioner Shao conduct the verification?
"Decryption of the 'Twin Project' core database... downloading data to portable device..."
The tiny metal key automatically lights up and the data begins to transfer.
"Where is he?" Gu Zhixing muttered to himself.
Si Qi suddenly remembered the clean clothes and new gauze that Shao Wei had changed into... The people who took him away not only didn't harm him, but were actually treating him, and they possessed such advanced technology to perform remote bioinformatics simulations! That "anonymous channel," that sniper, and the people who took Shao Wei away... were likely part of the same force!
The moment the data transfer was complete, the entire archive's alarm system blared shrilly! Red warning lights spun wildly!
"We've been discovered! Let's go!" Gu Zhixing shouted.
The two of them ran back down the same path, hearing the clatter of footsteps and shouts behind them. Apparently, the data download had triggered some hidden alarm.
Rushing out of the maintenance passage and returning to area B-7, we ran into several fully armed "Watchmen" team members!
"Put down the data!" the leading team member raised his gun and shouted.
Si Qi opened fire without hesitation, using an abandoned filing cabinet as cover in a fierce exchange of fire. Gu Zhixing also drew his weapon and fired back, his movements surprisingly skillful.
Bullets flew, hitting the metal cabinets and sending out sparks. Si Qi knocked down two people, but the enemy's fierce firepower pinned them in the corner.
"Siqi! This way!" Gu Zhixing suddenly pushed open a seemingly fixed filing cabinet, revealing a narrow ventilation duct entrance behind it!
The two men went in one after another, and Si Qi turned around and threw a smoke bomb at the end, temporarily blocking the pursuers.
The tunnel was narrow and dark, forcing them to crawl forward. After an unknown amount of time, they saw a faint light and a cold breeze ahead. Emerging from the tunnel, they found themselves outside the archives building, nestled in a hidden recess within the mountain.
Not far below is the abandoned whaling station on the east side of the town, with several dilapidated wooden houses standing in the wind and snow.
"Let's go!" Si Qi panted, and ran towards the whaling station with Gu Zhixing, taking one step forward and one step back.
A faint light shone from the largest wooden house in the whaling station. Si Qi gripped his gun tightly and cautiously pushed open the door.
The room was warm and cozy with a fire. A man stood by the fire with his back to them, pouring coffee. He turned when he heard the door open.
It’s Shao Wei.
He looked better. Although still thin, his eyes were clear and he had a calmness that showed he was in control of the situation. Next to him stood a tall woman in a white winter coat. She had a cold face and a pair of light gray eyes like a Siberian wolf.
"Let me introduce you," Shao Wei said calmly, handing Si Qi a cup of coffee. "This is Bai Hu, the commander of the 'Aurora Borealis' organization. He was also... my mother's last collaborator."
Bai Hu nodded slightly to Si Qi, his eyes scanning the key in his hand sharply: "Did you get the data?"
Si Qi didn't answer, but stared at Shao Wei closely: "What's going on? When did you contact them? How much of your memory have you recovered?"
Shao Wei took the key containing the core data handed to him by Gu Zhixing, held it in his hand, and looked at Si Qi with his ice-blue eyes, complex emotions surging in his depths.
"From the moment the chip was removed, many things slowly came back to me. Including... what my mother secretly told me when I was very young: 'If one day your grandfather wants to hurt you, or you encounter unsolvable troubles, go to Greenland and find someone who can see foxes under the aurora.'" He paused, "I just... when you went to Trondheim, I felt that the time was right."
He had planned this all along! The so-called "being taken away" was completely his own will. He might even have been the one who contacted the white fox!
Si Qi felt an inexplicable chill. Shao Wei was no longer the silent, patient partner who needed his protection. Amidst despair and betrayal, he quietly awoke, baring his own calm and resolute fangs.
"What is your goal?" Si Qi looked at the white fox.
Bai Hu's voice was as cold as the ice and snow outside: "End the Twin Project and make Shao Qing pay for his crimes. Miss Shao Wen is one of our founders. What she failed to accomplish will be inherited by us."
Outside the cabin, amid the sound of wind and snow, there could be heard the roar of approaching snowmobiles and the whistling of helicopter blades.
The main force of Silver Wolf has arrived.
Shao Wei placed the key in a special shielded box and handed it to one of Baihu's men. "Distribute it according to the predetermined plan."
He then looked at Si Qi, his eyes no longer barren or sarcastic, but rather a clarity that was almost cruel.
"Siqi, the show is over long ago. Now, it's war." He said softly, as if pronouncing a verdict.
"And you and I, whether we like it or not, are already part of this game."
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