The car stopped several hundred meters away from the castle.
Fidel: "How do we get in? There is no cover around here, we'll be spotted in minutes even without radar. There's no way to sneak in, do we charge straight ahead?"
Qiao Ying: "Walk in."
Qiao Ying gave Moon Shadow a few needles and his legs gradually regained sensation.
In the vast desert, a black dot was moving towards the castle - Moon Shadow dragged his still numb legs with great difficulty.
Petite Qiao Ying hid behind him. The two walked straight towards the castle, slowly closing the distance.
The over 10-meter high city walls stood tall, blocking everything outside. A few huge signal towers were built above the walls.
As the figures moved closer, they looked increasingly tiny.
The city walls were in ancient Roman style. Right ahead were eight city gates standing wide open, yet there were no guards at any of them.
The two thus entered unobstructed.
Once past the gates, the wind dropped sharply and they could no longer see yellow sand blurring their vision. The air was much cleaner too.
The castle was quiet as if uninhabited.
Heading further in, the luxurious interior starkly contrasted with the rough exterior and the desolate desert outside - it was like two different worlds. The completely modernized furnishings and designs made one feel as if they had returned to the city.
The massive castle appeared very empty. Its complex structure obscured potential dangers lurking in the shadows.
Not a soul could be seen.
With a gun at his waist, Moon Shadow was forced to take the lead for Qiao Ying. Just then a drone flew in.
It circled inside the castle but was not attacked by the infrared rays Moon Shadow mentioned. In the end, it hovered unscathed above Qiao Ying and followed her as she ventured deeper into the castle.
The two plus one drone cautiously progressed through the intricate castle.
Facing the sofa on the wall hung a huge electronic display screening news.
The voice echoed in the empty castle.
Several long spiral staircases coiled upwards, leading to the mysterious second floor.
Moon Shadow looked at the stairs: "I've only been to the first floor and never stayed long each time."
Before he got a response, he lifted his leg towards the stairs but Qiao Ying yanked the rope on his arm to stop him. So he did not venture further.
Qiao Ying looked around. Just then, Qin Hanyue’s voice sounded from her Bluetooth earpiece: “Wife, signal blocking complete.”
As his voice trailed off, the TV let out two “zi la” buzzes then turned silent, displaying a “Signal Unstable” message.
The castle became even quieter.
The hidden cameras also stopped operating.
After a while, Qin Hanyue’s voice sounded again: “Wife, detected unknown signals right below you.”
There was a hidden basement.
Qiao Ying shoved her gun at Moon Shadow’s waist: “This place belongs to that old chap Meihua Q?”
Moon Shadow answered hesitantly: “Yes.”
Meihua Q was skilled with mechanisms and secret rooms. That paranoid old man was extremely cautious, given his habits...
Qiao Ying pulled Moon Shadow upstairs.
The drone flew up first to scout ahead. They seemed to be the only ones in the castle. After walking for some time without encountering anyone, danger appeared to lurk behind every tightly shut room door.
The drone stopped in front of a room, seeming to have discovered something.
Qiao Ying fired a shot, blasting the electronic lock on the door before kicking it open and shoving Moon Shadow in.
There was nothing unusual inside the room.
Qiao Ying followed behind.
The large luxuriously furnished room contained a lot of high tech devices. As Qiao Ying paced around, she suddenly flipped up a painting on the wall and knocked where it had hung - nothing strange there.
After searching for a few minutes, she arrived before the desk and finally sat down, as if she was tired from searching.
Before her sat an unfinished game of Go with the white pieces surrounded and utterly hopeless against the black ones. Qiao Ying's gaze fell upon the board.
The room was so silent one could hear a pin drop.
Moon Shadow looked at her strangely.
Shortly after, she reached out and shifted a white piece. Its change of position instantly turned the game around, breaking through the dire straits.
From an utterly hopeless to a hopeful situation.
As the white piece shifted to where it should be, the mechanism within the board was triggered. The wall directly opposite the desk split open to both sides, revealing a silver-white metallic door behind it.
Moon Shadow was amazed and looked back at Qiao Ying.
Qiao Ying went before the door. It had two special rotating combination locks on it.
Qiao Ying took out a pair of headphones from her backpack.
The headphones were modified - the cord had a special metallic device that occasionally blinked red.
Its USB plug was a stethoscope-like listening piece.
Qiao Ying put on the headphones and placed the listening piece against the metal door near the locks. She then slowly rotated the locks.
The sounds of the gears turning within could be heard clearly through the listening piece into her headphones.
The drone hovered in midair, getting Moon Shadow in its sights on Qiao Ying's behalf.
Its camera allowed Fidel in the car to see everything happening in the room.
Fidel: “Would this work?”
Qin Hanyue’s voice responded: “I believe in my wife.”
Fidel: “...”
He really did not like hearing it speak, with the boss calling "wife" all the time - quite creepy.
Fidel watched Qiao Ying pick the lock on screen: “Has your wife told you what exactly she’s trying to do? Is she looking for something? What’s inside this secret room?”
Qin Hanyue: “Foolish human.”
Fidel was baffled: “You damn robot scolding people?”
Qin Hanyue: “My wife said there are secrets inside.”
Fidel recalled: “Seems like it...”
“Haven’t seen a soul so far, feels ominous, like something’s about to happen any second...”
Before Fidel finished speaking, Qiao Ying’s lock-picking halted.
The next moment, the heavy metal doors slid open to both sides. Just as Fidel was about to exclaim joyfully, thick white fumes burst out from the opening instead.
Qiao Ying immediately held her breath and retreated, but it was a step too late.
Having inhaled a little, everything before Qiao Ying's eyes went dark.
Qin Hanyue’s voice remained in the Bluetooth earpiece: “Wife, what’s wrong? Wife?” No response.
Seeing Qiao Ying faint on the floor, Fidel panicked at once.
Moon Shadow held his breath. As the fumes dispersed, he saw the room behind the door was actually a control center.
Clearly, Qiao Ying had guessed right about the castle harboring many secrets.
Footsteps sounded. The castle master finally showed himself.
Moon Shadow faced the man deferentially: “Sir.”
The ropes on him were then cut. The drone in midair was also taken down by a shot, falling near the unconscious Qiao Ying.
The video feed was interrupted, worrying Fidel even more.
That sir looked at the opened secret room, his gaze then falling upon the fainted Qiao Ying on the ground.
