Lian Ziho didn't move.
Jun Wei's small hand was still in his, warm and trusting, but the tension in Lian's shoulders had hardened into something sharp.
Across the street, the two men stopped walking.
They weren't pretending to be normal pedestrians anymore.
They were watching.
Waiting.
Jun Wei tugged his sleeve.
"Lian Gege… are they villains?"
Lian ziho forced a calm breath.
"Maybe."
Jun Wei's eyes widened slightly.
"But heroes don't panic," he whispered, repeating the rule Teacher Liu had told him.
Lian ziho glanced down at him and allowed a faint smile.
"That's right."
Jun Wei puffed up proudly.
"I'm brave."
"I know you are," Lian ziho said softly.
But his eyes never left the men across the road.
Because something felt wrong.
They weren't approaching.
They weren't leaving.
They were… observing.
That meant one thing.
They were waiting for someone else.
Lian ziho slowly shifted his stance, placing himself between Jun Wei and the street.
"Listen carefully," he murmured.
Jun Wei looked up immediately.
"Yes?"
"If I say run, you run straight into the school gate. Don't stop. Don't look back."
Jun Wei frowned.
"But what about you?"
"I'll catch up."
Jun Wei thought about that for a moment.
Then he nodded seriously.
"Okay."
A car engine started nearby.
Lian ziho's eyes flicked toward the sound.
Black sedan.
Parked half a block away.
The door opened.
Someone stepped out.
Jun Wei followed his gaze.
"Is that another villain?"
Lian ziho didn't answer.
Because the man walking toward them wasn't dressed like the others.
No black coat.
No formal posture.
Just a plain jacket.
But the way he walked told Lian everything.
Controlled.
Precise.
Dangerous.
The man stopped a few meters away.
His eyes landed on Lian first.
Then Jun Wei.
Then back to Lian again.
His voice was calm.
"You're not the one we expected."
Lian ziho's expression stayed cold.
"And yet here I am."
Jun Wei whispered loudly,
"Lian Gege… he talks like a boss villain."
The man blinked once.
Then a small amused smile appeared.
"Children are very honest."
Lian ziho stepped forward slightly.
"State your purpose."
The man tilted his head.
"You already know."
"No," Lian ziho replied. "I don't."
The man glanced down at Jun Wei.
"Your brother has something that doesn't belong to him."
Jun Wei immediately spoke up.
"Gege doesn't steal things!"
Lian ziho gently squeezed his hand.
"It's okay."
But the man's gaze sharpened.
"He opened something that should have remained closed."
Lian ziho's heart dropped slightly.
The scroll.
So they knew.
Jun Wei stepped forward before Lian y could stop him.
"Are you talking about the secret mission?"
The man crouched slightly, bringing himself closer to Jun Wei's eye level.
"Yes," he said calmly.
Jun Wei nodded.
"Then you should talk to Suo Ran Gege."
Lian's hand tightened instantly.
"Jun Wei."
But the boy kept talking.
"He knows everything about the mission."
The man's eyes flickered with interest.
"Oh?"
Lian ziho pulled Jun Wei gently back beside him.
"That's enough."
Jun Wei blinked, confused.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No," Lian ziho said quietly.
"You did fine."
But inside, Lian ziho felt the situation shifting.
This man wasn't just observing.
He was measuring.
Every word.
Every reaction.
Every weakness.
The man finally stood up again.
"You're protecting the wrong target."
Lian's voice dropped.
"I disagree."
The man glanced at the school gate behind them.
Children were starting to arrive.
Parents.
Teachers.
Normal life.
And that meant something important.
They couldn't act openly.
Not here.
Not now.
The man sighed softly.
"This is inconvenient."
Jun Wei whispered,
"Does that mean we win?"
Lian ziho almost smiled.
"Maybe."
But the man shook his head.
"No."
He stepped back slowly.
"This round simply ends differently."
Lian didn't relax.
Not even a little.
Because the man's last words carried weight.
And then he said something that froze the air between them.
"We'll speak to Suo Ran soon."
Jun Wei blinked.
"Why?"
The man's gaze sharpened.
"Because he opened the scroll."
Lian ziho's pulse spiked.
Jun Wei tilted his head.
"What scroll?"
The man smiled faintly.
And said the most dangerous sentence yet.
The man stepped back slowly.
"This round ends here," he said calmly.
Lian Ziho didn't move.
Jun Wei looked between them, confused.
"Does that mean the mission is over?"
The man's gaze flicked toward the child again, thoughtful this time.
"You could say that."
Lian's voice stayed cold.
"You came all this way just to talk?"
The man gave a faint smile.
"Not just talk."
His eyes moved briefly to the school gate behind them.
Children were starting to arrive.
Parents walking in.
Teachers greeting students.
Too many witnesses.
He exhaled slowly.
"This location is… inconvenient."
Jun Wei whispered excitedly,
"So we win?"
The man almost laughed.
"No, little captain."
He straightened his jacket.
"This is only the beginning."
Lian's jaw tightened.
"Then say what you came to say."
The man looked at him carefully.
Then his voice lowered slightly.
"Tell Suo Ran something for me."
Lian ziho didn't answer.
The man continued anyway.
"Some doors shouldn't be opened."
Jun Wei blinked.
"What doors?"
But the man ignored the question.
His gaze sharpened one last time.
"And tell him… the scroll was never the real problem."
Lian ziho felt something cold settle in his chest.
"Then what is?"
For the first time, the man's expression changed.
Just slightly.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Then his phone vibrated.
He checked it.
And his eyes flicked back to Jun Wei again.
Longer this time.
Carefully.
Like he had just realized something important.
"…Interesting," he murmured.
Lian ziho noticed immediately.
"What?"
But the man was already turning away.
The two men behind them stepped back as well, creating space.
The sedan engine started across the street.
The man walked toward it without another word.
Jun Wei tugged Lian's sleeve.
"Lian Gege…"
"Yes?"
"Did we pass the level?"
Lian looked toward the car as it disappeared into traffic.
His instincts were screaming now.
Something about that conversation hadn't gone the way the man expected.
And that meant...
Something about Jun Wei had changed the situation.
Lian ziho knelt in front of him.
"For now," he said quietly.
Jun Wei smiled proudly.
"I knew it."
But Lian's mind was already racing.
Because the man hadn't looked surprised when he saw Lian ziho.
He hadn't looked surprised when he saw Jun Wei.
But when Jun Wei spoke earlier…
That was when his expression changed.
And Lian ziho couldn't stop thinking about it.
Why?
At the Safehouse
At that exact moment...
The black card on the table pulsed violently.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Cai Lang stared at it.
"That's new."
Suo Ran looked up.
"What?"
Cai Lang pushed the card toward him.
"It's reacting to something."
Suo Ran picked it up.
The surface flickered faintly.
Almost like a signal.
Cai Lang's voice lowered.
"They found him, didn't they?"
Suo Ran didn't answer.
Because his phone vibrated at the exact same moment.
Unknown number.
One message.
"The boy shouldn't be near the scroll."
Suo Ran's fingers tightened.
Cold dread spread through his chest.
Because there was only one question left now.
How did they know that?
Lian Ziho folded the small paper slowly.
His expression didn't change.
But inside, every instinct was screaming.
Jun Wei looked up at him curiously.
"Lian Gege… what does it say?"
"Just trash," Lian replied calmly.
Jun Wei frowned.
"Villains send trash messages?"
"Sometimes."
Jun Wei seemed to accept that explanation easily.
"Then we should throw it away."
Lian ziho slipped the paper into his pocket instead.
"Later."
But he didn't move immediately.
His eyes scanned the street again.
Someone had placed the keychain there.
Which meant someone had been close.
Very close.
Jun Wei swung his backpack onto his shoulders.
"Are we going back to Teacher Liu's house?"
"Yes."
Jun Wei brightened again.
"Good! I want noodles again."
Lian ziho almost smiled.
"You think about food a lot."
Jun Wei nodded proudly.
"Heroes need energy.
Across the city, the safehouse was quiet.
Too quiet.
Cai Lang leaned over the table, staring at the black card again.
It pulsed faintly.
Like a heartbeat.
Suo Ran stood near the window, watching the street below.
"You're thinking too loudly," Cai Lang said.
Suo Ran sighed.
"You can hear thoughts now?"
"No," Cai Lang replied calmly.
"But I can see when someone is about to do something reckless."
Suo Ran turned slightly.
"And what reckless thing am I about to do?"
"Leave."
Silence.
Suo Ran didn't deny it.
Cai Lang leaned back in his chair.
"You're worried about him."
"Yes."
"You trust Lian Ziho."
"I do."
"Then sit down."
Suo Ran didn't move.
Cai Lang sighed.
"You hovering by the window won't protect Jun Wei."
"I know."
"Then why are you doing it?"
Suo Ran's voice lowered.
"Because I promised him I would."
Cai Lang didn't answer.
Because that kind of promise was impossible to keep.
Back on the Street
Jun Wei hummed happily as they walked.
The sun was already dipping lower.
Shadows stretched across the road.
"Lian Gege?"
"Yes?"
"Can I ask a question?"
"You just did."
Jun Wei giggled.
"Okay. Another one."
Lian ziho sighed.
"Go ahead."
Jun Wei thought for a moment.
"Why do villains follow us but never attack?"
Lian's steps slowed slightly.
"That's a good question."
Jun Wei looked proud.
"I'm good at questions."
"Yes," Lian ziho said quietly.
"You are."
But the answer bothered him too.
Because Jun Wei was right.
They had many chances.
Apartment.
Street.
School.
And yet they kept watching instead of acting.
Which meant something else was happening.
Something bigger.
Teacher Liu's house was quiet when they arrived.
The evening air had turned cool.
Lian ziho unlocked the door.
Jun Wei rushed inside first.
"I'm home!"
The empty house echoed softly.
Jun Wei kicked off his shoes and ran to the couch.
"Can I watch cartoons?"
"After homework."
Jun Wei groaned dramatically.
"You're worse than Teacher Liu."
Lian ziho closed the door behind them.
"Good."
Jun Wei flopped onto the couch.
"Cruel."
But he pulled out his notebook anyway.
Lian walked toward the kitchen.
Then stopped.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The window above the sink was open.
He was sure he had closed it earlier.
Jun Wei looked up.
"Lian Gege?"
Lian's voice stayed calm.
"Stay where you are."
Jun Wei blinked.
"Why?"
"Just stay."
Jun Wei nodded slowly.
"Okay."
Lian ziho stepped closer to the window.
Cold air slipped inside.
But there were no signs of forced entry.
No broken glass.
No disturbed objects.
Just silence.
Too clean.
Jun Wei suddenly spoke.
"Someone was here."
Lian turned quickly.
"What?"
Jun Wei pointed at the table.
"There wasn't candy there before."
Lian ziho followed his finger.
A small wrapped candy sat on the table.
Bright red.
Jun Wei looked excited.
"Can I eat it?"
"No."
Jun Wei blinked.
"Why?"
"Because we didn't put it there."
Jun Wei stared at the candy.
"Oh."
His voice dropped.
"Villains?"
Lian didn't answer.
Because something else had caught his attention.
Under the candy…
A folded note.
His chest tightened.
Slowly, he walked over and picked it up.
Jun Wei leaned forward eagerly.
"What does it say?"
Lian unfolded the paper.
Three words.
Simple.
Cold.
"Wrong house."
For a moment, the room felt smaller.
Jun Wei whispered,
"Lian Gege…"
"Yes?"
"Are the villains lost?"
Lian ziho stared at the note.
No.
They weren't lost.
They were sending a message.
And the message meant something very dangerous.
Someone had entered the house.
Quietly.
While they were gone.
And left without being seen.
Which meant only one thing.
They could reach Jun Wei…
Anytime they wanted.
Inside a black car parked two streets away.
The man from earlier watched the house through binoculars.
One of the men beside him spoke quietly.
"Why didn't we take the boy?"
The man lowered the binoculars.
"Because orders changed."
"Changed?"
"Yes.
The other man frowned.
"Why?"
The leader looked back toward the house.
His voice was thoughtful.
"Because someone realized something."
"What?"
The man smiled faintly.
"That the boy might be more useful than the scroll."
For several seconds after reading the note, Lian Ziho didn't move.
The paper remained between his fingers.
Three words.
Wrong house.
Jun Wei watched him carefully from the couch.
"Lian Gege…?"
Lian ziho folded the note slowly.
"Nothing important."
Jun Wei frowned.
"You always say that when it's important."
Lian ziho almost sighed.
The kid was too observant.
"Finish your homework," Lian ziho said instead.
Jun Wei looked unconvinced but obeyed, pulling his notebook closer.
"Fine. But if villains come, you have to tell me."
"Deal."
But Lian ziho's eyes had already returned to the kitchen window.
Open.
Silent.
Uninvited.
Someone had been inside.
And that someone had left a message instead of an attack.
Which made it worse.
Meanwhile – Safehouse___
Suo Ran had stopped pacing.
Only because Cai Lang physically blocked the door.
"You're not leaving," Cai Lang said calmly.
"I didn't say I was."
"You didn't have to."
Suo Ran crossed his arms.
"You think Lian ziho can't handle himself?"
"I think you're about to walk straight into a trap."
Suo Ran didn't respond.
Cai Lang studied him.
"You promised Jun Wei you'd stay alive."
That stopped him.
Suo Ran looked away.
"…I know."
Cai Lang's voice softened slightly.
"Then trust the people protecting him."
Suo Ran sat down slowly.
But his fingers still gripped the black card tightly.
It pulsed once.
Then again.
Cai Lang noticed.
"That thing reacts when something changes."
"Yes."
"Then something just changed"
Jun Wei had finished exactly one page of homework.
Which he considered excellent progress.
"Done!"
Lian looked over the notebook.
"That's one page."
"That's a lot."
"You have three more."
Jun Wei groaned loudly.
"You're worse than the villains."
Lian ziho leaned against the wall.
"Villains don't assign homework."
Jun Wei sighed dramatically but continued writing.
The quiet inside the house slowly returned.
Cartoons hummed softly from the television.
The sky outside darkened.
Normal.
Too normal.
Then...
Jun Wei stopped writing.
"Lian Gege."
"Yes?"
"Did we close the door earlier?"
Lian ziho frowned.
"Of course."
Jun Wei pointed toward the hallway.
"But it's open now."
Lian ziho turned.
The hallway door had been closed earlier.
He was certain.
Now it stood slightly open.
Just a crack.
Jun Wei whispered excitedly,
"Secret level?"
Lian ziho's voice dropped.
"Stay here."
Jun Wei nodded seriously.
"Okay."
But his eyes were shining with curiosity.
Lian ziho walked slowly toward the hallway.
Each step careful.
Quiet.
The house was silent.
Too silent.
He reached the door.
Pushed it open.
Nothing.
Just the empty corridor.
But something on the floor caught his eye.
A small black envelope.
He crouched slowly and picked it up.
Jun Wei called from the living room.
"Is it treasure?"
Lian ziho stared at the envelope.
His name was written on it.
Lian Ziho.
Jun Wei gasped loudly.
"Oh! Someone knows your name!"
Lian ziho opened the envelope.
Inside was a single photo.
His breath stopped.
Jun Wei ran closer.
"What is it?"
Lian ziho turned the photo over quickly before Jun Wei could see it.
Too late.
Jun Wei had already caught a glimpse.
A photo of the safehouse.
Taken from across the street.
And inside the photo...
Suo Ran standing at the window.
Watching the road.
Jun Wei blinked.
"That's Gege."
Lian's chest tightened.
Yes.
It was.
Which meant someone had been watching Suo Ran too.
For longer than they realized.
Jun Wei tilted his head.
"Why do villains take pictures?"
Lian ziho didn't answer.
Because something written on the back of the photo had just made his blood run cold.
Four words.
"We see everything."
Jun Wei tugged his sleeve again.
"Lian Gege?"
"Yes?"
"Are we losing the mission?"
Lian ziho forced a calm voice.
"No."
But inside, his thoughts were racing.
Because now there were too many questions.
Too many unknowns.
And one terrifying realization.
If they had photos of the safehouse…
Then they had been watching both sides.
For a long time.
Somewhere in the City______
Inside a quiet office, the man from earlier placed another photo on the table.
One of his agents spoke.
"The boy is under observation."
The man nodded.
"And Suo Ran?"
"Still at the safehouse."
The man smiled faintly.
"Good."
"Should we proceed?"
The man leaned back in his chair.
"Not yet."
"Why?"
He tapped the photo of Jun Wei.
"Because the boy might open the door we need."
The agent frowned.
"What door?"
The man's smile deepened slightly.
"The one his father tried to lock forever."