Evening fell on the Blue Ocean Resort.
Inside one of the suites, Noda and Mei Huizi each placed a large backpack onto the table.
"Getting this gear through customs was a real hassle," Noda muttered, casting a cold smile at the high-tech equipment before him.
Mei Huizi ignored him, methodically inspecting the contents of her bag.
All accounted for. She zipped the bag back up without a word.
"Get changed and stay sharp," she said, shouldering the backpack. "This isn't the time for small talk."
Noda's gaze lingered as she walked off, his eyes glinting with an unreadable light. After a moment, he picked up his own bag and headed to his room.
Five minutes later, Mei Huizi emerged wearing jeans and a plain T-shirt. The casual attire gave her a look of quiet, effortless charm—like the girl next door.
Noda had changed as well. His rough features twitched with suppressed interest at the sight of her, but the expression vanished quickly.
"Let's go," Mei Huizi said in a low voice.
Outside, across the street from the Marching Ant Company, the pair stood quietly, observing the towering office building from a distance.
"Their security's tighter than I expected," Noda said, eyes narrowing.
"More than tight," Mei Huizi replied. "According to the data, their database is located on the top floor—right next to the chairman's personal lab. That lab is protected at IP66 level, with intelligent alarms, intrusion detection, and a failsafe that activates on any signal disruption."
"And the door?"
"Triple-layered. Facial recognition, fingerprint scan, and password authentication."
She kept her tone neutral as her eyes scanned the building with calm precision.
"Two days ago, a pair of Academi mercenaries tried to break in. They were never seen again. This is not a place you just stroll into."
"You ask me," Noda said with a shrug, "a good old-fashioned kidnapping would be faster."
"Don't be stupid," Mei Huizi snapped. "This isn't your backyard. That's the chairman of a major tech company. Try kidnapping him here, and we won't even make it to the airport."
She kept her face placid, eyes still on the building, playing the role of a tourist.
"You're underestimating them. In this city, not everyone is prey. Some people bite back."
"Heh. Well, not everyone can crack these kinds of protection systems either," Noda replied. "But still… a little brute force does go a long way."
"That's Plan Z, not Plan A," Mei Huizi said coldly. "Let's head back. Tonight, we figure out a way to approach the chairman himself."
The Next Day
Chen Mo sat quietly in the back seat of the car, watching the passing scenery. A thought struck him. He turned to Wang Hai, who was driving.
"Wang Hai, do any of your retired comrades live nearby?"
"Hmm? Why do you ask, Chairman?"
"I'm thinking of hiring someone to watch over my family," Chen Mo said simply.
The last incident with the mercenaries still weighed on him. With his identity now public, leaving his family unguarded wasn't an option.
"I can reach out to a few people I trust," Wang Hai nodded.
As they spoke, a woman suddenly dashed out from the sidewalk.
Her makeup was thick, and her clothes were revealing—clearly meant to attract attention.
"Sir! I'm heading to Yinghao Building. I'm late for work. Can I hitch a ride?" Mei Huizi flashed a charming smile, sneaking a glance at Chen Mo and Xiao Yu in the back seat.
Wang Hai narrowed his eyes.
"Sorry."
He rolled up the window and calmly drove past her without stopping.
"Tch. Rude much?" Mei Huizi muttered with feigned indignation. "Could've just said no. Not like I owe you money…"
Once the car was gone, she pulled out a compact phone from her bag.
"Noda, bugs and trackers are in place. Check now."
"Nice work, Miss Mei Huizi. Didn't think you were that slick," Noda's voice buzzed in through the headset.
At a workstation back at the resort, Noda connected his laptop and put on headphones, a malicious grin creeping across his face.
But soon, his smile faded.
"Hey—where's the audio? I can only hear ambient noise. No voices at all."
"I planted them under the car. The mics have a 3-meter radius. They should've picked up something."
"Are they just not talking?"
"Possibly," Mei Huizi muttered, frowning.
Inside the car, Chen Mo stared out the window in silence. Wang Hai hadn't said a word since the encounter. Xiao Yu sensed something was off and also remained quiet.
Once they arrived at the company, Chen Mo headed straight into the lab.
Just as he changed into his lab coat, Ink Girl's voice chimed in.
"Brother Mo, Wang Hai is outside the lab."
"Wang Hai?" Chen Mo's brows furrowed. "He wouldn't bother me here unless it was urgent. Let him in."
Moments later, Wang Hai entered.
He glanced around to make sure they were alone, then stepped forward.
"Chairman, I found a mini bug and a tracker under the car."
"A bug?" Chen Mo's face darkened. "When?"
"That woman just now. Something about her felt off, so I checked. I didn't disable the devices yet—thought it might tip them off."
Chen Mo recalled the strange woman trying to hitch a ride.
"Trouble again..." he muttered. "Alright. We'll switch cars today. Don't remove the device yet."
"Got it."
"Any idea who they are?"
"No, I don't have the gear to trace them."
"Leave the bug here. I'll handle it."
After Wang Hai left, Chen Mo sat back down in his chair and exhaled slowly.
Another threat.
This time, he couldn't afford to be lucky again. Last time, Ink Girl had detected the mercenaries just in time. What if they came back with a better plan?
"Ink Girl."
"I'm here!" A small avatar of a girl appeared on the lab's main screen, her voice cheerful.
"Can you trace the signal being received by that bug?"
"No need to wait. The signal's already active in the area. Give me a moment…"
She didn't even need the physical device. Within seconds, the screen blinked and displayed a location.
Blue Ocean Resort
"Blue Ocean Resort?" Chen Mo murmured.
Just then, Wang Hai returned, carefully placing the nail-sized bug on the table.
"Got it," he said simply, then stepped back out.
Chen Mo stared at the screen.
"Ink Girl, pull up the check-in records for the Blue Ocean Resort."
"One moment, Brother~"
Within seconds, the resort's database appeared on his screen.
Foreign guests… mostly tourists. But the woman—clearly East Asian—had worn too much makeup to identify. No real match in the public records either.
A knot of unease formed in his chest.
"They're targeting me again," he muttered.