"Chen Mo, are you okay? What happened over there?"
As Chen Mo exited the Swedish Academy surrounded by Wang Hai and the others, Xiao Yu called him, her voice trembling with worry and tears.
She had been watching the live broadcast of Chen Mo's speech when the lights suddenly went out. Then came the explosions and screams, the scene erupting into chaos before the stream abruptly cut off. Terrified, she had called him immediately.
"I'm fine. There was an explosion, cause still unknown. I'm heading back to the hotel now," Chen Mo said, his heart warmed by her anxious voice. He switched to video so she could see him.
Seeing that he was safe and unharmed, Xiao Yu finally relaxed. The tension faded from her face. "You must stay safe. Come back as soon as possible."
"Don't worry, I'm flying home tonight. I'll be back tomorrow evening. Try to get some rest," Chen Mo said gently.
"Mm." Xiao Yu nodded.
"Focus on taking care of the baby. It's late—go to sleep."
Only after reassuring her did Chen Mo breathe easy.
Xiao Yu was pregnant now, and her emotions were often unstable. Sudden stress could harm her or the baby, which would be a serious problem. Fortunately, everything was fine this time.
Just as he hung up, Zhao Min's call came through.
"I heard there was an attack. Are you okay?" Zhao Min's voice carried a hint of worry.
"I'm fine. Just heading back to the hotel," Chen Mo replied.
"Was it targeted at you?" Zhao Min asked. Given the number of attacks Chen Mo had faced in the past—and now, abroad—she couldn't help but worry.
"I don't know. Maybe they were after me, maybe not. If they were, they didn't succeed."
"Be careful. You're more valuable than a national treasure right now," Zhao Min said.
"I will. Thanks."
After a brief exchange, Chen Mo ended the call.
…
In a luxury hotel in Stockholm, a man stood by the window, puffing on a cigar. If Wang Hai were present, he'd immediately recognize him—the man from the meeting.
The man, Lerik, was still puzzled as to how Chen Mo's bodyguard recognized him. He was certain they had never met before. Yet something in the bodyguard's eyes told him otherwise—something that couldn't be faked.
Beside him, Baidi sat silently on the couch, flipping through a magazine. Her demeanor was as cold as ever, though her gaze drifted often to the phone on the table.
Buzz…
The phone vibrated, breaking the silence. Both looked at it.
"The package has left Europe."
"Good." Lerik hung up and exhaled a long stream of smoke, his voice raspy and strange. "Let me know the moment it reaches its destination. Once the mission's confirmed complete, we'll go dark for a while until the next operation."
"Understood."
Lerik leaned back and tossed the phone aside.
After Aisha succeeded, they had arranged for the "package" to be smuggled onto a ship leaving Europe. Now that the ship had safely exited, their mission was nearly complete.
No one seemed aware of what had happened. With no lockdowns or investigations targeting the port, their escape had gone unnoticed.
The second phase of their plan had been risky—carrying it out during a tightly secured event was dangerous—but with the "target" successfully removed and the chaos created, everything had gone smoothly.
"Why did you switch to the second plan so suddenly?" Baidi asked.
Lerik glanced at her and shook his head. "No particular reason. I just had a feeling it would work."
He took another slow drag of his cigar, visibly more relaxed than before.
"You don't need to worry about the rest. Stay undercover and wait for the next assignment. This one's almost wrapped up." Lerik picked up a briefcase and tossed it to her. "Your payout. Take some time off."
Baidi opened the case and nodded at the stack of US dollars. "Got it."
…
"At 3:20 p.m. local time, an explosion occurred outside the Swedish Academy Conference Center. According to reports, the Nobel Prize speech forum was underway. The blast resulted in at least one death and four injuries. Authorities are still investigating the cause."
"Breaking: Swedish officials have confirmed that the explosion was caused by a bomb hidden in a trash bin outside the center. The incident is being treated as a terrorist attack. No organization or individual has yet claimed responsibility."
News outlets across the globe were ablaze with coverage.
Footage from different angles at the forum had already gone viral. The sudden chaos during such a high-profile international event stirred a media frenzy.
"Boss, we just got word—Professor Doliwitz has gone missing after the bombing. The police haven't confirmed his whereabouts. There's a possibility he was kidnapped," Wang Hai reported as he entered Chen Mo's hotel room.
"Doliwitz is missing?" Chen Mo was startled.
"Yes. He vanished on his way to the Swedish Academy," Wang Hai confirmed.
Chen Mo's brows furrowed. This wasn't good.
Why would anyone kidnap Doliwitz? Was it because of his research? Or something else?
At the time of the explosion, Chen Mo had been escorted out of the area at top speed, so he didn't witness what happened afterward.
"It looks like the explosion wasn't the main objective. It could've just been a distraction—to cover up a targeted abduction," Wang Hai said.
All of them had been focused on protecting Chen Mo, so they hadn't noticed anything unusual about Doliwitz. The dim lighting only made things harder to track.
Looking back, it was likely that the attackers used the panic to take Doliwitz amidst the confusion.
"No one would've noticed anything in that crowd," Chen Mo murmured. "What about the guy you recognized?"
"I didn't know him personally. But during a special op years ago, we raided a terrorist hideout, and I saw him meeting with one of their leaders. He escaped, but I spotted him in the crowd earlier—that's how I recognized him."
Chen Mo nodded. Regardless, this was definitely an unexpected twist.
"Boss, I've booked our tickets. The flight leaves in two hours," Lanxi said as she entered, still a bit flustered from the chaos.
"Let's head to the airport."
There was no point staying any longer. There could be more attempts on his life, and until the people behind it were caught, nowhere here was truly safe.
As for finding the culprits or uncovering their motives, Chen Mo wasn't interested. He wasn't a cop—this wasn't his responsibility.
They packed their things and left for the airport.
…