The Hebei mountain loomed like a sleeping giant under a moonless sky, its forested slopes hiding Tianhua's lab—a fortress carved into stone, pulsing with secrets that had claimed Pang Yuwei's life. Ruoxi crouched at the ridge's edge, her breath steady despite the fire humming in her veins, the phoenix tattoo a golden ember beneath her sleeve. Jiang Yukang flanked her, mask on, his silenced pistol glinting as he scanned the valley below—guard towers, drones, a steel gate gleaming in the dark. Xiao Zheng knelt beside them, jammer humming, his bandaged leg stiff but his focus sharp, laptop ready to crack the lab's defenses.
"Gate's our in," Xiao Zheng whispered, fingers dancing over keys. "Jammer's up—drones are blind for ten minutes. Guards rotate now—go."
Yukang nodded, the kingpin's lethal grace coiled tight. "Ruoxi, your fire's the key—locks, barriers, Tianhua. We've got your back."
