CHAPTER 318: CHAPTER 304: THE SAME METAL BOX

The other end of the passageway led to the parking lot, but he didn’t see the guard room. With five minutes left until the shift change, Xiao Lin abandoned the idea of entering from the front and turned towards the rear garden.

Through the shadows of the trees, he sprang onto the wall. His hands clung to the stone wall, waiting for the person above to pass before he pushed off with his legs and landed on the rooftop. This was the only place he could cross the courtyard to reach the parking lot, and the basement door was right there.

Two tall men stood nearby, smoking and speaking in Arabic. Due to the distance, Xiao Lin couldn’t hear clearly. At that moment, chaotic footsteps sounded nearby, and he stepped back, hiding under the spire. It was precisely 9 PM; a few people chatted for a while, and then the new footsteps receded.

The night air became thin as Xiao Lin poked his head out to look around. Five men were positioned in the four corners, with the last one moving around freely, each gun loaded. Holding a thin blade, he slowly moved forward along the edge, not wanting to cause any disturbances if possible.

Perhaps Xiao Lin was lucky; throughout the process, no one noticed his presence. He easily slid down to the ground as a truck drove past him and stopped on the open space, blocking his view.

From where Xiao Lin landed to the basement was about fifteen meters, with searchlights occasionally sweeping across. He looked up and noticed an undercover sentry under the spotlight. If the truck hadn’t passed by just now, he likely would have been riddled with bullets.

A few foreigners got off the truck, carrying similarly heavy weapons, while some Middle Eastern men unloaded large wooden crates from the vehicle. After entering the door, the searchlight swung in the other direction. Xiao Lin rolled into a nearby bush, his back pressed against something hard. He paused his movements; the map hadn’t marked anything here. He slowly crawled down, keeping close to the ground, and turned his head.

Behind him was a cement stone house, its dark interior flickering with red light. This was an unmanned surveillance room, and Xiao Lin wasn’t sure if the cameras had captured his earlier movements. Most of such surveillance rooms were merely facades, with the actual operation functioning indoors.

"Who’s there? I—uh..."

With a flash of silver, a person had already slumped to the ground, leaving only a trace of blood where the artery was cut. Dragging the body into the grass, Xiao Lin dashed to the side of the truck and pressed his whole body against its chassis.

"Hey! Where did JOY go?" The speaker had a thick local accent, making it easy to identify.

"His hands were itching." The young-sounding person replied with a suggestive laugh. Both seemed to understand the implication.

The truck jerked a bit, and Xiao Lin fell to the ground, motionless and wary. The specially modified truck had an exceptionally stable chassis, quite resistant to explosions. His head was almost touching the entire transmission system below, and carelessness could result in losing half his head.

Once there was a safe distance from the truck, Xiao Lin rolled to the side, intending to stand up, only to find two dark gun barrels aimed at him.

Following the gun barrels, Xiao Lin slowly got up. One of them started frisking him and, puzzled by the lack of weapons, gave him a shove. Xiao Lin fell forward, bent over, and immediately spun around, turning his fingers into claws aiming at the attacker. The foreigner wasn’t an easy opponent; with a momentary hesitation, he leaned back, narrowly dodging Xiao Lin’s attack.

At this moment, the searchlight was already moving towards them. Xiao Lin raised his hand, two silver flashes shot out, with a sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

The other foreigner saw his companion fail and moved forward to attack Xiao Lin’s head, only to find a short blade suddenly in the opponent’s hand, now embedded in his heart.

"Get inside!" Xiao Lin stood before the man, indifferent to the body beneath him, while the sniper hidden in the dark could no longer pull the trigger.

As he ascended the stairs, the lights brightened, and faint sounds of conversation reached him. Xiao Lin struck the foreigner’s neck hard, pushing him into the clutter beside him.

Above was a ventilation shaft, which he climbed up.

"Why is there so little this time?" The person speaking from below the vent was a short and plump middle-aged man, his stomach protruding, face shiny with oil.

"With the current scrutiny, getting them out at all is good enough."

Xiao Lin frowned. If his memory served right, the person speaking was known in the underworld as ’Moth’, named for his disbelief in the adage ’Moths fly to the flame’ leading to self-destruction, showcasing his arrogance and brutality.

This person was a pedophile responsible for multiple bank armored car heists and easy escapes, and was also the main suspect in a series of serial murders.

Moth had been on Dragon Soul’s wanted list for a long time, with the last known act three years ago, robbing a cash truck and disappearing after killing several security guards. He was a retired soldier and former special forces member with strong counter-surveillance abilities, not an easy target.

"The last batch had an incident, a few people died. The higher-ups are very displeased." The fat man lit a cigarette, feigned a smile, and signaled for the men behind to open the wooden crate: "New model weapons."

Moth picked up a projectile from the box, played with it in his hand, and lowered his eyes: "The stuff’s not bad, it’s a pity..." He took out a silver box from a black bag, a simple lock hanging on it, and pushed it in front of the fat man: "This is a sample."

"As long as the folks above are OK, there’s absolutely no problem on my end." The fat man caressed the box’s surface, an odd gleam in his eye. Opening the box, inside were several bottles of liquid mixed with fibers and a syringe on the side. The fat man lifted the liquid, shaking it in the air, the fibers and liquid merging into a faint green.

"This drug can only be injected one milligram at a time, maximum three milligrams a day. Each injection boosts muscle strength four to five times, lasting two hours." Moth continued playing with the projectile and went on: "The second type is already circulating in the market, similar to the previous Type-1 but more stable. Just don’t exceed the dosage, and there won’t be any casualties; the third type..." Moth suddenly chuckled. Xiao Lin felt his heart skip when Moth picked up the small bottle, half black and half white. He was not unfamiliar with that silver iron box; it was the same as the one he saw at Miao Family Village, with a spider emblem faintly visible under the light. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly ballots. Your support is my greatest motivation.)