Pei Ran warned him: “Your energy is limited. Don’t just control this and that, turning lights on and off—what a waste.”
W obediently replied: “Okay. I understand.”
A green, old-style military truck came speeding over. However, the soldier driving had spotted Pei Ran standing in the middle of the road from afar and immediately hit the brakes.
As the vehicle screeched to a halt, Pei Ran rushed over and yanked the door open.
Inside the cab was a single soldier. Startled, he instinctively reached for his gun, but his eyes caught the semicircular FBSMD emblem on Pei Ran’s combat suit.
FBSMD was a subsidiary department of the Ministry of Defense. The soldier let go and saluted first.
“May I ask you—”
Then, suddenly, he recognized her.
“Ah, you’re that—”
His thoughts took a winding path, but Pei Ran had no time to chat. She punched him in the head.
The force was just right—he passed out instantly.
While committing the assault, Pei Ran asked W: “Aside from you, no one else can see the surveillance footage here, right?”
He had taken control of the area’s monitoring system, presumably to facilitate her mischief.
Sure enough, W replied: “I’ll handle all surveillance matters. Don’t worry about it.”
Black Well had already returned to his control.
Pei Ran leaned in, turned off the engine, and dragged the unconscious soldier out of the truck, hauling him to the roadside in one go.
The roadside was a large, unfinished factory construction site, littered with building materials. Pei Ran hid the man behind a pile of steel bars.
Her fame was too widespread—this man had already recognized her. But it didn’t matter. By the time he woke up, she would be long gone.
Pei Ran jumped into the military truck, started the engine, and slammed the accelerator, making a sharp U-turn right in the middle of the road before speeding straight toward the vertical farm ahead.
W calculated: “At your current speed, in about eleven minutes—”
She pushed the vehicle to its limits.
W corrected: “—ten minutes—”
Then revised again: “—nine minutes, and you’ll reach the entrance of the vertical farm.”
The midnight road was empty. W noticed that, in her hurry, she was hugging the centerline again, driving right down the middle of the road.
The surveillance footage was crystal clear—W could see Pei Ran’s tightly drawn face.
Her tone had been light the whole time, even joking, but her expression was unbearably tense. Even when she was being chased by drones a few days ago or knocked to the ground by Xing Wuxian’s tranquilizer, she hadn’t looked this nervous.
A red traffic light lit up ahead.
Pei Ran mentally consulted W: “There aren’t any other cars on the road anyway—how about we skip the whole ‘stop at red, go at green’ thing today?”
The traffic light immediately switched to green.
And further ahead, as far as the eye could see, every light on Seventh Avenue had turned green.
Pei Ran: “…”
Even though the road was empty, and he could clearly see from the surveillance that there were no cars nearby, W insisted on turning all the traffic lights green. It seemed he was oddly fixated on obeying traffic rules.
Pei Ran asked him: “How much time do you have left?”
W replied: “Forty-one minutes.”
The military truck sped madly down the road, and in less than eight minutes, Pei Ran could already see the vertical farm’s sign, emblazoned with a giant green leaf.
She slammed on the brakes, skidding to a stop at the entrance, then jumped out and sprinted inside.
Black Well was now W’s domain—none of the doors required her iris scan, opening automatically as she ran through unimpeded.
Pei Ran took the elevator underground.
Beneath the Blue Zone was the farm’s G5 sector. The moment she arrived, she immediately dashed toward the conveyor belt.
W had already mapped out the route: “We’re heading to E1—closer to Central Tower than last time’s E3.”
The conveyor belt was noticeably faster than before—W must have adjusted it—making it feel like flying as she stood on it.
Pei Ran immediately tried to run on the moving belt.
W: “Pei Ran!”
The conveyor belt actually began to slow down.
“Don’t move—it’s dangerous,” W said. “The belt has its own smart safety system. If it detects someone moving recklessly, it’ll stop automatically.”
Pei Ran bargained: “What if I just walk slowly?”
W: “No.”
So she had to stand still.
The moment she stopped, the conveyor belt accelerated again, carrying her toward Central Tower.
It was safer this way—but unbearably frustrating.
This was even worse than driving earlier—at least then she had something to do. Now, Pei Ran stood there, utterly restless.
She couldn’t help but keep glancing down at the time on her wristband, then shifted her backpack to the front, unzipping it to check the core processor’s condition.
His state was dire—the blue glow had dimmed even further. There was no telling if he’d last until they got the energy block.
Suddenly, W spoke in her ear: “Pei Ran, look up.”
Pei Ran made a questioning noise (“Hm?”), frowning as she raised her head, still weighed down with worry.
Above her, the dome ceiling of this section of the vertical farm—usually dotted with lights like stars—suddenly darkened.
Then, right in the center, a single light flickered on, rapidly expanding into the shape of a heart.
The heart grew larger and larger until it nearly covered the entire ceiling of the area.
The ceiling had just given her a heart.
Pei Ran: “…”
Taking full advantage of the surveillance—knowing no one was around—he was doing whatever he wanted.
“You really are…” She sighed. “…wasting your energy.”
“I don’t think it’s a waste. I think it’s worth it.”
W’s tone suddenly turned stubborn. “I’ve only got this little time left—can’t I do what I want?”
He was about to die. Pei Ran relented: “Fine. Do it. How much longer can you hold on?”
W answered obediently: “Twenty-seven minutes.”
Finally, they reached E1.
Pei Ran didn’t wait for the conveyor belt to stop. Bracing her hands on the railing, she swung her legs over the side guard and jumped off directly.
The belt’s smart monitoring system, baffled by her actions, hurriedly ground to a halt.
Pei Ran asked: “Where now?”
W navigated: “Go forward, past four rows of cultivation racks, then turn right. There’s a maintenance hatch on the ground—it’s not automatic, so you’ll need to force it open. Pry up the panel, go down, then follow the passage forward. After twenty meters, turn left.”
Pei Ran sprinted ahead.
Suddenly, W said: “Wait. Hide.”
Pei Ran immediately ducked behind a row of cultivation racks.
The dense foliage of the cultivation racks concealed Pei Ran’s figure. Not far ahead, the elevator let out a soft “ding.”
The doors slid open, revealing a squad of armed soldiers carrying rifles. Pei Ran peered through the gaps in the leaves and counted—seven in total.
W said, “There shouldn’t be patrols here. They’ve increased security tonight, repeatedly sweeping the area around Central Tower.”
Then, abruptly, he added, “They’re coming this way. Move back further.”
Pei Ran swiftly retreated, pressing herself into the corner where the cultivation racks turned.
The soldiers approached and stopped right beside the row of racks, standing in place as their leader lowered his head to check his wristband.
“Let me check the patrol route.”
“Orders from above—we need to finish this sector first, then head to Zone P. They said someone escaped from the Southeastern Military District. We have to track them down.”
One of them muttered under his breath, “We’re all Black Well soldiers. With the chaos outside, and now we’re fighting among ourselves—isn’t this just mutual destruction? Suicide?”
The leader snapped, “Enough nonsense.” Then added, “Watch your words unless you want trouble.”
Another soldier chimed in, “Heard several got away tonight. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
They kept chattering, dragging out the conversation endlessly.
Pei Ran glanced at the time on her wristband, her impatience spiking.
Another half-minute wasted.
W’s blackout trick wouldn’t work here. The maintenance hatch on the ground required brute force to open—even if the lights went out, the noise would alert them, exposing her location.
Fighting them head-on wasn’t impossible, but there were too many of them. If even one slipped past, fired a shot, or called for backup, getting bogged down here would be disastrous.
Just then, a distant sound echoed through the space.
“Clang.” A sharp, metallic ring.
The soldiers stiffened, then immediately sprinted toward the source.
But it wasn’t just one sound. Further away, another “clang” followed.
One after another, the noises lured them farther away.
Pei Ran knew exactly what this was—W was manipulating the vertical farm’s watering and fertilizing AI to create distractions.
His already dwindling energy reserves were taking another hit.
With the soldiers gone, Pei Ran bolted from her hiding spot, found the maintenance hatch, and yanked at it. When it didn’t budge, she jammed her fingers above the lock and wrenched it apart with a single forceful twist.
She lifted the hatch, slipped inside, and closed it behind her.
Below was a long ladder, but Pei Ran didn’t have time to climb down slowly—she leaped straight to the bottom.
The space opened into a maintenance tunnel, identical to the one where she had killed Yu He and his son, lined with pipes of various colors. After running twenty meters, she spotted the left fork W had mentioned.
The branching passage was less than half her height—narrow and cramped. Pei Ran dropped to her hands and knees, crawling forward at full speed.
W said, “There’s no surveillance here. I can’t see you anymore.”
Pei Ran: “Why would you need to see me? To watch me crawl?”
W: “It does sound interesting. I kind of do want to see it now.”
Pei Ran: “…”
Finally, the tunnel opened up enough for her to stand. She scrambled to her feet and sprinted ahead.
W continued navigating, “At the end, force open the synthetic wall panel, then climb up the pipes outside.”
His directions were as straightforward as ever.
Once she scaled the pipes and emerged, Pei Ran recognized the route—it was the same one she had taken back to Central Tower after disposing of the bodies in the incinerator last time.
No longer needing W’s guidance, she moved swiftly and unerringly until she reached the familiar ventilation shaft.
“No one’s outside right now,” W said.
Pei Ran climbed out.
She had reached the third underground level of Central Tower.
After carefully replacing the vent cover, she asked, “How much time left?”
W replied: “Nineteen minutes.”
Then he added, “The warehouse for important reserve components is ahead—second door on the left at the end of the hallway. My repair kit is inside; I’ve already spotted it on the surveillance feed. But you can’t go there yet. I’ve opened the door to the adjacent room. You need to hide.”
Pei Ran: ?
W: “Because three patrol soldiers are heading this way. They’ll turn the corner any second.”
The third basement level was usually unmanned, but tonight was an exception—patrols had been reinforced everywhere.
Beside her, a door slid open silently.
But there were only nineteen minutes left. She still had to locate the energy block in the warehouse and replace it for him.
There was no time left to hide from patrols.
Pei Ran moved like a shadow, darting swiftly down the corridor—straight toward them.
The moment the three soldiers rounded the corner, the first one barely had time to register what was happening before a fist slammed into his temple, sending him crumpling backward.
The two behind him immediately raised their rifles.
But Pei Ran moved like a ghost. Her mechanical hand seized one gun, twisting it until the barrel cracked, then pivoted behind the second soldier and drove an elbow into the base of his skull.
Another one down.
She clamped a hand over the last soldier’s mouth to muffle any shout—then knocked him out cold with a single punch.
This was much faster than hiding and waiting for them to pass.
Leaving the three unconscious bodies in the hallway wasn’t an option. Just as Pei Ran glanced to the side, a nearby door obediently slid open, as if reading her mind.
She dragged the soldiers inside, stripped them of their wristbands, confiscated their rifles, and stepped back out, weapons in hand.
“Lock the door.”
The door complied with a soft click. Pei Ran sprinted to the end of the hallway.
“How much time left?” she asked.
W replied: “Seventeen minutes.”
At the end of the corridor, the door to the important reserves warehouse stood open. Inside was a compact room lined with shelves, each packed with neatly arranged boxes.
W continued guiding her: “Fourth row in, third shelf from the top. Look for the label D305.”
Pei Ran rushed over. At position D305, she immediately spotted a small black carrying case.
W said, “It’s key-locked. You’ll have to open it manually.”
No problem. Pei Ran simply pried the lock apart with her mechanical hand and flipped open the lid.
Inside, the case was lined with black velvet, each tool nestled in a custom-shaped indentation, gleaming silver against the fabric.
But there was no sign of anything resembling an energy block.
At the center was a square indentation—empty.
A cold sweat broke out on Pei Ran’s back. “Where is your energy block supposed to be?”
W had seen the contents the moment she opened the case. “It should be right here—a square black box containing three backup energy blocks.”
He added, “I’ve already reviewed the surveillance logs. No one has entered this warehouse since I left Black Well.”
If no one had come after his departure, then someone had raided his supplies before he left.
W said, “But before that, the warehouse was under my surveillance the entire time. If anyone had tampered with my repair kit, I would have seen it. I’m reviewing the earlier footage now.”
While he worked, Pei Ran yanked out the velvet lining of the case and checked beneath it.
Nothing.
She quickly inspected nearby boxes and the floor beneath the shelves.
Still nothing.
Second by agonizing second, time crawled.
W soon reported, “I found footage from yesterday—Qiao Sai opened the case, and the energy blocks were still there. This morning, two people came to retrieve parts for the isolation door. While they were taking the components, their bodies blocked the view of my repair kit for seven seconds.”
Seven seconds. Whoever they’d hired was fast.
W continued, “I’m tracking their movements after they left the warehouse.”
A moment later, he said, “They went straight to repair the isolation door. Their pockets didn’t appear to contain the energy blocks, and their tool bags were opened under surveillance—nothing inside. They also had no suspicious contact with anyone else. I can’t locate the energy blocks.”
His tone was calm, as steady as ever, but something felt off.
Pei Ran narrowed her eyes. “W, are you lying to me?”
W replied evenly, “No.”
“You are lying.” Pei Ran pressed. “The energy blocks are somewhere dangerous, aren’t they?”
It wasn’t hard to guess. The only ones who’d bother stealing the energy blocks were Basserway, Delsa, and their faction. Right now, those blocks were probably with them.
Pei Ran dumped the tools and components from the repair kit into her backpack, slung it over her shoulder, and strode out.
“If you can’t find the blocks, then at least tell me where Basserway and the others are. I’ll go to them.”
W hesitated. “Pei Ran, it’s too dangerous.”
Pei Ran exhaled sharply. “You just wasted another two seconds. Where are they? The command center on the top floor?”
Her voice was calm, but W knew better—she would do it. She’d storm in there without hesitation.
Finally, W relented.
“I saw in the surveillance footage—one of the two who came to the warehouse later met with Lieutenant General Delsa’s aide. A corner of the energy block case was visible in the shot.”
“Delsa’s aide took the case and stored it in his briefcase.”
“He’s been carrying that briefcase with him all day. Right now, he’s in a small meeting room next to the top-floor command center—the briefcase is on the table beside him.”
Lieutenant General Delsa, wary of W, had sent someone to steal his backup energy blocks in advance.
And now, those blocks were on the top floor.
With their location confirmed, Pei Ran’s tension eased. “Good. We’re going to the top floor.”
W: “Pei Ran, Basserway and Delsa have formed a seven-member interim decision-making committee. They’re currently in that meeting room discussing how to handle the aftermath of the coup. The entire top floor is heavily guarded—armed soldiers everywhere.”
Pei Ran ignored the warning. “How much time do you have left?”
“Fourteen minutes.” W insisted, “Pei Ran, I don’t agree. It’s too dangerous.”
Pei Ran: “Your objection is noted. Now, help me plan the optimal route to the top floor.”