Chapter 10: A Massive Loss

Qi Fei’s words interrupted Zhao Shan’s train of thought. If everything she said was true, then every second was critical. Although he doubted the veracity of the information, he dared not gamble; the safety of the undercover officer was currently the highest priority.

*Confirming whether the meeting location has been changed will prove whether her words hold water.*

Qi Fei knew Zhao Shan was beginning to believe her. "If you want to confirm it, hurry up. If you wait any longer, your colleague’s life won't be saved."

Zhao Shan, scolded by Qi Fei, said nothing and immediately walked out with his phone. If what she said was true, every second counted. "Keep a close eye on the person inside," he instructed before leaving.

Upon hearing this, Qi Fei closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She really wanted to roll her eyes. Being treated like a suspect while trying to do a good deed—she really shouldn't have been so soft-hearted.

A few minutes later, Zhao Shan rushed back in, looking agitated. He didn't have time to ask how she knew these things; he went straight to the desk, pulled out a spare SIM card, and sent a message to 787: "The sun is up."

This was their code, signaling that he had been compromised and needed to evacuate immediately. Zhao Shan contacted his colleagues staking out the original trade location, confirmed that the targets had entered but hadn't left, and ordered them to sneak inside, only to discover the suspects had already escaped through the back door. He immediately ordered his colleagues to head to the new location to save their comrade; 787, who was handling the trade, would likely be there.

Hearing Zhao Shan’s inner voice, the tension in Qi Fei’s heart finally eased by half. "Well? I wasn't wrong, was I?"

Seeing Zhao Shan still standing there, her short temper flared again. Why was he so sluggish? Someone like this wouldn't survive three days in the apocalypse. She couldn't help but raise her voice, her tone taking on an involuntary command. "What are you dawdling for? I’ve already given you the transfer location; is replying to a message really that important? You can just wait for news on the way. Go, hurry!"

Zhao Shan was speechless. Given her tone, one might think Qi Fei was his superior. However, he had to admit she was right; now was not the time to wait for updates. The lack of a reply only further confirmed that her information was accurate. Any further doubts could be addressed after he returned.

To be honest, Qi Fei wanted to go and see the excitement, but given the way Zhao Shan looked at her—as if she were a thief—she decided to stay put. She felt her luck had been truly abysmal lately. In two outings, she had run into trouble both times.

The first time, she was nearly shot in the head. This time, she was dragged into an international drug trafficking ring. Qi Fei covered her face and groaned; would it ever end? It made her afraid to step out of the house. If it weren't for the fact that carrying firearms was illegal in this world, she would have secured one for self-protection by now.

Although she kept telling herself that the rest of the matter had nothing to do with her, she genuinely respected those who risked their lives for the country. Back when the apocalypse hit, if it hadn't been for the soldiers who saved her during a mission and taught her survival skills, she—a teenage girl—would have died countless times in that man-eating world. There were no bases back then, and social order had just collapsed. Qi Fei knew she could only survive by following those people, so she clung to them for two or three years until they all perished in a zombie horde, which was when her life as a drifter began. If not for that, given her hardened, death-accustomed nature, she wouldn't have bothered with this "good deed."

It took about half an hour from the mall to the police station, and with the time Zhao Shan needed to verify the intel, it would take at least an hour before they arrived. A lot can happen in an hour, and there would be countless variables. Qi Fei hoped the man she had bumped into was an arrogant one; that way, even if the undercover officer had his limbs broken, Zhao Shan might still be able to save his life if he arrived in time. Or perhaps, with a bit more luck, the man might have changed his mind and decided to do the dirty work himself, or the officer might have managed to escape, or Zhao Shan might arrive just as the torture was beginning. Otherwise...

How did that man know they were being followed? And why did he direct his suspicions immediately toward the undercover officer? Was it just a guess, or did someone leak something? Was it really a coincidence? Qi Fei didn't believe it. If there was an undercover officer in the drug ring, why couldn't there be a drug trafficker's mole in the police station?

She had just arrived, and Zhao Shan had already taken people out. If there really was a mole here, she might have put herself in danger. She didn't want her own life threatened. To an outsider, it looked way too coincidental—a new person appears at the police station, and the criminals over there get caught. If she were in their shoes, she would easily suspect herself. Don't tell her about how there couldn't possibly be moles or corrupt police; she didn't believe anywhere was perfectly clean, not even the police station. Collusion between officials and merchants, national scum—it was common enough.

She only hoped that Zhao Shan had enough brain cells not to spill her identity. As for her suspicion of an internal mole, without proof pointing to a specific person, it could only remain a guess; after all, no one would believe her. Putting herself in their shoes, it would be like someone suddenly jumping out and suspecting your own comrade-in-arms; not getting beaten up for it would be a mercy.

Another half hour passed, and Qi Fei began to grow impatient. Away from the apocalypse, she no longer needed to be on constant high alert. Once a person relaxes, time feels like it's crawling, and with so many entertaining things here, sitting still was truly boring.

One of the officers returned, holding a tablet. "Don't touch it; I'll put on whatever you want to watch."

Qi Fei sensed from his inner thoughts that there was no malice in his words, just a concern that she might try to contact the outside world. Well, having something to watch was better than nothing. She didn't mind. "Find a game stream."

Su Xiang had said that being a streamer required being articulate, and she wanted to see how they did it. Her attention had always been on the games themselves, so she hadn't really noticed what the streamers said. One of the officers glanced at her and pulled up a stream with the highest popularity.

For the entire afternoon, Qi Fei watched the livestream, lying on the sofa with no regard for her image once she got tired of sitting. That was until she heard the male officer across from her mutter, "The income from streaming tips is quite something. In such a short time, they’ve made at least a few thousand."

Mentioning money made Qi Fei perk up. She stopped lying down, sat upright, and stared at the screen with excitement. Just as the streamer was about to end the broadcast and Qi Fei was planning to switch to another, her ears twitched. She heard the sound of car brakes outside, followed by approaching footsteps.

They were back?

Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps filled the lobby. Qi Fei heard them, and naturally, the two officers watching her did as well.

The moment she saw Zhao Shan, the tension in Qi Fei's heart finally dissipated. He had two gunshot wounds but was still alive. Zhao Shan’s message had been sent a bit late; just as Qiang Gao saw the notification and tried to escape, several guns were pressed against his head. The people who had been calling him "brother" a second ago were now pointing their guns at him. Even Fei San didn't want to believe that Qiang Gao was a cop. Qiang Gao had saved Fei San more than once—most notably, if Qiang Gao hadn't blocked a bullet for him, he would have been reduced to ashes long ago.

It was precisely because of this connection that he hadn't been immediately crippled. They had been afraid the intel was fake, which would have created a rift between colleagues. When Zhao Shan and his team arrived at the abandoned site, Qiang Gao had already been shot in the arm and abdomen. With the arrival of Zhao Shan's reinforcements, the scene was quickly brought under control, and no one managed to escape. However, the drug lord Qi Fei had mentioned never appeared.

This time, it was fortunate that Zhao Shan and his team arrived in time; any later, and the consequences would have been unimaginable.