Night, thick and impenetrable.
The off-road vehicle silently stopped in a deserted farmland two kilometers away from Black Wind Stronghold, where a few dead fruit trees formed a natural barrier.
"Are your tasks clear?" Lu Shiyan broke the silence of the dead night.
Xiao Han cracked his knuckles, "Don't worry, Lu Da Shao, the perimeter is entrusted to A Mo and me. I guarantee not even a fly will be able to get in or out."
A Mo remained silent, lowering his head to check the firearms on his waist and the military knife at his thigh, each movement precise and efficient.
Li Kui gripped the fire axe in his hand tightly. The axe blade had been re-sharpened, and although there were still small nicks, it had regained some of its sharpness.
Jin Dongdong clenched his fists, "Brother Lu, Wan Jie, I remember the way, and I know their patrol routine."
Su Wan patted his cold arm: "Don't be afraid, we are here."
She then turned to Lu Shiyan: "When do we set off?"
Lu Shiyan raised his wrist and glanced at his watch: "Wait another ten minutes. That's their shift change interval, and also when their vigilance is lowest."
Ten minutes passed in a flash.
Jin Dongdong walked in front to lead the way, with Su Wan close behind, occasionally raising her night vision device to observe all movements around them.
Lu Shiyan and Li Kui were responsible for the rear, vigilantly guarding against any possible dangers.
As for Xiao Han and A Mo, they had already disappeared into the darker outer perimeter. Their mission was to clear all potential threats and intercept any enemies who might try to escape.
Black Wind Stronghold, that abandoned factory, was indeed as Jin Dongdong described: the walls were high, and barbed wire glinting coldly was strung along the top.
The main gate was tightly shut, and faint firelight flickered behind it, presumably from the night watchmen.
A message came from Xiao Han through the simple communicator on Su Wan's waist: "Outer sentries have been dealt with, you can rest assured."
Lu Shiyan nodded slightly, signaling to continue.
Jin Dongdong pointed to a gap in the wall that had been haphazardly patched with wooden planks and barbed wire: "This is it, it's the weakest spot, and it's far from their dog kennels."
Lu Shiyan quickly made a gesture.
Li Kui immediately understood, stepped forward, drew a shovel from his waist, and carefully began to pry at the nailed wooden planks.
His movements were extremely light, making almost no sound.
Su Wan, meanwhile, took out the metal detector and tentatively pressed the switch.
The screen lit up in response, still displaying those perplexing symbols and a straight baseline.
She tried pointing the detector towards the factory interior. The baseline trembled slightly, but quickly returned to stillness.
"How is it?" Lu Shiyan whispered in her ear.
Su Wan shook her head: "No special reaction. Maybe the distance is too far, or there's no 'energy fluctuation' they mentioned here."
Su Wan recalled Jin Dongdong's earlier words: "He said Black Wolf carried this and wandered around specific places in the stronghold."
"Let's go in first," Lu Shiyan signaled.
Just then, Li Kui had successfully pried off a wooden plank, revealing a gap barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through.
He cautiously peered inside for a moment, then nodded to Lu Shiyan.
Lu Shiyan was the first to slip in, followed closely by Li Kui.
Then came Su Wan and Jin Dongdong.
The interior of the factory was much larger than it appeared from the outside, and far more chaotic.
Abandoned machine parts and mountains of debris were everywhere, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of rust mixed with machine oil.
"Follow me."
They skillfully avoided several lighted guard posts. Jin Dongdong indeed knew the terrain here like the back of his hand, always finding the most hidden paths.
"The warehouse is just ahead," Jin Dongdong pointed to a two-story concrete building not far away, "Most of their supplies are stored there. Behind the warehouse are the kitchen and utility room. We'll go in through the utility room window; it's usually empty there."
Lu Shiyan quickly scanned the surroundings and exchanged a look with Li Kui.
Li Kui understood, gripped the fire axe in his hand, and was the first to stealthily approach the utility room.
Su Wan raised the detector again, this time pointing it towards the warehouse.
The baseline on the screen reacted sharply, beginning to fluctuate violently and erratically, and the instrument emitted a faint but rapid "beep, beep" sound.
"It's reacting!" Su Wan said, "Though not strongly, there's definitely a fluctuation!"
Lu Shiyan judged: "It seems the good stuff is indeed hidden in the warehouse."
Just then, a low growl of dogs suddenly came from nearby, tearing through the night's tranquility.
"Oh no! It's their dogs!" Jin Dongdong panicked.
The dog barks grew closer, mixed with a few crude curses.
"Damn it, who's there!"
Several dazzling flashlight beams cut through the darkness, sweeping erratically around.
Lu Shiyan made a decisive move, giving instructions to Su Wan and Jin Dongdong: "You two hide first, Li Kui and I will handle this!"
"Be careful!" Su Wan pulled Jin Dongdong, and the two quickly hid behind a pile of discarded tires.
Lu Shiyan and Li Kui exchanged glances, their figures blurred, and they charged towards the flashlight beams and dog barks.
In the darkness, a vicious dog lunged first, its foul saliva almost splashing on Li Kui's face.
His heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively raised his fire axe. Lu Shiyan warned: "Left side!"
At the same time, a dark figure flashed past, directly twisting the neck of another vicious dog.
Li Kui composed himself. Facing the lunging dog, he mimicked what Lu Shiyan had taught him earlier, sidestepping to avoid the bite, and with the momentum, brought the fire axe down hard!
"Thwack," was the muffled sound of the axe blade cutting into flesh.
Immediately after, a man wielding a machete cursed and charged forward. Lu Shiyan had already appeared silently behind him, a swipe of his military knife, and the man fell silently.
Another enemy was about to shout, but Li Kui swept the fire axe with all his might, hitting the opponent directly in the chest.
After a heavy thud, the world instantly fell silent.
A moment later, Lu Shiyan spoke: "It's safe."
Su Wan and Jin Dongdong finally breathed a sigh of relief and emerged from behind the tires.
They saw two sturdy vicious dogs lying on the ground, along with two men in ragged clothes, all lifeless.
"Let's go, to the warehouse," Lu Shiyan wasted no time, leading everyone forward.
The utility room window was indeed unlocked. Li Kui gently pried it open with his shovel, and it swung open with a creak.
Lu Shiyan was the first to climb in, followed closely by Su Wan.
The utility room was filled with all sorts of junk, emitting a strong musty smell.
Through the utility room was a dim corridor, and at the end of the corridor was the main door to the warehouse.
The warehouse door was a heavy iron door, with a huge, gleaming brass lock hanging on it.
"This lock..." Jin Dongdong stepped forward to examine it carefully, "It's custom-made, a bit troublesome."
Su Wan looked at Jin Dongdong: "Can you open it?"
Jin Dongdong took a deep breath, pulled out a set of small, antique-looking but well-maintained lock-picking tools from his in my arms, and carefully examined the large brass lock, frowning slightly.
"The structure is a bit more complex than I imagined. I'll try, it might take some time." With that, he selected the thinnest tension wrench and a small pick, carefully inserting them into the keyhole.
Lu Shiyan, meanwhile, vigilantly watched both ends of the corridor, guarding against any enemies that might appear at any moment.
Su Wan also gripped the pistol in her hand tightly, her nerves taut, ready to respond to any sudden situation.
Time ticked by, and fine beads of sweat appeared on Jin Dongdong's forehead.
The warehouse was eerily quiet, with only the extremely faint metallic scratching sound of him manipulating the lock cylinder.
"Click."
A barely audible click, and the brass lock opened.
Jin Dongdong let out a long sigh of relief, raising a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow: "Done!"
Lu Shiyan nodded to him, then reached out and pushed open the heavy iron door.
A rich, thick aroma of food mixed with a unique medicinal scent wafted out, and Su Wan's eyes lit up instantly! The supplies of these people were much more than she had imagined.
The interior of the warehouse was vast, with shelves overflowing with various supplies.
Rice, flour, various canned goods, compressed biscuits, and boxes of mineral water and various beverages.
On the other side were piled medicines, gauze, bandages, and other urgently needed medical supplies.
There were even several large oil drums in the corner, emitting a faint smell of gasoline.
Su Wan didn't hesitate. With a wave of her small hand, the supplies on the shelves disappeared in swathes, all swept into her space. "I'm rich!"
Li Kui and Jin Dongdong watched, dumbfounded.
Lu Shiyan, however, paid no attention to these, walking directly to the depths of the warehouse, where there seemed to be a small room that had been specially partitioned off.
After Su Wan had put all the food and medicine into her space, she also quickly followed.
The "beep, beep" alarm from the metal detector in her hand became more urgent, almost about to explode!
All the pointers were frantically pointing towards the small partitioned room deep inside the warehouse!
Lu Shiyan looked at the small room: "Black Wolf's treasure, it seems, is inside."