Chapter 93 – A Fox in the Henhouse
The sun rose over City A like a bloodied crown, painting the skyline in ominous hues. Bai Xueqing sat at her desk in Bai Corp's top floor, the events at the factory playing over and over in her mind. They had cornered The Fox, yet he'd slipped through their grasp like a phantom.
Mo Chen entered without knocking, a grim look on his face. He placed a USB drive on her desk. "Surveillance footage from nearby traffic cameras. We caught a glimpse of the vehicle The Fox used to escape."
Xueqing plugged the drive into her laptop. Footage flickered to life, showing a dark van speeding out of the industrial district. The plates were stolen, but Lin Nuo traced them to a chop shop in the southern docks.
"They're hiding among the smuggling rings," Lin Nuo said, leaning against the doorway. "They're using the docks as a maze."
Xueqing's lips curved into a dangerous smile. "Then we'll turn their maze into a mousetrap."
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Later that night, Xueqing and Mo Chen arrived at the docks disguised in dockworkers' uniforms. Cargo containers loomed around them like silent sentinels. The air was heavy with salt and the stench of oil.
Under the cover of darkness, Lin Nuo climbed to a crane platform to provide overwatch. His voice crackled in their earpieces. "I've got eyes on three men guarding a container with unusual heat signatures. That's your target."
Mo Chen touched Xueqing's shoulder. "Ready?"
She nodded. "Let's end this."
They moved together—silent, swift, precise. Xueqing disabled the first guard with a nerve strike. Mo Chen took the second with a chokehold. As the third raised his radio, a dart from Lin Nuo's tranquilizer gun dropped him instantly.
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Xueqing threw open the container doors to find it empty but for a single white fox mask resting on a crate—and a timer blinking down from 00:30.
"Trap!" Mo Chen shouted, grabbing Xueqing's hand.
They sprinted for the exit. The timer reached zero, and a shockwave of fire and noise rolled across the docks, knocking them off their feet. Crates toppled, sirens blared, and sprinklers burst overhead.
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Coughing through smoke, Xueqing pushed herself up beside Mo Chen. His eyes were fierce even as his shirt smoldered at the edges. "He's playing with us," she hissed. "But every game has an end."
Mo Chen took her hand firmly. "Then let's make sure we write the rules."