Chapter 18: Clash in the Basement

Dai Enrui hesitated, not daring to speak openly. She glanced toward the leader of her translation team. Wen Du knew that stalling for time was no solution. Without much delay, she nodded to her.

“Bureau Chief Ren, here’s the situation,” Dai Enrui said. “Just now, Director Ji blocked Mr. Ke’s car from leaving, insisting on searching it. The driver couldn’t decide what to do, so he called Mr. Ke. Mr. Ke rushed down to the basement and stopped the search. Then the two of them started arguing, and Mr. Ke was furious!”

The news spread quickly among the Bailunting delegation. All the representatives present were stunned, their faces betraying shock and suspicion. They lacked Wen Du’s composure, and their emotions showed plainly.

The Kangman representatives couldn’t fully understand the Balun language, but they sensed the tense atmosphere across from them and knew something serious had gone wrong. They turned to Wen Du, asking what had happened and why Keqi from their team was missing.

…

Evening, 7:00 p.m., underground parking garage.

A row of spacious parking spots had been neatly cordoned off for VIP use. Now they stood empty, save for a single courtesy car parked motionless in its place.

The courtesy car was left alone, yet far from lonely. A lively commotion surrounded it—not the buzz of honored guests, but the clamor of drawn swords and heated words.

“Director Ji, I’ll say it once more: you have no right to search my car. This vehicle belongs to the Kangman Foreign Affairs Office, and the luggage inside is my personal property. Neither courtesy nor reason gives you the authority to inspect it. If the car is suspected of any crime warranting investigation, that’s one thing—but you must produce a search warrant!”

Ji Tingxi was dressed as she always was at the Wei Investigation Institute: her long hair tied back, clad in a sharp business suit. The difference today was a touch of subtle makeup that softened her eye makeup, lending her the approachable air of an “assistant director.” Yet at this moment, her piercing intensity burned as fiercely as ever.

“Mr. Ke, we’re inspecting the vehicle not because we suspect you of any crime, but to ensure your safety,” Ji Tingxi replied. “No search warrant is needed for that—only for us to fulfill our duty.”

As they spoke, Bureau Chief Ren had already hurried over. Wen Du left Chairman Ao behind and rushed to the scene with him. She had already pieced together the scenario in her mind, but witnessing it firsthand still shook her anew.

At the center of the view, Keqi’s face was flushed red from the argument. He waved his arms to emphasize his points, though his suit jacket constrained his movements. Ji Tingxi remained composed, her words polite on the surface. But peel back the layers, and they were sharp as knives. It seemed even the leader of Kangman Country couldn’t stop her from inspecting that car.

“Safety?” Keqi laughed bitterly in frustration. “This car was thoroughly checked when it entered the country. It’s been under twenty-four-hour surveillance here in the parking garage. Even if it drove outside, it would still be watched. Where’s the danger coming from?”

Ji Tingxi didn’t bristle at his retort. Though her smile was thin, it was a smile nonetheless. “Mr. Ke makes a valid point. You clearly understand safety protocols. But you may have overlooked one thing. On our standard itinerary, there’d be no issue. However, this afternoon, you visited the Xiangdun Wine Cellar—a detour not on the schedule. For your safety, I need to take a look at this vehicle.”

Keqi was stunned that she had pinpointed the exact location. His mind raced in panic. He was certain now: Ji Tingxi’s inspection had nothing to do with guest safety. She suspected something fishy about this trip and was determined to search.

And her suspicion was spot on. The wooden box in the trunk didn’t hold wine—it concealed a Sern person!

Keqi drew in a sharp breath. Under the mounting pressure, he suppressed his fear, channeling it into “righteous anger” at this overbearing treatment. He glanced sidelong and saw Ren Weitao had arrived. Seizing the chance, he raised his voice, hoping to draw attention and leverage the leader’s authority to halt Ji Tingxi.

“Oh, I see! So it’s the itinerary that’s the problem!” Keqi shouted. “But let’s ask this: the wine cellar was recommended by Bureau Chief Ren himself, with assurances of quality. Selecting the wine was done under his accompaniment. Now you’re saying something’s wrong—which part of it exactly?”

Bureau Chief Ren had just been upstairs seeing off guests, basking in the glow of success. Now his face drained of color. He inwardly cursed, wishing he could drop to his knees before Ji Tingxi. Good heavens, at a time like this when North County Station was pandering to Kangman’s VIPs, she blocks them in the parking garage and demands to search their private belongings? Was she trying to get them all fired?

He struggled to catch his breath but forced himself forward, reaching the pair. First, he bowed apologetically to Keqi. “My apologies, Mr. Ke. Ensuring your safety is our top priority during this visit, and Director Ji oversees security, so she’s particularly vigilant. This afternoon’s itinerary was a last-minute change, and things were rushed, so I didn’t have time to brief her properly…”

Bureau Chief Ren turned to Ji Tingxi, shooting her desperate glances. “Director Ji is a dedicated professional, always concerned about oversights—which is understandable. But I can assure you, the afternoon’s activities were fine. There’s no need for this vehicle to be…”

“No need to inspect” hung on the tip of his tongue. The situation seemed on the verge of rescue when Ji Tingxi cut him off without missing a beat.

“Indeed,” she said. “My duty is to safeguard our VIP guests’ personal safety and trip experience. Inspecting the vehicle falls squarely within that. On the other hand, Mr. Ke, your intense reaction to a routine check makes me wonder if there’s something in the car I shouldn’t see. If it’s personal items, no problem—just retrieve them yourself, and we won’t look.”

Bureau Chief Ren’s words died in his open mouth—a perfect picture of speechlessness. At this point, he no longer wanted to kneel before Ji Tingxi; he dreamed of hanging himself from her front gate at dawn tomorrow.

More people trickled into the parking garage: Chairman Ao, other committee members, and corporate executives. Bureau Chief Ren had just instructed Dai Enrui to keep the VIPs in the tearoom with refreshments, but their curiosity had drawn them down anyway. They wanted to know what had befallen Mr. Ke.

Dai Enrui accompanied Chairman Ao and spotted Wen Du at once. She sidled up quietly. “Director Ji must have spotted something suspicious. There’s something off about this Keqi, right?”

Colleagues from North County Station might puzzle over it, thinking the stand-in tourism director Ji Tingxi was just overzealous and unfamiliar with protocol. But those from the Wei Investigation Institute sensed the undercurrent: Ji Tingxi wouldn’t provoke a Kangman VIP without cause. Take Ruo Xing, for example. He stood opposite the car, his face lined with worry, but he made no move to intervene, silently backing his superior’s decision.

Beside the courtesy car, the atmosphere crackled with tension. Keqi’s face had turned the shade of fresh liver. Seeing even Bureau Chief Ren couldn’t stop her, desperation surged. Blood rushed to his head as he resolved to protect the fellow countryman in the car at all costs.

Chairman Ao took it all in. Though he didn’t grasp Ji Tingxi’s motives, he wanted to preserve the hard-won friendship between the two nations. He stepped forward, intending to pat Keqi’s back and urge restraint.

“I trust Director Ji is merely being cautious,” he said. “Let’s cooperate with the inspection. That way, we can put her mind at ease and rule out any safety risks entirely.”

Keqi seethed. If you’re not helping, fine—but don’t bolster the enemy!

Now Keqi truly felt the peril of his position. As a senior undercover operative for the Giel Organization embedded among Kangman executives, he appeared powerful, with access to endless resources and intelligence. But when danger struck, escape was far harder. Right now, he was at the eye of the storm, pressed from all sides, with no allies in sight. He had always been the one shielding others; now, no one had his back.

Was he really going to give up?

If things blew open, he could play dumb, claim ignorance, and shift blame to Bureau Chief Ren or the Xiangdun Wine Cellar. But the Sern countryman in the car? No chance of survival. And the entire “Giel Bridge” operation risked exposure.

The Giel Bridge had endured three turbulent years of setbacks and storms to reach this point: a reliable escape route between Bailunting and Kangman Country, a lifeline for countless Sern people. He couldn’t let it end on his watch…

Keqi weighed the stakes. After a brief waver, he steeled himself. Even if Bailunting’s leaders arrived, even if it shattered relations between the nations—he wouldn’t let them search that car!

…

1:18 p.m., backyard of the Little He Family Villa.

The instant Duo Lin’s hand touched the iron gate, her heart pounded to its limit. But a voice from behind halted it cold, leaving her chest a frozen void.

“Duo Lin! Where are you going?”

Duo Lin whipped around. Han Ya stood at the doorway, hesitantly approaching. “Shouldn’t you be in Miss’s room…?”

Han Ya’s questions buzzed in Duo Lin’s ears, but panic garbled them into nonsense. One thought dominated her mind: Get out of here—must get out!

She spun and yanked open the iron gate, bolting outward. Han Ya gave chase, grabbing her waist from behind and dragging her back. The two wrestled evenly at the gate, lurching forward a few steps only to retreat half a meter, locked in stalemate.

“Duo Lin’s trying to escape! She’s running away—” Han Ya shouted toward the house, her voice piercing like steel needles into every window.

The once-quiet courtyard erupted. Duo Lin felt as if she’d plunged into a fire pit, thrashing desperately to escape the flames.

Get out of here—fight with everything to escape. Just one more step—must escape!

Duo Lin’s nails dug into Han Ya’s flesh, summoning her last reserves of strength to break free. But the next instant, pain exploded in her knee. She crumpled to the ground. Looking up, she saw Lan Zhijing towering over her.

The hands around her waist finally released, but with her knee cracked open in agony, Duo Lin collapsed prone, too weak to rise and flee.

Lan Zhijing stepped forward, foot raised for another strike. But a flicker in her peripheral vision made her lower it smoothly, turning toward the house instead. “Miss, Duo Lin tried to run. Han Ya caught her just in time.”

Duo Lin propped herself on one hand, head heavy as she looked up. He Lilin’s hair hung loose; she’d thrown on an outer robe, as if roused from sleep. Yet her expression was unnaturally serene, as though she’d been waiting all along for this very moment.

Like Lan Zhijing, she gazed down at Duo Lin from on high.