Chapter 12: Taken Hostage

Alloy steel plates enclosed this floor on every side, so it should have been completely soundproofed against the floors above and below. Feng Bu'er was therefore rather puzzled to hear the rapid vibrations.

An earthquake? The thought had barely occurred to Feng Bu'er when the shaking stopped. He let out a long breath, thankful it wasn't a major earthquake. In his present situation, all he could have done was pull up his trousers and run.

What happened next, however, was worse than an earthquake. Fine cracks spread across the restroom ceiling, growing denser and gradually covering an area of five or six square meters. Then a strange vibration shook this entire slab of what should have been alloy steel into powder. Like a biscuit barely holding its shape, it suddenly crumbled and fell. It didn't make much noise when it landed—just the sound of three or four cubic meters of iron powder being dumped on the floor, at most.

Iron dust immediately filled the restroom. The door of Feng Bu'er's stall offered some protection, but plenty still poured through the gap beneath it, choking him so badly that he had to cover his mouth and nose and couldn't open his eyes.

Through the gap above the stall door, he could see that a large section of the ceiling was now missing, but his view was limited. He hadn't seen the two figures drop down carrying a large case, and for the moment he had no idea what was going on. Were even resistance organizations' secret bases shoddily built these days? Where had they found this roadwork crew? This was outrageous!

Feng Bu'er was still considering whether to call for help in this embarrassing predicament when the toilet he was sitting on flushed without warning. At the same instant, an invisible force tightened around his neck.

The stall's bolt slid back by itself, and the door opened. Gu Wen stood before the bare-bottomed Feng Bu'er, covering his mouth and nose with his sleeve and wearing Accountant's sunglasses. “Don't shout, and don't try to resist. Unless you've got the protective energy of a Fierce-rank fighter that distorts collisions between matter, one twitch of my finger will take your head off.”

Feng Bu'er looked straight at Gu Wen, his voice steady and his expression fearless. “An intruder, then. Hmph... Whatever you're after, even if you've got me under control for now, don't you think barging in here alone is practically suicide?”

“A guy with shit stuck to his ass is still trying to look badass delivering a line like that...” Gu Wen said. “Leaving that aside, are you blind? There are clearly two of...” He turned his head. Accountant really was nowhere to be seen. There was only the enormous suitcase on the floor.

After another look around, he found Accountant bent over the vomit basin used for rinsing mops in the corner, washing his face under an old-fashioned tap with a twist handle.

“What are you doing...”

“You suddenly snatched my sunglasses, and I got iron powder in my eyes,” Accountant replied. “It's fine. I just need to rinse them.”

Gu Wen sighed and turned back to Feng Bu'er. “I need to ask you a few questions. If you don't cooperate, I'll help you get rid of a few unnecessary organs. Understand?”

Feng Bu'er wasn't actually afraid of Gu Wen. If he hadn't been caught off guard and left at the man's mercy, he would already have dispatched this fool with a punch and a kick. For now, he might as well cooperate and wait for his chance.

“Ask,” Feng Bu'er replied.

Gu Wen said, “Your name and position.”

“Feng Bu'er, provincial internal affairs chief.”

“How many people are on this floor right now?”

Feng Bu'er hesitated. “Hmph... There's no harm in telling you that. Over fifty in total, twelve of whom are assigned exclusively to security. I shouldn't have to tell you they're different from the building's other guards. All twelve are knights, and there are several ability users among the rest as well. I'm afraid the two of you will have a hard time getting out in one piece. I suggest you surrender now...”

Gu Wen decided the rest would be nonsense, so he interrupted before Feng Bu'er could finish. “Where's the server room on this floor?”

Feng Bu'er didn't answer. Seeming to realize something, he shifted his gaze to the suitcase and asked, “What are you planning to do?”

“Don't make me ask twice.” Before Gu Wen had finished speaking, another patch of hair disappeared from Feng Bu'er's close-cropped head.

“Near the southeast corner. The door says room a9.” Feng Bu'er was already breaking out in a cold sweat.

“Do you really need to ask? Obviously we're here to hack into the Apostle system. Did you think we came all this way to reinstall your software and run a virus scan while we were at it?” Accountant had washed his face clean and was looking rather pleased with himself. “This floor's computer system should be completely separate from the other floors.” He addressed Feng Bu'er. “Playing dumb won't help. If it were all one system, this fellow beside me would already have hacked every last part of your system from a laptop while lying on a sofa. The two of us wouldn't have needed to come here in person.”

Seeing that Accountant was very close to the door, Gu Wen immediately added, “Hey, don't get carried away and walk out there. This floor's surveillance equipment is separate from the other floors too. The restroom is the only blind spot. Once we're outside, we'll have to be especially careful.”

“You certainly know a lot.” Feng Bu'er's voice grew grim. “Even the lower-ranking members of Steel Commandment know nothing about secrets like the Apostle system...”

Gu Wen smiled. “What, do you think that's some rare piece of intelligence? This technology is just something the Freedom Front sold you cheap over thirty years ago. Unfortunately, compared with Matrix, which they use themselves, Apostle is only a beta version.

“Of course, Steel Commandment and the Freedom Front are currently the only two organizations on this planet that can effectively use independent systems like this on a large scale, entirely separate from the Empire's communications satellites, transmission towers, and network lines. You're doing much better than those oafs who spend all day making calls on phones that are already tapped.”

“Who exactly are you... to know even that...” Feng Bu'er said.

Gu Wen fetched a roll of toilet paper from the next stall and tossed it to Feng Bu'er. “It's simple. I worked on a project with Matrix's chief designer. An old fellow named Gates. Whenever he gets the chance, he claims his ancestor was rich enough to buy an entire state. As far as I'm concerned, he's just an old lunatic with a little technical know-how who despises the rich and wants to take revenge on society.

“Anyway... he once spoke about Apostle with contempt. At the time, it looked as though the Freedom Front was doing Steel Commandment quite a favor, but it was really just an experimental product. Not much use, but a shame to throw away. Might as well give it to you lot to play with.

“All right, don't think I can't slice through your neck in an instant just because I'm not looking at you. I'd advise you not to try anything. That roll should be enough. Hurry up, wipe yourself, and pull your trousers up.”

With that, Gu Wen stepped aside and began talking quietly with Accountant.

Feng Bu'er finished up, pulled up his trousers, and stood still. The whole time, he could feel something restraining his neck. Only now did he realize how serious things were. However capable he might be, he couldn't put any of it to use with an invisible thread wrapped around his neck. One large movement, or a slight adjustment by the other man, and his head would part company with his body.

A few minutes later, Gu Wen came back over to him. “What's that look for? Sit there so long it dried on and you couldn't wipe it all off?”

Could you possibly make that sound any more disgusting? Feng Bu'er thought, but didn't say it aloud. Instead, he replied, “Nobody's going to look very happy talking with something tight around their neck.”

“So you'd think...” The first person to flash through Gu Wen's mind was Tian Yi. He went on, “Back to business. You must be trying to work out how to find an opening and get out of this situation. But I can assure you that, since I've decided to give you a certain amount of freedom, I won't be leaving you any openings.”

Accountant chimed in. “Believe me, he might kill you at any moment, gouge out your eyeballs, and take your ID.”

Gu Wen continued, “So from now on, you'd better do exactly as I say, every step of the way. If you try to stall or play any tricks, you'll die.”

“Stop threatening me with death all the time. Don't I look like a believer who's prepared to die for his faith?” Feng Bu'er asked.

At this, Gu Wen made a show of searching Feng Bu'er's pockets. “That's odd. The Commandment pocket watch, awarded only to each city's most devoted senior members... Did you lose yours? Drop it down the toilet?”

With his bluff exposed, Feng Bu'er looked a little embarrassed. “All right, I'll help you. Please don't kill me. I'm only small fry. I was just putting on a brave face earlier. At first I thought you were the sort of honorable heroes who respected people for holding out, but I'm gradually realizing that you two...”

“Enough. We know which of your faces is an act and which is real,” Accountant said. “Stop wasting time. Now listen carefully...”