It's just a toy, why would you care if it breaks?

Wei Xun composed himself, found a pair of scissors, and carefully opened the envelope along the adhesive.

There was no letter inside, only a metallic card, about the size of a bank card, with smooth edges, a fine code engraved on the front, and a black sensor coating on the back.

This is a professional information storage card.

Wei Xun recognized it at a glance; this type of card has an extremely large storage capacity and is highly secure.

He knew that key personnel in his company's R&D department used these cards to store critical technical data.

To read the data inside, his company has a dedicated card reader.

Therefore, the information stored in this kind of card is definitely not simple.

Based on the Thorn Rose badges worn by that group last night, this thing is most likely related to the club, and may even be fatal evidence that could shake the foundation of the club.

Wei Xun's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the card; this thing might be more dangerous than he had anticipated.

He can't carry the card on his person; the metal detector will detect it.

It can't be left anywhere in the hotel... We have to find a secluded and safe hiding place.

Wei Xun looked around the room and his gaze fell on the laptop on the table.

He got up, grabbed the computer, flipped it over, and unscrewed a few screws from the back cover.

Once the back cover is opened, you'll find the computer's motherboard, hard drive, memory modules, and other components.

Wei Xun reached out and pinched the clip on the memory stick, then gently pressed it, and the memory stick popped out.

He folded the information card under the memory stick, fitting it into the recess of the motherboard. It fit perfectly into the gap between the memory stick and the motherboard, and was almost invisible unless you looked closely.

After confirming that the card was securely in place, he reinserted the memory stick into the slot, pressed the latch firmly, then fastened the back cover and screwed it on.

After doing all this, he put the computer back on the table, wiped the surface with a cloth, and it looked no different from usual.

Then, Wei Xun went to the bathroom and burned the envelope, flushing the ashes down the toilet.

To mask the smell of burnt paper, he sat in the bathroom and smoked for a while before taking a shower.

Hot water poured down his head, washing away his tense nerves. He repeatedly checked his hair and skin to make sure there wasn't a single drop of blood on them.

I checked the coat, pants and shoes I wore last night over and over again to make sure there were no suspicious marks before I threw the clothes into the laundry basket.

Back in his bedroom, he threw back the covers, got into bed, and picked up his phone to browse local news.

The homepage is full of current affairs and news about people's livelihoods, with no reports about the discovery of a female corpse along the riverside walkway, or even related social news.

It seems that the group cleaned up the mess thoroughly, or rather, they were able to suppress the matter.

Wei Xun felt relieved and opened WeChat.

In the pinned chat box, Nan Yan sent a photo.

In the photo, Nan Yan is sitting on the living room carpet, with a large teddy bear opposite her. There is a small teacup in front of each of the two "people," as if they are playing house.

Nan Yan smiled, her eyes crinkling, looking exceptionally clean and warm.

Wei Xun's gaze softened, and he gently stroked Nan Yan's face in the photo with his fingertips.

He typed back: "Good night."

After successfully sending the message, he placed his phone on the bedside table and closed his eyes.

But my mind was unusually clear; the scenes from last night kept replaying in my mind—

The woman's empty eye sockets, the bloodstains on the ground, and the emblem of the thorn rose.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he gradually fell asleep, but his sleep was extremely restless.

In his dream, he returned to the riverside path, where the night was even darker and the streetlights flickered on and off.

The woman in camouflage was lying on the ground. He walked over and pulled off her mask, but then—

That face had actually transformed into Nan Yan's appearance!

His pale face was expressionless, and blood kept gushing from his two empty eye sockets.

"Sir...save me..." Nan Yan's voice was choked with sobs as she reached out her hand to him.

"Nan Yan!" Wei Xun suddenly woke up, covered in cold sweat, his heart pounding wildly.

He was panting heavily, and turned to look out the window. It was already dawn, and the morning light was shining in through the gaps in the curtains.

He picked up his phone and checked the time: six in the morning.

There were no new messages on WeChat; Nan Yan probably hasn't woken up yet.

Wei Xun got up and drank a glass of cold water, which calmed him down a little.

He checked the computer again and found it to be working properly before going to wash up briefly.

Wei Xun changed into clean clothes and went downstairs to meet Dou Xuan.

Dou Xuan was already waiting in the hotel restaurant, with a breakfast laid out in front of him.

"Didn't you sleep well last night?" Dou Xuan noticed that his complexion was off, with faint dark circles under his eyes. "Your dark circles are so heavy."

"I'm not used to sleeping in unfamiliar beds," Wei Xun said, making an excuse as he sat down and picked up a cup of coffee, not really having an appetite.

"This morning I went to the Ministry of Commerce building to meet with Minister Qiao Pi's secretary to confirm the visit arrangements for tonight, and also to hand over a copy of the project's technical documents," Dou Xuan said while eating.

Wei Xun nodded without saying anything more.

After breakfast, the two drove to the Ministry of Commerce building.

Upon arriving at the building entrance, Dou Xuan greeted the security guard familiarly and led Wei Xun inside.

Throughout the entire process, Wei Xun was distracted.

Only when verifying technical data did Wei Xun muster his energy to briefly answer a few questions about the parameters of precision instruments.

Apart from that, he remained almost entirely silent, his eyes somewhat unfocused.

Dou Xuan observed all of this. After leaving the secretary's office, he patted Wei Xun on the shoulder and said, "You don't look well. You must not have slept well last night. Here's what we'll do: I'll stay here. You go back to the hotel and get a good night's sleep. I'll wake you up half an hour early for tonight's visit."

"Can you manage on your own?"

"It's okay, buddy. You can leave your assistant with me; I'll ask her if I need anything."

Wei Xun was indeed exhausted, so he didn't refuse: "Okay, Qinglin, you stay. I'll go back to the hotel first."

"Be careful on the road," Dou Xuan reminded him before turning to attend to other matters.

Wei Xun walked out of the Ministry of Commerce building and hailed a taxi on the roadside.

The driver was a man nearing fifty, with some gray hair, wearing clean blue overalls, and sitting upright.

The car interior was spotless, with no clutter on the dashboard, and even the car air freshener was neatly arranged, exuding an air of meticulousness.

"Driver, please drive carefully." Wei Xun leaned back in the back seat and closed his eyes. "I'm going to sleep for a while. Wake me up when we get to the hotel."

"Okay." The driver's voice was low and emotionless.

The car drove very smoothly.

Wei Xun was already exhausted, and the fright he had experienced the previous night made him fall into a deep sleep very quickly. He even had a brief dream.

In his dream, Nan Yan smiled and handed him freshly made cookies.

After an unknown amount of time, the driver gently patted his arm: "Mr. Wei, wake up."

Wei Xun opened his eyes, rubbed his temples, and was about to take out his money when he realized that something was wrong with his surroundings.

Instead of the bustling street in front of the hotel, there was a desolate open space. In the distance stood an abandoned warehouse with mottled walls and broken windows, looking like it hadn't been used for a long time.

Wei Xun's heart tightened suddenly, and he instantly snapped back to reality. His hand instinctively reached for his phone in his pocket, his eyes sharply fixed on the driver: "Who are you? Where am I? What do you want?"

The driver remained calm, even sporting a faint smile: "Mr. Wei, don't be nervous. I mean no harm; I just want to chat with you."

Wei Xun then got a good look at the driver in the front seat.

The man had strong features and a steady gaze, with a sharpness that came from years of experience.

Adding to his upright posture and the meticulous arrangement of the car interior, Wei Xun instantly concluded that this person was definitely not an ordinary taxi driver, but more like a soldier or a special personnel who had received professional training.

Wei Xun's hand was already gripping the phone, ready to call the police at any moment: "Let's chat? What do you want to talk to me about?"

The man leaned back in his chair, looking straight ahead, and said calmly, "Let's talk about the card you found on the riverside path last night...."