At thirty, I started my comeback from the intelligence system.

Chen Geng felt as if he had been granted a pardon, but dared not appear too eager, and slowly moved out of the pumping station.

It wasn't until he had walked quite a distance and was enveloped in the cold morning air that he felt alive again, but his heart was still pounding from the experience and the lingering fear.

He didn't dare linger and quickly walked towards the highway.

However, what Chen Geng didn't know was that about ten minutes after he left, Carlos, who seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze clear and calm, showing no signs of sleepiness.

He quickly got up, walked to a very hidden corner of the pumping station where miscellaneous tools were piled up, moved a rusty iron cabinet, and took out an object tightly wrapped in waterproof tarpaulin from a hidden compartment in the back wall.

Unwrapping the tarpaulin revealed an old-fashioned, outdated Nokia feature phone and an unopened anonymous SIM card.

Carlos skillfully inserted the SIM card, turned on the phone, and the screen glowed a faint blue light. He dialed a long and complicated number, then waited quietly.

After ringing seven or eight times, the call was answered. There was complete silence on the other end; there was no breathing, no static, as if the call was going into the void.

Carlos spoke a string of oddly shaped phrases in a low, rapid tone, then switched to English, his voice extremely low:

"Safe House A has been exposed as a risk and has been abandoned. A 'messenger' has been dispatched to attempt to obtain supplies, but its reliability is questionable and it is only a backup option. Vipers will arrive tomorrow, and the rendezvous point must be absolutely cleaned, and basic equipment that can be used immediately is required."

There was still silence on the other end of the phone. After a few seconds, a voice, processed with sophisticated electronic voice changing technology, came through, completely indistinguishable in terms of gender, age, and even regional characteristics. The tone was flat and monotone.

"Location B, coordinates have been sent to backup cache. Channel C, someone will contact the 'old number' in one hour. Remain completely silent unless you receive a 'wake-up' command."

The call was abruptly cut off as soon as the words were spoken, without any hesitation.

Carlos immediately removed the phone battery and smashed the phone and SIM card with a hammer, scattering the fragments into the gaps in different corners of the pumping station and into the flowing river water outside.

Then, he quickly and professionally cleaned up all traces of recent activity inside the pumping station, including places that Chen Geng might have touched, and even adjusted the distribution of some dust.

After completing all this, he took one last look in the direction Chen Geng had left, his eyes as cold as iron, without the slightest fluctuation. Then he turned around and, like a cheetah blending into the shadows, silently slipped into the dense, withered reeds behind the pumping station, disappearing without a trace in the direction of "Location B".

"...He told me to go find 'Scarface Liu's' men at dawn and buy the items on the list."

Actually, Carlos didn't know Scarface Liu's name, but Chen Geng naturally attributed the incident directly to Scarface Liu.

He pushed the metal USB drive and the note with the requirements written on it in front of Chang Le, his face still somewhat pale. "But I feel that he doesn't completely trust me and may have other plans."

"The key information I overheard is: Viper's main force, a total of eight people, will arrive tomorrow. They're mixed in with the tour groups and business travelers. What's more troublesome is that two of them have already infiltrated the 'Emmas' company's team!"

Chen Geng's tone became more forceful as he looked at Mu Xueke and Chang Le.

Their expressions changed instantly.

Chang Le's baby face was no longer relaxed at all, and Mu Xueke's brows were tightly furrowed.

"Is the news confirmed?" Chang Le pressed, his finger tapping the table unconsciously.

"While Carlos was waiting for instructions from Viper, he made a radio call. I heard words like 'Emas,' 'insider,' and 'arriving tomorrow.' Combined with the fragmented information from before, the probability is over 90%."

Chen Geng offered a reasonable guess: "Also, their local contact, nicknamed Greyhound, was beaten to death at the dock last night. His boss, 'Scarface Liu,' probably knows more, but he's definitely trying to escape now."

Chang Le pondered for a moment and said, "The money in the USB drive is a deposit. The equipment he wants, especially the guns and specific communication equipment, is for the 'Viper' team that is about to infiltrate!"

"We must act immediately. On one hand, we must report the intelligence on Viper and the spies within Aimas to get higher-level intervention; on the other hand, we must immediately dismantle Scarface Liu's smuggling gang and cut off their supply line, otherwise the consequences will be dire!"

Mu Xueke nodded and said decisively, "Officer Chang, please report to Uncle Wang immediately."

"Chen Geng, you absolutely cannot go back to find Carlos now. It's too dangerous. The information you provided is invaluable; your absolute safety must be guaranteed."

"I can hide for now," Chen Geng calmly analyzed. "The best way is for you to act quickly enough to control the situation before Carlos becomes suspicious, and then see if you can turn the tables on him."

"I understand." Chang Le had already picked up his phone and walked to the side to quickly report to Director Wang.

Hours later, at an abandoned cargo yard in the western suburbs, a police raid began.

The arrest operation did not go smoothly!

When Chang Le led his team to several possible hiding places of Scarface Liu, they found nothing.

Scarface Liu seemed to have sensed danger since the gunfight at the dock last night and had become more vigilant.

Early this morning, he sent several trusted subordinates out to gather information. They learned that the dock was under double blockade by the military and police, and that the situation was extremely tense. After confirming that Greyhound had died in the conflict, he immediately realized that something was very wrong.

"Damn it, this idiot must have messed with the wrong person, dragging me down with him!"

In a secluded container office deep inside the cargo yard, this person did indeed have a hideous scar running from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth.

He angrily smashed the walkie-talkie: "Pack your things! Take the important ones, burn the unimportant ones! Take the secret passage and go south to lay low for a while!"

He had seven or eight core desperados under his command, who immediately sprang into action, packing some ledgers, cash, drugs, and a small number of light weapons, preparing to destroy computers and documents.

Just then, the screech of brakes and shouts of "Police! Don't move!" came from outside the freight yard!

"Damn! They got here so fast!" Scarface Liu's expression changed drastically. He pulled out a replica Type 54 pistol. "Brothers, let's fight! Charge out!"

A fierce firefight erupted instantly! Scarface Liu's gang was well-armed, relying on the complex terrain of the freight yard and the mountains of goods to put up a stubborn resistance. Gunshots, explosions, and shouts echoed in the open freight yard.

The battle lasted for about twenty minutes.

Three of Scarface Liu's men were killed and four were wounded or captured, but Scarface Liu himself and his two most trusted confidants, using their familiarity with the terrain and a pre-prepared escape route—an underground drainage pipe hidden behind a huge oil tank—escaped from the police encirclement at the last moment and disappeared without a trace.

Police only managed to wound one of his close associates, but were unable to prevent his escape.

"Report! The ringleader, Scarface Liu, and two accomplices have escaped! A manhunt is underway!"

"Expand the search area, retrieve all surrounding surveillance footage, we need to find them alive or dead!"