"Who the hell—!" Jiang Hai shouted as a gust of wind hit him. He couldn't face it head-on. Instinctively, he jumped back, closing his eyes tightly and wiping tears from the sudden wind with his clothes. When he reopened them, he realized the person who had spoken inside the iron cabinet wasn't Patrick Campbell. That man now stood before him, face twisted with excitement and ferocity.
At the same time, the door to the power room burst open. Patrick Campbell's men, leading those humanoid creatures, charged in. Lois Knightley, who had been standing by the machines, froze, stunned and at a loss. She raised her hands helplessly as the intruders swarmed.
"Haha! Dover was right—this is your target!" Patrick Campbell bellowed, gripping a metal baseball bat—the same one that had attacked Jiang Hai earlier. His voice was thick, as if he had a mouthful of phlegm, and madness burned in his eyes.
"Patrick, what are you doing?!" Lois Knightley shouted, horrified. A little prank might be tolerable, but actual violence crossed a line.
"Shut up! I haven't even asked about your connection to this infiltrator, and you dare yell at me?!" Patrick Campbell roared.
Lois clicked her tongue in annoyance, silently realizing this wasn't the time to argue. She went quiet.
In Patrick Campbell's eyes—and probably the eyes of the others—women were insignificant. Beauty didn't matter; they were weak, cowardly, and useless. This was the mindset he carried as he turned toward Jiang Hai.
But Jiang Hai was already there. In a blink, he executed a perfect split kick, his foot slamming into Patrick Campbell's chest with a loud bang. The force sent Patrick Campbell flying more than a meter into the air before he crashed to the ground, unconscious, teeth knocked out and eyes rolling. Jiang Hai readied himself to finish him off—but the humanoid creatures released their restraints and charged.
They looked human, but with dog-like traits. Humans, however, aren't dogs. They lacked claws or fangs, and their physical abilities were still within normal human limits. Jiang Hai wasn't intimidated.
He flicked his foot, grabbed Patrick's baseball bat, and swung it into one of the creature's heads. The impact made a sickening thud, smashing the man's skull and splattering blood and brain matter. The others kept advancing.
"Be careful! They carry a virus! Getting bitten will be dangerous!" Lois Knightley shouted. Jiang Hai froze for a moment, then used the bat to knock one down and kicked another aside. Dodging another lunge, he rushed for the door.
Patrick Campbell's men blocked the exit, but Jiang Hai ignored them. A powerful kick to a large man's chest sent him flying, knocking over his companions. Using the opening, Jiang Hai grabbed the still-dazed Lois Knightley and bolted from the power room.
The humanoid creatures retaliated, but Jiang Hai had already locked the door behind him. The magnetic lock activated with the restored power, keeping the intruders trapped inside.
"Damn… the switch is still inside. If they pull it, we're done for," Jiang Hai muttered, annoyed at his momentary complacency.
"It's fine. The main control unit will override once the switch is activated. Pull it without the password, and you'll get an electric shock," Lois Knightley said.
"Really?" Jiang Hai asked skeptically but decided to trust her. Without hesitation, he ran toward the archives room. Lois Knightley, too slow to keep up, was scooped up and carried by Jiang Hai in one fluid motion. The path they'd taken in ten minutes was now covered in less than a minute.
Using his security card, Jiang Hai opened the archives door. The room was surprisingly neat—clearly, it had been neglected for some time.
"Phew… we're here? That was fast!" Lois Knightley said once Jiang Hai set her down.
Jiang Hai immediately began searching the files, organized chronologically. Bruce David had been arrested last year, so Jiang Hai focused on documents from the past two years.
Soon, he found a familiar face: Patrick Charles, the man he'd just incapacitated. Not truly mentally ill, the files revealed he was a ruthless regional head with a long criminal record. His supposed "mental illness" had been faked to get him sent to the hospital.
Jiang Hai skimmed past him, uninterested, and quickly located Bruce David. The photograph showed an ordinary-looking older man: 1.75 meters tall, thin, 62 years old, with a receding hairline and side hair. The file detailed his naval service, retirement at 37, and ownership of a bar. Last year, human limbs were discovered in his trash, and police arrested him while he was eating a victim.
While confirming Bruce David's details, Jiang Hai noticed Lois Knightley's file behind his. Born in 1992, she was a young stage actress and model, even endorsing a small international brand two years ago. Her crimes: arson and murder. Wealthy connections had gotten her sent here despite her relatively minor mental issues. Jiang Hai frowned, sensing something off.
Before he could dwell, Lois Knightley quietly approached.
"Huh, my photo looks good, doesn't it?" she chuckled at the documents in Jiang Hai's hand.
Suddenly, the magnetic electronic door beeped twice. Instantly, Jiang Hai pressed her down and crouched into the corner, eyes locked on the newcomers. One figure stood out—he recognized him immediately. The man who had just turned off the power.
The tension in the room skyrocketed…
(To be continued.)