He Juan turned off the car engine and stared at the closed gate in front of him.

He had tried to find out all information about Jingnan Harbor from the internet – thank God there was a saint who uploaded pictures of the harbor’s map – and thus, he knew that the business was supposed to be closed around 6 pm. Right now, the harbor was as desolate as a graveyard with the silhouette of tall containers in the background akin to stacked Legos.

And of course, that’s the reason why the other party had set up the meeting at a time like this, right? Because when the night descended, this place had become a deserted area with complicated paths. And also the warning about the ocean at night... He Juan could only pray that they would stay as far away as possible from the water.

Sighing, he got out of the car and took out the phone – which the imposter had left behind in Jia Molei’s house – from his pocket. [I’m here, how do I get in?]

The night breeze caressed He Juan’s heated skin and fluttered the strands of hair that had come loose from the braid. He bit the inside of his cheek and willed himself to ignore the burning temperature in his body. He had no idea whether it was because he had been taking too many pills, more than the usual recommended dose, or whether it was his strung-out nerves, he found that he was running a low fever when he woke up in the morning. But so far, it had not hindered He Juan’s thinking capacity yet and he had also taken the cold medicine, hoping that it would keep the sickness at bay at least for tonight.

As he was waiting for the answer from the other side, He Juan tilted his head up and listened to the powerful crash of waves from the distance laced with whistling breeze. It was a natural symphony that could offer comfort and serenity had it not for—

He Juan’s head instantly snapped to a particular direction where he had heard a slight rustle come from, his gaze razor-sharp. His entire body tensed involuntarily as he bit out, "Who’s there."

But as he looked closer, there was nothing but a pile of steel beams, iron pipes and sacks of cement leaning on the side of the wall. Was it the wind that had made the sound? He Juan heaved out a sigh as he tried to relax himself. It seemed like he had become a little too paranoid...

This time, clear footsteps came from the direction of the harbor and the large gate creaked open to show a little gap.

A head poked out – a middle-aged man he had never seen before, He Juan noted – and once he caught sight of He Juan standing beside the car, his eyes immediately went huge and he opened the door wider. "X–XIU, you’re here! Please... come in and follow me!"

He Juan narrowed his eyes in thought. Another acquaintance? He studied the man’s face closely and found no resemblance at all between him and the imposter, both their appearance and aura. Even then, it did not mean that he could lower his guard. He had heard from Kang Guanyu how flawless the imposter’s acting skill was. He could literally transform himself into another person and imitate them down to the very last details. Surely, the person who could walk in and out of the police station unnoticed could not be taken lightly...

"B–Boss?" The man called out nervously. "Why are you staring at me like this?"

Instead of answering, He Juan lowered his head and sent another message on his phone. [Is it you?]

The question had no context whatsoever, yet miraculously the imposter understood perfectly what he was asking. The reply came in seconds, sounding righteously angry and offended.

[Excuse me, I am very picky about my disguise, okay?! Who would want to don such an ugly face?!]

[Aww is XIU getting impatient to see me? It’s okay, your wish will soon be fulfilled once you come in!]

He Juan did not even deign to answer that. He glanced at the man on the gate and saw that he was still staring at He Juan anxiously, both of his hands visible and most importantly, not holding a phone. Not the imposter, then.

He Juan slipped the phone back to his pocket and offered the man a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. ’They are all your enemies,’ he told himself. "Apologies," he said politely. "I just need to check on something. Have everyone gathered?" He asked as he walked toward the gate, a picture of perfect composure and calmness.

The man bowed his head and did not dare to meet He Juan’s eyes. His attitude was extremely deferential, even his tone was humble and polite. "Y–Yes, everyone has been waiting for you inside. Please!" He stepped aside and gestured for He Juan to enter.

Behind him was a stretch of darkness that beckoned him in. Somehow, He Juan had a misconception that he was walking right into the mawing jaw of a beast – the creature of darkness itself. The notion caused him to scoff, which earned him a startled flinch from the other man. If his vision did not fool him, he could even see the slightest tremble on the man’s frame.

He Juan had more or less prepared himself for this kind of treatment, judging from how Han Shan had behaved around him. He had also painstakingly discerned some bits and pieces of fact from the articles in the internet. Apparently, XIU was quite a bigshot in Xuanlong and hence, his reputation must be fearsome and formidable, to say the least. However, looking at the other man’s cowering appearance, it seemed like he had underestimated the true meaning of ’bigshot’.

He Juan sighed and resisted the urge to knead his temple, "Lead the way."

The south entrance gate closed behind them, and it was not until their footsteps grew further that a shadow jumped out from behind the tall sacks of cement on the side. Tremblingly, the officer tapped on the earpiece and whispered, "Is it only me who heard it or... did the man just call the target ’XIU’?"

"...You’re not the only one." The reply came half a beat late, shaky and disbelieving.

After a moment of silence, the officer finally reacted and hastily switched to the main communication channel. "This is Team 7. I have something to report to the commander..."