Chapter 1355: Unexpected
"At half past five in the afternoon, we'll meet at the factory."
He Huan's words echoed repeatedly in Lin Sanjiu's mind, drowning out her thoughts. She glanced at the clock on the wall of the agency office—it was now four forty-eight.
From where she was to the outskirts of the factory area, there was still quite a distance, barely manageable within an hour. Lin Sanjiu knew she couldn't afford to waste any time; she quickly put away her mirror and dashed out the door. Since she didn't know the route, she flagged down a taxi. Unexpectedly, it was almost time for the shift change, and several taxis refused to take her—by the time she finally managed to get back to the factory area, it was already five-fifty.
She didn't bother to hide her footsteps now; even at her fastest pace, she felt painfully slow. If He Huan had returned, he and Han Suiping would have been alone for twenty minutes already.
In fact, she knew that Han Suiping was the key to implementing the rocket plan. If He Huan intended any harm to him, he would have returned to the factory shortly after they parted ways, which meant she was already a whole day late.
But she still had a glimmer of hope. If He Huan believed she could leave, would he hesitate and silently follow her? Lin Sanjiu had truly experienced He Huan's disgust for this world; he couldn't possibly be pretending, right?
As she rushed into the factory like a gust of wind, heading straight for where Han Suiping was staying, she spotted a familiar figure from afar: Han Suiping was still huddled in the 'cave' he had constructed, with his computer at the center and a small speaker set up next to it. His disheveled head was constantly turning from side to side.
"Han Suiping!" Lin Sanjiu called out, rushing over and grabbing his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"Ah!" Han Suiping exclaimed, startled by her sudden appearance. Although he had evolved, his combat awareness was still lacking. He was halfway around before realizing someone was behind him. Other than that, he seemed fine; everything was normal. "I'm fine. What's wrong?"
Lin Sanjiu's heart sank back into her stomach, and she spoke faster. "He Huan is a spy! Pack up your things; we need to—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Han Suiping had turned pale, his lips half-open as he twisted around. In his other hand, hidden until now, was a communicator. The light indicating an ongoing call was still on, and a faint, almost inaudible sound came from the microphone, which was abruptly cut off with a click.
Lin Sanjiu could hardly believe her eyes.
"What—" She wanted to punch someone out of frustration. "Don't tell me that was He Huan? You—"
"How would I know what you were going to say?!" Han Suiping said, jumping up in a panic. "He called my communicator, saying he had just arrived at the factory area and asked if you were back."
Lin Sanjiu shut her eyes tightly.
He Huan might not have attacked Han Suiping before because he had hope of leaving, but now he knew she wouldn't take him with her and also knew about their rocket plan.
"And then, before I could say anything, you suddenly burst in—"
"Enough, stop talking." Lin Sanjiu waved her hand to cut him off, thinking before turning and rushing out of the factory gate. "Pack up quickly. I'll go find him."
He Huan had said on the phone that he had just returned to the factory area. Over time, everyone had become familiar with the most inconspicuous and convenient entry and exit point, which had become their fixed entrance. The place where He Huan got out of the car must still be near that entrance; with her speed, she should be able to catch him before he left.
Not daring to slow down, Lin Sanjiu turned and rushed into the alley, stopping sharply to avoid colliding with someone in front of her.
"Who?" A strange woman quickly took two steps back, raising her fists like a martial artist, instinctively entering a defensive stance. "Who are you?"
Lin Sanjiu stared at the woman momentarily, speechless. The woman, slightly older and undoubtedly a posthuman, had bold eyebrows and bright eyes, her hair tied in a ponytail, exuding an aura of strength and beauty—but who was she?
"I should be asking you that. Who are you?" Lin Sanjiu urgently needed to find He Huan, but for Han Suiping's safety, she couldn't allow a strange posthuman to wander around the factory area. "What are you doing here?"
"Are you the posthuman recruiting companions?" The woman's guard didn't relax as she stared at Lin Sanjiu. "Is this a trap you set?"
What was going on?
"The man who brought me here." The woman looked around, sneering. "I see that now I am being handed over to you. Do you think you can get rid of me?"
Lin Sanjiu furrowed her brows, starting to understand.
"This is not a trap. Was the man who brought you here fair-skinned—"
"He said his name is He Huan," the woman interrupted, raising her eyebrows. "What kind of trick are you playing? He suddenly left, so you came instead?"
Was this another undercover posthuman recruited by He Huan—another one like him?
"Where did he go?" Lin Sanjiu asked in a low voice.
Feeling anxious, she took a few steps forward, which startled the woman. The latter quickly jumped back, shouting, "Don't come any closer!" She turned and jumped onto a nearby wire fence, apparently believing that this group of strange posthumans was up to no good. Without another word, she gave Lin Sanjiu a quick glance before leaping from the roof and disappearing into the distance of the factory area.
Lin Sanjiu didn't chase after her.
The most urgent task now was to find He Huan. If he had revealed their plan... No, it wasn't just a possibility. He couldn't possibly join their side now, so it was almost certain he would leak the plan.
Following the direction he might have gone, Lin Sanjiu searched both inside and outside the factory area. Her abilities were severely depleted, and she was out of breath from running, but she still couldn't find a trace of He Huan. No other humanoid except herself was in her [Higher Consciousness Scan]. She cursed inwardly, turned around, and hurried back to the factory.
Even with a hat on, Han Suiping's face was pale. He had a large backpack on his back, probably as a precaution, and his right claw was called out and dragged on the ground, hidden behind the door, waiting for her.
"Let's go," Lin Sanjiu said, motioning for Han Suiping to retract his claw. "We need to find a new place quickly."
"Didn't you find He Huan?" Han Suiping asked, following her. "What about our plan—"
"I know." She stopped a car and got in. "Our original plan is no longer feasible."
"Where are we going now?"
She hadn't found a safe place to stay. Lin Sanjiupaused, biting her lip tightly, then said in a low voice, "There's oneplace that we haven't mentioned to anyone."