21: Chapter 21 Nightingale Guides the Way, Everyone's Parkour

Coming to this old industrial area in the north of the city at night can cure ten years of low blood pressure.

The four of us were hunched behind a brick wall that had collapsed halfway, squatting in various poses, looking exactly like four thieves preparing to steal sweet potatoes.

The moonlight was diluted, neither bright nor dim, casting shadowy silhouettes over the abandoned factory buildings. The broken windows looked like hollow eye sockets, howling whenever the wind blew through.

Anvil was the calmest. This big guy, carrying a mountaineering backpack that could hold half a hardware store, was looking down, checking a bundle of climbing ropes in his hands, muttering: "This rope knot needs to be tighter." It was as if we were here for outdoor team building.

Nightingale was crouching behind a pile of discarded machine tools three steps away from us, eyes closed, head slightly tilted. It was motionless, like it had entered a state of deep meditation. Su Zhixia said that Nightingale's ears could distinguish whether a mouse was male or female just by the sound of its hiccup from three hundred meters away.

Su Zhixia herself was leaning against the wall next to me, holding an infrared telescope, staring at the only three-story building nearby with lights on. It was said to be the former factory office building, and also the place where suspicious vehicles appeared according to the intelligence from "Shadow."

I squatted in the innermost spot, with half a brick under my butt. The camouflage uniform I was wearing was bought for eighty yuan at a labor protection shop this afternoon. The boss patted his chest and promised it was "waterproof, fireproof, and slash-proof." I tested it, and it was indeed proof—proof of nothing, as the loose threads were already sticking out.

I was holding a rectangular black plastic box that Su Zhixia had shoved into my arms. It was heavy. She said it was a "portable multi-functional signal generator" that could interfere with the other party's communications and simple surveillance at critical moments.

"Chen Mo," Su Zhixia spoke up suddenly, her voice extremely low, "Stay close to me later, don't fall behind. Hold the box steady, and don't touch the buttons randomly."

"Got it. I value my life. We agreed, if there's danger, I'm running first."

Anvil looked up and grinned, flashing a mouthful of white teeth that gleamed in the dim light: "Don't worry, nanny. If something really happens, I'll carry you and run; it'll be faster than you running by yourself."

"Thanks a lot." I rolled my eyes.

Nightingale suddenly moved. It didn't open its eyes, but raised its right hand and extended an index finger, accurately pointing to a pitch-black, low factory building about 150 meters to our front left.

"Over there, there's movement. It's not mice, it's human voices. At least three, moving." Nightingale's voice came through our earpieces.

"Are you sure?" Su Zhixia asked.

Nightingale nodded, its finger shifting slightly: "They've gone in. Walking deeper. There's the sound of metal rubbing, like they're moving things."

Anvil narrowed his eyes and weighed the rope in his hand: "Should we sneak over and take a look?"

"Chen Mo, set the jammer to standby mode, set the range to the minimum, covering only twenty meters around us." Su Zhixia ordered quickly, "Nightingale, continue monitoring and report at any time. Anvil, you take the lead, watch your step. Chen Mo, follow me and keep quiet."

I fumbled around the side of the "radio," finding a few small knobs. Relying on the memory of Su Zhixia's crash course this afternoon, I tremblingly adjusted it to the designated setting.

Anvil threw the rope over his shoulder and, like a nimble bear, was the first to dash out, keeping his body low. He didn't walk in a straight line, but instead used various shadows and discarded objects as cover, weaving left and right, his footsteps so light they were almost silent. I followed behind Su Zhixia, imitating her, moving unsteadily through the rubble and weeds.

Nightingale remained in place, continuing to serve as a "human sonar." From time to time, brief prompts came through the earpiece: "Thirty meters to the front left, broken glass, go around it." "Behind that pile of scrap on the right, there's a stray cat, don't disturb it." "No new voices at the target location, they are still active in the original area."

Relying on this "real-time navigation," we actually managed to sneak to the side of the warehouse without any mishaps.

Nightingale's voice sounded again: "They are talking. The accents are mixed, some local, some from out of town, they are counting stock."

The three of us immediately pressed our ears against the wall. Although we knew it was useless, we had to get the posture right.

Nightingale broadcasted simultaneously: "The quality of this batch of 'glass beads' is okay, better than last month's batch. The boss said, hurry up and pack them, and ship them by water on the 'Stillness Day' at the end of the month."

"Water route? Via the old pier? Isn't it strictly checked lately?"

"Strict my ass! They only check during the day! Who checks at night? Label the cargo boxes as 'hardware parts' and mix them in with legitimate customs declarations. It's not our first time."

"That's true, this job is much easier than moving 'bricks' last time. That last time killed me."

"'Bricks' make money fast! That batch from the museum, although it took effort, the resale value increased dozens of times. It's just high risk. Next time, we have to let 'the doctor' figure out the route more clearly."

"Speaking of 'the doctor,' has that kid, the Key Maker, been dealt with cleanly? The boss has been very angry these past two days."

"Haven't found him yet. That cripple can really hide. But don't worry, with that leg injury, he can't do without anti-inflammatory drugs. 'The doctor' has already sent people to watch every hospital and black clinic in the city. Once found, 'handle' him immediately."

"Are you really killing him to silence him?"

"No shit! He knows so many of our 'Stillness Day' dealings, why keep him alive for the New Year?"

I felt a chill down my spine. Glass beads? Museum? Bricks? The jargon was endless, but the meaning was clear: jewelry theft, relic smuggling! And that "doctor," sounded like a dangerous character responsible for planning and cleanup. The Key Maker had indeed been targeted by them.

Nightingale continued to broadcast, its voice carrying a trace of tension: "They mentioned that next week's 'Stillness Day' target is a private collector's vault, located in the Riverside Villa District. They are still talking about the transport route, passing through National Highway 3, and changing vehicles near the old cement plant."

The amount of information was huge! Time, location, route—these people were just openly chatting while working in the warehouse? They really didn't take us "End-of-Month People" seriously! But thinking about it, in normal time, who would expect people to be plotting crimes in an abandoned factory in the middle of the night? It was only us "bugs" who could run into it.

Just then, Nightingale's voice suddenly tightened: "Something's wrong! Someone is coming towards the door! Footsteps, two of them!"

Almost simultaneously, we heard a "creak" from the direction of the large iron warehouse door, and the door was pushed open a crack from the inside! A flashlight beam swung out!

"Fuck!" I cursed in my heart, almost throwing the "radio" away.

Su Zhixia reacted extremely quickly, pressing down on my shoulder to signal me not to move. Anvil also instantly lowered his body, shrinking into the deeper shadows at the base of the wall.

The flashlight beam swept randomly across the open ground outside, and an impatient voice sounded: "Taking a piss is such a hassle, it smells too strong inside. Hurry up, let's go back when we're done, it's freezing."

"What's the rush? I've been holding it for a long time." Another voice complained, followed by the sound of trickling water.

"Do you think that kid, the Key Maker, has already escaped the city?"

"Impossible. 'The doctor' analyzed it; with that injury, he can't go far without professional treatment. He's definitely hiding in some nook or cranny. When we find him, he'll get what's coming to him."

"By the way, heard that the bunch from the 'End-of-Month People Chatroom' has been a bit active lately? The boss told us to watch out."

"A bunch of self-righteous idiots. Do they really think they're superheroes? If they dare to get in the way, we'll take care of them all."

The sound of water stopped. The flashlight beam swung again. "Let's go, let's go, it's freezing."

The iron door creaked again and closed. The footsteps faded away.

Su Zhixia whispered into her earpiece: "Nightingale, we are retreating. Watch our back."

"Understood. The route is safe, return the same way."

The retreat was much faster than the way in, mainly because of Nightingale's guidance.

Nightingale was still in place; seeing us return, it nodded.

"Let's go, we'll talk in the car."

We got into the car, started the engine, and drove away from that suffocating, desolate factory area.

"Big harvest." Su Zhixia gripped the steering wheel, "Time, location, target, route, the key person 'the doctor,' and their attitude towards the Key Maker and us 'End-of-Month People'."

Anvil snorted coldly: "A bunch of Borers, big talkers. 'Take care of them all,' indeed."

Nightingale rubbed its temples and added softly: "They are very confident, thinking that no one can detect them acting on 'Stillness Day.' They were chatting very casually, without much guard."

I sprawled in the back seat, listlessly: "What now? Call the police?"

"What about evidence?" Su Zhixia retorted, "How do we explain the source of the conversation we heard to the police? Say we went to the abandoned factory for an adventure in the middle of the night and happened to overhear a criminal plot? Who would believe that? Even if they did, it would alert the enemy, they would immediately relocate, and all our efforts would be wasted."

I thought about it and she was right. We couldn't just say "because we can pause time at the end of the month, we came early to scout the location," could we? That would probably get us sent to a mental hospital first.

"Then what do we do?"

"Act when they carry out their operation on 'Stillness Day'." Su Zhixia's tone was categorical, "Catch them red-handed. Or, at least, sabotage their plan and leave behind evidence."

My scalp tingled: "Again? Last time in Northern Myanmar, it almost killed me!"

"This time you won't have to carry anyone." Su Zhixia glanced at me through the rearview mirror, "But I need you to drive, keep watch, and operate some 'small devices'."

"You'll have to pay more." I reflexively said.

"Fine." Su Zhixia's lips curved slightly, "High risk, high reward. Also," she paused, "be careful when you go out these next few days. As for Zhang Meng and Baby, I'll have the Gardener, The Old Lady, go over often to help you look after the child. She is experienced and can tell if there's anything wrong in the vicinity."

I was on the verge of tears. To earn a bit of Su Zhixia's money, I have to risk my life every day.