Chapter 553: Lurking and Eruption

Chapter 553 -371: Lurking and Eruption

Chi Lian’s fingers, linked around Wu Liangchen’s arm, suddenly tightened, nearly digging into his flesh.

Wu Liangchen tensed internally but showed no sign of it on his face. He slowly turned, the gaze behind his glasses carrying a perfectly calibrated look of confusion and dullness as he faced the direction of the voice.

A guard captain, distinguished by an extra star on his epaulets, was striding toward them with a steady gait. His gaze was far sharper than the previous regular guard’s, sweeping over the pair like a hawk before finally settling on Chi Lian’s slightly stiff face.

“You look very nervous, ma’am.”

‘Myriad thoughts raced through Wu Liangchen’s mind,’ but he forced a simple, honest smile. “Sir, it’s my wife’s first time in the core district. She grew up in the outer provinces and has never seen such spectacular buildings or so many armed personnel. She’s bound to be a little overwhelmed.”

“Besides, she’s not very good with people. She gets nervous around strangers—it’s a habit she’s had since she was little.”

The captain looked Chi Lian up and down, his gaze roaming over her face and the curves of her body, a scrutinizing look that made one uncomfortable. Chi Lian kept her head bowed, standing obediently to the side, affecting a timid and meek demeanor.

“Is that so, ma’am?”

Chi Lian, her head still bowed, replied in a nearly inaudible voice, “Y-yes, sir. It’s my first time in such a big place… I’m a little scared.”

“Please excuse her, sir,” Wu Liangchen said with a slight bow. As he spoke, he pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket to offer one, but the captain stopped him with a single glance.

He waved his hand impatiently. “Alright, get going. Just be more careful next time. Don’t be so jumpy.”

Wu Liangchen nodded and bowed, thanking him profusely as he pulled Chi Lian and hurried through the checkpoint.

Only after they were a good two blocks away from the checkpoint and had confirmed no one was following them did Chi Lian finally let out a long sigh, her tense nerves relaxing at last.

“That was too close. They almost saw through us,” she said softly, her voice laced with lingering fear.

Wu Liangchen simply said, “Just stick to the plan.”

Following the address provided by Old Ghost, they arrived at an unremarkable apartment building. It looked to be quite old, with peeling paint on the exterior walls revealing mottled concrete underneath, but the interior was surprisingly clean and tidy.

The apartment wasn’t large—just one bedroom and one living area—but it was kept in perfect order. The window overlooked a secluded alley, offering both concealment and a convenient escape route.

The moment she was through the door, Chi Lian collapsed onto the sofa as if completely drained of energy. Wu Liangchen, however, immediately began inspecting the apartment’s fixtures and security, confirming there were no surveillance devices.

He then opened an electronic map and silently committed the layout of the surrounding buildings and streets to memory.

“What’s next?” Chi Lian asked, her tone regaining some of its usual professional crispness.

“I’ll use this Li Ming identity to get inside the government building,” Wu Liangchen said. “According to his file, he was transferred back to headquarters to be the deputy leader of the technical support team. The position isn’t high-ranking, but it will be enough to get me access to more internal information.”

“What about me? What should I do?” Chi Lian asked eagerly.

“You wait here. Don’t make any moves on your own, and don’t contact Old Ghost or the others unless you hear from me.”

Chi Lian nodded. “I understand. You be careful, too.”

Wu Liangchen smiled and shut down his personal terminal.

“Alright, time to sleep. You take the bedroom; I’ll stay in the living room.”

“Oh,” Chi Lian replied softly, sounding a little disappointed.

She walked toward the bedroom, but just as she was about to open the door, she suddenly said, “Sleeping on the living room sofa must be really uncomfortable. We could share the bed…”

Then she quickly added, “Don’t get the wrong idea! I’m just worried you won’t get a good rest. Or… I can sleep in the living room.”

“There’s no need. I still have to work out some details, so this is fine,” Wu Liangchen replied casually, then started sketching and writing on a piece of paper.

Seeing how focused he was, Chi Lian didn’t dare say more. But she didn’t return to the bedroom, either. Instead, she boiled a kettle of water and brewed a cup of hot tea for Wu Liangchen.

“Here, have some tea.”

“Okay, thanks,” Wu Liangchen said without looking up.

Chi Lian silently returned to the bedroom to sleep.

「The next morning」

Wu Liangchen dressed in the gray technician’s uniform, put on his work ID, and left with his briefcase.

The Alliance Government Building was a magnificent hexagonal structure, soaring over a hundred stories high. Its surface was coated in iridescent nanomaterials that shimmered with a cold light under the sun. It stood like a modern temple, a symbol of the Dome Group’s supreme authority.

After his work ID was verified, Wu Liangchen entered the building without issue. The interior was spacious and bright, with uniformed staff hurrying past in every direction. An imperceptible tension filled the air; everyone kept their heads down, focused on their own work, and rarely did anyone stop to chat.

Following the information in his file, Wu Liangchen found his department’s office—the Technical Support Team. It was an open-plan office space with dozens of workstations, where several technicians were already staring intently at their screens.

“Hello, I’m Li Ming, the new deputy leader,” Wu Liangchen said, approaching a middle-aged woman who appeared to be a supervisor.

She glanced up at him, then pointed expressionlessly to a workstation in the corner. “That’s your spot. Your assignments have already been sent to your terminal.”

Wu Liangchen didn’t rush into action. Instead, like a genuinely new manager, he first took some time to familiarize himself with his office environment before starting to tackle the backlog of work files.