Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The person on the other end of the room was He Chen’s photography assistant.

Standing at the elevator entrance, He Chen casually stared at the constantly changing elevator floor marked in red and waited for the elevator to come down. “When have I not?”

There was another pause.

Then the other party consciously changed the topic. “Then, can you bring the new works out? This photo exhibition is in Beijing and is stationed in the Beijing Universal Building. For the time being, only 36 top photographers have been selected, and they’ve specially reserved a booth for you. But the selected work has to be chosen by 18 chief curators.”

“… Aren’t there two pictures?” He Chen went into the elevator when it came down.

If He Chen had been beside them, they wouldn’t have held back from squeezing her to death. He Chen didn’t have many works and had entered the photography industry relying on two works. She had a unique talent for photography, and her works had great depth and directly hit the soul.

Her two works had amazed everyone at the US Photography Exhibition, and she had become famous in one fell swoop.

“Your two pictures were auctioned off.” The person on the other end of the phone sounded tired.

“Oh, then there’s no good work for now…” He Chen also remembered this incident.

She had taken her camera to cross the desert to the war-torn Continent F and had photographed the slums.

The two pictures she was talking about were of the displaced battlefields after the war.

They had been taken when she was working as a war correspondent at the border.

Ever since taking those two pictures, she hadn’t photographed anything seriously again.

Speaking of this, she suddenly thought of something and gasped. “Oh, there’s one picture recently.”

The person on the other end was immediately refreshed at the mention of another work. “What is it?”

“Wait for my confirmation, I’ll tell you in two days. But don’t expect too much.” He Chen walked directly to the door and swiped her card to enter.

Most of the photographer’s works were carefully composed to allow the photographer to take the actions they needed.

Most of them had been selected by the photographers themselves after countless screenings.

Few famous works were randomly captured.

He Chen had taken pictures of Film Emperor Qin once just two days ago, but she wasn’t sure if he would agree to let her use them.

Not only was he a public figure, but he was a very expensive public figure.

He Chen felt like it was already good that he didn’t ask her to delete the pictures she had secretly taken. It might be a little difficult to obtain his consent to let her enter it for the exhibition.

The person on the other end was very excited to hear that she had new work and hung up after urging her to contact him soon.

…

After He Chen entered her room, she took a shower and went out to find Film Emperor Qin.

The elevator was busy and had just come up from the second basement level. It stopped on the first floor, and He Chen leaned against the wall, waiting absent-mindedly.

Upon reaching the first floor, the elevator door opened, and a group of people, including Li Yushan and Qu Zixiao, came out.

He Chen stood straight and met eyes with Li Yushan.

“I just finished following the news, and the police officer sent me back.” Li Yushan explained and immediately rid herself of any connection with Qu Zixiao and the others. Upon seeing He Chen, her spirits were a little low. “I followed the news of the college student’s disappearance. I heard that she’s an only daughter, and she has been missing for more than a month. She only has her father, who sold all his real estate in order to blow up this matter. Her grandpa is also waiting for her return and wants to see her before he dies. Sister Chen, do you think we can find her…”

He Chen paused slightly and smiled. “Don’t think about it. There are many pitiful people in the world, you have to get used to it.”

Then, she went into the elevator without locking eyes with anyone.

Outside, most of the people who had heard her words frowned.

Li Yushan was also stunned and immediately said, “No, Sister Chen just…”

Qu Zixiao interrupted her and faintly said to Song Qingqing, “Take your brother to the restaurant first.”

Li Yushan swallowed back her words.

In the elevator, separated by the elevator door, He Chen’s smile remained unchanged. She made another call to Chang Ning. “Boss, you should have received the evidence, right? They haven’t made a move yet?”

For so many years, she had traveled all over the world, knowing that she couldn’t change it.

Entering 129 was the most impulsive choice in her life.

When she first teamed up with hacker Q, she had discovered that a dozen or so college students had disappeared quietly abroad. From then on, she understood the direction she wanted to go in the future.

She had always suspected that Q was Qin Ran, and she had even dug out some evidence.

However, Qin Ran chose to lie blindly and refused to admit it.

The outside world knew that among 129’s five veterans, Lone Wolf was too mysterious, and Morning Bird was overly sensitive to people’s needs.

Lone Wolf could reject all orders and had an eccentric temper.

Morning Bird could reject any payment, and it depended on fate.

If Lone Wolf was extremely mysterious in the circle and was standing at the end of floating clouds, tall and aloof, then Morning Bird was the folk goddess, the flower of wealth in the world.

On the other end of the phone, Chang Ning didn’t expect He Chen to be concerned about the follow-up. “They want to catch them together.”

He Chen nodded. It was as she had expected.

There was only so much she could do.

“I’ll return to China in two days. I want to see that crater.”

“You want to investigate it?” Chang Ning frowned. “This matter is an S-class secret, it’s not easy to get in.”

Qin Ran had also investigated it.

He Chen laughed softly. “It’s not that difficult.”

Pausing, Chang Ning forgot that He Chen was indeed a spy with a thousand faces.

As they hung up, He Chen suddenly felt the urge to drink.

…

The elevator reached the floor.

He Chen had asked Director Lin for Film Emperor Qin’s room number before and knew that it was on the floor above hers. She found the right room number and politely rang the doorbell.

It was Chen Yu who opened the door.

He was very surprised to see her standing at the door. “Miss He? Are you here for Film Emperor Qin?”

He turned sideways and let He Chen in.

Qin Xiuchen’s room was a suite and wasn’t arranged by the program team. Since he had to handle business, Xu Yu had booked a separate suite for him, so he wasn’t on the same floor as the others.

The room He Chen was staying in had originally been arranged for Qin Xiuchen.

Qin Xiuchen was leaning against the desk, flipping through a script of “The Realm of Gods”. He looked up and smiled at He Chen. “Come sit. What can I do for you?”

For Qin Ran’s friends, he was naturally warm and approachable.

Especially friends who had an unusual relationship with Qin Ran.

He Chen saw two cans of iced beer on his desk at a glance. The refrigerator in the hotel prepared alcohol every day, and she had already drunk it in the morning in her own room.

She took a second glance and averted her eyes, settling down to talk business.

Qin Xiuchen had always been kind to others, which was why he was so popular in the circle and didn’t have any black spots.

Upon hearing He Chen’s question, he relaxed his tone and spoke like someone chatting beside the beach in the afternoon. “Photography? Is it your work while in the crew?”

He Chen nodded.

“Yes, but you’ll have to consult Director Lin for permission.” When Qin Xiuchen saw that He Chen was staring at his refrigerator, he put down the script, bent over, and opened the refrigerator door. He took out a bottle of beer and threw it at her.

He Chen caught the beer and glanced at him.

She was addicted to alcohol and didn’t lack people who advised her to stop drinking.

For example, the elderly in the community and Madam Qu. Hence, she rarely ever drank alcohol while eating at the Qu family’s house, and even if she did, it was only a small amount.

Guan Chi previously had conflicts with her about her drinking as well.

Xu Yu also understood He Chen’s intentions and smiled. “This is a small matter, you needn’t come in person. You could’ve just called.”

There were so many pictures of Qin Xiuchen on the Internet, as well as secretly taken pictures by fans.

It was really nothing if He Chen wanted to use a picture she took as a work for an exhibition, especially since she had a close relationship with Qin Ran.

Of course, Xu Yu didn’t know what exhibition she was going to use the photos for.

If he knew, he definitely wouldn’t be so calm.

He had no idea what kind of storm this incident would sweep across Weibo.

“Thanks.” He Chen smiled and held up her bottle of beer. “Do you have WeChat? I’ll send you the link once the photography is on display.”

Finally, Xu Yu added He Chen’s WeChat.

After she left, he cautiously opened her WeChat.

She didn’t have many circles of friends, but it was better than Qin Ran’s. She posted two times a month, sometimes in pictures, sometimes in text, and they all seemed normal and unlike today’s show operation.

Riding on Qin Ran’s coattails, Xu Yu had added a lot of big bosses.

Under He Chen’s circle of friends, there were Cheng Mu, Cheng Jin, Jiang Dongye, Lu Zhaoying… All these people had liked her posts.

Xu Yu was even more in awe of He Chen now.

With Qin Xiuchen’s consent, He Chen got ready to settle the details of the photo, and wanted to take time out to read the comics “The Realm of Gods”.

She took time off to deal with the details before sending it to the assistant.

Then, she left a note for Li Yushan and snuck out quietly.

…

He Chen was nowhere to be seen.

When Qu Zixiao was shooting an outdoor scene with the crew the next day, he realized that He Chen was gone.

He was a little distracted when he talked to Song Qingqing.

With Continent M’s complicated situation recently, he felt like Madam Qu would surely come to find him if he didn’t look after He Chen.

So, he went to inquire Director Lin about her.

Director Lin wasn’t bothered at all and waved him away.

Qu Zixiao had also asked Qin Xiuchen’s manager, who was even more unbothered.

It wasn’t until the fourth day, the last day of filming for the “The Realm of Gods” crew, that He Chen suddenly reappeared. No different than before, she was sitting on Director Lin’s pony tuck, watching Qin Xiuchen film with interest.

Li Yushan also finished running her news and was squatting beside her.

There was even an unopened can of beer beside her feet. It was the celebration alcohol that He Chen had asked Li Yushan to bring, although she wasn’t sure what they were celebrating.

Standing under the boundless mountain, Qu Zixiao watched He Chen and suddenly remembered something—

After agreeing to marry He Chen, he had never once asked about her, because he didn’t feel the need to learn more about her.

Now that he thought about it—

He Chen had never asked about him before, either.

He fell into deep thought.

“Boom”—

Suddenly, thick smoke rose from the mountain on the left, and sparse gunshot sounds were heard.

Most people heard the sounds, and the staff members all immediately stopped what they were doing with pale faces.

Qin Xiuchen put down the sword he was holding. Under the scorching sun, his expression was dead serious as he turned to Director Lin. “Director Lin, please evacuate first.”

This sentence stabilized the staff members for the time being.

The smile on He Chen’s face faded and she frowned.

“Buzz—”

The sound of a helicopter overhead approached.

The crew looked up in horror.

There were two helicopters with ropes hanging down from above.

A group of iron-blooded men slid down the ropes, filling the place with their murderous aura.

Qin Xiuchen looked at these people and recognized them. “They’re mercenaries.”

Mercenaries?

Those international criminals?

Those who killed without blinking?

This sentence made the crew panic.

They were all ordinary people, and to them, these mercenaries were people in rumors. Although they knew about the chaos in Continent M, they had always abided by the law and had not encountered any danger before.

At this time, everyone was horrified to hear that mercenaries were coming for them.

Their lives weren’t even worth a mention in front of them.

Qu Zixiao also recognized the severity of the situation and turned to Song Qingqing. “Contact your brother!”

“Yes, Miss Song, with your brother, we’ll be fine!”

The crew cast their eyes on Song Qingqing.

Song Qingqing had already taken out her phone to call her senior.

When she explained the situation, her senior was extremely solemn on the other end of the phone. “Why did you meet them! They’re so vicious that even Matthew can’t control them! Don’t move, and try to cooperate with them as much as possible. Don’t anger them. We’ll be there right away!”

Everyone present heard his warnings.

They didn’t know who Matthew was, but if Song Qingqing had mentioned him, he must be a remarkable person.

Most of the people present were trembling slightly.

Among the group of panicking people, only He Chen appeared fairly calm. She tilted her head and glanced at Li Yushan. “Her senior?”

“He’s from Continent M’s Criminal Investigation Team. I heard that he has even cooperated with Interpol before. He’s very powerful. He was the one who sent me back to the hotel last time.” Li Yushan shrank her neck at the sight of the murderous mercenaries. “Sister Chen, I… We…”

He Chen nodded upon hearing her words and glanced up at the helicopter above. She casually picked up a can of beer beside her.

All the mercenaries had slid down.

This group of murderous people was indeed not good people. Director Lin was really talented at choosing a place where the two powers agreed to meet and deal with one another.

The leader was a mercenary captain, with a scar on his face.

Calming himself down, Qu Zixiao stood up and communicated with the people in fluent Continent M language. He mentioned Song Qingqing’s senior and Matthew along the way.

“Tie them up and take them away.” The leader glanced at Qu Zixiao and coldly raised his hand.

They aimed their dark weapons at them, and no one dared to speak.

It was too quiet.

Almost everyone remembered Song Qingqing’s words about not provoking them.

At this moment—

With a “click”, the silence on the scene was broken.

Several people turned towards the sound stiffly, and even the mercenaries who had heard the sound looked over—

He Chen was sitting on the pony tuck, opening the can of beer with one hand. In front of all these mercenaries, she…

Took a sip of beer.

Then, she turned sideways to the mercenary aiming a weapon at Qin Xiuchen and Chen Yu. Squeezing the beer can, she smiled like a flower and said, “I’ll give you a chance. Get lost.”