Chapter 64: The Trapped Falcon

Inside Future City, the festivities celebrating the arrival of the young master Zhao Zeyi were still in full swing. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the stunning young woman before them, unable to believe what they saw. Who could have imagined that the legendary young master would turn out to be such a breathtaking beauty? And that voice—enchanting enough to make hearts flutter.

Standing above the cheering crowd, Zhao Nana—or rather, the young master Zhao Zeyi—thoroughly basked in the adoration. Some people are born to crave attention; perhaps the young master had always been one of them, or perhaps this was only a recent revelation. In any case, a powerful urge to perform and be noticed seemed to pulse within.

Meanwhile, a stark contrast unfolded elsewhere. The three Falcon brothers, trapped in Restricted Zone A103, were utterly exhausted and starving. They had already explored every reachable corner, but no exit revealed itself. It seemed that someone had triggered a mechanism that could only be opened from the outside.

It is said that with water, a person can survive for seven days, but they had barely gone a day without food and were already dizzy, weak, and lightheaded. With no means of escape, all they could do was wait for rescue. Yet who could possibly come for them? They had no way to contact the outside world, and no one in all of Future City even knew they were there.

The National Security Department had, in fact, noticed something was amiss. Before entering, Night Hawk had made contact with them; by now, they should have received some feedback. But now, any attempts to reach out were met with silence, and they had no idea what had happened on the other side.

Although the National Security Department had realized something was wrong, distant help could not quench immediate thirst. There was little they could do, and it was likely too late to send people over in time. All they could do was prepare a rescue mission and hope the Falcons could hold out.

Yet not everyone was in the dark about the Falcons' predicament. The guard who had been threatened by Dragon was well aware, but he dared not reveal a word. If anyone discovered he had secretly let people inside, the consequences would be dire.

But secrets cannot be kept forever. He did not know that the young master was among those he had let in. Zhao Zeyi, however, remembered, and sent someone to summon this guard.

The guard was just an ordinary man in Future City. When he heard the young master wanted to see him, he wasn't sure if he should be excited or worried. By rights, a person of his station should never have drawn such attention.

Could last night’s incident have been exposed? That seemed unlikely—no one had seen anything, surely.

Rumor had it that the young master was a woman of extraordinary charm. The guard wondered, could it be that his own looks had caught her eye? The thought startled him, and he shook his head—no, that was impossible.

Whatever the reason, he decided he had better go and find out.

With a mix of anxiety and curiosity, the guard made his way from the city’s lowest level, passing through the residential area to the administrative center. He had lost count of how many times he’d been here, but each visit left him awestruck.

His usual workplace, Zone A103, was like hell on earth, and his home was barely tolerable. But here—this was paradise. Every time he set foot here, his spirits lifted, as if all his troubles were forgotten.

With a trace of reverence, the guard arrived at the appointed spot—a temporary office, rumored to belong to the young master.

He knocked politely. A deep, youthful male voice invited him in.

So young, he thought, pushing the door open.

Standing at the threshold, he saw no one in the office. The desk was bare, not even a cup for water.

“Is Mr. Zhao here? I heard you were looking for me?” the guard asked cautiously. He had never met the young master in person; he’d only heard she was a great beauty, but since everyone addressed her as “young master,” he thought it safest to use “sir.”

The young master emerged from the inner room, glancing at the guard he’d seen the night before, saying nothing. The guard, astonished, stammered, “You… you… you’re the one from last night…”

“That’s right. It’s me,” Zhao Zeyi replied in his natural voice, dropping the disguise.

“My deepest apologies! I was blind to your identity and offended you and your companions last night. Please forgive me,” the guard said, recalling with dread how he might have insulted them.

“I have no companions,” Zhao Zeyi replied coldly, without a trace of emotion.

“No companions?” the guard repeated, his eyes shifting as sudden realization dawned. “I understand.”

“What is it you understand?” This time, it was Zhao Zeyi’s turn to be surprised. He had said nothing yet—did the guard truly understand, or was he only pretending?

“You want me to keep your secret. It’s just like in the movies, isn’t it?” the guard replied, equally direct.

Zhao Zeyi applauded, genuinely pleased. He had wondered how to broach the subject, but this guard’s perceptiveness made things much simpler. “I need more than your silence. I want you to clean up the scene as well. It’s best for you, for me, for everyone.”

The guard nodded, signaling his understanding.

After scrutinizing him for a moment and finding nothing amiss, the young master dismissed the guard.

Leaving the office, the guard’s face bore an inscrutable smile. So those four weren’t in league after all—things were getting interesting.

Back in his duty room, he sat as usual, eyes closed in a doze, appearing completely idle and unchanged. He stayed that way until nightfall, when the streets of Future City emptied. That night, after locking up as usual, he did not go straight home. Instead, he slipped through a side passage and quietly opened the gate to the restricted zone, slipping inside without a sound.

Few had come this way recently, and dust lay thick on every surface. On the dusty floor, he could see footprints—four sets, just the size to match those people. He followed the tracks deeper inside, but after a long walk, still saw no sign of them.

They really had gone deep, he mused.

At last, the footprints vanished in front of a wall.

A dead end? No, there must be a mechanism.

He searched around, but could find no hidden switch. Thinking back, he retraced his steps. After walking nearly six hundred meters, he finally spotted something unusual. He pressed it, and the mechanism activated.