Contact Person

Waiting is the most tormenting.

Inside the car wash, the steam had dissipated, leaving the air thick with the smell of cheap soap. A few people leaned against walls or sat on whatever was available, exchanging occasional casual remarks, but more often than not, they were silent.

Some began to polish their weapons, while others kept glancing at the closed rolling door, trying to discern something from the sound of passing cars outside. The anticipation and unease of an impending new life quietly fermented in everyone's heart.

Half an hour later.

Outside, an unremarkable black sedan slowly approached and honked its horn.

Zhuge Chen stared at the surveillance monitor.

In the black-and-white image, a faded, beat-up old Volkswagen Sagitar stopped in front of the rolling door. The last digits on its license plate matched the code word for contact.

He shifted his gaze, scanning the few people in the room, then pressed the red button on the wall.

With the harsh screech of grinding chains, the rolling door slowly rose.

The Sagitar drove in over the speed bump. The door swung open. First, a leg in pilled-up trousers stepped out, followed by the emergence of a potbellied man.

His hair was sparse and slicked back, gleaming with oil. He wore both a watch and a string of beads on his wrist. He looked like a seasoned streetwise hustler through and through.

No matter how you looked at him, this guy had absolutely nothing to do with the legendary figure known as the Diamond Dog.

A fat man like this—you could grab a handful at any vegetable market haggling over prices. He was the walking embodiment of mediocrity and greasiness.

But the man didn't seem bothered at all by everyone's stares. He just smiled and said, "Hello everyone. My name is Qian Run. I'm your liaison, and also the agent for Diamond Dog in Tianjing."

No one in the room responded. These were all people who had scraped by on the edge of a blade. They had been gathered in Tianjing through one-way contact on the dark web.

Now that they had met their contact in person, the gap between expectation and reality was too great.

None of them really believed he was from Diamond Dog.

Well, people are like that. They judge by appearances. What was particularly interesting was that the lowlier a mercenary's origins, the more likely they were to fall into preconceived biases about their employer's appearance. Zhuge Chen studied the micro-expressions of the others. Someone sneered. Someone smirked coldly.

Qian Run patted his beer belly. "Looks like you guys aren't convinced. It's good to have doubts. In our line of work, being cautious helps you live longer."

He pulled out a crumpled, half-empty pack of cigarettes, extracted one, and clamped it between his teeth.

"But don't worry. You will believe."

The crisp sound of a lighter's flint striking cut through the air.

Then, his expression changed in an instant.

"Kneel!"

The moment the words left his lips, an invisible, crushing weight pressed down from above.

Zhuge Chen and the others felt their shoulders bear the brunt of it. The bones in their bodies emitted the sound of straining against the load.

Their knees slammed uncontrollably into the concrete floor, producing dull, heavy thuds.

One after another, the sounds of flesh hitting the ground echoed around them.

No one else was spared. All were pinned to the ground.

This pressure wasn't just targeting their muscles; it was a complete physical suppression on every level.

Blood flow to their brains was hindered. Their eyes became bloodshot. Their internal organs felt compressed. Even their most sensitive parts were squeezed into a painful knot.

The only sounds left in the car wash were heavy, labored breathing.

A group of desperate outlaws had become fish on a chopping block, unable to even move a single pinky finger.

Qian Run exhaled a smoke ring. Holding the cigarette between his fingers, he pointed at the people on the ground.

"Congratulations on joining the Diamond Dog family. We at Diamond Dog give you a lot of freedom. We don't care what organizations you belonged to before, and we don't care where you're wanted. Once you're a member of Diamond Dog, you're one of us."

As he spoke, the force slowly retracted.

Zhuge Chen felt his whole body loosen, and his heartbeat slowed down.

He could confirm that this liaison's ability was gravity.

Judging from the man's steady, even breathing, applying this level of pressure was barely a warm-up for him.

Interesting. When did a character like this appear in the Tianjing area? The intelligence systems had no trace of him at all.

To keep such a card hidden so well meant he was supposed to be an extremely cautious guy. But then he shows up and pulls such a flashy act of intimidation right away? There was an obvious contradiction in his behavioral logic.

Regardless, the shock value was maximum.

None of the people present had a shred of contempt for Qian Run anymore. Instead, a hint of awe crept into their expressions.

Ignoring everyone else's reactions, Qian Run walked over in his leather shoes to the man holding the spatial pocket bag.

The man didn't dare to even take a step back. He just stood still.

Qian Run reached out, took the briefcase the man was clutching from him, and unzipped it. He fumbled around inside for a moment.

He pulled out a gleaming, solid gold brick.

He tossed it a couple of times in his palm. The gold brick thudded solidly against his flesh.

"Nice quality. Good weight." He scraped his thumb across the edges of the gold brick, then stuffed it back into the bag, tucking the briefcase under his arm.

With the briefcase secured, Qian Run reached into his trouser pocket, pulled out four small objects, and tossed them onto the workbench.

A few clattering sounds.

Four silver rings spun on the tabletop before lying flat.

"Time for internal benefits."

Qian Run brushed the dust off his hands. "The same type of spatial folding products as the briefcase. Valid until December next year. They'll expire. Come to me for a replacement then. The capacity isn't big—you can fit a few guns or some explosives in each. Just don't try to put a live person inside."

As he finished speaking, the others' thoughts gradually began to settle, but the four rings on the table sent a shock through the five other people present.

There were five living people in the room waiting to join.

Only four rings.

Simple math. Who was the extra person?

The five of them sized each other up, their defensive stances immediately apparent.

Could it be that one of the group was already a plant from Diamond Dog? Was today just a formality?

In Zhuge Chen's heart, a different kind of wariness grew. Had he been exposed?

But he wasn't the only one thinking this. Everyone else had similar thoughts.

After all, none of them were clean.

Qian Run watched the expressions on the faces of the people in front of him with great interest.

He smiled and said, "You're right, there is one person here who can't join Diamond Dog. Because this person is tainted. Am I right, Mr. Zhuge?"

Qian Run looked at Zhuge Chen, a smile on his face, but murderous intent in his eyes.

Zhuge Chen smiled back. "I don't deserve the title of 'sir,' but it's true that a lot of people know my name. But didn't you say Diamond Dog doesn't ask about background?"

Qian Run laughed and said, "The Zhuge family having a descendant like you is already quite something. But our Diamond Dog also has a cooperative partner within the Zhuge family."

Hearing this, Zhuge Chen knew something was very wrong.

But he still tried to play it cool.

"I don't know what you're talking about. If it's just because of my background that you don't want me to join, then..."

Before he could finish, Qian Run had already raised his hand and pushed it downward.

The gravity returned.

Danger! Danger! Danger!