Lian drove with both hands tight on the wheel, eyes fixed ahead. The wipers swung back and forth in a rhythm that felt almost tense.
Kai sat beside her, watching the lights smear across the windshield. He tapped the dashboard lightly. “You think Yuen Lai’s still there?”
Lian didn’t answer right away. “If she’s moving people, she won’t risk staying long. But the truck can’t vanish overnight.”
Kai smirked. “You say that like you’ve never vanished anyone overnight.”
That earned him a sideways look. “You talk too much when you’re nervous.”
“I’m talkative when I’m alive,” he said. “It’s kind of my thing.”
The car slowed near the old Kai Tak cargo terminal, a sprawling yard of shipping containers stacked like forgotten tombs. The air smelled of metal and salt. The lights flickered weakly in the fog, giving everything a dreamlike haze.
They parked two blocks away and continued on foot. Lian’s movements were practiced, quiet, her boots making no sound on the wet pavement. Kai followed close, scanning with a thermal monocle.
“Two guards near the main gate,” he whispered. “Thermal shows a van running inside, maybe three people near it.”
“Armed?”
“Not heavily. Pistols. One might have a shotgun.”
Lian nodded. “We go quiet. If they see us, we pull back.”
She moved like a shadow, slipping between containers, every step deliberate. Kai tried to match her pace, though his breathing was louder than he liked. They reached a rusted fence and ducked behind a pile of wooden pallets. From there, they could see the van—white, engine idling, headlights dimmed.
Through the window, a woman stood with her back turned, umbrella in hand. Even from a distance, the way she held herself—rigid, precise—suggested authority.
Kai leaned closer. “That her?”
Lian adjusted her scope. “Yuen Lai. Older than I remember.”
“What’s she doing?”
“Talking to someone inside the van.”
Kai frowned. “Maybe a buyer?”
“Or a handler.”
They watched for a moment. A man stepped out from the van, tall and clean-cut in a black raincoat. His face was calm, expression unreadable. He handed Yuen Lai a folder, then lit a cigarette under the umbrella she held.
Lian exhaled slowly. “She’s not just running kids anymore. That’s a courier exchange.”
Kai’s voice dropped. “What do you want to do?”
“Get close enough to tag the van. We’ll track where it goes.”
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She moved before he could answer, slipping through the fence and circling wide to the rear of the truck yard. Kai stayed behind, watching her figure disappear between containers.
For a few moments, everything went still except for the rain and the hum of the van’s engine. Then he heard something—footsteps behind him.
He turned sharply, but a voice said softly, “Relax. It’s just me.”
Mei.
She wore her usual leather jacket, soaked through at the shoulders, hair plastered to her cheek. She gave him a nod. “Kids are safe. Lena’s talking to social services. Thought you’d want to know.”
Kai let out a breath. “Thanks. Lian’s ahead, tagging a van.”
Mei looked past him, squinting through the rain. “You two ever take a night off?”
“Not in this lifetime.”
She smiled faintly. “That’s what I thought.”
Then the quiet broke. A shout echoed from the yard—male, panicked.
Kai’s eyes snapped toward the sound. “She’s compromised.”
They moved without hesitation.
Lian had already taken down one of the guards when the second charged from behind a container. He was faster than he looked, swinging a crowbar toward her head. She ducked, grabbed his arm, twisted, and sent him face-first into the mud.
But the noise drew attention. The man in the raincoat turned, hand reaching for his gun. Lian fired once, catching the weapon and sending it spinning away.
Yuen Lai didn’t move. She just stared at Lian, expression unreadable. “You should have stayed gone.”
Lian’s eyes hardened. “You’re trafficking children again. You knew we’d come.”
Yuen tilted her head slightly. “You think this is simple? You think you’re saving them?”
“I’m stopping you.”
The woman gave a small, tired laugh. “You can’t stop a system. You can only feed it.”
Before Lian could respond, Kai and Mei reached her side. The raincoat man was backing toward the van, clutching his bleeding arm.
Kai pointed. “He’s making a call!”
Lian shouted, “Disable it!”
Kai raised his EMP device and triggered it. The van’s lights flickered, engine sputtering to a stop.
For a second, everything was still again. Then Yuen turned away, almost resigned. “You shouldn’t have come here.”
She stepped into the darkness behind the containers.
Lian started after her, but Mei caught her arm. “Lian, wait. Police scanners just lit up. Someone tipped them off. If they catch you here—”
“I’m not letting her vanish again.”
Kai stepped between them. “We can trace the van’s logs. We’ll find her another way. Please.”
For a moment, Lian looked like she might shove past both of them. But the sirens were already echoing faintly in the distance. Blue flashes began to bleed through the fog.
She exhaled sharply and turned away. “Fine. Move.”
They slipped through the side gate, disappearing into the maze of containers as the first patrol cars arrived.
By the time they reached their car, the rain had turned to drizzle. Lian sat in silence, staring at her gloved hands.
Kai finally spoke. “We got something out of this. The van’s tracker will lead us somewhere.”
She didn’t answer.
Mei leaned forward from the back seat. “You did good tonight. Those kids—without you, they’d be gone.”
Lian’s voice was quiet. “It’s never enough.”
Kai reached over, touching her wrist lightly. “Maybe not. But it’s something.”
She looked at him for a long moment, then turned the key in the ignition. The car started with a low hum.
As they pulled away, the reflection of the port shrank in the mirror—red lights on the wet pavement, police shadows moving like ghosts.
Kai leaned his head against the window. “You know, I used to think saving people would make the city feel lighter.”
Lian’s eyes stayed on the road. “It doesn’t. It just makes it quieter.”
He smiled faintly. “Then I’ll take quiet.”
They drove on, the sound of the sea fading behind them.
