Warehouse - Night
Old Zhao kicked the door open, holding a blood-soaked rider's jacket.
Me: "Auntie Wang's?"
Old Zhao: "Du Qiang stripped it off her."
Xiao Zhou lunged from the shadows, eyes wild. "Those bastards tied her to the flagpole in the square! Said you gotta 'sign for delivery' by noon tomorrow!"
I grabbed a wrench, cracking open a dead GPS. "Lin Xiaoyu, where's the broadcast station blueprint?"
The kid shoved a notebook at me, hands shaking. "U-underground pipes… lead to control room…"
Old Zhao grabbed my arm. "You planning a suicide run?"
I shook him off. "Tell every rider left—tomorrow we flood the city with 'blank orders.'"
Outside, motorcycle engines growled, getting closer.
Xiao Zhou: "Du Qiang's patrol!"
I killed the lights, hefting a pipe. "Good. I needed test subjects for these smoke bombs."
---
**Chapter 11: Undercurrent**
Safehouse - Pre-Dawn
Lin Xiaoyu soldered the brass bell, hands trembling. "Boss… if the broadcast fails—"
I filled smoke bombs with chili powder. "Then we go loud with Plan B."
Xiao Zhou kicked a chair. "You trust those turncoat guards? They broke Old Liu's leg last month!"
Old Zhao flashed his phone—Du Qiang pistol-whipping a young guard. "*Worthless mutt!*"
I loaded a magazine. "Hate's better than bribes."
Lin Xiaoyu shoved the repaired bell into my pocket. "Ring it… or it doesn't count as delivered."
Tires screeched outside.
Old Zhao hefted a steel pipe. "Dogs caught our scent."
I chambered a round. "Saved me the trouble of hunting."
---
Chapter 12: Final Delivery
Town Square - Noon
Du Qiang's voice boomed from speakers. "Su Wanzhao! Here to collect your corpse?"
I parked, popped the delivery box—revealing the brass bell.
Lin Xiaoyu's voice suddenly crackled over the PA: "*When the bell rings… someone's still waiting…*"
Du Qiang: "Kill the feed! NOW—"
I smashed the bell.
The city went dark.
Smoke bombs erupted. I roared: "OLD ZHAO—MOVE!"
In the chaos: bones crunching, Du Qiang screaming.
Du Qiang fired blind. "WHERE ARE YOU, BITCH?!"
My box-cutter kissed his throat. "Delivery canceled."
Over the wall, his shrieks followed—Xiao Zhou had emptied a chili bomb in his face.
**Epilogue - Ruins**
Three days later, my e-bike stood in the east district.
A blank-order package in the basket, note reading: "*Deliver where the light remains.*"
Somewhere, a child's bell chimed.
Ding.
Like there'd always be one more delivery.