​”War?” Jian repeated, struggling to keep up as Ren hopped off the storage unit roof and landed in the alleyway below. “Ren, we are two high schoolers with a stolen laptop and a book made of human skin. That’s not a war. That’s a federal indictment.”

​Ren ignored him, sliding into the passenger seat of the SUV.

​”Drive,” Ren commanded. “Back to the bunker. We know who bought the hit—Minister Shen. Now we need the proof to bury him.”

​Thirty minutes later, the atmosphere in Jian’s basement was suffocating.

​On the desk sat the black book. It lay open to the first page—the Contract of Soul Supply that Ren had glimpsed on the rooftop.

​[ BUYER: MINISTER SHEN (NORTHERN OFFICE) ]

​The name seemed to burn on the paper.

​”Minister Shen,” Jian whispered, pacing the room. “The Head of the Northern Office. Ren, this isn’t just a corrupt cop. This is the Governor. If we have this contract, we have a smoking gun.”

​”A smoking gun isn’t enough,” Ren said, sitting in the gaming chair. “A name on a page can be forged. They’ll claim Master Gui faked it. To destroy Shen, we need the transactions. The bank logs. The magical signatures.”

​Ren reached out to turn the page.

​”Let’s see the receipts.”

​His fingers brushed the corner of the page.

​SNAP.

​The book slammed shut with the force of a bear trap.

​ZAP.

​A spark of red electricity arced from the leather cover, snapping against Ren’s skin. He hissed and pulled his hand back. Smoke curled from his fingertip.

​[ SECURITY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED ]

[ UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED ]

[ LOCKDOWN INITIATED: TIER 2 ]

​Ren stared at the book. The leather cover seemed to ripple, the runes glowing angry red. Then, a low, rhythmic thumping sound began to emanate from the spine.

​Thump. Thump. Thump.

​”It bit me,” Ren said, his voice flat.

​”It’s not just biting you,” Jian said, his eyes widening as he looked at his monitor. “Ren, look at the signal output!”

​On the screen, a red wave was pulsing outward from their location.

​[ ALERT: HOMING BEACON ACTIVATED ]

[ SIGNAL: BROADCASTING GPS COORDINATES TO OWNER ]

​”He knows,” Jian whispered, horrified. “Ren, the book is calling home. Master Gui knows exactly where we are.”

​Ren stared at the book. “He put a tracker on his diary?”

​”It’s a ‘Find My Device’ spell!” Jian shouted, grabbing the baseball bat. “We have to leave! He’ll send a kill squad!”

​Ren didn’t move. He watched the pulsing red light on the book.

​”No,” Ren said calmly. “We don’t leave. This is good.”

​”Good?! How is this good?”

​”Because if he knows where we are,” Ren said, a cruel smile touching his lips, “he thinks he has the advantage. He thinks we are panicked prey.”

​Ren grabbed the book. It burned his hand, but he ignored it.

​”He will be focusing on the signal. He won’t be expecting us to come to him.”

​Ren looked at Jian. “Turn off the signal blocker.”

​”What?”

​”Let the signal go out,” Ren commanded. “Let him see us. But while he is looking at us… I need you to look at him.”

​”Ren, I don’t understand—”

​”The signal is a two-way street!” Ren snapped. “If the book is sending data to him, it has to connect to his receiver. Trace the connection back to the source!”

​Jian blinked. Then, he scrambled to the keyboard.

​”Backtracing the ping…” Jian muttered, his fingers flying. “Okay. Okay, I see it. The book is trying to handshake with a server.”

​A map of the city popped up. A single blue line traced from Jian’s house, winding through the digital city, and landing on a specific point in the industrial district.

​[ CONNECTION ESTABLISHED ]

[ DESTINATION: “THE LAST STOP” MEAT PACKING PLANT ]

​”Got him,” Jian whispered. “Five miles east. The Meat Packing District.”

​Ren stood up, the thrill of the hunt replacing his frustration.

​”He’s at a meat packing plant?” Ren asked.

​”Zoning,” Jian realized. “It has industrial drainage. Perfect for disposing of failed necromancy experiments.”

​Ren grabbed a rusted crowbar from the shelf. He weighed it in his hand.

​”He thinks he’s the hunter,” Ren said, his eyes glowing green. “He thinks he’s about to ambush two thieves.”

​Ren walked to the door.

​”Jian, print me a fake ID. Make it look official.”

​”What department?” Jian asked, pulling up a template, his hands shaking.

​Ren thought for a second.

​”Department of Pest Control.”

​Ren checked the timer.

​[ TIME UNTIL PURGE: 57 HOURS ]

​”We leave now,” Ren said. “Before he realizes the trap has turned.”

​

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep