Chapter 55: Chase

"Whoa, I never knew about this." Jean exclaimed as she stood with Elara in her arms, watching Kai shift the refrigerator aside. Behind it, concealed beneath the faded remains of a huge poster, was what appeared to be a door.

"It was made by the previous tenant, actually. They used a huge poster to cover it up. I doubt the property owner even knows it exists." Kai crouched beside the frame and began peeling away the adhesive that still held parts of the poster in place.

Jean glanced toward the door, her expression tightening with uncertainty. "Do you think they’ll let us into Blue Mountain at this hour? I mean, wouldn’t it look suspicious?"

"Ben will handle all that," Kai assured her. "He’s already waiting for us there."

Jean nodded in understanding.

Kai shifted his attention back to the door. He pressed his shoulder against the wall beside the frame and gave it a firm push.

Thunk.

The frame jolted loose, and the door creaked open, revealing a narrow, unlit alley on the other side.

"Wait here."

Kai stepped through first, scanning the surroundings before pulling the door shut behind him.

Time for a test...

He closed his eyes and covered them completely with one hand. Darkness swallowed his vision, but a moment later, his heightened senses took over.

The faint hum of a ventilation system reached his ears. Somewhere nearby, a rat scurried across the concrete, its tiny claws scratching against the ground. Water dripped steadily from a damaged duct, each drop landing with a soft, rhythmic tap that would have been almost impossible to notice under normal circumstances.

Kai remained still, listening.

Nothing.

There was no movement nearby, or any whispers. Someone could still have been hiding beyond his immediate range, but after carefully inspecting the surroundings with his enhanced senses, he felt reasonably confident that the alley was clear.

"Okay..." He opened his eyes and looked back toward the door. "Uh, where did you find that?"

Jean had somehow acquired a cap and pulled it low enough to conceal most of her face.

"Not my first time hiding my face," she replied casually. Then she looked toward him. "Are we good to go?"

Kai nodded and reached for Elara. "Yeah."

He took the baby into his arms.

Jean immediately looked at the bag he was carrying, then at the child in his other arm. "You’re going to carry her too?"

"Nothing to worry about. Let’s get going for now."

Kai adjusted Elara against his chest and started forward, with Jean following closely behind.

They did not continue through the alley. Instead, Kai led them toward a narrow staircase attached to the neighboring building. The metallic steps climbed along the side of the structure, leading toward its rooftop.

Jean kept glancing around as they climbed, her eyes searching the dark corners and windows overlooking the passage. Fortunately, there was no one in sight, and no sign that anyone had noticed them leaving.

They eventually reached the rooftop of the building directly opposite the one they had been staying in.

The moment they stepped onto the open roof, a strong gust of wind swept across them.

Kai immediately pulled off his jacket and draped it around Elara, shielding her from the cold night air. The baby disappeared almost completely beneath the fabric, leaving only her curious little face visible.

"You good?" he asked Jean.

Jean nodded as she pushed several loose strands of hair away from her face. "I’m fine."

They crossed the rooftop and reached another staircase on the opposite side. After making sure the way down was clear, they began their descent.

"That’s our ride."

Kai’s gaze settled on the street below, where a black SUV sat beneath a streetlamp. It matched the description Benjamin had given him, and the license plate confirmed it.

As they continued down the stairs, Kai glanced at Elara.

The baby was looking around with wide, curious eyes. Even from this height, with the ground several stories below, she showed no sign of fear. Her lips were slightly parted, her tiny neck craned as she stared at everything around her.

She looked fascinated.

Almost as though she were enjoying the little adventure.

A faint smile touched Kai’s lips.

Reaching the surface he stepped aside and helped Jean down from the final step before looking toward the SUV.

"Here, hold her for a moment."

He handed Elara to Jean and approached the vehicle.

The SUV matched the description, but Kai still wanted to verify it himself before putting them inside.

He had barely taken a few steps when the passenger door opened.

A familiar man stepped out.

"Ben... you’re here too?" Kai asked, a relieved smile appearing on his face at the sight of someone he knew.

Benjamin nodded. "I figured you might need my assistance, especially since you rejected Blue Mountain’s courier service. Are we ready to move, sir?"

His eyes briefly shifted toward Jean and the child before returning to Kai.

Kai nodded.

"Yeah. Let’s go."

He motioned for Jean to come over, then briefly introduced her and Elara to Benjamin before they climbed into the SUV.

As the car pulled away, Benjamin glanced toward Kai through the rearview mirror.

"Do we need to stop anywhere, sir?"

Kai immediately shook his head. "No. Take us straight to the new place."

Benjamin nodded. "It should take half an hour at most. I already have the access card, but I couldn’t get the vehicle clearance on such short notice, sir."

There was a faint apologetic note in his voice, which genuinely caught Kai off guard.

"It’s completely fine. The fact that you even picked up my call at this hour and agreed to help me means a lot already."

Benjamin had been an enormous help. Not only had he dealt with the authorities and contacted the property owners, but he had also gone out of his way to assist with the move.

Most friends and relatives would hesitate to help when they had no idea what kind of trouble they were being dragged into.

Yet Benjamin had not even asked questions.

He had simply helped.

You really gave me a brilliant man in Ben, System.

[Always eager to help, Host.]

Kai smiled faintly at the response, but his expression soon changed.

A brief flash of light caught his attention in the side-view mirror.

He turned his head slightly.

There was a car behind them.

For the moment, Kai dismissed it as a coincidence. They were still on the main road, and there was nothing unusual about another vehicle traveling in the same direction.

He said nothing.

But after another turn, the same headlights appeared in the mirror.

Kai remained silent.

They turned again.

The car followed.

His eyes narrowed.

"What happened, Kai?" Jean asked quietly from beside him.

Kai did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked toward Benjamin.

"Have you noticed it too, Ben?"

He deliberately kept his voice low. There was no point alarming Jean until he knew for certain that something was wrong.

Benjamin’s reaction immediately confirmed his suspicion.

"Indeed, sir. We’ve circled this area already, and it’s still following us."

Benjamin had apparently noticed the vehicle some time ago. To confirm his suspicion, he had instructed the driver to circle the same block twice.

The vehicle had followed them every time.

Kai clicked his tongue.

"Persistent bastards." He paused, considering their options. "Should we get out and take another car, just to be safe?"

Benjamin hummed thoughtfully.

"Finding a taxi at this hour would be difficult. Let me try something else."

He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

Kai couldn’t hear much of the conversation. Benjamin spoke quietly, giving a few brief instructions before ending the call.

Only a few minutes later, several vehicles appeared from the main road.

Kai’s eyes widened slightly.

Two cars moved behind their SUV while two others pulled ahead. They quickly settled into formation around them, and that was when Kai noticed something peculiar.

They all looked exactly the same.

Same model.

Same color.

From a distance, they were almost indistinguishable.

"Do it," Benjamin instructed the driver.

The driver reached beneath the dashboard and flipped a switch.

A switch that completely concealed the licence plate of the car much like the other four.

Before Kai could even ask what was happening, the formation began to shift.

One car moved to the left while another slipped into its position. The two vehicles behind them changed lanes, and the cars ahead followed suit. Within seconds, the four identical SUVs had begun weaving around one another in a carefully coordinated shuffle.

Their own vehicle changed positions several times.

By the time the formation settled, the car that had been following them was no longer following Kai’s SUV.

Instead, it had locked onto one of the decoy vehicles.

Kai stared through the rear window as the pursuing car disappeared after the wrong target.

For several seconds, he remained speechless.

Then he slowly turned toward Benjamin.

"Ben..."

Benjamin looked back at him.

Kai’s expression was filled with genuine disbelief.

"Are you really just a property consultant?"