Chapter 23: Deep-Sea Kiss

Li Chuzhe’s face twisted in agony, his hands clawing desperately at his chest as if thousands of white ants were gnawing through his flesh—excruciating pain that burned from within.

But the sensation lasted less than half a minute. Once he calmed down, panting heavily, he found nothing physically wrong with his body.

In the days that followed, headlines screamed about the arrest of the Song family and the collapse of the Song Group. After that, Tang Yan never saw Song Xieling again.

Meanwhile, Li Chuzhe had been coming and going all day, leaving early and returning late. Tang Yan seized the chance to take on several jobs, slipping back into their old rhythm—two people living parallel lives, busy with their own worlds, never interfering with each other.

Until the evening of the 15th, when the long-awaited showdown between Tang Yan and Nightshade finally came to pass. With help from her organization, Tang Yan gained access to extensive intelligence on the mission.

The operation was set at the Watchtower on Fish Island in Qingguo. A bomb had been hidden inside—powerful enough to obliterate the entire tower, even the small island it stood on. The interior was labyrinthine, a maze of corridors and chambers. Without a map or a guide, anyone inside would be hopelessly lost.

The tower was sealed off. The only source of oxygen entered through a tiny window on the top floor—always left open. The stairs spiraled upward in a tight coil, with no railing beside them, just empty space.

No one knew exactly where the bomb was. The area requiring surveillance via advanced tech was enormous. For most hackers, this job would’ve been a nightmare—grueling, thankless, and nearly impossible.

But for the two elite hackers at the top of their game? This was the perfect stage for their first real duel.

Tang Yan wore a mask, fully armored. She’d trained in martial arts since childhood and knew bomb disposal like the back of her hand.

All preparations complete, she stepped into the heart of the Watchtower.

On the first floor, she immediately felt the suffocating thinness of the air—oxygen was dangerously low. The bomb couldn’t possibly be here.

She moved quickly up the spiral staircase, light-footed and silent.

Then, from above, a voice echoed—a stranger’s voice, calm and mocking.

“Yangchao. First time meeting. You’re late. I thought you were scared.”

“Hmph. You’re fast. Too fast,” Tang Yan shot back, deliberately enunciating each word, dripping with challenge.

Nightshade was equally armored, masked, eyes completely covered. “Keep talking. See who finds it first.”

Without another word, Nightshade turned and continued climbing.

Tang Yan watched him go—no hesitation, no glance back at the lower floors. She was certain he’d already searched them. So she followed, matching his pace to the same level.

“Still playing the genius act?” Nightshade sneered. “Need to steal some talent?”

Their energy clashed like two tigers circling a mountain peak—neither willing to yield.

Tang Yan ignored him and turned toward another doorway.

Each floor was packed with rooms, arranged like a honeycomb. Small, cramped, but easy to search. She could clear an entire floor in under a minute.

They climbed higher, searching room by room, floor after floor—until they reached the topmost levels, still no sign of the bomb.

Only two floors remained.

To save time, Tang Yan split off from Nightshade—she took the final floor, while he stayed on the second-to-last.

“Yangchao,” Nightshade called down, voice sharp. “Watch your step. Don’t drag me down with you.”

Tang Yan pushed open the door. The space felt tighter now—more confined. She swept her scanner across every room, but found nothing.

Moments later, Nightshade arrived, shrugging helplessly. No luck.

Now only the top floor remained. No rooms. Just a vast open platform stretching out beneath the sky—empty, bare, nothing.

Tang Yan frowned. Had the mission gone wrong? Impossible. The reward was too high for errors.

Nightshade stood frozen, deep in thought.

“Anything?” she asked.

“No,” he said flatly.

Tang Yan exhaled sharply. Then she noticed something—the window looked… moved. The dust on the sill varied in depth.

“Here,” she whispered.

She didn’t rush. Instead, she leaned forward slightly, peering closely.

Then—her eyes lit up.

“Nightshade! I found something!”

At that moment, Nightshade’s expression shifted—shock flickered across his face. In an instant, he lunged forward, grabbing her and pulling her down hard.

A bullet tore through the air—slicing into the wall above. The impact cracked the stone apart instantly, revealing the bomb embedded behind it.

Too late.

The device had already been triggered.

Less than ten seconds left.

Nightshade’s mind raced. Even if he charged forward and cut the wires without hesitation, there wasn’t enough time.

But the tower’s peak stood over a hundred meters above sea level.

And below—deep, endless ocean.

No choice.

He wrapped his arms around Tang Yan, broke through the glass with a single leap, and plunged straight down.

“Yangchao—hold on!” He cradled her head protectively, flipping her onto his back so she was shielded beneath him.

Tang Yan panicked—but not for herself. She was terrified for *him*.

“No!”

Then—explosion of water.

A massive splash erupted from the sea below. They kept falling.

Tang Yan opened her eyes—just in time to see blood seeping through the cracks in Nightshade’s mask. His expression was hidden, but she saw his neck turning red.

“Not good.”

Without thinking, she ripped off her own mask. Closed her eyes.

Then, gently, she reached up and removed his mask too—her hands cupping the back of his skull.

Life-or-death. No time for hesitation.

She pressed her lips against his.

Breath into breath.

Slowly, Nightshade stirred. His eyes fluttered open—only to meet the girl, eyes shut tight, desperately trying to save him.

Then—unexpectedly—he flipped the script.

One hand covered her eyes.

Long silence.

Finally, he dragged her ashore.

Tang Yan gasped for air, trembling. Nightshade turned away, shielding her from view.

She never saw his face.

But she remembered the feel of his lips—familiar, somehow.

Only when she heard the distant sound of car horns did he finally relax.

By the time she regained her senses, he was gone.

“Yangchao, are you okay?” An agent rushed forward, guiding her safely back into the compound.

Deep in the woods, a car waited.

Nightshade stepped into the shadows.