Among them, two young researchers' cages were still stained with blood.
Those seven people.
They were the researchers they were here to rescue!
Ming Zheng's gaze quickly scanned the layout of the storeroom.
She mentally noted the positions of the cages and the people within them.
Ming Chuyan walked slowly past each cage.
His eyes, hidden behind his gold-rimmed glasses, swept over the people in the cages inch by inch.
Because of his arrival with a team of bodyguards.
The people in the cages began to stir.
Especially those captured from other countries, their faces contorted with rage as they cursed Ming Chuyan in their own languages.
Ming Chuyan remained unfazed.
He walked step by step towards the area where the researchers from the International Agency for Research were held.
His footsteps paused slightly.
His gaze passed over the other cages and settled on the cage of the elderly man.
His eyes behind the lenses flickered slightly.
"What are you doing?"
Seeing him stop, the bodyguards behind him immediately grew vigilant, leveling their guns and shouting.
Ming Chuyan adjusted his glasses. "That is the director of the International Agency for Research. He is the main item for this auction."
He took a step towards the cage.
The bodyguards behind him all aimed their guns forward.
Ming Chuyan was forced to stop again.
He knitted his brows in annoyance, his voice suddenly stern. "Can't you understand what I'm saying?"
As he became angry.
His imposing aura surged.
"I said, he is the main item for this auction," Ming Chuyan said, pushing aside the gun blocking his view. "He's just sitting there motionless, how can I be sure you people haven't played him to death?"
Ming Chuyan strode forward, directly reaching the cage holding the old man.
The bodyguards exchanged glances.
They no longer dared to block him.
However, their eyes remained vigilant, watching him. If he made any suspicious move, they would shoot him dead!
Ming Chuyan stood still before the cage.
The old man, dressed in a white lab coat, slowly raised his head.
His gaze fell upon Ming Chuyan's face.
His pupils suddenly widened. "You... you are from Xiaguo..."
The old man spoke in the Xiaguo language.
Ming Chuyan looked deeply at the old man, his lips pursed.
The color of his eyes behind his lenses was somewhat complex.
He did not answer the old man's question but turned to the bodyguards behind him. "The item is fine. We can leave now."
After saying that.
He raised his hand and adjusted his glasses.
His gaze casually swept over the old man.
His thin lips moved.
He silently uttered two words.
Then, he turned and left.
The bodyguards noticed nothing unusual.
Holding their guns, they scanned the surroundings to ensure there were no problems, and then they left the storeroom with Ming Chuyan.
The door of the storeroom slowly closed.
The curses from inside abruptly ceased.
Ming Chuyan then moved on to the next storeroom.
Soon, he entered the elevator again.
Heading to the underground auction.
Ming Zheng tapped her wristband twice and exchanged a look with Mo Qingchuan.
They saw their suspicions reflected in each other's eyes.
Just now, on the surveillance feed, she had clearly seen Ming Chuyan say two words silently to the director:
"Wait for me."
Ming Chuyan was also confirming the storerooms where these researchers were held.
He was not just the adopted son of a Xiaguo tycoon, nor was he merely involved in the underworld.
His target was likely... those seven researchers.
Didn't that coincide with their mission?
Ming Zheng frowned slightly.
She had no desire to interact with Ming Chuyan.
Mo Qingchuan nudged her gently with his elbow.
Ming Zheng turned her head.
Seeing Mo Qingchuan make a "move" gesture.
Ming Zheng withdrew her thoughts and nodded.
The surveillance of the storeroom holding the researchers had already been hacked by Ming Zheng.
Ming Zheng easily adjusted the surveillance footage to half an hour prior.
Then, she and Mo Qingchuan arrived at the door of that storeroom.
Mo Qingchuan looked up at the technologically advanced door. A slight accidental touch could potentially result in a lethal 100,000-volt electric shock.
It could also trigger the system alarm.
"How do we get in?"
The surveillance hack was successful, but cracking the door's password might take some time.
During this time.
Ming Chuyan would likely return to the ninth floor.
And the researchers might be taken to the underground auction hall.
Ming Zheng's dark eyes narrowed slightly.
"I have a way."
She raised her hand and pointed her wristband at the door.
A red light flashed.
A beam of light scanned her wristband.
The storeroom door opened with a "click."
The two of them slipped inside.
The door closed again.
The surveillance inside the storeroom had been modified by Ming Zheng.
This door also had a very strong soundproofing effect.
After the two entered, they no longer had to be cautious.
Mo Qingchuan looked at Ming Zheng, who had her eyes downcast, tapping something on her wristband. He asked softly, "When did you copy Ming Chuyan's data?"
Ming Zheng's long, thick eyelashes trembled slightly.
"Before Ming Chuyan arrived, I had deduced a general range based on the style of each storeroom on the ninth floor, so I first hacked into the systems within that range."
And also...
Thanks to her past self.
Her excessive obsession with family.
When she first arrived at the Ming family.
To gain favor with the Ming family members.
She had investigated each of her brothers.
Her system stored the data of each brother.
Seeing that Ming Chuyan had access to these storerooms.
She directly imported Ming Chuyan's data from her system.
It saved considerable time.
Mo Qingchuan could tell that Ming Zheng was holding something back.
But he didn't press further.
Just as the two were about to bypass the iron bars in front and head straight for the cages holding the researchers.
Behind them, the tightly shut door.
Suddenly opened with a "click."
Ming Zheng and Mo Qingchuan reacted with extreme speed.
Almost at the very instant the air pressure changed.
They leaped up, flashing into the darkness.
The door was opened.
And then quickly closed again.
A tall, slender figure quietly entered.
The person was dressed in a light gray suit and wore gold-rimmed glasses.
It was none other than Ming Chuyan, who had just taken the elevator with the auction items.
This time, he was not accompanied by the team of bodyguards.
Instead, he came to this storeroom alone.
His expression was tense, and his steps were quick.
He immediately passed through the iron bars and went to the center of the cages.
His target was locked.
He strode directly to the director.
The director struggled to move his body and slowly crawled to the side of the cage. "You... you are here to save us?"
"Director, I am the captain of Squad C of the Xiaguo Security Department."
Ming Chuyan replied in a low voice, "My mission is to escort you away."
The other six researchers nearby quickly struggled to crawl to the edge of their cages.
Their eyes reddened. "Has the country sent someone to save us? I knew it... Commander would not forget us..."
Excitement for having survived was etched on their faces.
This excitement.
Was not just because someone had come to save them.
But rather...
They had not been forgotten.
They had not been abandoned.