From a Nanny to a Pampered Wife & Mother.

Ting Cheng nodded without looking up, focus razor-sharp. "Already done, Mother."

Nearby, Xiang Rui lifted a crate of suppressors and fiber cameras.

He called to a cluster of rookies from the Alpha team, "These stay on your belts. If you get stuck at a dead end, you can snake the fiber cam under, and check all the corners. No blind corners tonight, or Madam will have your ears for souvenirs."

The men chuckled under their breath, but with a nervous energy crackling like static in the rain. This mission was of utmost importance, and they needed to work harmoniously without failure and complete it successfully.

One table over, Lu Zhi Hao checked a line of slim black stun batons, testing each with a crackle of blue spark.

He caught Ruyi watching him from a distance and arched a brow. "You sure you don't want the revolver, darling?"

She gave him a razor-thin smile, sliding a tranquilizer pistol into the hidden holster at her hip.

"Bullets talk too loud. I want my answers still breathing and quiet."

Zhi Hao's smile faded, replaced by a grave nod of respect. He laid his huge palm on the side of her neck for a heartbeat, just a promise, no words needed between them.

Hawk operatives clipped miniature EMP charges to their belts, small enough to fit in the palm, lethal enough to fry a lab's entire control grid in seconds.

Next to them, a medic double-checked syringes of adrenaline and blood coagulants.

One man held up a matte gas mask, raising an eyebrow.

"Madam, what if they gas, the underground…?"

Wan Ruyi's eyes flicked to it, calculating every outcome in a heartbeat. Her reply was soft but left no room for doubt.

"That's a standard issue for all. If you lose your mask, pray your lungs hold out longer than my patience."

She turned away, her mind already a thousand steps ahead, inside the walls they were about to breach.

The hospital was cloaked in silence as it was already past midnight, and at this hour, there was minimal work done around and fewer people in the corridors. At night, the hospital could be busy only if it had some medical emergencies, like accidents.

Other parts of the hospital were officially closed for renovations. And unofficially… something was still moving inside those restricted areas.

The Hawk Team took position across the rooftops, with snipers stationed for cover.

Lu Zi Zhen led to one point, flanked by two of his top men.

Lu Wan Ruyi stayed in the mobile command van outside, hooked into the camera feeds and sonar scans. She was also good when it came to hacking.

"Basement access has been located," came the whisper through comms. "There's a hidden stairwell beneath the east wing, which has been recently used."

"Have you confirmed heat signatures?" she inquired her eyes glued to the screens.

"Two are moving and the third is stationary, could be a patient or..."

"A test subject," she finished grimly her face contorted.

Lu Zhi Hao's voice came from the stairwell, "We are going dark at the moment. Entering sublevel now."

Inside the hidden floor, the hospital had transformed.

Gone were the sterile white walls, this place was lined with reinforced steel, cables, and humming generators.

Bio-chambers lined the hall, some flickering on and off.

One chamber held something that made Lu Zi Zhen freeze for a moment.

"Momma… you need to see this," he whispered, aiming the body-cam toward the chamber.

Wan Ruyi's breath caught in her throat looking at that image.

Inside was another experiment subject, not Lu Ting Zhou or Song Yaya, but someone she had seen before. Someone who had gone missing from their research team years ago.

This person was sedated and tubes were run into his neck. His skin discolored, glowing faintly in the veins.