104: Even if the sky were to fall, he'd still be editing videos?

Three days. A full three days.

The dilapidated hotel in the town of Manaus was now nothing but a charred skeleton, like the carcass of an animal with its innards burned out. Faulty wiring? Bullshit! While international investigation teams and agents posing as "tourists" loitered around the outskirts of the town, the hotel suddenly caught fire—even a fool would know it wasn't that simple.

The two fishermen who had ferried Lin Feng and Wang Dalong vanished overnight. Their families disappeared with them. The Brazilian military announced it as "highest-level witness protection," but in reality, they were hidden away in some corner where no one could find them.

The waters near Eagle Head Rock were sealed off by a cordon stretching dozens of kilometers. Countless ships under the guise of scientific research were like sharks smelling blood, clogging the area. The propellers churned the Amazon River, and with it, everyone's nerves.

The entire Amazon had turned into a massive powder keg, with undercurrents surging, ready to explode at any moment.

Meanwhile, the two "culprits" who had triggered it all seemed to have vanished into thin air, hiding in a rented room in an urban village. Relying on takeout, they lived three days in isolation from the world.

Wang Dalong was going crazy.

He didn't dare turn on his phone, connect the internet cable, or watch TV. His only activity was pacing back and forth in the living room, muttering incessantly. Sometimes he cursed, sometimes he talked to himself, and sometimes he suddenly shouted at Lin Feng. The fat on his face had diminished, and the bags under his eyes were as heavy as two lead weights. He felt the hair all over his body standing on end; even the sound of a delivery driver's footsteps could make him tense up instantly.

Lin Feng, on the other hand, was fine.

He poured all his energy into a new task. He was editing a "short film."

The content this time was even more explosive, even more—outrageous.

He wanted to lay bare everything he had seen in the "Historical Echo" regarding the life and death of the Zhuojin Star civilization and that magnificent interstellar epic. From the birth of the Zhuojin Star civilization to how they ventured into the sea of stars, how they struggled in desperation, and finally, how they met their demise.

Of course, on the surface, it would still be under the guise of "artistic creation" and "personal speculation."

He was immersed in the joys and sorrows of another civilization, his fingers flying across the keyboard and his mouse moving precisely along the timeline. The stormy seas outside seemed to have nothing to do with him.

This made Wang Dalong even more frantic.

"Brother Feng! My dear brother! What time do you think it is? How do you still have the heart to edit videos?" Wang Dalong finally couldn't take it anymore. He stopped abruptly behind Lin Feng, his voice a raspy whisper on the verge of collapse. "We're the world's most wanted men right now! The sky is falling outside! Can you give me some kind of reaction? Say something, for God's sake!"

Lin Feng didn't even look up. His fingers slid across the trackpad, and a scene with a strange glow flashed on the screen.

"Panicking won't help." His voice was calm, as if discussing the weather. "We are in the open, while those looking for us are in the shadows. Right now, the safest thing is to do nothing and wait quietly."

"Do nothing? Wait to die?" Wang Dalong felt like he was suffocating. He grabbed his hair, tugging at it back and forth.

"Wait for Jiang Wanqing." Lin Feng finally stopped his work and slowly turned around. His eyes looked at Wang Dalong, as deep as an endless black hole. They were calm, yet contained something Wang Dalong couldn't understand. "The authorities will find us before those people do."

Wang Dalong froze. A moment ago, he was like a cat splashed with hot oil, but now he was like he'd been struck by a paralysis spell.

He finally realized it.

That's right! They had sent the most critical, encrypted data containing the original footage of Osiris back home.

Wasn't this a certificate of loyalty? A heavy certificate of loyalty!

In the eyes of the authorities, what were they now? "Victims"? "Key witnesses"? Or more accurately—"highly valuable partners." They held something in their hands that could change the world.

No matter how you looked at it, the authorities had to protect them at all costs.

The massive boulder that had been hanging in Wang Dalong's heart for three days finally sank halfway. He felt the tightness in his chest ease; he could finally breathe.

Just then.

"Knock, knock-knock."

A series of knocks, not loud, but very rhythmic. The sound was so steady it made one's heart skip a beat.

Wang Dalong and Lin Feng's bodies instantly stiffened, and a chill permeated the air.

Wang Dalong lunged behind the door and peered through the peephole.

Outside the door stood a woman. A black trench coat accentuated her slender figure. Her face was beautiful, but devoid of expression, like a sculpture. She didn't look at the peephole; she just stood there quietly. But even through the door, Wang Dalong could feel an icy pressure—an aura that warned others to stay away, freezing the entire hallway.

"Who is it?" Wang Dalong lowered his voice, which trembled slightly.

"Mr. Wang Dalong, Mr. Lin Feng." The woman outside spoke. Her voice matched her temperament—like two blocks of ice clashing together, cold, hard, and crisp. "My name is Xuan Niao. I have been commissioned by Dr. Jiang Wanqing and higher levels to pick you both up."

She paused, then added.

"We mean no harm. But if you don't open the door, in five seconds, my colleagues will choose a more direct way to enter."

Wang Dalong: "..."

This is what she calls "no harm"? This threat is practically poking my lungs!

He turned his head, frantically questioning Lin Feng with his eyes.

Lin Feng nodded at him. The movement was slight, but it carried an unquestionable certainty.

Wang Dalong took a deep breath, his hands trembling as he slowly pulled open the thin security door.

Outside the door, there wasn't just the woman named Xuan Niao.

Behind her, on both sides of the hallway, four men stood silently. They also wore black trench coats, were tall, and radiated a cold aura. They stood straight like four iron towers. When they looked at people, there was no emotion on their faces, as if they were staring at two prey that couldn't escape.

"You two, pack your things." Xuan Niao's gaze swept across the messy rented room. Her brow furrowed slightly before quickly smoothing out. "Come with us."

"Where to?" Wang Dalong asked in a low voice, sounding a bit nervous.

"A... perfectly safe place." The corners of Xuan Niao's mouth curled into a faint arc, like a smile produced through formulaic training.

She looked at Lin Feng, her eyes carrying a hint of appraisal.

"Of course, before that, we need a detailed report. About El Dorado, about Zhuojin Star, about... everything."

"The people above are very interested in your 'story'." Her last sentence carried an unspeakable depth, as if she wanted to see right through the two of them.