01:30 PM, weather/fog.

New Manhattan Junction Harbor-Smog Pier.

This is a forgotten corner of the world, hidden, remote, and full of corruption and danger.

The entire dock was shrouded in a thick layer of haze, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of greasy oil and damp rust. Even breathing could make one's throat feel burning.

The skylight was weak and could hardly penetrate the thick fog. Only sporadic neon lights flickered in the dark corners. The dim yellow lights reflected on the oil-stained water, swaying to create strange light and shadow.

This is the deepest part of New Manhattan Junction Port. Only those who are bold or have no choice but to dare to move in such an environment.

The Haze Terminal is not only a transit point for illegal freight, but also a center for black market transactions, secret society gatherings and countless underground activities.

Abandoned cranes towered above the port, like sleeping giants, and the iron chains swinging in the wind made intermittent "ding-dong" sounds, like some kind of silent warning, foreshadowing the impending turmoil in this land.

Huge cargo ships are moored on the shore, stained with rust, and the iron shell of the ship has been eroded by time and looks like it will collapse at any time.

In the deepest part of the pier, the third warehouse area is like a maze, hidden in the haze and the shadow of abandoned buildings.

This is a paradise for smugglers and outsider traders, as well as a hotbed of criminal gangs and underground organizations.

In the warehouse area, huge containers are stacked like mountains and tower into the clouds, blocking any view from the outside world.

The surface of the containers is covered with dark oil stains and graffiti, and the once bright colors have long faded. Narrow and complicated passages have formed between the containers. The maze-like layout makes it difficult to find the exit once you step in.

The air is mixed with heavy industrial waste gas, and the pungent smell makes people sick, while the mixed smell of rust and haze is even stronger and suffocating.

Occasionally, there is a faint sound of wind passing through the abandoned containers, with the sound of metal scraping, and the iron chains make a strange "ding-ding" sound as the wind blows, like a spiritual song from the underworld.

Lydia Kurd was tightly bound by metal chains and hung in the center of the warehouse, her arms tied tightly and her legs hanging limply.

Her long dark brown hair was spread messily around her shoulders, and a few strands of hair on her forehead stuck to her cheeks that were slightly white from cold sweat.

Her clothes were stained by dust and oil, and her dark gray overalls looked shabby and lifeless under the dim warehouse lights.

Hiss~~

Pain~

It hurts so much~

Lydia's eyes opened slightly, her light green pupils filled with anger and confusion.

Her body felt weak from hanging for a long time, the pain in her wrists and ankles had become numb, and the cold metal chains were deeply embedded in her skin.

The surroundings were filled with members of Liberation Hooves of various shapes. Their eyes were cold and alert, like a group of predators waiting for their prey to make its final cry.

"How could it...become like this?" Lydia asked herself in her heart.

"Why am I here... Where is Lilia..."

Her consciousness began to blur, but fragments of memories came to her mind, taking her back to a few days ago, and everything seemed so clear.

a few days ago.

It was also a foggy day, and Lydia stood by the window of the luxurious school arranged for her by her father, Adelaide Kurd, looking out at the lush forest.

School life was unchanging, and the rules and etiquette made her feel bored and suffocated.

Her father obviously did not intend for her to know the truth of anything. He only wanted to keep her away from those infected, the civil rights movement, and the social issues she was always concerned about.

She understands her father's intention - Adelaide has always wanted her to embark on the so-called "right path", become his political assistant and inherit his career.

But Lydia simply couldn't accept it.

Her friends in the infected community need her, but she cannot bear to do nothing and stay away from the group that is constantly being oppressed and exploited.

On her desk lay a letter.

It was a secret message she received from an old friend.

In the letter, the friend wrote briefly: "I am in trouble, Lydia. You are my only hope."

This letter made Lydia feel a surge of uneasiness and responsibility.

This friend was once a staunch supporter of the equal rights movement for HIV-infected people and stood in the same camp as her, although they gradually lost contact.

She can't ignore it!!!

They have participated in countless protests together, have been at the forefront of the movement for the rights of people living with HIV, and have faced arrests and violent suppression by the police.

She was not afraid and never backed down.

So, regardless of the bodyguards and surveillance arranged by her father, she decided to sneak out of school to find her friends.

She chose to act at night and left the school building behind the bodyguards arranged by her father.

The scene returns to the present.

Lydia's eyes opened again, and the light in front of her eyes gradually became clear.

She remembered how she was brought here.

She was... lured... to a secluded place by her friends, thinking she could find the answer to the problem, but in an instant she was ambushed by Mikhail and the hooves of liberation.

The friend has already been bribed by Jiefang Hogsheng, no, or the other party was the one who liberated Hoofsheng from the beginning.

The purpose of the other party's contact with him in the first place was just for this moment.

"Lydia Kurd." A deep voice echoed in the depressing warehouse, instantly interrupting her thoughts.

Lydia raised her head with difficulty, and her sight passed through the dim light and fell on a tall and thin man - Mikhail Garcia, the leader of the Liberation Hooves.

His face looked particularly gloomy in the dim light, his eyes sharp and cold, with undisguised hatred.

A sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of Mikhail's mouth, and his cold eyes locked tightly on her.

His fingers were playing with a short knife flexibly, and the blade reflected a cold light in the dim light, like the sickle of death swinging in front of her eyes.

"What a travesty, isn't it?"

Mikhail said slowly, with a sinister sarcasm in his tone.

"You are so sympathetic to the infected and stand on their side, but your father is the one who made them suffer."

His voice was like a slender blade, accurately piercing the soft spot deep in Lydia's heart.

Her throat was dry and her heart was beating rapidly, but she forced herself to speak, her voice hoarse and hoarse:

"My father and I are... different."

Mikhail chuckled lightly, the laughter coming from deep in his throat, full of disdain and ridicule.

He took a step closer, and the sound of his footsteps echoed in the empty warehouse, dull and depressing.

"Do you think you are different from your father? Do you think you can change anything?"

Mikhail's eyes swept across Lydia coldly, as if looking at a useless item.

"The funny thing is, without your father, you are nothing."

Lydia gritted her teeth, the anger and powerlessness in her heart intertwined at this moment.

She has never agreed with what her father has done, and has even openly opposed him in the media and criticized his policies. However, now, she is being used as a bargaining chip for her father and a tool used by Mikhail for revenge.

"What do you want...?" Lydia suppressed the fear in her heart, her voice trembling.

Mikhail's eyes instantly became cunning and cold, with a gloomy smile hanging on the corner of his mouth:

"You'll find out, soon."

After saying these words, the leader of Liberation Hooves had lost interest in communicating with Lidya. He looked at the huge iron door of the warehouse in front of him, predicting in his heart that he would leave the stupid pig to the Kurds.

How much time is left in the limit.

A few minutes later.

Zhizhizhi——

The iron door of the warehouse opened slowly, and the harsh sound of metal friction echoed in the empty warehouse.

A group of soldiers wearing black special combat uniforms stepped into the warehouse. Their steps were uniform, their black combat uniforms clinging to their bodies, and their gazes under their helmets were as sharp as eagles.

The surface of the special combat uniforms reflects a faint light, with badges printed on the chests, bulletproof vests and firearms neatly arming their bodies, solemn and cold, like a cold-blooded machine built for battle.

They approached step by step, and among the crowd, a thin figure slowly walked out.

When Lydia saw that figure, her breathing suddenly stopped.

"Father?" Her voice trembled, and she could hardly believe her eyes.

The man standing in front of her was her father, Adelaide Kurd, but he looked so unfamiliar.

The man who used to be fat, red-faced, and high-spirited has now become so miserable.

His face was pale, his eyes were sunken, and his eyes showed extreme exhaustion.

The originally neat collar was now messy, and the coat on his body was full of wrinkles, and it seemed that he could no longer support his once arrogant image.

Mikhail looked at Adelaide Kurd in front of him. The man who was once as fat as a pig and arrogant was now as miserable as a dying corpse.

"Hahaha--"

Seeing Kurd's appearance, Mikhail suddenly laughed loudly. The laughter was full of pleasure and sarcasm, echoing in the dark warehouse, like the mockery of death.
To be continued...