Wumeng said, “Wudong, what's your position?”
【Almost on the bridge.】
Wudong wasn't communicating with the two of them using voice; her messages could only appear as text.
Seeing Wudong's message, Night Heron straightened up as well. “Barricade vehicle in position, traffic cones set up. If the shot on the elevated highway misses, I'll intercept the target vehicle under the pretense of an accident inspection.”
“Heh.” Wumeng let out a scoff, clearly taking issue with her suggestion that he might miss.
Night Heron was speechless, placating him half-heartedly. “Alright, alright, master sniper. It's not that I don't trust you, but every plan needs a Plan B.”
Her plan had two parts. Naturally, it would be best if Plan A succeeded.
—Wumeng would take his shot at the mid-section curve of the elevated highway. The car windows had long been swapped out for non-bulletproof ordinary privacy glass, leaving enough bullet energy after penetration to deal a lethal blow.
—And Plan B was to disguise themselves as highway traffic police at a roadblock to kill the target amid the chaos.
There was no buffer between the two plans; if Plan A failed, Plan B would kick in immediately.
...
But an unexpected accident struck far too suddenly, barging in and shattering her plans.
In the communication channel, voice and text appeared simultaneously, glaring and deafening.
Wudong: 【Something's wrong, the car is turning!】
“Wait, why is the tracked route heading toward the surface roads? Wudong, what went wrong on your end?”
The red dot made a turn away from the elevated highway. Night Heron's eyes widened.
The black sedan headed toward the surface road. Within two seconds, it began to skid as if out of control, yet every time she thought it was about to collide with traffic, it magically veered back onto the road.
Damn it.
She gritted her teeth. Could they have noticed something? But her plan was supposed to be flawless. To prevent exposure, she hadn't even sent many people to infiltrate, fearing they might alert the target.
She ordered, “Wumeng! Take the shot now!”
Wumeng calmly packed up his gear and stood up. Sprinting across the rooftop, he swiftly relocated and expertly set up his sniper rifle to aim once more.
Now that the target was moving away from the elevated highway, it meant his shooting distance had increased by 900 meters, reaching 1,700 meters.
He calmed his breath and pulled the trigger.
“Bang—”
The car window cracked, but the vehicle abruptly switched lanes along a bizarre trajectory.
He missed!
That definitely wouldn't hit the head.
He had intended to finish the job with a single clean kill without causing a massive scene, so he had aimed directly at the target, never expecting...
Wumeng decisively shifted his scope to target the driver upfront. But in the time it took him to adjust after his mistake, the distance between him and the car rapidly opened up, quickly exceeding his effective range by over 300 meters.
“Shit!” Irritated, he ran a hand through his bangs, angrily yanking out a couple of loose strands.
How on earth had the plan been leaked? Could there be a mole among them?
To cover his teammate, he aimed at the tires of the escort vehicles behind that couldn't keep up with the black sedan.
Bullets poured out as if requiring no reload, striking their targets with precision. As for the other vehicles about to drive out of his effective range, he aimed straight for their fuel tanks.
“What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?!” Night Heron cursed loudly as she saw the hacked surveillance feeds blowing up. “You didn't flex your exquisite marksmanship earlier, and now you're throwing a fit? Do you think we haven't caused enough of a scene?!”
The team channel, which had been harmonious and easygoing just moments ago, descended into non-stop shouting within five minutes.
“If I don't deal with them, how is Wudong supposed to make her move?” Wumeng clicked his tongue, saying coldly, “If the mission fails, we can all go back and feed the sharks together!”
He had already said Plan B was useless. If Wudong weren't in the car and he shot the fuel tank, would the person inside even survive?
...
“Why did you change the route?” The bodyguard in the passenger seat was the first to realize something was off.
Sensing danger in the air, the bodyguard didn't waste time wondering if the driver had simply taken a wrong turn. She threw a punch straight out, grabbing for the steering wheel.
Lin Mo ducked to dodge the blow, slamming her foot onto the accelerator while kicking the lunging attacker back with her other leg. The bodyguard slammed into the car door, falling into a momentary state of dazed confusion.
With the two people up front scuffling, the car immediately began swerving in a bizarre s-curve, tossing the person in the back side to side like canned peaches being shaken around.
Sparks flew as the tires ground against the pavement, screeching shrilly.
Stuck in a gap from all the shaking, the chief mentor in the back seat struggled up off the floor, fumbling for his phone while warning the person in the driver's seat, “Stop the car! I'm telling you, stop the car right now!”
“Are you trying to kill me? How much is the person behind you paying? I'll give you double! Triple! If your family is being threatened, I can help you too!” He managed to pull himself up by gripping the seatback, deploying both soft promises and tough threats.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he immediately threatened, “It's illegal! You're breaking the law, do you know that?! As long as you stop the car, someone will shoot you dead right away, and you'll end up with nothing! Your only end will be death!”
The two up front were still locked in a brawl. With one hand wrestling for the steering wheel, the bodyguard reached into the vehicle's hidden compartment with the other.
Suddenly, a sharp screech exploded by their ears. A bullet tore through the air and shattered the window, causing glass to spray inward instantly, showering the interior with countless tiny fragments.
Being well-trained, the bodyguard reflexively ducked at the sound. Seizing the opening, Lin Mo slammed the accelerator, sending the car shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow.
“Ah!!”
A bloodcurdling scream echoed from behind, rattling her eardrums. “Ahhhhh, I've been shot!”
In the rearview mirror, the chief mentor clutched his rear, his body sliding downward as a thick stench of blood filled the car.
Glancing at the back seat, the bodyguard lunged straight toward the driver's seat.
Using the momentum of the lunge, Lin Mo jerked the steering wheel hard. The car crashed through the guardrail, tumbling down the slope below.
The world spun out of control. Her head slammed against something, leaving a persistent ringing in her ears as her vision slowly refocused.
Fortunately, the airbags hadn't deployed, leaving her room to move. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she lost support and tumbled out onto the shattered glass of the window.
Since the slope wasn't steep, the person in the passenger seat was still alive as well, shaking her head and taking a long time without being able to stand up.
Only now did the bodyguard seem to realize the gravity of the situation. Steadying herself against the edge of the dashboard, she reached for the small black box jammed in the hidden compartment.
What was that?
A communication device, or a weaponized explosive?
The latter was highly likely. After all, as an assassin of an organization, anything she carried would naturally be designed to kill.
Regardless of what it was, Lin Mo climbed back into the car and kicked her hand away.
The fact that the other party hadn't noticed anything off about Lin Mo when getting into the car was telling enough.
—She was also someone who had snuck in at the last minute.
She hadn't even realized the driver had been replaced.
Who? Who was she? Covenant of the Scales?
Lin Mo grabbed the wrist resting on the dashboard, pressing her thumb against the inside of the wrist bone and twisting it outward with force.
The space was tight, the air thin and hard to maneuver in, and the entire vehicle risked exploding at any moment.
The assassin harbored the same doubts as her. Throwing her full weight forward into a collision, Lin Mo had no time to retract her arm and was slammed hard backward.
Both their shoulders smashed into the deformed center console. Plastic paneling and shattered glass embedded into Lin Mo's back, warm fluid trickling down near her shoulder blade.
The assassin's arm jerked upward, the tip of her elbow slamming hard against Lin Mo's chin.
Her vision flashed white for an instant. Her mind reeled, her body flushed hot, and the metallic stench of blood filled her nose.
Such... immense strength...
【If you're gonna fight, go fight outside! The car's gonna explode!】 Seeing Lin Mo at a disadvantage brought A9 not a single shred of joy.
Wudong was a named character, too. But no matter who died, A9 couldn't afford the cost of a key character's death. If the two ended up dying together, that would be even worse. Who would handle both their plotlines then? What if that replacement was uncontrollable?
It couldn't handle being tormented by another Lin Mo.
More importantly, part of its vital energy was still bound to Lin Mo!
If she died, it wouldn't fare any better.
A9 anxiously watched the scene below, catching out of the corner of its eye a blood-soaked figure crawling stumble-footed out of the back seat.
Scared out of his wits, the chief mentor didn't even dare look behind him as he limped frantically into the depths of the woods.
【The chief mentor is running away!】
It was over! What if she couldn't kill him either? The plot would completely collapse!
Wudong drew a blade as thin as a cicada's wing from beneath her knee. Taking advantage of the moment the person beneath her froze, she stabbed directly toward Lin Mo's heart.
Lin Mo shifted sideways to dodge, causing the blade to lodge into the space between her ribs and the console.
Wudong tried to yank the knife back out of the gap, but the steering wheel had bent, jamming the angle and trapping the blade inside.
...Who issued this gear?
She shifted to driving her knee inward with force. As the person before her dodged again, she used the momentum to pull the knife free.
Lin Mo grabbed the interior handle of the warped side door and yanked backward. The door popped open, resting against the dirt slope outside.
Sliding sideways out of the door opening, she scrambled up and quickly backed away.
Wudong followed her out, five meters separating the two of them.
When the car rolled down from the road, she had sustained considerable injuries; a dull ache persisted in her left waist, and with every breath she could feel the friction of a broken rib.
She just couldn't understand why the person in front of her looked completely unfazed, as if untouched by pain.
Never in any mission had she been reduced to such a pathetic state—
Upon finally getting a clear look at the unfamiliar face opposite her, deep confusion welled up in Wudong.
Who on earth was this?!
When anomalies first arose in the incident, she had been shocked, thinking that bastard of a chief mentor had already caught wind of their mission. Knowing that betraying the organization meant certain death, he must have let his guard up and laid down layer upon layer of defense.
But since when did he have such a powerful bodyguard? Just how afraid of dying was he to deploy a bodyguard of this caliber for a minor meeting?
Yet hearing the chief mentor in the back seat trying to bribe the driver had completely shattered that theory. This was clearly a third party.
Regardless of who it was, no one was walking out of here alive today.
Peeling off the damaged disguise mask on her face, she said coldly, “I don't know who sent you, but now that you've seen my face, you won't be leaving here alive.”
【Who wants to see your face?!】 A9 felt as if its head were about to explode as it urged her, 【Wudong is a professional assassin! If you can't beat her, run! Maybe her going after the target will buy you some time! Save the revenge for after you survive—the chief mentor's gonna die anyway!】
【Besides, does it really matter to you whose hands the chief mentor dies by?】
It really couldn't understand Lin Mo's mindset—she was a stubborn donkey. It had said from the very beginning that this wouldn't work.
The script hadn't mentioned that Wudong and the chief mentor were in the same vehicle. Then again, he was supposed to be killed by a single sniper shot, so naturally it didn't need to be so detailed.
It screamed in frustration, 【If you wanna die, don't drag me down with you!】
【Do you think Wudong is as easy to kill as the first two people you bumped off? Don't tell me you don't know how to do anything except sneak attacks!】
Okay, it regretted everything now. It had assumed anyone capable of killing the Tourist would have some real skill, but it never expected her to actually go toe-to-toe with a professional assassin!
A9's voice was loud and grating. The irritation and anxiety in Lin Mo's chest surged higher, her heart beating so fast it caused actual pain.
Her opponent's strength was immense... She—she was like a bull. Even though her figure was intentionally disguised so she didn't look as muscular as the food stall owner, she exerted such terrifying force.
Wudong clearly recognized the gap between them as well. Unable to risk any more unexpected variables, she needed to wrap this up quickly.
She lunged forward, initiating a fast right hook, a fierce gust of wind sweeping upward.
“Boom—”
A surge of heat billowed forth, blasting both of them backward as rolling flames swept over and scorched their skin.
The intense pain caused Wudong to lose consciousness for a brief moment.
What happened...?
The car shouldn't have exploded so quickly. Wait...
Before her mind went completely dark, she faintly recalled the small black box she had left inside the car.
She also realized that the bomb had been activated by the other person while they were fighting inside the car.
That was originally intended for her to destroy evidence and erase corpses.
Who on earth issued this gear?!
...
【Don't kill her! I'm begging you, please don't just kill people so casually! She's not a bug! Ancestor, ancestor! Boss, chief, master, even if you don't do it for me, think about yourself! If you kill her, you're offending an entire organization!】
A9 was truly, utterly losing its mind this time. Even with a bit of distance separating them front and back, anyone who could pick themselves up after an explosion that massive...
Were they even human?!
What on earth was her goal in coming to Earth?!
Seeing Lin Mo pull out that familiar soft rope from her waist, intending to slip it over Wudong's neck, A9 felt like its soul was about to depart for the afterlife.
When on earth had she tampered with the bomb? Did she just love touching other people's stuff that much?!
To prevent a key plot character from kicking the bucket the next second, inspiration suddenly struck A9.
【Wait! That chief mentor is crawling away! If you don't stop him now, he's gonna find someone to rescue him!】
Lin Mo's movement froze as expected. A9 rejoiced—it worked!
【I see the direction he fled in! I'll guide you! If you miss this chance, you'll never get another opportunity to catch him!】
...
Perhaps the adrenaline had finally kicked in—the chief mentor could no longer feel the pain from the gunshot wound in his buttock. But the woods seemed endless.
He didn't know how long he had been running, but there was nothing in front of him except trees upon trees. Right in his desperation, he tripped over a vine, crashing headlong onto the ground.
Just then, a gust of wind blew past, and the chief mentor faintly caught sight of tall buildings not far beyond the canopy.
Joy eclipsed the delayed pain, the delight on his face almost uncontainable. He thought of his happy family, his unlost power, and even the belated agony seemed temporarily suppressed.
I'll survive! I'm definitely going to survive this time! Whether it's the Covenant of the Scales or whoever put a price on my life, as long as I survive this, they'll never get another chance!
Who would have thought? Two groups clashed, yet he was the one coming out on top!
Almost there! Just a little further!
Once I get back, no matter who it is... I'll...
He snapped his head up, but right behind his hope and expectation stood a pair of trouser legs covered in mud and bloodstains...
The tattered cuffs fluttered in the wind, carrying the earthy stench of soil and the pungent odor of an explosion.
He felt as if he had fallen into a nightmare. Only in nightmares could such a terrifying scene appear.
The chief mentor slowly raised his head to meet a slightly pale face. His parched lips quivered, his eyes and face filled with pure confusion.
Who are you?
Did I offend you?
Having harmed too many people, his memory could no longer match this face with any of his past deeds.
“I... I don't know you... I never offended you... Who sent you?!” He shook his head, rapidly backing away.
Lin Mo wiped away her nosebleed and tightened her grip on the handier knife she had swiped.
The chief mentor was utterly bewildered, his words stammering as he tried to grasp at any chance of survival.
“What do... you want?”
Lin Mo stared at that ordinary face—the face she had always wanted to see, which turned out to be no different from any ordinary person's.
Staring at the face that could easily alter the fates of others, a face she loathed and detested to the extreme.
Her pupils drifted upward as if considering what it was she truly wanted. Finally, she lowered her eyes.
“Perhaps before you die, you should offer me an apology.”
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