Hidden Assassin 212

“Yujinxiang has appeared…”

The words echoed in Tank’s earpiece as he navigated through the dark school buildings. The sudden events of the past few minutes had thrown the communication system into silence. Scattered mercenaries began converging towards the gymnasium, while the third squad finally recognized the gravity of the situation. They reluctantly disengaged from the school police and focused on intercepting the two girls who were potential hostages.

“Target sighted at the west side flower bed, heading towards building 39…”

“Exchange of fire, flanking from both sides…”

“Yuechi Xun slightly injured…Everyone, capture her alive…at all costs.”

Capture alive, otherwise the so-called hostages would be meaningless. Though seasoned veterans who firmly believed in the power of collective strength and cooperation, these mercenaries knew that the world held individuals capable of defying all odds in battles against hundreds, just like in a movie. Yuan Lai Chao Chuang, for instance, could single-handedly suppress dozens with his incredible gun skills. Cui Guohua, despite lacking in personal combat strength, had survived numerous close calls, always teetering on the brink of death. His unwavering will and sheer luck earned him the title of “Yan Huang Jue Xing’s top agent.”

Yujinxiang, undoubtedly, was another individual capable of such feats.

The sounds of gunfire and chatter, though intense, were coming from only four or five pursuers, their barrage of fire forcing the fleeing girls into a corner. They were boxed in by the flanking mercenaries. Despite Jia Ming’s rigorous training, Yuechi Xun couldn’t match these veterans in terms of combat experience. Caught in the open, she and Sha Sha desperately sprinted towards a student dormitory building, only to be met by Tank, who emerged from the darkness on the other side.

“Halt!”

Dim lights flickered in the distance, and suddenly, a semi-circular cordon formed. Five or six gun barrels were aimed at them, coming from the hallway, the eaves, and the flower bed of the nearby building.

“Raise your hands or you’ll die…”

“Drop your weapon, drop your weapon…”

“Put down your weapons…”

Crude Chinese, a jumble of Thai, and English commands were hurled at them simultaneously. Sha Sha’s body trembled, her ponytail disheveled, her face smudged with dirt. Sweat traced streaks of grime down her cheeks, revealing her underlying defiance. Her eyes darted around, taking in the surrounding figures, but before she could speak, Xun pulled her back, shielding her.

The command to drop their weapons was only applicable to Xun, who held a pistol. The recent events had left her in a state no better than Sha Sha’s. The grime and scratches marred her porcelain doll-like face, and blood seeped through the tears in her clothes. Her breath quickened with anxiety, but her long-lashed eyes remained clear and cold, unwavering as she stood in front of Sha Sha. Her chin lifted slightly before she extended her right hand, dropping the pistol containing only one bullet.

Tank and his men instinctively took a step forward, but halted in mid-stride.

“Come here…”

Her voice was cold, her Japanese accented Mandarin rough. She held a grenade in her hand, her fingers already gripping the pin. One slight movement and the grenade would obliterate them both.

If the objective was to eliminate the enemy, the obvious solution would be to open fire and escape. But their aim was to capture the hostages, and that would be a complex undertaking. It would, at the very least, consume a lot of time. A tense stalemate ensued. Tank, his face contorted with a vicious grin, was about to speak when a voice crackled through the earpiece:

“Hans calling…Yujinxiang…she…bang!”

The voice abruptly cut out after the gunshot. Tank knew something was wrong. Hans was stationed at the auditorium, their designated control point for this operation. He whipped his head around and whispered, “Naka, what’s going on?”

“Just as you see…Yujinxiang bypassed the gymnasium security and she’s here…”

The auditorium was four or five hundred meters away from the gymnasium. Everyone was focused on that direction, so no one anticipated her stealthy approach. Before Tank could utter a word, the earpiece crackled again with gunfire and chaotic communication:

“She’s on the second floor balcony…flanking west…”

“We got her, we’ve got her cornered…”

“She climbed the outer wall to the third floor, too fast…is she a monkey? Lone Wolf, use firepower to hold her down, we’re coming…”

“Lone Wolf, Lone Wolf…Lone Wolf!”

There was no response from Lone Wolf. Amidst the frantic voices, a new message came through:

“Lone Wolf’s been hit, blocking the stairs, she’s aiming for the fourth floor…”

“We’ve stopped her, room 302…watch out for bombs…”

“She blasted through the wall, can’t confirm her location—bang bang bang bang bang bang bang…”

“Cough, cough…she’s in the 309 corridor, jumped out the window…second floor…no, she’s back up here…ah…”

The broadcasting room on the fourth floor of the auditorium was where Naka’s control center was located. It housed the signal jamming device, surveillance systems, and all other equipment for this operation. Tank gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, “Naka, don’t waste time, we’ve captured Yuechi Xun and Liu…”

Moments later, Naka’s calm voice came through, “Don’t worry, I’ll buy you time. Zhu Shen Wu Nian is on his way…”

The background was filled with random gunfire, loud and soft. It was clear that their primary target, from the moment she appeared, was heading straight for the control center, and judging by the panicked voices, no one could truly stop her. Tank abruptly turned back, fired a shot, the bullet grazing the hairline of the nearby woods. “Drop it or you’ll die!”

But it had no effect. Xun didn’t even blink. Her gaze remained fixed on him, a cold stare. In the next instant, her hand twitched, causing the mercenaries to instinctively take a step back. Tank raised his hand and fired again.

Blood spattered from Xun’s left arm, and her body swayed slightly as the grenade pin slipped from her grasp. For a fleeting moment, her face showed disbelief, her right hand lifting involuntarily as she tossed the grenade in their direction.

Tank, his powerful frame resembling a cheetah, lunged forward.

Everyone valued their lives. Holding a last grenade to threaten others was something everyone would do, but pulling the pin naturally meant throwing it. This was their chance to capture the hostage.

The moment she was shot, she seemed to have misjudged the force. The grenade soared over their heads, smashing through the glass of the apartment behind them. Tank had already sprinted four or five meters. Based on his experience, the blast wouldn’t reach them. Just as he reached within four meters of the two girls, a light erupted from behind. The grenade detonated.

An incredible blast wave swept over them. The light behind was blindingly bright. He instinctively turned his head, the light transforming into raging waves in his eyes. The entire student dormitory, along with the surrounding area for several meters, was engulfed in flames and rubble. Blackened corpses were scattered amidst the wreckage—it took him a while to process what he was seeing.

He’d been played…

It was obvious the two girls had strategically placed explosives within the dormitory. They escaped, their pursuers followed, and they were deliberately lured into a position near the building. If they hadn’t been so eager to capture the hostages, they wouldn’t have fallen for this trap…

A rustling sound drew his attention. On the other side of his blurry vision, the two girls struggled to their feet, supporting each other as they walked away. He tried to get up, but a wave of nausea washed over him. Every movement sent a sharp pain through his chest. He tried to reach for his pistol, but it had been blown away. He had another one strapped to his back, but his body was pinned down, making it impossible to reach. As time passed, the two girls vanished from his sight.

The moment Yuechi Xun threw the grenade, Tank’s instinct was to seize them. He reacted fast and charged far, which is why his injuries weren’t severe, at least compared to those who were killed. Static crackled in his earpiece. He didn’t know what had happened at the auditorium during this brief period. After a while, he managed to sit up and tapped the earpiece. The voice that came through startled him.

It was a cool, gender-neutral voice: “It’s thundering…”

…

…

“It’s thundering…”

The voice rang out as Zhu Shen Wu Nian stopped abruptly, just a few meters away from the side of the auditorium. He looked up. A “buzzing” sound came from above as three remote-controlled toy helicopters flew through the shattered window.

“You all…go home and collect your clothes…”

The next instant, a massive explosion shook the entire building. Fire erupted from the windows on the upper floors, a breathtaking spectacle viewed from afar.

“Go to hell…”

Tank spat blood, ripped off his earpiece, and smashed it on the ground. Fear seized him. He drew his pistol and chased after Xun and Sha Sha.

At the same time, chaos engulfed the auditorium. The students who had been captured and held hostage were now fleeing in all directions. Dongfang Lu was among them, searching for Dongfang Wan…

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