Chapter Three: Kill! Dead Eyes! (Part Two)

"Still angry about that scumbag?" Jiang Ting took Ye Ling's hand, sensing her mood was far from well. She smiled, trying to comfort her. "Come on, it's your birthday today. Don't think about all that. Let's go out and have a nice meal together."

Ye Ling glanced at Jiang Ting, managing a faint smile. "Thank you, Jiang Ting." She didn't say much more, but her eyes betrayed her troubled spirit.

In truth, aside from Jiang Ting, Ye Ling had no other friends. On her birthday, only Jiang Ting was at her side. As the eldest daughter of the Destiny Consortium, she was fated to be denied many things, and Jiang Ting was the only friend who cared nothing for her status.

"Why thank me? What are we, strangers?" Jiang Ting laughed as she hugged Ye Ling's arm. "Come on, come on, I know a newly opened place. It's a bit out in the development zone, kind of remote, but I hear it's fantastic."

"Let's not go. The streets are unsafe lately," Ye Ling recalled the news about the murderer targeting female college students.

"It's fine, really. The news said he only goes after girls who are alone, but there are two of us!" Jiang Ting grinned. Ye Ling's face darkened. "That's hardly reassuring."

"It'll be fine, I promise. I'll call a taxi and we won't be out late. Please, please?" Jiang Ting wheedled, her tone coy. Ye Ling hesitated, then nodded.

...

Xie Liu slid two pistols into the holsters at his waist, standing atop the building with his hands in his pockets and a lollipop between his lips, brow furrowed.

"Arc Furnace, any news?" he murmured. After a moment, a cold, emotionless voice sounded in his mind.

"First, my name is Electrofox, not Arc Furnace," the voice replied. "According to my network intelligence, the target is in your area. In about five minutes, he'll be within your sight."

"Alright," Xie Liu cut off the conversation. Crouching, he opened his guitar case, took out the gun parts inside, and assembled them with practiced ease.

"Ten thousand more after this job, enough for ten thousand game discs. Hahaha. Well, I'll support official releases, so maybe not as many," he muttered, attaching the silencer. He pulled out the scope, scanning the horizon through the sniper lens—an indulgence he always enjoyed.

"Hmm? What's she doing here?" Through the scope, he caught sight of Ye Ling and Jiang Ting walking along the distant street. He was mildly surprised, but quickly looked away. "Doesn't matter. They can't see me like this, or it'll be trouble." With that, he resumed assembling his weapon.

"Done." He put down the rifle, aiming at the riverbank—according to intelligence, the target would appear there in a few minutes.

"One shot, then home to count my money," he mused. Yet inexplicably, his gaze drifted toward Ye Ling, and cold sweat broke out on his brow.

"The female student murderer!" he whispered.

...

"Who are you?" Jiang Ting placed herself in front of Ye Ling, staring at the man before them. The taxi had refused to drive into the development zone, claiming it was hard to turn around, so the two young women had to walk. Accustomed to chauffeured outings, they were blind in unfamiliar territory. Jiang Ting found someone to ask directions but ended up led into a small alley, where they realized something was wrong.

"Who am I?" The man laughed, looking barely twenty. "I'm the murderer you see on TV—the one who targets female college students!"

"Aah!" Jiang Ting and Ye Ling screamed, turning to flee, but the exit was blocked by another man.

"You—you!" Jiang Ting pointed at the first man, terrified. He laughed. "Who said there was only one of us?"

Cornered, Jiang Ting shielded Ye Ling, as the two men advanced. Suddenly, Jiang Ting smashed her purse into the first man's face. "Run!" she shouted, grabbing a paving stone and hurling it, then dragging Ye Ling away as the man dodged.

"Hey, trying to escape?" The man at the exit sneered, then lunged, instantly closing in behind Jiang Ting.

"Fast!" was Jiang Ting's last thought as pain seared her back—then she lost consciousness.

"The human world is delightful, but they're so weak," the man who knocked out Jiang Ting chuckled, dragging her aside.

"Jiang Ting! Jiang Ting!" Ye Ling cried, trying to rush out, but the first man seized her throat. "Relax. We won't kill her until we're done enjoying ourselves."

"Why—why are you doing this?" Ye Ling struggled to speak as her vision blurred, terror filling her and her body trembling.

"Why? Because your inferior species exist for our pleasure..."

...

"Deadeye, the target has appeared. Snipe him quickly—you have thirty seconds. When he passes the bridgehead, that's your best shot," the cold voice sounded in Xie Liu's mind.

Xie Liu was silent, glancing toward Ye Ling. Jiang Ting was unconscious. He stood up, whispering, "I'm abandoning this mission."

"What did you say?" came a shocked reply.

"Saving lives is more important than the mission," Xie Liu replied solemnly, setting down his weapon and stepping to the edge of the rooftop.

"Deadeye! Do you understand the significance of the mission? Don't sacrifice the big picture for the small—"

"Enough," Xie Liu coldly cut off the voice, firing a nearly invisible thread from his wrist toward a distant building. Then he leapt, racing toward the alley where Ye Ling was trapped.

"If I can't save those in front of me, what right do I have to save the world..."

...

Ye Ling felt her consciousness fading. She struggled to break free from the man's grip, but his strength was inhuman.

"No...no...please, I don't want...don't want...to die..." Despair, terror, and the will to live crashed through her fragile nerves.

A crystal tear slid down her cheek, dripping onto the ground.

"Someone...please save me..." Ye Ling closed her eyes, praying in hopelessness.

Just then, a voice rang out from the darkness. "Hey, hey, isn't it a bit much to bully a girl like this?"

"Who?!" The man gripping Ye Ling's throat spun around, but was sent flying by a kick.

"Who am I?" Xie Liu emerged from the shadows, kicking the assailant away. "I'm the one who teaches scum like you a lesson!" With that, he moved, nearly invisible, closing in at lightning speed.

"So fast!" Ye Ling pressed herself against the wall, shaken, watching the black-clad stranger move with a speed no human could possess.

Two loud crashes later, the two attackers lay unconscious.

"Ah, easy, easy..." Xie Liu shook his hands, popped another lollipop into his mouth. "Is it still possible to complete the mission? Missed the prime sniping point, but maybe there's still a chance. For official game discs, it's worth the effort!" He propped his chin, ignoring Ye Ling behind him. "Come on, let's do this!"

"Hey, Xie Liu!" Ye Ling's voice startled him.

"What? Eh? Eh! Eh!!" Xie Liu jumped as if burned, spinning and flailing his hands. "Miss, you've got the wrong person! Totally, absolutely, one hundred percent mistaken—I'm not Xie Liu, absolutely not!"

"You say the name so naturally, and that sleazy voice—I'd recognize it even if you were ashes," Ye Ling, freshly out of danger, seemed instantly composed.

"Heh, heh, hehe..." Xie Liu dropped his hands, twitching awkwardly. Ye Ling's mouth formed an O of surprise.

"Impossible! You look..." Ye Ling stared in disbelief. It was his familiar face, but now...

"So handsome," was her first thought. Then she snapped out of it, leaping up and pointing at Xie Liu. "What's going on, explain yourself!"

"Hehe, well, that's...it's a long story..." Xie Liu grinned foolishly, waving his hands.

Bang—a gunshot interrupted him. The sudden sound stunned Ye Ling and Xie Liu alike.

Blood spread from Xie Liu's chest, staining his sweatshirt. He froze, disbelief in his eyes.

A second blow followed—a gleaming Japanese blade pierced his chest, blood splattering.

"Uh..." Xie Liu trembled, blood spilling from his lips. Before Ye Ling's astonished gaze, he slowly sank to his knees.

"Impossible, you...you..." Xie Liu looked back at the two he'd just beaten, now standing unscathed.

"That's right, we're from the Special Alliance. Forgot to mention, there's actually three of us," the man who had choked Ye Ling sneered.

"Damn, faulty intel?" Xie Liu tried to rise, but his strength failed.

"Don't bother, the bullets and blade are poisoned. You can't fight. We've prepared a long time for this, waiting for you to take the bait. Hmm? Black coat, uses guns—so you're Deadeye from the Misfortune Unit, right, hunter?" The Japanese blade withdrew, blood gushed from Xie Liu's chest. He knelt, coughing blood.

"I don't get you people. Clearly, you're superior beings—why risk everything to protect these inferior humans?" The man with the blade mocked, watching Xie Liu, not in a hurry to kill him.

"Cough, cough," Xie Liu spat blood, then growled, "Don't compare me to you. I'm human, always have been."

"Oh? Yes, you're human, and we've mutated our genes into monsters," the blade wielder sneered. "Looks like I'll have to kill you. Deadeye, you've killed plenty of our comrades—today, you die!" He raised his blade.

"No!" Ye Ling cried as the blade descended. Xie Liu smiled suddenly—a cold, chilling smile.

"Do you know why I'm called Deadeye?" he said softly. "Because wherever I go, death follows."

"What?" The blade wielder hesitated. In that moment, Xie Liu moved.

"Careful!" his comrade warned, gripping his gun.

Bang, bang, bang! Bullets shot toward Xie Liu, but he moved like a phantom, stepping onto the wall and spinning through the air.

"Careful!" the blade wielder shouted, but Xie Liu flashed before him. "You should worry about yourself first!"

He never finished—the airborne Xie Liu spun, kicking him in the face. The man flew backward, smashing into the wall, stones flying. The wall caved in, and Ye Ling saw his broken body slide to the ground—his neck snapped clean.

"Damn!" The gunman, seeing his comrade killed in an instant, focused, firing rapidly. But the black-clad man darted along the walls, dodging every bullet.

"Impossible!" The gunman was stunned. Xie Liu grinned—he'd already threaded the alley with his filaments, allowing him to leap throughout the space.

"Die!" The gunman discarded his pistol, pulling out two short-barreled weapons, firing at the airborne Xie Liu. "Die, die, die!"

Fire spat, but not a single shot hit.

Xie Liu flipped over the wall, dodging the bullets. The gunman gritted his teeth. "Damn, no bullets left!" He threw the guns aside, reaching behind for two more.

But it was too late.

Xie Liu flipped midair, appearing above the gunman. The gunman saw a wicked smile.

Xie Liu's hands held two silver Desert Eagles. He bit through the lollipop, aiming both guns at the man's forehead.

"Game over."

Bang! Blood burst—a headshot.

The headless corpse collapsed, Xie Liu landing lightly, laughing. "Still too green to play with me."

"Is that so? Truly Deadeye, but this time, I win!" A voice sounded from behind. Xie Liu spun—an imposing man held Ye Ling in front of him, a gun pressed to her head.

"Tch, the third man," Xie Liu cursed inwardly, face grim.

"Hahaha, Deadeye, you're strong, but it doesn't matter. Drop your weapons or I'll kill the girl!" The big man shouted; Ye Ling was petrified.

Xie Liu lowered his head in silence, then raised it, smiling coldly. "You still don't understand who your opponent is."

"Huh?" The big man blinked—then darkness swallowed his vision.

"Soul Shielding—blinds everyone in the area. Thank you, Phantom," Xie Liu thought, opening his eyes. "But this trick doesn't affect me—I'm an ocular mutant!"

His blood-red eyes opened in the darkness, murderous intent blazing.

The crimson glow swept the air. Only Xie Liu's calm words remained: "In the name of Deadeye, kill!"

He drew his blade, flipping it lightly—cold steel gleaming.

...

As the darkness lifted, Ye Ling found herself rescued by Xie Liu. The big man seemed frozen, his gun hand gone, blood spurting from the stump. Xie Liu tossed the severed hand aside, staring at the felled giant.

"Crimson eyes, blood-red pupils—truly Deadeye..." The big man managed a few words before collapsing into the dust.

"Sigh, such trouble," Xie Liu rubbed his brow, turning to Ye Ling with a helpless smile. "So, what now?"

And then—nothing. Xie Liu collapsed, unconscious.