Chapter Forty-Four: The First Drop of Blood

"Are they from the Special Forces Alliance?" Gong Hou crouched beside Xie Liu, who was turning over the corpse before him. Shaking his head, Xie Liu replied, "No, they seem to be mercenaries." He tore off the dead man's badge from his chest. "They're part of an assassin organization, likely hired by the city. They don't send their own people—it's obvious. The city doesn't want to completely turn against us."

"Even a hunting squad like ours, as worthless as we may be, isn't something they can just discard." Xie Liu pocketed the badge and searched the corpse, finding a necklace embedded with a photo of a woman and child. "His family, I suppose. Even assassins have families." Xie Liu gave a bitter smile, crushed the necklace in his hand, and tossed it onto the corpse.

"Eliminating this guy serves as a warning to these killers. But now, after we've killed him, the ones who come after us won't be so easy to handle. Let's hope the city doesn't send any espers."

Xie Liu stood, slung his sniper rifle over his back. "How's Ye Ling's injury?" He pulled the lollipop from his mouth, his brows furrowed as waves of killing intent swept in from all directions.

"She's badly hurt, but it's nothing serious. The medicine's already working—she'll recover soon. With the city's technology, such wounds are trivial. She'll be lively again tomorrow," Gong Hou replied, giving a thumbs-up.

"Someone's coming." Xie Liu pressed Gong Hou back; both retreated as the silver Desert Eagle appeared in Xie Liu's hand. He leaned against a tree. "We don't have much time. We need to prepare for a quick move." Gong Hou nodded and followed Xie Liu, hiding behind the leaves.

"How long do you think it'll take to deal with these guys here?" Xie Liu popped the lollipop back in his mouth. "They're probably still hired assassins. Honestly, how little do those city folks think of us? Do they really believe ordinary killers can finish us off?"

"Six in total—you take three, I take three." Xie Liu's eyes flashed red as he saw six red humanoid figures moving through the darkness. When he shifted his gaze again, his pupils had turned black.

"Your ability is handy—built-in infrared," Gong Hou joked, and then the two vanished into the night.

Screams echoed in the darkness, the scent of blood spreading. Xie Liu appeared atop a tree trunk, his red eyes sweeping the scene. Four were already dead; the remaining two realized the danger and tried to retreat. Xie Liu flipped his hand, and a dagger appeared, slicing through the air to pierce one man's head.

In the darkness, the red humanoid figure collapsed. Xie Liu fixed his gaze on the other, raising his hand.

"Let it go. He poses no threat now," Gong Hou appeared beside Xie Liu, stopping his slaughter. "They're just hired killers—minor characters."

Xie Liu sneered, "I don't like leaving loose ends." With that, he flipped the dagger and threw it; the last man dropped lifelessly into the darkness.

"Let's go." Xie Liu ignored Gong Hou's slight anger and jumped down from the tree.

...

Angel woke up and was startled by her surroundings. She lay in a room filled with weapons, with Xie Liu, Gong Hou, and the others scattered around, polishing their arms.

"You're awake," Ye Ling's voice came from nearby. Angel saw Ye Ling lying beside her, her shoulder wrapped in bandages, her face pale.

"Sister? What's wrong?" Angel asked anxiously. Ye Ling shook her head. "I'm all right, but Angel, it's very dangerous now. You must listen to me."

Angel nodded and suddenly asked, "What day is it today?"

The question was abrupt, and Ye Ling was momentarily stunned, guessing Angel meant how many days since they met. "When dawn comes, it'll be the third day."

Angel looked down at her small hands. "Three days left." She looked up at Ye Ling. "Sister, I want to watch the sunrise."

"The sunrise?" Ye Ling was taken aback, then said, "Angel, listen to me—it's really dangerous right now. We should stay here."

But the usually obedient Angel slowly shook her head. "I want to go, I really want to." Her tone was pleading. Ye Ling frowned and looked at Lin Yang, who looked at Xie Liu. Xie Liu shook his head. "If you ask me, we shouldn't go out before dawn." Just as he spoke, Angel's gaze turned to him, her pleading and sorrowful eyes clearly conveying her feelings.

"If you insist..." Xie Liu sighed helplessly. "Forget the sunrise. Even if you want to break into the Special Forces Alliance headquarters, we can give it a try." He managed an awkward laugh. "By the way, where is the headquarters anyway?"

"Shh..." A hush ran through the group, followed by laughter. "All right, let's go."

...

"Don't you think Angel seems to have grown up?" Ye Ling glanced at Angel on her back. Despite wanting to see the sunrise, she had fallen asleep. "Still, she's just a child."

"Who wasn't once a child? But those days are only memories for us now," Lin Yang brushed Angel's long hair. In her sleep, Angel seemed to feel it, frowning, pain flickering between her brows.

"Maybe Xie Liu is right—her origins are unusual," Lin Yang said with a bitter smile, seeing sorrow on Angel's face. "But I still believe she's just a child, a child burdened with pain. Even in her dreams, she shows such expressions."

"Then we'll protect her future," Gong Hou said solemnly, fist clenched. Ye Ling looked at him disdainfully. "You can be serious?"

"You don't understand. Lolis are justice!" Gong Hou declared righteously. Ye Ling made a disgusted face. "Ugh, gross."

As the group argued noisily, Xie Liu stood on a rock ahead. The first rays of dawn stretched his shadow long; clad in a black trench coat, he stood at the edge of the morning light, gazing into the distance. "Ahead is the lookout," Xie Liu pointed. The group climbed over the rock, finding an open space. From there, they could see the whole city, the distant mountains undulating. The first light shone where mountains touched sky.

The mountain breeze awakened everyone, a refreshing feeling rising from within. Ye Ling gently roused Angel on her back. "Angel, we've arrived."

Angel woke up groggily, rubbed her eyes, and looked up from Ye Ling's back. On the distant mountains, golden light surged like waves, crossing thousands of rivers and mountains, racing toward them. The misty scene was dreamy, epic. As every tree and flower was bathed in gold, the world fell silent.

"Ah—" Angel exclaimed, eyes wide with wonder. Some say eternity exists in a single moment; if there is such a moment, it is eternity. For Angel, this was a simple sunrise, nothing more. She ran down from Gong Hou's shoulders, like a cheerful squirrel, racing toward the morning light, racing toward...

"Danger!" Xie Liu spun around, a surge of killing intent chilling him to the bone. From the jungle behind, a seven-colored light blazed.

"Angel!" Xie Liu shouted. Angel, still running forward, paused and turned, startled.

A rainbow-hued beam pierced her chest!

...

"Strange uncle..." That was the first time Angel called him by that name, echoing in his mind.

To the little girl's eyes, he was surely a frightening man. Xie Liu couldn't help but recall every smile and gesture of Angel. Yes, she didn't like him. Yes, he always made excuses, putting her on the opposing side. Yet...

Was this pride worth it? A child's world is pure; why must he force his own jealousy and resentment upon her? Wouldn't it be better to let her like whatever she wanted?

Does he regret it? Yes, he does. If only he'd treated her better earlier, perhaps he could have earned her smile. Xie Liu stopped before Angel. The little girl lay on the ground, a finger-sized hole through her heart. Her eyes still held a smile, perhaps from the joy of witnessing the sunrise.

She lay there, quietly, just like that.

"Angel... Angel..." Countless cries rang out as the others rushed over, pushing aside the stunned Xie Liu. They gathered the small body in their arms, wailing in agony, as if their cries might bring her back.

Time seemed to stand still. In that moment, Xie Liu thought too much. His suffering teammates remained before him, but he couldn't shed a tear.

"So I can't save anyone, just like that day." Xie Liu bit his lip, the scene before him bringing back memories he wished to forget. His lips nearly bled.

...

"Atomic Collapse, is it?" Xie Liu turned to the woods where the rainbow beam had emerged, his face as cold as ice. "Whoever you are, I'll see you dead."

...

Harald had never taken a job like this—assassinating an eleven- or twelve-year-old girl. But as a secret city-trained military killer, such a target was child's play. The girl was surrounded by several espers, though. According to his superiors, they were city traitors, but killing them wasn't part of the contract. No need to risk it. He only needed to kill the girl.

Why kill a little girl? It wasn't his concern. The pay was good. The city's reward points for this assassination were generous—such an easy target, such a high reward, seemed almost...

Harald was startled. Somehow, a man in black had appeared before him. The black trench coat gleamed in the rising sun. "Who are you?" Instinct warned him—the man was trouble.

The man said nothing, his gaze sharp as a drawn blade, blood-red light flickering in his eyes. As an assassin, Harald knew this man wanted to kill him and would do so without hesitation.

Harald couldn't understand how he'd been found; his hiding place was perfect. He had no idea what this man's power was. The fight hadn't begun and he was already at a disadvantage.

"Is there any reason we have to fight?" Harald didn't want a pointless battle. He sensed the man was like himself—a rational, calculating killer. If everything was weighed, perhaps they could avoid violence.

"No..." The man in black's mouth curled into a faint smile. He stepped forward, and Harald sneered inwardly, discreetly flexing his fingers...

"Huh..." Harald clutched his throat as blood poured out. He made strangled sounds, staggering backward. The man advanced, smiling gently, flicking a nearly invisible steel wire back into his hand.

"That's out of the question," the man in black said, looking at Harald. "Even if you died ten thousand times, it wouldn't quench my hatred."

"You..." Harald leaned on the rock behind him. "You dare kill me... Just wait, wait..." Blood fountained from his neck. "The city's people won't let—" Then the man brought down the knife, severing Harald's head from his body.

The twitching corpse collapsed. The man stepped forward, picked up a small ring tightly gripped in the dead man's hand, smiled faintly, pressed it once, and tossed it away.

An explosion followed, debris flying.

Xie Liu watched the shattered rocks. The assassin had been desperate, his tough talk merely a distraction. Had Xie Liu not been vigilant, he'd be the one lying dead.

But the killer underestimated Xie Liu. Xie Liu never gave people a chance. Ruthless and silent, that was his principle. And now, he'd killed Angel. Xie Liu would never let him go.

Yet...

Even if he avenged Angel, what did it matter?

Xie Liu bit off the grenade's pin, tossing it next to the headless corpse.

"This time, we've completely turned against the city." Xie Liu walked away. The blast behind him sent stones, dust, limbs, and fragments flying. "If confrontation is what you want, I'll show you how I kill."