Chapter 22
1157 Words
Down on the street below, a loudspeaker began broadcasting a warning on a continuous loop.
"Dangerous target detected. All residents must return to their homes immediately. Repeat: all residents must return to their homes immediately."
The voice echoed through the desolate industrial district, carrying with it a chilling, eerie calm.
Qin Lie halted and peered down through the gaps between the tiles.
An armored vehicle was rolling slowly past. The machine-g*n turret mounted on its roof swiveled, its infrared scanner sweeping across every building in its path.
There was no escape.
At least, not via the ground.
Qin Lie surveyed the layout of the surrounding buildings. This industrial district had lain abandoned for years, its subterranean network of pipes and tunnels a complex labyrinth. The sewage hub he had entered earlier lay directly beneath the adjacent building.
He needed to get back underground.
But the route back had already been cut off.
Qin Lie reached into his jacket and pulled out a small signal transmitter—a backup communication device given to him by Su Hongxiu. It was capable of sending only a single short-range signal.
His finger hovered over the button.
Pressing it would reveal his location. Refraining from doing so meant being trapped here until he died.
The armored vehicle below ground to a halt. Its machine-g*n turret swiveled to point directly at his position.
Qin Lie withdrew the transmitter.
He could not risk dragging Su Hongxiu into this. The Silver Cross Society had already activated their "Scavenger" protocol; at a moment like this, any attempt at communication could be instantly triangulated.
He was on his own.
Qin Lie unstrapped the short sword from his back. The intricate patterns etched into the blade gleamed with a cold, steely light beneath the moon. Old K had mentioned earlier that this sword bore a tracking talisman. The Silver Cross Society could use it to pinpoint his location.
But right now, there was no time to deal with that.
He stripped off his tactical vest, turned it inside out, and put it back on to conceal the reflective strips. Then, he grabbed a handful of dust and smeared it across his face and any exposed skin.
Having done this, he took a deep breath.
Footsteps echoed from the floor below. Someone was ascending the stairs.
Qin Lie pressed himself against the wall, slowing his breathing. The pounding of his heart seemed to amplify in his ears, but he forced himself to suppress it.
The door at the top of the stairwell was kicked open. Two shadowy figures strode in, their g*n muzzles sweeping across the room.
Qin Lie waited until they had fully entered before stepping out from the shadows.
His short sword flashed out.
There was no sound. The two men crumpled to the ground, their throats slit.
Qin Lie took their weapons and checked the magazines. They were full.
He walked over to the window and gazed down at the street below. The encirclement was tightening.
The "Scavenger" Protocol. Shoot to kill.
Qin Lie slung the rifle across his back. Since the ground route was cut off, he would take the high road.
This industrial district was crisscrossed with connecting walkways and skybridges; although most were damaged, they remained barely passable. If he could traverse two city blocks across the rooftops, he could reach the old subway station on the other side.
That was a blind spot.
Qin Lie stepped onto the windowsill. The wind rushed in, carrying the chill of the night.
He leaped out, landing on a metal awning on the building opposite. The corrugated metal rang out with a dull thud.
Immediately, shouts rose from the street below. Gunfire erupted.
Bullets ricocheted off the awning, sending sparks flying. Qin Lie didn't pause; he slid down the slope of the awning and grabbed a dangling electrical cable. Swinging through the air, he landed on the balcony of yet another building.
A flowerpot was knocked over, shattering on the ground.
Qin Lie kept running. His footsteps were light—silent as a cat.
The pursuers behind him had been left a fair distance behind. But now, drones were taking to the skies. The whirring of their rotors grew steadily closer.
Qin Lie ducked into a dilapidated elevator shaft. It was pitch black inside, illuminated only by the green glow of the emergency exit sign.
He slid down along the elevator cables. His palms grew hot from the friction. Halfway down, a light appeared from above. A drone was shining its beam into the elevator shaft.
Qin Lie let go; his body dropped, but he hooked his feet onto the edge of a nearby maintenance platform, coming to a steady halt.
The drone circled overhead once; finding no target, it flew away.
Qin Lie caught his breath. The wound on his arm had reopened, and blood was trickling down his sleeve.
He tore off a strip of cloth and applied a makeshift bandage.
Just below lay the entrance to the subway station. The iron gate was rusted shut, but there was a ventilation vent nearby.
Qin Lie pried open the vent and squeezed inside.
The air here was even fouler, carrying the stench of mold and rat droppings. But it was safe.
He sat down, leaning against the wall, and pulled out his data storage device.
The screen lit up. A list of files appeared. Project Chimera. Gene Editing. Neural Control.
Each filename felt like a tombstone.
Qin Lie turned off the screen.
Outside, the wail of sirens could be heard. These were no ordinary police—it was the dedicated frequency of the Silver Cross Society.
They were truly getting desperate.
Qin Lie closed his eyes. Five minutes of rest. Just five minutes.
In five minutes, he would have to move again.
In the darkness, the only sound was his breathing.
In the distance, a clock chimed. One o'clock in the morning.
A new day. And the hunt continued.
Qin Lie tightened his grip on his short sword. The warmth from the hilt spread into his palm.
Since you won't let me live, then none of you shall live.
He stood up and walked deeper into the darkness. The subway tunnels led to the lowest levels of the city—a blind spot for the Silver Cross Society's surveillance, and his home turf.
Inside the ventilation shaft, a hidden camera's red indicator light gave a brief flicker.
The footage was transmitted.
In the monitoring room, the team leader watched the newly appearing signal point on his screen, a smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Found you."
He pressed the intercom button.
"All units: Target has entered the subway tunnels. Initiate demolition protocol."
Qin Lie walked through the tunnel. Beneath his feet lay rubble and pools of stagnant water.
Suddenly, a faint vibration rippled through the ground ahead.
It wasn't footsteps. It was explosives.
Qin Lie froze.
In the darkness, a murderous intent emerged.
- Writer
