Xiao Han gradually pieced together the sequence of events between Nosa and Lu Gaoen's rendezvous...Firstly, Lu Gaoen had departed just over an hour ago, indicating he'd only recently acquired the intelligence.
The pair split their actions: Nosa came to assassinate him, while Lu Gao'en chose to upload the intelligence. Upon discovering all information concerning Zero had been blocked, he resolved to leave the city.
Unaware that Xiao Han knew his identity, Lu Gaoen likely wasn't in a hurry to leave. Under such circumstances, he'd choose the most natural exit route—the northwest checkpoint being closest to the slums made it the most probable.
However... it wasn't impossible that Lu Gaoen deliberately took the opposite approach, detouring to use one of the two more distant checkpoints.
The clues were insufficient, leaving no clear lead.
'Ah, Xiao Han, we're here. What did you need us for?'
Li Yalin, Zhang Wei, and Lambert approached. Parked outside was a yellow convertible sports car—Li Yalin's vehicle. Its speed had enabled them to arrive promptly.
Xiao Han had donned a mask the moment he killed Nosa.
'An urgent mission. A Sprout contact has uncovered critical intelligence. He may be attempting escape via one of the three checkpoints and could still be within the city limits.'
Li Yalin's smile vanished instantly. 'Do you have a sketch of him?'
Xiao Han's eyes lit up. He grabbed three discarded newspapers from the ground and, relying on distant memory, swiftly sketched Lu Gaoen's general features—distinctive traits rather than an exact likeness, as he couldn't recall the man's face. He hauled the unfortunate vagrant forward and demanded, 'Look! Does this resemble Lu Gaoen?'
The vagrant stammered nervously, 'His eye sockets are deeper, his nose is a bit crooked, and his hair is cropped short...'
Based on the vagrant's description, the sketch was quickly revised. This version captured about seventy to eighty percent of the resemblance. Xiao Han marked the key features and distributed the sketches to the three squad members, instructing, " We'll split up. Locate the officers at the checkpoints to access surveillance footage and identify this individual. Li Yalin and I will take her sports car to the furthest outpost. You two choose whichever one suits you."
Zhang Wei's face twitched. How effortlessly you issue orders! Do you even acknowledge me as your squad leader?
Though inwardly seething, Zhang Wei prioritised the greater good. Taking the sketch, he split up with Lambert. Together, they abandoned propriety and publicly commandeered vehicles.
Xiao Han leapt into the driver's seat of the yellow sports car. Li Yalin protested, 'Hey, that's my car. I should be driving.'
'You drive too slowly.'
'You dare question an agent's driving skills!' Li Yalin's eyebrows shot up in fury, but remembering they couldn't waste time, she reluctantly swallowed her anger and sulkily took the passenger seat. 'Fasten your seatbelt,' Xiao Han reminded her. Li Yalin shot him a dismissive glance. 'Are you joking? I'm a martial artist. No matter how fast you drive, I'll be fine.'
'Just don't regret it later.'
Xiao Han nodded, shifted gears, and floored the accelerator.
Half an hour later.
The yellow sports car executed a fierce dragon tail spin. Overheated tyres screeched, leaving four black skid marks on the tarmac as it came to a smooth halt at the southernmost checkpoint entrance.
'Ugh————'
'Oi, oi! Aren't you a martial artist?'
'You... don't talk to me, ugh—'
Li Yalin's face was green as she clutched the door, retching uncontrollably.
Half an hour to cross the entire city, causing twenty-seven accidents... or was it twenty-eight? Her head was spinning so badly she couldn't even count.
'Who... who taught you to drive?'
Xiao Han looked utterly bewildered. 'Does one require instruction to drive?'
'D-does one not?'
'The first person to master driving wasn't taught by anyone.'
How profound! I'm utterly speechless!
Li Yalin stared in disbelief, about to protest, when nausea surged again. She turned her head and vomited violently, bile mingling with the contents.
'Is it really that bad? You were just driving a bit fast, weren't you?'
'A bit fast? There's only one phrase to describe your driving skills: brakes gone to hell!'
Li Yalin looked like an enraged little lion, snarling and clawing, but her blue-tinged lips and pallid complexion made her appear utterly devoid of any intimidating presence.
'Stop fussing. We're running out of time.'
Li Yalin felt her feet give way beneath her, nearly collapsing face-first into the vomit. Xiao Han hurriedly steadied her, shaking his head helplessly as he dragged her forward like a dead pig.
They reached the checkpoint where a sentry barked, 'Halt! Present your credentials!'
Xiao Han rummaged through his pockets, then froze. He'd forgotten his Bureau 13 ID. Turning to Li Yalin, he reached straight for her pockets.
Top... nothing.
Trousers... nothing.
'Where's your ID?' Xiao Han demanded.
Li Yalin stared blankly, allowing Xiao Han to grope her voluptuous form.
I... I'm being groped?
'Ha, found it.'
Xiao Han's spirits lifted as he laboriously extracted an ID card from Li Yalin's hip pocket, presenting it to the guard soldier who was swallowing nervously.
'So you're a special agent. Please come in.'
Xiao Han took a few steps forward, only to notice Li Yalin standing rooted to the spot, biting her lip and staring intently at him.
Xiao Han frowned in surprise. 'What are you standing there for? Come on.'
Li Yalin took a deep breath, suppressing her urge to explode. 'Hand my ID back.'
'Why are you being so difficult?' Xiao Han's expression turned impatient as he turned back and shoved the ID back into Li Yalin's hip pocket.
Li Yalin's eyes widened.
Had he just groped me again?
Xiao Han strode into the checkpoint, located the officer in charge of surveillance, and presented Lu Gaoen's portrait directly.
'Please wait, the system is processing the image.'
Li Yalin followed him in, biting her lip. The sensation of Xiao Han touching her felt like he was handling a piece of pork, leaving her with an oddly unsettling feeling. She couldn't even muster anger, just a vague irritation, and she glared at Xiao Han with venom.
...
Amidst the thronging queue, Lu Gaoen moved discreetly with the flow, the checkpoint exit ahead.
Lu Gaoen belonged to an intelligence organisation called the Eye of the Storm, an undercover operative in Western Capital. The Eye of the Storm was an affiliate of the Sprout; many such groups operated under Sprout's umbrella, avoiding direct association with its banner when circumstances demanded greater flexibility.
Eye of the Storm operated through a hierarchical structure. Each city's intelligence network had a single chief contact, known as the liaison, who periodically liaised with the organisation. The liaison's subordinates, known as field agents, were solely responsible for gathering intelligence and could only communicate with the liaison in writing.
Lu Gaoen had also learned by chance from an informant that an individual bearing a striking resemblance to Zero had been sighted in District Seven. Though the exact location remained unknown, after careful observation, he noted an area seemingly guarded by unseen forces, inaccessible to outsiders. He deduced that this zone was Xiao Han's hiding place, protected by Bureau 13. That very area lay near the repair shop, where Feng Jun maintained a covert watch.
When Lu Gaoen realised Zero's information couldn't be transmitted online, he understood hackers had blocked the city's network. Taking precautions, he immediately disconnected from the internet and destroyed his computer to prevent being tracked. He then headed straight for the checkpoint to leave the city.
'With Nosa's capabilities, he should have succeeded by now.'
Just then, the iron gates ahead slammed shut with a thunderous clang, trapping everyone waiting to leave within the checkpoint.
'What's happening?'
'Why aren't we being allowed out?'
A soldier bellowed, 'Orders from above! The city is under temporary lockdown.'
The crowd erupted in murmurs of discontent, but Lu Gaoen sensed something amiss.
'Why seal the city? Could Nosa have failed?'
Lu Gaoen was shaken, his expression grave. This was vital intelligence—it must reach the organisation to heighten Zero's threat level.
As soldiers checked identities, Lu Gaoen remained confident in his cover. He'd spent two or three years in the Western Capital without ever slipping up; they couldn't possibly find him.
'It's him!'
A thunderous shout erupted. Lu Gaoen whipped his head around to see a squad of soldiers advancing menacingly towards him—their target was unmistakably him.
'Impossible!'
Lu Gaoen paled, attempting to retreat. But he was surrounded on all sides. Glancing at the ubiquitous military installations and soldiers, despair washed over him. He was pinned to the ground by the soldiers without resistance.
'Caught him.'
Xiao Han approached, exhaling a breath of relief.
'You actually tracked him down,' Li Yalin remarked, astonishment evident.
Lu Gaoen lifted his head, his expression defeated. 'How did you know it was me?'
Xiao Han remained impassive. This man was the Sprout faction's liaison in the Western Capital—an impression too vivid to forget.
Lu Gaoen, utterly perplexed and consumed by despair, prepared to bite the poison sac in his molar. Loyal to the Sprout faction, he chose to end his own life rather than betray their secrets.
Xiao Han suddenly drew his pistol and fired a single shot, blowing out Lu Gaoen's skull. The bullet tore through the back of his head, trailing a trail of blood and brain matter.
[You have killed Lu Gaoen Cyberan (Lv12). You gain 3500 EXP.]
Xiao Han blew across the barrel. Even in death, you'd better contribute some experience points.
'Why did you kill him?'
Li Yalin looked astonished. To her, handing him over for interrogation by the Bureau seemed the obvious course.
'He had poison sacs in his teeth, poison in his fingernails, and a poison needle hidden in his underwear. If he wanted to die, no one could stop him.'
Xiao Han shook his head.
Whether Lu Gaoen lived or died held no significance for him; he already possessed all the information he required.
'Seems we must expedite the plan,' Xiao Han remarked, his gaze darkening as an oppressive aura emanated from him.