The Genius System Without Equal

Hamis could not believe the news his subordinate just told him. “What, two teams in the Dongcheng area were wiped out, all with a slashed throat?” he said.

“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel, all were killed. We have investigated the area very carefully, and most of them had their throats slashed before they could even take a shot. The technique he used was immaculate and neat; the trachea and esophagus were both cut in a single stroke,” the subordinate reported, talking through his walkie-talkie in a wavering voice.

“Sh*t, what the hell is happening? I will be right there!”

Hamis hung up the phone, hopped into the military jeep, and instructed the driver to get to head toward the crime scene as quickly as possible.

There were no longer any traffic rules or any more laws, so they did not even need to care if they destroyed any public infrastructure. Three jeeps sped to the crime scene recklessly, leaving a dusty trail behind.

When Hamis saw the bodies of his soldiers strewn all over the street, he gasped and clenched his fists tightly. “There is no doubt that the person who did this is the NSA soldier that the Bai family from Hua Nation mentioned to me–Mie. He is here to protect the f*cking war correspondent! We have to find a way to stop him; we absolutely can’t let him escape. These are my orders–ignore the other group of soldiers from Hua Nation for now, and I want everyone to focus on pursuing this Mie!”

“Yes, sir!”

His subordinates responded loudly.

Hamis stood there, grimacing with clenched teeth as he looked into the eastern sky. “I should have known that it was Mie, or else he would not ask me about the news of Sarah Michelle. NSA soldiers are indeed exceptional, but this is my territory; you will not get away even if you have wings,” he muttered.

A subordinate came running over with some information to report. “Lieutenant Colonel, there is a message from the chief. He says that the government army that we defeated has managed to gather five thousand soldiers, and they are marching towards the Stantine City. They will be here in about half an hour. The chief ordered us to eliminate those Hua Nation soldiers as soon as possible, and then help him to fight the government army,” he said.

“Five thousand government soldiers?”

Hamis was quite startled, but still, he had a look of confidence on his face. He stood with his hands behind his back as he raised his chin and said, “Tell the chief that half an hour is enough for me to destroy the Hua Nation soldiers–they are already putting up a desperate struggle. And tell him that the NSA soldier who was sent by Hua Nation to protect the war correspondent is also among the soldiers and are now sitting ducks. They have no way to escape.”

He was so confident because he had already sent someone to lock down the key entrances to Stantine City. There was no way for the Hua Nation soldiers to break out. Every gate was heavily guarded and equipped with machine guns and RPGs that could kill any who dared to breakthrough.

“Yes, sir.”

The subordinate took the order, turned around, and passed the message to the chief.

***

Stantine City was desolate, and there was hardly any building still intact, with debris from shell blasts, craters left by explosions, and bullet holes were everywhere. Swirling dust and gunsmoke filled the air, and it felt like time had turned back to the Great War, and not in the peaceful age of the twenty-first century where people were protected by laws and did not need to worry about food shortage.

Xiao Luo moved through the ruins with Tang Wantian.

The more Tang Wantian spent time with Xiao Luo, the more mysterious and powerful he became. He had silently annihilated the Libyan rebel fighters they ran into on the way here with only a dagger. So far, at least fifty people were killed with that weapon, and it looked like a devilish blood-stained blade that was home to evil spirits that relished every kill he made.

Using a map, Hamis marked the possible routes that Xiao Luo would take to break out of the city. He was working out the routes based on the trail of slaughter that Xiao Luo had left behind. A dragnet was being set up, and the encirclement was in progress as rebel fighters were already heading toward Xiao Luo from all directions, and soon, they would have him surrounded.

“Xiao Luo, how far are we from the church?”

After running for some distance, Tang Wantian couldn’t take it anymore, as her physical strength could not compare to Xiao Luo’s. She was panting heavily, and her legs felt strained and numbed from exhaustion.

“Soon!” Xiao Luo said.

“We’ll be safe when we reach the church?” Tang Wantian asked.

Xiao Luo shook his head and replied, “The church is only a temporary refuge, and the plan is to use it as a safe house to break out of this city. All the gates would already be guarded by the Libyan rebel fighters, and there will certainly be a ferocious battle to breakthrough.”

Tang Wantian’s face turned white when she heard what Xiao Luo said. She did not know that escaping would be this hard, and she began to wonder if she would get away alive.

Suddenly, she missed her home country so much.

“Xiao Luo, I …”

“Hush!”

Tang Wantian was just about to speak when Xiao Luo suddenly cut her off.

Observing his solemn expression, Tang Wantian knew that enemies were close. Nervously, she shut her mouth immediately and kept quiet.

Xiao Luo laid prone on the ground and tried to detect any vibrations on oncoming fighters. In shock, he heard the familiar pattern of marching feet, not from one or two directions, but from everywhere, and there was even the rumble of heavy vehicles with them.

“The Libyan rebel fighters have given up on Jiang Zhiming, and they’re all coming for me?”

Xiao Luo frowned and realized that something unusual was afoot, for his enemies seemed to be targeting all their resources specifically at him. In Xiao Luo’s mind, there was only one explanation for this–his mission here to exfiltrate Sarah Michelle must have been exposed, which meant that there was a mole in the NSA. He could not think of anyone else who would sell him out other than the woman from the Bai family, who was nicknamed “Rose.” And the situation he found himself in could only have been set up by the Bai family, leveraging the Libyan rebel fighters to eliminate him.

What a great way to get rid of an opponent using somebody else’s knife!

A mysterious smile formed on Xiao Luo’s lips, and his eyes glowered with a cold light.

He scanned the surroundings, and, finally, his eyes were fixed on a seven- or eight-story residential building.

Xiao Luo pulled his eyes away from the building and looked at Tang Wantian calmly. “We are surrounded,” he said.

“What?”

When Tang Wantian heard that, she was so shocked that she staggered back, almost collapsing to the ground.

Xiao Luo looked around and noticed a manhole nearby. He made his way over and stomped on the edge of the manhole cover. The force popped the lid open right away, revealing a pitch-black access hole.

“Come here!” Xiao Luo waved at Tang Wantian.

Tang Wantian obeyed and walked towards him.

Without saying anything, Xiao Luo suddenly pushed her into the manhole. It was not very deep, but it was enough for a person to hide in there. “Stay here, and when it is safe, I will come back and get you. Remember, no matter what you hear from out here, do not make a sound, and when I return, I will lift the cover myself.”

Tang Wantian unconsciously nodded and gulped. “Hmm.”

Xiao Luo was just about to close the manhole cover when Tang Wantian stopped him.

“Xiao Luo, don’t forget about me, and… stay alive, you must stay alive!”

Tang Wantian’s eyes were red, as tears started to well up in her eyes. She almost sounded like she was pleading for her life, for Xiao Luo was her only hope. Should anything happened to him, she would undoubtedly be captured and abused by her captors.

Xiao Luo looked at Tang Wantian, her iron lady-look discarded, and he suddenly recalled the time when he was with Chu Yue at Wild Boar Ridge. The rich girl said something similar to him as well.

“Don’t worry. It’s going to be okay.”

Xiao Luo replied in a leveled voice and slammed the cover shut.

The moment the manhole was closed, the small space plunged into darkness. Tang Wantian curled up with her back against the filthy wall of the enclosure, as fear played on her mind. Her whole body was shivering, and her teeth were chattering uncontrollably.