"Ha, is this how I end? Here, in these deserted snowy mountains."
Tie Hao, "Pagoda-Bearing Fourth," gasped for breath, but little air flowed smoothly into his body. Even after using a regeneration agent for emergency surgery, his shattered chest cavity was still like a leaky accordion, letting air—and "oil"—escape everywhere.
He clung to life beneath a large boulder. The area around the hastily dug pit had been cleared of bloodstains as thoroughly as possible.
But he knew such camouflage would not fool a real hunter, much less the superhumans searching everywhere.
"At least... I have to send the intelligence back."
Trembling, he tore open his clothes and took a small wrapped bundle from his chest. He pulled out a satellite phone and tried to establish an uplink.
During the process, a thin red booklet fell out. It was his work manual, its first page bearing the emblem of the great Eastern nation.
Yes, he was a spy—or rather, an undercover intelligence operative.
He had been stationed in a border city for years, and this time he had come over with a Red Star convoy.
This time, as all of South Siberia descended into war, he had naturally infiltrated the region to seek out the cause and key details. But this time, despite being a high-level Runner and Sentinel, he had encountered an opponent far beyond his ability to handle.
A suspected Siberian demigod had passed by. With merely a glance, it had knocked him out of subspace.
He had not been killed outright, perhaps only because his Eastern features had earned him a spared life.
But after losing his means of concealment, he had run into powerful enemies one after another.
Though he had managed to escape and attempted emergency surgery on himself...
"Hah..."
His trachea was riddled with holes,