Li Jie's boots crunched over scattered iron scale, the sound echoing through the empty smelting workshop, but he no longer cared about giving away his position.
"Clown, Clown, where are you?" He chuckled softly, advancing step by step with his gun raised. "The cameras in an old factory like this probably aren't networked. If you can see me, that means you're in the Monitoring Room, right?"
"Come on out. Let's go one-on-one." He aimed into each corner, checking them carefully. "Got so much free time today? Don't you have a shift at McDonald's?"
Static crackled over the loudspeaker, but Clown said nothing.
"Come on out."
Li Jie slowly climbed the stairs. "Game over. Time to go back to your playing card."
A rustling sound came from the shadows behind the enormous blast furnace. Then someone stepped out.
There was no theatrical, frenzied leap, only a leisurely stroll, as though he were walking through his own backyard. His purple suit turned a dirty gray-black under the green light, while the face paint was painfully vivid.
"You really know how to piss people off, Sheriff."
Clown tilted his head, a cold viciousness in his voice. "You're always so... efficient. Even my little birds were collected ahead of time by that flying friend of yours."
Li Jie did not fire immediately. He kept his gun trained on Clown, his finger resting against the trigger guard. "I have a question."
"Oh! Questions and answers! My favorite! Hahahaha!" Clown spread his arms theatrically. "Ask away, Sheriff! Like why pigeons are so big? Or why people always..."
"I already killed you once." Li Jie cut him off. "I remember it clearly. Why are you still standing here?"
He switched off his Night-Vision Goggles and turned on his tactical flashlight, sweeping its brilliant beam back and forth