While the army was encamped for the night, Han Xiao arrived ahead of them on their return route and chose an ambush location. He used the bodies of Pan Kuang and Ji Jie as bait, believing that the corpses of the two base leaders would lure Kelt out of the car to investigate. Once Kelt got out, he would fall into his trap.
He hid on a distant cliff and used a booby trap to scatter his soldiers, making their formation more sparse and easier for him to target the Kelt.
The assassination of a high-ranking Hesla officer in full view of everyone, with two bodies remaining, meant that even without his physical presence, the Hesla people could deduce that he was the one who did it. Han Xiao wasn't worried at all, because without concrete evidence, it was all just speculation. Even if Hesla protested or issued diplomatic condemnations, as long as the Thirteenth Bureau stubbornly denied it, there would be no way to hold them accountable, just like the Kelt' plan to "accidentally" kill them.
--Perhaps the person who assassinated the Kelt was one of the survivors who slipped through the Dark Raven Valley ~
"If you like to use underhanded tactics, so will I."
Han Xiao pulled back the bolt, ejected the smoking cartridge case, picked it up casually, and stuffed it into his pocket without leaving a trace.
The Kelt threatened his life; once the mission is over, it will be time for reckoning. Brother Xiao used to be a player who would fight anyone, even if they didn't submit. If someone wanted to kill him, he wouldn't care who it was; he'd just go for it without hesitation, using every trick in the book, even... well, he'd fight them to the death.
Through the scope, Han Xiao saw that the Hesla army was in complete chaos. The soldiers were filled with shock and anger, and they rushed into vehicles towards the direction from which the bullets were coming, closing in at high speed.
Han Xiao calmly folded the Sniping rifle and put it into his backpack. He had chosen this location to facilitate his escape after the assassination.
He turned and jumped off the cliff. The feeling of weightlessness as he fell overwhelmed him. He slammed the button on his backpack, and two thin, folding metal wings unfolded from the backpack, quickly lifting his falling body and gliding through the air towards the forest below the cliff.
Cloud Swallow Glider!
The Hesla soldiers arrived at the cliff edge, only to watch as the silhouette of a swallow quickly disappeared from sight.
The members of the Thirteenth Bureau were shocked. They hadn't expected Han Xiao to be so bold as to directly assassinate the Hesla commander!
It might feel good to get revenge, but the consequences are serious! Killing a high-ranking officer on Hesla's territory—you're asking for trouble! Is there anything you wouldn't dare to do?!
Qi Baijia's heart had been in his throat. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the pursuing Hesla soldiers return empty-handed. "It's good that they escaped. At least they didn't leave any evidence, so they have room to argue."
"Wait! If Han Xiao hides and doesn't show up, doesn't that mean we'll have to take his place during the interrogation?!"
Everyone's eyes widened in shock, and the more they thought about it, the more convinced they were that Han Xiao would do such a thing.
How can someone be so despicable?! You're a master of shifting blame, a master of shifting responsibility?!
Enraged Hesla soldiers, guns drawn, forced the members of the Thirteenth Bureau into a vehicle and placed them under house arrest. They were driven back to the border, where the adjutant nervously reported Kelt's death, immediately provoking fury from the Hesla side.
The prime suspect was from the Thirteenth Bureau, so Agent Hesla had no choice but to interrogate him.
The members of the Thirteenth Bureau insisted they knew nothing about it, infuriating the Hesla agents. Wenna felt deeply helpless facing these unyielding Thirteenth Bureau members.
Everyone knows you did it, but there's no evidence. Not even a single shell casing has been found. All they can do is interrogate you over and over again in vain. Because of their status Thirteenth Bureau, they can't use torture to extract confessions. All the condemnations from above are swept under the rug by the Thirteenth Bureau. This is the dirty trick that Kelt once tried to pull, and now the Hesla people are also feeling this helplessness.
The head of the Thirteenth Bureau's Intelligence Department arrived quickly at the Hesla border by special plane. With the intervention of high-ranking officials from Stardragon, the Hesla side, lacking concrete evidence, had no choice but to reluctantly release the Thirteenth Bureau agents.
The Intelligence Department led everyone out of the interrogation room and back to the private jet. After confirming that everyone around them was on their side, he asked Qi Baijia to report the details. After listening, he looked helpless and said, "He's too much of a troublemaker. Luckily, he didn't leave any evidence, otherwise the Hesla people wouldn't have let it go."
Qi Baijia felt embarrassed, as he felt he needed to take responsibility for this incident as the team's chief of staff.
The Intelligence Department glanced at him but remained silent, secretly recalling the bureau's reaction after receiving the news. He concluded that Kelt's actions were actually instigated by the Hesla leadership; otherwise, it would be inexplicable why Hesla would deliberately send a radical officer to command the operation. He was extremely dissatisfied with Hesla's treachery. However, now things had turned out differently. Haixia's attempt to outmaneuver Hesla backfired, with Han Xiao eliminating one of their officers, leaving them with no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.
"Well done, sir." The Intelligence Department nodded secretly. This time, even the hardliners had nothing to say and instead admired Han Xiao's actions—daring to secretly plot against our Stardragon, I'll eat my hat if I don't wipe out your people.
However, despite their admiration, at a recent internal meeting, the ministers unanimously agreed that they should not continue to indulge Han Xiao, saying that they could not let Han Xiao out of their sight again, as it would be a greater loss if this valuable source of intelligence were to encounter any mishap.
Because Han Xiao had always been very cooperative, they had been quite lenient with Han Xiao. However, this joint operation went awry, which served as a wake-up call for them, and they were determined to reject all of Han Xiao's future action applications.
The proposal was unanimously approved, even by the conservatives. The bureau was willing to cooperate with Han Xiao, but he could not be allowed to leave headquarters' control until he revealed all the information.
The Intelligence Department snapped out of his reverie, glanced at the special agents, then looked down at his watch and asked in confusion, "Why hasn't Han Xiao returned yet?"
Qi Baijia shook his head, "I don't know."
"Brother Xiao contacted me." At this moment, Lin Yao suddenly pressed his earpiece, looking excited; but the next second, his expression suddenly changed.
The Intelligence Department had a bad feeling and demanded, "What did he say?"
Lin Yao's Adam's apple bobbed, and he stammered, "Brother Xiao said... he's going out to lay low for a while."
"Walk away the limelight? I can understand..." The Intelligence Department nodded subconsciously, then suddenly realized something, his expression changing drastically. "He's not coming back?!"
Zhang Wei looked incredulous, Li Yalin's eyes widened, and Lambert's pupils contracted.
Everyone was stunned.
This looks like she's about to go solo!
There's really nothing he wouldn't dare to do!
Twenty minutes later, at the Thirteenth Bureau headquarters, Gu Hui convened an emergency meeting. The Minister of Communications, who was not at headquarters, joined the meeting, and everyone looked serious.
"Han Xiao has escaped!" Gu Hui said solemnly.
The entire audience fell silent.
"Is it defection?"
"It's unclear. He had previously sniped a Hesla officer, and it's possible he fled out of fear of the consequences, but that's unlikely," the Intelligence Department said.
The ministers felt a pang of pain in their livers. This reason was untenable. Did Han Xiao really think Stardragon couldn't protect him? Don't underestimate them.
"What about the GPS tracker installed inside his phone?"
"It stayed in one place for 24 hours and has already been discovered, dismantled, and thrown away by Han Xiao."
The Minister of the Internal Affairs Department shouted, "This is defection! He can't have gone far; he'll only be heading to the wilderness. We must bring him back!"
"It's still uncertain whether he has defected." Gu Hui waved his hand.
The ministers present were silent and frustrated. They had originally planned to put Han Xiao under control in West Capital after his return, but Han Xiao's unexpected escape completely disrupted their plans.
Was this premeditated, or did he act on a whim?
Is this betrayal, or is there another reason?
If an agent goes missing and it's unclear whether it's due to defection or some other reason, the first thing to do is send people to track them down and make contact with the target. Only by observing their reaction can we determine the best course of action.
If the target continues to flee or resist, then there's no question about a global Pursuit.
If the target has a legitimate reason, this avoids misunderstandings and wrongful killing.
The Intelligence Department suddenly announced, "Breaking news: Germinal on the Dark Net has increased its bounty on Han Xiao fivefold, to five million!"
Everyone was shocked. This operation was ostensibly between two countries, so why did Germinal know that Han Xiao was in charge? Was there a mole within the organization?
The increased bounty suggests that Germinal's determination to kill is even stronger. Furthermore, Germinal had previously located Han Xiao in West Capital; perhaps Han Xiao chose to leave because of this?
But isn't he afraid of being targeted by Germinal in the wilderness and being wiped out by Germinal's armed forces? You know, in the wilderness, Germinal won't have so many scruples; they could just bombard the area with missiles without any problem.
"He came to Stardragon seeking refuge in the first place, so how come he... suddenly has the confidence to leave?"
The minister's question is also a source of confusion for everyone.
Gu Hui tapped his fingers on the table, finalizing the meeting's outcome, and said, "His agent status will be temporarily retained, and he will be added to the missing persons file. The Intelligence Department will collect surveillance data from various locations, entry and exit records, airport flight records, and train travel records to try to make contact with Han Xiao. We will also dispatch a search team to find him first!"
I second that.
I second that.
I second that.
On the return flight, the agents of the Thirteenth Bureau frequently glanced at Zhang Wei and his three companions sitting in the far corner, the center of the oppressive atmosphere.
Zhang Wei crossed his hands over his nose, his face serious, and the veins on his forehead throbbed from time to time.
Lambert silently wiped the dagger, without saying a word.
Li Yalin looked anxious and indignant, constantly shaking her legs, her black bodysuit outlining the beautiful contours of her long legs.
Lin Yao sat to one side, trembling with fear. He wanted to get away from the three of them, but he also looked too scared to do so.
"That's outrageous! He just leaves like that? Does he even consider us his teammates?" Li Yalin slammed her hand on the table, her loud voice startling the agents who were eavesdropping nearby.
Zhang Wei covered the lower half of his face with his overlapping hands, his eyes filled with a lifeless, listless expression, and said softly, "He modified my armor... No one else can fix it."
"..."
The agents who were eavesdropping didn't know how to comfort Zhang Wei; it was truly a heartbreaking story...
Li Yalin gritted her teeth and said, "He wants me to help him get business. I have dozens of orders piling up, and I've already paid him the deposits. What am I supposed to do?!"
The surrounding agents were taken aback, then suddenly remembered that they seemed to have placed an order as well...
Holy crap!
Our deposit!
"I vouched for him with my reputation, what a swindler!" Li Yalin's tone was like that of a wronged woman who had been used and abandoned. She was furious and grabbed Lin Yao's arm next to her, pinching it in a fit of anger.
Lin Yao gasped in pain, leaping back like a rabbit, clutching the spot where she had been pinched and rubbing it repeatedly, hurriedly saying, "Calm down, calm down..."
Lambert suddenly asked, "Do you know who he is?"
The three of them were all taken aback.
Yeah, they've been on the same team for so long, and they still don't know Han Xiao's true identity. That guy is so mysterious; he's never revealed any clues about his identity to his teammates, and the higher-ups are also very tight-lipped about it.
For a moment, everyone felt somewhat dejected.
Li Yalin clenched her fists, her knuckles cracking, and said fiercely, "When I find him, I'm going to beat him up!"