Feng Jun arrived breathless, accompanied by a fully-armed field agent. The moment they met, he urgently grabbed Xiao Han and began frantically patting him down, checking for wounds. 'You're not injured, are you?'
Xiao Han pointed to the graze on his cheek, irritably retorting, 'Are you blind?'
'Glad to hear it,' Feng Jun exhaled, his face flushing crimson with embarrassment. His charge had sustained injuries during round-the-clock protection—a stinging humiliation.
'Not your fault,' Xiao Han countered, pointing at Nosa's corpse. His brow furrowed. 'This man was an executive of the Sprout —a super assassin with an unblemished record.'
'Nosa Konno?'
Feng Jun recognised the name instantly. How could he not? A high-ranking Star Dragon official had once fallen to Nosa's gun in full view of witnesses. Nosa had always been the Sprout's most formidable asset, never missing his mark. Like a deadly viper, he struck fear into the Six Nations.
Feng Jun suddenly realised, staring at Xiao Han in disbelief, his voice cracking. 'Wait—you were ambushed by Nosa and killed him in return?! You're that strong?!'
'Is this your first day knowing me?'
Xiao Han retorted irritably.
His mind sank into the interface as reward information appeared.
[Character Incarnation Card: Activate this character's ability once]
[Character: Nosa Konno]
[Ability: Illusionary Aura (e) - Target may negate if Intelligence exceeds 50]
[Usage: 0/1]
Character Incarnation Cards were rare consumables, dropping only from special missions. They granted limited access to NPC abilities. In the past, dedicated studios farmed these cards for wealthy players who favoured throwing money at challenges. Though Xiao Han didn't rely on such items in combat, who wouldn't welcome an extra trump card?
Xiao Han was relieved he'd allocated his free attribute points to Intelligence early on, inadvertently granting him immunity to Nosa's ability. Had he only realised the need for points after being hit, things would have turned rather sour.
'The Sprout. I accept this gift,' Xiao Han murmured, his eyes flickering.
Since they were now adversaries, any tactics employed against him were to be expected. He felt no need for accusations or anger; his only course was to fight fire with fire.
[Accept Reward?]
'No'
Such intangible consumables could remain stored in his interface, ready to be claimed when needed.
Mad Blade Raging Sword stood aside, eyeing the black-clad operatives with astonishment. They continuously cast detection spells, and upon confirming the field agents' affiliation with the "Star Dragon Territorial Strategic Defence Bureau," they grew even more convinced of Xiao Han's unfathomable depth.
Feng Jun pointed at Mad Blade Raging Sword, asking in confusion, 'Is this man very familiar with you?'
'Ignore him.'
Xiao Han accepted the handkerchief Feng Jun offered, wiping the wound on his cheek. His brow furrowed as he stated, 'Nosa has located my position, which means Sprout has discovered it too.'
'Not necessarily. The Intelligence Department's hackers have sealed off the network, conducting both programmatic screening and manual verification. No information mentioning you is permitted to leave Western Capital.'
Xiao Han's expression turned serious. 'Are you certain?'
Feng Jun nodded, hesitating. 'Nosa wouldn't act without authorisation. He's undoubtedly passed the intelligence to his sleeper agents in the West Capital. Sooner or later, they'll relay it manually.'
Upon hearing this, Xiao Han turned and walked away without another word.
'Hey! Where are you off to? I still need to take you to headquarters for a debrief!' Feng Jun called urgently.
'No time for explanations. Request a city-wide lockdown from senior command!'
Nosa had never failed before. He likely wouldn't be overly cautious and would probably act the moment he located him. His intelligence came from Sprout spies infiltrating West Capital. Since the intelligence network was compromised, the spies would have to leave the city. The information might not yet have reached Sprout's higher-ups.
Xiao Han knew the identity of Sprout's contact in Western Capital.
He'd never bothered with the contact agents because it served no purpose. Kill one, and Sprout would simply send another stranger in their place. Keeping a familiar mole in place, ready to be pulled at a critical moment, proved far more effective.
By eliminating Nosa, Sprout could pinpoint Xiao Han's location in Western Capital. Yet if he intercepted the intelligence, he could delay Sprout's confirmation of his precise address.
Though this remained conjecture—the intel might already have left the city—even a sliver of possibility warranted testing. Such had always been his code of conduct.
'Li Yalin, notify the others immediately to meet me at District Eight. Here are my coordinates... Remember to drive!'
Li Yalin was utterly baffled. 'Is this your treat? Going to the slums seems a bit lacking in sincerity.'
'Don't ask questions, just hurry!'
Xiao Han ended the call, smashed the window of a parked saloon car with his elbow, and leapt inside.
Time was of the essence. The moment for disregarding trivialities had arrived.
The owner, who'd been making a call beside the vehicle, jumped at the shattering glass. Rushing over, he grabbed Xiao Han by the collar and bellowed, 'Get out of there!'
Xiao Han's eyes lit up. With a swift backhand, he yanked the owner's upper body into the car, slamming his head onto the steering wheel and setting off a piercing horn.
'Bloody brilliant. Saves me fiddling with the wiring.'
Xiao Han pinned the struggling owner down, fumbled for the keys, and successfully started the engine. He then shoved the owner aside, slammed the accelerator to the floor, and sped off into the distance.
The owner sat on the tarmac, the steering wheel's imprint etched into his face, looking utterly bewildered. 'Holy shit, are car thieves this brazen these days?!'
...
He drove recklessly through the city, vehicles scrambling out of his way as he sped through several neighbourhoods. Soon, sirens blared as a traffic police motorcycle caught up. The officer bellowed, 'Vehicle ahead, pull over immediately for inspection!'
Xiao Han pulled out the driver's licence and flung it out the window.
'Take it and dock the points, dock whatever you like!'
Ignoring the pursuing officer, Xiao Han arrived at District Eight. He jumped out and strode purposefully towards his destination. The traffic cop's motorbike doggedly followed, blocking his path. 'You! Stop right there!'
Xiao Han was furious. Why did everyone insist on having a chat when he was in a hurry?
A swift karate chop caught the officer off guard. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious.
Xiao Han strode purposefully through the labyrinthine narrow alleys, knocking aside three groups of young muggers blocking his path. He arrived at an abandoned chapel, now a squatter settlement for the destitute. Many homeless vagrants slept on makeshift beds here, enduring night after night in the company of fleas, filth, and the stench of sweat.
Religion existed on Blue Planet too. During the wars of the Old Era, suffering drove countless displaced souls to seek spiritual solace. This sect seized the opportunity, weaving the wartime mantra 'I wish for world peace' into its doctrine. Thus, its followers swelled to tens of millions.
Then, the sect's holy site was literally obliterated by a nuclear blast.
Their deity, the 'Heavenly Lord,' failed to descend and save them from their plight, so the religion gradually faded into obscurity.
Storming into the church, a group of bleary-eyed vagrants turned to look.
Xiao Han scanned the room, finding no sign of his target. His eyes narrowed as he grabbed a nearby vagrant and demanded, 'I ask you, where has that man gone? The one who lives here permanently, with a full beard, a red wolf-head tattoo on the back of his hand, about 1.8 metres tall, around forty years old?'
The vagrant shuddered at the sight of Xiao Han's blood-soaked attire and cautiously replied, 'You mean Lu Gaoen? We all call him "No Tongue"—he barely speaks. He vanished around noon today.'
Noon?
Ordinary citizens leaving the Western Capital must pass through checkpoints and undergo screening procedures. It was now past two in the afternoon; perhaps there was still a chance to intercept him.
Western Capital had three entry/exit checkpoints. Which one would Lu Gaoen take?
Xiao Han frowned in thought. He held little hope that Bureau 13 would seal off Western Capital in time. Setting aside whether higher-ups would approve such drastic measures, even if they decided to lock down the city, it was unclear how long that would take. Lu Gaoen might well have slipped out by then.