"Am I just a substitute?" 13 lowered his head. "Since I'm a substitute, why give me thoughts? Nie Yun, oh Nie Yun, what expression do you want me to face the world with?"
"Probably a smile," Hong Yang answered 13's question. "He always smiled when he saw you. He never treated you as anyone's substitute. You are you. You have the right to face everything with a smile."
"Thank you. Your heartbeat and breathing showed no strange changes just now, indicating you weren't lying. It seems Li Yuntian misunderstood you." 13 stood up. "Sorry for bothering you for so long. I should leave now."
"Don't say that. I should be the one feeling embarrassed, making you listen to this old man ramble," Hong Yang chuckled.
"You can't leave yet," 1 spoke up. "Our mission isn't over."
"Weren't you sent by Zhao Xiang to protect me?" Hong Yang became serious. "Since he has decided not to kill me, your mission should be over!"
"Sigh," 36 sighed. "We're just small soldiers. Too many people can command us."
"We need to know how strong you are now," 1 stood up. "Because we must choose one command to complete, either Adam's or Liu Tao's."
"Sorry, I have no interest in getting involved in the country's games again." 13 started walking.
"Nie Yun was captured by Adam." 24's calm words shocked the two present – 13 and Hong Yang.
"How could this happen? Nie Yun was wholeheartedly dedicated to the country..." The old man frantically knocked over his teacup. "He is a meritorious contributor to the nation's strength. For the country, he even lived a solitary life. How could this be? How could the country treat him like this?" Old tears fell from Hong Yang's eyes.
"Because he refused to hand over SEED, Adam captured him." 24's body trembled. "He trusted you. He said the seed could only be given to you."
"Isn't the Chairman his friend? Why let Adam arrest him arbitrarily?" 13's tone was strange, exceptionally cold. Everyone felt it.
"The country now is different from before. The Special Operations' power is too immense. As the Commander-in-Chief of Special Operations, Adam's word carries more weight than Zhao Xiang's," 1 clenched his fist.
"Foolish old man..." 13 muttered softly to himself.
"We need your strength." 24 wanted to rush towards 13, wanted to embrace him. But his shoulders seemed too broad; no one could hold him tightly anymore.
Suddenly, the armed police force from outside rushed into the hall, quickly surrounding the coffee area. Bullets were chambered.
The same captain from before stepped out of the crowd. "13! We are arresting you on suspicion of murdering multiple important national officials!" A warrant was held up. "Although I personally respect you very much, the law is the law. We must abide by it."
"What law?" 13 threw his head back and laughed wildly. "What country? A soldier who won a war can be abandoned by the country? A person who fought for the country his whole life is betrayed by the country? I don't care how the country treats me, but you shouldn't have harmed Nie Yun!"
The captain couldn't understand 13's words; his laughter just made hearts tremble.
"I am very unhappy right now. Don't provoke me." 13 walked towards the door, his face expressionless. For everyone else, even moving a finger felt like an extravagant hope.
13 slowly walked past the captain. His mouth was slightly open, but he couldn't speak.
Just like that, he walked through the surrounding crowd.
"Did you feel it?" 36 whispered.
"He's angry," 1 said.
"I've seen him like this before." 24 looked at 13's retreating back. "But back then, he only hated two people. Now, he hates a country..."
"Damn it! I am the country's police!" The captain bit his lip, suppressing his fear, turned, and drew his service pistol. His hand trembled. "No matter how powerful you are, murder must be paid for with life! This is natural justice!"
The captain raised his trembling hand and pulled the trigger. The bullet had no emotion, simply flying towards its target.
13 didn't turn his head, merely extending his left hand backward.
A terrifying sight was born...
The bullet stopped in 13's open palm, only piercing the skin. Blood dripped onto the ground, drop by drop, reminding everyone that this was real.
"Monster..." The captain managed only one word.
"If there were natural justice in the world, I wouldn't exist." Closing his left fist, he struck the marble pillar beside him. Perhaps it was an illusion, but the ground seemed to tremble just now.
Lowering his bleeding arm, a tiny circular metal piece fell to the ground. Leaving behind a room full of astonished people, he walked out of the hall.
"Did you know 13 could catch bullets?" 36 looked stiffly at 24.
"Impossible! No matter how strong he is, he's ultimately flesh and blood made of cells!" 24 replied blankly.
"There's something even more terrifying..." 1 walked to the stone pillar and gently touched the spot 13 had struck. Cracks rapidly spread...
"Boom..." With a loud crash, half of the stone pillar shattered. Seeing the scene before them, the captain understood what he was resisting. Realizing this, he collapsed weakly onto the ground.
"Is this human strength?" 36's body trembled. "Completely devoid of technique. This is the result of pure power. He's become so strong..."
"Can you make a decision now?" 24 looked at 36 and 1.
Walking out the main gate, the twilight glow illuminated Shanghai. The distant sun radiated its last heat.
Seeing 13, the reporters who had been waiting for a long time raised their cameras. Flashes lit up the area.
At this moment, in the Zhongnanhai conference hall, Beijing.
"Report!" An orderly interrupted the meeting. "Chairman, you must see the TV! Shanghai channel!"
Without reprimanding the soldier's impoliteness, Zhao Xiang knew something had happened. Liu Tao's expression changed, while Adam smiled silently.
"Dear viewers, this is Shanghai TV reporting live for you. I am your field reporter..." Turning on the TV, a beautiful female reporter held a microphone and said, "At 4 PM local time, our station received secret information that the legendary national Sniper King – Special Operations Team Seven sniper 13 – is suspected of being the recently emerged terrifying killer 'Wing'. And 13, who disappeared two years ago, just walked out of the Shanghai Genesis Group headquarters. Everyone, please look!"
The camera quickly panned to the doorway. A young man dressed entirely in black appeared in the frame. He put one hand to his forehead, seemingly bothered by the bright flashes.
"Anyone takes another picture, I'll kill them!" 13's cold sentence stunned the reporters present. They stared blankly at 13, their mouths twitching unnaturally. The hands holding cameras drooped powerlessly.
"Can your channel be seen nationwide?" 13 scanned the crowd before him, his gaze settling on the female reporter.
Was this being singled out for favor? The female reporter tremblingly pointed at herself. Seeing 13 nod, she approached him, both excited and afraid, the cameraman following behind.
Although the country had officially removed 13's name, in everyone's hearts, he was still tacitly acknowledged as a hero. But after the scene in Taipei, everyone also tacitly acknowledged him as the embodiment of terror.
"Our channel is Shanghai Television. It can be seen on any cable TV network..." The reporter took two deep breaths to calm herself.
"Very good!" 13 grabbed the camera lens and pointed it directly at himself. The entire nation finally got a real look at this legendary figure.
"I don't care if you are God or human. If you dare harm my 'father' even once, I will definitely kill you!" After speaking, he left behind a crowd of bewildered people and walked towards the end of the street...
The report wasn't over yet. Three more people walking out of the door attracted everyone's attention...
"Special Operations Team Seven!" The female reporter almost screamed. Since the National Day in 2012, these three had been incredibly famous.
Seeing the harmless trio, the reporters reverted to their usual nature: "scoop grabbing." In an instant, they surrounded the three.
"Excuse me, your appearance here, is it to investigate 13's suspected murder case?" Although unspoken, everyone found it hard to accept that the hero of the past was a murderous madman.
"No need to investigate. He did kill those people," 36 said nonchalantly.
The entire crowd was shocked.
"So 13 is 'Wing'?" the female reporter said in astonishment.
"That's right. He seems to have some special list; he kills according to the list," 1 explained. "Alright, seizing this opportunity, we have an announcement to make!" 24 walked in front of the reporters.
The noisy crowd fell silent.
"After discussion, we have unanimously decided..." 24 cleared his throat. "We announce! 'Special Operations Team Seven' is detaching from Chinese command, becoming an autonomous combat group. All national orders will no longer be executed. The only one we follow is 13!" When mentioning 13, 24's tone was incomparably firm.
"Trea... trea... treason?!" The female reporter trembled again.
At this moment, Zhao Xiang retracted his gaze, looking speechlessly at the calm-faced Liu Tao.
"Interesting..." Adam muttered with a smile. "Getting more and more chaotic. This is exactly what I want..."
The meeting in Zhongnanhai would likely be extended again.