May 22, 2005, Beijing City.
13 has arrived!
When the three followers also set foot on Beijing soil, they were filled with emotion. This kid, 13, had walked the entire way. Except for sleeping four hours every two days, he was basically always walking. Even eating consisted of gnawing on biscuits while walking. For rigorously trained individuals like 1 and the others, this wasn't much, just considered a high-intensity forced march. Along the way, the three just followed quietly. 13 didn't speak, didn't ask why. Yet, often after resting, he could get up and continue, avoiding main roads and specifically choosing to cross mountains. If 24 hadn't stopped him, 36 would have long since lashed out in frustration.
13 suddenly stopped walking; the three followers also stopped. 13 glanced left and right, turned around, and walked towards the three. 1 sighed, relieved inwardly: "He finally wants to show his hand."
Standing in front of 1, 13 thought for a moment and said calmly, "Where is Nie Yun being held?"
"At the Special Operations headquarters in the eastern suburbs." 1 was defeated. He finally firmly believed 36's assessment of 13 – missing a screw.
"Thanks!" 13 turned, ready to continue his journey.
"Aren't you going to ask anything?" 24 looked at 13's back.
"Everything I need to know, I already know." 13's tone was exceptionally cold.
"That's enough, kid!" 36 was on the verge of exploding. "You've gone too far!"
"Did I do something?" 13 looked like he was thinking.
"Didn't do anything great, just messed with us for over ten days." Even the best-tempered 1 became irritated.
"You followed me yourselves..." 13's unspoken words were... serves you right.
"Are you planning to rescue Nie Yun alone?" 24 asked with concern.
"Yes." 13 looked eastward with certainty.
"Beijing is the headquarters of the Special Operations National Defense Force, garrisoned with no less than thirty thousand Special Operations soldiers. Can you find a more comfortable way to die?" 36 said sarcastically.
"Since the country expelled my nationality, we are no longer teammates. It seems my life or death has nothing to do with you." 13 started walking.
24 rushed in front of him, a resounding slap. Everyone was stunned, including 13 who was hit.
"What do you mean your life or death has nothing to do with us? Do you know how worried we were when we heard you disappeared after the battle in Taipei? How can you say such things? Are you really cold-blooded? That day in the sewer, who struggled to let us leave while covering the rear himself? What do you take us for?" Her eyes moistened, but 24 fought back tears. She didn't want 13 to think she was weak again.
"Precisely because of that, I can't let you go..." 13 lowered his head; no one knew his expression now. "It's too dangerous; you'll die. I don't want to drag you down. You should choose another path; mine is a dead end."
"But there's no turning back now." With tears in her eyes, 24 smiled warmly, because 13 was still the same 13. "We've already decided to execute Liu Tao's order – treason. He and all of us believe that only you can save China now."
"China?" 13 looked questioningly at 24. "It raised me, then gave me weapons and told me to kill. After I completed its orders, it called me too cruel and denied my nationality. Say I don't care? Do I really not care? I also wish that when people ask where I'm from, I could normally name a country."
He waved his hand. "Forget it. Since I'm no longer Chinese, what does the country's fate have to do with me?"
This short statement left 24, 1, and 36 speechless. The country owed him too much... too much...
"I advise you to leave quickly. If I can't rescue Nie Yun, I will 'reset' this place to zero!" 13 firmly strode away, leaving the three bewildered figures behind.
"1, do you think he'll really use SEED in the capital?" 36's expression was blank.
"God only knows," 1 sighed habitually.
Walking alone towards the destination, 13 was also hesitant. Saying he would use SEED was a last resort. Actually, 13 didn't want to, didn't want things to be this way.
He gently touched the angel pendant. Perhaps this was the last time he would touch it.
Night, May 22, 2005...
At the Special Operations National Defense Force headquarters in the eastern suburbs of Beijing. Soldiers finished their day's training and returned to their dorms to rest. Only some on duty were patrolling. For them, it was another peaceful night. But for 13, standing outside the perimeter wall, it was not peaceful.
The headquarters' defenses were considerably tight even normally. Six tall watchtowers within the base were manned by sniper-class soldiers equipped with holographic helmets. Below, hundreds of fully armed patrol teams moved back and forth. The wall surrounding the entire base was fifty centimeters thick concrete, over five meters high, topped with high-voltage electric fencing. Special Operations soldiers often jokingly called the base a "prison"; entry and exit were impossible except through the front and back gates.
He pressed against the wall, tapping it lightly to estimate its thickness. Then he took a step back, planting his feet firmly. He gently placed his left hand on the solid wall. Closing his eyes, he breathed slowly. He recalled the scene when fighting the Drunken Fist old man. Power started building from his feet – Tai Chi Push Hands! The character "Wing" reappeared.
What 36 had taught 13 was how to exert the body's power to its limit. Now, channeled through "Wing," the result was...
The cement ground beneath his feet cracked slightly. His left hand left a palm print on the wall. Retracting his hand, 13 looked doubtfully at his "masterpiece."
"Is the force still not enough?" 13 reached out and touched the palm print. Suddenly, cracks appeared around the print. The cracks spread outwards rapidly like scurrying insects. Three seconds later, a large hole, two square meters in area, appeared. Apart from the slight noise of falling cement, 13 was quite satisfied with his first attempt at truly utilizing the power of "Wing."
He easily "infiltrated" the base. Scanning the environment, the base's structure resembled a university campus, with over ten buildings scattered around. Observing carefully, 13, who initially felt somewhat lost, broke into a smile. Because the tallest building had large bronze characters reading "Special Operations Headquarters Command Post." It was almost like a sign saying "no silver buried here."
Under the cover of night, 13 ran towards the main building.
At this moment, Adam was in his office on the top floor of the command post, looking at recently received intelligence.
The intelligence indicated that Japan was indeed making moves. Adam smiled gently. His plan was running perfectly. Driven by the arrogant and conceited Japan, the world would sooner or later fall into his hands. Ryuichi schemed against Adam, but Adam schemed against the world. Even the news that China lacked SEED was intentionally leaked to Japan by him, simply to get a fool to help break the current "peaceful" stalemate. Undoubtedly, Japan was adept and experienced at playing the fool.
Swiveling his chair, he looked at the world map on the wall, sighing with emotion at the world's smallness. After pondering for a moment, Adam's gaze focused on a piece of land adjacent to China...
"This is it." Adam picked up a pen and wrote two characters on the back of a piece of paper.
He summoned an orderly.
"Deliver this to Nie Yun in the 'Observation Room'. Say it's a 'gift' from me." Adam maintained his charming smile.
"Yes, sir!" The orderly took the folder, gave a standard military salute, and left.
Standing in a corner of the building, 13 had carefully studied it. Finally, he decided climbing the drainpipe was the only option. He nimbly climbed to the second floor, which was closer to the windows. But the windows were all covered with metal security mesh. Frustrated for a moment, he extended his left hand, applied force, and removed one bar. Having nowhere to put it, and dropping it would make noise, he had to pierce it through the drainpipe to secure it. After the poor plastic drainpipe was impaled with five metal bars, 13 finally climbed through the window.
He remembered the first time he "embraced" Angel was also through a window-climbing "feat." But this was no dilapidated presidential palace like Chen Shui-bian's, nor was he an indestructible iron man. The only weapon he had was his left hand, possessing immense power. 13 didn't wish for anyone sleepless needing a drink of water to appear. Looking around, his heart settled. It was a spacious room, rows of tall bookshelves neatly filled with books. Probably a library or reading room.
Before he could browse, footsteps outside the door caught 13's attention. He quickly rushed towards the closed door. Undoing the bolt, he yanked the soldier who had just arrived at the door into the room. Clamping a hand over the soldier's mouth to prevent shouting, 13 wrestled the soldier to the ground, locking his limbs tightly; the soldier couldn't even move a finger. 13 pressed three fingers of his left hand onto the soldier's carotid artery. The rapid heartbeat told 13 he was just a rookie. His non-robust physique indicated he was logistics personnel, not combat staff. Such people generally shared a common flaw – poor psychological resilience, simply put, afraid of death.
An evil smile appeared on 13's face.
"Listen, I ask, you answer. Nod for yes or no. I will check your pulse. If you lie, I'll kill you!" 13 whispered into the soldier's ear.
The soldier was indeed terrified. He was the same orderly who had just delivered the letter for Adam.
"Alright, first question. Is Nie Yun in this building?" 13 monitored the pulse.
The soldier trembled and nodded. The pulse was normal; 13 knew he wasn't lying, very cooperative.
"Good boy. Second question, is Adam in the building?"
The soldier nodded again.
The basic questions were done; the next ones required verbal answers. 13 released his left hand from the artery, searched the soldier, and found a metal cigarette case.
"Watch carefully." 13's voice was exceptionally terrifying.
A tight grip, and the cigarette case instantly twisted into a strange shape. The soldier tried to struggle free but still couldn't move.
"Unimaginable, right?" 13 tossed the "wreckage" aside. His hand formed a claw over the soldier's throat, gently gripping the windpipe.
"Now I will release my right hand so you can speak, but watch your volume. When someone wants to call for help, there are many symptoms. For example, they unconsciously take deep breaths, the vocal cords vibrate violently, the heartbeat becomes chaotic. If I sense any of these symptoms appear in you, I will snap your neck. Rest assured, I can definitely end your life before you can shout. Understood?"
The soldier nodded again.
13 slowly removed the hand covering his mouth.
"What do you want to know?" The soldier tried hard to compose himself.
"I want to know Nie Yun's location," 13 said calmly.
"If you promise not to harm the Commander, I'll tell you." It seemed Adam's great image was deeply ingrained in the soldier's heart.
"Okay." 13 nodded.
"He's in Observation Room 3 on the basement level. There's only one Special Operations assault soldier guarding there," the soldier answered honestly.
"Thank you very much for your cooperation. I won't kill you, but you need to sleep for a while!" With that, he quickly pressed his left hand onto the back of his neck again. With slight pressure, the soldier fainted.
Scanning the soldier's build, 13 smiled again.
"Wait for me," 13 thought to himself.