"Li Hua, chief surgeon at Holy City Hospital. Graduated from New York University. His life and work schedule are extremely regular—basically just commuting between the Hospital and his residence. He rarely goes out unnecessarily and has almost no other entertainment activities.
"However, every Sunday without fail, he sets aside time to eat at a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. On his way there each week, at a fixed time, that should be our best opportunity to capture him without anyone noticing."
The Hydra agent leading the team assigned to capture Li Hua looked over the compiled dossier in his hands and spoke to his squad members.
"This Li Hua won't be difficult to deal with. Although he has some reputation in New York's surgical circles, it won't take much effort to grab him, and it won't cause any major disturbance.
"But Dan Kuroto—president of the Genm Group—that man won't be easy to catch," another Hydra agent said from the side.
"We can't exactly storm into Genm Group's headquarters and grab him, can we?"
Although Genm Group was technically just a gaming company, its sheer size gave it tremendous influence. Its headquarters were located in the busiest commercial district of Manhattan. If they barged in recklessly, things would immediately spiral out of control.
Putting aside whether the objective could even be completed, a blatant terrorist-style attack in New York's most prosperous business district would force the U.S. government and the NYPD to consider how nearby major corporations would react.
They would definitely investigate with everything they had, and it might end up causing serious trouble for themselves.
"Even though we've been authorized to use any means necessary to capture the targets, it's still best to keep the impact of our operation within reasonable limits."
The Hydra squad leader nodded in agreement. "Have our intelligence people continue monitoring Dan Kuroto's movements. We'll wait for a suitable opportunity and try to capture him without causing too much of a stir."
As the head of a world-class gaming giant, Genm Group's president naturally attracted a great deal of attention.
A mysterious disappearance and an abduction carried out by unidentified terrorists storming into the headquarters would have completely different levels of impact and fallout.
"Then we'll capture Li Hua first?" one of the squad members asked.
The squad leader nodded, pinning Li Hua's photograph to the wall with a thumbtack and pointing at it.
"We move this weekend."
Weekend
Li Hua changed out of his doctor's white coat and prepared to head to Chinatown.
"Li, going to Chinatown to eat again?" Elena asked as she passed by. Seeing Li Hua like this, she immediately understood that he was following his usual routine.
Li Hua nodded and picked up the game cartridge and the player driver, placing them into his bag.
"You're just going to eat. Why are you bringing the cartridge and driver with you?" Elena asked, puzzled by his actions.
Li Hua's expression remained calm. "Just in case. We need to be prepared for a Bugster virus outbreak at any time.
"You remember the first time we encountered Gwen, when we eliminated the newly born Bugster at Midtown High School."
Elena's expression stiffened slightly, and she nodded. "Of course I remember. That time, I was at home without my cartridge or driver. I couldn't get to the scene immediately."
Li Hua zipped up the bag containing the cartridge and player driver and slung it over his back.
"The power that Parado and Genm possess now is far beyond that of ordinary Bugsters. If they make any move or put any plan into action, we must be able to rush to the scene immediately to stop them.
"If we're delayed, it could lead to massive casualties."
Elena nodded gravely. "You're right. We really should carry our player drivers and game cartridges with us at all times, ready to confront the Bugster virus."
Li Hua showed a satisfied expression, gave Elena an affirming look, then turned and left.
Chinatown
"The target has appeared."
A Hydra agent waiting along the route spotted Li Hua and immediately reported to the squad leader.
"Action team, move in on the target. Use anesthetic injections. Once the target is incapacitated, get him into the vehicle and relocate immediately," the Hydra squad leader ordered.
"Understood."
Several Hydra agents surrounding Li Hua responded and approached him from different directions.
Li Hua was thinking about what dishes he should order once he reached the restaurant when he sensed something was wrong—but by then, several Hydra agents had already closed in around him.
"You people are—"
Li Hua frowned slightly, about to ask who they were and what they wanted.
Suddenly, he felt a faint sting, followed by a wave of weakness spreading throughout his body. His strength drained away, his body going limp, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
Two Hydra agents immediately supported him from either side, just like friends helping a drunk man walk.
Li Hua was escorted into a car parked by the roadside.
"The operation was successful. The target has been captured."
After placing Li Hua in the vehicle and administering a sedative injection to knock him unconscious, one of the Hydra agents immediately reported to the squad leader.
"Excellent. Transport the target to the base immediately and prepare for interrogation," the squad leader said with satisfaction.
"Who are you people? Why did you capture me?"
Li Hua suddenly woke up from his groggy state and saw the shadowy figures concealing their identities in front of him. He demanded an answer.
Several Hydra agents froze slightly. They hadn't expected Li Hua to wake up so quickly—he had just arrived at the base.
Under normal circumstances and based on prior experience, an ordinary person should have remained unconscious for another one or two hours.
Although it was strange, since Li Hua was awake, they decided to proceed directly with the interrogation.
"Where did you get these two items from?"
The Hydra squad leader took the game cartridge and player driver out of Li Hua's bag and placed them in front of him.
Li Hua frowned. "You kidnapped me for the player driver and the game cartridge?"
"That's right. You'd better obediently explain the origins of these items, or you're going to suffer," a Hydra agent beside him said, pulling out a dagger and waving it in front of Li Hua's eyes.
"Who exactly are you?" Li Hua asked calmly, as if he hadn't heard the threat at all. "The government? The military? Or some financial conglomerate?"
"That's none of your concern."
The Hydra agent glared fiercely at Li Hua. "You just need to answer my questions!"
Li Hua slowly scanned his surroundings. "Judging by how you hide your identities, you wouldn't happen to be some terrorist organization, would you? Trying to seize control of the Bugster virus's power?"
"So what if we are?" the squad leader stared straight at him.
Li Hua's eyes sharpened, his tone turning solemn. "The Bugster virus is absolutely not a power that can be easily controlled. One small mistake, and it will lead to extremely severe consequences.
"I will never tell people like you anything about the game cartridges or the player driver!"
"Looks like you need to suffer a bit first," one of the Hydra agents said, cracking his knuckles and preparing to act.
But the squad leader raised a hand to stop him.
"Captain?"
The squad leader calmly shook his head. "Why be so crude? We have truth serum. Are you really worried we won't get the information we want?"
As he spoke, he took out a syringe from his clothing.
(End of Chapter)