Chapter 111: Walking with the Assassin

Liu Jingye was both angry and resentful—once again, that foolish woman had acted rashly.

“How can you be so eager to take credit!” Liu Jingye muttered helplessly to the already disconnected phone. “Just because your family has been loyal officials for generations, you blindly climb upward to avoid disgracing them, risking your life!”

He genuinely wanted to let her go and suffer the consequences, but how could he? Yuan Xiaoying was his only official girlfriend.

Chen Yuxin was just a matchmaker’s suggestion, and Wei Xiaorou at most a one-night affair.

“Yuan Xiaoying, you’d better take care of yourself. I hope you’re still alive when I get there,” Liu Jingye said angrily. Yet his hands were busy—dressed neatly, he loaded the massive Desert Eagle, tucked it into his jacket, then fished out a violin case from under the bed.

But today was different; there was no time to prepare. A fierce battle was likely awaiting him, so he opened the case immediately and swiftly assembled the sniper rifle.

In just twenty seconds, a rifle capable of killing from a thousand miles away was assembled. He raised it and tested the sight.

At that moment, through the scope, he suddenly saw a figure.

“Ah…” Tang Shiya was frozen in terror at the scene, too frightened to move. She was still dressed in her pajamas—a delicate camisole with no undergarments and extremely short shorts. If ankle-revealing trousers are called seven-point pants and those reaching the knee five-point, then hers were essentially one-point shorts.

At such close range, the scope blurred her figure but sharply focused on the curves of her chest—clear and prominent.

Liu Jingye was momentarily stunned, then quickly slung the rifle over his back. Looking at Tang Shiya’s pale, terrified face, he smiled slightly and said, “Do you want to come hunting with me?”

Tang Shiya shook her head mechanically, then suddenly stretched out her hand, her eyes vacant. She groped forward like a blind person and said, “I just came down to find some food. Can you help me get it? I have severe rheumatism; when it’s cloudy or rainy, my joints hurt terribly, and sometimes I even go temporarily blind.”

Liu Jingye forced a bitter smile and thought: “That’s a quick response, but a poor excuse. I’ve never heard rheumatism cause blindness.”

“I’m in a hurry to go out. You can look for it yourself. By the way, there’s a cockroach at your feet!” Liu Jingye said.

Tang Shiya screamed and dashed over, leaping onto his bed.

Liu Jingye grinned with satisfaction. Slinging the rifle on his back, he donned a raincoat, hopped on his motorcycle, and vanished into the mist and rain.

Tang Shiya exhaled deeply, collapsed onto the bed, patted her chest, still trembling with fear, and thought: “Who exactly is he? Why does he have a gun? And those deadly scars on his body…”

Liu Jingye couldn’t care about Tang Shiya’s thoughts now. That foolish Yuan Xiaoying’s life was still uncertain!

He sped through the wind and rain, soon arriving at the designated spot. There was no sign of a car blocking the road, meaning Lin Shengnan and the others were not caught in the trap—a relief to Liu Jingye.

Though no one was blocking the way, the road had been sealed by the police, signaling something serious had happened inside.

Carrying his gun, Liu Jingye naturally had to avoid police detection. He looked around and saw a derelict water tower about twenty to thirty meters tall nearby—a water supply facility from over thirty years ago, long abandoned. The gate was tightly shut, with only a rusty iron ladder on the outside.

Ignoring the danger of the ladder breaking, Liu Jingye braved the wind and rain and climbed straight up, reaching the top without incident. The wind was fierce, the rain heavy, but his vision remained clear. To his surprise, there was someone on the tower.

With a soft clatter, the figure raised a gun, aiming directly at his head.

Through the rain and mist, Liu Jingye recognized the person—it was someone familiar. He smiled faintly and said, “I’ve told you before, don’t point a gun at me. That thing in your hands is just a toy to me!”

The beautiful assassin known as ‘Shang’ was furious, nearly firing immediately, but more than anger, she was stunned. She wore a two-piece raincoat, loose, with a hood and goggles. How could he still recognize her?

“Don’t be surprised. I could tell it was you just by how you hold your gun,” Liu Jingye said. “You like to support the front end with your left hand and rest the stock on your upper arm, not the crook of your arm. Honestly, those aren’t good habits.”

‘Shang’ was completely impressed by Liu Jingye’s sharp eye and extensive knowledge. Only someone who slept with a gun every night and had battle experience could possess such skills.

“You’re here to kill Huang Guangzong too, right? Tell me what’s going on,” Liu Jingye said, feigning friendliness. He didn’t want to start a conflict now.

“I’m not your subordinate. No need to listen to you,” ‘Shang’ snapped. Then, noticing Liu Jingye had put down the sniper rifle, she became excited. “That’s my gun.”

“Now it’s my trophy,” Liu Jingye replied. “People who’ve been disarmed should be grateful to be alive.”

“You…” ‘Shang’ wanted to attack immediately but lacked full confidence. She knew that if she moved first, Liu Jingye would retaliate mercilessly and could easily kill her.

The first time Liu Jingye faced her sniper rifle, he dodged two bullets effortlessly, terrifying the already timid ‘Shang’ and leaving an indelible shadow on her psyche. Perhaps only his death or a personal defeat at her hands could lift that shadow—but she lacked the courage now.

Liu Jingye treated her indifferently, walking to the edge of the water tower and peering down through the scope.

In the middle of the street was a black prison transport vehicle, its hood billowing thick smoke that the rain couldn’t extinguish. Around the van were many scorched marks.

“What exactly happened?” Liu Jingye asked.

‘Shang’ replied sourly: “Huang Guangzong jumped out to hijack the prison transport. There were six of them, each threw a grenade, instantly forcing the surrounding police to retreat. They successfully stopped the van, but five were shot dead by the police.

“That old fox Huang is cunning. At the critical moment, he took a female officer hostage inside the van, tied her to his car. The police shot decisively, but his vehicle is an armored, bomb-proof car. He’s also armed with grenades or bombs, threatening to detonate them if the police keep shooting, taking the hostage with him. So now it’s a standoff.

“He demands the immediate release of his son and a helicopter prepared.”

“Female officer?” Liu Jingye’s ears practically went deaf at those words. He heard nothing else—only clenched teeth and bitter hatred. “I told her not to be stubborn. But no, she had to play tough and became a hostage. Twice now the Huang family father and son have hijacked her. What a strange fate. A pity she didn’t become my wife.”

Through the scope, Liu Jingye saw a black sedan with the right door dented and several bullet marks that didn’t penetrate. Except for the windshield, the windows were tinted black.

Huang Guangzong and the unfortunate Yuan Xiaoying sat in the front driver and passenger seats. Yuan Xiaoying was strapped in with a seatbelt, her hands handcuffed behind the seat. Huang’s face was hideously grim; in one hand he held an electric detonator.

With the other hand, he held a walkie-talkie, negotiating with the surrounding police. Liu Jingye read his lips: “Bring my son immediately and have the helicopter ready. Otherwise, every five minutes I’ll throw a grenade outside. I have plenty in store. I’ll take this woman down with me.”

There was no doubt the police would do their best to cooperate—Yuan Xiaoying’s status was clear, and no mistakes could be allowed.

At this moment, Yuan Xiaoying’s face was filled with despair. Liu Jingye understood her mood—she’d hoped for another chance to earn merit and reward, but the other side was prepared with heavy weapons. One grenade had destroyed her car and captured her.

“Useless!” Liu Jingye cursed. “One grenade took you down. If I ever open fire on you, you won’t survive.”

“Boom…” A loud explosion rang out. Flames shot into the sky amid the heavy rain, shrapnel flying everywhere.

A grenade had been thrown from the van’s sunroof, where some police were preparing to storm. They dropped immediately, then retreated fifty meters.

“Four minutes and thirty seconds until the next five-minute interval!” Huang Guangzong screamed hysterically into the radio.

As the situation spiraled out of control, the police were at a loss, especially with Yuan Xiaoying captured, throwing them into confusion. They began considering agreeing to Huang’s demands—at least to bring Huang’s son, hoping the father and son’s reunion might offer a chance.

But the odds were slim. The adversary’s armored, bomb-proof car was impervious to ordinary bullets.

At this moment, Liu Jingye and ‘Shang’ were also planning, possibly to cooperate.

“You shot his car last time. How many shots do you think the bulletproof glass can take?” Liu Jingye asked.

“You know that too?” ‘Shang’ was speechless, feeling like dealing with a monster.

Liu Jingye waved her off, signaling her to stop wasting words. ‘Shang’ sighed: “Though the material is special, two shots from a sniper rifle can definitely break the glass. But…”

Liu Jingye interrupted: “But after two shots, they’ll panic and be on guard. They might even harm the hostage.”

He fell silent, glancing at the sniper rifle in ‘Shang’s’ hands—a formidable AS50, arguably the world’s top sniper rifle. Far more advanced than his own crude firearm, and capable of firing five rounds in 1.5 seconds, with devastating 12.7mm caliber bullets.

Suddenly, an idea struck him—a plan to rescue Yuan Xiaoying and kill Huang Guangzong.