While the army was camped for the night, Xiao Han had arrived early on their return route and picked an ambush spot. He used Pan Kuang and Ji Jie's bodies as bait. The corpses of two base directors would definitely lure Kelte out for a look. The moment Kelte stepped out, he was caught.
Xiao Han hid on a distant cliff. The dummy mine scattered the soldiers, thinning the formation and giving him a clean shot at Kelte.
Sniping a Hai Xia senior officer in front of everyone. With the two bodies there, even without showing himself, they could guess it was him. Xiao Han wasn't worried. No solid evidence. Just speculation. Hai Xia could protest, lodge diplomatic complaints. Bureau 13 just had to deny everything. No blame could be pinned. Just like Kelte's "friendly fire" plan.
"Maybe it was a Raven Valley straggler."
Xiao Han worked the bolt, caught the smoking casing, and pocketed it. No traces.
Kelte had threatened his life. Once the mission was done, it was settling time. Bro Xiao had always been the type to fight back. Someone tries to kill you? You fight back. No matter who they are. You fight back from every angle. Fight back until they're dead.
Through the scope, he watched Hai Xia forces erupt into chaos. Soldiers scrambled into vehicles, roaring toward the shot's origin.
Xiao Han folded the rifle into his pack. Calm. He'd chosen this spot for a clean escape.
He turned and jumped. Freefall. He slapped a button on his pack. Two thin metal wings deployed, catching the air. He glided down toward the forest below.
Swallow Cloud Glider.
The soldiers reached the cliff edge. All they saw was a swallow-shaped figure disappearing into the distance.
---
The Bureau 13 team was stunned. They hadn't thought Xiao Han had the balls to snipe a Hai Xia commander.
Satisfying? Sure. But the consequences were severe. Killing a senior officer on their turf? What couldn't this guy do?
Qi Baijia's heart was in his throat. When the pursuing soldiers came back empty-handed, he breathed again. "As long as he got away, no evidence. Room to argue."
"Wait. If Xiao Han stays hidden, doesn't that mean we take the interrogation in his place?"
Their eyes went wide. The more they thought, the more it felt like something Xiao Han would do.
How could one person be this much of a liability?!
Furious Hai Xia soldiers surrounded them, shoving them into vehicles under guard. All the way back to the border. The adjutant, trembling, reported Kelte's death. Hai Xia high command's fury was immediate.
Bureau 13 was the prime suspect. Hai Xia operatives came to interrogate.
Bureau 13 held firm. They knew nothing. Hai Xia ground their teeth. Wen Na faced the stonewalling and felt deep helplessness.
Everyone knew it was him. But no evidence. Not even a shell casing. Endless interrogations, fruitless. And with Bureau 13 status, no torture allowed. Protests from above got ignorred. Exactly the dirty trick Kelte had planned. Now Hai Xia tasted that same frustration.
Bureau 13's Intelligence Director flew in on a special plane. Star Dragon high command intervened. Without solid proof, Hai Xia had to release them.
The Director led them out of the interrogation room and onto the plane. Safe. Only then did Qi Baijia report the details. The Director listened, then sighed. "He causes too much trouble. Lucky there's no evidence, or Hai Xia wouldn't let this go."
Qi Baijia looked sheepish. As the action director in charge, he felt responsible.
The Director glanced at him and said nothing. He recalled the bureau's internal reaction to the news. Kelte's actions were probably approved by Hai Xia high command. Why else send a hardliner officer to lead? Their sneakiness disgusted him. But now? Hai Xia tried to screw Star Dragon and got screwed themselves. Lost an officer and couldn't even complain.
"That kid did well." The Director nodded inwardly. Even the hardliners had no complaints. They actually admired it. You try to stab us in the back? We'll stab yours.
But admiration aside, the recent internal meeting had reached a consensus. No more indulgence. Xiao Han couldn't stay out of their sight. A valuable intel source lost would be a real loss.
His cooperation had made them lenient. This joint operation was a wake-up call. All future operation requests would be denied.
The proposal passed unanimously. Even the conservatives agreed. They wanted his intel, but he wasn't leaving headquarters control again.
The Director's thoughts snapped back. He scanned the agent team, checked his watch, frowned. "Where's Xiao Han?"
Qi Baijia shook his head. "No idea."
"Bro Xiao just contacted me." Lin Yao suddenly pressed his earpiece. Excited. Then his face changed.
The Director's dread went cold. "What did he say?"
Lin Yao swallowed. "Bro Xiao said... he's lying low for a while."
"Lying low. Makes sense..." The Director nodded automatically. Then it hit him. "He's not coming back?"
Zhang Wei's face went blank. Li Yalin's eyes went wide. Lambet's pupils shrank.
Everyone was stunned.
Going solo.
There really was nothing this guy wouldn't do.
---
Twenty minutes later. Bureau 13 headquarters. Gu Hui convened an emergency meeting. Directors not at headquarters joined via comms. Every face was grim.
"Xiao Han's gone." Gu Hui's voice was heavy.
Silence.
"Defection?" someone asked.
"Not sure. Before this, he sniped a Hai Xia officer. Could be he's afraid of the consequences, so he ran. But that possibility's low." The Intelligence Director spoke.
The Directors felt a collective ache in their livers. That reason didn't hold water. Did Xiao Han think Star Dragon couldn't protect him? Don't underestimate them like that.
"What about the satellite tracker installed in his phone?"
"It stopped moving at one location twenty-four hours ago. Xiao Han found it and removed it. Ditched."
The Internal Affairs Director slammed the table. "This is defection. He can't get far. Only option is the wilderness. We have to bring him back."
"Can't confirm defection yet." Gu Hui waved a hand.
The assembled Directors sat in silent frustration. They'd planned to control Xiao Han in Western Capital once he returned. But he'd pulled an unexpected vanishing act. Threw their entire plan into chaos.
Was this premeditated, or a snap decision?
Defection, or something else?
When an agent goes off-grid, and you can't confirm defection or other causes, the first step is sending people to track them. Make contact. Gauge their reaction. Then decide on a course of action.
If the target keeps running or resists, no choice. Global manhunt. Kill order.
If the target has a valid reason, that avoids misunderstanding and wrongful death.
The Intelligence Director suddenly spoke. "New intel. On the dark web. Sprout's bounty on Xiao Han just quintupled. Now at five million."
Everyone stirred. This operation was supposed to be a joint national effort. How did Sprout know Xiao Han was the key player? Was there a mole?
The increased bounty showed Sprout's kill intent was stronger than ever. And Sprout had previously pinned Xiao Han's location to Western Capital. Maybe that's why he chose to leave?
But wasn't he afraid of getting locked down by Sprout in the wilderness? Getting hunted by their armed forces out there? In the wild, Sprout had no restraints. They could level the area with missiles, no problem.
"He came to Star Dragon for shelter in the first place. So why now... suddenly confident enough to leave?"
That Director's question echoed everyone's confusion.
Gu Hui's fingers tapped the table. He made the call. "For now, we keep his agent status active. File him under missing personnel. Intelligence division, pull all surveillance footage. Entry and exit records. Airport manifests. Train tickets. Try to establish contact. And dispatch search teams. Find him first. Then we talk."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
---
On the return flight, the Bureau 13 agents kept glancing at Zhang Wei's four-person team in the corner. That's where the low pressure center was.
Zhang Wei's hands were steepled over his nose. Face grim. Veins in his forehead twitching.
Lambet silently polished his dagger. Not a word.
Li Yalin radiated anxiety and resentment. Her leg bounced nonstop. The black catsuit did nothing to hide the long, elegant lines of her thighs.
Lin Yao sat trembling on the sidelines. He wanted to escape the trio's orbit. But also didn't dare move. Shivering mess.
"This is too much! He just leaves? Does he even see us as teammates?!" Li Yalin slammed the table. The crack made the eavesdropping agents jump.
Zhang Wei's folded hands hid his lower face. His eyes held the listless gaze of a salted fish. He murmured, "He modified my armour... No one else can fix it."
"..."
The eavesdroppers had no idea what expression to offer. That really was a tragic story.
Li Yalin ground her teeth. "He asked me to take orders for him. Dozens of them piled up. People paid deposits. Gave the money to him. What am I supposed to do now?!"
The agents blinked. Then remembered. They'd placed orders too.
Oh shit.
Our deposits.
"I vouched for him! On my reputation! That troublemaker!" Li Yalin's tone carried the wounded fury of a woman scorned. She grabbed Lin Yao's arm and pinched, hard, venting.
Lin Yao hissed, sucking air through his teeth. He leaped away like a startled rabbit, rubbing the abused spot furiously. "Calm down! Calm down!"
Lambet spoke quietly. "Do any of you know who he really is?"
The three froze.
Right. All this time together, and they still didn't know Xiao Han's true identity. The guy was mysterious. Never dropped a single clue about his history. And the higher-ups were tight-lipped about it.
A wave of defeat washed over them.
Li Yalin cracked her knuckles. Pop. Pop. "When I find him, I'm going to beat the crap out of him."