Lying in the back of a cargo truck he had just hitched a ride on, 13 moved towards an unknown destination.
He wasn't thinking about what to do next. Staring blankly at the sky, he remembered he hadn't read Xiao Wu's letter yet.
Gently opening it, a fragrance favored by girls emanated from it.
"To Zhang Jie:
Happy reading!
Isn't that childish? But that's just me. Don't like it? Hit me then! Hehe!
I heard you're leaving, and I'm very unhappy. Even though you're leaving for my sake, I'm still unhappy. Kissing you that day, I meant it. All that stuff about thanking you for saving my life was a lie. I like you—no! I love you. I hope to perform with you, eat with you, watch movies with you, make love... do things with you (hehe, did I trick you?). But I know that's not possible. Actually, I've always wanted to say, you're a big idiot! If you want others to accept your past, you should first learn to let go of the past yourself. The one who truly cares isn't others, but yourself. But seeing the look in your eyes when you saved me, I understand, you can't let go, you must not let go. It might not be fair to you, but your power can indeed save many, many people who need help. They long for your salvation. Power isn't just for showing off or fighting; it can also be used to help those you deem worthy of helping. You are like a god living among mortals, and a god's duty is to save the world. Don't evade your responsibility.
Sigh, it feels much better to say it out loud.
I think I'll be in love with you for a while. Who asked you to look so handsome when you saved me? And sing so beautifully? I guess no girl can resist your charm. Kid, remember 'don't pick the wildflowers by the roadside'. I know you won't; you must have someone you love deeply. When you were with me, you'd unconsciously think of her too. Your song must have been sung for her as well. When you think of her, your eyes look so sad, it makes people want to cry. She's the girl in the pendant, right? Don't deny it; a girl's intuition is very accurate! I have to admit she's very beautiful; I can't compare to her. You have good taste too. But I'm still jealous, jealous of her. If I could make you just stand there for me every day, even for just 10 minutes, 1 minute, I would faint from happiness, even death wouldn't matter.
I've decided, from now on, when someone pursues me, I'll ask him: 'Can you bear the potentially fatal trouble for me?' If not, I won't even bother with him. Hehe!
There's really so, so much I want to say to you, but I hate writing letters to you because you can only listen to me speak, but you don't answer, just like my love for you, which seems like it will never be reciprocated.
Forget it! No more rambling, let's get to the point!
Remember my dad's calligraphy scroll? I didn't expect it to be so valuable. I exchanged it with the antique shop owner for something. I know you might feel a bit bad about it (will you really?). You saved his daughter; this reward is deserved. It's that pendant you've been thinking about for so long. This way, you don't have to worry anymore. Your angel can be by your side every day.
Finally, I wish you happiness every day!
Eternal bliss!
Love isn't about not being able to live if someone leaves, but about being happier when someone is together with someone else.
—Xiao Wu's quote
Hehe!"
Picking up the envelope, he tipped it over. A shiny pure gold pendant fell into his hand.
"Actually, that day, the reluctance I mentioned included you too. And the song that day was for you." 13 hung the pendant around his neck.
"You've also indirectly helped me." 13 took out Yuntian's notebook. "Consider this repaying you once."
13 looked up at the blue sky. "You said China's corruption is beyond saving? I wonder if I can do it?"
The truck drove towards its destination, carrying 13, stirring up a new "wind."
April 20, 2013, the entire country was shrouded in a shadow of terror. Every day, the news reported deaths. The nights in various cities became much quieter. A killer known as "Wing" roamed different regions. Since April 1st, over 28 government officials had died tragically at his hands. Each was killed with a utility knife, and a brand new utility knife was left embedded in their bodies. It was said that a note was pinned to each knife. As for the content, only the staff who collected the bodies knew. The only thing they revealed to the media was that the signature on the note was the character "Wing".
Some meticulous media outlets noticed that all the deceased were prominent municipal-level officials in their respective areas, including People's Congress representatives and directors of various bureaus. There were rumors of corruption surrounding them, more or less. Gradually, two conclusions emerged: Wing was a foreign spy, an assassin specially sent to China to disrupt internal affairs; the other theory was that he was a genuine Chinese citizen, simply dissatisfied with the current government, using murder to vent his resentment. This was the public's view. But in the hearts of various officials, everyone knew who the dead were – all major corrupt figures in their localities. Each had illicit funds amounting to tens of millions. News leaked from within indicated that the notes detailed the victims' criminal evidence.
For a time, everyone felt insecure. For the first time, the Chinese government went 20 days without any illicit transactions. Everyone prayed their name wasn't on Wing's list.
May 1, 2013, Labor Day. The country had a holiday as usual, but in Zhongnanhai, a meeting gathering important officials from various regions was underway. The meeting was so important that even the rarely seen Commander-in-Chief of the Special Operations National Defense Force, Nie—Adam, attended.
"This is ridiculous!" The Mayor of Guangzhou looked at Li Lei, the Section Chief of the Political Department's National Security Section, and said, "Someone with a utility knife killed 65 government officials in 30 days! The Chongqing Municipal Committee member was killed during a meeting, and the other 13 officials present were also killed. I really don't know where national security comes from!"
"Don't speak if you don't know the situation!" Li Lei completely ignored the sarcasm. "Have you all read the detailed reports? Every person killed had only one wound, and it was exceptionally neat. Experts analyze that its power is at least equivalent to a paper cutter weighing over 2 tons falling from a height of 5 meters. A utility knife weighs only a few hundred grams, yet it can cleanly sever human bone. Do you know anyone on Earth capable of this?"
"Whether he's human or not, you should all catch the killer," added a Standing Committee member from Shenzhen.
"Is he really a killer?" Li Lei threw a stack of bloody notes onto the table. "Every official he killed either embezzled bribes over a million or bent the law for personal gain and had blood on their hands. If it weren't for my duty, I would definitely applaud him."
"Comrade Li Lei, please be mindful of your position!" A voice silenced the room. Liu Tao was flipping through documents.
"Sorry," Li Lei apologized.
"Impressive! Able to kill the target even when precautions were taken. Such confidence and arrogance... I only know one person like that."
"Alright, everyone. Please leave first; the meeting will continue in the afternoon. I have something to discuss with Vice Chairman Liu and Commander Nie now," Chairman Zhao Xiang said.
(Zhao Xiang, 67 years old, President of the country, an absolute hawk, whose lifelong goal is to restore China to the glory of the Tang Dynasty)
Everyone understood they weren't privy to the next part and exited the conference room one by one. When the last person left, the door was locked from the outside, and about twenty special operations soldiers quickly surrounded the entrance, looking like anyone eavesdropping would die.
"13 did it." Liu Tao was still looking through the documents.
"What does Commander Nie think?" Zhao Xiang looked at Adam opposite him.
"In China, only he has this capability." Adam picked up a photo to admire it. "Cutting from below the waist, diagonally up to the shoulder, slicing through all the ribs, directly drawing out. What a perfect cut."
"Hasn't shown his face for two years? Why appear now? And why kill government officials upon appearing?" Zhao Xiang pondered.
"Perhaps planning a coup?" Adam's nonchalant sentence shook Zhao Xiang's heart.
"He has no desire for power. There must be his own reason for killing." Liu Tao put down the documents.
"It seems Vice Chairman Liu knows him quite well? I remember you two had quite a relationship, and he listened to you for a period. I wonder if Vice Chairman Liu instigated this incident?" Adam smiled at Liu Tao.
"If I did, I would definitely have him kill you, bastard, first." Liu Tao also looked at Adam.
"Stop fighting amongst yourselves. Our job now is to catch him, not investigate who the mastermind is. At this rate, the government will probably collapse by the end of the year. We must stop him." Zhao Xiang eased the tense atmosphere.
"I will handle this matter. After all, he is a predecessor of our Special Operations force. He is tarnishing our honor," Adam said, standing up and walking towards the door. "Just wait and see the performance of our Special Operations National Defense Force!"
The door closed again. Liu Tao slammed his palm on the mahogany tabletop.
He didn't speak for a long time.
Liu Tao looked at the Chairman and said firmly, "We need to talk. Not as superior and subordinate, but as Chinese people!"
"We do indeed need to talk without our titles," Zhao Xiang sighed, "but as human beings."
Liu Tao's heart tightened.