Chapter 107: Operation (IV)

Li Wensheng was stunned, staring at the document in his hands—a list that could hardly be called a mere roster of collaborators.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed from outside. With no time to dwell on the matter, he swept all the documents into his system’s spatial storage, then cleared the safe of the tens of thousands of US dollars inside.

The moment the cash vanished, a gunshot rang out, followed by a bullet striking the doorframe.

That single shot served as a signal; immediately, a hail of gunfire erupted. Li Wensheng dove to the side, rolling across the floor until he was pressed against the wall near the door. As he rose, his left hand drew his pistol, and he fired at the first figure stepping into the room.

A single shot hit the man square between the eyes.

*Bang! Bang!* The gunfire became relentless.

Pinned against the wall, Li Wensheng relied on his supernatural marksmanship. In an instant, several bodies lay crumpled at the threshold.

Though he had suppressed them, Li Wensheng, drenched in sweat, felt a rising sense of urgency. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't worry about being trapped; his storage space held enough ammunition and rations to outlast even the thirst of Eiichi Iwai, who was hidden in the secret room. But now, both his arms were injured. The pain in his left arm made his aim unsteady, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he could no longer pull the trigger.

"Better to fight my way out than wait for death."

With a silent whisper, Li Wensheng pulled an American grenade from his storage. He pulled the pin and tossed it toward the door. Amidst the thunderous explosion, a Czech light machine gun materialized in his hands.

He took two quick strides toward the entrance, emerging from the room through the swirling dust of the blast.

*Bang, bang, bang...*

The men at the door had scrambled to either side to avoid the grenade and had lost their focus on the doorway. Li Wensheng’s sudden appearance allowed him to fire directly into their backs.

Within three seconds, he had neutralized the men on the left. Sweating profusely from the agony in his arms, he darted back into the room.

No sooner had he ducked inside than those on the right, having regained their composure, opened fire. Seeing Li Wensheng retreat, the leader raised a hand to signal a cease-fire. He then led his men forward, inching cautiously toward the door.

He had taken only two steps when his pupils dilated in terror. He dove to the side, screaming, "Grenade!"

His men reacted quickly, scattering in all directions.

But because the leader had been in front, he had blocked their line of sight; by the time they heard his warning, it was already too late. A deafening boom claimed three lives and left several others severely wounded.

Before the injured could even cry out, the rattle of a machine gun silenced them all.

Once the firing stopped and the dust settled, Li Wensheng, soaked in sweat, tucked the machine gun back into his storage and let out a sharp, pained hiss. He took a few deep breaths, waiting for the worst of the pain to subside, then glanced at his left arm. The bandages had long since burst, and his sleeve was soaked in blood.

"Sigh, I was reckless. More reckless than the time I went to assassinate Hirohito."

With a silent sigh, he headed for the stairwell.

The men he had just faced were the guards from the first and second floors, as well as the rooftop, so Li Wensheng encountered no one as he descended from the third floor to the first. However, just as he neared the first-floor landing, he heard rapid footsteps approaching from around the corner of the corridor.

He froze, thought for a split second, and then turned to sprint back up the stairs.

Reaching the second floor, he lunged for the handle of a room next to the stairwell. It was locked. He produced a piece of wire from his pocket in an instant. As he picked the lock, the footsteps in the stairwell grew louder. Panic flickered in his chest, but the lock clicked open just in time. He slipped inside and pulled the door shut behind him.

The moment the door latched, Hase arrived at the second-floor landing. Just as he was about to continue up to the third, a strange feeling washed over him. He stopped, turned, and scanned the second-floor hallway.

The rest of the group halted behind him. Seeing Hase standing still after his quick observation, a middle-aged man in the group urged, "Captain Hase, let’s not delay."

Hase frowned but turned and headed upstairs. Though he felt uneasy, finding Eiichi Iwai was the priority.

When they reached the third floor and saw the pile of corpses in the hallway, they froze. Hase shouted in alarm, "Damn it! The killer is still in this building!"

Seeing the bodies, Hase realized what had felt wrong. If the killer had been captured, the guards would have been on high alert. Even if they were all concentrated on the third floor, his team’s loud footsteps on the stairs should have alerted the guards to send someone down. If the killer hadn't been captured, he had to still be in the building.

Ever since the explosion, Hase had been watching the exits. Not a single person had left the building. While there were many windows, they were all barred; the only way out was the front door.

"Ohashi, take your men to find the Consul. Fourth Squad, seal the exits downstairs immediately. Fifth Squad, with me!" Hase commanded.

As Hase rushed back downstairs, the men dispersed to carry out their orders.

Hase reached the second floor and began a rapid search. He chose the second floor first because he reasoned that if he were the killer, he would hide there. The third floor was too obvious, and the first floor offered no room for retreat if guards were present at the entrance.

Hase’s reaction was timely, but he was still one step behind. As soon as Li Wensheng heard the footsteps heading back up, he waited two seconds and then slipped out, dashing toward the first floor.

Earlier, when Hase had first arrived, he had ordered the night guards to hold their positions and the day shift teams searching the perimeter to gather. Some of the day shift teams were fast and had followed Hase into the building, but others were slower. Just as two teams arrived, they saw Li Wensheng sprinting out.

Seeing the blood on him and his frantic pace, they realized he was the killer and immediately drew their weapons.

*Bang, bang, bang...*

They drew their guns, but it was Li Wensheng who fired first.

Seeing the group, Li Wensheng turned and ran toward the right, firing his pistol as he moved. He didn't bother to aim—it would have been futile, as his arms were shaking violently from the pain, making his aim erratic. The gunfire was merely a distraction to force them to take cover and buy himself a few seconds.

Those who hadn't seen true combat, no matter how long they had trained, reacted to gunfire with one instinct: to duck.

As soon as Li Wensheng fired, half the men dove to the ground, while the others scrambled to the sides. A few brave ones tried to return fire, but they were only two, and Li Wensheng moved with such speed—like a gust of wind—that they couldn't land a single shot.