Volume One, Chapter 20: Mission Accomplished

Lin Xi’s figure flickered through the floors, swiftly arriving at Bai Vulture’s door. With a card pinched between his fingers, he slid it along the door seam, effortlessly unlocking the impenetrable security door.

No sooner had he pushed it open than a sharp sonic boom erupted. Anticipating the sound, Lin Xi had already dropped low and rolled backward on the ground.

Rising again, he saw a small, pitch-black hole had appeared in the previously empty wall behind him. Without hesitation, he kept rolling on the floor as a volley of gunfire rang out within the room, every bullet striking exactly where he had been a moment before. Only when Lin Xi’s figure vanished from Bai Vulture’s sight did the dense gunfire cease.

Whizz, whizz, whizz—

Three piercing sounds cut through the air. Bai Vulture, clearly slower to react and less perceptive than Lin Xi, had electric stun darts embedded deep in his body, which instantly reduced him to a charred husk.

Only after Bai Vulture’s blackened body lay motionless on the ground for some time did Lin Xi tiptoe into the room. The dead man still clutched a golden semi-automatic pistol in his hand.

Lin Xi confiscated the pistol, rifled through his body to find several magazines, and after taking photographs, cut away a piece of charred flesh with a knife. Then, using a corpse-dissolving chemical, he completely eliminated the last parasite from this mission.

After searching the room for documents, Lin Xi climbed out through Bai Vulture’s window, swiftly scaling the exterior wall to the rooftop. Taking a few steps back, he launched himself over the parapet toward a spot beyond the wall. Before entering, he had padded that area with several layers of straw to cushion his fall.

Landing, Lin Xi rolled on the straw, absorbing most of the impact. Though the force caused a slight jolt to his internal organs, it was well within his anticipated limits.

He set the documents ablaze on the straw pile behind him, then quickly disappeared into the distant woods.

...

At dawn, Lin Xi returned to the same alley, cautiously scanning for anomalies but finding none. As usual, he rhythmically tapped the wall; the ground suddenly gave way, and his figure instantly appeared before a defective robot.

“*Cough cough, spit.*” Lin Xi spat a mixture of blood and dirt, gazing at the brainless robot before him with a weary, helpless look.

“Dizzy, get lost if you want to die; don’t mess up my floor.” The robot appeared holding a box of potent painkillers. “Don’t tell me you failed the mission this time. I can’t afford to lose face with that guy.”

Lin Xi took the painkillers and swallowed them, instantly feeling much better. Taking a deep breath, he threw his phone at the robot’s face.

“Damn it! Open your damn eyes and see what kind of gear that is! You gave me just a stun gun and a lousy knife, for god’s sake!”

The video Lin Xi recorded on the mountain peak played as a projection before the robot, whose usually slick facade briefly showed an awkward expression.

“Well, Brother Bei, you know the rules. TooI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.