Click. The empty magazine dropped out and a full new magazine was inserted.
The sudden weight of the gun felt substantial resting on her shoulder.
She raised the gun and took aim at the thief sneaking around the periphery.
Bang.
The bullet hit the counter nearby, off target. But it was enough to make the would-be assailant flinch and stop his sneak attack.
The female office worker reacted swiftly. Without even turning her head at the sound, her gun had already changed angle and rattled off a series of shots in retaliation.
With his path forward blocked, the thief could only retreat.
She spoke in French: "Any other accomplices?"
Zong Ye: "(In French) Hundreds of hostages, is that so strange?"
Female office worker: "(In French) They aren't your people?"
Zong Ye: "(In French) They should be your people."
The two exchanged cryptic words in a language others could not understand.
The young soldier only half understood and asked: "(In English) Should we meet up?"
"No need." Zong Ye replied in English. "Take care of them first."
The maze-like layout of interconnecting yet independent shops created a complex terrain. They battled while retreating, taking cover inside the shops.
The head honcho waved his hand, signaling two underlings to follow him inside to search. He made another gesture, ordering the other two to go capture Jian Jing in the distance.
"Kill him, he's alone over there," he said coldly in French.
"Understood," came the reply in French.
The two thugs split up, flanking Jian Jing from both sides of the atrium.
Jian Jing: Left? Right?
Both men were fast, charging forward while firing shots alternately to cover each other. It was very tricky.
They must be the more capable ones among the boss's men.
Jian Jing panicked for a second. In China, the only ones familiar with gunfights were probably CS players and PUBG gamers. She often went to shooting ranges and was considered one of the few who had handled real guns, but they didn't teach tactics there.
When it came to that, she was a bit clueless.
Well, if not now, then when?
"Draw card!"
[Name: Tear Gas Prop - 1/1]
[Description: Strong irritant that causes burning sensations, uncontrollable tearing and temporary blindness over 20m diameter]
[Note: One-time use for this mission, immune to user]
Reliable system! Even Kaitou Kid's signature tool was included.
She followed the example of the other group, luring the two men into the designated shop. They had no choice but to converge, entering the shop one after the other.
These two were very cautious. They did not split up but opened fire to clear a path, forcing Jian Jing to hide under the checkout counter without even peeking.
But no matter, X-ray goggles on!
She patiently waited until they were fully within 20 meters, then without hesitation, pulled the safety pin and lobbed the tear gas over.
The stinging white fumes billowed upward instantly.
The thieves had gas masks, but those things were stuffy so with no proper troops around, they didn't think to put them on and had left them hanging on their waists.
Too late now.
Seeing the smoke rise, they scrambled to put on their masks but it was futile. The fumes burning their airways went straight into their lungs and their eyes felt like bleach had been poured in, red and swollen with tears streaming out.
"Cough cough cough!" Guns spraying was out of the question now, just holding them steady was difficult enough.
Jian Jing did not let this pay-to-win opportunity go to waste. She took aim and fired.
With thermal imaging support, she could easily pinpoint their locations. No need for rapid fire, one bullet per man was sufficient.
One minute later, two mangled corpses lay on the ground.
Can't vomit, this is no time for mercy. Jian Jing mentally steeled herself as she circled to the central atrium and checked on the hostages below.
No sight of Kang Mu Cheng.
Where was Boss Kang? Her heart skipped a beat. Night vision goggles and telescope combo swept over hundreds of faces searching for him.
Still nothing.
Fortunately, he didn't seem to be among the fallen either.
Jian Jing barely composed herself when she noticed with shock, the thieves had vanished.
The luggage bags containing the bombs had been opened and emptied.
Damn! What was happening??
Switching to X-ray vision, she saw several hostages with □□ strapped onto them. They were shivering in fear, not daring to move an inch.
The head honcho's voice came over the radio in French: "Stop attacking. If you do not surrender, the bombs on the hostages will be detonated."
She froze.
Around the dead bodies, among the hostages, several radios repeated the boss's ultimatum.
"Stop resisting or I will detonate the bombs," came the warning in English.
Gunfire ceased as if on pause.
Jian Jing's first reaction was impossible.
The x-ray showed several terrorists mixed among the hostages - their jackets shed but guns still concealed under their clothes, obviously the wolves among the sheep.
Blow up their own comrades?
Bluffing?
But a flurry of news headlines about suicide bombings told her some fanatics were just that unhinged.
It was not entirely improbable.
What to do?
Surrender? Don't joke with her, that meant certain death.
But if the bombs did go off, how many would die?
She turned on both x-ray and telescope - the boss had just one lackey left, the other taken out. He held a gun in one hand and a radio in the other, a keychain-like device on his belt that looked like a switch.
Crackle. The walkie-talkie buzzed.
"Let us see the bombs," said the young soldier in English.
Head honcho: "(In French) Show them proof."
Below, four hostages were forced to stand, □□ tubes wrapped around them. One was so afraid his □□ sagged visibly.
Head honcho: "(In English) Kick your guns over, then come here slowly."
His gun was trained at the wavering shadows emerging from the darkness.
After a moment's thought, Jian Jing made up her mind. She crouched and dashed to the corpse, grabbed the radio and wrapped a scarf over her face before pressing the comms button: "(In English) You won't kill us, right?"
"Of course," the head honcho sneered.
Jian Jing took aim at him and replied: "Go f*** yourself."
Bang!
Limited card: Bullseye
Another 100% accuracy god card.
The boss's head exploded in a spray of blood and gore.
Just like the zombies, one headshot did it.
His companion froze for a second before trying to shoot, body jerking violently. At the same moment as the gunshot, the female office worker hiding in the shadows had also pulled her trigger.
Jian Jing swung her barrel, using the x-ray to pinpoint the disguised terrorists.
Bang.
Time wasn't up yet. He followed suit.
Base time used up.
Jian Jing dropped all pretense: "(In French) Kid in the baseball jacket, uncle with the wool cap, woman with hands in coat, come out or you'll end up like them."
No response. The terrorists pulled out their guns to shoot back.
Taking cover among the hostages, they thought themselves immune. She didn't dare fire randomly for fear of hitting civilians.
But what couldn't money solve?
Though 1 courage point per second was expensive, human lives were priceless. Jian Jing had been hoarding points for times like these, to send such devils down to hell.
She topped up 5 points, enough!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots, three bullets, right between the eyes.
Silence descended, only static from the radio.
Triple kill!
Unbelievable!
Game over!
Jian Jing's lips quirked up as she picked up the Hermes scarf on the ground and wiped off any fingerprints from her gun before shedding the bulletproof vest and nimbly making her way down the escalator.
She slipped into the ladies' washroom on the ground floor.
The moment Kang Mu Cheng saw her return, he instantly forgot the chaos outside. Gripping her arm anxiously he asked, "Are you alright?" Before she could even reply, his gaze raked over her from head to toe twice to check for injuries. Only after confirming none did he breathe a sigh of relief and admonish in agitation, "That was so dangerous, what if you'd gotten hurt?"
Realizing his tone was too harsh considering what she went through today, he softened and said gently, "As long as you're fine, don't go out again."
Jian Jing laughed at his flip-flopping manner.
She said, "It's okay, people should..."
Everything was resolved.
Wait! A bomb!
She rushed out immediately and slammed on the brakes.
Zong Ye and another soldier were professionally dismantling the unfortunate bomb hostage. Their skills were assured, and they had the outer shell off and the circuits checked in no time, which was especially reassuring.
There was nothing more for her to do.
Two minutes later, a group of special forces officers somehow snuck in, guns drawn on the hostage as they demanded everyone put their hands up and asked where the criminals had gone.
Lying on the ground over there.
Too late.
The police were indeed the last to arrive.
...
Ahem, of course, it wasn't over yet.
The identity of each hostage needed to be verified to prevent criminals from sneaking in, the injured were given emergency first aid before being sent to the hospital, and the dead were bagged.
The severely traumatized hostages got thermal blankets and hot milk, huddling together for warmth.
Jian Jing went with the flow, pretending to be scared speechless as she sat quietly next to Kang Mu Cheng without making a peep. The others were all discussing who had fired the gun, not suspecting this demure girl at all.
Amidst the lively chatter and blaring sirens, she sipped some hot, sweet milk, slowly relaxing nerves wound tight all day.
It was finally over.
The moment of pulling the trigger seemed to replay before her eyes.
The splattering blood, the smell of gunpowder, the rushing air, and the eyes, dead and unblinking, of the body sprawled on the ground. Crimson liquid seeped from the wounds, viscous and reeking.
How many?
How many did I kill?
One, two, three...
"Blagh!" She suddenly put down the milk carton as acid rose up her throat in waves.
Kang Mu Cheng looked at her in surprise. "Jing Jing?"
She pushed him away and ran to a corner, vomiting violently.
Goosebumps covered her skin, cold sweat soaking her back. This feeling wasn't fear of danger, but horror at the killing.
It had been so easy.
Other than the first shot, she had killed without any hesitation.
Of course they deserved to die.
But taking a life was so simple - that's what made her feel terrified.
A woman in a jacket stood nearby, speaking softly into her phone.
Only snippets could be heard: "(French) Ran into terrorists...accident...spotted a sniper, very capable...hidden..."
Jian Jing slowly typed a "?".
The woman glanced at her.
She also took a look at Jian Jing - just an Eastern girl throwing up, nothing odd there. Easterners were just sensitive like that.
Unconcerned, she cautiously turned her head, face hidden in shadow, and continued speaking softly, "(French) The goods are safe, on my..."
She stopped short, patting her empty pockets in alarm as her eyes darted around, but the fat man was nowhere to be found.
"(French) F**k! It's gone! When did...!"
