“Retreat.” Xia Lei made his final decision.
“Why?” Tsukino Kyoko was shocked, turning to stare at her boss.
Xia Lei pointed at Ning Jing who was still curled up on the floor. “She’s not going to make it. My transmitter is broken. Contact Alessio and E’er immediately. Have them give up on the attack and retreat with us. Get Anjum Khan and Sa’im secure the roof. Have them kill anyone who passes the security door.”
“Got it. I’ll buy you some time,” said Tsukino Kyoko. She took out her Viper pistol and had its muzzle aimed at the stairways.
Xia Lei picked Ning Jing up and draped her over his shoulder. His other hand was used to grab the rope for their descent to the ground. His ankles were wrapped around the rope as they fell, aiming to reduce the friction and the stress their weights had placed on it.
As he was sliding down, a round of gunshots rang out above him. The Hattori clan had begun their attack on Tsukino Kyoko.
“Ah!” A harrowing scream echoed through the night amidst the gunshots.
It was a man’s voice.
With the use of his limbs, Xia Lei broke their fall. When he had reached the ground, he sensed movement above him.
Tsukino’s descend looked as if she was gliding down. With one firm grip around the rope, she came running down borrowing the surface of the building’s wall.
Tsukino Kyoko made it to the ground in mere seconds.
“Careful!” Xia Lei shouted as he pushed her away.
Tsukino stumbled a few steps behind.
Bam! A body suddenly fell, breaking apart into unrecognizable mush on the ground. His skull was destroyed earlier on the roof by the submachine guns. The concrete dismembered what remained of his body. The only identifiable thing left was his scalp.
Though Xia Lei could kill, a scene like that made him retch vehemently.
Tsukino Kyoko snapped back to reality. She couldn’t help but lift her head up to glance at the top of the building, letting the fear sink in. If Xia Lei hadn’t pushed her away, a falling body from that height would’ve taken her life!
“Go!” Xia Lei removed Ning Jing from his shoulder to hold her in his arms. He quickly dashed towards the end of the lane.
Tsukino Kyoko followed closely. Her mind was still fixated on that push which saved her life.
Sirens started to approach the location from afar. No one was sure if it was the New Delhi police or the firefighters. No matter who they were, they had their work cut out for them.
Though they were reaching the exit of the lane, Xia Lei suddenly halted his footsteps. With his odd pause, Tsukino Kyoko also seems to have sensed some danger. Together, they lay flat against a wall to hide behind a utility pole.
“Xia Lei! You can’t run!” Someone yelled in Japanese.
Footsteps could then be heard coming from their intended exit.
Xia Lei’s left eye twitched. “Left three, right two.”
“Surrender yourself! Someone wants to meet you!” Another shouted.
Xia Lei whispered, “Kyoko, have you informed Alessio and E’er yet? They’re supposed to be here with us.”
“I did but I’m not sure what happened.” Tsukino Kyoko was equally anxious.
Their enemies surrounded the exit yet no attacks were launched. Even if Xia Lei and Tsukino’s gun skills were impeccable, this was beyond them. The Viper pistol was not strong enough to pierce through the wall to hit their targets.
“The police are coming! You have no time left!” Someone screamed into the lane.
Xia Lei roared back in Japanese. “Damn this little Hattori fucker. You want to capture me yet you don’t dare to show yourself? Are you scared of me? You’re just like a tortoise! Is Hattori Mei here? I must say, her skills in the sheets are an absolute killer!”
Words like that would’ve enraged any men.
But Hattori Geppa was different. It did nothing to him. There were still no signs of his presence. He was not part of the five blocking the lane.
Despite the lack of his presence and the lack of knowledge of his position in the Hattori clan, Xia Lei could sense that he was nearby. If the Hattori clan was here in the middle of the night, along with lots of elite fighters and even heavy firearms, how could an authority figure be absent?
Though he was unsure if the insults had affected Hattori Geppa, Tsukino Kyoko was already frowning right beside him.
“That dumb Hattori fuckface sure is a tortoise! Hattori Mei kneeled before me like a little bitch. Did you know that? Hahahaha!” Xia Lei continued to add fire.
“Moron!” Though Hattori Geppa seems to be unfazed by Xia Lei’s words, it had enraged one of the Hattori elite fighters. The man suddenly revealed half his body from behind the lane wall to fire towards where the two were hidden.
Bang! Bang!
Two shots were fired at the same time.
One hit the utility pole, sending sparks around.
One hit a skull, sending blood splashes everywhere.
Someone was always dumb enough to fall for Xia Lei’s tricks and underestimate his aim.
Police sirens were getting nearer.
“Xia Lei! You can’t run!” Someone roared.
At this very moment, a Ford Roadshaker appeared on the road opposite the lane. The vehicle did a clean drift and opened its trunk to reveal two snipers. The two opened fire towards the Hattori clan men that hid at both sides of the lane’s exit with gust assault rifles.
The remaining four Hattori men were very fixated on Xia Lei and Tsukino Kyoko. No one had noticed what was going on behind them. Just like that, their short response was taken advantage of and the four were knocked down to the ground within a second.
The sniper kept his gun away to yell into the lane. “Quick!”
He was Alessio, the most brutal assaulter among the Chinese Zodiac Team members.
Hering that, Xia Lei and Tsukino Kyoko ran out of the lane. The latter had her eyes vigilant on her surroundings. She held a gun towards the building’s main entrance to protect Xia Lei. The man had his arms full with Ning Jing, there was no way he could fight while they ran.
Just then, two snipers ran out of the building hoping to catch them before they left.
Without waiting for Tsukino and Alessio to land a shot, the two snipers were immediately shot to the ground. The two had suffered the same fate, having their skulls destroyed by a sniper rifle.
No one dared to exit the building unless they were looking for a dance with death.
Xia Lei leapt into the trunk of the Roadshaker, throwing Ning Jing into the back seat before he climbed into the front seat. Tsukino Kyoko made one hard dash and jumped into the car’s back seat after Xia Lei had cleared the area.
E’er slammed the pedal hard, bringing the Roadshaker into a mad acceleration.
As they shut the trunk, Xia Lei’s left eye caught sight of a reflection on one of the utility poles. The exterior coating for the poles was copper. The reflection made using the light from the pole showed a man and a woman. These two weren’t strangers to Xia Lei. One of them was Hattori Mei and the other was the lucky Hattori leader that made it out of the snowy mountains in Dawang alive. He was the man clad in monk robes.
Xia Lei turned around as soon as the trunk door was shut taut.
“Contact Anjum Khan immediately. I need a doctor,” instructed Xia Lei.
Alessio quickly held up his communicator. “Monkey, the boss needs a doctor. Please see to it immediately!”
Anjum Khan’s reply came through the device. “Got it. You guys return to the safe point now. I’ll be there soon with the rabbit.”
As soon as the exchange ended, Alessio quickly questioned, “Boss, are you hurt somewhere?”
Xia Lei shook his head. “It’s her, she needs a doctor.”
Alessio’s gaze fell on Ning Jing but Xia Lei quickly covered her with his outerwear without sparing Alessio another glance. Xia Lei then held Ning Jing’s body close to provide her with some warmth. Thank goodness the Roadshaker was spacious enough to lay her flat and provide her with some comfort.
Despite that, Ning Jing didn’t show signs of waking up. Her breathing was shallow and slow.
Xia Lei heave a sigh, averting his gaze to the window behind. Sadly, the vehicle had taken a turn, rendering him unable to see the reflection of Hattori Mei and the man.
Meanwhile, in the lobby of Might Biotechnology Headquarters.
“Alright, we can leave now,” said Hattori Geppa.
With a quickened pace, Hattori Mei made her way to the entrance.
“If you hadn’t insisted on visiting Nahar’s place, I could’ve captured Xia Lei!” Hattori Geppa was angry. If they could trap Xia Lei in the laboratory before the explosion, they could’ve killed him!
Hattori Mei returned him a wry smile. “My dear younger brother, you’re trying to put the blame on me? Our men had actually trapped Xia Lei and his female comrade successfully in the lane. Xia Lei had wanted you to appear yet you didn’t dare to spare a single appearance. Tell me, how could I believe your words anymore?”
“You...” Hattori Geppa clenched his fist, but he didn’t land a punch on his sister.
Making their exit, they were soon greeted by a hoard of police cars and firefighter trucks. The piercing sirens and the glaring lights were overwhelming.
Hattori Geppa hurried steps down the stairs and made his way to a Toyota Land Cruiser parked nearby.
Weirdly, Hattori Mei hadn’t followed him.
“What the hell are you doing?” Geppa sent daggers with his glare.
Hattori Mei ignored him to retrieve her phone. She dialled a number and spoke in a sickeningly sweet tone. “Hello, Mister Bahad. I heard you were moved to the police department recently. Congratulations! Ah, you actually recognise my voice. Yes, I’m Beryl. I’ve called to greet you in Madam Folsom’s stead. Oh, that’s great. We’ll continue our conversation when we meet soon. I’ve prepared a beautiful bottle of Lafite 1989 for you, I hope you’ll like it.”
She finally made her way over to the Toyota Land Cruiser after ending the call. She calmly requested, “Bring me to Mister Bahad’s place. We need some help.”
Hattori Geppa’s lips twitched, but he ultimately endured it.