by <unknown>
There was an increase of 1.8% on the A-class Quest [Fall of the Germinal]. Although it did not look like a significant increase for now, Xiao Han knew that the future potential gains would be much greater—at least ten to fifteen percent more. Because Dark Crow Valley Base was the nearest point of contact for future players to join the Germinal Organization. Without it, many ‘real’ players would join a camp that was nearer and more convenient for them. This would greatly contain the rate of expansion of the Germinal Organization in the near future.
The head of Germinal still did not realize the importance of this base; he was only dismayed by the loss of an ordinary large base.
Intel from Han Xiao allowed other powers an opportunity to attack the Germinal Organization. The mission progress he received from such events was less than a direct assault by himself based on the calculation of contribution rating. But if he were to insist on attacking the organization personally, the individual damage he could deal would not be sufficient to keep up with organization’s rate of expansion. Naturally, his best option was to mass distribute intel that could harm the organization.
The minimum progress needed for the Camp Destroyer mission was only twenty percent. It was not required for him to chase after perfection lest he risked losing out on other missions.
It is time to change the method of supplying intel. Han Xiao squinted.
After completing the mission, it was time for him to work on other important things.
Han Xiao went onto the radio and spoke to Lin Yao.
“How is the situation now?”
“Brother Xiao! The Heslean Army has seized all the supplies in Dark Crow Valley Base. They also captured a few hundred of their members, including Dormund. Unfortunately, the two directors, Pan Kuang and Ji Jie, got away.”
“Where is the army now?”
“They are still sweeping the battleground. They will probably retreat to the border tomorrow.”
“Okay. Message received.”
…
After the Heslean army finished sweeping the battleground, they set up camp on site and prepared for a withdrawal the next day.
Lin Yao and Lambert went on to meet up with the rest, and the Division 13 agents gathered to commend them for their excellent intel work.
“The younger generation of agents is very capable,” Ma Qing Yang commented.
“Xiao Lin Lin, your teammates have done a great job,” said Di Su Su.
The rest chimed in. “You guys did an excellent job. Really commendable.”
“We acted under the directions given by Brother Xiao.” Lin Yao was feeling slightly uneasy with all the praise.
The fellow Division 13 agents realized that it was Han Xiao who deserved all the recognition.
Qi Bai Jia decided to praise Han Xiao’s contribution strongly in his report. However, he realized that Han Xiao was still not back.
“Hey, where is he?”
“He is probably delayed by certain things.”
As the sky turned dark, Han Xiao was still nowhere to be seen.
“How is he still not back?” Li Ya Lin was puzzled, so she nudged Lin Yao to prompt him to contact Han Xiao.
“I tried to communicate with him more than forty times, but he still hasn’t answered.” Lin Yao was out of options.
It was dawn. The Heslean army was ready to move back to the border, but Han Xiao was still missing. Division 13 agents started imagining the possibilities for such an odd happening.
Zhang Wei had a sudden thought. “Is it possible that Han Xiao has already moved back to the border?”
“This is possible. Han Xiao has always moved around on his own. He may think that it is not necessary for him to meet up with them now.” Everyone pondered over this possibility.
All the agents followed the army back while this worry lingered in their minds.
…
The Hesla troops looked relaxed and were rather undisciplined on the way back.
In the middle of the troops, Colonel Carl was sitting in the command vehicle. He was deliberating over a very grave problem.
In this mission, he did not have an outstanding performance. Instead, he made a critical error in his decision, which resulted in unnecessary casualties. This would most definitely lead to a poor evaluation of his ability by the higher ups.
He had to artificially raise his significance in this mission to obtain more merits for this attack.
If I could take credit for Division 13’s contribution…
Carl had an idea. He could perhaps write on the report that it was him who instructed Han Xiao to take his two teammates to spy in the base that gave them critical intel. In this scenario, his significance as a commanding office would be greatly elevated.
This can work.
Division 13 will leave as soon as the mission is completed. They can’t possibly come to Hesla and expose me. Furthermore, my report to the higher-ups will be kept secret from everyone else.
All of a sudden, there was a commotion coming from the outside of the vehicle, and Carl realized that the troops had stopped moving.
“Colonel, there are two corpses in front of us. They seem to be Pan Kuang and Ji Jie.”
Carl was in shock. He left the vehicle quickly to check out the bodies. It was really the two directors of the base.
The troops were astonished, and they started chattering. They remembered how strong these two directors had been just few days ago, but they had been killed just like this.
“Who did this! Who left the bodies here?” Carl shouted.
Nobody had an answer as the troops looked at one another. They had just discovered the bodies.
Division 13 soon arrived at the scene upon hearing the commotion. They were too dumbfounded.
“It must be Han Xiao’s doing.”
“It’s unbelievable that he actually succeeded!”
“But why did he place the bodies on the road? This is just giving free credit to the Hesleans.”
Carl was beaming joyously; he could claim credit for killing the directors. He waved at his troops to wrap up the bodies and take them back to camp.
Just as the troops moved the bodies, the sound of landmines being activated was heard.
The troops were terrified, and they quickly jumped away in different directions.
Carl was caught off guard. He only had the time to drop on the floor.
However, there was no explosion after seconds had passed. A brave soldier stood up and went to dig out the landmines. He weighed it in his hand and realized that it was very light.
“This is not a real mine. They are all empty.”
The troops were infuriated by the prank.
“This is not funny at all.”
“What a wretched move!”
“I just peed in my pants!”
Division 13 agents had a weird look their faces—they did not know whether to laugh at what they saw.
“This seems like something Han Xiao would do,” Li Ya Lin mumbled.
Carl stood up with a flustered look on his face. His clean and well-pressed officer uniform was now covered in mud and grass.
He was now livid. He knew it was Xiao Han who did it. He wanted to ruffle him with a prank like this.
“What a childish play!” he said in anger.
Bang!
A faint gunshot was heard faraway.
The bullet pierced through Carl’s temple, and it brought a dash of blood out of his head.
Carl’s eyes were still wide open. He was unable to comprehend what had just transpired, totally caught unaware. His eyes were filled with the longing for life and a pinch of disbelief. His body wobbled before it landed flat on the floor.
Just a moment ago, he had been dreaming of his military success and his bright future. He could not believe that he had been killed on the way back to claim credit for his success in the mission!
At this moment, everyone, including the Division 13 agents and the troops, was shell-shocked.
T
hey could not believe what had just happened before their eyes!
…..
On a faraway cliff top, Han Xiao raised his head from the scope of a sniper. He was looking relaxed.
What goes around comes around.
Chapter 88. Influence |
Han Xiao had gone to the road the night before when the troops were camping at the battleground. He had planted a trap using the corpses of Pan Kuang and Ji Jie to lure Colonel Carl out of his vehicle. The moment Carl stepped out of his command vehicle, Han Xiao had the opportunity to snipe him down.
Additionally, he had placed a blank landmine beneath the bodies to scare the troops out of their formation so that he could get a better shot at Colonel Carl from the distant cliff.
Killing a high-ranking Hesla officer in front of everybody was bound to raise suspicion from the Hesleans. They could probably deduce that it was Han Xiao who did it based on the use of the two bodies, but Han Xiao was not at all worried. They had no concrete evidence to proof that he was guilty. As long as Division 13 denied it, all Hesla could do was protest diplomatically. They could never hold Han Xiao accountable.
Just like Carl did not care if the enemy killed them, Zhang Wei’s team could also push the blame to the escaped personnel from the Dark Crow Valley Base.
I can be just as devious as you, Carl.
Han Xiao cocked the barrel, and the smoky bullet cartridge fell out. He conveniently tossed it into his pocket, leaving no trace behind.
Carl’s order had almost taken his life. He was bound to take revenge after the mission was completed. Han Xiao had once been a ‘real’ player who had always taken revenge when someone, regardless of who they were, harmed him. And he would avenge himself in all sorts of ways without saying much.
Han Xiao saw that the Hesla troops were in a mess through his scope. Some of the troops were furious. They boarded their vehicles and moved rapidly toward the source of the fire.
He calmly stowed the dissembled sniper into his backpack. He had handpicked the position for an easy escape after the assassination.
After turning around, he jumped off the cliff, and a feeling of freefall hit him immediately. He smacked the button on his back, and two fine, foldable metal wings expanded. He was then gliding in the air toward the forest beneath the cliff.
Sky Swallow Gliders!
When the Hesla troops arrived at the cliff, all they could see was a nimble shadow rapidly disappearing before their eyes.
…..
Division 13 agents were still dumbfounded. They could not believe that Han Xiao had the guts to kill a commanding officer from Hesla.
It was a definitely a good way to vent one’s anger, but there would be dire consequences. Nothing was worse than killing a Hesla high-ranking military officer right on their land! It seemed that Han Xiao had the balls of steel!
Qi Bai Jia was greatly anxious, but when he saw that the Hesla troops had not caught anyone, he was relieved.
Thank goodness he got away. In this case, they cannot prove that he is guilty. We can still argue our case.
Wait! If Han Xiao disappears, are we going to take his place in the trials‽
Everyone’s eyes were wide open. They felt it was something that Han Xiao would definitely do.
How can he just push all the troubles to us! He is such a master at shirking responsibility!
The surrounding Hesla troops raised their rifles in anger and pointed them at the Division 13 agents. They were arrested, locked up in the cars, and escorted back to the border camp. As soon as deputy officer reported the incident, Hesla’s government was furious.
Hesla’s agents had to interrogate Division 13 as they were the prime suspect.
However, they soon became frustrated. Division 13 insisted that they did not know anything about the incident. Winna felt a sense of defeat.
Everyone knew that Han Xiao had done it, but no one had any evidence to proof that it was him. They could not even find the cartridge, which meant the only thing they could do was interrogate Division 13 over and over again. Since they could not use torturous methods to extort information because they were up against the Stardragon agents, their efforts were in vain. Moreover, the condemnation from the higher-ups of Hesla was met with empty excuses from Division 13.
The head of Intelligence in Division 13 took a private jet to quickly arrive at the Hesla border in order to rescue his agents. Without any concrete evidence, Hesla had to release the Division 13 agents.
The head of Intelligence brought everyone out of the interrogation room and back to the jet. He ordered Qi Bai Jia to report on the details of the incident after he was certain that there was no Hesla personnel around.
“He is such a trouble-maker. Fortunately, he did not leave any trace. Otherwise, Hesla would not have rested until they found him,” he said.
Qi Bai Jia was feeling embarrassed and dared not reply. Ultimately, he had to take the full responsibility as the Stardragon leader of this mission.
The head of Intelligence looked at him without saying a word. He reflected on the reaction of the higher ups in Division 13 upon hearing this news. They believed that Carl’s orders were authorized by the high-ranking officials in Hesla. It was the only reasonable conclusion to explain why Hesla purposefully sent a radical officer to helm this mission. They were displeased with Hesla’s insidious acts. It was actually quite a good ending. After all, Hesla failed in causing any harm to Stardragon agents, and yet, they lost a high-ranking officer. They even had to swallow the loss without catching the culprit.
“This fellow did an excellent job.” The Head of Intelligence nodded quietly. This time, even the hawks in the department had nothing critical to say about this incident. In fact, they loved what Han Xiao did. If one had the audacity to plot against Stardragon, the retaliation would be swift and deadly.
Despite the appreciation, the heads of the Department unanimously agreed in the previous internal meeting that they had to impose greater control on Han Xiao and not let him escape their surveillance. As their source of valuable intel, Han Xiao was far too important to warrant any accidents or mishaps.
Because of Han Xiao’s cooperative attitude, they had been too lenient with his actions, but since the incident from the joint mission, they became deeply alarmed. They came to the consensus to reject any of Han Xiao’s future mission requests.
This motion was passed without any objection, even from the conservatives in the Division 13. The department was still willing to cooperate with Han Xiao, but before divulging all the intel he had, he would not leave the headquarters’ surveillance.
The Head of Intelligence finished contemplating and looked at the team of agents. He then looked at his watch and said in a puzzled tone, “Why is Han Xiao still not back?”
“I have no idea.” Qi Bai Jia shook his head.
“Han Xiao just contacted me.” Lin Yao suddenly pressed his headphone as he became overly-excited. But the next second, his expression changed drastically.
“What did he say?” The Head of Intelligence had a bad hunch.
“Brother Xiao said… he is going to lie low until the dust settles,” Lin Yao stammered.
“Lie low until the dust settles? This means….” The Head of Intelligence was slow to process the meaning of this message. Then, he quickly realized what it meant. “He is not coming back‽”
His expression turned ghastly.
Zhang Wei looked shell-shocked. Li Ya Lin was wide-eyed. Lambert was in disbelief.
Everyone was utterly shocked.
It looked as if he was really going solo!
There was really nothing he was afraid to do!
…
Twenty minutes later in Division 13’s headquarters, Gu Hui called for an emergency meeting. The directors who were not stationed at the headquarters joined the video conference. Everyone had a solemn look.
“Han Xiao ran away,” Gu Hui said in a sobering tone.
Everyone gasped.
“Is he def
ecting?”
“Unclear. Before this, he sniped a Heslean military officer. It is possible that he is afraid of the consequences, so he escaped. But this possibility is not high,” the Head of Intelligence replied.
The other heads were irritated. That reason was highly improbable, unless Han Xiao believed that Stardragon was incapable of protecting him, which also meant that Han Xiao looked down at their abilities.
“What about the GPS tracker that we planted in his phone?”
“The tracker has not moved in the last twenty-four hours. Han Xiao discovered and removed it.”
“He is going to defect. He must be still near us and heading toward the wilderness. We have to bring him back!” the Head of Internal Affairs thundered.
“We cannot be certain that he is defecting.” Gu Hui waved his hands disapprovingly.
All the heads simmered silently. They had been planning to restrict him in the West Capital the moment he was back, but his sudden escape had ruined all their plans.
Was it a pre-meditated move, or was it just a spur of the moment decision?
Was it defection, or was it something else?
Standard protocol indicated that when an agent broke contact, and when the exact cause behind the disappearance was inconclusive, the first thing they needed to do was send people to track the agent down. Then, they would contact the agent to make a judgement based on their reaction for the subsequent course of actions.
If the agent resisted the capture or continued to run, they would have no choice but to hunt the agent down globally.
If the agent had a good reason, the protocol ensured that a misunderstanding and manslaughter were avoided.
“This is just in. The Germinal Organization has increased the reward for capturing or killing Han Xiao by five times to five million on the dark net,” the Head of Intelligence said all of a sudden.
Everyone was utterly surprised. This mission had been announced as a joint exercise between the two countries. How did the Germinal Organization know that Han Xiao was the main catalyst? Was there a mole within them?
