After easily breaking the password lock and code reader, Chu Qiao gently turned the doorknob and slipped inside. Although it was late at night, the corridors were brightly lit, with many people still moving about. Chu Qiao maintained a casual expression, walking confidently through the visitor section’s hallway, nodding and greeting every Fourth Prison staff member she passed. Though the staff didn’t recognize her, seeing her calm demeanor and military uniform, they genuinely mistook her for an internal member of the Fourth Prison, without the slightest suspicion.
Five minutes later, leaving the main office corridor, the Military Law Division’s staff restroom came into view. Smelling the faint scent of clear liquor in the air, Chu Qiao knew she hadn’t gone to the wrong place.
Suddenly, there was movement from a nearby bedroom. Chu Qiao reacted swiftly, nimbly pressing herself against the edge of the guest room door, her slender hand quickly reaching for the HK at her waist.
A short man in a black suit poked his head out. He was alert, seemingly also aware of movement in the corridor, but his reaction was foolish to expose himself, looking in Chu Qiao’s direction. He was greeted by the dark barrel of a gun. With the silencer in place, the bullet rapidly left the barrel, blasting a large bloody hole in his chest. The man’s pupils dilated instantly. Chu Qiao, quick of hand and eye, supported his body and covered his mouth until his pulse stopped, then carried him inside.
Strength in numbers; in this room of less than a hundred square meters, there were sixteen people. Besides the one who had just died, the rest were all deep in sleep. With the help of internal informants, forged legal identities, high-grade equipment, fine weapons, and so many companions, these people probably never dreamed someone would dare to enter their bedroom. Yet at this moment, death was standing brazenly before them, without the slightest inclination to be secretive.
When dealing with enemies, Chu Qiao had always lacked compassion. Though she had been primarily involved in behind-the-scenes planning work over the years, this didn’t mean she lacked the courage to pull the trigger. Steadily holding the large-caliber HK handgun, Chu Qiao’s eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a trace of cold-bloodedness. She aimed at a middle-aged man on the bed. With a muffled sound, the man’s body suddenly jolted in his sleep, a bloody hole opening in his forehead, white and red splattering.
The woman didn’t linger. She quickly moved forward, the muffled sounds continuing. Ten seconds later, there were no living people left in the outer room.
Opening the inner door, she saw five men lying on the beds, sleeping soundly. Without the slightest hesitation—killing, in many instances, is simpler than eating meals or taking baths—five gunshots rang out, the sound muffled, accompanied by the subtle noise of fresh blood flowing. The air was instantly filled with a nauseating bloody smell.
From the innermost man’s bag, she found a small DV. Chu Qiao stood among the scattered corpses, turned on the switch, and carefully examined its contents.
After confirming it was correct, she put the DV in her large pocket, then installed the super-strong C4 explosive device found in the dead man’s bag in the room and activated the starter. The red indicator on the black box began to flash rapidly.
Chu Qiao took a final look at the dead inside the room. After confirming everything, she opened the door and walked out. However, at that moment, a cold flash suddenly brushed past her neck!
Chu Qiao’s form instantly dropped lower. She quickly flipped over, falling to the ground and rolling backward, barely dodging the bullet’s attack. Cold flashes continued, the shooting relentless. Chu Qiao kicked the door panel, and the inner room door slammed shut with a bang. Kneeling on the ground, listening to the deep breathing on the other side, she knew she had been exposed.
Chu Qiao’s muscles were tense, her breathing slow, her eyes fixed on the door panel opposite. She wasn’t 003, wasn’t the super agent from Action Section 9. She had studied explosives in military school, planning, how to use favorable environments, excellent intelligence, and limited personnel to carry out the largest-scale, most beneficial, most profitable kills. At this moment, facing the danger less than three meters away, she clearly understood that a confrontation would be unwise.
Her gaze slowly fixed on the poor man who had died in his sleep.
With a bang, the door was kicked open. The woman stood in the doorway, looking arrogantly at the two men hidden in the outer guest room.
The two were not expecting her to walk out on her own and were momentarily stunned.
With two quick pats, Chu Qiao contemptuously threw down the dagger and HK in her hand. With her back foot slightly angled and both hands pushed forward, she made a tai chi starting pose, then coldly snorted at the two men opposite, gently beckoning with her hand. The meaning was very clear: come together!
The two men, holding high-powered submachine guns capable of firing 160 consecutive bullets, became enraged. They tossed aside their guns with a swish and assumed a Japanese martial arts stance, their eyes fierce, their forms suddenly leaping up, charging forward with lightning speed.
In the small room, it seemed as if a foul and cold wind had suddenly arisen. The curtains swayed, the light was dim, and a huge killing intent rose from the ground, rapidly advancing toward Chu Qiao with the two men’s forms. Just by looking at their knotted muscles and the viciousness of their actions, one could foresee the outcome for this woman who didn’t know her limitations.
However, at that moment, the woman who had maintained a solemn expression suddenly smiled slightly. Her lips curled coldly, forming a smug yet cold smile. As if performing a magic trick, a Japanese-made M609 small-caliber exploding bullet handgun suddenly appeared in her hand. The M609, the king among close-range killing weapons—not for penetration, but always directly for the head!
With two muffled bangs, a 0.05-second kill prevented these two men from even uttering a scream. The close-range shooting directly blew off their heads, brain matter splattering, and spraying all over Chu Qiao.
Disgustedly kicking aside the men blocking her way, Chu Qiao quickly opened the bathroom door. Although there were two more people than expected, the operation still proceeded very smoothly, saving twenty minutes compared to the original estimate—more than enough time for her to do a simple cleaning.
Fifteen minutes later, a woman in a black Military Law Division suit walked out of the guest room. She walked through the second-floor visitor section corridor, smiling kindly at the passing Fourth Prison staff. Three minutes later, she calmly opened the second-floor door and walked out.
The night breeze was cool, blowing softly on her face. Chu Qiao walked in the ground-floor hall of the Fourth Prison, surrounded by the country’s elite soldiers coming and going, busy with their tasks. She raised her wrist; there were ten seconds left until the explosion.
Chu Qiao continued walking without changing her expression, taking a newspaper from yesterday from a nearby newsstand as she walked.
10, 9, 8…
“May 11, another case of infection with the M1N1 influenza virus was confirmed in Beijing. Currently, this is the 47th person in our country confirmed to be infected with this virus. Ports and some flights have been announced suspended, the tourism industry has been severely impacted, stocks have plummeted, and the Shanghai and Beijing stock markets are in dismal gloom…”
7, 6, 5…
“Xinhua News Agency reports: At present, the count of confirmed M1N1 influenza virus infections in Mexico is 689 people, with 1,272 suspected cases and 68 deaths. The death toll continues to rise uncontrollably. Spain has confirmed 352 infections, with 561 suspected cases and 97 deaths. Egypt…”
4, 3…
“U.S. Associated Press reports: According to U.S. expert research, it is suspected that this M1N1 influenza virus was spread from China, as China’s massive earthquake disrupted atmospheric balance, triggering virus proliferation. The Chinese government has failed to handle this natural disaster promptly and effectively, resulting in the rapid spread of infectious diseases. The U.S. government intends to refuse trade with China in the short term, expel Chinese people from the U.S., and ban Chinese people from entering the country. The Senate Advisory Committee is currently in intense discussions, and it is believed that an appropriate solution will soon be reached.”
2, 1, 0!
Suddenly, the entire ground began to shake violently. A huge explosion impact hit the eardrums. Red alarm sirens wailed sharply. Thick smoke billowed, flames erupted, and the entire Fourth Prison trembled violently in this explosion.
Smoke blinded their eyes. All Fourth Prison staff members took up their weapons in an orderly manner, heading methodically toward the explosion site. Covered in dust, Chu Qiao grabbed the arm of a man in a military uniform with a panicked expression, shouting, “Comrade! What happened?”
The man glanced at Chu Qiao’s disheveled Military Law Division suit, knew she wasn’t from the Fourth Prison, and helped her up, saying, “You’re from the Military Law Division? Follow me, I’ll get you out.”
The national soldier, busy escorting colleagues from other departments, had no idea that the person he was helping was the perpetrator of this explosion. Not only that, but more than a dozen “Military Law Division” colleagues had also died at her hands.
Following the chaotic crowd running out of the ground floor hall, just as they were about to continue forward, they suddenly collided with a man hurriedly rushing into the hall!
“Ah! Sorry, oh, it’s Colonel Li!” The man steadied the other person and quickly apologized.
“What happened inside?” Li Yang frowned, his gaze shifting to the side, just catching Chu Qiao’s wide eyes. Pointing at her, he immediately opened his mouth wide: “Chu—”
“You’re here to find me, right? There’s been a big explosion inside. Let’s talk outside.”
Chu Qiao quickly interrupted Li Yang’s words. The soldier, hearing this, said, “Then I won’t escort you two any further. I don’t know what’s happening inside; I need to get back quickly and check.”
Li Yang nodded. Seeing the soldier move away, he grabbed Chu Qiao and asked gravely, “What’s going on? Why is the military tribunal trying you? How did you escape?”
“The M1N1 virus isn’t a natural disaster; it’s man-made. High-level officials from the U.S., Russia, Eagle, France, and more than a dozen Western countries are involved, and even people within our country have been tempted by profit to participate. The hostages captured by X Force last time weren’t hostages at all, but virus experts hidden in various countries’ military research institutes. They want to spread this virus worldwide, strike at enemy countries’ economies, and then have a listed company produce antibiotics to treat the M1N1 virus, seeking huge profits. My people got evidence of their crimes; it’s here.”
As she spoke, Chu Qiao handed the DV to Li Yang and continued, “When Xiao Shi went to Tokyo last time to kill X Force’s high-level leaders, the thing she was supposed to bring back was evidence exchanged with the lives of our internal informants. Unfortunately, Xiao Shi died on the streets of Tokyo, and the matter was left unresolved. One of the masterminds behind this M1N1 influenza virus is the X Force, which officially traffics human organs but secretly develops deadly epidemic viruses. They sent people to infiltrate our country and, under the protection of high-level treasonous leaders, disguised themselves as Military Law Division colleagues, entered the Fourth Prison, and stole my evidence. I’ve eliminated them all now.”
Li Yang was dumbfounded, saying incredulously, “You mean, the people who killed Xiao Shi are…?”
“Yes!” Chu Qiao nodded, affirming, “The person who ordered the abandonment of 003 is an enemy spy hidden in our nation’s high levels. It was also this person who ordered me to be locked in the Fourth Prison, to seize the evidence of various countries’ crimes, attempting to cover up their heinous acts.”
Li Yang was still immersed in great shock, his brows tightly knit, his eyes dark with anger as he said gravely, “U.S. artillery experts are coming to Beijing today for observation and study. Staff Officer Qian from the Jinghua Troops and I did a lot much preparation work. I never thought they would…”
“What did you say?” Chu Qiao suddenly raised her voice.
Li Yang was taken aback and asked, “What?”
“You said U.S. artillery experts are coming to Beijing?”
Li Yang nodded, saying, “Yes, they arrived last night.”
Chu Qiao’s expression changed dramatically. She hurriedly searched his body, asking, “Did you bring a munitions activation locator?”
“What do you need that for?”
Chu Qiao became furious and demanded, “Did you bring it or not?”
“Why would I carry such a thing on me?” Seeing Chu Qiao’s urgent expression, Li Yang quickly said, “Come with me, I know where to find one.”
The two got into an electric cart and quickly started moving through the busy compound. Two minutes later, when Chu Qiao saw the small red dot continually flashing on the locator, she felt her entire mind go blank.
“What’s going on? Didn’t you install it in the second-floor visitor section? Why is it in the fourth-floor trial hall?”
Chu Qiao stood up, quickly searching for suitable weapons and equipment in the warehouse. As she hurried out, she said gravely, “The U.S. doesn’t trust Russia’s X Force at all. They were afraid Russia might fail and expose everything, so they installed a navigation locator in the trial hall. Once the time comes, artillery will be fired, and the entire Fourth Prison will be razed to the ground, including the evidence and me.”
“What do we do now? I’ll immediately notify bomb disposal experts and call in special forces for reinforcement, to control the U.S. envoys.”
“There’s no time,” Chu Qiao said solemnly. “Get me a helicopter immediately, disperse the crowd. The most important thing for you to do now is to deliver this evidence to Commander Hua. Xiao Shi’s life, the lives of 14 special agents with unique abilities from Section 11, and the lives of people worldwide who have died and will die from the M1N1 virus—they’re all in your hands. Nothing can go wrong.”
Li Yang’s expression froze. In the distance, smoke billowed and crowds were agitated. Looking at the woman’s determined eyes and thin face, he suddenly felt a pang of sorrow and shock in his heart. After a long while, he finally said firmly, “I will do it. Chu Qiao, take care.”
“You too.”
With that, the woman rushed out of the warehouse without looking back, quickly heading toward the fourth-floor cells she had previously escaped from with great difficulty.
Ten minutes later, a helicopter took off from the Fourth Prison’s square, rapidly leaving the airspace above the Fourth Prison, and flying toward the uninhabited suburban areas.
Sitting in the car heading to the Commander’s residence, Li Yang held the munitions activation locator, watching the small red dot move point by point from the fourth-floor trial hall to the square, then rapidly flying into the air above the suburbs of Beijing. Suddenly, a huge, explosion echoed from above. The red dot on the locator instantly disappeared, turning into a black skull pattern.
Sitting in the car, Li Yang didn’t look back. Only a tear, never shown to others, slowly flowed down in the darkness.
Beijing’s night was peaceful.