Chapter 1495: The Death of Liao Wendong

After sweeping a glance at the research institute billowing with thick smoke, Xia Qing pulled her gaze back and focused entirely on searching for targets in her assigned zone. No one knew better than a sniper where snipers liked to lie in wait.

So, after making sure her own hiding spot was safe, Xia Qing began searching for sniper positions everywhere.

"First Squad, in position." The spotter beside Xia Qing, He Zhongzhen, pressed a button and reported the situation.

Xu Di's command came through the walkie-talkie: "Copy. The commander orders that once any squad spots a target in its assigned zone, take the shot immediately; if a suspicious target is spotted, confirm identity, then take the shot."

"Copy," He Zhongzhen replied.

"Copy." After replying, Xia Qing ordered the spotter beside her, "Twelve o'clock to the north, 1800 meters out, third window from the left on the third floor of Building A-8 — someone inside is carrying a weapon. Confirm identity immediately."

Building 8 in Zone A was the office building of the Human Resources Department. Anyone moving inside was likely security personnel from the department, hence a suspicious target.

He Zhongzhen immediately adjusted his telescope. He couldn't see a person in the window Xia Qing had indicated, but he could make out a blurry shadow on the wall that seemed to be holding a gun.

A top-tier sniper's eyesight and observation skills really were something else! He Zhongzhen kept his voice steady: "Suspicious person's position confirmed. Reporting immediately to verify identity."

Half a minute later, Xu Di's order came through Xia Qing's walkie-talkie: "First Squad, the suspicious target you spotted has been confirmed as a traitor. Take the shot."

"Bang!"

The instant Xu Di's word "kill" fell, Xia Qing squeezed the trigger. The armor-piercing sniper round punched through a wall 1800 meters away.

Through the telescope, spotter He Zhongzhen watched the shadow in the target's room take the bullet and drop. He fought to suppress his surging excitement as he reported: "First Squad has eliminated the target 1800 meters out."

"Copy!" Xu Di was just as thrilled as He Zhongzhen — teaming up with a top-tier sniper was exhilarating.

"Boom!"

Another violent explosion went off in the direction of the research institute. Xia Qing only glanced once to confirm the location, then continued scanning her assigned zone for the next target.

He Zhongzhen spotted a suspicious target: "One o'clock position, 350 meters out, the trash can on the left side of the road is facing the wrong way. Judging it as a suspicious target. Sniping to probe."

"Good." Xia Qing swiftly swung the muzzle and aimed at the blue trash can by the road.

"Bang!"

"Boom!"

The trash can hit by the bullet exploded violently, blasting huge craters into the road and the wall. He Zhongzhen's pupils contracted, and he immediately reported.

This trash can sat on the only route from the Agriculture Department to the Inner City Hospital. It seemed the perpetrators of this retaliation feared a single blast wouldn't kill Pan Yuanwen, so they had planted plenty of high explosives along the way.

This style of operation — it was Fierce Fire, no doubt.

Pan Yuanwen was the originator and implementer of the territory's policies, one of the rare doers among the senior officials of Hui City Base. How had he become Fierce Fire's retaliation target?

Could he be the protective umbrella for Hui-1's underground experimental project?

Just as Xia Qing was guessing why Fierce Fire wanted to kill Pan Yuanwen, the phone in her pocket buzzed. The smart voice reported an incoming call from an unknown number: "... Connect?"

For some reason, Xia Qing thought of the missing Fierce Fire vice-captain, Liao Wendong. Her eyes never left her assigned zone as she said calmly, "Connect."

A voice Xia Qing had never heard before came through her Bluetooth earpiece: "Miss Xia, this is Liao Wendong."

Just as she expected! Xia Qing pulled the phone from her pocket, handed it to He Zhongzhen, signaled her to immediately report to command to trace the network location of the number, and only then spoke: "Vice-Captain Liao, the bombing attacks on the Hui-3 Agriculture Department and the research institute — you planned them?"

"Yes. Miss Xia must be having someone trace my location right now, I suppose?"

Liao Wendong's voice on the other end was weak and hoarse, the background a chaotic din: "Come collect my body while you're at it. Miss Xia, I'm calling to warn you: don't give Pan Yuanwen the special antidote, or you'll become Fierce Fire's target — to the death."

"Bang!"

Xia Qing took out a gunman who had poked his head out from a corner, then spoke again: "Speak plainly."

"To the death or else"? Who the hell are you trying to scare? If I hadn't dodged fast, I'd probably be lying on the ground right now!

"Miss Xia really has a strong life — and quite the temper too…"

Liao Wendong let out a hoarse, weak laugh: "Believe it or not, from the very start I advised Deng Yufeng not to go up against you. You're not our enemy. Fierce Fire only kills enemies…"

If it weren't for tracking Liao Wendong's network location, Xia Qing wouldn't have wasted a single word on him. But now she had to keep him talking: "The guards at the Agriculture Department gate, the driver, the pedestrians passing by outside — they have a grudge against you people?"

"Does Miss Xia think they're innocent?"

Liao Wendong raised his voice, clearly agitated: "Then what about my wife and children, tortured to death by those beasts in the underground lab? Aren't they innocent? Who stood up for them? If we don't cut down every last one of those beasts, they'll keep hurting people!!! In the process, some casualties are inevitable…"

After his outburst, Liao Wendong was breathing heavily, his voice coming in broken fragments: "Miss Xia, one last warning…"

Seeing He Zhongzhen nod, Xia Qing knew Liao Wendong's network location had been traced. She hung up directly and went back to the mission.

"Boom!"

Hearing the explosion and seeing the black smoke rising from the research institute staff dormitory, He Zhongzhen couldn't help cursing: "These Fierce Fire lunatics!"

The smart voice's incoming-call notification sounded again in Xia Qing's earpiece. This time the caller was the Agriculture Department's disaster-relief commander, Yang Benming.

"Xia Qing, Minister Pan and Deputy Director Wang have both been poisoned with synthesized toxin Qiang-13. The situation outside is dangerous right now, and professional medical rescue can't arrive quickly. Do you have a special antidote on you?"

The artificially synthesized toxin Qiang-13 has autocatalytic properties. Once it enters the skin, it uses human cells as "raw material," continuously self-replicating or catalyzing the production of more of the same toxin, causing the infection to keep spreading. This synthesized poison currently cannot be completely eliminated; once infected, a patient must take medication for life.

Fierce Fire used Qiang-13 to make bombs so that even if the people caught in the blasts survived by luck, they would be tormented by the synthesized toxin day and night.

Xia Qing replied, "I have one kind of antidote on me that can slow down Qiang-13's self-replication, but I only have one dose."

"Good. I'll send someone up to get it now. Toxins are everywhere right now — you must wear your protective mask." Yang Benming gave the instruction, hung up, and sent someone up to take the antidote from Xia Qing.

The earlier this antidote was used, the better. As for who Yang Benming would give it to, that wasn't Xia Qing's concern.

Soon, Xia Qing received a call from her idol: "Xia Qing, hand the No. 3 powder and the R-4 solution from your first-aid kit to Yang Benming, to be used in preparing an air disinfectant."

"Okay." Xia Qing added an uneasy reminder: "Please, don't leave the territory."

Zhang San snorted coldly: "I don't need you worrying about me. Retaliation attacks hit Hui-2, Hui-5, and Hui-8 almost simultaneously. You're one of their targets too. Stay put and stop running around."