Chapter 333: Toys!!
Shanghai
Moments Before The Attack
A temporary command center had been established inside an abandoned office building.
The room was dark except for the glow of several monitors.
Every screen displayed a different camera angle.
The apartment.
The surrounding streets.
The nearby rooftops.
Every possible escape route.
Nothing had been left to chance.
Xin sat in front of the largest screen.
A black hoodie covered his head.
The lower half of his face remained hidden beneath a mask.
Only his eyes were visible.
Eyes filled with obsession.
And hatred.
One of his men stood beside him.
"Mr. Xin."
"For the last few days he has been returning around midnight."
The man checked his watch.
"It’s almost time."
Xin leaned back slightly.
"How many men do we have?"
The man answered immediately.
"As ordered."
"Twenty."
"All equipped with high fire rate submachine guns."
Confidence filled his voice.
"He cannot survive this."
"Even if he acts tough."
"These are professional mercenaries."
"They are trained."
Xin slowly smiled.
Then his eyes moved back toward the apartment displayed on screen.
"Wang Yi is inside."
The man nodded.
"Do not worry, sir."
"We checked the building structure thoroughly."
"Miss Wang Yi’s bedroom is located in the southeast corner."
A blueprint appeared on another screen.
The man pointed toward it.
"We will handle Ghost at the entrance."
"She won’t even know what happened."
Another screen displayed police patrol routes.
"We have already managed the local police."
"No one will respond within the first hour."
"The entire area will lose power as soon as the operation begins."
Xin seemed pleased.
The man continued.
"Our teams are equipped with night vision equipment."
"The darkness will only help us."
Xin slowly folded his hands.
For a moment he stared at Wang Yi’s bedroom on the screen.
A strange emotion flashed through his eyes.
"If it wasn’t for revenge..."
His voice became quieter.
"I would never have used Wang Yi as bait."
The room remained silent.
Xin slowly leaned forward.
His eyes becoming darker.
"Ghost."
"I hope you come."
A smile slowly appeared.
Because tonight...
"I will personally give you death."
The smile widened further.
"After I kill the Graveyard members in front of you."
"The missiles are ready too."
His laughter echoed through the room.
"It will be a beautiful fireworks show."
...
One Hour Later
The room suddenly became more active.
A man pointed at one of the screens.
"Mr. Xin."
"He’s back."
Everyone immediately focused.
A hooded figure appeared on the camera feed.
Walking calmly toward the apartment.
No bodyguards.
No backup.
Just one person.
Xin stood up.
His eyes narrowed.
Years had passed.
The teenager he remembered was gone.
The figure walking toward the apartment looked taller.
More mature.
More dangerous.
But Xin only smiled.
"So..."
"That kid has grown up."
He slowly clenched his fist.
"Do it."
"It’s time."
The man immediately spoke into his communication headset.
"All units."
"Activate body cameras."
One by one.
Camera feeds appeared across the monitors.
Mercenaries hiding on rooftops.
Mercenaries behind vehicles.
Mercenaries waiting in alleyways.
Every angle was covered.
The operation commander continued issuing orders.
"Power."
Several blocks away.
A switch was flipped.
Instantly.
The neighborhood plunged into darkness.
Street lights died.
Building lights vanished.
The entire district disappeared into blackness.
Only the green glow of night vision cameras remained.
The mercenaries began moving.
Silently.
Like predators.
They surrounded the apartment building from every direction.
One group approached the eastern side.
A window was already open.
The first mercenary climbed inside.
His body camera transmitted everything.
The image appeared on Xin’s monitor.
A bedroom.
Old furniture.
Simple decorations.
Nothing special.
Several more mercenaries entered behind him.
The room was secured within seconds.
One of them signaled silently.
Move.
The team exited the bedroom.
The door opened without making a sound.
Beyond it stretched a narrow corridor.
Xin frowned.
"What kind of house is this?"
"Why is there a corridor?"
The operation commander answered.
"It’s an older building."
"We verified the blueprints."
"The corridor leads directly to the living room."
He checked another monitor.
"The heat signatures confirm it."
"Ghost is in the living room."
"And Wang Yi is sleeping."
Xin’s lips curved into a smirk.
"What can a poor brat afford anyway?"
The commander nodded.
"Team Two."
"Secure the southeast bedroom."
"All other teams surround the living room."
The mercenaries moved like shadows.
Professional.
Disciplined.
Silent.
They took positions around every entrance.
Every window.
Every possible exit.
The living room was now surrounded from three directions.
A perfect kill zone.
One body camera showed the target.
A lone man.
Standing near a drawer.
The figure appeared completely unaware.
Xin’s eyes lit up.
"Aim at him."
Inside the apartment.
The man opened the drawer.
Then pulled something out.
A candle.
He sighed.
"Electricity is gone?"
He looked toward the ceiling.
"What’s the difference between a city and a forest then?"
Xin laughed.
The fool still had no idea.
No idea that death was already inside his home.
"It’s time."
"Charge."
The order was given.
The mercenaries exploded into motion.
Doors burst open.
Footsteps thundered through the apartment.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Then they flooded into the living room.
Black uniforms.
Night vision goggles.
Suppressed weapons.
More than a dozen submachine guns instantly pointed at the lone figure.
Red laser sights covered his chest.
His head.
His neck.
Every vital point.
The candle slipped from his fingers.
It hit the floor.
Rolling across the wooden boards.
The man slowly turned around.
He was completely cornered.
No escape route.
No cover.
Only guns.
An overwhelming amount of guns.
One mercenary stepped forward.
His weapon aimed directly at the target’s face.
"Put your hands up."
His voice echoed through the room.
Cold.
Professional.
"Ghost."
The room became silent.
The mercenary continued.
"You move one inch."
"There will be a hundred holes in your body."
The figure slowly raised his hands.
As instructed.
Completely surrounded.
Completely trapped.
Or at least...
That was what everyone believed.
Back in the command center near the apartment.
Xin stared at the screen.
Then suddenly burst into laughter.
Loud.
Triumphant.
Obsessed.
Years of hatred exploded out at once.
He rose from his chair.
Stepping closer to the monitor.
His eyes locked onto the hooded figure.
And he shouted.
"Got you, Ghost!"
Xin looked at the screen one last time.
A victorious smile was still on his face.
"Let’s go."
"We are going in."
The command center immediately became active.
Several armed men followed behind him.
They moved with precision through the dark streets.
The operation had gone exactly according to plan.
The target was cornered.
The trap had worked.
At least that was what Xin believed.
A few minutes later they arrived at the apartment building.
The mercenaries secured the perimeter.
Others entered first and verified the situation.
Only after receiving confirmation did Xin walk inside.
The mercenaries lowered their heads respectfully as he passed.
"Mr. Xin."
"The target is secured."
Xin smiled.
Then stepped into the living room.
The room was illuminated by candles.
Their soft orange light danced across the walls.
More than a dozen armed mercenaries surrounded the lone figure in the center.
Weapons aimed.
No escape.
No resistance.
Xin laughed.
"Surprise."
The hooded figure remained silent.
Xin slowly approached.
His eyes filled with satisfaction.
"Take off his hood."
One mercenary stepped forward.
He grabbed the hood.
And pulled it down.
The face underneath appeared.
A face Xin could never forget.
Ghost.
Standing calmly in front of him.
Not afraid.
Not nervous.
Not even slightly concerned.
Xin narrowed his eyes.
"What?"
"Still pretending to be calm?"
A mocking smile appeared on his face.
"Did that Meiling teach you some secret techniques?"
"You two are really alike."
Ghost looked directly at him.
His expression did not change.
"So."
"You are not dead."
"And you are behind everything."
Xin stepped closer.
A pistol appeared in his hand.
The barrel pressed against Ghost’s forehead.
"At least look surprised."
Ghost smirked.
A faint smile.
Nothing more.
"Are you saying..."
"You are the first person who attacked me like this?"
His eyes became colder.
"I have seen hundreds of situations like this."
"And all of them ended the same way."
His voice remained steady.
"They filled the ground beneath my feet with blood."
The mercenaries frowned.
Xin stared at him for a moment.
Then laughed.
"Confidence."
"I like it."
He lowered the gun.
"Don’t worry."
"I won’t kill you this early."
Xin casually placed an arm around Ghost’s shoulder.
Like two old friends meeting again.
"Bring popcorn."
"And turn on the television, the show is waiting"
Several mercenaries laughed.
Ghost remained silent.
Then his eyes moved toward the southeastern hallway.
His expression changed slightly.
Only slightly.
But Xin noticed it.
And smiled.
A cruel smile.
"Of course."
"She can watch the show too."
Xin turned toward the hallway.
"Bring her out."
Ghost’s eyes sharpened.
"You dare touch her."
Xin slowly tilted his head.
Staring directly into Ghost’s eyes.
A dangerous look appeared on his face.
"That’s what I want to say."
"She is going to be mine."
"And you won’t be able to do anything."
Then he waved his hand.
"What are you waiting for?"
"Bring her out."
Two mercenaries immediately moved toward the bedroom.
The door opened.
Everyone looked.
Footsteps approached.
A woman slowly walked out.
Xin’s smile widened.
Years of obsession.
Years of searching.
Years of waiting.
Finally ending tonight.
But then...
His smile froze.
His eyes widened.
The woman standing there...
Was not Wang Yi.
Silence filled the room.
Then the woman smiled.
A deadly smile.
A smile that instantly made several mercenaries uneasy.
Xin stared.
"She..."
"She is not Wang Yi."
Reina Frostveil folded her arms.
Her eyes were ice cold.
Ghost grinned.
"When did I say she was Wang Yi?"
Xin’s head snapped toward his men.
"What is this?"
One of the mercenaries began trembling.
"Mr. Xin..."
"We heard it clearly."
"He was talking to her."
"He called her Wang Yi."
Xin slowly looked back toward Ghost.
Realization began appearing in his eyes.
"You..."
Ghost said nothing.
Xin suddenly understood.
His face darkened.
"You knew."
"You knew we were coming."
"This..."
His voice became colder.
"...is a trap."
Ghost’s grin widened.
Then he reached toward his face.
And slowly peeled away the prosthetic disguise.
The fake skin came off.
The fake features disappeared.
The face underneath was revealed.
Ren.
Ren smiled.
"Did we disappoint you?"
Xin’s pupils contracted.
He instinctively took a step backward.
Shock covered his face.
For the first time tonight...
Things were no longer under his control.
"Damn it, he is not Ghost!"
"Kill them both!"
The mercenaries immediately raised their weapons.
Safeties clicked.
Fingers tightened on triggers.
The atmosphere exploded with tension.
But Reina simply smiled.
A beautiful smile.
A dangerous smile.
She looked directly at Xin.
"Didn’t you just say it was a trap?"
Her hand disappeared into her pocket.
"So why are you acting surprised?"
The next moment she threw several crystal spheres onto the floor.
Crash!
Crash!
Crash!
The spheres shattered instantly.
A thick white mist erupted throughout the room.
Visibility disappeared in seconds.
One meter.
Half a meter.
Then nothing.
The entire room vanished into white fog.
At the same time.
The temperature dropped violently.
A freezing wind swept through the living room.
Several mercenaries shivered instinctively.
Their breath became visible.
Frost rapidly spread across nearby furniture.
One mercenary shouted.
"I can’t see!"
Another voice came from the fog.
"Night vision isn’t working!"
The freezing mist reflected and scattered every source of light.
The expensive equipment became nearly useless.
The thermal cameras lost their eyes in the cold mist.
Xin’s face changed completely.
For the first time that night.
He felt danger.
Real danger.
And somewhere inside the white frozen mist.
Ren and Reina can hear their breaths clearly, these mercenaries are just the toys for both of them, and it’s time they play for real.
Ren’s calm voice echoed.
"You think..."
"...Ghost is your prey."
Silence.
Then Reina’s cold laughter spread through the room.
"The prey..."
"...is you."
To Be Continued...
