389 Deathless

July 19-20, 20X2 (Around Midnight to Dawn)

Various Places

In a small apartment overlooking the Upper Docks of the city, Hao Ren saw movement on the boat he was monitoring. Since they have assigned a guard shift so some can rest while one is at the lookout, As the person tracking a lot of places all at once, Hao Ren drank his coffee like it was water for his parched throat.

Although he knew that the probability of him seeing some sign of movement from the terrorist in his shift, Hao Ren was not mentally prepared to do so. 

In the monitor of his laptop at the most bottom row on the left was a group of people with black masks covering their faces moving in the sewers. Hao Ren immediately tapped the emergency button on the side of his laptop, making it buzz like crazy. He made sure that his earpiece was in place and hurriedly said, "There's movement. I see around twenty people in the new sewer system using the path that Dan has reported."

To make sure that he was heard, Hao Ren repeated those words multiple times. He forgot for many times it was, but he had done his best to contribute. Hao Ren would be so guilty if he did not do his best, three children could die. 

Hao Ren did not wait for any response from the communicator he was given. He counted the people he could see. By the time, Yang has arrived frantically in the room, Hao Ren was already saying in his small microphone, "There are twenty-eight people. They're armed. I do not know what they are, but there's Pistols, Rifles, and I think two machine guns."

Chang Min, panting because he had hurried, peeked at the monitor and calmly identified everything, "More or less, there are four Beretta PM-12, three Beretta AR-70 SCS-70, five Benelli M2 Super 90, five Fabarm Ultrashort-18, seven Valtro-5 Short Barrel, and six FNA X-5. And I see hidden pistols. I can guess that they might be guns from the same country. Probably Beretta M9."

Hao Ren couldn't help but gape. Although the camera's quality was clear, it was impressive that Chang Min could recognize and name the firearms without much effort, as expected of the CEO of the Xue Corporation. 

"This is difficult... They're concealing themselves." Yang clicked his tongue in distaste, eyes scanning other places in the monitor for movement.

Alexandre sweatdropped, "They're terrorists, they're cheaters that way."

"Cheaters or whatever, they're dying." Chang Min muttered. 

"Agreed," two voices from their earpiece said in unison.

In Zhao Manor, Jerome Bonaparte was sitting in the living room in his janitor outfit while Wu Tian Li was on the other side of the couch, typing on his laptop. In the large television in front of them were the monitors for the surveillance camera around the Manor. 

"Hao Ren, send me a feed," Wu Tian Li commanded. 

"If they keep their pace, it might take around 30 minutes for them to arrive on the Manor's outside grounds..." Alexandre's voice echoed.

Jerome hummed and calmly pointed out, "They're in masks. They might be the distraction... or just expendable pawns."

Jerome heard Yang clicked his tongue again before saying, "Agreed."

"That means The Fool might be in the boat still with the children. If so, then..." Wu Tian Li mumbled.

"Then, you little dragons' are fuck." Jerome continued. The element of surprise was what they were hoping to use to rescue the children. If that was out of the equation, then the possibility of the children being hurt is inevitable, but if they were the ones that are attacked without notice, then all hope is lost, and they die. 

In a small hidden nook at one of the top floors, Hao Chen kept on munching at the cookies that Yue had in the Manor which was given to him by Aunt Qinyang, who was also laying on the stomach with a large machine gun in front of her, two sniper rifle beside her, and a lot of large ammo boxes littered all around.

Seeing the familiar set up, Hao Chen briefly wondered out loud, "Aunt Qinyang, did you teach Yue how to snipe?"

Aunt Qinyang turned her head towards him, amused, "Yes..."

With a pissed voice, Yang's voice echoed in all of their earpieces, "It is nice to have confirmation that you truly like my sister. In moments like these, it's her that's on your mind, huh? But I would like you to concentrate on the task at hand, please."

Hao Ren's snickering was heard with mumbles of "love-struck fool."

Aunt Qinyang winked at him, which caused Hao Chen to blush. That was not intentional. Damn. He just had to embarrass himself. 

Meanwhile, outside of the Manor at midnight, an unknown movement started.

"Go in!" One of the masked men hissed to the rest. Because everyone was busy with the news of the baby and the kidnapping of the elder kids, the security in the Manor was not as strong as it previously was. Added to the fact that Zhao Yang had mobilized most of the guards expecting the terrorist to focus on the hospital where Mei Lin was, Zhao Manor was very lacking with security.

It was easy to enter the Manor using one of the tunnels that they've dug, so without hesitation, they crawled lower in the sewers and into the smaller hole. 

In the living room, Wu Tian Li grinned as he reported, "They're here."

Jerome crossed his legs, lifted his arms to rest on the square pillows that sandwich his body, "Can you give me an open view on the television? Your laptop is too small."

Wu Tian Li merely snorted, and within a few seconds, Jerome watched twenty-eight men sneak around, trying to hide in the large bushes and trees that surrounded the Manor. With excitement, Jerome asked the other man beside him, "When are we going to start?"

Humming, Wu Tian Li looked at the clock and waited. As the masked men came nearer, and the small alarm in his expensive watch chimed, the experienced Hacker then said, "Now."

Pressing the enter button on his laptop, loud rock music blared in the speakers that circled the Manor. Tapping his foot to the beautiful rhythm, Jerome nodded his head, almost dancing to the music, while watching the television with amusement, eyes lighting with a glint of malice.

The masked men were confused and were panicking, what was going on?

As they walked closer to their destination, senses heightened and adrenaline rushing, they became more cautious. Why was there music?

As one foot stepped and another followed, the music turned aggressive, and someone began to scream the lyrics. The drums then entered, and as the lowest bass was struck, one or two of them died without the rest noticing much.

They didn't know that the drum bass sound was the landmines detonating, killing one after the other. 

This is how the Deathless plays.

Jerome had to applaud the imagination of his son. Chang Min had developed some pretty amazing toys. Who would have thought that one can change the sound frequency of explosions?

Slowly as the song came to an end, only twelve of the masked men were left. 

Wu Tian Li turned to Jerome and said, "Should we leave the rest to Qinyang and Hao Chen, or should we go?"

Jerome snorted, "You think we can stop that woman?"

Then the sound of machine gun firing was masked as another song played.