As Xiao Feng washed his hands, his gaze caught a faint glowing dot, instantly stirring a profound sense of foreboding within him.
Fortune favored his swift reflexes; he leapt backward just as a bullet shattered the kitchen glass, striking the basin and puncturing a hole through which water began to leak.
In that instant, Xiao Feng understood without doubt that a sniper lurked in the building opposite. He crouched sharply, flinging his slipper toward the source before plunging the kitchen lights into darkness.
From the bedroom, Kelly, having heard the shattering glass, called out anxiously, "What's happening?"
"Stay inside the bedroom—don't come out! Get under the bed quickly! There's a sniper…" Xiao Feng urged with urgency.
Without hesitation, Kelly rolled off the bed onto the floor, grabbing a robe to cover herself. Turning, she spotted Xiao Feng's slender black backpack propped against the bedpost.
She knew well what it contained. Crawling forward, she unzipped the long case to reveal the sleek crimson sniper rifle — a constant companion of Xiao Feng's. Swiftly checking the ammunition, she crawled to the bedroom door and called toward Xiao Feng crouched near the kitchen, "Xiao Feng, here's your rifle…"
A flicker of delight crossed Xiao Feng's face as he saw Kelly handing him the weapon. Concealed in the sniper's blind spot, he gave her a thumbs-up. Kelly then slid the rifle across the floor to him.
Grasping the sniper rifle with one hand, Xiao Feng racked the bolt to chamber a round, then glanced at the erratic red laser dot dancing on the floor. Rising swiftly, he trained the scope toward the enemy's building.
Equipped with the most advanced sighting apparatus on the market, the rifle's scope allowed Xiao Feng, having already triangulated the sniper's position by the laser's angle, to lock onto his target on the opposite floor.
A red beam flickered, and without hesitation, Xiao Feng squeezed the trigger. The rifle's thunderous report shattered the night as the bullet pierced the kitchen window and sped toward the enemy's rooftop, where the red laser vanished.
Pressing his body against the windowsill, Xiao Feng scanned the enemy floor with the sniper rifle, finding no further signs of movement. Turning to Kelly, he commanded, "Stay put. Don't move. I'm going out to investigate…"
Without a word more, Xiao Feng pushed open the window and leapt from their floor.
Kelly gasped in alarm, rushing to the windowsill to watch as Xiao Feng landed on the ground below with a solid thud before sprinting toward the opposite building.
Her astonishment was palpable — thirteen floors high, a height no ordinary person could survive.
Under the dim streetlamps, Xiao Feng bypassed the stairs, scaling the balconies with a surge of agility: grasping the second-floor ledge, crouching there briefly before propelling himself onto the third-floor balcony. Thus, he ascended swiftly to the rooftop. The opposite building, towering some twenty floors, was reached by Xiao Feng in under two minutes.
Breathing heavily, he gazed down at the sniper sprawled across the rooftop. Scattered supplies nearby revealed the assassin's prolonged vigil. Cloaked in a mottled gray camouflage, he would have remained concealed but for the crimson laser sight betraying his position.
Xiao Feng regarded the sniper rifle beneath him with recognition — a weapon that had left a deep impression during his first encounter in Protection Zone 64.
The standard-issue sniper rifle of the Alliance forces.
Without uttering a word, Xiao Feng hoisted the rifle onto his back and returned to Kelly's room. Seeing her worried expression, he said gravely, "You can't stay here anymore. You need to move to another room—immediately."
"Why?" Kelly inquired.
Handing her the Alliance sniper rifle, Xiao Feng replied, "See this? It's the Alliance military's gear. This sniper has been stationed on the opposite rooftop for a long time. I doubt it's because of me; more likely they're monitoring you. Though I can't be certain, this place is no longer safe."
Kelly nodded solemnly. "Very well. I'll move to our company's branch office—it should be safer there."
Xiao Feng shook his head. "The real question is, why does the Alliance want to surveil you?"
Kelly smiled coldly. "Let me tell you, the Alliance is riddled with turmoil, on the brink of fracture. Sam Corporation and Hilton Company have united, as have our Brom and Victoria Corporations. These alliances are not public yet, but they exist. Otherwise, why would my father be so eager to have me assist him at the company? The Alliance now is like a crumbling wall; remove a single brick, and the whole thing will collapse."
"Could they have infiltrated the Alliance forces?" Xiao Feng asked, his mind racing.
"Yes. Sam Corporation has long been entrenched within the military and swiftly took control."
"No wonder. That explains a lot. I suppose you're not the only one being watched."
"What do you mean? Could it be…" Kelly trailed off.
"I suspect all senior executives of Brom and Victoria are under surveillance. Believe it or not."
Kelly nodded, conceding the point, then sneered, "We've cut off weapons supplies to the Alliance forces and are rushing collaboration with Victoria to develop more advanced arms. They dare not act rashly."
Listening to Kelly's detailed account of the Alliance's internal crisis, Xiao Feng smiled faintly. This chaotic environment might present an opportunity for him, yet his foremost concern remained the safety of Kelly and their friends.
After a moment's thought, he declared, "Discussing this now is futile. Let's stay put while I go check on Kerry—to confirm if he too is being watched."
Kelly agreed promptly. "Let's go at once."
Donned in her sleek black leather suit, Kelly accompanied Xiao Feng downstairs to a sleek black sports car. In the stillness of the night, the engine growled low and fierce as they sped toward the far side of the city.
Yet, as they vanished around a corner, atop another rooftop, a shadowy figure abruptly rose, clutching a communicator. In a low voice, he reported, "Star command, the mountain hawk has been compromised. Shall we eliminate the target?"