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Chapter 13 - Chapter 12: The Hunt

At 2:15 AM, on a road behind the Presidential Palace, a thirty-personnel patrol unit had just passed. A manhole cover on the ground was deftly lifted, revealing 13's signature four 'eyes' characteristic of his combat state.

He swiftly replaced the cover and surveyed the compound wall, standing over three meters high. Inhaling deeply, his fingertips gained shallow purchase in the concrete wall, and he vaulted over soundlessly.

Scanning the surroundings, he found them devoid of sentries. 13's immediate reaction: something amiss! Engaging the infrared mode on his holographic helmet, his vision instantly materialized a myriad of crimson lines.

13 smirked disdainfully and flexed his hands. Akin to an accomplished gymnast, he progressed meticulously, employing various inconceivable maneuvers. The mere fifteen meters distance from the wall to the building consumed ten minutes before he adhered to the structure's facade.

Drawing another deep breath, 13 elevated his left hand. With a faint hiss, a filament, scarcely thicker than silk thread, deployed from his arm bracer, anchoring securely beneath the eaves. This was precisely the 'White Tiger' ancillary gear. Prior to departure, 13 had felt an inexplicable apprehension, prompting his decision to carry the full complement of equipment; should any adversity arise, escaping leveraging his own prowess remained feasible.

Impassively, 13 was rapidly hoisted vertically by the line to the second floor. Employing his combat blade, he deftly disengaged the window latch. Executing a fluid roll, he infiltrated the room. Severing the filament and restoring the window to its original state, 13 commenced a meticulous survey of the environment. It was a chamber – pink curtains, pale yellow walls, and dolls strewn across the floor. Apparently, he had breached the incorrect location...

13 proceeded cautiously towards the doorway. Abruptly, a recognizable voice emanated from the large bed.

"Brother, who might you be?"

13's scalp prickled, for the voice's originator was...

"If you remain silent, Bao Bao will cry out!" the little girl from the park earlier admonished.

"Are you unafraid of me?" 13 turned, observing Bao Bao's beaming countenance on the bed. The emanating crimson glow from his four 'eyes' projected menace.

"Relatively so. Observing your immediate intention to depart upon entry, you harbor no intention of inflicting harm upon Bao Bao, so Bao Bao possesses no grounds for fear. Are you here to assassinate Chen Bian?" the girl recounted placidly.

"However, now that you have detected me, I am reconsidering my position," 13 stated concurrently, unsheathing the combat blade from behind him once more.

"Is Brother attempting to intimidate Bao Bao? I neglected to inform you, Bao Bao recently awoke because Bao Bao requested Sister fetch water..."

13 did not await the conclusion of her sentence, as footsteps echoed from the threshold. Executing a swift lunge, he simultaneously pressed the blade against Zhang Jie's throat as the door swung open.

Yet, the sequence was incomplete. Zhang Jie instinctively relinquished her grip on the water glass. With a gentle flick of his boot tip cushioning the impact, the delicate glass settled noiselessly onto the beige carpet.

"Brother is remarkably skilled!" Bao Bao actually exclaimed in admiration.

Encircling Zhang Jie's slender waist with one arm, 13 ushered her into the room, employing his foot to re-secure the door.

"Mind the proximity of your blade; I have no desire to be restricted to wearing high-necked attire henceforth," Zhang Jie maintained a similarly composed demeanor.

"I harbor no intent to harm either of you. As your sister articulated, I am seeking Chen Bian. Refrain from alerting anyone," 13 gradually released his hold on Zhang Jie.

"Your identity?" Zhang Jie inquired.

"Assassin." 13 sheathed his combat blade and proceeded towards the exit.

"Mr. Assassin, are you incurious regarding our connection to Chen Bian?" Bao Bao asked inquisitively.

"Curiosity is not my nature. Judging by your manner of addressing him as 'Chen Bian', I surmise you are not kin. That suffices." 13 secured the door and sprinted towards the corridor's terminus.

"Truly an intriguing individual. Wouldn't you concur, Sister?"

"Not intriguing, but peculiar," Zhang Jie replied, massaging the neck bruised by 13.

"I sincerely hope our operatives exercise restraint; Bao Bao hasn't truly engaged with him yet..." Bao Bao arose from beneath the covers, clad in form-fitting black combat attire that revealed a hint of feminine allure on her diminutive frame.

"Satan, the 'Mouse' has ascended," Zhang Jie reported, observing a minuscule pinhole camera in the wall corner.

13 swiftly navigated the corridor, stealthily advancing towards the uppermost level. Each room encountered was meticulously inspected; all were unexpectedly vacant. The sense of foreboding within 13 intensified...

Ultimately, he reached the top-floor Presidential Suite. Chen Bian was absent. Awaiting 13 was a single white mecha, brandishing dual cannons aimed squarely at the entrance.

As the door was eased open, the mecha, designated Satan, depressed the triggers without a shred of hesitation. Propelled at high velocity, the 75-millimeter caliber cannon rounds obliterated the substantial mahogany door into splinters.

"I anticipated you wouldn't passively await my arrival," 13 materialized abruptly from the periphery, brandishing his Cool-Fire weapon leveled at the white mecha.

"Knowledge matters little! Your demise here today is inevitable!" a resonant masculine voice emanated from the mecha.

"I lack the time for diversions. If you possess the capability, attempt to apprehend me." Having spoken, 13 discharged his weapon fractions of a second before the mecha could fire again. The projectile penetrated directly into the elongated cannon barrel. Satan's initial reaction was: Trouble! The high-velocity penetrating round detonated the mecha's recently chambered cannon shell. The massive detonation instantaneously ravaged the suite. Lacking the time to admire his "handiwork," 13 surged forward, launching himself out of the fourth-story window.

While airborne, 13 mused inwardly, "Such a grand reception. Solely for my benefit? Is it warranted?"

Below, he observed no fewer than one hundred heavily armed soldiers lying in wait. This was exclusive of the orderly ranks forming human barricades beyond the Palace walls.

Without awaiting his landing, the soldiers collectively unleashed a barrage towards him. 13 cupped his hands, shielding his head. Rounds struck his armor, eliciting innumerable sparks.

Upon landing, the gunfire ceased momentarily – not out of astonishment that 13 had plummeted from such a height and remained unscathed, merely intending to reacquire their targets and resume firing. However, 13 afforded them no such opportunity. Extending his hands, the main gate materialized on his holographic visor. Without faltering, leveraging his hundred-meter-in-seven-seconds velocity, he burst through the main gate.

This night, Taipei was destined to be thrown into turmoil by 13.

Meanwhile, Satan, having recovered from the blast, approached the window aperture recently shattered by 13, gazing out upon the fleeing figure pursued by a convoy of armored vehicles.

"Pigeon, maintain pursuit. We require live capture of this 'Mouse'."

"Acknowledged, Satan. The hunt commences!" a cerulean mecha responded from the darkened heavens.

"Brother, may I participate? Elf has been keenly anticipating this," Bao Bao arrived behind Satan.

"Negative. Mother stipulated you represent the ultimate phase. Elf constitutes a paramount state secret; its existence must remain undisclosed. Therefore..." Satan glanced towards the crimson mecha positioned beside Bao Bao, "...let us commence the hunt!" With that, he vaulted from the window.

"Be compliant, Bao Bao. Await the return of Sister and the Brothers," Angel likewise followed Satan, leaping down.

Observing the receding figures of Pigeon, Satan, and Angel, a barely discernible tear traced a path down Bao Bao's youthful visage, landing upon the floor.

"One after another, always the same. Invariably excluding Bao Bao to pursue their own diversions. Elf, do you suppose they resent Bao Bao?"

A low growl emanated from beside her.

"Still, 'Prosperity' remains the best. Even when teased by Bao Bao, harbors no anger towards Bao Bao." A faint smile touched her lips. "Proceed! We shall seek amusement with Big Brother!"

Another feral roar erupted. Bao Bao unexpectedly levitated from the ground, the sensation akin to being perched atop something's head.

Following the trajectory of the others, Bao Bao also integrated into this procession of pursuit.

Amidst whizzing projectiles and screaming siren wails, 13 sprinted linearly along the expansive avenue.

The objective was palpably clear: Evasion!

13 abruptly activated a control on his helmet. Further down the road, a manhole cover was propelled skyward by an explosion. From beneath the cover, a sleek, silver-white hoverboard swiftly ejected (another piece of White Tiger ancillary gear – a long-range mobility device). Unhesitatingly, 13 executed a lateral leap, landing securely upon it. The fluid maneuver would elicit gasps of admiration from any extreme sports practitioner.

Upon the board making contact with the ground, it unexpectedly propelled itself forward autonomously.

"Is this conceivable?!" soldiers exclaimed within one armored vehicle. "Moments ago, at fifty kilometers per hour, we struggled to maintain proximity; now this blasted hoverboard accelerates effortlessly, nearly vanishing from view! Is that entity even human?!"

"Increase speed! Presidential decree mandates elimination of this assassin! A triple promotion and a one-million US dollar reward await! Disregard whether he is man or monster! Capture him, and your future ensures a life of luxury!" exclaimed an agitated soldier beside him.

"You witnessed it yourself. He descended from the fourth story, subjected to concentrated fire from over a hundred personnel, yet the blighter still moves like some aberration... The mere recollection sends shivers down my spine..." stated the soldier piloting the armored vehicle.

"Fear what? Regardless of his prowess, ensconced within this armored vehicle, he remains incapable of harming us..." His words yet unfinished, the armored vehicle detonated.

Further ahead, 13, poised lightly upon the hoverboard, minutely adjusted his angle. His Cool-Fire weapon targeted the subsequent armored vehicle's fuel tank vicinity. With a subtle report, the high-velocity penetrating round effortlessly breached the five-centimeter thick steel plating as though piercing confectionary. Consequently, another vehicle was eliminated from the pursuit.

"Who in damnation is hunting whom here?!" articulated the pilot of another vehicle, currently in 13's sights, the last sentence he would ever speak.

The soldiers, already contemplating halting their vehicles, abruptly detected the thrum of helicopter rotors. Their grip upon the steering controls tightened anew.

"Five Apache helicopters? Chen Bian has certainly committed significant resources. No matter. Consider this alleviating some pressure for the 'old man'." 13 leveled his weapon towards one of the aircraft thundering overhead. Its destiny proved more fortunate than the armored vehicles'; it avoided complete destruction. However, the pilot's cranium encountered no such fortune. Consequently, the unpiloted aircraft plummeted directly into an armored vehicle below.

"Eliminate him swiftly!" The residual four Apaches activated their nose-mounted E1 pattern 30-millimeter cannons, commencing strafing runs. They utterly disregarded that their quarry was merely a single "individual".

A rate of fire delivering eleven rounds per second, coupled with specialized munitions potent enough to pierce armored hulls, churned the concrete surrounding 13 into debris rising over half a meter high.

Beneath the overwhelming barrage, 13 was compelled to manipulate the hoverboard, executing evasive maneuvers left and right.

"Maintain pressure! He cannot return fire!" Another aircraft plummeted.

The pilots were disoriented. The individual before them utterly lacked the demeanor of prey; conversely, he persisted in methodically eliminating them, the self-proclaimed hunters.

13, unaccustomed to bewilderment, proceeded to discharge three additional rounds. The skies were subsequently devoid of the clamorous thrum of rotors.

"Pigeon! Maintain surveillance on the 'Mouse's' vector. We have encountered minor impedance; our velocity is somewhat diminished. Do not lose contact," Satan relayed, vaulting over another burning armored vehicle wreck.

"Acknowledged." The cerulean mecha increased its velocity. "I must remark, Satan, this 'Mouse' possesses truly exceptional capabilities. He is already cognizant of my presence, yet deliberately refrains from engaging – likely attributable to excessive range. However, he persistently feigns inattention towards me, intending to lure me into an attack posture. Yet, I harbor a distinct impression that the moment optimal engagement range is achieved, I will be neutralized by him."

"Remember, your designated role is surveillance. Your armor plating is inferior in thickness to ours, incapable of sustaining multiple impacts from his weapon," Satan cautioned.

"Truly a cunning and formidable adversary! Engaging such an individual in combat is exhilarating!" Pigeon exclaimed with fervor.

"Indeed," Angel emitted a sigh. "However, a momentary lapse in vigilance, and he will exsanguinate that surging blood of yours."

"Elf, Brother moves with incredible celerity! Can you match such velocity?" Bao Bao inquired, seemingly hovering as she moved.

From beneath her issued the familiar low growl. Her velocity increased substantially once more.

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