Having departed the base in solitude, I arrived in Taipei. Despite the ongoing conflict raging outside, the denizens here continued their quotidian existence, as if the ravages of war would forever remain at bay. Such is the human propensity for self-deception, treating the imperceptible as nonexistent. I truly envy their simplicity...
13 had been roaming the streets of Taipei for two days, yet remained unnoticed. Logically, having witnessed 13's visage that day, the mecha should not have failed to recognize him. Consequently, 13 had intended to orchestrate some explosions or assassinations to garner attention. However, in the past two days, the number of soldiers on the streets had markedly increased. Liu Tao appeared to have initiated a particularly vehement assault, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor. It seemed some significant event had transpired at the base in the preceding days. Nevertheless, these matters held no import for 13; his sole desire was to see her.
Unbeknownst to myself, I found myself once again in the small park. The midday sun radiated a comforting warmth, and 13 enjoyed reclining against the wooden bench, basking in the sun's temperature. For reasons unknown, each time I sunbathed in this manner, a certain tremor would resonate within me. Perhaps sunshine seemed somewhat superfluous in my existence? Individuals invariably experience heightened elation upon acquiring something not rightfully theirs.
13 had forgotten the day of the week. It likely wasn't an auspicious day, otherwise the park would not have been so tranquil, almost akin to the stillness experienced during a desert ambush at night.
Devoid of the rustling of wind, the hum of vehicles, or the clamor of people, 13 succumbed to slumber for the first time without any semblance of caution. Although he was cognizant of the inherent danger, his vigilance now craved respite. In such an idyllic setting, to meet one's demise here would not be so undesirable...
"What do you intend to do?" An altercation emanated from nearby. 13 was not one to meddle in the affairs of others, but the excessive noise rendered further sleep impossible, prompting him to rise and depart.
"Aren't you looking for your sister? We brothers will escort you to her!" Kidnapping, perhaps? From the periphery of my vision, I discerned approximately seven ruffians encircling a young girl of around 12 years of age. What a peculiar cohort of individuals! With Taipei on the cusp of becoming a battleground, they still possessed the audacity to extort. Could it be an occupational hazard? Yet, the girl bore a striking resemblance to a child from a wealthy family; not only was she exquisitely featured, but her every gesture and utterance exuded refinement.
"My sister mentioned she would return shortly and asked Baby to wait here for her. Thank you for your kind offer," the girl said, offering a polite bow.
"Little sister, your demeanor is rather aloof. We brothers are offering our assistance out of kindness, yet you perceive us as villains? Do we truly appear villainous to you?" one of the ruffians, whose appearance belied any semblance of benevolence, remarked. "You are insulting me and my companions. Consequently, you ought to compensate us brothers for the emotional distress we have suffered, do you comprehend? Now then, provide us with your parents' telephone number!"
"Baby cannot divulge Mommy's telephone number to you; it is a secret. My sister will return imminently. You should depart quickly, as she has been in a somber mood lately, and someone might get hurt..." The little girl displayed not a trace of fear, which piqued 13's curiosity.
"We're being generous, yet you remain insolent. Let's go!" A heavily muscled ruffian seized the girl's shoulder; he appeared to be the ringleader. 13 instinctively halted his departure. It was killing intent! Faint, yet it induced an involuntary tremor. This was an exhibition of power. He meticulously scanned his surroundings, but that aura vanished instantaneously. The girl dislodged the ringleader's hand and gazed at 13 with expectant eyes.
"Do you require my assistance? Forgive me, but I have no proclivity for rescuing damsels in distress, as I am destined to never be a hero," 13 silently apologized, averting his gaze from the girl and continuing his stride towards the park's exit.
"Damn it!" The ringleader, whose hand had just been swatted away, angrily raised his other hand.
"Dare to strike Baby, and face the consequences!" the girl said icily, her gaze causing the ringleader to inexplicably halt his hand.
"He is Baby's bodyguard, capable of taking on six individuals! Wait, there appear to be seven of you, so he might be slightly outmatched. No matter, he also serves as Baby's 'walking wallet.' Although he carries no firearm, he could fashion a lethal weapon from bundled US dollars and dispatch the remaining one!" Suddenly sensing countless gazes fixated upon him, 13 felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead.
Turning back, he saw the girl indeed pointing her slender left finger in his direction, causing the ruffians to advance almost with mouths agape in anticipation.
"Damn brat, dragging me into this!" 13 cursed inwardly.
"Mate, I hear you're quite formidable," the ringleader remarked. "My brothers and I would like to test your mettle, but we're wary of causing any unpleasantness. Simply hand over your money and then contact your employer to inform them that their young lady is in our custody, and we shall consider ourselves 'friends'."
Had he possessed his cool-fire at that moment, 13 would undoubtedly have blown his brains out! "How could there be such imbecilic thugs?" 13 wondered to himself. "Who has ever encountered a bodyguard who is 1.7 meters tall with the countenance of a scholar? Even if I were a bodyguard, upon witnessing my charge in peril, my immediate instinct would be to rush to their aid, not to abandon them. Very well, even if I were outmatched and needed to summon assistance, I certainly wouldn't stroll away at such a leisurely pace! From a comprehensive and multifaceted analysis, I hardly resemble a bodyguard!"
"We're addressing you! Did you hear us?" the ruffians said, sounding irritated.
"I... have no money." They would not heed any explanations; 13 perceived this in their eyes.
"How can that be? Hey, isn't he your 'walking wallet'?" the ruffian said, turning back to the girl who had not seized the opportunity to flee.
She skipped over, replying, "That's correct! He is Baby's bodyguard, named Wangcai. Wangcai, didn't you just admire a 14.5-carat diamond ring in the jewelry store, saying you wanted to give it to your girlfriend's maid, Chunxi? Oh!" She pointed at 13 with an expression of complete understanding. "Wangcai, you've been naughty! You must have used all of Baby's money to buy the diamond ring, and then you wanted to abandon Baby while my sister was away. Wangcai, you're so bad! Baby dislikes you! Brothers, please teach him a lesson for Baby! Mommy will definitely reward you handsomely."
13 finally comprehended the true meaning of "darkness." What had begun as a group of thugs extorting a little girl, a situation he, as a bystander, could have avoided, had now morphed into a scenario where he was Wangcai, a bodyguard who had absconded with funds, discovered by the little girl's mistress, who then enlisted a group of "righteous" thugs to eliminate him.
It was truly... beyond words...
"You're clearly no saint either. I felt a particular affinity for you when I first saw you. We don't wish to make things difficult for you now. If you hand over the diamond ring and allow us to abduct you to claim the reward, everything will be settled!" The ringleader appeared to have revised his strategy.
"If I were to tell you that I am not some bodyguard named 'Wangcai,' would you believe me?" 13 asked, gazing at him with a hint of helplessness, although he already knew the answer.
"Do you genuinely believe anyone would believe you at this juncture?" The ringleader, seemingly having acquired some rudimentary education, even employed a rhetorical question.
With a straightforward jab, the ringleader was propelled backward a considerable five meters, colliding with a lamppost.
"Why? Had you simply stated your disbelief, you could have avoided injury. Sometimes, ignorance is indeed a form of culpability." Without pausing, he executed a swift sidekick, sending the ruffian to his left to suffer the same fate as their leader.
Only then did the others react, reaching for the weapons on their persons to attack. Their movements were utterly meaningless in 13's eyes; even a moderately trained Chinese soldier could have dispatched them. What followed were five more uncomplicated maneuvers, resulting in the ruffians scattering in a circular formation, which, from an aerial perspective, might have appeared rather stylish.
"Big brother, you're so amazing! You can defeat seven bad guys without even moving! Baby admires you so much!" the girl exclaimed, clapping her hands with delight. Yet, 13 felt no pride, only an increasing sense of futility.
Ignoring her, he turned to resume his earlier departure.
"Aren't you angry? Baby told lies and dragged big brother into this," she said, appearing somewhat contrite, yet her expression betrayed only curiosity.
"Taipei has become rather complicated recently. Once your sister arrives, go home promptly. Don't loiter outside unnecessarily..." These simple words of advice inexplicably caused tears to well up in Baby's eyes. 13 also felt a sense of strangeness; normally, such expressions of concern would never even cross his mind. Clearly, his encounter with "Angel" had changed him. He needed to find her quickly and understand why!
"Even though Baby framed big brother so terribly, big brother still cares about Baby. Baby is so happy. Thank you, big brother," she said, rubbing her eyes and offering a faint smile.
"It was nothing. Even if I hadn't intervened, you wouldn't have been in danger. You should understand..."
"You can sense the presence of the sprite!" she suddenly exclaimed with excitement, although it was not particularly difficult. 13 acknowledged that her protector was highly skilled, yet the fact that he revealed killing intent over a minor injury to his charge indicated either immaturity or a profound personal attachment to the target.
At that moment, 13 halted, his gaze fixed on the person entering through the gate. The feeling she evoked within him was one of "long time no see."
Pale golden hair cascading over her shoulders, cerulean eyes, alabaster skin, and a slightly slender physique.
Her image was absent from 13's memories.
She, too, stopped, her gaze meeting 13's...
"Is it you?"
"Do you know me?" 13 was perplexed by her words.
"Oh? No, you resemble a friend of mine, but upon closer inspection, you are not him. Forgive the intrusion," the girl said, offering no further explanation before hurrying past him to the little girl's side.
"I told you not to wander off! I've been searching everywhere for you. If anything were to happen, Mommy would never forgive me..."
"Sister, I'm sorry. Baby won't run off again. There were many bad people who wanted to hurt Baby just now, but big brother defeated them all."
"Is it you, sir?" she seemed to be addressing him, so 13 turned back.
"Thank you. My younger sister is quite prone to causing trouble. I hope she didn't inconvenience you," the girl said with politeness.
"It was nothing," he replied, glancing at the seven prone figures surrounding them. "I believe I could manage. Miss, you also seem familiar to me. Might I inquire as to your name?"
"Your methods of pursuing someone are truly cliché, Sister. Don't tell him," Baby said, sticking out her tongue. Her expression remained unchanged, suggesting a girl accustomed to such situations, for whom this minor excitement held little significance.
"Don't speak nonsense. The gentleman likely asked because he genuinely has a friend who resembles him," she said, her smile so sweet that it would be etched in 13's memory for a lifetime. "My name is Zhang Jie."
"Miss Zhang, you should probably take your sister home quickly. There are many individuals on the streets lately who might try to take advantage of the wartime chaos to commit crimes." Could it not be her? 13 turned back, intending to leave.
"Sir, could you possibly tell me your name?"
13 halted once more. He yearned to answer her question; perhaps what 13 had always longed for was the ability to respond to such an inquiry. Yet, he found himself incapable. 13 possessed no name, merely the designation of sniper 13, his sole domain being the battlefield. For there, no one ever asked for names; to them, his name was "enemy."
"Sir, could you tell me? I merely wish to make a friend..." she pressed further.
Breaking into a run, 13 headed towards the park exit, without so much as a backward glance. He was evading...
"Sister, it's truly unexpected that China's most formidable lone operative would be a boy who shyly flees at the sight of a beautiful woman."
"Cease your jesting. Hurry back and inform 'Mommy' of this. I believe 'Mommy' will be most pleased to hear about it," the girl said, watching 13's retreating figure.
"Indeed, Baby must concede that he is not as simple as he appears; he could even sense the presence of the 'sprite'," Baby said, her countenance darkening.
"He is an unpredictable individual. Just when you believe you have far surpassed his capabilities, he can effortlessly eliminate you..." Angel's tone carried a hint of感慨.
"Baby, could you grant your sister one request?" Angel said, turning to look at Baby, whose face was alight with excitement.
"What is it, Sister?" Baby asked, her brow furrowed in curiosity.
"If he is destined to perish in the end, I wish for you to allow me to be the one to carry it out."
"Has he done something so egregious that Sister wishes to kill him?" Baby inquired.
"Hmm..." Angel gazed again in the direction where nothing remained. "He has insulted my pride as a warrior. He must meet his end at my hands!"
"Oh, I understand, Sister," Baby said, nodding her head.
At that moment, the still-running 13 had no inkling that the girl named Zhang Jie was Angel, and that the child, Baby, was the assassin who had murdered Zheng Yu.
A plan had just formed in his mind. He knew how to locate the person he sought. He simply needed to inquire with someone privy to the inside information.
Therefore, 13 resolved to meet with Chen Bian, the President of Taiwan.
Now, all that remained was to await the arrival of nightfall...
This night in Taipei was destined to unfold with unrest...