I laid on the roof of the building that was adjacent to Feng Corporation. The wind blew harshly, tipping over the ball cap I wore in an attempt to hide my face. I glanced over at the cap and sighed at how far it was. Nevermind, it wasn't like anyone could see me.
I continued to observe Liang Feng through my sniper lens. I've been monitoring him for six months. Learning his schedule, habits, and work routine which granted me this perfect opportunity. Him in his office alone, with the exception of the security guard doing his final patrol round the building. Once he's done and he leaves, I'll eliminate my target with a single bullet.
I sighed remembering my last conversation with Shen Rui, my boss. He promised me freedom if I complete this final mission, my hundredth kill. 'What would it feel like to be free?' I wondered. 'With no one to tell you what to do?'
Maybe I could relocate. Move to a new country. Start afresh. Make friends? Maybe even start a family? I stared at the clouds with a wistful expression. 'Oh, how I wish I could have a family'. The static from my ear pods pulled me back to reality.
"Agent Qiang?" I called out in question. No response. "Hello?" I said again. My response was louder static. My eyebrows narrowed in confusion.
I continued hearing static for a minute. I considered removing my ear pod then dropped the idea. I glanced at Liang Feng to make sure he was still working and sure enough, he was there. I looked for the security guard and smirked when I realized he'd gone home.
The sniper case lay open beside me. The rifle gleamed under the soft red glow of the skyline—clean, assembled, loaded. Silencer attached. Safety off.
Click.
My gloved fingers adjusted the scope, zooming in on the office window across the street. Curtains fluttered lazily in the breeze. Any second now.
I double-tapped the earpiece because of protocol. You should re-confirm with headquarters before a shot. Seeing as it'd been misbehaving all night, I figured I wouldn't hear anything.
Bo Qiang's raspy voice came back, he yelled repeatedly, "Run Xiao Yue! Run! Run!" "What's wrong? I'm about to make the kill," I replied. "No, you are not about to make the kill because that isn't…!" I couldn't hear the rest of his sentence because I was hit by a strange pressure, like someone punched me with a car. Then the sound cracked through the air—POP—louder than thunder, sharp like reality snapping in two. My body jolted, knees buckled. I stumbled back, hand instinctively pressing to my side.
Warm.
Red.
"Oh... shit." I gasped. Sharp pain slammed into me and invaded my senses.
The world tilted. Everything slowed down, like my brain was buffering. I turned to see the face of the man I was supposedly watching, Liang Feng. He stared at me, a victorious smirk on his cold face. "I've finally killed you," he said. He seemed proud of himself. "I've waited months to finally kill the infamous Slayer. A bit sloppy for an assassin, don't you think?" he asked sarcastically, his stupid smirk still in place.
"How?" I whispered, feeling my life force drain from my body. "How did you know where I was?" I asked again. He slowly moved towards me, a sadistic glint in his eyes. He whispered, "I bought off Shen Rui".
I shook my head furiously, unwilling to believe that the only person I'd ever trusted would betray me like that. "You're lying," I whispered, tears already filling my eyes. He just smiled. "I think we both know I'm saying the truth," he responded. Tears silently cascaded down my face. My hands clenched and unclenched as I struggled to come to terms with such a brutal betrayal.
Then the final hit was Bo Qiang's voice from my earpod. His quiet "I'm sorry" told me he knew all about Shen Rui's betrayal. And he let me go to my grave. He…betrayed me too. "Why?" I whispered. "You were like a brother to ME!!" I screamed as the pain swelled. He kept repeating the same weak, pitiful apology but I knew he didn't care. He didn't care about me. He wouldn't have let me come to my death if he did. Liang Feng just looked amused.
I pulled out the earpods and threw them far away but I wished I could stand. I wished I wasn't dying. I would show Shen Rui and Bo Qiang what this pain felt like. But my breathing was getting weaker. I could feel my own pulse slowing down. I closed my eyes for a second, took a deep breath and prepared myself for what I knew would be the last thing I ever do.
The rain began to pour from nowhere, the noise of the rain drowned the incessant ringing that pierced my head. I opened my eyes to see Liang Fang under the pouring rain, still staring at me. "What do you still want?" I asked him. He just smirked and said, "I need to make sure you don't come back. You need to die but I'm not cruel enough to shoot your forehead."
I scoffed but squinted in agony as I felt more blood ooze from the shot. I gulped and prayed a final prayer, feeling death closer at every passing second. "People that love me. That's all I've ever wanted," I whispered to the heavens. "Dying yet? I'm starting to get bored," Liang Feng grumbled. I sniffed, then smiled and said to him, "Next time you shoot someone, try hitting an organ or a vital vein to save yourself some time". Then, with impossible speed, I pulled out the knife in my breast pocket and flung it to the center of his forehead. He died with his mouth open in shock and blood oozing from his head. With a thud, he fell to the ground.
I wheezed and coughed blood, feeling my internal organs shut down. One by one. As the sky began to blur and my lungs could no longer take in air, I whispered to the heavens once more, "Please, favor me". Then I fell to the ground with a thud as my body gave up the ghost.