Chapter 14: The Sniper

The tablet continued to scroll through his own information and videos, interspersed with narrated explanations. Yet at this moment, Xiao Kaitian had completely lost interest in his "past." His attention drifted elsewhere, but when his fingertip brushed over the screen and landed on the name "Zhao Qixi," the information that popped up stunned him.

"Zhao Qixi, eldest daughter of the Zhao family of Han-Tang descent. Rumors abound about this person; truth or falsehood cannot be determined."

His pursuit of clues regarding his past ended here. Xiao Kaitian could no longer glean anything further. Unable to resist, he pulled another cigarette from the pack and lit it.

With third-party sources unable to provide more information, his only option now was to directly ask those around him—would that risk exposing himself, even though he had already declared his "amnesia"?

Thin wisps of smoke drifted before the screen, and through them, those striking red words continued to remind him of the truth.

After a moment of incredulous stillness, he crushed his cigarette into the ashtray on the table. In that instant, a sudden flash of red light caught his eye from the screen.

Bang! As Xiao Kaitian's figure vanished, a bullet sped through the open window, shattering the latest tablet's screen.

The sound that burst forth in the dark night was barely noticeable, quieter even than the clatter of a toothbrush cup dropping to the floor in someone else's home before bedtime.

After splintering the tablet's screen, the bullet kept its momentum, piercing through the device, the thin tabletop characteristic of the island nation, and burrowing deep into the thick tatami mat. A faint, barely visible wisp of smoke rose; the room was now devoid of Xiao Kaitian's presence, empty.

A kilometer away, in a high-rise, a window on the eighteenth floor was quickly drawn shut. This was a mid-range business hotel, with rooms small and intended for transient business travelers.

With careful observation, one could determine that the view from this window perfectly targeted Xiao Kaitian's position in his residential home.

Inside the room, a young man in a deep blue suit, expressionless, swiftly disassembled the sniper rifle in his hands, breaking it down into components and stowing them in a small briefcase.

His movements were rapid, the entire process taking no more than twenty seconds; yet, even so, as he closed the case, sweat beaded on his forehead.

He knew he had failed.

Known in the island nation's underworld as the bounty hunter Red Carp, he realized within seconds of pulling the trigger that he needed to reassess this mission.

Xiao Kaitian was definitely not someone he could touch—the intelligence was wrong!

But in this world, there is no such thing as regret; as a bounty hunter, this was the most fundamental truth he understood.

You seek to kill others, and others are constantly guarding against you; killing and being killed happen in the blink of an eye.

Despite years in this profession, this was the first time he truly felt threatened—felt the presence of death.

He could not comprehend how, despite all his preparations, investigation, and perfect assessment, he found himself in such a helpless position.

So much so that as he picked up his briefcase and twisted the hotel room door handle, his throat felt parched.

He was nervous—genuinely nervous, and under an oppressive force not of his own making.

The distance from the door to the elevator was short. He swallowed what little saliva he had and, with uncertain thoughts, approached the two elevators, pressing the buttons for both—one up, one down.

He gambled—up or down, depending on his luck. Surely this was beyond his opponent's control.

Ding! The left elevator stopped first and slowly opened its doors. He looked at the ascending indicator and breathed out in relief.

As a killer, he always left escape routes open, both up and down. Today, his chosen path was "up."

His sweaty right hand gripped the briefcase handle, feeling a sudden sense of solidity.

The elevator stopped at the top floor. Stepping out without hesitation, he realized there was one more level above—the true rooftop.

His sweat glands gradually normalized, his Adam's apple rolling as he climbed the stairs to the rooftop, a space usually patrolled only by security.

Though the rain had ceased, the wind still raged. Instinctively, he extended his left arm to shield against the gale and proceeded along the escape route he had prepared, one imperceptible to most.

But halfway there, he suddenly froze, his entire body rigid in that instant.

A primal sense of danger told him that moving forward would lead to only one outcome.

Could Xiao Kaitian be here? Impossible!

The thought flickered through his mind only briefly; professional analysis made him immediately discard the briefcase and sprint madly back toward the door. If he could just re-enter the building and lock the door, perhaps he still stood a chance.

This, after all, was basic survival knowledge for a bounty hunter.

Yet, faced with the possibility of survival, he had completely forgotten it.

His lungs burned from the exertion; he moved like a gust of wind, only a step away from the door.

But with a bang, the door slammed shut, sealing the way down tightly. His momentum halted instantly.

He slowly turned around, and saw a figure not far ahead—a man wearing a black trench coat over a floral shirt, exhaling smoke and quietly waiting for him.

"Who... are you, really?" He was truly frightened; he had studied Xiao Kaitian's profile thoroughly, made a thousand hypotheses, but never anticipated this one.

Watching his trembling opponent, Xiao Kaitian tapped his left index finger gently against the cigarette ash, "And who are you?"

As a bounty hunter, revealing one's identity was forbidden; the suited young man's expression twisted.

"My patience is limited. You're not the first, nor will you be the last," Xiao Kaitian flicked the cigarette to the ground and crushed it with his shoe. "It's nothing but the matter behind all this, don't you think?"

"You... are you a martial practitioner?"

Xiao Kaitian did not answer directly. He walked step by step toward the young man in the suit, his footsteps echoing, "Your conclusion is inaccurate."

If the suited young man had entertained any illusions at first, they vanished now. Xiao Kaitian's display of strength was far beyond his comprehension. He drew a breath. "If you're a martial practitioner, then I admit defeat."