Chapter 353: No Betrayal

Wu Hanran sat on the ground, his face deathly pale. The guilt, despair, and frenzy contorting his features showed he was on the brink of a complete breakdown.

Seeing Wu Hanran in that state, the coldness in Xiao Yu’s expression faded. 

‘Thank goodness. It’s not too late.’

Xiao Yu turned his head to the middle-aged police officer and said, “Get out of my sight.”

The officer cast a complicated glance at Wu Hanran, who was sitting limp on the ground. With a sigh, he turned toward the black sedan, got in, and drove away.

Xiao Yu then slowly crouched down and took out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one for himself and handed another to Wu Hanran.

“It’s all my fault. After so many years, I never properly looked after them, her and her mother.” Wu Hanran took a deep drag, then suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face.

Blood and tears flew, and Wu Hanran howled, “I’m so damn useless.”

Xiao Yu simply watched the middle-aged man as he smoked and wept, saying nothing.

“Group Ten is probably National Security’s strongest and most terrifying team right now, isn’t it? Otherwise, there’s no way you’d be the only one here. They wouldn’t have let you come alone if they weren’t sure of your ability. But if I have to face someone like you, I already know how this ends. I’m done for. I’m definitely done for.”

His words were growing incoherent. Then, like a lone wolf’s howl of despair, Wu Hanran pleaded, “But without that blade, my daughter will really die. In the name of everything I’ve done for our country, the blood I’ve spilled, the sweat I’ve shed, please give it to me. I beg you… Give it to me… Ugh?”

Xiao Yu placed the Yushin-to blade on the ground in front of Wu Hanran, then got up and walked off into the distance.

Stunned, Wu Hanran stared blankly at Xiao Yu’s retreating figure. Tears streamed down his face.

“Thank you… Thank you… Thank you…”

He murmured his gratitude through sobs, still gazing at Xiao Yu’s back. 

“As soon as I save my daughter, I’ll settle my own score.”

***

Inside the police car, Xiao Yu had a cigarette between his lips and was peering down at a tablet, watching a small red dot moving across a map. A top-tier operative can’t be fooled by something like a tracker. The fact that the red dot remained active meant Wu Hanran hadn’t destroyed it. He knew exactly what National Security wanted to do.

A knock sounded on the window, outside stood Zhou Lie and Shen Mei.

“You really gave it to him?” Shen Mei asked once Xiao Yu stepped out.

“Yeah.” Xiao Yu nodded with a faint smile. “He hasn’t defected.”

Relief flooded the faces of Zhou Lie and Shen Mei, and they exhaled heavily.

“But…” Xiao Yu’s smile faded, replaced by a chill. “We still have to rescue Wu Hanran’s daughter.”

“We fear…” 

Zhou Lie began, then stopped short. Fear of what exactly? Fear that she might already be gone.

“She’s probably still alive,” Xiao Yu said, shaking his head. “Wu Hanran isn’t an idiot. Whether he’s giving them the Yushin-to Blade or negotiating some other way, they must have an open channel, maybe calls or video. If he wasn’t sure his daughter was still alive, he’d never risk his life like this.”

The two group leaders nodded.

“But right now, he’s bound to be carrying something of theirs that’s monitoring his every move,” Shen Mei said. “If we get too close, we’ll tip them off. How do we find his daughter that way?”

“It’s like I said, Wu Hanran isn’t stupid.” Xiao Yu held up the tablet. “Hence this tracker.”

“His opponents aren’t idiots either,” Zhou Lie added with a wry smile. “Give it a bit, and they’ll probably block the signal.”

“That’s exactly what I’m counting on.” Xiao Yu grinned. “Once the signal’s blocked, won’t we know exactly where they are?”

“Uh…” The two group leaders exchanged glances.

This was actually quite straightforward. The spot where the signal vanished would be their location. This wasn’t a movie where only a handful of people would go in. They could mobilize an entire company, a battalion, or a special task force of the Armed Police. Coupled with National Security’s own operatives, and if push came to shove, even the special forces, there’d be a complete sweep. How could the enemy possibly flee?

If they didn’t block the signal, the situation was even simpler—just follow the tracker. Whether they blocked it or not, they were trapped by this obvious strategy.

“So this is why the boss gave you command.” Shen Mei turned to Xiao Yu with a laugh. “That mind of yours is tailor-made for National Security.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Xiao Yu shook his head, expression sober. “I’m only here on an interim assignment. I’m really just a cop.”

Zhou Lie and Shen Mei both rolled their eyes in unison, then got into the car, ignoring him.

Xiao Yu cheerfully climbed in after them. Other people’s eye-rolls never bothered him. After all, why should he have to explain himself? 

But revealing to his colleagues in National Security that he was basically a double agent—both policeman and operative—was a bit awkward.

‘Still, I really do just want to be a cop,’ he thought. ‘You’re the ones who forced me to join National Security!’

***

Xiao Yu hadn’t expected to be led right back to S City, nor did he think the enemy would remain there all along. 

Now, standing on a busy street, he checked his watch—really a covert tracking device—where he could see a signal indicator inching along. It was less than a hundred meters away from him.

By this time, however, Xiao Yu had transformed himself into a man of about sixty years old. 

Thanks to one of his system abilities—Disguise Expert—he had taken on an entirely new appearance. When he’d first acquired the skill, he figured it would be useless. He never planned on becoming an operative, nor did he want to go undercover. 

What good was a shape-shifting disguise skill? 

Yet here he was, strolling along the city streets, guided by his Falcon’s Eyes and Butterfly’s Nose, moving ever closer to Wu Hanran.

All the while, he scanned the surroundings for anyone suspicious. Because he stayed alert, he quickly spotted a man also trailing Wu Hanran. This man wasn’t stalking Wu Hanran so much as monitoring whether anyone else was following him.

Heh… 

Xiao Yu walked past a young man on the street, taking care to remember the man’s scent, then slipped into a nearby shop. 

So he’s not pursuing Wu Hanran anymore? 

There was no need.

Why bother? 

The whole point of following Wu Hanran was to capture those outside agents and rescue his daughter. Now that Xiao Yu had spotted a likely suspect, why chase after Wu Hanran?

A few minutes later, Xiao Yu emerged from the shop and set off behind that young man.