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Thien Anh chuckled at the look of pure astonishment on Alisa's face. He continued to chew his rice leisurely before speaking: "I'm no superman, Lam. Assassinating a top-tier leader is difficult enough, let alone a figure of that magnitude."
He paused to take a sip of hot soup before continuing: "Do you think five hundred million Linh Yuan grows on trees? I had an entire organization backing me for that operation, but the plan was likely compromised. They're probably all dead by now."
"I truly can't believe you; you can actually smile while saying that," Alisa shook her head in exasperation. "But what do you need that astronomical sum for? Retirement?"
Thien Anh set down his bowl and chopsticks, nonchalantly picking up a toothpick as his eyes suddenly grew profound and dark: "Primarily to purchase intelligence and heavy-grade ordinance. There are people I am obligated to kill, but they are protected by the government, their organization is immensely powerful, and their movements are shrouded in mystery."
As he spoke, a flash of killing intent sparked in his eyes before vanishing. He was thinking of the organ trafficking syndicate—the monsters who had ruthlessly murdered his parents and caused his brother to vanish without a trace. Despite holding a fragment of data, he understood all too well that he was facing a pack of hyenas with an acute sense of smell. A single misstep, and the hunter would become the hunted.
In this game of survival, recklessness wasn't enough; one had to use their head. You only get one life; once it's gone, it's over.
Alisa looked deep into Thien Anh's eyes, sensing the concealed agony beneath his indifferent shell. As an intelligent woman, she didn't probe his wounds, skillfully shifting the subject:
"Enough of that depressing talk. To me, whether you're an assassin or a parasite doesn't matter, as long as you don't harm me, we remain partners. Now... shall we discuss the upcoming hunt?"
The heavy atmosphere instantly dissipated. The two began a spirited discussion on tactical scenarios. Nearby, Thien Lang (Ki) and Thien Thanh (Moc) noticed their "master's" mood brightening, and their tails wagged with delight.
However, the joy was short-lived. Just as they were about to stand and prep their gear for the sortie, Thien Lang suddenly bolted upright, his acute ears twitching. He locked his gaze onto the surveillance monitors and reported in a low, grim voice:
"Master, the situation has changed. An unidentified armed group is closing in."
The smile vanished from Thien Anh's lips. He and Alisa immediately hurried to the bank of monitors. On the screens, two convoys totaling sixteen vehicles were splitting into two directions. One group was heading toward the armory, while the other was driving straight toward their bunker.
Alisa narrowed her eyes, her pupils constricting with a dangerous edge. She was no longer the timid Dr. Lam of the past; now, if anyone dared touch what she called "home," she was ready to make them pay the ultimate price.
"It seems they're aiming directly for us. Looks like this bunker is no longer a secret," Alisa remarked coldly.
Thien Anh nodded, his hand tightening around the grip of his rifle:
"Someone has been tracking us for a long time without us knowing. Bringing an entire fleet suggests they've come prepared. But no matter—if they want to come, let them. I'll make sure they don't have a road back."
Alisa stroked her chin, offering a suggestion: "I don't think we should engage in a direct confrontation immediately. We're outnumbered, and the enemy's heavy firepower is unknown. Why not lure the local mutated beasts to 'greet' them for us? With this surveillance system, we hold the initiative over their every move."
"Good idea." Thien Anh turned to Thien Thanh. "Moc, head to the surface first. Scout the perimeter and see if any 'rats' are lurking. If you find them, don't kill them yet. Capture them alive for me."
"Understood, Master. Trust in Bé!" Thien Thanh flicked her tongue and swiftly slithered into the secret pipe leading to the surface.
Inside the bunker, Thien Anh and Alisa began a final gear check, preparing for a hunt where the prey this time... was human.
…
On the surface, the snow continued to fall in thick sheets. Thien Thanh glided as silently as a white phantom against the frozen landscape. With her superior thermal sensing capabilities, no warm-blooded creature within a three-mile radius could escape her notice.
Swiftly, Thien Thanh pinpointed four suspicious targets. One was hiding in a massive tree to the east, one was buried in the snow four hundred meters from the hatch, and two others were perched on a high-rise rooftop over a mile away.
Moc chose to deal with the two furthest targets first. She wove through the deep snow, shifting her skin color to a pale grey for perfect camouflage. By the time she slithered up directly behind the two middle-aged men sitting on the roof, they remained entirely oblivious to the Specter of Death looming over them, casually exhaling cigarette smoke and chatting.
"You think we'll actually get a taste of the 'broth' this time?" one asked.
The scarred man beside him sneered in disdain:
"Broth? At most, we'll get a few scrap pistols; the rest goes to those dogs in charge. They treat us like errand boys, but whenever there's a beautiful girl or good supplies, they hoard it all."
The other sighed: "What can you do? By the way, why didn't you report that the kid in the bunker has a mutated beast?"
The scarred man laughed coldly, a devious glint in his eyes:
"Why would I? Let the beast kill a few of them off so our status can rise. Life will be easier then. If that brat dies..."
Right as the sentence trailed off, Thien Thanh suddenly slithered in front of the two men. She reared up her body, staring directly at them with her eerie amber eyes.
The sinister smile on the scouts' faces froze instantly. Their complexions turned from flushed red to a deathly pallor in a heartbeat, their bodies trembling like leaves in a storm.
It took several terrifying seconds before one could stammer out: "Mu... mutated beast!"
Thien Thanh suddenly bared her fangs, flaring her hood in a threatening display. Seeing the two men who had been so arrogant now pissing their pants in fear, she narrowed her eyes in a sinister smile and spoke in a raspy, human-like voice: "You two... do you want to live?"
The sound of human speech emerging from the maw of a gargantuan king cobra terrified the men to their very souls. They tumbled backward, legs kicking wildly to retreat, their mouths screaming in a hopeless, frantic wail:
"Monster! A monster that speaks the language of men!"