"Finally. I've found him. Who would've thought... an accidental lead. I never imagined I'd find Target Zero, especially not in this condition."
A man, camouflaged in the woods, spoke to himself as he observed a distant cabin. He wore a light optical camouflage suit, rendering him nearly invisible.
It had been a long hunt. By sheer chance, leaving a coffee shop, he'd come face-to-face with the suspect. The man looked completely different from the known images, but the gait, the profile... all the intel gathered by others flooded his mind, and his intuition told him it was the one.
Using long-range military drones, hacking security cameras, and slicing into the city's citizen database, he had finally found the discrepancy in the man's identity and traced the target's destination.
Target Zero. Once an honored and feared figure, for the past six months, he had become the most prized bounty on the planet. The reward for his whereabouts alone, if confirmed, could make someone a magnate. Whoever claimed his head could buy a small country and call themselves king.
The Central Directory had him listed as "Missing/Deceased." And yet, mysteriously, a request on the market listed him as "Crippled and Vulnerable," as if certain of his survival. It had caused tremendous chaos.
Who wouldn't want that opportunity? A reward that massive, and all the fame that came with it?
"Tsk... tsk... how pathetic. To think one of the Directory's legendary agents would be a cripple, chopping wood in the countryside. I'd love to know how he's even survived this long. Still, it's incredible. Even in this state, he got the Central Directory to issue an anonymous market request—one they control themselves—instead of a direct bounty. It's like they're trying to avoid the embarrassment. Haha!"
Sneaky watched through the high-tech scope of his sniper rifle. He observed the limping gait, the fumbled axe swings, the irregular breathing, the sweat pouring off him, and the small breaks he had to take, sitting on the ground.
"But I have to be careful. Every time I think about killing this man, my instincts scream at me. As if I'd die just for thinking about it. Something is wrong."
Sneaky had always been guided by his preternatural intuition. He'd risen through the ranks slowly, always taking the safest path, honing his skills until he finally became an A-Rank assassin, a name with real power in the organization.
His specialty was stealth, infiltration, and long-range weapons. He always chose the safe play.
He suppressed his killing intent, reeling in his greed, which was a hair's breadth from seducing him. But his instincts were utterly repulsed by the very thought of killing the target, let alone making the attempt.
Hours passed. His trigger finger was itching to take the shot at the unprotected man, but he repressed it with all his cold professionalism, watching him return to the wooden cabin with the chopped wood.
'Phew... Should I try it? This time, the risk might be worth it. I'm 300 meters out. His motor coordination is shot, and his speed is...' He slithered through the forest, silent as a snake approaching its prey.
Settling into a good perch in a tree, he aimed at the cabin's entrance. He cursed.
'Dammit, two civilians.'
Observing Maria and Mia's arrival, he bristled. One of the organization's golden rules was to avoid unnecessary collateral damage. Disregarding it led to warnings, punishments, and even death.
'But this could be good. This is my chance!'
Seeing the target approach the door, he realized the distraction was the perfect opportunity. Later, he'd just cover his tracks, make it look like a wild animal attack.
Killing intent and greed flooded Sneaky's vision. He centered the crosshairs on Maria's head, synchronizing his breath. The shot would pass right through her and hit Zion as he opened the door.
Seconds ticked by. No sign of the target opening the door.
'That's weird. Based on his pace, he should have opened it by now.'
The thought had barely crossed his mind when his heart clenched. His instincts were screaming at him to run.
'Shit! Was I spotted?'
He reacted instantly, yanking his aim off Maria and scanning the windows, half-expecting the target to be inside, armed and looking for him.
Just as Sneaky began to panic, he heard the faint sound of a key turning in the lock—a sound almost undetectable at 300 meters, but loud and clear to a veteran assassin.
'Did he just... fumble for his key?'
He re-acquired the target, relieved he hadn't been discovered, and watched for another moment, re-regulating his breath.
'Now!' He watched them enter the cabin and saw Zion begin to close the door. He made his move.
However, before his finger could squeeze the trigger, Sneaky froze.
His target was staring right at him. Right into his eyes, as if they were face-to-face. An absurd killing intent pricked at his skin. Without realizing it, he forgot to breathe, his lungs aching for air.
"I-Impossible. Optical camo. 300 meters. No reflection."
A chill ran down his spine.
"It's a coincidence. He's just looking at the forest."
He saw Zion's face. Calm. Vacant. Emotionless. His eyes seemed to bore into his soul.
And then, he saw Zion... exhale.
THWIIIP—TCHAK!
A sharp sound cut the air. Sneaky's high-tech visor exploded.
He fell from the tree in a blind panic. He looked at the shattered visor. His pupils dilated to their absolute limit, trembling as never before. A metal needle, fine as a human hair, had pierced his military-grade ballistic goggles, stopping millimeters from his eye.
His eyes burned from the sudden gust of wind. It was a near-miss. He was almost blind. Or worse.
He was almost dead.
"300 meters... A blowgun... hidden in his goddamn mouth... He knew. He knew exactly where I was."
The realization hit him. He scrambled to his feet, grabbing his ruined gear and his rifle. There was no time to hesitate. Every cell in Sneaky's body screamed at him to run as fast as he possibly could.
The contempt and greed vanished, replaced by an icy terror that seeped into his bones, making them ache. This wasn't just some pathetic cripple.
This was a monster in chains.
...
Zion closed the door. His eyes were cold as ice, but just as quickly, he smiled as if nothing had happened.
"Sorry, I got distracted, hahaha! Please, make yourselves comfortable!" He turned, entered the living room, and sat on the sofa.
'Rank A. Given the caution, not a rookie. Probably a 'Wolf' after the bounty. He's alone... for now.' As he thought, he shifted a small, transparent plastic tube back into the space between his teeth, hiding the small blowgun.
'I could barely hold my breath for that shot. My coordination and physical condition are trash.' Feeling the throb in his leg and the tremor in his hands, he shook his head in disappointment, but quickly pushed the thoughts aside, focusing on his guests.
...
Pulling his truck over on the outskirts of the capital after a two-hour drive, Sneaky finally took a deep breath. He had spent the entire trip in a state of panic and anxiety, barely able to breathe properly.
It was the first time in his life he had felt such terror, such proximity to death. Even now, he was trembling, adrenaline flooding his veins.
"Sigh. Looks like the bounty won't be all mine." He slammed his forehead against the steering wheel, calming himself, and sighed in disappointment.
Sneaky grabbed a communicator from the glove box and activated it, eliciting a crackle of static. Taking a deep breath, he began to speak, his voice trembling.
"This is Sneaky. Target Zero located, but I'm compromised. I confirm: physically incapacitated, but... threat level... Alpha. The warning shot was fired. I'm pulling back to the rendezvous point. Start preparations and recruit the external asset. We're going to need it. The bounty is ours, but he's not going down easy."
A second of static, and then a deep, different voice answered, sounding bored and metallic over the radio.
"So, it was about Target Zero, Sneaky?" The voice sounded surprised, but then seemed to recall some information and scoffed.
"Threat-level Alpha? Is your voice shaking, Sneaky? You're telling me a cripple in the middle of nowhere is Level Alpha? And he spotted you? HAHAHAHA!" A loud laugh filled the truck's cabin.
Anger flooded Sneaky, overriding his fear for a moment. "You're not even in the country, Rino! You didn't see it! You don't know what happened! At 300 meters... through the scope... He... he almost killed me!"
"He spared you. How cute." Another voice crackled over the radio, this one smoother, colder, and devoid of emotion. "You went to play with a crippled farmer, he slapped you on the ass, and sent you running? Spare me your excuses. You're just scared and now you want to split the reward."
"And to think I was planning on killing Sneaky for the reward later! Hahaha!" the deep voice laughed again.
The cold voice cut in: "Wait for us at the rendezvous point. We'll split the bounty for the Central Directory's contract. Even if he's crippled, now that he knows we're here, we have to handle this more seriously."
After a pause, the cold voice continued.
"Crippled or not, he is the legendary Protocol Zero: 'The Silence.' Since this is a high-stakes matter, we'll recruit external help while we're en route. A cultivation sect has recently descended upon the world. I'll recruit someone from there."
"Are we all in agreement?"
"I'll settle for a quarter of the reward," the deep voice said, suddenly serious.
"Hire the strongest one you can get. I'll be waiting," Sneaky said, and killed the comm.