The tension in the control tower was oppressive - thick enough to cut with a knife. The machines felt even louder in the quiet, humming in the background, with no one paying them any mind.
Han Zheyu stood at the center of it all, relaxed, almost bored. His lips curled into a lazy, cruel smile as his gaze swept across the room.
Not one of them was worth his full attention.
Huo Yichen lay crumpled near the wall, half-conscious. His uniform was torn, his face swollen beyond recognition, dried blood streaking from his brow. His hands were bound behind his back, fingers already numb. Every breath was labored.
Two soldiers stood opposite Han Zheyu, hands raised but spines straight. Chi Yang and Cai Jun. Their eyes burned with hatred, annoyed that they were so easily overpowered. However, they refused to give up, their pride urging them to wait for an opening.
Han Zheyu scoffed.
Amateurs. They can't even dream of overpowering me!
He tightened the blade resting against a hostage's throat, just enough for a thin line of blood to bead.
"Tell me," he said mildly, "where the research data for Project Nexus is stored." His tone softened, almost coaxing. "Senior Mo… is your life really worth dying for?"
"Never." Senior Mo spat the word like a curse, chin lifted despite the blade. "You'll get nothing. Kill me if you must, I will never go against my country to side with you villains!
Han Zheyu chuckled. "Senior Mo is too serious." He leaned closer. "Our Black Lotus had hoped to invite you to -"
He stopped mid-sentence. His earpiece crackled to life. So Soon? Han Zheyu frowned. According to his calculations, it would be a solid 30 minutes - at the end of exams before the military found out anything. Enough time for his team to have left. What had changed? He calmly touched his ear piece to listen. His eyes glinted in surprise.
"Looks like you aren't completely useless afterall" he kicked Huo Yichen. "You get points for getting reinforcements - but really, do you think you can win?!"
Huo Yichen coughed, pain flashing white behind his eyes. "Untie me," he growled hoarsely. "If you dare. I'll make you regret ever breathing."
Han Zheyu didn't bother replying. He was more interested in knowing how this useless Major had such a capable subordinate.
Whoever had slipped past his signal jamming and sent that call for help wasn't ordinary.
Even Black Lotus's best hacker would need two days.
If they couldn't get the codes… then stealing the person who cracked them would still be a victory.
Abruptly he changed plans.
He raised his gun, the muzzle sweeping lazily across the soldiers.
"Tell me which one of you cracked the system. Volunteer now… and I might consider recruiting you."
"We serve our Nation!" growled Chi Yang. "Your dirty tricks won't work on us"
Bang.
The gunshot was deafening in the confined space. Cai Jun screamed as he collapsed, blood exploding from his leg.
Han Zheyu didn't even flinch. "I'm very generous," he said pleasantly. "But I don't have time to play."
He fired again.
Cai Jun's second leg buckled. He howled, sobbing, hands clawing uselessly at the floor as blood pooled beneath him.
"I am happy to give you more motivation" he grinned. "And I am also generous. Give us your hacker and your codes and we will give you senior Mo" he conceded.
Chi Yang paused and threw Huo Yichen a look. That was a significantly good deal.
For this team, their job was to protect Senior Mo and nothing else. So if they did hand over the "hacker" it would still be considered a successful mission. Huo Yichen clearly thought the same - for him, winning a mission , even by a loophole or technicality was more important than his promise to serve and protect.
"No Deal" yelled Senior Mo. "I can be your hostage but you will never get the codes! Major, do not agree to this, the entire country sacrificed for this past year…" A loudspeaker outside crackled to life.
"BLACK LOTUS. YOU ARE SURROUNDED. PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPONS AND SURRENDER. WE CAN ENSURE EVERYONE'S SAFETY."
Han Zheyu laughed, an easy, delighted sound.
Safety? Downstairs, his five assassins stood among exam halls packed with students. A single word from him, and blood would paint the floors before the cameras outside even knew where to aim.
He wasn't worried about the baseless threats from the military.
But something about what Senior Mo said bothered him. His eyes flickered. What was it? He couldn't put his finger on it however.
Dismissing it for now, he focussed on the task at hand.
Bang.
Another shot.
Cai Jun screamed again, voice cracking, body shaking violently.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" he sobbed. "It - it's those girls! Take them! Just let us go!"
The atmosphere froze. Girls?
Huo Yichen was sure there were no female comrades under him. What was Cai Jun yelling about?
Han Zheyu however, caught on a lot faster. Immediately, he thought of the fierce, sharp girl who traded blows with him. He smirked. This just got more interesting.
"Are you coming out little girl, or shall we make your comrade sing louder?"
Lu Mian cursed softly. She didn't think their cover would be blown so soon. She and the teacher had both ducked for cover when they heard the door to the control room being breached.
They had both hoped they could remain hidden till reinforcements came. Clearly, that wasn't happening now.
She gently squeezed her teacher's hand signalling her to stay put and walked out from her hiding spot behind some systems.
"P-please," she cried, voice shaking perfectly. "I don't know what they're talking about. I just came to take an exam…"
Her peach-blossom eyes glistened, fear and grievance blended together. She looked heartbreakingly young. So innocent!
Combined with her breathtaking beauty, it made people want to protect her.
Huo Yichen felt his heart clench. He didn't want to let this girl suffer. He glared at Cai Jun, who had the decency to look ashamed despite the pain.
"Let her go you filthy coward" yelled Huo Yichen. "Come at me if you want. Why bother with girls".
Lu Mian inwardly rolled her eyes. The rule no.1 of hostage entanglement was to not loose your cool. Looks like this Major still has a lot to learn.
"And your friend? Surely they aren't abandoning you like these cowardly soldiers?" he asked, amused.
The jab found it's mark. Huo Yichen yelled a protest, his pride hurting - but no one really paid any attention to him anymore.
But the teacher calmly walked out. She had never planned to hide anyway. "I am a teacher here" she said quietly, pulling Lu Mian behind her. "She's just a student who came to give an exam. I asked her to wait to discuss her answers. She really doesn't know anything." she explained.
"And yet, despite the trained soldiers, it was this girl who spotted me first and even managed to escape" smirked Han Zheyu.
"You were mopping without water" cried Lu Mian indignantly, subtly pointing out that someone would've noticed eventually. "And I didn't escape you - it was this comrade here who attacked you and helped me run" she reframed the narrative. Having anyone's attention on her at this point was not a good thing.
"I brought her here to safety and hacked the system" admitted the teacher. "What could such a little girl know about hacking and coding?" she asked.
Han Zheyu frowned. These two were singing the same tune and it made a lot of sense. But his instincts told him the truth wasn't that simple.
But right now was not the time to analyze this further.
He gestured with his hand and rounded up Lu Mian, the teacher and Senior Mo. The soldiers were a liability. He raised his pistol to dispose of them.
However, a shot rang out from outside and precisely shot his hand. His hand exploded with pain.
His hand exploded in pain. The pistol flew from his grip as the control tower window shattered inward, glass raining down like ice.
Instinctively, Lu Mian pulled the teacher in front of her and ducked for cover.
Help was coming!