February 11th, 2011, Dawn
The elements conspired against a pleasant day; a rare and dense fog had enveloped Kaohsiung, accompanied by a precipitous ten-degree drop in temperature. Despite this inhospitable weather, Liu Tao, accompanied by Secretary Chen, was already en route in a state-of-the-art Hongqi armored limousine to a desolate location on the outskirts of Kaohsiung. Their destination was the fringe of a forest, where expansive grasslands met a precipice overlooking the ocean.
"Commander Liu, who exactly are we awaiting?" Secretary Chen inquired, his voice tinged with a shiver.
"Reinforcements dispatched by the Central Command," Liu Tao replied casually.
"You jest, Commander," Secretary Chen chuckled. "Those ragtag forces in Taiwan hardly warrant a call for reinforcements. Had you not suddenly ordered a general leave, I daresay half of Taiwan would already be under our control…"
"Cease your idle boasting. You grumble about respite when it is offered. Do you think I am not eager to seize Taiwan at the earliest opportunity? The present quandary is no longer a matter of when we shall conquer Taiwan, but rather if we can."
"The Commander is concerned about those American individual combat exoskeletons, perhaps? In truth, I believe there is little cause for worry. No matter how formidable they may be, a multitude of ants can fell an elephant," Secretary Chen declared with a dismissive air.
A flicker of distaste crossed Liu Tao's eyes. "A profoundly erroneous notion. Did not the Japanese once deem the atomic bomb inconsequential? Yet, two American detonations silenced their arrogance. When unforeseen variables arise on the battlefield, prudence dictates a cautious approach. I have no desire to forfeit a victory through hubris."
Secretary Chen's countenance flushed with discomfiture. Just then, a military transport helicopter pierced through the dense fog and descended ten meters ahead of Liu Tao. The cabin door was ripped open with violent force, as if torn asunder. A cold dread gripped both Liu Tao and Secretary Chen. Their expectations were, however, deflated as a boy of approximately 1.5 meters in height disembarked, followed by a man in his thirties. Lastly, a strikingly beautiful young woman alighted and proceeded languidly towards Liu Tao.
Liu Tao sighed almost imperceptibly, muttering to himself, "Isn't he with the Seventh Squad?"
Secretary Chen, oblivious to Liu Tao's quiet utterance, remained fixated on the young woman. The trio were clad in identical, form-fitting black combat suits. Yet, upon the girl, the very same attire accentuated her lithe figure, lending an additional allure to her already captivating, angelic features – the epitome of many a man's desire.
The brief ten-meter span was quickly traversed by the Seventh Squad. As Liu Tao was about to speak, he noticed Secretary Chen's discomposure and gave him a sharp nudge to rouse him.
"No. 01, ambush!" a voice suddenly boomed from within the aircraft.
Before Liu Tao could utter a word, the girl produced a handgun from an unseen holster. In swift coordination, the boy executed a low sweep of his leg, and Liu Tao found himself inexplicably prone on the ground. Simultaneously, the girl crouched, her weapon pressed against Liu Tao's head. Secretary Chen fared far worse; a single, smiling punch from the middle-aged man rendered him unconscious. The man then immediately adopted a crouching position, and all three utilized Liu Tao's Hongqi as cover.
"What are you doing?" Liu Tao exclaimed, genuinely incensed. Despite his lack of official pretension, such rough handling was enough to ignite even the most placid temper.
"Hush…" the girl whispered, placing a finger to her lips. "I shall now pose some questions. You are to answer only by nodding or shaking your head. No verbal responses. Understood?"
Before Liu Tao could fully process her command, his head involuntarily gave a slight nod.
"Good boy," the girl offered a faint smile. Liu Tao felt a blush creep up his neck, reminiscent of a youth's first infatuation. He mentally berated himself, "Damn it, I'm well into my forties. How can I be acting like this? I'm a general, for heaven's sake! I've faced down aircraft and artillery without flinching, yet this girl has me utterly subdued. Zheng Yu will never let me live this down."
"Are you Commander Liu Tao?" the girl murmured, leaning close to his ear.
Liu Tao nodded, his face now a deeper shade of crimson.
"Did anyone else witness this rendezvous?" the girl continued.
A sense of calm finally settled over Liu Tao. He shook his head.
"How do you substantiate your claim?" The girl remained unconvinced.
Liu Tao pondered for a moment, then reached inside his overcoat to retrieve his military identification. The girl swiftly intercepted his hand. "Slowly," she instructed, "and with utmost care."
General Liu Tao presented his identification to the girl, but she, without so much as a glance, tossed it to the young boy beside her, her gun still trained on Liu Tao's head.
The boy briefly examined the identification. "Genuine. Confirmed as General Liu Tao."
"Thirteen! Target identified. Eliminate threats and prepare for extraction," the middle-aged man mouthed, his back to the car, facing the helicopter.
Just as Liu Tao was about to request the girl to remove the pistol from his head, a dark figure burst from the helicopter. Simultaneously, a fusillade of gunfire erupted from the forest. From the sound alone, Liu Tao recognized the distinct reports of sniper rifles. A chilling thought crossed his mind – he had been under the silent scrutiny of numerous snipers for quite some time, enough to make his scalp tingle.
The dark figure sprinted towards the car in a rapid, zigzagging pattern.
The sight left the battle-hardened Liu Tao utterly astonished. The figure's movements were fluid and continuous, a blur of motion as it weaved left and right. All the while, the ground around it was being meticulously shorn of grass by the heavy caliber sniper fire. In approximately five seconds, the figure had reached the middle-aged man's side, depositing a black military-style backpack.
"Fifteen snipers, twenty spotters. No heavy anti-materiel weaponry detected," the figure reported in an even tone, as if the preceding frantic dash had been a mere figment of imagination.
Liu Tao's gaze snapped to the source of the voice, and he gasped in recognition. "You… You're indeed with Special Operations!"
Thirteen glanced back at the prone figure of Liu Tao before continuing, "Give me five minutes."
The middle-aged man stated firmly, "Insufficient time. We extract in three minutes."
"Understood!"
Liu Tao's vision blurred as he looked at the boy, who appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen, now opening the backpack. He knew this boy. The boy had saved his life. He vividly recalled the day four years prior when his unit had been encircled by Turkic forces. It was this very child who had appeared and carved a path through the overwhelming encirclement, allowing him and his men to survive. And then, in the aftermath, when everyone believed they were safe and their guard had dropped, the boy had shielded him from a bullet with his own body. Liu Tao would never forget the boy's parting words, spoken through the pain of his wound: "If you relax your vigilance on the battlefield, you might as well all put a bullet in your own mouths. At least that way, you'll know who killed you."
Later, Liu Tao had led his unit in an exceptionally daring assault on the Turkic base, systematically eliminating the reinforcing troops from within. They had annihilated twenty thousand Turkic terrorists at the cost of seven hundred of their own. Throughout the entire operation, no reinforcements were requested. When ammunition ran low, they scavenged from the fallen enemy. Men with wounded right arms continued firing with their left. Shielding comrades from bullets was commonplace. Every survivor, including Liu Tao, bore at least two bullet wounds. Their mindset at the time, in retrospect, seemed almost naive. They were driven by the desire to show that boy, to say, "See? We won't put a bullet in our own mouths, because even that bullet will be used to eliminate the enemy!"
Thirteen paid no heed to the man on the ground, engrossed in extracting a jumble of components from the backpack. As Liu Tao attempted to speak, he found himself unable to. The girl had shifted the gun from his head to his mouth, offering another serene smile and a silencing gesture. "Hush," she whispered, "the show is about to begin. No sound."
Thirteen took a soft breath as he regarded the scattered parts. Then, with a speed that defied human perception, his hands seemed to vanish as he assembled them. Before Liu Tao could fully register what was happening, a sleek, all-black sniper rifle, closely resembling an AWP, was firmly in Thirteen's grasp.
"Another half-second faster. Thirteen's getting more impressive by the day!" the boy remarked casually from his seated position on the ground.
"Down!" Thirteen commanded icily. The boy, unfazed by Thirteen's lack of acknowledgment, obediently lay prone. The girl and the middle-aged man followed suit with similar compliance. "What do you intend to do?" Liu Tao questioned, watching Thirteen level the sniper rifle at his state-of-the-art armored "Red Flag." He finally understood Thirteen's intent – to shoot through the vehicle to engage the enemy. "This is the latest model of bulletproof car! Its armor plating exceeds thirty millimeters of steel! An AWP couldn't penetrate it!"
Thirteen glanced at Liu Tao from the corner of his eye and finally spoke, "Who told you my rifle was an AWP from the eighties? Its designation is Coolfire." (Sniper rifle, visually similar to the AWP in Counter-Strike. This version used by Thirteen is modified for burst fire, has a twenty-round magazine, and its power surpasses that of large anti-materiel rifles.)
A faint "thwack" echoed as the sedan was pierced clean through, as if it were mere flimsy timber.
"One," Thirteen stated coolly, without lowering the weapon.
In the forest…
"Eagle! Eagle! Sparrow has been neutralized! Sparrow has been neutralized!"
"Groundhog, cease your chatter. No visual confirmation of the target outside the 'steel plate' (the sedan). Infrared cannot penetrate. Target cannot retaliate. Continue to await the 'hunt'."
"Eagle! Eagle! It's true! Sparrow's head… blown apart… Agh!"
"Groundhog! Groundhog! What's happening? Respond!" the special forces operative codenamed Eagle called out frantically into his microphone. His mind raced, "Impossible! Impossible! There's no angle for a shot! And he has no way of knowing our positions! Wait… Could it be? Did he deliberately run from the helicopter to the car to bait us into firing and revealing our locations? That would mean even if he has a weapon capable of penetrating the 'steel plate,' he wouldn't have a scope that can see through it." A terrifying realization dawned upon the operative. This individual had memorized their positions and was now engaging in blind firing through the vehicle! He yelled into the microphone, "Everyone, quickly change posi…"
"Three," the third spent cartridge case ejected and clattered onto the ground beside Thirteen.
Liu Tao gave no thought to whether Thirteen would hit the enemy. He merely stared in disbelief at the bullet holes riddling his car.
"Thwack… thwack… thwack…" Without pause, Thirteen unleashed a barrage of seventeen rounds, then, in a mere half-second, swapped magazines and fired another fifteen before swiftly lowering the rifle. The entire sequence took no more than two minutes.
"Threats neutralized. We can 'go home' now." Upon hearing this, everyone stood up. Liu Tao, assisted to his feet by the girl, felt a surge of adrenaline, but the anticipated sounds of sniper fire did not materialize.
The middle-aged man surveyed the riddled vehicle with a look of resignation. "It appears we shall be walking 'home'."
"Not to worry. I specifically avoided the engine and critical components. Consequently, four individuals did not perish from headshots, but all sustained fatal cardiac wounds," Thirteen explained, opening the car door.
"Thirteen always thinks ahead," the girl said with a smile, patting him on the back.
"Now, retrieve your gear. We're going 'home'," the middle-aged man instructed.
"Roger that, Captain!"
Ten minutes later, on a highway near Kaohsiung…
Liu Tao gazed serenely at the sleeping figure of Thirteen beside him. "He's grown up," he murmured. Slowly, he raised his hand, intending to stroke Thirteen's hair.
"I would strongly advise against that. He'll kill you," the boy in the front seat said, turning around. "Mister, do you know Thirteen?"
Liu Tao lowered his hand. "Yes, he saved my life four years ago. He was about your age then."
"What kind of person was Thirteen back then, Mister?" the girl asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Him?" Liu Tao glanced at Thirteen again. "He was a man of few words, outwardly cold but with a warm heart. He rarely spoke, except to issue commands when action was required. Thinking back to those days, how hundreds of hardened men would obey that child without question… it still makes me chuckle."
"How formidable was Thirteen back then?" the boy asked suddenly, his tone serious.
"He was invincible," Liu Tao replied without hesitation, his voice grave.
"We've arrived 'home'," the middle-aged man announced softly.
Thirteen's eyes fluttered open.
The fog over Kaohsiung had dissipated, revealing a blinding sun. Liu Tao looked ahead, and the base came into view. Inwardly, he mused, "It has begun. Now, we shall see who is stronger."
Simultaneously, in an underground base in Taipei…
"Have they arrived? The 'Punisher' mech team?"
"Yes, sir! All four members and their mechs have arrived and are secured. Awaiting your orders!"
"Liu Tao, Liu Tao… Now it is my turn to play my hand. You must be careful! Ha… ha… ha…" a girl with golden hair and blue eyes said with a smile.
The reporting officer broke out in a cold sweat…