"What in God's name do you people do?!" Liu Tao roared, slamming his hand upon the table with vehement fury. "Over one hundred personnel in a transport echelon, and three teams have been inexplicably annihilated within four days, with not a single survivor! And this transpires within our own controlled territory!"
"Commander Liu, while I concede that the troops' vigilance may have waned following the leave period, the responsibility does not lie solely with us!" Zhang, the regimental commander in charge of transport, demurred. "The nature of these repeated assaults defies comprehension. Each time, from the moment of attack to the arrival of reinforcements, barely five minutes elapse. As you yourself stated, Commander, these were over one hundred fully armed regular soldiers! Yet, they could not withstand even five minutes of resistance? Furthermore, the post-incident sweep of the surrounding area revealed no indication of large-scale troop movements. Some armored vehicles were even pulverized by small-caliber cannon fire, an anomaly in such engagements…"
"Could it have been the work of armed helicopters?" Li Dezong, the air force fourth division commander, inquired.
"Perhaps this will elucidate matters further…" Commander Zhang approached the multimedia player in the conference room and initiated playback. "Headquarters, headquarters, unidentified objects sighted on the forward highway. Requesting confirmation of friendly equipment."
"Lei Zi! Look sharp! That thing… it's moving!"
"What is that? By God, it's wielding a cannon! Transport Team Three, initiate full alert! Execute an immediate halt!"
"Lei Zi, get down! Ah!..."
The recording ceased, leaving the conference room in an unnerving silence.
"Very well, very well," Liu Tao declared, breaking the stillness. "This meeting is adjourned."
The assembled officers rose in unison, offered a crisp military salute to Liu Tao, and swiftly departed. They understood their commander now required solitude.
Secretary Chen stood beside Liu Tao and murmured softly, "It must be American individual armor, wouldn't you agree?"
"Summon Special Operations Team Seven for me!" Liu Tao commanded icily.
"Commander, are you certain you wish to deploy them?"
"Is there any conceivable impediment?"
"Subordinates believe it would be more prudent to rescind the leave, initiate a comprehensive operation, compel those armored entities to reveal themselves, and then neutralize them with overwhelming firepower," Secretary Chen articulated with measured deliberation.
"Spare me your counsel. I have my own strategy. See to it that they are summoned forthwith." Liu Tao disregarded Secretary Chen's suggestion entirely, having no inclination to elaborate on the shortcomings of the proposed alternative. The rationale was straightforward: these repeated attacks indicated not only unimaginable firepower but, more troublingly, an exceptionally accurate intelligence network. A full-scale operation risked the enemy simply targeting supply lines, potentially starving the frontline troops within days. Surely, they did not expect him to deploy one or two thousand personnel for every transport run!
Secretary Chen departed the conference room, his countenance betraying his displeasure. Approximately ten minutes later, Special Operations Team Seven reported their arrival in full complement.
"Four days of respite should have allowed you to regain your combat footing, wouldn't you concur?" Liu Tao remarked with a faint smile, observing the four individuals before him who had once shown him disrespect.
"Commander, do you take us for fools? Special Operations Team Seven exists solely for the theater of war. It is enforced idleness that disrupts our equilibrium," the middle-aged man stated, his gaze fixed resolutely ahead.
"Then let us return you to your natural habitat," Liu Tao responded, having grown accustomed to their manner of speaking and thus finding no awkwardness in it.
"Issue the command!" the four uttered almost simultaneously.
"Patience, patience. Beyond your designation as Special Operations Team Seven, I possess no further knowledge of your capabilities. Without understanding your specific expertise, I cannot effectively issue orders. Allow me to request your individual introductions first." This was only Liu Tao's second encounter with them. Upon his return to base that day, he had immediately directed them to rest, preoccupied as he was with dispatching personnel to investigate the ambush attacks. Subsequent attempts to meet them were thwarted by the continuous assaults on transport convoys.
"Designation NO.01!" the middle-aged man reported with a resonant voice. "Proficient in conventional assault weaponry, close-quarters combat, demolitions, planning, intelligence gathering, communications, and the operation of all extant mechanical equipment."
"Designation NO.24!" the girl reported. "Skilled in all small-arms pistol variants, close-quarters combat, interrogation, reconnaissance, assassination, infiltration, and the operation of all extant mechanical equipment."
"Designation NO.36!" the child reported. "Expert in the employment of heavy ordnance, close-quarters combat, cover fire, breaching operations, large-scale destructive attacks, and the operation of all extant mechanical equipment."
"Designation NO.13!" 13 stated coolly. "Specialized in sniper weaponry, close-quarters combat, covert elimination, assassination, extraction, and the operation of all extant mechanical equipment. Further details necessitate Level One National Security clearance, to which Commander Liu possesses only Level Two authorization."
Having heard their reports, Liu Tao gained a general understanding. The four individuals before him constituted a self-contained, highly versatile military unit, capable of terrifying combat effectiveness in localized engagements. However, they would likely falter against a conventional frontal assault by a large army. Liu Tao suddenly found his own initial thoughts somewhat ludicrous. Indeed, they were but flesh and blood; how could they possibly contend with an entire army?
"Very well. I hereby issue the following order: Special Operations Team Seven will depart effective immediately to jointly eliminate any military encampment exceeding five hundred personnel within the vicinity of Kaohsiung. Upon completion of this task, you are to return forthwith to receive your second directive. Understood? Remember, my objective is to impress upon the Taiwanese government the formidable nature of their adversary!" Liu Tao stated with gravitas.
"Understood, sir!" the four responded with a unified, fervent roar.
As Team Seven dispersed, Liu Tao called out to 13, "See to it that you do not perish!"
"Rest assured, we won't let him fall. This concerns the central…" the child designated 36 remarked with a grin.
"36, you are divulging classified information. Utter another word, and I am authorized to terminate you!" 13 stated icily, his expression unwavering as he fixed his gaze upon 36.
"13, do you believe it will be that simple?" the child retorted, his own gaze equally cold.
"Have you both forgotten the Special Operations Protocols? Or have you forgotten Grandfather Nie?" 1 stated from the distant corridor without turning back.
Liu Tao observed a sudden shift in the expressions of 13 and 36. The two swiftly followed 1 and 24.
Liu Tao pondered, "To elicit such apprehension in 13… Who exactly is this 'Grandfather Nie'?"
"13, may I ask a favor of you?" Before their departure, 1 called 13 aside for a private word in the corridor.
"What is it?"
"Employ SEED only as a last resort, when all other methods have been exhausted and the mission remains unfulfilled."
"Is this an order?" 13 inquired, his tone still impassive.
"No, this is a plea," 1 responded with a gentle smile. "The activation authority for SEED rests solely with you; hence, my request."
13's frame momentarily stiffened.
"In truth, we have always been aware of your aspiration. However, the time is not yet right. The nation currently lacks the strength to contend with the world. The 'germination' of SEED must occur within the hearts of all."
"Say no more!" 13 roared. "What is the nation to me?! Do you presume to understand me? How could you possibly? I have no parents, no kin, no friends. While you were nestled in the warmth of the womb, nourished by the umbilical cord, I existed as an exhibit, encased in a glass tank! Each day, someone would come to replenish my nutrient solution! I am not some damned goldfish! I simply desire to die in peace. Why must even the moment of my demise be dictated by others?"
A profound silence descended upon the corridor.
"Better now?" 1 gently patted 13's shoulder, which still trembled slightly from the outburst.
13 inhaled softly, his demeanor instantly reverting to its customary iciness. "It's nothing. Forgive me, 1. I ought not to have lost my composure."
"I understand. There is no need for apology. Every soul requires release, and you are no exception," 1 responded, his tone akin to that of a benevolent father as he gently stroked 13's head.
A flicker of gratitude crossed 13's eyes. "1, I will grant your request, but you must also grant me one in return…"
In the pre-dawn hours of the same day, at the Third Military Encampment of the Taiwanese Army, on the outskirts of Taipei City…
"Hey, old timer, got a light?" A soldier, rifle slung across his back, clambered onto the watchtower and addressed the sentry.
"You still haven't returned the Zippo I lent you last time, you little rascal. If you want to smoke, do it up here and keep me company. It's freezing cold, and I'm stuck on this high perch, dmn near frozen solid," the veteran grumbled, retrieving a lighter from his pocket and handing it to the soldier.
"Hey, old timer," the soldier said, lighting his cigarette as he looked at the veteran. "Heard the mainland troops are all on a seven-day leave. Why are we still freezing our butts off on guard duty every day?"
"You know how our commander is – paranoid as hell. He's always going on about ambushes, day in and day out. As if there are that many sneak attacks!" the veteran scoffed.
"Dmn it, there's not a good egg among those higher-ups. They just issue orders, and we're the ones who suffer," the soldier grumbled with resentment.
"You know how the president's bodyguards live? Heard the president's so afraid of being assassinated by mainland agents that he has five or six bodyguards standing watch even while he sleeps. We at least get to slack off sometimes. Those bodyguards can't even blink. You should count your blessings."
The soldier chuckled and said, "Hey, old timer, where'd you learn that last phrase? Sounds pretty funny."
"That? That's Beijing dialect. My grandpa taught me a bit."
"Beijing dialect, huh?" the soldier said, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Really want to see Tiananmen Square someday. When will I finally be able to say I'm Chinese?"
"There'll be a chance. After Taiwan loses this war, I'll take you to Bei…" The veteran couldn't finish his sentence because a high-velocity armor-piercing round from a COOL-FIRE rifle had just blown out half his head.
The soldier's pupils dilated as he watched the veteran slowly collapse, his cigarette falling to the ground. As the cigarette twitched once on the ground, the soldier met the same gruesome fate as the veteran.
At that moment, in the pitch-black forest at the edge of the base, 13 lowered his rifle and said, "'The eyes' are gone. Commencing mission. 1, don't forget your promise to me…" With that, 13 strapped the sniper rifle vertically against his back and sprinted towards the base's high, wall-like barbed-wire fence with a forward-leaning posture.
Once clear of the forest, 13 was clad in a black, skintight combat suit. His hands, feet, and chest were encased in gleaming silver metallic armor. 13's combat suit featured a high collar that concealed everything below his nose, seamlessly integrating with a holographic projection protective helmet. The helmet's advanced air filtration system negated the threat of gas attacks. Not an inch of 13's skin was exposed to the air. His already slender frame (13 stood at one meter seventy-five and weighed fifty-nine kilograms) appeared even more streamlined in this attire. Most striking were the four cameras on the sides of the helmet (two vertically stacked on each side), emitting an eerie red glow in the darkness, leaving long streaks of light in 13's rapid movement.
Closing the one-hundred-meter distance between the forest and the fence in the blink of an eye, 13 suddenly twisted his body, drawing a twenty-five-centimeter-long custom combat dagger from beneath his back armor and slashing at the fence. The barbed wire, normally resistant even to steel cutters, yielded like jelly under the combined force of 13's momentum and rotational power. 13 nimbly leaped over the breach, the simultaneous blare of alarms accompanying his sprint towards the base's armory.
"1, why did you agree to let 13 handle this mission alone?" 24 asked, looking at 1.
"Because 13 also made a promise to me."
"Using SEED and dying wouldn't be our responsibility, but if we're still alive and let the enemy kill him, you know what our fate will be if Grandfather Nie gets angry…" 36's icy words were cut off by 1. "Enough. Do you really think 13, wearing 'White Tiger,' will be taken down by those Taiwanese soldiers?" 1 asked, looking at 36.
"Alright, even if 13 isn't in immediate danger, what if those 'Punisher' guys are here? Liu Tao might not know how formidable American individual armor is, but we, who possess similar protective gear, certainly know their combat capabilities!" 36 retorted.
"Everything will be fine," 24 said, gazing in the direction 13 had run. "Because he is 13. Have you already forgotten what happened during the 'graduation exam'? Don't we harbor the same thoughts as Commander Liu? 13 is 'invincible'…"
"Regardless, we will observe 13's performance for now. If any of those 'Punisher' bastards show up, we will intervene," 1 stated commandingly.
By this time, 13 was rapidly approaching within one hundred meters of the armory. The sentry on guard, upon spotting 13, tremblingly raised his weapon and shouted, "Halt! Who goes there? Advance any further, and I will open…" His words were cut short as 13, in mid-sprint, drew a modified Glock 12 (a pistol resembling the terrorist-exclusive weapon in CS, with a twenty-round magazine, modified to accurately hit a fly in flight within one hundred meters, especially in the hands of a Special Operations operative) from beneath his chest armor and terminated the sentry's life. Abruptly halting his advance, 13 holstered the Glock 12 and produced the COOL-FIRE rifle, aiming directly at the armory's steel gate.
"Intruder, listen up! You are surrounded! Lay down your weapon and surrender! Otherwise, we will commence firing in five seconds!" 13 scanned his surroundings, discovering that he was encircled by seven or eight hundred soldiers in full uniform.
"I came precisely because I knew you had an ambush prepared. This saves me considerable trouble," 13 murmured to himself without lowering his weapon. "I truly wish I could die quietly, just like you, but that is not yet an option. There is a certain melancholy to this, wouldn't you agree?" With that, his finger gently squeezed the trigger. The high-velocity armor-piercing round silently pierced the one-centimeter-thick steel door of the armory.
"BOOM—!" The colossal explosion echoed jarringly through the silent night. The towering inferno would have sufficed to attract every moth in the world to its incandescent demise.
13 finally lowered his weapon, turning to face the officer who had moments ago been shouting through a microphone. "The five seconds haven't elapsed yet. Does that mean you won't shoot me?"
The officer, stunned by the explosion, stared at 13 silhouetted against the flames, his face contorted in terror. He collapsed onto the ground, babbling incoherently, "Kill him! Kill him!!!"