Shun Bing was shaking slightly, warm teardrops were dropping onto my shoulder as she cried and hugged me.
……
4 in the morning. None of us in the police force were sleepy and instead sat down and stared blankly at each other.
“The autopsy reports have returned!”
Wang Xin ran into the room, his hands holding a document file. “We have information on these people down to the smallest details. There are teachers, workers, and even veterans among the monsters and all went missing 6 months ago due to various reasons, like faking their deaths or just suddenly disappearing. All of them have the mark of the Blood Scythes on them but they’re only a month old. Other than that, their DNA has indeed mutated; a good part of their DNA is still human but the other parts are almost lizard like, which is why they have scales that resemble those of fish.”
“Were they able to identify who is behind this?” I asked.
“They weren’t!” Wang Xin shook his head, “The people we’re up against are more terrifying than we thought. 15 of the monsters have the letter “E” marked on them, while 2 have “D”. They all seemed to have their genes strengthened artificially. This was confirmed by both the researchers at Nanjing and Hangzhou, but their genes were far too complex to figure out. So far we have been unable to find out the specific compositions of the DNA or sources of the DNA. So at the moment, the only thing we can do is to keep up with our defenses, and refrain from any more strike operations. Other than that, the higher ups have placed a huge importance on this case and these mutations. The official name for these mutations will be ‘Artificials’…”
After saying that, Wang Xin exhaled again, “It is my belief that these Artificials will be our most problematic opponents in the future… Also, tomorrow the Nanjing military district will be sending over some elite special force soldiers to augment our task force. I can’t convince them otherwise, so I can only say this to you all: ‘Protect Hangzhou down to the last drop of your blood!”
I nodded, “Yeah, protect Hangzhou…”
“There’s still one other matter…”
Wang Xin muttered, he grabbed a gun from the nearby officer, and then pulled out the scales of the skin of an Artificial. “Just a while ago, the Tian Xin Corporation’s weapons department manufactured a new type of bullet and sent it to us. Don’t be mistaken, this is indeed the Nanometer warhead spoken of in legends, which uses the heat generated from impact to melt through the advanced armor of highly technologically advanced weapons. I experimented and found that the Nanometer warheads are able to penetrate through the skin of Artificials. Hmph, they have the shield and we have the spear. Starting tomorrow, the Hangzhou police force will swap out their old ammunition for the new Nanometer warheads. I don’t believe that the Hangzhou force will be unable to grab Blood Scythe’s stinger and pull it out from the underworld!”
The Spear and the Shield refers to the paradoxical tale of the Shield that can block all, and the spear that can pierce all. In other words, the immovable object versus the unstoppable object.
I gave a gentle laugh, “Captain Wang, when will we move out against the Blood Scythes?”
Wang Xin thought for a moment, then spoke, “We have to wait for the higher up’s orders. The leaders of the Blood Scythes are all well known figures of society and they may have positions of high power. If we strike, we must eradicate them all in one fell swoop. Otherwise, we must think about the long term plan or risk getting even more casualties amongst our numbers. We have to wait for the new teammates to help fill our strengths again, or else fighting against these monsters will be impossible.”
Looking at the Nanometer warhead in his hand, Wang Xin thought for a second, “We need a godly marksman as well…”
He looked at me, but didn’t say anything.
I went silent for just a few seconds before saying, “Don’t look at me, my marksmanship can only be considered second-rate…”
Shun Bing laughed, “What? You were Hangzhou’s police force champion shooter for 2 consecutive years. Are you trying to make the rest of us marksmen look bad?”
Wang Xin smirked, “That’s enough, Li Xiao Yao still has another assignment; you should return to the school now. Don’t forget why Tian Xin Corporation was so generous as to give us such a large shipment of Nanometer warheads. It’s because the special relations between you and them. Also, I’ve been notified that you, Li Xiao Yao, have been promoted to vice-leader of the Hangzhou special division and will be able to issue out orders.”
I nodded and thought of Wan Er and Dong Cheng back in Liu Hua Academy. I couldn’t help but feel warm inside. After all this blood and death, I would be able to return to their sides. This was perhaps my sole motivation to move forward now.
……
With a body full of scars, I made my way back to Li Hua Academy in a tired state and passed by the women’s dormitories.
“Ding…”
My cellphone started to ring. Looking at the caller, it was Wan Er. I picked it up and said–
“Wan Er? How come you’re still up, the sun’s almost out…”
Wan Er’s voice came through very gently, “I couldn’t sleep, my heart felt empty inside because you weren’t by my side…”
I raised my head and saw the curtains by a certain window be pulled apart. It was Wan Er standing up there and looking down at me. My bruises and wounds, although somewhat covered, were still easily seen by anyone that bothered to look.
All of a sudden, I really wanted to cry.