Chapter 21 – Crisis in the Crosshairs

While Xiao Yi was in the restroom, Ji Chen coldly looked at Shen Ming and frankly said, “I don’t like you. I don’t care where big sis found you to trick me from, but I’ll only let it slide just this once. If you’re around the next time I ask Big Sis out, believe me, I will break your leg.”

Shen Ming, who was currently sucking the dripping soup off a piece of bread, was amused by Ji Chen’s request. “Little boy, I suppose this is the so-called don’t bite the hand that feeds you, but today can be considered me owing you one, so I won’t argue with you. But next time you threaten big bro, big bro will have to spank you~”

“I call you big brother and you really act like a big tailed wolf[1]to me?” A ferocious expression could be seen as he s.n.a.t.c.hed the stainless steel fork in Shen Ming’s hand and said, “watch closely”.

Ji Chen applied strength to his arms and the extremely hard stainless steel fork was bent 90° before being thrown back to Shen Ming.

“Maybe you’re a cop, maybe you’re a SPC, but kindly remember, I am a formally appointed elite officer and all techniques I learnt are meant for killing people. Me and Big Sis have grown up together, and when I was just 5 years old, I resolved myself to marry her. For her, I threw aside the pen and picked up a gun. For her, I challenged the army lifestyle which was what I was worst at.

I just wanted to become a man that could protect her, and the man she deserves. I will not allow Big Sis to be fooled by a man like you.

“Little boy, your love is definitely deep enough. Big Bro is so moved that he’s about to cry. B~ut… like is like, not like is not like. In this world, brute force can achieve a lot of things, but only a person’s heart cannot be captured with brute strength.” Shen Ming smiled and picked up the bent fork on the table, then used the thumb of a single arm to press against its shaft. With a “kacha” sound, the fork returned to how it once was. That one move made Ji Chen’s jaw drop.

“What did you guys talk about for you to be so happy?” Right then, Xiao Yi returned to the table.

“Nothing much, just two brothers talking about their views on love. Are you gonna eat some more?” Shen Ming was finally full.

“I’m full. Well then, Big Sis will head off first, next time we have a meal you definitely have to let me pay, you better not argue with me over this. Bye bye!” Xiao Yi took advantage of the situation to leave with Shen Ming just like that. Ji Chen, who was left all alone at the table, began laughing self deprecatingly.

“Big Sis is Big Sis alright, the person she brought to hoodwink me is definitely not average in the least……”

Because they had drunk alcohol, the two of them couldn’t drive home. So, they very naturally walked along the coastal highway and followed the orange streetlamps home, with no other pedestrians nearby.

Xiao Yi was apparently quite happy, she walked along the small fence on the curb and spread out her arms like she was walking on a tightrope. As for Shen Ming who had eaten so much that his stomach was about to explode, his hands were inside his pocket as he followed along behind Xiao Yi.

“Thanks for today.” This was the first time that Xiao Yi had sincerely thanked Shen Ming.

“Actually that kid was quite good. Apart from not knowing the heights of heaven and the vastness of earth, he’s quite extravagant, doesn’t look half bad and most importantly it’s obvious that he really loves you a lot. Why don’t you give him a chance?” Shen Ming said with confusion.

“Stop spouting c.r.a.p ok? That’s my little brother ok? My little brother. How can he be my boyfriend, it’s completely impossible!” Xiao Yi said as she waved her hands in denial.

“Have you ever been in love?”

“Is a crush on a senior when I was still in school considered being in love?” Apparently Xiao Yi was drunk, since today she was especially talkative.

“Let me change the question then, what kind of man do you want to marry?” Shen Ming asked curiously.

“Him? He definitely has to be a hero that saved the world, and is loved and admired by everyone!” Xiao Yi looked at the starry sky and said the fantasy of little girls everywhere

“Ok, strike my name out of the list. I’m the kind of sniper that hides in obscure places and pulls the trigger then leaves. When I’m on a mission, anyone that sees my face has to be silenced.”

“He he, you really know how to place yourself on a pedestal. Take at a look at this half a month, you’ve already gotten into all that bulls.h.i.t. I like you enough to be your partner, but that’s it. Even if this lady has to find a male dog[2] to embrace, I definitely won’t look for you.” Xiao Yi grinned from ear to ear. But when she put her foot down, she directly fell to the asphalt road. The driver of a van that was speeding over hit the horn.

Xiao Yi’s mind went blank, but before she could react, a strong, muscular hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Xiao Yi’s frail body fell into Shen Ming’s bossm like a kite. The instinct of fear made her embrace Shen Ming’s neck and made them look like a couple snuggling on the street.

“Woof woof.” Shen Ming snickered.

“You……” Xiao Yi was both thankful and furious and for a moment didn’t know what to say. But Shen Ming reacted faster than her, he embraced her slender waist, applied strength to his legs, and suddenly vaulted over the barrier to a demolition site.

“What are you doing?” Xiao Yi was shocked by Shen Ming’s actions, but in the next moment, her lips had been closed by Shen Ming’s fingers.

“We’ve been locked onto.” Shen Ming signaled to Xiao Yi to look at the place they were just standing at. Over there, a red laser dot so small that it was practically invisible was shining on the ground.

“Sniper?!” Xiao Yi’s drunken state immediately sobered up and she instinctively took out the Type 77 handgun in her handbag.

“Put it away, the sniper is way too far out of range, the sound and muzzle flash will only serve to give away your position.” Shen Ming was so calm it was inhuman. “Use the laser to determine his direction. Also, for a sniper to not have to take into account wind speed or bullet lag, they should be roughly 150m to 200m away.”

“What do we do now? Call the cops?” This was the first time that Xiao Yi was caught in someone else’s crosshairs, her hands were already drenched in cold sweat.
Before Shen Ming could answer Xiao Yi’s question, the phone in his shirt pocket started ringing(standard apple ringtone). By the time he took it out to see the caller ID, the number was already hidden.

Shen Ming answered the call and put the phone to his ear but didn’t say a single word. The caller didn’t say anything either, just an unclear breathing sound which went on for 30 seconds. Then, the caller sent over the sound of a rifle bolt being pulled, followed by a single sentence by the person, “two people, only one can live, who will live who will die?”

“I’ll think about it.” Shen Ming hung up as soon as he finished speaking.

“What is it? Who called?” Xiao Yi nervously asked.

“That guy is an expert, his shooting skills are professional, and he’s using a QBU-10 Anti Material Sniper Rifle which fires 12.7mm bullets.” Shen Ming relied on the sound of the other party’s breathing and that of the bolt being loaded to determine all these.

“Anti Material Sniper Rifle?!” Xiao Yi had seen the introduction to these kind of guns in military magazines. Not even the special police could use these kinds of crazy a.s.s armaments, that thing could even shoot through tank armor, so don’t even bother mentioning the brick wall behind the two of them.

“The deadliest part about the QBU-10 isn’t the gun’s power, but rather the distance gauge and integrated infrared thermal imaging sight. He can see us……” Shen Ming understood why the sniper let him hear the sound of a chamber being loaded and his breathing, it was to tell him that this wasn’t a game, and that apart from answering his question, everything else would lead to death.

“Xiao Yi, do you trust me?” Shen Ming s.n.a.t.c.hed Xiao Yi’s gun.

“Apart from trusting you, what other choices do I have?” Xiao Yi said helplessly.

Shen Ming who was sitting at the corner of the wall, emptied the entire chamber into a fire hydrant by the roadside. With the Type 77 Police Pistol’s power, it had no way of piercing through that little guy’s pure iron frame and causing any damage, but what was really scary was that all six of Shen Ming’s shot hit the exact same spot, not even 1mm off. He actually managed to pierce a hole through the fire hydrant, through which ice cold pillar of water jetted towards the two people hiding in the corner, instantly drenching them both.

“What kind of insane shooting skill is this? Are you really human?” Seeing the two body temperature of the two targets rapidly dropped until they disappeared from the sight, the sniper wasn’t nervous. Instead, he smiled and dialed up Shen Ming’s number, “looks like you don’t plan on answering my question.”

“Nope, actually I’ve already chosen. Two live, one dies. Can you guess who dies?” once again, Shen Ming hung up after saying his piece.

After placing the weapon back in it’s holster, the sniper no longer stayed in the abandoned building and rushed towards the ground floor. He had already lost the opportunity to kill the target, so withdrawing was the professional choice.

But right when he reached the first floor, the sniper froze on the spot and couldn’t move at all, because Shen Ming was already standing 20m away and pointing the handgun at his temple.

“Aren’t your physical specs a bit too good? I only took 24s to go down the stairs, and from where you were to here is 200m. Also the area is a wasteland filled with piled up rubble, even with all this you managed to dash over here without being out of breath?” at the moment, the sniper had already put his hands up.

“Want to know even more? Like my shooting skills……”Shen Ming said coldly.

“There’s no need for that, those 6 fire hydrant shots were very impressive. Shooting with a single hand, at the fastest possible rate, and all hit the exact same point, it’s like your body is insulated against recoil. When it comes to these kind of people, in the whole word, I only know of one person. A former shooting sport genius, the provincial shooting champion, who was known as “zero recoil kid” A.K.A……Shen Ming. What a coincidence, you guys share the same name?” the sniper snickered as he held his hands up high.

“Who are you?” Shen Ming interrogated.

The sniper signaled to Shen Ming to put down the gun pointed at his back, and under the watchful barrel of Shen Ming’s gun, he very carefully opened his pocket and exposed what unexpectedly wasn’t a QBU-10 Anti Material Sniper Rifle, but rather the scope and bolt of the rifle and the infrared laser was just a laser pen that kids play with.

“To put it simply, I’m an examiner, and you pa.s.sed.” The sniper pulled down his hood, revealing a face that was as young as Shen Ming’s.

“But I don’t remember signing up for any test though?” Shen Ming still hadn’t put down the gun.

“A piece of big business, 30,000￥ remuneration. But we’re a bit worried when it comes to your past, so my boss wants to know something, are you a killer or a bodyguard now?” Obviously, the sniper already knew about Shen Ming’s history. After all, he didn’t change his name, or the bodyguard service’s office’s location. A somewhat influential employer would be able to connect the dots and guess his ident.i.ty.

“What do you think I am?” Shen Ming finally put down the firearm in his hand, as well as removed the last round in the chamber.

“A bodyguard that’s more dangerous than a killer……” The sniper said with affirmation. “If you’re not busy tomorrow at 7 a.m., I’ll pick you and your partner up. Don’t be late, boss is very particular about time, down to the last second.”

“50 grand, otherwise I won’t go tomorrow morning.This is the price of you guys playing with me. If there’s a next time, then who knows, maybe I really will swap jobs and become a killer.” As soon as Shen Ming finished talking, he was already leaving along the wasteland.