111: Chapter 111 Cat and Mouse Game

It was a feeling of being marked.

Not by a gaze.

But a purer, predator's intuition from one of his own kind.

Chen Xi's body did not move.

He maintained his posture of observing the next target, lurking at the top of the abandoned bell tower.

But his muscles had quietly tensed under the [Chameleon Cloak].

(I'm locked on.)

(A professional.)

The thought flashed through his mind.

He didn't look back, much less try to find the source of the prying eyes.

In a duel between top-tier hunters, any redundant movement would expose information to the opponent.

Slowly and extremely naturally, he withdrew his gaze from the church.

Then, like a weary passerby, he casually stretched.

His body leaned back with the motion.

His entire being silently fell into the shadows behind the bell tower.

There was no sound.

Not a speck of dust was stirred.

He abandoned his original rescue plan.

Acting rashly without knowing the opponent's background would not only harm himself but also the Linguist still waiting for rescue in the church.

He merged into the night like a drop of water.

Following the shadows of the broken walls and ruins, he didn't return to any known safe house but instead crept toward a completely opposite, unfamiliar area.

This was the basic rule of counter-reconnaissance.

Never head toward your own lair.

Several kilometers away.

Atop another taller building.

Nakajima Shinichi slowly lowered the high-powered military binoculars in his hand.

There was no irritation from his prey escaping on his face.

Instead, it was a morbid excitement of having met a worthy opponent.

"He's gone."

He said softly.

"Reporting, Captain. The target completely disappeared from sight within three seconds. Thermal imaging shows no response," reported the adjutant beside him.

"He left no trace. Just like a real ghost."

A cold smile tugged at the corner of Nakajima Shinichi's mouth.

"He has an extremely strong crisis warning capability, knows how to disengage instantly, and possesses some kind of technology similar to optical camouflage."

He analyzed calmly.

"This is no longer an ordinary resistance fighter."

He turned around and issued orders to the "Hound" Squad behind him.

"First and Third Squads, perform a pincer movement from the east and west. Second Squad, stand by and secure all high ground."

"His movement just now wasn't a flight, but a retreat."

Nakajima Shinichi's glasses reflected the firelight of the burning city in the distance.

"He sensed us. But he doesn't know who we are or how many there are. Therefore, he will definitely come back to test us."

"And what we need to do is bite onto him when he does."

Chen Xi indeed had no intention of letting it go like this.

In this hell, a professional hunter hidden in the shadows was far more threatening than an entire battalion of Japanese Soldiers.

If he didn't root him out, all his actions would be restricted at every turn.

He stopped in the basement of an abandoned department store.

The structure here was complex with many exits, making it easy to evacuate.

He needed a bait.

A bait sufficient to pique the opponent's interest without immediately triggering maximum alertness.

He took a tin of "Luncheon Meat" out of his backpack.

This was one of the supplies he had previously given to Madame Vautrin.

He pulled the tab, and the unique meaty aroma of the canned food immediately spread through the cold air.

Then, he deliberately knocked over the tin, letting the meat chunks and fat spill onto a relatively clean patch of concrete.

Next, he stepped beside it, leaving a clear but slightly hurried footprint.

Having done all this, he quickly retreated to the fifth floor of the department store.

He didn't choose the conventional [Drone Model].

He exchanged for a new item.

A dirty-looking, even somewhat damaged [simulated mouse].

Its real function was a miniature silent reconnaissance robot.

Chen Xi placed the "rat" on the ground and, using the system panel, controlled it to slip silently out through a hole in the corner of the wall.

The audience in the Livestream room were all stunned.

[Holy crap! Is Master Xi's arsenal Doraemon's pocket? He even has rats?]

[This thing is much stealthier than a Drone! Professional!]

[The cat and mouse game has officially begun!]

Under the cover of night.

Nakajima Shinichi's "Hound" Squad, like real hunting dogs, searched through the ruins quietly and efficiently.

Soon.

A team member discovered the spilled Luncheon Meat.

He didn't approach.

Instead, he immediately signaled the others.

A few minutes later.

Nakajima Shinichi arrived at the scene personally.

He crouched down, touched a bit of the grease on the ground with his white-gloved finger, and brought it to his nose to sniff.

"Western-style, high-calorie military food."

He looked at the clear footprint again.

"The footprint is deep with blurred edges, indicating he was in a hurry and carries significant weight."

Everything looked like a trace accidentally left by a target while eating in a hurry.

A perfect, directional clue.

"Captain, should we pursue?" the adjutant asked.

Nakajima Shinichi didn't answer.

He stood up and looked around.

His gaze, like a falcon's, swept over every building that could hide someone and every ruin that could serve as an observation point.

"It's too deliberate."

He said coldly.

"It's as if he's intentionally telling us he ran this way."

He didn't order a pursuit; instead, he commanded his men to deploy a defensive formation on the spot and check all suspicious corners.

Chen Xi, from the fifth-floor window, watched all this coldly through the "rat's" perspective.

(He's not taking the bait.)

(Very cautious.)

He controlled the "rat" to crawl out from under a pile of rubble, preparing to observe from another angle.

However.

At the moment the "rat" moved.

A "Hound" member checking a corner seemed to notice something.

He snapped his head around.

His gaze precisely locked onto the moving "rat."

There was no panic on the team member's face, only the calmness of finding prey.

He slowly raised his sidearm.

It was a Luger Pistol fitted with a silencer.

Thwip.

A faint, almost negligible muffled sound.

The screen in Chen Xi's Livestream room jolted.

The perspective of the [simulated mouse] instantly turned pitch black.

Signal lost.

Chen Xi's pupils shrank suddenly.

He didn't hesitate for a second.

Almost at the same time the screen went black, he grabbed his backpack and, like a cheetah, turned and dashed toward the other side of the building.

(Exposed!)

Meanwhile.

Downstairs.

After destroying the "rat," the "Hound" member immediately reported in a low voice through his throat mic:

"Surveillance device discovered and destroyed. Appearance: rat-type robot."

A light of morbid excitement erupted in Nakajima Shinichi's eyes.

"Lock down that building!"

"He's on the fifth floor!"

"Surround it! Capture him alive!"

At his command.

The "Hound" Squad members lurking around moved like ghosts, closing in on the department store from all directions.

Their movements were silent and swift, with impeccable tactical coordination.

A net of death instantly spread out.

But they were still a step too late.

By the time they reached the building's entrance, Chen Xi had already used a rope to rappel down from a window on the other side of the fifth floor into the back alley.

He listened to the approaching footsteps behind him, and without stopping, he merged back into the endless, maze-like dark ruins of Nanjing.

...

"He got away."

There was a hint of frustration in the adjutant's voice.

"No."

Nakajima Shinichi looked in the direction Chen Xi had disappeared, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

He opened his hand; in his palm were the remains of the [simulated mouse], deformed by the bullet.

"We didn't come away empty-handed."

"We confirmed he has remote surveillance capabilities. We confirmed his 'ghost' state relies on some high-tech equipment."

"More importantly..."

He clenched the metal rat tightly in his palm.

The cold metal stimulated his nerves, giving him a sense of extreme pleasure.

"We made him feel pain."

"Only a rat that knows pain will be afraid and make mistakes."

He turned and gave a new order to the adjutant.

"Pass on my order: bring the batch of 'suspicious elements' we caught yesterday to the Central Plaza."

The adjutant was somewhat puzzled: "Captain, aren't we going to interrogate them?"

Nakajima Shinichi smiled.

That smile was cruel and cold.

"Interrogate? No."

"They are bait."

"Since this rat likes playing the hero, let's give him a chance to save everyone."

"Prepare a grand stage for him."