In a luxurious reception room at the Sam Country Embassy in Huaxia Country, a few people sat together. Leading them was a gloomy middle-aged man, whose gaze carried a hint of coldness, yet his expression was serene, revealing nothing of his thoughts. He silently stared at another middle-aged man sitting across from him, contemplating his own thoughts. This man was none other than Jackson from Sam Country.
After the failure in the last battle, Jackson was sent to a military tribunal. However, after Sam Country and Hook negotiated peace, with Hook now considered a friendly nation—at least on the surface—the defeat in the battle between Jackson and Hook was not further scrutinized. The defeat was effectively erased, and Jackson was judged as neither guilty nor innocent. The President, in a good mood after discovering the truth, believed Jackson was still quite capable, allowing him to continue serving as the Deputy Director of the Strategic Intelligence Bureau and head of the "Eight-Nation Alliance." His mission this ti was straightforward: stir up conflict between Huaxia Country and the western sect to facilitate the independence of the west.
Such a task was not difficult for Jackson, who prepared to make a big move to vindicate himself. However, things did not progress smoothly as anticipated, and to his surprise, soone else got the jump on them, resulting in the deaths of two subordinates. If it were in the past, Jackson would have launched a fierce attack, but successive failures had made him cautious, losing his basic judgnt due to this caution born from failure.
Across from him was a middle-aged man, dressed in a fitting Tang suit with a goatee, serene eyes, a healthy complexion, and a robust build, around fifty years old, looking quite spirited yet his gaze was a bit grave, deep in thought. This was the Sect Leader of Twin Gate.
"Sect Leader, what about the goods you promised?" Jackson calmly asked while observing the other party.
"Just one more day, that's all I need. Before the Elder Lama departs, I will ensure the goods are in your hands; rest assured, Twin Gate's reputation was forged in blood, well-known in the world," the Sect Leader stated earnestly.
"I don't doubt your credibility, but I do doubt your abilities. Not only did soone beat you to the goods, but you couldn't even reclaim them, costing two subordinates. How should we settle this account?" Jackson's tone was calm but carried a cold edge, chilling the entire room as his expression grew gloomy, intently watching the Sect Leader.
The Sect Leader's face turned unsightly and sowhat angry, yet he restrained himself, explaining, "I regretted the loss of your n, but my people were affected too—it wasn't incompetence; I didn't expect that little brat from the sect to cause chaos. The situation has been explained to you, hoping for your understanding."
"I understand you, but who understands ?" Jackson retorted in dissatisfaction, "According to the original plan, the goods should already be in my possession by now, but they're not. You want to understand? Does understanding help get the goods? I don't want explanations now, just one question: what are the odds of getting the goods?"
"If I don't get the goods, I'll present my head," the Sect Leader replied seriously.
"Good, I appreciate such fierce ambition. I'll give you one more day. If by this ti tomorrow the goods aren't obtained, you know the consequences," Jackson said coldly, with a hint of threat.
"Insulting the Sect Leader is courting death?" the pair of twins behind the Sect Leader retorted almost in unison, glaring coldly at Jackson, showing readiness for action.
"You insolent fools, no sense of decorum—do you have a place to speak here?" The Sect Leader's face darkened, angrily admonishing his n; after reprimanding, his expression eased as he addressed Jackson, "The juniors spoke out of turn due to youthful zeal; don't mind them. However, I truly don't care about your 'consequences.' Death isn't a big deal when you're in this line of work; we've always anticipated it. Twin Gate's promises are as good as gold, but we fear no threats from anyone."
"Is that so? I hear you excel at fighting and thievery, but against the state machinery in this age of firearms, haven't you beco obsolete? Can you be stronger than the gun? Faster than the bullet? Even if you're stronger and faster, can you withstand a missile? In today's highly computerized world, don't tell you can hide beyond our reach." Jackson scoffed disdainfully.
"You?" The Sect Leader's face changed dramatically, yet he couldn't find a rebuttal. The era of firearms is indeed a devastating hit for martial artists, a lantable fact—years of hard training still can't stop a bullet, an undeniable reality.
"Sect Leader, I an no dispute with you, only results," Jackson stated blandly.
At this mont, soone entered with a stern face, whispered a few words in Jackson's ear, then left; Jackson's expression darkened, pondering deeply, his gaze growing increasingly cold. Beside him, the Sect Leader sensed trouble but didn't ask, patiently waited.
After a while, Jackson suddenly relaxed, looked at the Sect Leader, and solemnly said, "Just received reliable intelligence, the Elder Lama is departing, noon flight—you don't have much ti left."
"What? Those bastards, I'll deploy imdiately," the Sect Leader sprang up, speaking earnestly.
"Hold on, don't you find this interesting?" Jackson said coldly, gesturing for the Sect Leader to sit and continued, "The series of assassination attempts has frightened Huaxia Country. For security reasons, sending the Elder Lama away at this ti is understandable—they fear bearing the bla for inadequate protection. Even if saved once, no one can guarantee being saved twice or thrice; yet, this won't be simple."
"You an?" the Sect Leader asked in surprise.
"I suspect there might be an ambush en route." Jackson stated casually, contemplating sothing.
"But an ambush would make no difference; we only have one chance, limited ti, can't afford delays. I'll deploy actions imdiately; even with ambushes, our promise and task is to kill the target and retrieve the goods for you," the Sect Leader assured sternly.
"The courage is comndable, but don't act rashly. First observe and confirm that he's indeed sent away before taking action. Also, I suspect impersonation; hence, a select team must be sent to the hotel. If the opponent uses an impersonator to lure us out, all attention will be on the road, leaving the hotel unguarded. Of course, it's not ruled out that the real one departs—the Elder Lama's special status doesn't permit impersonation, so we cannot be careless and must prepare two plans. Split your and my resources—half intercept en route, and half to the hotel," Jackson instructed seriously.
"Makes sense, but interception might be hard, especially with hidden troops—a small force won't suffice," the Sect Leader reminded.
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