Strongest Soldier King

The economy class waiting hall was not far from the first-class waiting hall. After leaving the door and turning a couple of corridors, they reached the boarding gate, already crowded with people carrying bags of all sizes. Luo Zheng scanned the passengers at the boarding gate but did not spot any suspicious targets. He then whispered to Lan Xue, "Should we split up to search?"

"No need; they know how to search. Don't forget our current identities; splitting up might raise suspicions." Lan Xue whispered back, looking around casually yet with extreme vigilance. Her free hand hung low, ready to draw a gun from behind her waist at any moment. Facing a Gold Medal Killer, Lan Xue could not afford to be careless.

The pair wandered around but didn't spot any suspicious characters. Luo Zheng's expression grew serious. He turned to look outside the terminal through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the parked aircraft. The jet bridge connecting to the airplane was sealed, blocking the view inside. At the entrance, two ground staff members and a security guard were preparing for boarding. Passengers were chatting and laughing, which made him softly question, "Could they not have arrived, or could their country's ambassador have escorted them aboard using diplomatic means?"

"That seems unlikely. Tonight is the best opportunity to leave. Missing tonight, tomorrow would be challenging. Moreover, we can assume two things: first, if he knows he's been exposed, he'll be even more determined to leave quickly because exposure means we're after him. Even hiding in the Embassy might not be safe, so it's better to leave now while we don't have complete information. If he believes he's not exposed, he will also try to leave as soon as possible; every minute he stays is a minute of danger. Now, we are in control," Lan Xue analyzed quietly.

Hearing this made sense to Luo Zheng, who continued searching. At the boarding gate, several people leaned against walls sleeping, their faces obscured by hats blocking the light, making it hard to see their features, though their body shapes seemed unsuspicious. An elderly man with graying hair was listening to a radio, his hand trembling as if he lacked strength. Several middle-aged men and women were playing with children, and a few young people were looking at their cellphones.

No matter how they looked, none of these people seemed suspicious. Luo Zheng pinned his hopes on the Drunkard and his group in the first class. Trusting their abilities, he believed they might discover something. Meanwhile, Lan Xue suddenly spoke in a low voice, "Hurry up, let's take a walk around the boarding gate area and check their eyes. The assassin is Caucasian. No matter how much he disguises himself, his blue eyes can't be hidden. Also, look for those wearing sunglasses."

"Okay," Luo Zheng replied promptly. The two of them huddled together and slowly started circling the passengers waiting near the boarding gate, focusing on the young people. They outright dismissed women, elderly, and children, yet still found no suspicious individuals. Looking towards Lan Xue, Luo Zheng noticed her complexion seemed off, which made him pause.

Just then, Lan Xue began speaking, "Look at that middle-aged man with a middle-aged woman and a little girl next to him. All Caucasians. At first glance, the man and woman look like a couple, but did you notice? The man deliberately shortens the distance between them, whereas the woman subtly steers clear a bit, widening their gap. They're not husband and wife."

"Oh?" Luo Zheng, surprised, looked over and indeed spotted a middle-aged couple. The man was softly speaking to the little girl, appearing very close; the little girl seemed happy and not opposed to talking with the middle-aged man, and the middle-aged woman did not object, appearing quite close as well.

"Stop looking, he's spotted us. Pretend you don't know," whispered Lan Xue, placing her hand on her back and gesturing to Ghost Hand and the others following them.

Although Luo Zheng lacked experience and training in this area, he was not foolish and quickly grasped the situation, immediately lowering his head, feigning an intimate conversation with Lan Xue. The two walked to the side and sat down in a space next to the boarding gate, blocking the potential suspect's path to the airplane. Now, it was up to Ghost Hand and his team.

Ghost Hand had already seen the gesture made by Luo Zheng. He glanced casually at the middle-aged couple and immediately signaled Snow Leopard and Mountain Eagle. He walked over slowly but did not make a move. Instead, he pretended not to know them and sat in a vacant seat diagonally across from them, keeping a watchful eye.

Snow Leopard and Mountain Eagle flanked the target from behind. Seeing Ghost Hand's signal, they closed in slowly from both sides. Soon, they had blocked all possible escape routes for the assassin and began closing in. The assassin realized something was amiss and glanced around nonchalantly. His gaze fell on Luo Zheng, filled with confusion, but it soon turned uneasy.

"The target has confirmed our identities; get ready," Lan Xue whispered, standing up. She saw the assassin discreetly pulling out a handgun, pressing it against a little girl. Lan Xue's expression turned icy. She pulled Luo Zheng, who was about to step forward, back and whispered, "The target is about to take a hostage. Though she's Caucasian and unrelated to us, the girl is too young and innocent. We'll look for another opportunity."

Luo Zheng also saw the cold sneer and the concealed handgun on the assassin, covered with a piece of clothing, and he stopped. The little girl was not a compatriot, and for the mission, they could disregard life or death, but she was an innocent child after all. Luo Zheng couldn't be utterly heartless. He retreated a step with Lan Xue and sat down, coldly watching the assassin.

The assassin's overly enthusiastic face featured slightly narrowed eyes that twinkled with a chilling light, and his lips curled into a cold smirk. He whispered something to the middle-aged woman, who nodded. The three of them stood up and walked in one direction. Luo Zheng looked and saw the direction led to a café, restrooms, bookstore, and gift shop, areas with dense crowds. If they didn't stop him, he could easily escape. He whispered, "What should we do?"

"Cause some commotion. He won't shoot easily, but if he does, we'll pull out and leave it to the locals. He won't be able to escape either way," Lan Xue whispered in response and quickened her pace while signaling to Ghost Hand and the others.

At that moment, the middle-aged man suddenly started running, shouting as he went: "Help, murder!"

Luo Zheng was taken aback, as the thief was crying "stop the thief." He then looked at Lan Xue. Seeing some security guards approaching and people around stopping to see what was happening, Lan Xue quickly made a gesture to stop the pursuit to avoid misunderstandings that could cause complications. They continued moving forward slowly, their gazes fixed intensely on the target.

"This bastard is quite clever, just making some noise to slow us down," Luo Zheng said in a cold whisper. Seeing that the target was heading towards the first-class lounge, he couldn't help but laugh and continued, "It seems this guy is desperate to leave. Next, it's up to the drunkards."

"Yeah, that woman and the child seem to know the target. Maybe they work at the embassy here or are family members. It's perfect cover for him because they are probably also heading back to their country. He's cunning enough to have a public and legal identity. Continuing the chase might get us bitten back, but no matter what, we can't let him go. Come on." Lan Xue whispered and quickened her pace.