World's Best Assassin
X – Hunters from the East
By Pat Squared
Lieutenant Lu Ah Chow of theChinese People's Liberation Armydouble checked his Type 95 assault rifle for any imperfections that would compromise his mission.
Intelligence had the name and description of the assassin who took the life of the son to the Chinese ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Vasilii Boiarskii had a legendary reputation both as a highly-skilled psychopathic killer and as the ultimate merchant of death. Chinese intelligence had a grainy photo of the man cutting a deal with a Vietnamese general in Hanoi
It was shot through a telephoto lens and the focus was off.
He looked like every Caucasian that Lu Ah Chow ever encountered.
Unlike his mainland cousins, Lu Ah Chow could differential between Caucasians due to his upbringing in Hong Kong. He grew up with the children of British civil servants who oversaw the transfer of Hong Kong to China and even today, he could recall every white face he ever saw. However, this one would be difficult to spot in a crowd.
Lu Ah Chow and his team were accredited to the Chinese Mission to Austria as diplomatic security officers, read bodyguards for the diplomatic staff. As such they had diplomatic immunity. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to expend their cover tonight.
Lu Ah Chow waited for the informant to confirm the location of his quarry.
The informant lit his cigarette in the prescribe manner, waited two minutes puffing vigorously, and thenash out his cigarette on the subject's door. The information walked off satisfied knowing that tomorrow, he would beone hundred thousandEuros richer.
Lu Ah Chow and his five man assault team moved towards the door without making a sound. Sergeant Yi was in his perch providing oversight with his suppressed rifle.
Everyone was in his proper place.
Lu pumped his fist in the air. Private Khan kicked in the door and Lu tossed in the distraction device. The team ran inside the room.
Suddenly there was the sound of gunfire. Lu was knocked forward. There was screaming as his men fell to the shots.
Lu was kicked in the ribs. From the pain, he knew that at least two of his ribs were broken. More shots were fired and the groans of his men were silenced.
Lu knew his fate. He would be killed. His wife and kid would be given his medals, a brief memorial service, and a small pension.
Lu was picked up by the front of his assault vest.
The speaker's Mandarin was impeccable.
"Who sent you?"
Lu looked at the eyes of the monster that killed his men.
The monster pulled out a knife.
"You have two choices my friend. Die a man or piss like a woman. Your choice."
The monster cut off Lu's pants with a single swipe of his knife. Lu remembered everything that intelligence told him about Boiarskii's interrogation tactics.
Lu didn't want to live half a man.
"Beijing wants you for the death of Wen Ho Li, the son of the its ambassador to England. Wen Ting, the father, put five million of his own money for anyone who killed you."
"My friend, you will live. You will be marked and I will hurt you so that you superiors will believe that you loyally did your duty. However you will give Beijing a message. A father should not put a bounty on the hand that killed a traitorous son. Ho Li was on my payroll for years. He was corrupted by drugs and loved little boys. Repeat the message."
Lu repeated the message. Then darkness took Lu.
Lu woke up in the hospital under guard. Colonel Tsing motioned for Lu not to say a word. In the room were two Austrian police officers.
Colonel Tsing and the Austrians were yelling at each other in a language that Lu could not understand.
The Austrians walked out upset.
Tsing looked at his errant subordinate. Lu wondered what will happen to him, to his family. The pain in his legs told him that he wouldn't be sent out to the correction farms. He knew that he would not walk again.