Beheld by orange skies, a mechanical Goliath ate into the mountain of ore. A saw-bladed tongue lapped up coal with its teeth, feeding the relentless titan. Coming along a road of gravel, a bus traveled alongside its intestine of a conveyor belt, transporting the coal beyond the horizon.
But even from there, the bus could see most of the bucket-wheel excavator. The scent of damp rock and dirt trickled inside. A collective realization settled in, quieting the miners. Again, they would venture into a dark, gassy, foreign environment. Again, they'd depend on each other for survival.
Agent 47 looked out at the vast lands of the Earth. Around the excavator, vehicles and temporary buildings dotted the lands. Like ants to an elephant. The others on the bus began checking their gear. It was to be another long day without sunlight.
"Uneventful trip, 47?" his earpiece buzzed. "Welcome to the Haerwusu Coal Mine, a surface and underground mine and one of China's largest producers of coal. It is here that your targets have decided to meet for an exchange. Above ground is the 14,000 ton bucket-wheel excavator, exported in parts from Germany and assembled here—and as of today, a fortified bunker holding your primary target, Bao Ju.
"A self-proclaimed independent journalist, she is known to be highly passionate about her work, and was at the forefront of western media during China's silencing of mass protests. Unfortunately for her, the government of China wasn't too keen on her profession. They arrested and accused Bao Ju of espionage, and she remained jailed for half a year. She would have been convicted if not for intervention from the Nishi family, spurred by your previous target.
"Nishi provided her with a new identity and cover from authorities. Bao went under the radar, continuing her work, albeit many of her writings were found and destroyed. She resurfaced as a result of this debacle Myung is part of, and undoubtedly has her sights set on the ICA. And, whether we chalk it up to a clumsy agent or her being an expert in her craft, she's too close for comfort.
"Your second target, Fàn Liang, is one of the coal miners. He arrived before you, and will be found in one of the several mineshafts. An employee of Nunchi Electronics, he was imprisoned after trying to leak information about the Kronstadt Explosion. Discovered by the tech savvy Liao Yingpei, Nishi pulled strings to secure his release—and his knowledge. Bao was first to get to him, and dug up everything he had to offer. Fàn was given a job in the remote mines as cover. He's carrying files about the ICA on his person, which must not fall into anyone else's hands."
47 was the first one out of the bus, straightening his suit and tie. An ID hung around his neck. He eyed the Goliath of a machine. Somewhere on there, Bao Ju awaited.
"You are being sent in as Ben Franklin, an engineer sent to perform a routine checkup on the recently assembled excavator. That will grant you limited access to the surface, but you will need to find Fàn Liang through your own means.
"Good luck, 47."
Location: Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China
Targets: The Whistleblower, The Journalist
To the miners, a hushed murmuring fell between them. Already, they knew something was amiss. They shared whispers of "Is that the...?" and, "What are they doing here?"
The Blue Lotus Triad dotted the mining camp like a splatter of blue against black. Mine security was quick to corral the new arrivals, directing them in a path around the Triad members. They responded to questions with silence, or that the foreman would provide information.
As for 47, two of the Blue Lotus approached him. They glanced at his ID badge, then radioed to someone. Whoever was on the other end answered with an "on my way."
In the meantime, one member told 47 to hold his arms out. He initiated a frisk. The member paused upon patting his pocket. He reached inside, retrieving... a red rubber duck. 47 met his inquisitive look. "It's a good luck charm. My son gave it to me." The gangster glanced at his peer, then hesitantly returned the item.
The frisk ended at the arrival of another man via mining buggy. His outfit took on darker tones of color compared to the miners', complimenting the crow's feet eyes he bore. Regardless, he smiled at the hitman, making his way over. "You must be Mr. Franklin," he began. "I'm Cai Wencheng, the foreman."
They shook hands. Cai invited him onto the buggy, and they drove off.
Laid beside Cai was a clipboard with papers. One quick glance showed lists upon lists of names—the mine employees. "May I see your clipboard?" 47 asked. "I need to know the workers on the excavator and their experience."
The foreman passed it back.
While 47 combed through the names, Cai rattled on about the excavator's crew of five. He listed their names and a brief sentence about their work attitude. The hitman, though, only searched for one name. Everybody was divided into different groups and teams for different locations and purposes.
Yet, even Diana noticed a problem. "No Fàn Liang... He must be registered under a pseudonym. Running background checks on the whole list will take a while, unless you discern a way to identify him."
47 nodded, satisfied. He passed the clipboard back.
Cai drove them past the mining camp laden with metal buildings. With only a few miners and dozens of Blue Lotus wandering the place, it looked more akin to a Triad-controlled neighborhood. Sightseeing wouldn't last long. They slowed to a stop a short distance from the excavator, where five gangsters blocked the path.
The foreman motioned for 47 to stay as he approached the Blue Lotus. He exchanged some words with the group—the Triad members didn't appear too happy.
Cai returned to the buggy, biting his lip. "I'm so sorry Mr. Franklin, but, you will need to reschedule."
"Really?"
"You have my utmost apologies. Something has come up, and you won't be able to perform your duties for at least a few days."
"The Triad doesn't want me here."
"I..."
"In that case, may I have access to the mining camp? I might as well check on the rest of the facilities."
"But that wasn't part of your itinerary."
"I can't return to my superiors with nothing done. You understand."
Cai dipped his head in a slight nod. "I don't know what the Triad can or will do if they corner you."
"I've dealt with the Blue Lotus before. I know my way around."
The foreman sighed, relenting. "If you insist. Just don't be conspicuous."
"I can do that."
Cai turned the buggy around, and they headed back to the mining camp. "My apologies, 47," Diana said. "We lacked ample time to account for on-site conditions. It seems you'll need to find another way to reach Bao Ju."
And so 47 was dropped off in the main encampment, with dozens of monotonous buildings lining the site. He walked into the faux village, full with miners in their vibrant blue outfits marred with coal, and the police-like Blue Lotus breathing down their backs.
Fortunately, he didn't need to wait long for a lead.
"What the hell is going on?" a miner whispered to his pair of his friends, fear apparent in his shaky tone. "Why is the Blue Lotus here?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. There's nothing but coal and men who want to feed their families. Not even the foreman knows, I don't think."
"I talked to Nianzu," the third said. "He arrived early, today—before the Triad came—and he told me he saw a woman among them. She didn't look a thing like a Triad member, yet he claims they treated her with importance."
"Perhaps it's someone their boss fancies?" the first miner theorized. "But there's still no reason for them to come here."
The second man, though, blanched. "Nianzu... Have any of you see him, recently?"
The others' faces melted into collective realization. "That fool... We need to find him."
As they finished off their conversation, 47 was already on the move. He passed through the dirt pathways and across alleyways. He paused amid a bout of quiet. Then an echoing thud. And another.
The hitman ran towards the sound. The increasing volume told him he was near.
Between two buildings, a couple of gangsters surrounded a limp miner.
"Bao Ju said she didn't want us hurting anyone."
"But Bao isn't here, is she? Besides, it sounded like she was way more worried about something else."
"True. I've never seen anyone so frantic and sleepless as her, and I was with Lee Hong the day he died. Still, what are we doing about him?"
The miner let out a soft groan. "Murderers... You killed my son... I will never forgive you."
The closer Triad member sighed. "These dirty people... No manners at all." He kicked his face, sending the miner flat on his back. He motioned his peer to follow. "Come on."
The other stepped over the body as they made their leave. "On the topic of Bao Ju, what do you think has her so frightful? She's been a thorn in our side ever since we assimilated the Red Dragons; exposing our moves and assets. Suddenly, she's at our doorstep, demanding protection in exchange for everything she's dug up on us."
"Something scarier than the boss... I can't even think of anything."
As they left, 47 took the unconscious miner's outfit.
He rounded the building, coming face to face with the two gangsters. "I know what you did. I'm going to report you." They instantly fixed on him with a murderous gaze. Neither of them needed to say anything, sprinting after 47.
They—although one gangster noticeably outpaced other—chased him across the dirt road, into a another row of buildings. Frustratingly, it looked like he was slowing down just for them. 47 ran inside a warehouse, just as one member turned the corner.
The gangster at the back finally caught up, welcomed by a roaring tractor and a mountain of coal, ever-growing from the conveyor belt stuck through the wall. Yet no sign of the miner.
"Let's just leave him!" he said, heaving for air. "Nothing's going to happen to us, anyway." Glancing around, he noticed another absence. "Fang? Fang!"
He failed to notice the mouth and nose sticking out from a layer of coal.
Donning the Blue Lotus outfit, Agent 47 found a mining buggy. His destination was the bucket-wheel excavator, albeit taking a roundabout route to avoid the Blue Lotus guards.
As he drove, the excavator's humming engines grew louder. Despite its monstrous size, the machine didn't come close to the height of the wall beside it. Nature always found a way to outdo humanity.
Even so, humans still made use of it, as the hitman noticed the line of vehicles and tracks leading into a drift mine.
He took a buggy up a distant incline, one that took the hitman to compete with the excavator's height. This place was the top of the ore hill, supplying the machine's bucket-wheel with endless supplies of coal.
He peered over the edge. Even up here, the machine towered over everything. Its saw turned slowly, scooping out rocks after rocks. Each bucket dumped their materials into a slope, directing the piles into a conveyor belt.
After eyeing the wheel, 47 stepped over the edge.
He skidded down the gravel, picking up more speed with how steep the slope became. 47 dug into the mountainside with his gloves, adjusting what few degrees he needed to turn. The bucket-wheel became bigger and bigger.
Then—a crash. Bits of gravel flew out, and hands met metal. 47 huddled inside the bucket, covering his nape with a cloth as the wheel rotated and pebbles rained on him. The hitman fell onto a ramp. His feet found the moving conveyor belt. He fell on his backside.
When open skies graced him again, 47 rolled off the belt. He stopped on the adjacent walkway, rising quickly. Aside from the coal dust painting his Blue Lotus outfit black, he emerged healthy and wasted no time in running towards the main body of the excavator.
What beheld him were more walkways patrolled by the Triad. At the back of the machine was a metal cabin. 47 descended a nearby flight of stairs, finding a path to circumvent most of the security.
Two Blue Lotus stood looking out at the vast mine. "Taking orders from Bao Ju of all people is one thing, but now we have to listen to some hotshot foreigner?"
"Quiet. I don't want you losing your tongue. He's vital to Bao's plan, so we must let things run smoothly." 47 moved behind them, carefully placing his feet as to make no sound. "For the record, I don't like this arrangement as much you do. But remember the price she's paying us..."
The hitman found himself in an open platform below the top level, with the conveyor belt running through an opening in the center. Wooden boards were placed against all sides, secured to the railings. On a metal table were papers, weighed down by an internet-less laptop.
47 shifted through the files. Diana chipped in. "Looks like Bao recently purchased something expensive from an anonymous client. I can't track down their identity from here, but it says they sent an intermediary to finalize the exchange. See if you can find anyone out of the ordinary at the mining camp."
He crossed the platform, walking up a staircase. The walkway he was on led into a turn straight into the cabin, leading out the structure's other end. Standing at its entrances was the Blue Lotus.
47 clambered over the railing, catching the platform's edge as he now hung over a tremendous fall. He went across the edge, bypassing the guards until he was at the cabin's wall. 47 pulled himself up, standing on the tiny ledge before vaulting onto the building's roof.
Through an open hatch, he peered inside.
Inside the cabin, it was reminiscent of a tired detective's room in the 90s. The cabin was taken over with stacks of papers and an evidence board taking up the back wall. At the top was a photo of Myung Soo-min, her wrinkles creasing with a frown. The windows were boarded up, leaving only a flickering lightbulb in the dreary mess.
"Myung is pulling all the stops. It wasn't just at Guangzhou, the internet's down all over." Pondering in the center of it all, a woman—plucked out of a city street—in disheveled, coal-powdered clothes spoke on her phone. "If we don't want this story dead, we need to go beyond the country with physical evidence. That's my plan, but you need to do the same in case I... don't make it."
Diana spoke. "That is Bao Ju, an independent journalist in a losing fight to expose the truth behind her friend's demise. The only reason she made it so far was because of her remarkable tenacity and a dash of luck. Poor bastard... She might've had a chance if it wasn't the ICA she was after."
"Ju, there is something else... It's about Li-mei, and it's not good." Hope turned into dreadful gnawing, making her grasp and tug at her skin. "I got through via Tianyu. She's dead."
Everything froze. The excavator's roars and hums became more apparent than ever. Bao fell against the wall, numb. "I should have known better," she choked out. She wiped away tears that hadn't even formed.
"Ju... I'm sorry. I still can't comprehend it, myself. And, I don't mean to sound dismissive, but should we really go through with publishing this? I... I can't leave my wife and kids..."
Bao tilted her head up. She wanted to crush the phone in her hand; make his desperate voice quiet for just one moment. But past her emotions, she knew she couldn't afford to waste time mourning. Liao had the right mindset, as much as her turmoil despised that fact. Eventually, she gathered the strength and said, "Yingpei, grab your files on the ICA and run."
"But my family—"
"If you want to keep your family safe, you need to disappear!" She took a breath. "Once I get my copy from Fàn, I'll make sure they're safe. I promise. I'll get the Blue Lotus to guard them and escort you."
Liao thought in silence. He gave his answer. "Okay."
"Thank you, Yingpei. You have my word, you and your family will not be touched."
"What about you?"
Instinctively, Bao glanced around. "Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself," she said through bitten lips. "We will make it up to them. To Li-mei. We will blow everything out of the water. Right now I'm contacting news outlets and hoping they are willing to provide a secure VPN. So far, no luck, but I'll call back when my business here is done."
"I hope so... I said from the very beginning this was a bad idea." Liao disconnected, leaving Bao to the excavator's ambience.
Sighing, she left the cabin.
Landing quietly, 47 set to work searching through the loose papers. The desk had nothing but receipts and order forms; none listed what she was purchasing.
It was in a metal cabinet that his efforts were rewarded. 47 retrieved two passports out the back of a file-filled drawer. He opened each, laying them out for Diana to see.
"47, these passports are forged. The woman's belongs to Bao Ju, but it lists her under a different identity. The other... Deng Qiu. Male. And that picture. Hold on, I'm pulling up the employee list you looked at."
The door buckled. "Rein? Is that you?" Bao re-entered, scanning the room to find nobody. Her brows furrowed in disbelief. She saw what looked like movement through the door's frosted glass, but the cabin appeared untouched. "Maybe the stress is getting to me..."
From the roof of the cabin, 47 descended down to the railing, leaving the same way he came. His earpiece chimed. "I found him. Deng Qiu—or rather, Fàn Liang—is part of the team down in the slope mine, listed under the squad leader, Han Yaozu."
On the walkway across from him, Bao Ju and her Blue Lotus guards stopped at the railing. She watched over the mining camp and the nearby drift mine, trailing into the mountainous terrain like a line of ants—an idle backdrop as she pondered. Such a picturesque scene planted an idea in 47's head.
Bao's fortress would be her prison.
He was done here, for now. 47 returned to the lower platform. Climbing over the railing, he jumped onto the conveyor belt and the line of coal, and in an instant, he was gone.
Back at the warehouse, the tractor driver didn't notice the man flying into the coal heap. Not even when he slid down, walking away without a moment's hesitation.
47 retraced his steps to where he first swapped disguises. Nianzu was gone; woke up and walked away, based off of the footprints. 47's initial outfit remained.
At the office building, Cai Wencheng was filing paperwork when he heard the door click open. He smiled in relief, solely for the reason it wasn't the Blue Lotus. "Ah, Mr. Franklin! I trust all is well?"
"No." Cai's smile faded away. "Something is wrong with the excavator. You should see for yourself."
"What?" He rose, heading for the blinded windows to peek at the machine. "What do you mean?"
47 replied with a wrench strike to the back of his skull. He dragged the unconscious foreman to a nearby closet, where he took his outfit and radio.
At his desk, 47 found the clipboard of the crew. Adjacent to each team, their radio frequency was listed for convenience. He tuned the radio to the drift mine team. "This is the foreman. Yuan, you and your team will be dismissed for today."
After brief static, a voice came back. "This is Yuan. May I ask why?"
"No. Have your team head back to the mining camp. Now."
47 switched channels.
"Han, I need your team to head up to the drift mine. Yuan's group had an accident and needs to head back, but I want to keep their continuous mining machine running."
"What kind of accident?"
"A mine cart clipped one of their men's legs. They're bringing him back, now. It's safe, if that was your concern."
"Understood."
47 put the radio away. Leaving the office building, Agent 47 emerged onto the dirt paths. Diana came through. "47, I'm detecting a call made from the mining camp to somewhere in Venezuela. It appears to be coming from the lunchroom facilities. Might be worth looking into."
...
"Bao? It's me. I just confirmed the arrival of your package." Voice slick with a German accent, the man peered out the windows at his Blue Lotus security. "It's in the lunchroom; there wasn't any other place with cold storage. And, allow me this bit of honesty, I don't think the Triad appreciates my presence."
"Look, I'm sorry you feel scared, but we cannot afford to care. You said it's arrived, but is it in good shape?"
Rein scoffed away from the radio. "I haven't looked at it, yet, but Raul's men are immaculate, I assure you. I doubt anything's wrong."
"I hope you're right. My survival depends on it. Is your area secure?"
"Aside from a few glares from the miners outside—and the Triad—we're peachy. After everything you've done to stay hidden, I doubt Myung even knows you're here."
"Whatever. Just get up here as soon as you're done..."
Through the backdoor, Agent 47 dragged the unconscious Triad guard inside, finding a chest freezer to dump him in.
Spotting the balding, tweed-suited man wander the seating area, 47's earpiece rang. "That is Rein Werner, a former stockbroker and famed financial criminal. He was supposed to be in jail for a long-winded stock market manipulation scheme in the 1980s, but was released early on good behavior. Intel shows that he assumed a new identity and found work under the human trafficking empire of Raul Mejías. I'm willing to bet he's the intermediary that Bao brought on board."
A human trafficker who chose a lunchroom as a temporary base; Bao's nondescript receipt. 47's first instinct was to check the walk-in freezer.
He was rewarded with a stiff cadaver leaned against the back. Diana spoke up as he got closer. "A dead body that looks near identical to Bao Ju. It seems we've found a piece of her escape plan."
The hitman grabbed her leg, dragging her out of the freezer.
"It's just over there."
"Thank you, Luis."
He didn't have time to bring her to the chest freezer. 47 opened several base cabinets, rummaging through bags of dry food and pottery. Hastily making space, he slid the corpse inside.
After closing the last cabinet door amid the increasing footsteps, the hitman ran into the freezer, closing it behind him.
Mere moments later, he heard the two men pull it open. One of the men approached him, but stopped short. "Luis!" Rein called, putting a strain on his throat. The other ran inside. "I thought I made it exceedingly clear—one female doll."
"What? But... How is this possible?" Luis crouched over 47, as if staring at the body would change it back to normal in some way. "We did bring a lady, I know we did! We had someone change her face and everything!"
Rein stared at the body in mock inquiry. "Oh, I'm sure you did." He sighed loudly. "When Bao learns that you fucked up her order, it won't be long before Raul hears of this, and before you know it, you and I are gonna be laying on one of those tables within the next month!"
"I swear on my mother that we got the right body."
"Then where is it?!" Rein cried. After a momentary silence, he banged a fist against the wall. "Get the carrier. We gotta get this thing out of here."
Luis only nodded. His footsteps quieted until it was only Rein in the building.
Rein pondered in a circle, letting loose a slew of expletives. After calming his breath, he muttered to himself. "Maybe... Maybe I can tell Raul that she wasn't happy with the product—that she tried to rip us off, and I felt threatened, so I backed off. It was a careful judgment on my part, yeah, yeah... I didn't—"
47 locked his arm around Rein's neck.
"I'm back," Luis called. "All ready?" He arrived with the dolly and an accompanying box.
"Yes." 47 adjusted the cuffs of his new suit. "Make sure he returns in one piece."
Luis promptly dragged the 'cadaver' into the box. He wheeled it out, none the wiser.
...
"I'm calling because I have news that will bring trouble for biggest chaebol in South Korea and change the world! I can't send it, since they axed the internet all over China, but all I need is for you to provide me with a direct connection into your—" Click. "Hello?!"
Bao slammed the phone, gripping the skin of her forehead. For her, it wasn't the fact that nobody wanted to listen. It was the loneliness that got to her the most. As much as she knew that things were never returning to normal, the old days were the only thing she wished for.
A knock on the cabin door. "What?" she called.
"Rein is here to see you," her guard said.
She opened the door, releasing some of the tension in her shoulders at the sight of him. "Took you long enough," she said, though more with relief than exasperation. "You have more foreign contacts than I do. I'll have you know my attempts have been met with... let's just say unsatisfying responses. I don't know if it's charisma I lack or if these foreigners are just too lazy and stupid to hear me out, but I'm counting on you, now."
He followed her inside. "Can do."
"Great. I need a smoke break..." Bao left, leaving 47 to his own devices and the access of her flip phone.
Bao was going to jump at the first sign of success she got. This in mind, 47 contacted his handler. "Diana, can you keep Bao busy?"
"For how long?"
"Until she's dead."
47 put a number into the phone. With some coordinating with Diana, the scheme steadily came intro fruition. It culminated with the hitman putting the radio to his mouth. "Bao, I have some good news. One of the news outlets I called supplied us with a working VPN. We can transfer all the information we need."
She didn't reply, and she didn't need to; Bao burst inside seconds later, looking as if she just won the lottery. "Is it true?" she asked. "May I speak with them?"
"Go ahead." 47 directed her to the flip phone, laid on the table.
"Hello?" Through an overlay of static and dips in volume, Diana's voice emerged.
Despite its condition, Bao threw herself on the seat. "This is Bao Ju, an independent journalist working out of China! I have information that will change the world." In her excitement, she left her radio on the side of the table. The hitman left the cabin with it in hand.
With Bao occupied for the foreseeable time, the next pieces would fall into place. 47 found the lower platform again. He put Bao's radio to his mouth. "This is Rein. Bao Ju's contact is on his way, and she wants all of you to escort him. He will be at the foreman's office. She wants you there immediately."
"Are you saying she wants us to leave her defenseless?"
"Yes. Now that she's done on her end, she says Fàn's safety is the bigger priority."
"Whatever she wants. It's her life on the line."
At once, there was a shift in the Triad's movement. 47 retrieved the foreman's radio, next. "All personnel on the excavator, this is the foreman. I am ordering an evacuation. This is not a drill. There is a serious risk of a landslide, and you are in its vicinity."
He spotted the crew in the distant walkways hasten their movement. They'd be gone within time.
47 took the conveyor as he did last time.
Back at the mining camp, 47 went back to the office and took up the foreman's outfit. He donned a dust mask from a nearby desk; it hid most of his facial features.
He ran out to a clearing in the encampment, setting his sights on a 100 ton haul truck.
Its driver, Wu, put the brakes on upon spotting the foreman. His radio started shortly after. "I need you to step out of the truck. I received reports about unresponsive controls from this vehicle."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm on a tight schedule. And the truck has been working fine on my end."
"Then will you perform a few actions with it, at least? It won't take long at all. I only need to see that everything is in working order, and you'll be done."
The driver weighed his new task. If it was just showing off the truck, he could do that. "Will do."
"Good. I want you to turn 90 degrees to your left."
Simple enough. Wu didn't even need to measure the distance; the radio tower marked the direction for him. As he turned, the foreman disappeared.
47 crouched underneath the truck, following the running tubes and wires. He found the brake lines. Once the vehicle stopped, he took a knife and slashed through them
"Perfect." The foreman reappeared. "Now I want you to go full speed for about 30 feet, then brake."
Another thumbs up from Wu, and it started again. 47 ran underneath the vehicle again with a wrench in hand. This time, it was the steering mechanism that he targeted.
Wu did as instructed, still in a mindless work mode. The only thing that could snap him out of his disassociation was the brakes of his truck failing. Which they did. He raised his brow, trying the pedal again. No response. He tried the wheel. Nothing. Wu bit his lip, staring out at the ever-approaching radio tower.
"Sir, I've lost control of my truck!"
Static.
"Sir! It's headed for the radio tower!"
Static.
Wu peered out; the foreman wasn't there. Panic set in. Wu abandoned his seat, running down the stairs on the grill. He jumped onto the dirt as metal crunched and tore behind him. He ran and didn't turn back.
The tower keeled over and fell. It curled around the haul truck. Communications fell on deaf ears.
...
47 hopped off the buggy, facing down the entrance to the drift mine. Machine track patterns ran into the darkness, parallel to a set of tracks and an empty mine cart.
The moment he took the cart in, the suffocating stench of damp rock filled his nostrils. The only source of light came from attached devices spread between wooden supports and his headlamp. When the light behind him vanished, so too did any perception of distance.
He rode until a break in the darkness and ambience revealed itself in the form of humming machinery. It was followed by voices and the crumbling of ore and rock. 47 saw lights, then the blue outfits of the miners.
They were against the coal bed, scooping the ore into their containers. Thanks to the mining machine, they didn't even hear 47's mine cart.
The leader was first to realize, only because he tapped his shoulder and said, "Han."
"Cai?" He recognized the clothes. "What are you doing in here?"
"We are evacuating. There is risk of a landslide and instability of the mines. An accident happened with the radio tower, and we've lost communications. I'm here to get you out."
Han tested his radio at the same time, confirming what he heard. "My God..."
"Don't waste time. Get in the mine cart, first. I will send the rest of your team after you."
He wordlessly obliged. Meanwhile, 47 approached each of the individual miners. He repeated the same message, watching each of them run towards the mine cart.
After what looked like the last one got on board, 47 went up to Han. "That's all of them. Go. I will take the last mine cart after I stop the mining machine."
"Wait!" Han cried, pointing at the last headlight. It was faint; marred by coal dust. "Deng Qiu is still there!"
"Don't worry. He'll ride with me." With that, 47 started the cart for them. Han hesitantly left his peer in the hands of his foreman. Their mine cart disappeared, leaving the two alone. Now, only darkness and the deafening sound of the mining machine filled the shaft. Fàn worked by himself, oblivious.
47 walked behind him. "That is Fàn Liang," Diana said, "an employee of Nunchi Electronics who was locked up on Myung Soo-min's orders. It wasn't until Nishi's circle found him that she pulled some string for his release, banking on his testimony and physical evidence for Nunchi's involvement in the Kronstadt Explosion. It seems Bao Ju employed him here under a false identity to protect him. His only crime was refusing to hide the truth..."
After leaving something on the floor, the hitman hopped into the last mine cart, taking his leave.
"Han! What did the foreman say?" Fàn said into the radio. He let the machine run for a bit. "Han?"
Finally, he glanced around. The miners and their visibly blue and orange colors were nowhere to be seen. Fàn, stricken with disbelief, ran his gaze around a few more times. Maybe he missed them? Maybe they huddled in some out-of-sight pocket? "Han?" Panic seeped into his tone.
Fàn stopped the machine. The silence confirmed his fears.
He jumped from the platform, breath growing out of pace. Only then did he realize the mine cart was gone. They didn't just disappear. They left him.
Could it have been a mistake? But Han would never make such an error, not with the kind of person he was. That only meant... Fàn shook his head. He couldn't allow himself to assume the worst. There was no way Myung could have found him. It was a one in a million mistake, that was all...
In the corner of Fàn's eye, he thought he saw a hint of red. He looked down at his feet, shining the headlight onto it. He saw correctly, but the bearer of the color baffled him.
Why was there a rubber duck?
...
"How much longer is this going to take?! I understand it's difficult to maintain connection, but I do not have the luxury of time! I need to—" Her eye caught the back of her hand; a faint orange colored it, then dissipated.
Ear-splitting thunder followed. Bao flew over the desk—the glass blew out—and the phone out the window. She pulled herself up, glancing around. Nobody was around. "What's going on?" she yelled into her radio. "Rein? Anyone?" She wobbled onto her feet, dashing out her cabin.
From the drift mine, plumes of smoke and an engulfing inferno emerged like a chimney. An accident? She'd heard of coal mine explosions, of course, yet every alarm in her head sounded.
There wasn't even a speck of blue from the Triad. She looked out towards the mining camp. Miles away, safely on the ground among crowds of miners, she saw them. Peering at the control booth, nobody even manned the excavator.
Bao had no time to think. The world shook.
Then she saw it.
The mountain moved. It eclipsed the sun and towered over all. And it was coming to her.
There was still much to do. A conspiracy to expose. A friend to avenge. Bao fell to her knees. Her life's dedication to a fight, ending at the whims of nature. A voice in the back of her head—the very one that brought her out of hiding to pursue Zihao's killer—screamed at Bao to move. To fight against this cruel fate.
But when she resolved her mind, the mountain was upon her.
Bao closed her eyes.
The Goliath shifted to the side. Like a rising tide, the base of the excavator disappeared beneath an ocean of gravel. A wave slammed into the machine. Metal snapped and crunched. The upper half tore off, snapping through wires and bars. Its internal organs of machines and gears spilled out.
The top of the behemoth toppled, creaking until it slammed into the flowing rubble. Another layer of mountain fell into what was left of the machine. The cacophony ended with scores of falling pebbles.
In its wake, clouds of dust rose and blanketed the devastation.
A siren blared, calling for an evacuation.
At the safety of camp, everyone crowded around, staring in awe at the destruction.
"They're dead! I know they're dead!" Han cried.
"Calm down!" One of the miners under him rushed to his side, stopping him from falling. "I'm sure Deng is on his way here with the foreman right now."
Some of the Blue Lotus stuck together. One spat, "I told you one of us should have ran back to tell her!"
"No way are you pinning this on us. It didn't look like anything was going to happen!"
"But something did."
"Look, either way, there wasn't anything we could have done. This was an act of God."
"Then pray to him that the boss sees it that way..."
At the back of the crowd, Agent 47 stood alone.
Behind her monitor, Diana let out an amused sigh. Showoff. "Bao Ju and Fàn Liang are—clearly—dead. And, well... You may not have retrieved the file, but destroying it with an explosive and burying it under a mountain achieves the same purpose. Both targets neutralized. All objectives complete." Though she closed it off there, Diana couldn't help the odd feeling in her chest. "Find an exit, 47."
As if on cue, the buses returned to assist with the evacuation. The hitman disappeared in the moving crowd, into the vehicles.
When he sat, the earpiece started again. Diana couldn't leave him out for long. "To be honest, these contracts are the ones I tend to avoid. These people only want to find the truth. And they're killed for it."
The bus started to move. As the coal hills and machinery became a shrinking scene, he replied, "Truths come out eventually. They don't disappear. No matter how many die."
Diana remained silent for a moment. "Good work back there. I will leave you to prepare for our next assignment."
COAL MINE EXPLOSION CAUSES BIGGEST LANDSLIDE IN CHINA
The Haerwusu Coal Mine closes and loses millions in a freak disaster!
For the hundreds employed at China's largest mine, located in Inner Mongolia, the day started as usual. Everyone set to work, and for several hours, they went through the motions. Nobody suspected the disastrous events that occurred one after another later into the day. This was especially the case for Han Yaozu, a senior miner who worked in the very mine that exploded. "There was nothing. No warning signs, so sense that something was wrong, nothing at all," he says.
Han and his team had to move out from their slope mine to continue work in the mine above. According to him, the mine's crew suffered an accident that resulted in them needing to leave. He believes this saved his and his crew's life; the slope mine collapsed during the landslide.
Han was alerted when the mine foreman, Cai Wencheng entered the mine himself to evacuate him and his team (the radio tower was destroyed by a haul truck, which drove into it after its brakes failed). He sent Han and his team on a mine cart out first, staying behind to deactivate machinery and attempt to rescue their remaining member.
"Everything moved so quickly. I don't remember getting back to the mining camp, but I was there with everyone else except Cai and Deng."
Only when everyone was in the safety of the encampment did the drift mine explode. It's speculated that a spark inside ignited the coal deposits. The blast was so powerful that it blew out the entrance itself.
The explosion resulted in the largest landslide the mine has ever seen. "It was like a mountain fell over." The Haerwusu Coal Mine recently acquired a 14,000 ton bucket-wheel excavator from Germany. The landslide completely destroyed and buried half of it. Thankfully, the excavator crew was alerted to the possibility of a landslide, and was evacuated.
Despite the magnitude of the incident, only one miner died. Deng Qiu, the miner left behind in the mine, was killed. Cai claims he does not remember what happened, but at some point he escaped, and Deng did not make it out.
Cai Wencheng is being hailed a hero for his efforts in evacuating the miners, despite claiming that "I have no recollection of the events, so I must have moved automatically."
Curiously, some miners have come forward claiming that the Blue Lotus Triad was in the area for the day...
MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCES PLAGUE TEXAS
Every year, about 600,000 persons are reported missing in the United States. Texas marks third on the list with 1,246 contributing. One area that circles the cities of Crockett and Palestine has the highest amount of missing person reports out of the entire state. Many of these are reported as kidnappings.
We interviewed the parents of one such victim, 20-year-old college student Timothy Peterson, who claims to have heard their only son's kidnapping in their last phone call with him.
Timothy had crashed his car in a ditch beside a desolate road. He called his parents to tell them about his situation, and asked if they could pick him up. He described his surroundings and the street he was on, and was calm up until they were driving to his location.
Suddenly, he swears in a raised voice. "It caught us both off guard," Leroy, Timothy's father, says. "Timmy never swears, and I've never heard him so... afraid. I asked him what was wrong, but he didn't answer, he just kept screaming for help. Over and over again."
The phone call ended shortly after that. The parents frantically sped to the location, but when they got there, it was too late. They found Timothy's car in the ditch, but no sign of their son. A short distance away, they found spots of blood. DNA testing confirmed they matched that of Timothy Peterson. He has been missing for six months.
The Petersons' case is not an isolated incident. An area that includes the cities of Crockett and Palestine has had the most kidnapping incidents out of any other place on Texas. It's unknown if all these kidnappings were done by the same perpetrator, but the whereabouts of any of the victims have never been uncovered.
If you have any information about the string of disappearances, please call this number...
"TRUTHSPEAKERS" HACKER GROUP CALLS OUT ADMIRAL TRENT UMPHENOUR
The vigilante hacker group "TruthSpeakers" interrupted several TV networks for the first time since 2011's Oscar Award's ceremony. In this event, the prominent member only known as "Corvus" called out Admiral Trent Umphenour for the death of Nicole Boyer. Corvus went on to list the details of the case and accuse Trent of her death, mocking the verdict that she committed suicide.
The resulted in a few protests erupting around the U.S. calling for Trent's resignation and arrest. A number of politicians commented their support towards Nicole and the protests. However, no action or statement from President Rogers has been made concerning it.
Senator Bud Davis posted a tweet saying "It's an utter disgrace of our system to allow this young woman's death to be swept under the rug. It's an even bigger disgrace for our president to be ignorant and unconcerned with this happening under his nose. If I was in his chair, the man responsible would face immediate and forceful justice."
A case that has received little media attention, Nicole was a young woman who enlisted into the U.S. navy and was posted to the USS Stewart.
Nicole was found dead from gunshot wounds in Admiral Umphenour's cabin. She was face-down, and her gun more than a meter away. Her genitalia suffered burn damage from acid, and bruises spotted her body. Trent claimed that he found her in his cabin and attempted CPR. He says he moved the gun away to make room. When medical personnel reached her, she was pronounced dead on scene. She was set to return home after four days.
Nicole's death was ultimately ruled to be a suicide.
Upon the body being returned to the family, they discovered her gloves had been glued on, leaving no chance to swab her fingertips for DNA. The family has spoken out on many occasions, in disbelief that their loving daughter would kill herself just days before returning home.
Her family continues to fight for justice and answers, and remembers her as a kind girl who had her whole life ahead of her.
GNN contacted Trent Umphenour for comment, but received no reply.
London, England
Madelyn Chase woke with a screaming pain in her thigh. It was still dark. The leader of the Robinson Brothers gang still laid asleep—she could see his nude, rotund belly, powdered with gray hairs like snow, float up and down with each breath.
The urge to vomit followed.
She slipped out of bed, stumbling on her bad leg over the cold, wooden floor. She winced. Curse this old bastard and his domineering arrogance... She pushed her wavy, long black hair back, shambling away.
But she held her disdain; had for the many years that he bought her. Part of her was afraid. Who wouldn't be? The Robinson Brothers have been a household name in England's criminal underbelly for generations. Any slight against them would equate in death or essentially death: losing everything to "civil forfeiture" or classic firebombing.
Yet, even she knew that wasn't the only reason. She would endure his sex—his roughness—all for him. Angelo. That Italian was due to stop by again, soon. He always knew what she needed. He was the one who would whisk her away from all this—away from this hellish life.
And after that, she aspired for more...
Madelyn made her way to the bathroom, leaning on the sink. She splashed her face while her eyes adjusted to the darkness.
She was still lost in her thoughts when the lady in black appeared in the reflection.
Before she could scream, the lady moved on her, hand over her mouth. She hushed a calm, steady hush. "Don't worry," she spoke, voice smooth as silk. "You're safe. If you'd be so kind as to not scream, I'd like to talk."
Madelyn gave a slight nod. Slowly, the hand disappeared.
The prostitute darted against the wall across from the woman. "How did you get in here?" she shouted in a whisper.
"I learned from the best. I'm sure you've heard of Chitter?"
"The 'world's best assassin'? She's just a myth—are you screwing with me?"
Madelyn saw the lady's silhouette shrug. "Believe what you want. But that's not why I'm here." She crossed her arms. "I know you've been making discounts for this old fossil. By keeping him close, you keep the Agosti family close. Personally, I don't see the appeal in Angelo—he's married, for crying out loud—but that's not my place to judge."
"How... How did you know...?"
"You want more than this life." She stepped towards Madelyn. Her eyes adjusted well enough to make out the lady-in-black's face. "You don't want to be a dirty street urchin living off of sperm and hormones. This isn't the life you chose, and it's not the one you deserve. You are a human being as much as the next person. It's because of card-dealing hands high in the clouds that you are forgotten."
Madelyn felt her throat go dry. Of all things, she never expected a spiel akin to a spectator's review of her life. She couldn't discern the one emotion behind her words. There was pity. There was anger. But none of those were directed at her.
"Power and wealth belongs to the people. We are here to make that a reality; to make your dream a reality."
"But... Why me?"
"Because that is the life you want. You are brave. You are standing your ground because you know you deserve better. The man I work for has seen right through you. What you want is to be a part of the high-class society. The top tier of the cake. The unreachable slice of heaven for the vanilla frosting decoration that you are." The lady-in-black took her hand softly. "Even someone like you has the power to change the world."
"I... This is too much..."
"You'll get through it. After all, there's one other thing you need to know." She pulled her phone out, emitting a blue light as she tapped into a gallery. She flipped the screen towards Madelyn. "You're getting something out of this."
Her mouth fell ajar, eyes unmoving as they drilled into the photo. Those determined blue eyes. The familiar hair of red. The facets of the woman who reduced her life to zilch. "Savi's girl..."
"Show me you are willing to take the first step." The lady-in-black curled her hand up. Madelyn only now noticed that she gave her a cold, steel blade. "We'll help deal with the fallout."
Madelyn looked back to the bedroom.
For the first time in years, she had a wonderful sleep.