Herald of death

Kate exits the highway into an industrial district, with the Chinese truck close behind. "Where are we headed?" Ethan asks.

"An abandoned construction site," Kate replies. "Tombstone said monsters killed the workers and their CEO."

"The area isn't dense. We'll need to steal another vehicle to escape," Ethan says, noticing three black SUVs closely tailing the Chinese crew. He peers into them using predator's sight.

"We have the target in sight. Five men in the back," Ethan hears a man say in Russian. "We'll attack as soon as they disembark. Do not shoot inside the truck!"

"Someone is watching them from the white van on the parallel street," Kate warns. "I think it's been following them since the port."

Ethan eavesdrops on the van and relays their conversation to Kate. "It isn't Chinese," he comments.

"Adding the Language (Korean) skill. Based on your previous experience a level of 1 has been applied," the voice says.

"It's Korean," Kate confirms. "They are after our pursuers."

"There are also three SUVs filled with Russians behind the truck," Ethan adds. "It seems like they think the Chinese have the cargo."

"I almost went a full year without being shot at," Kate mocks. "Does it have to be like this every time we work together?"

"I'm sure you heard what we were saying, Nine. Make sure no one else follows the target to their hideout," Ethan says. "We can't have them searching for the cargo once they realize it escaped."

"Even if we kill them all, they can't be acting on their own. They could be actual soldiers sent by other nations; they will just send more."

"At least it will delay them. We could even use them to take on Valeria's security if we feed intel to their leaders," Ethan says. "It won't take much for them to fight each other; we just need to ensure they will."

Ethan summons his Vepr 12 and loads a drum of sabot rounds. Kate looks at it with bewilderment, silently asking how Ethan made it appear. She enters the construction site and stops their truck under an overpass barely wider than the vehicle. A door frame to the building stands a few meters ahead.

Ethan throws two smoke grenades backward and kicks off the windshield. They slide on the hood, taking cover behind the engine block.

White smoke billows between them and the Chinese, who disembark to take cover behind coiled wires, barrels, and concrete blocks. The black SUVs enter the site, their engines and brakes drawing the Chinese's attention. The Russians open their doors, aiming their weapons at their targets. "What's happening?" Ethan hears one of the Russians ask.

Kate pulls a plate carrier from her haversack, quickly donning it as Ethan summons his own. "Get ready to move through the building. There are several cars in an underground parking lot on the other side," Ethan says.

Ethan summons and unpins a fragmentation grenade. He throws it below the truck, with just enough inertia for it to stop between the two groups. It explodes with a thundering crack, followed by a storm of gunfire. Bullets ricochet around Ethan and Kate, who remain unfazed.

'Just about... right now,' Ethan predicts; the silence of emptied guns confirms his thoughts. He throws a thermite grenade in the truck and moves to the door frame, closely followed by Kate.

Through predator's sight, Ethan spots the two groups scattering around the building's perimeter. The Korean van stops in the underground parking garage, its six passengers quickly dispersing inside.

As they descend a flight of stairs, the first Korean soldiers appear behind a door he tries to open. A single shot from Ethan's shotgun sends the man sprawling. "One on the left," Ethan says.

Kate peeks around the corner and fires two precise shots, dropping another soldier who was about to flank them.

They move through an unlit hallway, their movements fluid and precise. Another soldier emerges from a doorway, but Ethan anticipates his approach. He sidesteps and sends a round through the man's skull.

A soldier dives for cover at the end of the hallway. Kate shoots him mid-flight, hitting him in the throat. The two remaining Koreans peek out, firing their Type 88s down the hallway.

Kate and Ethan duck behind pillars as bullets whiz past them. Ethan tosses a flashbang grenade. It explodes with a blinding light and deafening noise.

A disoriented soldier stumbles out. Kate shoots him in the knee and both shoulders, sending him to the ground. The last enemy hides behind a pillar. 'Piercing shot,' Ethan thinks as he aims with predator's sight. The sabot round punches through the column and the soldier's plate carrier.

"You leveled up, you leveled up," the voice announces.

"We should have time to quickly interrogate him," Kate says as she lifts the last man she neutralized. She tosses him into a room before closing the privacy shutters lining the windows.

"You have a minute, no more; the police must already be on their way," Ethan says. He follows them inside, placing himself next to the door to watch the hallway.

The Korean's screams echo violently in the concrete building. Kate's body pulls in Ether, and a gas-like shimmer descends from her skin. The man's screams cease, and he stares at her as if heavily drugged.

As she questions her victim, a Russian enters the hallway. He hears her and lifts his gun, aiming at the door. Ethan motions with his finger to stop talking. He spots a Chinese soldier creeping into another room, reloading his submachine gun.

Ethan lowers himself and steps back from the door. He whispers, "There's a Chinese soldier nearby. Could you attract him?"

Kate tunes her voice to that of a Chinese man. "Over here," she says loudly. "I need help."

The Chinese soldier enters the hallway; the Russian aims at him and presses the trigger. His AK12 jams, the failed click of the firing group echoing around. The Chinese spins around, hitting his new opponent in the chest five times.

The Chinese mumbles something as he pushes open the door. He falls forward, entirely paralyzed by Ethan's debilitating hex. His heart stops, depriving his brain of oxygen.

As Kate resumes her interrogation, Ethan picks up his victim's gun. He takes the last full magazine the man was carrying and reloads it before storing his shotgun.

Kate shoots the Korean in the head, spreading his brains on the ground. "They are indeed part of the military, and they are far from alone," she says. "But I have their clandestine HQ location for Tombstone."

They push into the underground parking garage, covering each other as they navigate through rows of modern parked cars.

Ethan scans the empty parking garage through predator's sight. "Clear," he says as he crosses towards an old sports car. He glances from left to right, searching for hidden threats.

A suppressed burst reaches Ethan's ears, and he dashes back to protect Six, bringing her low to reduce their size. His back plate catches three of the subsonic bullets, but he barely feels them.

A last bullet craters on Ethan's thigh, unable to pierce his skin. It crushes the muscles behind the impact point, as if it had been stopped by a ballistic plate.

Kate dashes behind the sports car. Ethan spins around, emptying his magazine at the shooter. The bullets ricochet off him, each impact creating an ethereal shimmer.

The Chinese leader appears from thin air, a mist revealing his body. He's battered and bloodied, dragging his perforated left leg. "You trapped us!" he yells; that much, Ethan can understand. The soldier drops his empty submachine gun to the ground.

He raises his hand, metallic spikes forming along his palm. With a flick of his wrist, he hurls them at Ethan, who casts Shield, deflecting the projectiles. 'Is he using the same ability as Tatiana, or is it a shield spell?' Ethan ponders. He closes the distance with the man, who unsheathes a combat knife. Ethan casts Silence; the soldier's protective layer shatters, turning to descending dust.

Ethan grabs the wrist holding the knife and pulls inward, unbalancing his target before swiping his feet. The Chinese leader's face slams into the concrete, his teeth skidding across the ground.

The car's engine ignites as Ethan crushes his opponent's vertebrae with his foot. He lets go of the dead man's arm before stealing his smartphone. 'I'm sure they're following you too,' Ethan thinks. He breaks the back of the phone and tears out the battery. 'I'm sure Tombstone can get something out of it.'

"Ranged Weapon (Submachine gun) leveled up, Ranged Weapon (Submachine gun) leveled up, … Unarmed Combat leveled up, Unarmed Combat leveled up, …" the voice echoes repeatedly.

Kate opens the Jaguar's passenger door, and Ethan jumps into the car. The wires pulled from under the wheel are tied together. "How is your leg?" she asks.

"Fine," Ethan answers. "Apparently, I'm now bulletproof to nine millimeters."

The tires screech as she exits the parking lot, entering the deserted street. A white and green Lamborghini appears behind them, drifting as it turns into their street. Its police siren pierces Ethan's enhanced hearing, stabbing his mind.

"I'll handle it. Find us somewhere to ditch this car," Ethan says. Using Inventory, he summons his shade-drake mantle and wooden mask.

The passenger of the police car rises from the window, positioning himself on the door. He draws a Caracal pistol and aims at their tires. Kate switches lanes from left to right and back, avoiding a critical hit.

Ethan moves to the backseat and summons his Vepr 12. 'Piercing shot,' he thinks as he fires, aiming for the Lamborghini's engine. The sabot rounds pierce through both cars' windshields and hit his target, creating clouds of sparks.

"My ears, you dick!" Kate yells. The police car's engine breaks momentum, bringing the vehicle to an immediate stop. Kate turns into a narrow alley, following a new itinerary on her phone.