As Tianyang traveled on the road towards the Qin Residence, he observed his surroundings. Surprisingly, there were fewer vehicles and pedestrians on the road, especially as he approached the Qin Residence. While it was typical for the Fortress to have fewer people out at night, it seemed unusually sparse.
This situation was likely a result of the Night Walkers' intervention. Perhaps they had already started implementing road control measures out of sight. The young man's thoughts began to wander, and his communicator rang.
He checked it and received two images; one was a picture of the sniper master, a man named Qu Gao, who was surprisingly short in stature. He looked like he had used various parts to modify his rifle, not aiming for simplicity and portability like the usual Assault rifle. It appeared to be a custom job, likely assembled from various components.
If there were no surprises, this rifle might not even be a complete factory-made product but rather a custom creation by Qu Gao.
Tianyang carefully examined the sniper's appearance in the image, bald, thin lips, small eyes, and, notably, six fingers on his left hand. These characteristics were easy to remember, even without looking at the notes under the picture.
The other image was of Qin Jie, a middle-aged man nearing fifty. He was dressed in a neatly tailored dark uniform, and his facial features resembled Qin Wu to a significant extent. With just one look, Tianyang knew that he was his target for the night.
Tianyang received a text message, [Delete after viewing.]
The young man memorized the appearance of Qu Gao and Qin Jie, then deleted the information and photos.
His motorcycle's navigation system signaled that the next intersection would lead to the area where the Qin Residence was located. Before reaching the intersection, Tianyang stopped, drove his bike to a nearby small square, parked it, and surveyed his surroundings.
This place was no longer the central area of the Upper City, but it was surprisingly spacious, with hardly any high-rise buildings in sight. Only the circular skyline of the Fortress loomed in the distance like a night sky. Tianyang knew that this area was reserved for the families affiliated with the Fortress. Each family was allocated residence space based on its influence or power, and the smallest house in this place came with a garden and a garage. The size of these residences could easily accommodate ten households or more from the Lower City.
Despite such spacious living areas, the buildings here didn’t exceed three stories at most. Most of them were two-story houses. This illustrated the extravagance of upper-class citizens, especially those with family affiliations.
Using his tactical electronic eye, Tianyang observed the distribution of buildings in the vicinity. In this open area without many obstacles, it was dangerous for both snipers and their targets. As a target, entering the sniper's hunting range would almost guarantee discovery. Likewise, for a sniper, without cover or obstacles, if the opponent found their sniping position, they would likely have only one shot.
Of course, even in this situation, the sniper still held the upper hand. After all, for someone to attack a sniper, they needed to withstand the first shot and have sufficient speed to threaten the sniper.
In conclusion, despite the large difference in power between the two sides, the main goal was to eliminate the most significant obstacles. Only then would Tianyang go all out to kill his primary target without wasting energy on other individuals or issues.
Tianyang stared at the street in the distance and thought about where Qu Gao might be hiding. He realized that it was likely within the Qin Residence. It was the only way to ensure that the battle wouldn't involve other families' residences.
Tianyang scanned the environment of the Qin Residence through his electronic device and identified several potential sniper positions outside the residence. However, considering visibility and transfer issues, he selected several locations that might serve as sniper positions.
But this was the Upper City, and it was within a family's territory. If Qin Jie had any common sense left, he wouldn't let this battle spread to other families. Otherwise, other families would demand responsibility, even if Tianyang didn't take him out.
In that case...
Tianyang's gaze returned to the Qin Residence. He noted the parked cars in front of the main building, the guards walking around with dogs, and the various elements within the estate.
He didn't spot Qu Gao, even though he had activated thermal imaging mode. This suggested that Qu Gao had countermeasures against thermal imaging or was wearing equipment to insulate heat.
However, Tianyang did notice a red figure seated in a small living room on the second floor of the main building. Unfortunately, the thermal imaging couldn't reveal the person's identity, so he couldn't be sure if it was Qin Jie.
Tianyang retracted his gaze, closed his eyes, and began to envision the upcoming actions.
Ten minutes later, he slid down from the sculpture in the square.