The Kill

It was like a city-wide game of hide-and-seek.

Rain hammered against Tu Ran's helmet visor, streaming down in rivulets on either side.

Her combat suit was soaked through, clinging wetly to her body. Fortunately, the protective gear had an internal heating element, so Tu Ran's hands were steady enough to hold her gun.

Ding Naiqing's rapid-fire voice crackled through her earpiece. "Sis Ran, he's to your southeast, by the base of that tallest tech building."

He was perched atop a building, controlling a drone and feeding Tu Ran and Yao Bei the alien's route in real time.

"Sis Yao, double back—he's behind the building in front of you."

Both women converged on the tech building from opposite sides.

Their team had ten members; the other six were clearing out aliens elsewhere. The four of them had run into each other by chance today and decided to stick together.

Now, only the two of them were cornering one alien, which put them at a disadvantage.

Tu Ran didn't dare relax for a second. After two days of constant practice, she'd improved a lot—she'd tried out every kind of weapon, and her proficiency and accuracy had shot up.

Facing an alien head-on now, she had confidence.

The tech building loomed ahead.

Tu Ran slowed her steps, approaching cautiously so as not to startle the alien, her index finger resting on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment.

Ding Naiqing's voice dropped too, though even if he shouted, the alien wouldn't hear it through the helmet.

"Sis Ran, head east. There's a rubbish heap—he's hiding behind a black dumpster."

He patched into Yao Bei's earpiece. "Sis Yao, walk about ten meters west, turn the corner, and there's a rubbish heap—he's hiding there."

Tu Ran followed Ding Naiqing's directions and the route displayed on her visor, making her way toward the pile of garbage.

The rain drumming against the assorted trash muffled Tu Ran's footsteps perfectly.

What Ding Naiqing called a rubbish heap was actually a mountain of garbage.

Piles of scrap metal were stacked here; at a glance, all she could see were what Ding Naiqing had called black dumpsters.

How was she supposed to find him?

"There are so many dumpsters—which one is he behind?" Tu Ran asked, switching on the thermal imager built into her helmet.

"Sis Ran, he's left Brother Jing's body, so I can't track him for now," Ding Naiqing said, his fingers flying over the drone controls, lowering its altitude to search more easily.

The thermal image appeared on her visor, clearly showing the shapes of various refuse—big and small, all jumbled together.

Tu Ran's eyes went cross from the chaos.

Spotting a cold-blooded creature among all that clutter was no easy task.

"Zero," Tu Ran murmured, "can't you analyze it either?"

"Apologies. Zero is unable to identify its location." Zero's voice was calm and mechanical.

Tu Ran gave up. She'd have to rely on herself.

She switched off the thermal imager and walked toward the mountain of trash.

Most of the debris was mechanical—discarded production machines, rusty components, human prosthetic limbs, iron plates, steel bars...

There was little household garbage, so the smell was tolerable.

"Sis Ran, there was an unusual sound about thirteen meters ahead of you just now—you might want to check it out."

Tu Ran moved forward as instructed.

The closer she got to where Ding Naiqing had indicated, the more cautious she became.

Finally reaching the spot, Tu Ran scanned her surroundings. There was no trace of the alien. She whispered, "There's nothing here. Did it run off again?"