82: Why not go crazy with me this once?

Blood.

Drop after drop, it splattered onto Su Qingxue's hand.

Warm and viscous.

In the communication channel, there was only the static hiss of electricity, like countless venomous snakes flicking their tongues in the darkness.

That phrase, "Do you dare to draw the blade?" was like a curse that transcended space, branded onto the eardrums of every operative.

"Paris Team calling, Command Center? Please advise! The target is moving!"

"Zurich Team calling! Target heartbeats are synchronized! Should we retreat as planned?"

"Las Vegas Team... God! This guy's heart is beating like a metronome! Have we been exposed?!"

The anxious inquiries, like rapid drumbeats, pounded on Nightingale's nerves.

She stood rooted to the spot, like a black statue encased in ice.

Her reason, all the training she had received, and her duty as a commander were screaming frantically at her.

Retreat!

Preserve the remaining forces!

This isn't war; this is suicide!

She looked at Chen Mo.

He leaned against Su Qingxue, his chest rising and falling violently, each breath bringing forth flecks of bloody foam.

Yet, his eyes were like two wisps of ghostly fire in the dark night, fiercely scorching the air and scorching her.

Su Qingxue's tears slid down silently, dripping onto his pale face.

She didn't cry out; she just used all her strength to hug the man who seemed as if he might shatter at any second.

That embrace was like resisting the collapse of the entire world.

"They are killers, not pawns."

Chen Mo's voice was like wind squeezed out from the depths of hell—hoarse, yet incredibly clear.

"But now, they are the only shield standing before eleven cities."

Nightingale's body trembled violently.

A shield.

Not a knife, not a sword, but a shield.

A shield of protection.

Slowly, she raised her hand and pressed the communicator near her ear.

On her perpetually icy face, an emotion called "determination" appeared.

"All teams, listen up!"

Her voice was like a drawn ice blade, instantly cutting through all the static in the channel!

"Operation canceled! Repeat! Operation canceled!"

In the Command Center, the faces of Bureau Chief Zhou and Zhao Dahai instantly turned ashen.

It was over.

Nightingale paused.

Her gaze crossed the screen, crossed the space, and fiercely collided with Chen Mo's burning eyes.

The corner of her mouth twitched, revealing an extremely faint smile, yet one capable of melting glaciers.

"Activate the new contingency plan."

"Code name—'Draw the Blade'!"

Boom!

The two words, "Draw the Blade," exploded in everyone's minds like a clap of thunder!

"Repeat!"

Nightingale's voice suddenly rose, filled with frenzied fighting spirit!

"Code name—'Draw the Blade'! Now, follow the final command of heavens punishment!"

Chen Mo smiled.

Bloody foam surged from the corner of his mouth, like a seductive red lotus.

He leaned weakly against Su Qingxue, yet he seemed to have become the sole king in this world.

"Li Ke!"

"Present! Team Leader Chen!" Li Ke's shout was choked with tears.

"Pull up the 3D structural map of The Clockmaker's workshop! Zoom in on the third drawer from the left!"

"Zurich Team, listen! In that drawer, there is a stopped cuckoo clock! That is his wife's relic! Smash it!"

What?!

The captain of the Zurich Team froze.

"Don't hesitate!" Chen Mo's voice was like a devil's whisper, "His disguised heart will pause for 0.7 seconds the moment he hears the sound of shattering! That is your opportunity!"

"Paris Team!"

"Target Black Widow's right earring was the first gift 'The Emperor' gave her! It's not a diamond; it's highly compressed neurotoxin!"

"Sniper! I want you to shatter it! Let her smell the scent of death!"

"Las Vegas Team!"

"'The Joker's' sunglasses are a display connected to his bio-chip! Li Ke! Hack into the Caesar's Palace security system and project the image of his hole card into the reflection of the wine glass in front of him!"

"I want him... to watch himself lose everything with his own eyes!"

Command after command was issued from Chen Mo's mouth.

They were crazy and bizarre, yet carried a terrifying precision that insightfully grasped human nature!

He wasn't directing an arrest operation.

He was custom-making psychological cages for those people, using their deepest obsessions and most fearful secrets.

"He's insane..."

Bureau Chief Zhou slumped into his chair, muttering to himself.

"We are all accompanying a madman in declaring war on the entire world..."

Zhao Dahai clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force.

He looked at the blood-soaked young man on the screen, his eyes devoid of fear, filled only with overwhelming fervor.

What does it matter if we go crazy with him just this once!

Nightingale stood before the command platform.

She was no longer a bystander.

She became Chen Mo's blade, converting his frantic instructions into cold, precise orders that were relayed to every corner of the world.

"Zurich Team, execute!"

"Paris Team, prepare to fire!"

"Las Vegas Team, signal deployment countdown, three, two..."

Time, at this moment, was infinitely stretched.

In the Command Center, everyone held their breath.

Their eyes were fixed on the screen, staring intently at the red dot representing Paris... Paris, the Louvre.

A high-end fashion gala was underway.

On the runway.

The supermodel, codenamed Black Widow, was wearing a black evening gown, basking in the attention of the entire world.

Her face held a queenly smile.

The enormous black diamond earring on her right ear reflected a sinister light under the spotlights.

No one knew.

Her heart, currently pounding wildly for glory, had already joined ten other hearts to form a symphony of death.

Step by step, she was walking toward the execution ground paved with lights and flowers.

'The Emperor's' game was about to reach its first climax.

She was going to become the most dazzling firework of flesh and blood under the gaze of the entire world.

At the end of the runway, she stopped.

Turning to face the cameras, she showed a smile that captivated all beings.

The countdown had ten seconds remaining.

Eight hundred meters away, on the rooftop of the building across the street.

A sniper from the Nightingale Team, peering through the scope, locked onto that black earring.

His finger rested steadily on the trigger.

"Target has entered optimal firing position."

His voice was as cold as the Siberian wind.

In the Command Center.

Nightingale gripped the communicator and took a deep breath.

Her gaze took one final look at the man who lay in a pool of blood, yet whose eyes were still supporting the entire war effort.

Word by word, she issued the command that could change the world.

"Fire."