Chapter Five: The Bullet from a Kilometer Away

At 1:58, officers found no sniper on the customs tower—only a remotely aimed rifle. It exploded as the bomb squad approached. A decoy. Pain drove through Lu Chen's skull. The threat was not across the street. It was inside the hall. At 2:19, a studio light rotated by itself, and a suppressed barrel extended from its stand. Han remained at the lectern, apparently unaware. Lu Chen fired a line. Silver silk caught the muzzle as the bullet left, grazing Han's temple and shattering the screen behind him. Screams erupted. Two more guns rose behind display booths and turned on the fleeing crowd. Three trajectories burned into Lu Chen's mind. His leg muscles contracted like springs under impossible pressure.