Vladimir Kravchenko was overlooking the prison where the Columnist Party kept Eileen imprisoned. He heard a multitude of sirens and distant gunfire, and the army seemed to be out in full force. This wasn't ideal. Vladimir called Pierre to discuss the situation:
Vladimir:
- The situation is not good, Pierre. Beijing has descended into civil war and chaos.
Pierre:
- And how is that not good? The chaos will make it a lot easier for you to extract Eileen Lu from the prison facility and escape the city. You wouldn't be able to do that if everyone was looking for you. Now they are busy killing each other.
Vladimir:
- What did you do?
Pierre:
- I told them the truth!
Vladimir:
- The truth?
Pierre:
- I listed everyone in the Columnist Party as an enemy of the Chinese people, and I released the video of how Jing Xi murdered Chi Wang.
- Now they are all trying to kill each other to rise to the top. It's beautiful, isn't it?
- But enough talk. Tell Biyu to hurry up
Vladimir:
- Understood.
Vladimir hung up the phone and messaged Biyu: "Move now. I am covering the back entrance. Hurry up."
***
Biyu unchained Eileen and Jared in the cell. Jared was dizzy from Tzi Cheng's forceful kick and he was bleeding profusely. Biyu turned to Eileen:
- We need to leave. Hurry up.
Eileen hurried over to Jared to help him up on his feet. Jared's concussion made it difficult for him to get up. Biyu:
- Leave him behind. We need to go.
Eileen:
- I am not leaving him. It is not who I am.
Biyu shook her head, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn't threaten the woman she was there to save.
Eventually, Jared got up and they left the room. Outside there were a few dead guards, all shot in the head with millimetre precision. Biyu:
- Pick up their guns but don't use them unless you have to. It's better if we remain stealthy.
The alarm in the building went off, and Biyu shouted:
- Never mind that. Pick up the guns and don't hesitate to use them. Hurry up.
Having said this, Biyu contacted Vladimir via her radio:
- Vladimir! Create a diversion!
Vladimir:
- Copy that.
***
Vladimir turned on 'combat mode: maximum casualties' on his Zetan Monocle. The following stats came up. 'Estimated casualties: 150. Chance of Survival: 98 %. The chance for Eileen's survival 52 %'.
'I can live with that!' Vladimir thought, and he fired off a grenade that hit the middle of the courtyard. The grenade didn't hit anyone, but that was never the intention. Instead, Vladimir intended to blow up the gas pipes that ran under the courtyard. The guards fired at him, and Vladimir took cover, reloaded the grenade launcher and fired another grenade. The second grenade blew up the gas pipes and caused a massive explosion that set the whole area ablaze.
Vladimir contacted Biyu:
- Hurry up, run through the courtyard.
Biyu:
- The whole courtyard is on fire.
Vladimir:
- You'll survive running through fire for a few seconds. You won't survive fighting the guards that are approaching you from the inside of the building.
Biyu:
- Understood.
***
*Poof* *Click*
Biyu threw away her pistol as she ran out of ammunition. She could hear the bullets fired by her opponents hitting the wall behind her.
- Give me your rifle, and hurry through that door. I'll cover you
Eileen gave Biyu her rifle and she ran towards the door and she opened it. She squirmed when she saw the inferno outside. Eileen:
- We can't go out there.
Biyu:
- We'll have to. We can't hold them off for much longer.
Eileen felt a sharp breeze as a 50 calibre round passed narrowly to her ear and hit a Columnist Soldier at the far end of the corridor.
Vladimir radioed Biyu:
- I'll kill her myself if she doesn't hurry up. Go!
Biyu got up and Vladimir shot her through the shoulder without severing any arteries. The bullet continued and hit a soldier in the head.
Biyu:
- What the fuck, Vladimir.
Vladimir:
- I saved your life. All the soldiers are dead. Now hurry up and cross the fire-stricken square and meet me in this building.
Biyu pulled herself together and got to Eileen. Biyu:
- We need to get to the other side of the square.
Eileen whimpered:
- Through that fire? Your friend almost shot me.
Biyu:
- He did shoot me, but he knows what he is doing. Hurry up or we'll die.
Eileen nodded and she helped the concussed Jared and the crippled Biyu through the fire to the building on the other side of the square.
As they got through the fire and halfway across the square, Biyu heard another shot and saw a Chinese army helicopter crashing into a building.
Vladimir radioed her:
- Hurry up. Our odds of survival are shrinking by the second.
The trio managed to cross the square, and Vladimir was waiting for them and urged them to hurry into a van.
***
The group was on Vladimir's private jet headed towards Mongolian airspace when two Chinese fighter jets intercepted them. The radio buzzed and one of the fighter pilots communicated:
- Return to Beijing immediately or we'll shoot down this plane.
Jared sighed:
- Shit. We were so close to escaping China. Only a few minutes until the Mongolian border. What do we do?
Vladimir:
- We shoot down the fighter jets.
Jared:
- How?
Vladimir pointed at his 50-calibre sniper rifle.
Jared:
- Are you insane? How would you shoot down two fighter jets with a rifle?
Vladimir:
- Yes. I am crazy. But I live for these moments. If I succeed, it will be amazing. If I fail, I'll go down in a fiery explosion of glory. Whichever happens, I am happy!
Jared:
- Alright. Let's do this. What do you need?
Vladimir:
- Strap yourselves in, and be ready to pull me up.
After saying this, Vladimir attached himself to an abseiling harness and picked up the sniper rifle. He opened the door to the plane and jumped out, hanging a few metres under the plane. 'Shots almost impossible.' Vladimir's monocle displayed. "I like those odds!" Vladimir said to himself and aimed at the first pilot. He pressed the trigger and he noticed how the bullet shattered the windscreen of the plane, but he couldn't determine if he had hit the pilot.
Vladimir didn't have the time to reflect over this, as the second plane fired off a missile towards his plane. Vladimir acted instinctively. He shot the tip of the missile and caused it to detonate under the fighter jet. This blew up the hostile plane.
"Pull me up!" Vladimir shouted to Jared and a few seconds later he was back in the plane. They closed the door and they were gasping for air on the floor for a while. Eventually, Vladimir spoke:
- That's how you do it, Jared. Ha-ha
After saying this, Vladimir was rolling on the floor, filled with raging outbursts of excitement.