Executing the plan

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In the master bedroom was the thirty-six-inch double rifle case lying on the floor, which must have made the noise into the dining room, fully open exposing a ripstop interior and a nylon exterior. It had integrated pad dividers, a muzzle, and two stock pockets. Elder Wu was not part of the army, but his taste for the right equipment, particularly this one was top-notch.

On the side was a semi-brown pouch bag also open, revealing slots of cleaning equipment for his firearm; an oversized bronze brush; a large obstruction remover to knock out dirt, snow, or mud; a bent pick end brush for precise cleaning, and lastly was a white instruction manual.

Elder Wu stood in front of the bathroom mirror, with water flowing in the sink right in front of him. His posture was still, with no movement apart from his hands stroking the black silencer sniper rifle with a brush from his tool kit.

His eyes were teary as if to portray a sense of regret, and at the same time, his face showed no remorse. He glanced at the mirror, not understanding the person he had become. He was aging and aging very fast. Was it stress? One could say yes, but he was among the untouchables in the country. Why would stress bother him? As far as he was concerned, no one suspected him of the act which he orchestrated two years back.

But why did he have to murder the poor young man, whose life was of no use to him?! Lucky for us, Jing Yang was on a hunting spree to make sure all the dark deeds came to light.

[RECALLING, TWO YEARS BACK]

Elder Wu shivered as he recalled that day, his mind going back in time with him behind the couple in a black BMW saloon car. He kept a safe distance from the cab that maintained a speed of fifty kilometers per hour, which was too slow; perhaps because they enjoyed the view which is common for any first-timers in the city.

On his head was a sports cap; in particular, a baseball cap that was red in color, black gloves, and matte black clothes. [Did you know red was the least visible color in the dark? Now you know]. Elder Wu had certainly done his research.

He parked his car a few meters away and headed to the rooftop of a building that was still under construction, as the couple almost immediately came to a stop at the same place.

Jing Yang and Liu Zhang were now in the open air, easily being picked out like a predator observing its prey. His eyes were itchy, not providing clear vision from the salty sweat which found its way from his hair to his eyes. If he would have known the tension would be too intense, he would have opted for a sweatband rather than a baseball cap.

But it was too late; he was already at the scene. He reached for his handkerchief and swabbed off the sweat from his face, not allowing a drop on the ground. He was cautious of any DNA of his being left anywhere.

Lying on the ground with his rifle supported by a bi-pod stand, his target was locked. His left eye squeezed in as he zoomed through the night scope. His breathing stabilized as his pointing finger edged to the trigger.

Crack! Pew!

It was done. The figure in the distance succumbed to the ground from the high velocity of the bullet released from the twenty-five rounds magazine.

It had not dawned on Wu Cheng what he had done until the body was surrounded by passers-by like flies on a piece of candy.

He had to be swift and invisible from the scene and head to dispose the evidence. He was not a murderer just an hour earlier, but now he had stained his dignity. The car was now nearing two hundred kilometers per hour; he was not under the influence of alcohol, but a stench of a murderer on the loose.

His eyes moved back and forth, on the road and back at the rear windshield to observe if he was being trailed.

His pace subsided after an hour of driving when he came to a stop at the edge of a cliff. The engine still on, he stepped out, reaching for the trunk as he pulled out five gallons of gasoline.

He stared for a minute, looking at the car and the outfit he had changed from that night before he torched the car into flames.

"Let us go, boss," one of his escorts advised as he stood beside a second car to pick him up.

Elder Wu matched inside where he joined his wife in the back seat who embraced his hands on her lap as she mumbled in whispers, "You did it for the family never forget."

The old man nodded in fear, his eyes wide still in shock.

Boooom!!!

The murder vehicle went blazing, reflecting an orange-yellowish color on the tinted passenger window the two sat on.

[PRESENT DAY]

Knock! Knock!

"Wu Cheng, are you in there?" Ming Fang called from the other side of the bathroom door.

Elder Wu immediately snapped back to his senses. The running water was already pouring on the floor and into the bathroom drainage.

"Wu Cheng come out this instant, are you okay?" her voice shook with nervousness.

"Okay! Okay! I'm coming, no need to raise your voice, someone cannot take a piss in this house," Elder Wu joked as he stepped out with his wet feet, and wet pajama pants, which he had just put on not long ago, and a rifle in his hand.

"Seems to me you were hunting poop than taking a piss," Ming Fang said angrily as she snatched the rifle from his hand and put it back in its original safety bag.

"You want to risk being seen with this, what will say if you get caught!" she whispered, stuffing the rifle and shutting it into the newly constructed safe box.

"Hey! Be careful with that, or you will blow your brains out. Manhandle me and not the rifle." He winked his eyes with lines of wrinkles on the side.

"It is your brain that I will blow out," Ming Fang responded unable to hold back her smile from the flirtatious old man.

Even in crime, they still loved each other, with devilish smiles on their faces as they headed to the dining room.