Rulu had been shot and fallen to the ground, while Jason had also taken several bullets and was badly wounded. Jason nded on the rooftop and wasted no time forcing the bullets out of his body and healing his injuries. After a short while, all the bullets had been expelled and his wounds were mostly healed. He turned his gaze back to Rulu.

  Rulu was clutching his injured right arm with his left hand, struggling painfully to stand. His pistol had fallen to the ground nearby. Jason moved in an instant, shooting toward Rulu and reaching out to seize him by the throat. Jason's speed was extraordinary, and with Rulu weakened by his injuries he had no way to dodge — Jason's hand cmped around his neck. At once Rulu felt as though his throat was about to be crushed, a searing pain tearing through him as all strength drained from his body.

  A venomous smile spread across Jason's face. "Boy, you've lost," he said in a low, sinister voice. "Hand over the person the Governor wants — right now — or I'll snap your neck."

  Rulu forced the words out through the pain in his throat: "Heh... if you were going to kill me, you'd have done it already. No need to wait until now."

  "Still running your mouth when you're inches from death. Fine — let me at least see what you look like." Jason grabbed Rulu's helmet with his left hand and ripped it off, exposing his face.

  "Fool..." A faint smile pyed at the corner of Rulu's mouth. A strange light flickered in his eyes as he locked his gaze onto Jason's, and in a low, commanding growl he said: "I order you to release me. Now."

  "Who do you think you are, daring to give me orders—" Jason's brow furrowed as he began to rage — but then the fierce expression on his face softened into calm, his tensed body rexed, and he said with complete deference: "As you command." He immediately released the hand that had been crushing Rulu's throat.

  "Thank goodness... I finally got this guy under control." Rulu gasped heavily for breath. He ordered Jason to use his bde to extract the bullet from his right arm, then freeze the wound with his Magic Psionic power. After resting for a moment, some of Rulu's strength returned. He turned to Jason and said: "Where is your Governor Suwen right now? Take me to him."

  Jason shook his head. "I can't. That's beyond my ability."

  "Why?"

  "Because I don't know where the Governor is either. That's why I can't take you to him."

  Rulu was genuinely taken aback. "You're Suwen's most important subordinate — and you don't know where he is?"

  Jason said: "It's like this — the Governor has been terrified of another assassination attempt these past few days. He's stopped trusting everyone around him. He's been constantly concealing his whereabouts, changing his lodgings every day and using different people to guard him. Even I don't know where he is."

  "Damn it — that man is truly cunning." Rulu cursed under his breath. After a long pause, he said to Jason again: "Then can you order the Sanctuary forces to withdraw and stop pursuing the Rebels?"

  Jason shook his head again. "No. The Governor has given an ironcd order — the Rebels who entered the underground tunnels must be intercepted. Even if I order a retreat now, it won't make any difference."

  "This is trouble..." Rulu froze, feeling the situation growing thorny. He muttered to himself: "What I feared most has still come to pass. Even with Spiritual-power controlling this Jason, I still can't track down Suwen. Not only can I not find Suwen, I have no way to make the Sanctuary forces stand down either. That puts Captain Guan and the others in danger. What do I do now?"

  Rulu racked his mind for his next move. Because he had to concentrate so hard on thinking, he momentarily shifted his attention away from Jason — and the mental grip on Jason weakened slightly. A look of struggle appeared in Jason's eyes. He clutched his head and shook it back and forth, as if trying to break free from Rulu's Spiritual-power control.

  "Not good — I can't hold him for much longer. I can't keep stalling. I have to decide right now." Noticing Jason's change in behavior, Rulu immediately refocused his Spiritual-power on Jason and said: "Contact Governor Suwen right now. Tell him the assassin has been eliminated and the person he's been looking for has been captured."

  "Understood." Jason complied at once, pulled out his communicator, and raised it to his lips: "Governor, sir — it's me, Jason."

  A stiff, cold voice came through the communicator: "What's the situation on your end? Have you taken care of what I asked?"

  Jason said: "Yes, sir. I have. The green-haired woman has been captured, and the assassin has been eliminated."

  "What — you're serious?!" Suwen's voice broke with obvious etion. He excimed in joyful disbelief: "Excellent — outstanding work. You've finally lived up to my expectations. Ha ha ha...!"