American variety show: Sniper Elite

Chapter 7 Leon with the Long Face

Beta sat under the parasol of a street-facing café, his espresso long since gone cold.

His position was directly opposite the side entrance of the Scotland Yard headquarters building, and the most direct way to find Elliott was to keep an eye on his father, the chief superintendent.

At 10:00 AM sharp, a dark blue Jaguar XJ sedan slowly drove out of the underground parking garage.

The distinctive "MET1" license plate gleamed in the sunlight, standing out prominently in the traffic. Beta placed a few bills on the coaster, hopped on the Yamaha scooter, and silently merged into the flow of traffic like a drop of water.

The Jaguar nimbly navigated the London afternoon traffic, the driver's skills were textbook perfect, every lane change was clean and crisp, and every acceleration was precise and controlled.

Beta employs an intermittent tracking strategy: after following three intersections, it deliberately turns into a side road, predicts the route, and then re-engages with the target at the next hub.

He wasn't in a hurry; this was destined to be a meticulous hunt lasting half a month. Like a jigsaw puzzle, he would collect a few pieces each day, eventually piecing together the complete trail of his prey.

The Jaguar driver was clearly trained to evade tracking, making random turns at intersections, sometimes slowing down, sometimes accelerating, and searching for suspicious vehicles in his rearview mirror.

But Beta's tracking methods were more sophisticated.

He anticipated his opponent's moves like a chess player, sometimes getting close to observe, sometimes deliberately disappearing, and then quietly reappearing when his opponent lowered their guard. This cat-and-mouse game-like rhythm made it difficult for even the most cunning prey to realize that they were being targeted.

The Jaguar sedan slowly drove into the heavily guarded upscale residential area, the cast-iron gates opening automatically after recognizing the special license plate. Beta's scooter stopped fifty meters from the gate; this kind of gated community requiring fingerprint recognition couldn't be infiltrated by disguise alone.

He watched the dark blue motorcycle disappear around the corner of the driveway, then casually pulled down his helmet visor. The engine hummed softly as the motorcycle turned and headed towards the nearest blind spot in the surveillance cameras.

Today's tracking ends here, but the hunt has just begun.

Beta turned off his motorcycle and parked it in the alley, then pulled out his encrypted phone. His equipment was basic: a silenced pistol and a rifle with an optical sight, nothing more.

The dial tone before the call connected was particularly jarring in the silence. It wasn't until the seventh beep that the sound of breathing came through the receiver.

"Hey Leon!" Beta's voice was cheerful: "How's your potted plant girlfriend?"

The sound of a glass slamming onto a table came from the other end of the phone: "You'd better have something extremely urgent."

Beta said, "Things are very tense in London right now. I need two weapons: a silenced pistol and a rifle with a scope. MI6 is keeping a close watch on the entire city's underground network; even an old fox like Jack wouldn't dare take the job."

Beta continued, "There are more agents swarming the entrance to the Continental Hotel than greenbottle flies on rotting flesh. We can only turn to you."

Leon was silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone: "Are you in London right now?"

Beta, of course, wouldn't tell the truth: "No, I'm still in Paris. What's wrong?"

Leon continued, “I’m in London, with someone. Let me take you to see my arms dealer. He only does business with me.”

Beta immediately grasped the key point: "'With someone'? You have a companion? Seriously?"

His tone was filled with disbelief: "Your personality has remained unchanged for decades, even your girlfriend is a potted green plant, and now you actually have a companion? Good heavens, the world has really changed."

Leon paused for a moment, momentarily speechless: "...See you in London."

After saying that, he hung up the phone. Beta stared at his phone, muttering to himself, "The world has really changed. Even this guy has companions now?"
-
Beta met Leon at the coffee shop.

The man in his forties wore a black knitted hat and round sunglasses. His body, wrapped in a black coat, exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay. His long, expressionless face looked as if he had just crawled out of a morgue.

Surprisingly, a little girl of eleven or twelve years old was sitting next to Leon.

The girl had short, ear-length hair, wore a green jacket and a striped short-sleeved shirt, and a black choker with a pendant around her neck. Her outfit of shorts and boots made her look particularly energetic. At this moment, she was holding a sundae, sitting on a high stool with her legs swinging, and looking at Beta with curious eyes, this ordinary-looking stranger with captivating eyes.

Ta raised an eyebrow in surprise, his gaze lingering on the little girl for a moment before he smiled gently. He deliberately moved around to sit on the other side of the girl, flanking her with Leon on either side.

Beta smiled and extended his hand to the girl: "Hello, you can call me F, that's my code name."

He blinked. "Those of us in this line of work all need a code name."

The girl shook hands with Beta in a serious tone: "I'm Leon's assistant, and I don't have a codename yet."

Beta couldn't help but chuckle, turning to look at Leon, who remained expressionless: "This little guy is quite energetic; he can definitely liven you up a bit."

He winked mischievously: "It's better than always having a long face, like someone owes you money."

Leon slowly removed his round sunglasses, his eyes narrowing slightly behind the lenses: "Just an hour ago you insisted you were in Paris, and now you're at the agreed location. You're still as cunning as ever."

Beta smiled dismissively, then looked the girl up and down with interest: "Can I touch your hair? It looks so fluffy and soft, like a little cloud."

He gestured as he spoke, his fingers making a light grasping motion in the air.

The little girl looked up and shook her head resolutely: "No!"

Beta was amused again.

A little girl, who should be playing and laughing with her classmates at school, is sitting seriously between two professional assassins, even posing as if she were "partners". The scene is absurdly comical.

Beta smiled and asked the little girl, "What's your name?"

The little girl answered earnestly, "I don't tell just anyone my name, especially not one I'm an assassin."

Beta couldn't help but laugh out loud upon hearing this, and a smile also appeared on Leon's lips.

Beta turned to Leon: "She is indeed very talented. But I hope you will consider this carefully. A bright child like her would be an outstanding student if she could study in school. Don't let her go down this path lightly."

Leon remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Beta suppressed his smile and solemnly said to the little girl, "My name is Saron Wick. Although I don't really like the name, it is indeed my name."

He paused, then added, "Leon and I are very good friends. You see, I even know his name."

　Léon and Mathilda, from the movie "Léon: The Professional".

　　
　
(End of this chapter)