"I refuse!"
Just as in the original timeline, Luo Ji chose to publicly reject the absurd responsibilities of a Wallfacer during the UN General Assembly.
"Of course. You may do whatever you wish," Say replied with a professional smile.
"Then, can I leave?"
"You are free to go at any time."
Looking at Luo Ji, who let out a long sigh of relief, David knew the man hadn't yet realized what the position of a Wallfacer truly entailed. However, David couldn't let Luo Ji walk out of the UN doors completely defenseless. He remembered that in the original plot, the assassination attempt occurred the moment Luo Ji first stepped out of the UN building.
David stood up immediately after Luo Ji and headed for the exit. This would normally have been a grave breach of etiquette, but because David was a Wallfacer, no one moved to stop him.
"David..."
Luo Ji stood in the center of the hall. Looking past the smiling Say on the podium, he saw David walking toward him through the aisle formed by the rows of chairs.
"Don't move."
David called out to Luo Ji, who was just one step away from the UN's main doors. But Luo Ji didn't stop immediately; his body continued forward out of pure instinct.
"Assassin!"
In that instant, every muscle in David's body surged with power. He leaned forward slightly and reached Luo Ji's side in the next second.
Shi Qiang, who hadn't eaten all day due to security duties, saw David bolt after Luo Ji. He shook his head, tossed away the bun he had just taken a bite of, and glanced regretfully at the nearby trash can before gripping the weapon at his waist and sprinting toward them.
"Who would want to kill a guy like—"
Luo Ji tried to turn his head, but before he could finish his sentence, David grabbed him and yanked him violently back inside the doors.
Bang!
The muffled crack of a suppressed rifle rang out. A crack instantly splintered across the ceramic tiles of the UN floor.
The UN delegates and reporters who had been waiting outside had already departed; the crowd drifting through the plaza now consisted mostly of ordinary tourists and citizens. As the shot fired, security personnel armed with submachine guns charged outside layer by layer, and the plaza instantly descended into chaos.
"Building 8! Fourteenth floor!"
David judged the shooter's position at a glance by tracing the trajectory. He shouted, "Catch him!"
Shi Qiang nodded. He held a ballistic shield over his head and led the security team toward the direction David had pointed.
"Take him alive!" David commanded.
Following the clear confirmation from the security personnel over the radio, a swarm of drones began using tear gas to seal off the stairwells and hallways of that floor.
"You saved my life." Luo Ji looked at the bullet crater on the floor, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"It's part of the job," David replied, pulling his hand away from Luo Ji's tight grip on his arm. After all, he intended to let Luo Ji draw most of the fire for him; he couldn't let him die here.
"Who wants to kill me? The ETO?"
"Most likely." David nodded. He looked up to see Chang Weisi running toward them in a hurry.
"Thank you," Chang Weisi apologized sincerely to David.
Seeing Chang Weisi's terrified expression, David shook his head inwardly. He had scanned Luo Ji's surroundings with his psionic power and hadn't found the "Snakeeye" radar detection system that Shi Qiang had secretly placed on Luo Ji in the original story. Chang Weisi was a soldier; he wasn't suited for this kind of work. Shi Qiang, on the other hand, wouldn't care if you wanted to be monitored or if your civil rights were being violated.
Furthermore, David wondered what the domestic authorities were thinking, assigning a general-rank officer to protect Luo Ji. While it showed how much they valued him, it was a waste of Chang Weisi's talents.
"I'm not a Wallfacer anymore. Why does the ETO still want to kill me?"
"Perhaps you should ask the assassin yourself," David said.
"Security sweeps for all buildings have been completed," Chang Weisi said, adjusting his earpiece. He listened for a few moments, then looked at the two Wallfacers. "I guarantee there won't be another assassination attempt."
A few minutes later, Shi Qiang walked in, escorting a young Caucasian man. The man was handsome and well-dressed, though his noble bearing was somewhat marred by two bruises on his face and swollen, bloodshot eyes. Looking at Shi Qiang, who was wiping pepper spray from his palms, David looked away, amused.
"How did you know I was going to assassinate Luo Ji?" the man asked in fluent Mandarin. Despite the bleeding from his gums, he didn't seem to care about his physical injuries.
"A guess. If it were me, I wouldn't pass up such a perfect opportunity to kill a Wallfacer," David said. Whether the man believed him or not, David turned to Shi Qiang. "From now on, you are responsible for Luo Ji's safety."
Shi Qiang looked up at a somewhat embarrassed Chang Weisi and shrugged helplessly. "I don't mind, but I don't know what the domestic side will think."
"I'll handle the domestic side."
"If we move Shi Qiang to Luo Ji, what about your own security?" Chang Weisi asked. David could sense that Chang Weisi was secretly relieved by the suggestion to give Shi Qiang to Luo Ji.
"The UN will arrange new guards for me. Besides, don't forget I'm a veteran of war; I'm not that easy to take down."
After waving goodbye to the three of them, David walked out of the UN doors. Kanther, the senior UN secretary and David's liaison, was preparing to drive home after the meeting. Now, David had more important things to do.
"Drive," David said to the startled Kanther as he sat in the bulletproof black sedan parked in front of the UN. "To the nearest port."
"It seems you are settling into your role quite well," Kanther said, glancing at Luo Ji, who was still arguing with the prisoner. "Where are you going? Do I need to mobilize peacekeepers for an escort?"
"No need." David shook his head. "To the Aerospace Force Headquarters. And I'm stopping by Beijing to see an old friend."
David had decided to avoid planes as much as possible until he could physically cross the void or survive a fall from ten thousand meters. For now, aside from large-scale carpet bombing or hydrogen bombs, he could evade most dangers on Earth thanks to his psionic precognition and superhuman physical condition. As for a ship being sunk—at worst, he'd have to endure a bit of a swim across the Atlantic. It would just be a waste of time.
"I understand," Kanther replied. He didn't ask why David chose a ship over a faster plane. Since Resolution 19 had been passed, his only duty regarding a Wallfacer's order was to obey.