In his sight, the helicopter was getting closer and closer.Whoosh!Suddenly, a burst of fire, wrapped in thick smoke, flew across the night sky."Get down!"Aldus shouted as he forcefully pushed Austin to the ground.Boom!The helicopter ahead exploded into a massive ball of flames, a mushroom cloud rising into the sky."Damn it, fall back!"Aldus cursed, getting up first and helping Austin to his feet. But this movement made Aldus rise faster than everyone else.Bang!A deafening sound rang in Austin's ear, causing sharp pain in his eardrums.His half-crouched body jolted violently, and his vision was instantly blurred by blood. Yet he felt Aldus beside him shudder violently and then go still.Austin's mind exploded with a loud boom, his eyes widening as he slowly looked up.At that moment, time seemed to slow down. Everything moved at a crawl.In his vision, Aldus was still standing, but his chest was soaked with blood, a small stream gushing out.From beginning to en
"Sir!"The bodyguards around him turned pale with fear.Bullets flew. The air roared with the sound of gunfire.Yet, in that moment, it was as if time stood still.Aldus knelt in defeat, feeling the blood draining from his body.He knew that he would die today. But he didn't care. Walter had saved his life, and if he had to give it up now for Austin, so be it."At least… at least I've bought some time," Aldus thought with a bitter smile.His hands holding the gun began to tremble, and even pulling the trigger became a slow, labored task.This was a sign of severe blood loss.But even with his last breath, he would stop the Grim Guard Mercenaries with his men.Walter had said it!Anyone could die. But Austin must not die!At that moment, a shout came from behind."Cover me!"It was Austin's voice.Aldus's body jolted, and his foggy consciousness snapped back to clarity.He turned abruptly and saw Austin breaking out of the bodyguard protection circle, charging toward him
At that moment, a bodyguard had already started up the helicopter, the rotor blades whirring and kicking up a fierce wind.Whoosh!An ear-piercing whistle overhead. Thick smoke, trailing flames.Boom!A rocket-propelled grenade struck the helicopter.In a deafening explosion, the helicopter turned into a massive mushroom cloud of flames, debris flying everywhere."Damn it!" Austin cursed angrily.Seeing another helicopter further away, he furrowed his brow deeply.Starting up a helicopter took time, making it an easy target for the Grim Guard Mercenaries.In an instant, Austin gritted his teeth and changed direction, charging into the villa with Aldus on his back.Bullets flew everywhere. People keep falling. Finally, Austin reached the garage.A Porsche 911, its front end still showing signs of collision damage, was parked inside.Austin shoved Aldus into the passenger seat, then quickly climbed into the driver's seat.Vroom!With the engine roaring to life, Austin floor
The night wind was icy.Aldus lay in the passenger seat, barely conscious due to severe blood loss. His awareness flickered between clarity and haze.He wanted to persuade Austin not to go to the hospital. Public places were full of prying eyes, and taking him to the hospital would put Austin's life at risk.But he remained silent, knowing that if Austin were the type to listen to reason, he wouldn't have turned back to save him or driven through a hail of bullets to protect him."What have I, Aldus, done to deserve this?" Amidst the night wind, Aldus's pale lips curled into a faint smile.…As the city's top hospital, Legacy Hospital was always brightly lit at all hours. Ambulance sirens wailed occasionally, rushing in and out.Screech!The battered Porsche 911 drifted into the hospital parking lot. Austin got out, enduring the searing pain in his left arm, and carried Aldus on his back, running toward the emergency center.In the distance, a doctor spotted them and hurriedly
Life or death, it was in fate's hands now.This left Austin anxious and tense. Even though he was lying in bed, utterly exhausted from his injuries, he couldn't sleep."Buddy, you have to pull through!" Austin sighed heavily.His right hand instinctively reached into his pocket and found a partially opened pack of cigarettes.After his mother passed away, he had turned to smoking and drinking.Vincent's guidance had helped him overcome that despair.But the past few days of tense assassination attempts had made him stuff the half-empty pack into his pocket again.He hadn't lit a single one before tonight's events unfolded.Click!He flickered the lighter, igniting a cigarette.Thick smoke filled his lungs, but it did nothing to ease his anxiety and tension.The idea that cigarettes could relieve stress or fatigue was a lie. It was just a psychological comfort.But at that moment, all Austin had was the hope of some psychological comfort, there was nothing else he could do t
A true assassin can use anything as a weapon. A single needle was enough to kill.The female assassin moved with lightning speed, the air whistling with her motion.In a split second, Austin's pupils constricted to the extreme.He rolled to the side, breaking free from the assassin's grip on his chest, and landed on the floor.Before he could get up, the room darkened as the assassin leaped over the bed, diving toward him."Get off!"Austin kicked upward with explosive force, his powerful leg muscles sending the assassin flying.Taking advantage of the moment, Austin quickly got up and angrily pulled the IV needle out of the back of his left hand.The earlier intense movements had reopened the gunshot wound on his arm, causing it to bleed profusely.Blood dripped onto the floor as his left arm hung down."Aren't you going to call for help?"The assassin stood up, rubbing her chest and speaking weakly, clearly affected by the powerful kick she had received.Austin stood ther
Austin finally moved.Unmoving like a mountain, attacking like fire.His body shifted abruptly, narrowly dodging the machete."Die!" The assassin's eyes widened with fury, her murderous intent boiling over.The machete, which had been slashing down vertically, instantly switched to a horizontal slash aimed at Austin. The sharp blade gleamed coldly.The assassin sneered, "Can you dodge this?"Given the angle and speed.Based on her battle experience, Austin might have dodged the first strike, but he couldn't possibly evade the second.Death was imminent!Before her words had fully left her mouth, a cold laugh echoed in her ear."Can you dodge this?"Boom!The assassin's body shook as if struck by lightning, her eyes widening in shock.Almost simultaneously, a faint whooshing sound cut through the air.The assassin's wide eyes barely caught a glimpse of a thin flash of cold light passing by."What's happening?"The assassin was horrified. She felt her machete move against
Unmoving like a mountain, attacking like fire!Austin moved with lightning speed.He knew that given his current physical state and situation, he only had one chance to strike. One failure would mean complete disaster!But just as he moved in front of the figure, a familiar face came into view.Austin was shocked.He released the razor floss from his mouth and quickly jerked his right hand to the side.Whoosh!With a sharp whistle, the razor floss retracted into the metal box."Mr. Lockwood?!"Austin exclaimed in disbelief, "I told you to go back!"The sudden scene startled Ezra as well.Taking a deep breath, Ezra suppressed his fear and forced a smile. "How could I leave you, sir?"Austin was taken aback. His nose tingled with emotion, and a warm feeling surged through his heart.Looking past Ezra, he saw a crowd of men in suits.It was the bodyguard team!Every person in sight bore injuries and looked disheveled, their suits now tattered and dirty.A wave of guilt was