In the same instant, a de shed, its edge glinting with lethal light like the scythe of the Grim Reaper.


    Leonard was a skilled fighter himself. He reacted with lightning speed, grabbing Joshua''s wrist just as the knife was about to plunge into his chest.<fn6416> This content belongs to FindN()vel</fn6416>


    As their hands locked, Joshua''s lips curled, and he whispered four words.


    "Is that all you''ve got?"


    Leonard''s eyes widened as he met Joshua''s mocking gaze. He realized toote that he was being toyed with.


    A sh of cold steel shot past the corner of his eye. Simultaneously, something warm and wet spattered across his face, followed by an explosion of agony from his left hand.


    Leonard froze for a second, then looked down. His left wrist had been severed, sliced clean through to the bone. Blood gushed from the wound, and he watched in horror as his own hand fell to the ground.


    His eyes were wide with disbelief. He looked up slowly to see the man in front of him casually twirling the bloody knife. Droplets of red slid down the de, staining the earth below.


    It had all happened in the blink of an eye, too fast toprehend. The speed, the precision—it was inhuman. To an untrained observer, it was just a quick movement. To a seasoned fighter like Leonard, it was terrifying.


    "You... you..." Leonard stammered, unable to form aplete sentence.


    Joshua looked down at him, his dark eyes like a bottomless pit, shrouded in a dangerous mist. He let out a soft, lowugh, his voice as clear and cold as ice.


    "How does it feel to have your hand crippled?"


    Blood pooled on the ground, and the color drained from Leonard''s face, leaving it a ghastly white. At that moment, a panicked voice crackled in his earpiece.


    "Boss, bad news! The shipment... it''s been stolen!"


    The pain in his wrist and the rapid blood loss were already making kis head swim. The sight of his ruined mansion, his severed hand, and now this news... Leonard choked and coughed up a mouthful of blood.  s


    Joshua stood by, watching him with cold detachment. Seeing Leonard on the verge of copse, he spoke again.


    "I promised her I wouldn''t kill anyone. So, today is your lucky day."


    The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder. Joshua knew Leonard''s men were arriving. The explosion had bought him all the time it would. He had to leave.


    1.n


    Seeing the explosion at the Lerman estate, a slow smile spread across Foreman''s lips. He didn''t know details, but whether Leonard or Joshua had suffered, it was a win for him. He would simply reap the rewards. He picked up his phone and gave the order.  s


    "Move on Lerman Manor."


    Harold waited anxiously outside the estate, his nerves frayed. Joshua had taken very few men with him, having sent most of them to secretly guard Ste. Thankfully, his most skilled operative, Jake was with him But shortly after they had entered the estate, he had lost all contact. Even their trackers had gone dark.  s