Athunderous crash split the air as the ss doors of the center were smashed in, shards spraying across the floor.
Without hesitation, ten masked assassins swept inside.
"Damn it, they caught up to us!" Scarlett spat. They had been ambushed along the
way to the slums, where their entire security detail was wiped out.
Only she and Be survived and managed to escape-or so they thought.
The assassins refused to let them go.
“Be, I''ll hold them off," Scarlett hissed. "You have to get out through the back door."
Be''s face had gone pale. "If I run, you''ll definitely be killed. I''m their main target, so they won''t harm me. Let me be their hostage."
"Be, I''m your bodyguard," Scarlett said, nting herself in front of Be with grim resolve.
"My job is to protect you-so do as I say."
A cold, ragged voice interrupted them.
"No need to argue. This ce has no back door-you''re not going anywhere. We''ll be taking both of you."
A middle-aged man with a scarred face stepped in,ughing cruelly. Unlike the others, he wore no mask, and a murderous aura clung to him.
"Contract Crow?" Scarlett recognized him immediately. He ranked among the top ten hired killers-experts in martial arts, infamous for illegal raids and a bottomless appetite for money.
Their reputation alone sent chills through even the bravest hearts.
"Well, look at that. Little Scarlett knows who I am," the bald man said with a mocking grin.
"Contract Crow," Scarlett began, "no matter what they''re paying you, I''ll double it if you let us go."
"I do love money," he replied, "but I love what you''re worth even more. Once I hand over both of you, the cash wille rolling in."
"You''ll regret harming us," Scarlett warned. "Jericho Kane won''t stand for it."
"Jericho Kane?" Contract Crow snorted.
"He''s already stepped down from the government. His enemies are forking over huge sums to get rid of him and anyone close to him. If I don''t take the job, somebody else will.".
"And if I kill you here, who''d even know it was me? Though you two are lucky-my client wants Be alive for a bit of fun."
He gestured to his men, and they surged forward.
"Be, run!" Scarlett roared.
Ignoring her injuries, she charged the assassins. Despite her wounds, she moved with lightning speed and ruthless precision, proving her martial arts background was more than just talk.
"Such talent at your age," Contract Crow mused. "I see why you''re so confident. Still, experience counts for a lot."
Two assassins tried to seize Scarlett. She knocked one aside, but the second tackled her.
Within moments, they had her pinned on the floor and were kicking her relentlessly.
Blood spattered from her mouth with every blow.
"Scarlett!" Be cried out. "Stop! I''m your real target, aren''t I? I''ll go with you, but you have to let Scarlett go!"
Ms. Kane," Contract Crow said, "you have no bargaining power here." He snapped his fingers. "Grab both of them. We''re leaving."
One of the assassins eyed the man by the table. "What about the doctor?"
"Kill him," Contract Crow snarled, turning away.
But then he froze at the sound of bodies thudding to the floor.
The three assassins who had gone after Alex nowy motionless.
"You''ve got a death wish," Contract Crow snarled. "Boys, take him out!"
"Yes, boss!" came the unified shout. The assassins charged at Alex, weapons brandished.
Alex snatched a scalpel from the table and met them head-on.
"So you like using your fists and feet to hurt people," Alex remarked, voice low and cold. "I''ll make sure you never do it again."
Each sh targeted nerves in their arms and legs, leaving one attacker after another copsing with numb limbs.
Contract Crow stood aghast, a tremor running through him.
"Who the hell are you?” he demanded, yanking out a pistol. “How dare you interfere?"
"You wanted to kill me," Alex said calmly, "and you expect me not to fight back?" "Bastard!" Contract Crow bellowed, squeezing the trigger.
But Alex was faster. In one swift motion, he shed Crow''s wrist. Blood gushed from the wound, and Crow''s fingers went limp. "How many lives have you taken for money?" Alex asked in an icy tone, delivering a backhanded p that knocked Crow''s de to the ground with a metallic ng. (1)
Crow crashed to his knees, terror in his eyes.
Sweat beaded on his forehead as if a massive weight pressed on him.
"Don''t do anything rash! This isn''t personal. You don''t need to kill me," he pleaded.
He had expected this n to go off without a hitch. Who could have guessed a doctor in some back-alley clinic was a hidden threat?
Alex''s re was merciless.
"I had no problem with you before, but you tried to take my life. That changes things." He paused, then stepped back.
"But I''m not going to kill you. You''ve got a few minutes before you bleed out, so go find someone to fix you."
As though given a pardon from death itself, Contract Crow lurched to his feet and stumbled out of the clinic, leaving a dark trail of blood behind him.
Just outside the entrance, a ck car came roaring around the corner, engine screaming like a beast.
In the blink of an eye, it mmed into Contract Crow with bone-crushing force.
His body was flung into the air like a ragdoll, twisting midair with a sickening snap of limbs.
Blood sprayed across the pavement as he spun violently before crashing face- first onto the concrete.
The sound of skull meeting stone echoed through the silence-final, absoluté.
His bodyy crumpled and still, a grotesque mess of twisted limbs and shattered pride, hisst breath stolen by a moment he never sawing.
From the car, a young, sharply dressed man stepped out, his expression calm and cold.
He nced down at Contract Crow''s broken body and gave it a dismissive p with the sole of his shoe, as if brushing off filth.
More cars screeched to a halt behind him, engines rumbling as doors flung open.
Without a word, he turned and strode toward the clinic.
His eyes locked onto Alex. "Hei, bastard. Where''s Be Kane?"