"BANG!"


    Spotting the corner of a ck jacket, Shanley took aim and fired. The bullet tore a neat hole through the three-centimeter-wide strap.


    Juniper took two steps back, a chilling aura emanating from her. That old bastard!


    “Get him, boss!” Baldy yelled, peeking from behind cover.


    Juniper reloaded her weapon and aimed at the wall across from her opponent''s position.


    "BANG!"


    The crumbling wall was no match for the high-caliber round. It exploded, sending a shower of stone fragments flying toward Shanley. If he hadn''t ducked in time, the sharp debris might have found a home between his legs.


    Juniper clicked her tongue in disappointment when she saw he had dodged it.


    "BANG! BANG!"


    The sounds of fighting from upstairs grew more intense.


    "Don''t worry about me. Go check on the situation upstairs," Juniper ordered coldly. "We can''t lose a single man."


    "Yes, ma''am.” Baldy nodded and scrambled up the stairs.


    Juniper nced at the time. She had been gone for twenty minutes. Shanley might return to the hotel soon and worry if he couldn''t find her. She wanted to end this quickly, but the old fox was stubbornly staying hidden.


    An idea sparked in her mind. She would change tactics and nk him from behind.


    She was unaware that Shanley, equally anxious to get back to his sleeping girl, had just decided on the exact same strategy.


    Inevitably, as Juniper vaulted


    through a window to reposition, she


    saw a dark figure emerge in the


    distance. The leader of Sigma Network! She recognized him. instantly. After so many battles, she would know him even if he were reduced to ash.


    Shanley saw her at the same moment. Almost simultaneously, they raised their weapons and aimed.


    "BANG!"


    "BANG!"


    One bullet grazed an ear; the other tore through the brim of a cap. They both dove for cover, firing at each other''s vital points even as they moved. Neither of them intended for the other to walk away alive.


    After a furious two-minute exchange, Juniper retreated to a safe position, cursing as she reloaded. The old bastard was even tougher than he was years ago. Had he found the fountain of youth?


    Shanley, meanwhile, felt a sting on


    his cheek. A shallow graze. Fury erupted His face was his most valuable asset in Juniper''s eyes. What if she found him less


    within him.niper''s


    attractive with a scar? Damn you, Specter!


    "Boss!" Baldy ran back, panting. "These Sigma Network guys are relentless. This is like a deadly game of hide-and-seek. It looks like they might be thinking of pulling back too. Should we keep pushing?"


    They might win in the end, but a prolonged battle would cost time, and possibly lives.


    Juniper''s face was grim. She


    remained silent. She had expected a swift, clean ambush. Trading her men''s lives for the leader''s was not


    an option. Besides, Shanley would be looking for her. She couldn''t exin being gone for so long.


    "Let''s withdraw," she said finally, her voice low. "The World Hacker Competition ising up. The Sigma Network leader will be there, right?”


    "That''s right."


    “We''ll get him next time,” Juniper said, already moving toward the exit. There would be other chances.


    “Yes, ma''am. I''ll inform the others," Baldy said with a firm nod.


    Juniper watched him leave safely before leaping down from the window. She found her vehicle, started the engine, and as she pulled out of the garage, Baldy and the rest of her team quickly piled in.