Instinctively, Eileen wanted to run,
But when she looked out the window at the scope glinting with light, her heart gradually calmed…
It’s okay, Eileen, it’s okay…
Utoya was right there.
If Layton tried any tricks, at worst it would be a mutual destruction—
Who knew who could escape anyway.
With that resolve, Eileen stepped forward firmly…
Layton’s smile crumbled further,
Almost twitching as he pulled a handkerchief from his chest to wipe his sweat,
His psychological endurance clearly at rock bottom.
Eileen didn’t hesitate,
Immediately drew the Makarov, disengaged the safety,
And approached boldly, signaling she could fire at any moment:
“Don’t try any tricks. This is the original hard drive.
It’s already damaged from overexposure to radiation,
But before that, I made a copy.
Far away, my companion is watching everything.
After the trade, I will destroy it,
Otherwise, I’ll release it to the media immediately.”
“You don’t need to worry about me releasing it directly.
After receiving the money, I’m not foolish enough to put myself into endless pursuit…
As long as you honor the deal, we’re even.”
After witnessing Eileen slaughter six mercenaries like chickens,
Layton obviously didn’t have the courage to speak to her,
But he still trembled as he opened the briefcase,
The golden contents dazzling the eyes,
Their value obvious without further weighing.
“Damn it… Eileen… we’re both finished…”
But Layton’s trembling words made Eileen’s heart plummet:
“Border inspector… you dared to provoke such a figure…
He would rather risk offending Remy, exposing his own scandals, than let you go…
What on earth have you done…”
W-what?!
Eileen instantly scanned her surroundings,
Sure enough, countless hostile eyes were already on her,
The armed personnel protecting the artifact market had noticed too,
Some instinctively raising their weapons.
That bastard!
“Did you tell him? You… you’re not afraid I’ll make the hard drive public?”
Eileen took a deep breath, teeth gritted,
But didn’t make any sudden moves,
Fearing she’d be shot in the next second.
Utoya had already begun to lock on.
A red dot appeared on Layton instantly,
But he only gave a forced laugh, on the verge of collapse:
“He asked me… I had no choice…
Who else would I tell about what you caused…
Six armed men died there, and I’m still alive,
You’re still my student…
How could he not ask me about you… The money is ready… but it’s all too late… he forced me to come…”
“He’s an officer… an officer of a major power…
He could kill me at any time… not even fearing Remy causing trouble…
I still have a way out, to fully surrender to Remy in the radiation zone.
Even if things go wrong and I lose this position, I won’t die…
And you…”
“You and I are finished… outside, it’s all people from the Soviet Federation…
Don’t you feel it? The network is blocked by electronic jamming vehicles…
He will get you… my life is finished too…”
He closed his eyes, seemingly resigned,
The gold was already in Eileen’s hands.
Damn… what to do… what to do…
Eileen gripped the cold metal handle of the briefcase tightly,
Knuckles white from force,
The weight of a million in gold bars felt like a red-hot iron burning her palms,
Giving a fleeting sense of hope,
But instantly frozen by the invisible, cold murderous intent surrounding her.
The air around her seemed to solidify into lead,
Eileen could clearly feel the disguised gazes:
The buyers seemingly choosing artifacts, the stallkeepers wiping counters, the patrolling guards…
Their movements all subtly paused for a moment,
The focus invisibly locked on her corner.
A few heavy-suit guards’ helmet visors reflected slightly toward her,
Thick fingers inching onto rifle trigger guards,
The air taut as a drawn bowstring.
Layton still babbled in despair, snot and tears smearing his face:
“…It’s over… all over… they’re coming… they’re definitely coming…”
Bang!
A deafening gunshot tore through the eerie hum and whispers in the market,
From a very high position.
Next to Layton, a reinforced lead-alloy showcase displaying a writhing shadow artifact exploded,
The thick special glass shattering like shotgun pellets, spraying outward.
The supernatural entity twisting inside was violently jolted,
Emitting a sharp, piercing hum,
The ghostly blue force field burst instantly.
“Ugh—!”
Layton let out a short scream,
His face and exposed wrist slashed by flying glass shards.
The bullet from Utoya’s SVD sniper rifle had precisely targeted the most destructive non-lethal point,
Not to kill, but to—
Trigger chaos.
The entire market erupted like a stone thrown into a still water pond.
“Damn! Enemy attack! Protect the goods!!”
“Target in the northeast corner! Suppress! Suppress!”
“Which lunatic fired?! Find the sniper!!”
“Someone dare stir trouble on Remy’s turf?!”
“Damn! Radiation readings spiked!!”
The shouts of armed personnel and alarm sirens instantly drowned out everything,
Heavy guards’ muzzles instinctively aimed in every suspicious direction, including Eileen’s location,
Technicians scrambled with instruments,
Shrill suppressor sounds echoing continuously.
Vendors dove to cover their exhibits with bodies or special lead panels,
Buyers scattered like startled birds,
Screaming, pushing, trampling each other,
The scene instantly out of control.
Chaos, deadly chaos, precisely the cover Utoya needed.
“Grab her! Don’t let her escape!!”
Finally, several mercenaries’ targets locked on Eileen,
Yelling hoarsely amid the chaos,
Cold muzzles already aimed at her.
Eileen’s heart nearly leaped from her chest,
Survival instinct overwhelming all else,
She slammed the heavy gold briefcase in front of her as a temporary shield,
And her body shot like an arrow toward a corner stacked with empty lead containers.
Rat-a-tat-tat—
Intense gunfire rang out, bullets sparking off the smooth floor,
Grazing her rolling body,
But they couldn’t possibly hit a supernatural enhancer… at least not the first wave.
Eileen crashed into the lead crate pile,
The heavy boxes pressed her chest, lungs burning,
She quickly drew her AS Val Giant Wave assault rifle from her back,
The heavy weapon giving a chilling sense of security.
Pulling the bolt, she peeked over cover,
Firing instinctively toward the guards who had just shot.
The AS Val’s characteristic low, dull thud was unremarkable in the chaos,
But bullets sprayed accurately, sparks flying as they hit several guards,
Temporarily suppressing their firepower.
Eileen’s marksmanship remained deadly in this close-quarters fight.
But the enemies were too many…
Although the guards immediately counterattacked the mercenaries,
In the chaos, they fell first,
More mercenaries flanked from all directions,
Pinning Eileen in the corner, bullets pouring around her cover like rain.
Concrete walls rang with impact, fragments flying,
Eileen could only duck, seeking gaps to return fire, each peek fraught with danger.
“Eileen!!”
Utoya’s voice crackled over comms, filled with anxiety and murderous intent,
Her sniper cover diminished by the market’s interior,
Gunfire echoed from her side, then abruptly ceased.
Time stop?
Eileen bit her lips hard, almost drawing blood,
Though she had the money, whether she could escape alive was another problem,
The network seemed blocked by advanced electronic warfare,
Cutting immediate contact with Utoya.
At this rate, the hard drive couldn’t be sent, and she might die here.
At the critical moment, as Eileen was about to be overwhelmed by concentrated fire,
The gunfire suddenly thinned…
They probably still wanted her alive,
But Eileen would never surrender…
Boom—!
A huge, filthy floor-to-ceiling window at the side rear of the market shattered,
The deafening crash even louder than gunfire and alarms.
A black car, severely deformed at the front, hood smoking,
Plowed into the market with shards of glass and twisted window frames flying everywhere,
Tires squealing harshly on the smooth floor,
The car fishtailed, knocking over several rows of artifact stalls.
Lead-alloy containers clanged and tumbled,
Energy suppressors crushed,
Ghostly blue, emerald, and dark red unstable fields erupted instantly,
The market filled with chaotic energy flows and blinding light.
The sudden upheaval froze all combat for a moment,
Guards stared in shock at the unexpected intruder.
The car’s passenger door was flung open.
A pair of long legs in elegant heels stepped out,
Black stockings glistening, stepping heavily over shards of glass.
Then a tall figure straightened, bracing against the twisted door frame.
Ri… Rive?
Eileen’s eyes widened.
It was her? Impossible…
But that familiar scowling face and cold, greedy eyes didn’t lie.
She wore a custom female suit,
Expressionless, beckoning to Eileen with a finger,
Casually tossing something into the market—
A smoke bomb erupted instantly, shrouding all lines of fire in thick, hot smoke.
“What are you staring at? Want to die? Come on, or I’ll charge you an extra ten thousand this week.”