A red line spread across Bear's neck, and he couldn't even make a sound. Clutching his throat, he staggered a few steps before collapsing to the ground.
As the dagger swung, Merritt had already leaped off Bear's back, holding his breath while lunging at the four bandits ahead. He swung the dagger again.
There was no noise behind him. By the time the sound of Bear falling hit the ground, Merritt was already right behind the four men.
Four guys. Three guns.
Who should he take out first?
He had to go for the ones with guns, but not Harley.
From the way Harley moved, Merritt could already tell this guy wasn't average. He had some real skills. And with Merritt's body in this state, a surprise attack on Harley would probably fail.
Thud!
The dagger stabbed into the back of one of the armed bandits. The man let out a scream and collapsed. At that moment, the other bandits noticed what was happening and quickly turned around, raising their guns.
Whoosh!
Merritt yanked out the bloody dagger, and it shot through the air like a flash of cold light. One of the bandits holding a handgun had just turned around when his eyes widened in shock.
The dagger pierced straight through his neck. Even though he was armed, he couldn't pull the trigger. He dropped instantly.
First, he took out Bear. Then two armed bandits. Now, only two enemies were left.
More importantly, Merritt had eliminated the two carrying guns. Only Harley was left with his rifle.
Bang!
Harley reacted fast. The dark barrel of his rifle lit up as he pulled the trigger. But by the time the shot rang out, Merritt had already rushed to the side of the last remaining bandit—the only one left besides Harley. Unlike Harley, this guy didn't have the reflexes to survive.
The robber barely had time to react before Merritt grabbed him and yanked him over—blood sprayed everywhere.
The man died instantly, killed by Harley's rifle.
Why did Merritt target the two armed guys first?
First, because Harley had actual skills. Merritt was worried that a sneak attack wouldn't work, especially in his condition. Second, Harley was using a rifle, while the others just had handguns.
Even though Merritt knew all three guns were cheap knock-offs from some shady workshop—with trash firepower and terrible penetration—he couldn't risk it. Who could say for sure a handgun bullet wouldn't punch through someone? But one thing was certain: a rifle wouldn't.
Rifles had wide range but weak point-to-point power. Even real military rifles had a hard time piercing a body, let alone these junk ones.
Still, the impact couldn't be ignored.
Under the huge force, the fourth robber who got shot—and Merritt, who had been using him as a shield—were both sent flying.
Unlike a handgun, a rifle couldn't shoot nonstop. It needed to be reloaded after every shot. Harley, shocked and furious, was about to reload and fire again.
That first shot had blown Merritt and the corpse away. But now, without the body to block him, Merritt had nowhere to hide from the second bullet.
At that exact moment—
Two knives sliced through the air!
The knives were from Bear. Merritt had used one earlier as a throwing weapon, and now he'd taken two more from the bodies of the dead robbers.
He threw them both at the same time—one aimed at Harley's chest, the other at the rifle.
Harley had to choose.
He was panicked. He could only dodge one.
If only he'd known... but there's no going back now.
He stepped aside, dodging the knife meant for his chest. But the other blade struck the rifle, knocking the muzzle off target.
Bang!
The rifle fired again, but the aim was already thrown off.
Merritt narrowly dodged the shot and darted into the tall grass nearby, about waist-high.
That burst of speed came from the last bit of inner strength he had left. But now, he was done for. He had nothing left.
And Harley was still alive.
He wasn't like the others who were just gutsy thugs. They had no real skill.
Harley, on the other hand, had real combat experience.
He stared at the quiet grass ahead.
If this were just some regular guy hiding, he would've charged in without hesitation. With his skills, there'd be nothing to worry about.
But after that earlier fight...
Merritt's speed made Harley realize this wasn't just some random opponent. Even a little carelessness could cost him his life.
The thick, wide underbrush gave Merritt perfect cover.
Right now, Merritt was quietly lying in wait, completely hidden, while Harley was standing out in the open.
Harley had two options.
He could either take the stolen gold, silver, and the million euros in his backpack and leave, or kill Merritt and then leave. His anger made him choose the second option.
A cold gleam flashed in Harley's eyes. He tossed his rifle to the ground, pulled a knife from his leg holster, and took a combat stance as he walked toward the underbrush.
The 21-foot rule.
It meant that within 21 feet, melee weapons were more effective than firearms, especially something as long as a rifle.
Deeper... deeper...
Harley kept moving forward, step by step, his sharp eyes scanning everything around him, watching for even the slightest movement.
Then, Harley's careful expression suddenly changed. He realized something big. He knew the 21-foot rule—but what about Merritt?
Merritt was a skilled assassin. How could he not know that rule?
So...
That's right. Harley had fallen into a trap.
Merritt had already guessed Harley had military experience just from the way he moved. So when he dove into the underbrush, it wasn't just to avoid the rifle. He did it to bait Harley—using Harley's own knowledge against him. Since Harley understood the 21-foot rule, Merritt predicted he'd throw away the rifle.
Harley instantly dropped down!
Bang!
With a huge blast, the travel bag and all the euros inside it exploded into a storm of paper fragments. Off in the distance, Merritt stood there, holding the rifle.
Yeah.
He used Harley's common sense against him, tricking him into ditching the rifle and going for a knife instead. Meanwhile, Merritt had already doubled back and picked the gun up.
But Harley wasn't dumb.
He quickly figured out he'd been fooled. There was no way flesh and blood could beat a gun. Luckily, he still had the travel bag strapped to his back. The stacks of euros inside would at least help block the bullets from the weak rifle. He ducked just in time to avoid a headshot.
Even though he dodged the headshot and the cash took some of the hit, the impact still sent him flying.
Harley coughed up a mouthful of blood, forcing himself to bear the pain as he dropped to the ground fast. There were still over twenty yards between them. If he could find cover fast enough, he might still live.
But what he didn't expect was that right after he hit the ground—before he could even roll over—the dark muzzle of the gun was already aimed straight at his forehead.
Bang!
Blood splattered. Brain matter flew.
Gurgle...
Blood poured out of Merritt's mouth like a fountain.
Did Harley land a hit?
No.
Harley hadn't even touched him.
Back when Merritt killed those bandits, he had to use his inner energy to move fast enough.
That last bit of inner energy was his lifeline. Without it, there was no way he could've taken out those guys. But once it was used...
Without the protection of his inner energy, some kind of strange force would start draining his life like crazy.
The three months he had left would get cut down to less than a single day.
After coughing up blood, Merritt didn't stop to think. He ran off as fast as his body could go.
No matter what, he couldn't stay here. If the police found him, things would get messy. His organization and Ancient Splendor had always stayed out of each other's way.
As the leader, if he was caught showing up around Ancient Splendor, even by accident, it could cause huge misunderstandings. At worst, it might even bring trouble to his whole group.
Less than two hours after Merritt left, a police helicopter flew in.
Eight fully armed SWAT officers dropped down on ropes.
No gunfire.
No fighting.
Because… there were no survivors.
They held their guns up, scanning every corner carefully. But they were all stunned.
What on earth had gone down here?
The SWAT team split up quickly. Some secured the perimeter, others started checking the scene, and a few got on their radios to report back.
Not long after, more police officers arrived.