Merritt's speed made Harley realize that this was no ordinary opponent. Even the slightest underestimation could cost him his life.
The dense, expansive underbrush provided plenty of cover.
Now, Merritt was silently lying in wait, hidden while Harley was out in the open.
Harley had two choices.
He could either take the stolen gold,silver, and the million euros in his backpack and leave, or he could kill Merritt and then leave—his anger drove him to choose the latter.
A cold glint flashed in Harley's eyes as he tossed his rifle to the ground. He drew a knife from his leg holster and assumed a combat stance, moving toward the underbrush.
The 21-foot rule!
It meant that within a short distance of 21 feet, melee weapons were more effective than firearms, especially a long rifle.Deeper! Deeper!
Harley advanced step by step, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings, alert to any movement.
Suddenly, Harley's cautious expression changed dramatically. He realized something crucial: he knew the 21-foot rule, but what about Merritt?
Merritt was a skilled assassin. How could he not know this rule?
So...
That's right, Harley had fallen into a trap!Merritt had already deduced from Harley's movements that he had military experience. Therefore, Merritt had two purposes for diving into the underbrush: not only to hide from the rifle but also to mislead Harley using his own knowledge. Knowing Harley was familiar with the 21-foot rule, Merritt anticipated he would abandon the rifle.
Harley quickly ducked!
Bang!
With a deafening noise, the travel bag along with the millions of euros insideit exploded into a shower of fragments. In the distance, Merritt stood holding a rifle.
Yes.
He had used Harley's common sense against him, misleading Harley into dropping the rifle and choosing a knife, while Merritt secretly went back to retrieve the gun.
Harley wasn't stupid.
He quickly realized he had been tricked. Flesh and blood couldn't compete with firearms. Fortunately, hehad the travel bag on his back. The bundles of euros inside would provide some buffer against the rifle's less penetrative bullets—ducking was to avoid a headshot.
Even though he avoided a headshot and the euros provided some cushioning, the massive impact still sent him flying.
Harley spat out a mouthful of blood, enduring the intense pain as he quickly dropped to the ground. With a distance of over twenty yards between them, if he could hide quickly, he might still have a chance to survive.What he didn't expect was that as soon as he hit the ground and before he could hide, the dark barrel of the gun was already pointed at his forehead.
Bang!
Blood splattered, and brain matter flew.
Gurgle...
Blood gushed from Merritt's mouth like a spring.
Did Harley hurt him?
No!
Harley had never touched him. However, when he initially killed those robbers, he had used his inner energy to gain enough speed.
The last bit of inner energy he had was his lifeline. Without using it, he couldn't possibly kill the robbers. But once he used it...
Without the protection of his inner energy, his life force would be rapidly drained by that mysterious force. The three months he had left to live would be reduced to less than a day.After spitting out a mouthful of blood, Merritt couldn't afford to think about anything else. He sprinted away as fast as he could.
No matter the outcome, he couldn't stay here. If the police found him, the consequences would be severe. His organization and Ancient Splendor had always stayed out of each other's way. As the leader, his presence in Ancient Splendor could cause unnecessary misunderstandings at best, and serious trouble for his entire organization at worst.
Less than two hours after Merritt fledthe scene, a police helicopter arrived.
Eight heavily armed SWAT officers quickly descended on ropes.
No gunshots.
No attacks.
Because... there were no survivors!
The dark muzzles of their guns scanned the area in a defensive stance, and the SWAT officers were all stunned—what on earth had happened here?
The SWAT team quickly divided tasks:
some secured the scene, others conducted preliminary investigations, and some contacted their superiors to report.
Before long, more police officers arrived