Chapter 123
Blood Revenge
“Stop right there!” Olivia shouted desperately.
Inside her handbag were an international certificate of guarantee, a sizable amount of cash, a passport, and an ID card.
“If you just return the bag, I’ll let you go. Stop right there. Please!”
The tall, slender boy darted nimbly through the alleys. Whether he was heading somewhere intentionally or just running blindly, he plunged deeper into darkness where even light no longer reached.
Clack-clack—the sound of his shoes hitting the cobblestones, interspersed with ragged breathing, rang in her ears.
The sea wind whipped her hair wildly, and her lungs burned. The pickpocket boy’s breathing grew rougher, and his pace began to slow noticeably.
The distance between them gradually decreased. Olivia stretched her arm toward the nape of the boy’s hat-covered neck.
The gap seemed to shrink and expand repeatedly, and just as her fingers were about to graze his shoulder…
Bang!
A deafening gunshot split the night.
“Ahhh!” The boy let out a short, sharp scream and collapsed, and Olivia, caught by his falling legs, toppled over him.
Her mind went blank, her vision darkened—and then again, bang!—another gunshot echoed, leaving a long reverberation in the night air.
Gasping for air, Olivia instinctively grabbed the boy’s arm and dragged him into the shadow of a wall.
The boy struggled, trying to scream in pain. Olivia’s hand trembling, clamped over his mouth.
“Hold on… just a little longer.” Olivia whispered, holding her breath.
Tears streamed from the boy’s eyes as he clutched the bullet wound in his thigh.
In an instant, bang!—a bullet flew past Olivia’s face.
“Ahhhh!” Terrified, the boy screamed.
A shot pierced a large wooden barrel they had hidden behind, and the sour stench of cheap wine stung her nose as it spilled onto the cobblestones, flowing dark red like blood.
The pickpocket boy crawled across it.
“No!”
Ignoring Olivia’s outstretched hand, the boy limped away.
Another gunshot rang out, and the boy collapsed. His small body went limp without another sound or movement.
“….”
Olivia’s face drained of color at the sight.
Wine and blood mingled and pooled in the gaps of the uneven cobblestones, flowing slowly.
A chilling silence, thick as fog, crept over the maze-like alleys.
Thud… thud…
The sound of heavy footsteps breaking the quiet slowly approached, jolting Olivia back to reality.
Focus… Focus, Han Jian.
Gasping for air, Olivia scanned her surroundings. Her hands, shaking like leaves, groped along the ground, but all that could be found in the pitch-black darkness was sheer terror.
Thud… thud…
The footsteps approached at a steady pace—not fast, not slow.
Please…
Her trembling hands fumbled to untie the cumbersome ribbon of her hat under her chin.
Olivia took a steadying breath and focused ahead.
In the thin mist, the faint silhouette of a figure walking slowly toward her emerged under the moonlight.
Her heart pounded violently.
Woof! Woof! The sound of fierce barking dogs mingled with the footsteps, tightening the air around her.
Olivia gripped the oversized hat like a weapon. Cold sweat ran down her neck and along her spine.
A giant shadow suddenly loomed over her.
Her breath caught—and at the same moment, a gun was pressed directly to the center of her forehead.
Olivia slowly raised her gaze.
The eyes behind the black mask that stared down at her were the cold, unflinching eyes of a sniper.
Why me…?
The assailant pulled back the hammer of the pistol aimed at her. He didn’t seem interested in prolonging a meaningless standoff. His finger rested on the trigger.
“…Who… Who sent you?” Olivia managed to speak through frozen lips.
The assailant remained silent.
“You should at least know why you’re dying… at least why I’m killing you.”
Olivia locked eyes with the raven-black gaze, asking again.
Finally, as if to grant mercy, the assailant spoke.
“Your death—”
At that moment, Olivia turned her head. Reflexively, the man’s head followed hers, scanning the dark alley.
Now!
Olivia lunged forward.
With swift movements, she wrapped the pistol in her hat and twisted it, pushing it aside as she rose and struck his midsection with her knee.
With a muffled cry of pain, the gun clattered to the ground, still wrapped in the hat.
As the man groaned in pain, Olivia bent down to grab the gun—but her hair, whipping in the sea wind, was grabbed.
A massive hand yanked at her hair. At the same time, the man leaned toward the gun. Olivia kicked it away with her foot.
“Annoying.”
The man cursed and slammed Olivia onto the cobblestones, still holding her hair tightly.
Thud. She fell onto a soft, wet surface. Surprised, she pulled her hands away and felt lukewarm liquid soaking the ground.
“….”
The boy, now cold, opened his eyes wide with fear, confronting death.
Olivia, trembling, groped the wet ground for the gun—but a pistol was pressed against the back of her head.
She slowly turned.
“Why are you trying to kill me?”
Click. The finger of a black leather-gloved hand cocked the hammer.
There would be no mercy.
Olivia glared at the assailant with wide eyes.
Just as his finger was about to squeeze the trigger, Olivia closed her eyes.
Bang!
The masked assailant collapsed under a gunshot that tore through the night sky.
“….”
Olivia stared blankly at the man, who had fallen with a bullet through his head.
Only then did she hear the sound of hooves.
“Olivia!”
“….”
Johann Leopold rode up at full speed, extending his hand without slowing.
“Grab it!”
Olivia didn’t hesitate and clasped his hand. Johann lifted her lightly onto the saddle just as gunfire erupted behind them.
“Duck!” Johann enveloped Olivia and pressed down on the reins with one hand.
From the front, a horse charged rapidly with a masked assailant on its back, aiming a gun.
Johann turned the horse down a side alley. The alley narrowed, and the sniper fired in pursuit.
Damn it. Muttering a low curse, Johann drew a revolver from his chest.
“Take the reins.”
He handed the reins to Olivia and twisted his upper body to aim at the assailant.
Bang! Bang! Two shots tore through the night.
The assailant screamed and fell off the horse.
No time to breathe—another sniper emerged from the left side alley.
Bullets flew mercilessly again. Johann, shooting backward, held Olivia close.
Her shoulders became soaked from the chaos.
“…Johann?”
Johann had been shot.
“Johann?” Olivia shouted, turning around.
“I’m fine, Olivia. Look ahead.”
His hot, ragged breath brushed against her neck.
From his firm chest pressed to her back, she felt his heartbeat, erratic but dangerously close.
Olivia’s clothes quickly became wet. She had no idea where or how badly he was injured.
“Just a little longer… just a little…”
Olivia spurred the horse forward, focused only on escaping the darkness.
As she prepared to round a corner, bang!—a sharp gunshot, and the charging horse collapsed instantly.
Johann pulled Olivia into his arms. Their bodies were suspended in midair.
Time seemed to slow.
Thud. They hit the ground, Johann still holding her tightly.
Olivia steadied her mind against the shock. She could feel the vibrations of the horse’s hooves slowing over the cobblestones.
Johann rose first. Blood dripped down his extended fingers and along his coat sleeve.
“Have you ever fired a gun?”
Olivia nodded, gasping.
Johann drew a pistol from the holster and handed it to her.
“I’ll cover you. When I give the signal, run straight through this path.”
He loaded a bullet into the chamber, speaking softly.
A dead-end alley. No blind spots.
The only escape route was back, but already masked snipers were advancing leisurely, like hunters approaching trapped prey.
“And you?”
“Go on your own.”
It was an impossible plan. Before she could think of another way, the assailants had closed in, stopping right in front of them.
A narrow alley, one in front, two behind, all aiming rifles from horseback.
“Sent by the King of Britt?” Johann’s voice echoed quietly through the silence.
Despite being wounded and thrown from a horse, his posture and arrogance remained perfectly composed.
The King of Britt.
Olivia finally understood.
This was the King of Britt’s blood revenge against her and Johann.
