CHAPTER 47

The chaos is about to begin.

"What are you waiting for over there?! Get inside!" I heard Atlas shout, now sitting in the driver's seat.

"Wait!" I shouted back.

I exhaled loudly as I pulled out the M249. I almost lost my balance because of its weight, but I was still able to manage. My hand was almost white from holding the light machine gun properly. I took heavy steps toward the open door of the backseat and just dropped the gun next to Oceanus. After placing it there, I quickly ran toward the open compartment to close it again.

I froze when I saw several men in black suits running toward our position, and I was sure they were Perses' men. Their guns were raised at our position, ready to shoot at Atlas' car.

"Let's go! Start the car, Atlas!" I shouted.

The car started right away, and the backseat door was left open. I ran toward it, grabbed the side, and jumped inside. I was gasping for breath when I looked behind and saw that Perses' men were still chasing us. We instinctively ducked down in shock as bullets rained down on us. But none of them penetrated because the car was bulletproof.

My chest rose and fell rapidly, and my ears almost rang from the fast beating of my heart. Things were happening so quickly, and so much was going on right now. I held my chest and calmed myself, trying to get my heartbeat back to normal.

"They're still following us, Atlas," I heard Oceanus say as he peeked out of the backseat window.

"Let them follow us," Atlas said seriously, increasing his speed even more.

I couldn't help but peek too because of what he said. I didn't expect that so many were following us now. It was clear that this had been planned and prepared for.

I looked down at my thigh and leg, which were now dirty from running barefoot. I took off the torn stocking that I hadn't removed and threw it somewhere.

"Open the sunroof, Oceanus," I ordered while taking care of myself. "I need a knife. Do you have a pocketknife?" I asked them.

"No," Oceanus replied, standing up slightly to open the sunroof of Atlas' car.

"You, Atlas? Do you have a knife?" I asked.

"None," Atlas answered seriously.

"What are you going to do with a knife—" Oceanus didn't finish his sentence because of what I did next.

I grabbed the end of my gown and just tore it to move more freely. I didn't tear it neatly, but it was fine as long as I could move easily for what we were about to do.

"Where's the extra ammo for the M249?" I asked.

We ducked down again as they rained bullets on us. The shots were continuous, and if they didn't stop shooting at the car windows, it was certain that the windows would break soon. We only had a few minutes or hours left before the car windows would be destroyed, as long as we maintained enough distance from the car of Perses' men chasing us.

"Didn't you get it from the compartment? It's just there," Oceanus replied.

I cursed softly at his answer. I got up from my seat in the back, and so did he. We lifted the seat together, and an AR-15 greeted us. I grabbed it and handed it to Oceanus. I then took the magazines from the gun he was holding. When the compartment for the gun was empty, I backed up and kicked the back of it. It broke immediately with the force of my kick.

I crouched down and grabbed the extra ammo for my M249. I loaded all the extra rounds inside and closed it.

"Ready?" Oceanus asked.

"Ready," I replied, panting.

I looked at Atlas, who was driving seriously. He was going so fast, and luckily there weren't many cars on the road since it was late at night.

"We'll handle things here, Atlas. Just drive us back to the warehouse. Speed up a little so Oceanus and I can get the machine gun out."

"Okay."

I loaded the ammo into the M249 and asked Oceanus for help to lift it out of the sunroof. We were a few kilometers away from Perses' men. We passed by a curved road, and soon their cars would appear. Once I had the M249 properly positioned, I could rain bullets on them. I stuck my head out and carefully checked the machine gun I was holding.

The cold wind was hitting my face because of how fast Atlas was driving back to the warehouse, and my hair was being blown around by the chill. The surroundings were dark since it was already night, with only a few street lamps and the light from the moon illuminating the area. I made sure the ammo was properly loaded in the M249 before I checked on Oceanus below me. I saw that he was checking his AR-15 and loading a magazine into the gun.

"Oceanus, I need a favor!" I shouted to him while leaning out of the sunroof.

"What is it!?" he shouted back.

"Hold my legs and lift me up! I'm going to climb out of the sunroof! Once some of Perses' men's cars come around the curve, I can start shooting them! The blind spot is on their side before they see us, so they won't know what hit them!"

"What!? Are you crazy!?"

I furrowed my brow and looked at him. "Are you an idiot!? Hurry up, we don't have much time! Cover me from below, and I'll take care of things up here. Do you want me to remind you what kind of gun I'm holding?"

"Okay! Okay! Just be careful," he replied.

I felt him grab my legs, and he slowly lifted me. I held onto the light machine gun tightly and positioned the metal bipod grip properly, finding a stable surface to rest it on.

I lay flat and adjusted my position, waiting for us to come out of the curve.

"Come out. Come out," I whispered to myself.

When I saw the front of one of the cars following us slowly coming out of the curve, I grinned. Once they were fully out, I closed one eye and pulled the trigger on the M249.

"I'm going to shoot them! Oceanus, cover me down there!" I shouted loudly while lying on the roof of Atlas' car.

"Copy!" he shouted back.

My eyes widened from the recoil, but eventually, I got used to it. One car came into view, and then there were three. I rained bullets on them, especially targeting the tires of their cars to prevent them from following us.

My ears were almost deafened by the continuous firing of the M249. The sound was relentless, nonstop, and precise. Instead of being overwhelmed, it almost sounded like music to my ears as I kept shooting at Perses' men's cars. I found myself smiling as I saw how the bullets from my gun pierced through their vehicles.

One of the bullets hit a tire of a car coming toward us, causing it to swerve uncontrollably. Not satisfied with that, I targeted another tire of a different car following us. Now, two of their cars were swerving out of control.

My eyes widened as I saw the two cars collide, flipping and rolling over. I thought we were already safe, but I was wrong. A speeding car suddenly appeared, heading straight toward us. A large man emerged from the sunroof, holding a gun.

"Hexia, swerving!" Oceanus shouted.

"Huh?"

I was caught off guard by how quickly everything happened. Atlas' car suddenly swerved in another direction. The sudden movement made me feel like my body was flying. I couldn't even grab the edge of the sunroof because of what was happening.

I dropped the M249 I was holding, and my body rolled to the side because of the sudden swerve of Atlas's car. My eyes widened when I realized I was about to fall out. Atlas's car was speeding, and if I fell, I'd definitely be thrown far away.

No! My M249!

"Oceanus! Open the door! The fucking door! I'm going to fall!" I screamed, but it was too late.

"Hexia!"

I couldn't hold on and ended up falling off the roof of Atlas' car. In the midst of the gunfire and the chaos of fighting Perses' men, a loud, roaring noise echoed in my ears—like a motorbike revving explosively.

A powerful gust of wind rushed past me, followed by a strong arm wrapping around my waist, catching me mid-fall from Atlas' car roof. I looked up to see who it was, but I couldn't make out the face through the black helmet and heavily tinted visor.

However, as my gaze drifted down to their outfit, I immediately recognized them. A white, long-sleeved polo shirt rolled up to the elbows, suspenders, and a necktie. I swallowed hard as realization hit me—it was Helios.

He was riding a motorcycle, effortlessly keeping up with Atlas' speeding car. To my amazement, he released the motorbike's handlebar with ease, yet still managed to balance perfectly. His right hand remained securely on my waist, holding me like I was a mere teddy bear at his side, while his left hand swiftly pushed up the visor of his helmet.

"Am I late?" he asked teasingly, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"Helios..." was all I could manage to say.

His strong arm around my waist lifted me effortlessly, helping me settle onto the back of his big bike.

"Okay, baby. You looked hot doing that stunt on your car's roof, but you know how dangerous that was, right? Don't ever do it again. You have no idea how scared I was seeing you almost fall. Good thing I caught you!" he said loudly over the roar of the motorbike, his tone playful yet serious.

Instinctively, my arms wrapped around his waist as I leaned my head against his back.

"My M249 fell! I only used it once!" I shouted, my voice competing with the wind and the hum of the engine.

I felt his leather-gloved hand lightly tap my thigh. "Don't worry, I'll buy you plenty of those. Hold on tight, and we'll catch up to your friend's car."

I nodded. I closed my eyes for a moment as his driving speed increased, and within seconds, we had caught up to Atlas' car. I ducked down again when I heard the continuous gunfire behind us. Some of them still managed to get through, even though two of their cars had already been taken out earlier on the road.

"Oceanus!" I shouted, tapping on the window as Helios' motorcycle got closer.

"Hexia! I thought you were dead!" he shouted back at me.

I glared at him sharply. "Fuck you!"

I pressed the earpiece and spoke. "Helios and I will head to the warehouse first. Send backup there, Ria and the others might be in danger. Let's all meet up at the warehouse," I said into the earpiece.

"Copy," Oceanus replied.

I gently tapped Helios' back to signal him to move a little ahead to align with Atlas' car window. I pointed to the road ahead to signal that we would lead the way. I squinted because of the strong wind hitting my face.

Atlas just nodded in response and quickly glanced at Helios, who was focused on the road.

I ducked down again when I heard another round of gunshots. When I looked back, I saw that their cars were getting closer to us. I knocked on Atlas' window and waved before tapping Helios' shoulder to signal that we should go.

"Let's go. We'll meet at the warehouse," I said to Helios while holding onto his waist.

"Okay, sure," he replied.

I felt him handing me something. I looked down and saw that he was handing me a Glock 45.

"Do you mind covering my back? Don't hesitate to shoot them if they get too close or if you see them peeking out of their windows, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay. Just drive to the warehouse, I'll take care of things back here."

"Good girl," I heard him say as he stroked my exposed thigh.

I changed my sitting position. I moved carefully and quickly, adjusting how I sat. Helios and I were now facing away from each other, and I kept watch on the rear to shoot at anyone following us.

The speed at which he was driving matched the speed of Perses' men's car coming toward us. I brushed my long hair aside and glanced to the side when I heard a familiar sound of a motorcycle.

Someone on a motorcycle was already following us. I quickly pointed my gun at the man who was about to shoot me, but he failed because I acted first. The motorcycle slid and fell over, throwing both the driver and the passenger off.

"Careful, baby."

"You too."

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

I kept a tight grip on Helios until we reached Atlas' warehouse. My head only lifted when I saw the cars parked on each side of the road.

"Speed up," I commanded Helios.

He just nodded and revved the motorcycle until we reached Atlas's actual warehouse. My eyes widened when I saw the place was torn apart, and parts of it were already being consumed by flames.

"Turn around quickly! We need to go down to Atlas' underground parking lot. The rest of your grandfather's men might be there," I said urgently.

We turned around, and I searched for a road where the floor lifted to enter his underground parking lot. I tapped his shoulder when I saw a small gap in the road.

"Stop. We're here," I quietly said to him.

I got off his motorcycle and walked toward the old tree branch that had been cut along the side of the road. There was a small button there to automatically raise the road. I lifted the obstruction by the tree and pressed the button inside.

I heard a faint hum, and slowly, the road began to rise, allowing Helios and me to enter. I quickly climbed onto Helios's motorcycle when someone called my name.

"Hexia!"

I turned around swiftly and saw Oceanus leaning out of the window of Atlas' car. I pointed to the raised road to indicate that the other men of Perses were below.

"They're definitely down there. Some parts of Atlas' warehouse are on fire, so they might already be down there, and Ria's probably the one they're killing," I said before getting on Helios's motorcycle.

"Are we going down?" Helios asked.

I nodded and threw the empty magazine of my gun aside, retrieving an extra magazine from the back. I attached it to the Glock 45 and loaded it before mounting the motorcycle.

"Yes. Let's go."

I looked back at Atlas and Oceanus, who were now ready to follow us. My brow furrowed when I noticed two cars trailing us. They were tailing us, and one of them had someone peering out of the window.

"Backups!" a man yelled.

I nodded and signaled for them to follow. I tapped Helios' shoulder to tell him to start the motorcycle. He immediately understood my point, and he revved the engine, heading down toward the underground parking lot.

I heard the hum of the cars behind us. As we got closer to the far end of the underground parking lot, I began to see the blood scattered on the floor.

I quickly glanced to the side when suddenly a man tried to grab me. Thankfully, I noticed it just in time. Moments later, more of Perses' men appeared from the side and charged at us.

"Watch out! They're hiding. They're just on the side, hiding!" I shouted. I tapped Helios's back, and I saw him move his head toward me. "Help us. We need to deal with the people down here first before we can go up inside."

"Okay. Don't worry. I'll help you, just take care of yourself," he replied as he stopped the motorcycle by the side.

I quickly got off and charged at Perses's men, who were also trying to kill us. If they wanted our lives, they would have to give theirs in return. The deafening sound of gunshots filled the air. I ducked to avoid stray bullets.

I wasn't sure where Atlas and Oceanus were anymore, but the car they had used was now parked by the side of the road, and they were gone. They must have gone up ahead with the other backups.

I glanced at the man who seemed to be firing his gun aimlessly, hitting nothing. The muzzle of his gun lifted due to the recoil. I quickly moved behind him, grabbed the knife from his holster, and stabbed him in the back.

He dropped his gun in shock. He tried to grab my hand, but I managed to pull his hair and kick his back, sending him crashing to the ground.

"B-bitch!" the man groaned in pain.

I ignored him. I yanked his hair, pulling his head up despite his face being pressed to the ground. I aimed the knife at his throat before speaking.

"Where is Perses? Is he here? Answer me, or I'll slit your throat!" I shouted at him.

"P-perses..." he stuttered, fear in his voice.

I slammed his head against the ground before speaking again. "I'll ask you again. Is Perses up there, or is he not here in the warehouse? You guys sure have the guts to storm in here, huh? You don't know that you're the ones who will lose tonight," I coldly whispered in his ear.

"He's up there. He's been up there for a while..."

"Good," I replied.

I pressed the sharp edge of the knife to his neck. Slowly and carefully, I cut through his ear and dragged the blade across his neck until it reached the other side. Along with the familiar sound of skin being sliced open, I also heard his blood beginning to spurt out. I climbed on his back, restraining his movements.

The long gown I was wearing, now torn, was slowly turning red from his blood. I shook my head and stood up when I felt that he was no longer moving beneath me.

"Hexia!" I heard Helios shout my name.

He was rushing toward me, his white polo long sleeve now stained with blood. His gaze dropped to my gown, which was also stained with blood, and then shifted to the lifeless man beside us.

"Let's go. We need to go up," I said, grabbing Helios's hand and pulling him toward the open elevator.

But before we could enter, it felt like there was an earthquake or an explosion that I couldn't understand. The streetlamp beside us, which served as our light, shook slightly.

It was clear that there had been an explosion outside the warehouse, because if it had happened inside the basement, we would have felt it much stronger.

"There was an explosion upstairs," I said seriously to Helios. I slowly glanced at him, and he was looking at me seriously. He didn't try to stop me from doing what I wanted; he was just listening.

"I don't think what's happening upstairs is good," Helios replied.

I nodded. I intertwined our hands, and that's when I felt the warmth of his palm against mine. I pulled his hand so we could get inside, meeting his ash-grey eyes before speaking.

"Perses is upstairs. Atlas and Oceanus are probably up there too, following him. We need to pass through the main lab first to check if Ria's okay."

SHANGPU