The fighting continued upstairs, with the sounds of crashing furniture echoing behind him. Eddie didn't dare look back. He bolted down the stairs in a panic. By sheer dumb luck, the sudden appearance of a mysterious man had just saved his life. Though he didn't know who the guy was, the killing intent toward Avril had been crystal clear—they were enemies.
He had just made it halfway down from the third floor when a figure appeared on the spiral staircase ahead, startling him. But as soon as he got a closer look, Eddie relaxed.
It was the landlady—that nagging, loudmouthed, overweight woman who yelled around the building all day long. Eddie had originally planned to kill her before leaving. Now, it looked like he didn't have to. A neat bullet hole was centered in her forehead—no doubt Avril's doing.
Eddie didn't spare the body a second glance. He finished the rest of the stairs quickly and, once he reached the front door, exhaled in relief. Thank god, no one had come after him.
He opened the door. The street outside looked normal. He flipped up the collar of his jacket, grabbed a baseball cap from the coat rack, and put it on, doing his best to look ordinary. He closed the door behind him and started walking, just slightly faster than a normal pace.
But after only a few steps, something hard pressed against his lower back. A man's voice whispered close to his ear, "Old buddy… long time no see. You're damn good at hiding—we almost couldn't find you... Oh no, no, no. I suggest you don't do anything stupid. I wouldn't hesitate to kill you right here in broad daylight…"
The voice made Eddie's heart sink. He recognized it—it was Zheng Anshun, a guy just as dangerous in close combat as Avril.
Sure enough, the moment Eddie even entertained the idea of resisting, Zheng picked up on it instantly. Eddie knew Zheng meant every word. If he made a wrong move, Zheng would kill him without hesitation.
A nearby delivery van's back doors opened. Eddie was pushed inside. Zheng's face held a mocking smile as he pointed a gun at him. Eddie obediently cuffed himself.
Suddenly, a loud crash came from the third floor—someone broke through a window.
Avril had been struck by Jason and hurled outside. Midair, she curled into a ball to protect herself.
She regretted not having Zheng come upstairs with her. She had assumed only Eddie was up there. If Zheng had been with her, things wouldn't have turned out like this. The assassin this time was far more dangerous. One-on-one, she was no match for Jason Bourne. She'd taken hit after hit. If the fight had continued, she would have been killed for sure.
So, during a brief moment in the fight, she took advantage of Jason's force in a strike to redirect herself—diving out the window to escape.
With a loud CRASH, she slammed onto the roof of a car, collapsing the metal in and shattering the glass around her.
Bang bang bang… bang bang bang…
Jason appeared on the balcony but was forced to retreat by suppressive fire. Zheng Anshun, now driving, pulled the van to Avril's landing spot, using the vehicle to shield her.
Bang bang bang bang bang…
Jason fired back, but the bullets only sparked off the van's metal.
"Medusa, get in!" Zheng shouted while continuing to fire, glancing toward the crushed car roof. Thankfully, Avril was still moving.
Inside, Eddie cowered in a corner. Outside, Avril wiped blood from her mouth and dragged herself from the wreckage. Though the dive had been part of her plan, she had still been hit by Jason just before it. Even with precautions, the fall from the third floor hurt like hell. With great effort, she crawled into the van.
As Zheng emptied his magazine, he heard a pounding on the van wall—Avril was in. Without hesitation, he slammed on the gas. The tires screeched as the overloaded van peeled out.
Back on the balcony, Jason fired two more shots. One shattered the driver-side mirror but couldn't stop the van. As he saw Avril climb inside and the van speed off, Jason leapt. He landed on an adjacent air-conditioning unit, then launched himself onto the moving van.
Gripping the edge, he held on as bullets punched through where he'd just been. He rolled along the roof, the gunfire seemingly chasing him, a trail of holes tracking from front to back.
As he reached the rear of the van and was about to fall, he twisted like a gymnast, feet kicking through the rear window, diving into the interior.
Inside, Avril was reloading. Jason burst in, hand already reaching for his own pistol.
Eddie felt like he was about to have a heart attack. He watched in disbelief as the man from the rooftop suddenly dove through the back window with Olympic-level precision. He couldn't understand who the hell Avril had pissed off to bring this down on herself.
Glass shattered. Jason landed in a kneel, drew, aimed—it was one fluid motion. But then the van swerved violently, throwing him off balance. His shot went wide, shattering the windshield in a web of cracks.
Just in time, Zheng Anshun had yanked the wheel, saving Avril from a killing blow.
Jason hadn't regained his footing when Avril—also thrown off balance—grabbed a fire extinguisher and hurled it at him. Jason fired again, blowing a hole in the canister. Pressurized powder sprayed everywhere, instantly filling the cabin with white mist.
Jason closed his eyes to protect them. Then pain flared in his hand—his gun was gone. Avril had leapt on him, and they began grappling in the blinding dust.
The two figures tumbled, crashing into walls and seats, the van now echoing with grunts and blows. Eddie, stuck in the back corner, couldn't see a thing.
Up front, Zheng had lost all visibility. He cranked down the window and stuck his head out to see the road.
Bang bang bang…
He fired several shots at the windshield supports, then kicked out the glass. With the front now open, air blasted in, dispersing the powder cloud. As the haze cleared, three people emerged from the fog.
Zheng finally saw what was going on. Avril was on the losing end. After knocking Jason's gun away, she hadn't landed another solid hit.
Jason Bourne was at peak condition. Before this mission, he had taken one of Treadstone's enhancement pills. His speed and strength were maxed out. Avril, meanwhile, had been shot in the shoulder. She was already at a disadvantage—and now, even more so.
They had already fought upstairs. Avril had burned through most of her stamina. Inside the cramped van, Jason had landed several clean hits. She was fighting on fumes.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.