Johnny stood on the cold concrete steps of the fire escape, his back against the wall, rapidly assessing the situation.
Rushing in directly would be suicide.
The opponent was clearly a master, and had the absolute advantage of terrain and the first move.
But he couldn't just give up.
His reputation could only be preserved if Ding Qing was alive.
Moreover, being so easily forced back by an unknown opponent also touched his pride as a top assassin.
He needed to probe.
At the smallest cost, he needed to ascertain the opponent's true capabilities and reaction patterns.
He quickly checked his equipment: his glock 34 still had two and a half magazines, one mini flashbang, a dagger, and some miscellaneous tools.
He moved silently to the sixth-floor corridor, not exposing himself to the direct line of sight from the safe house door. He chose an oblique angle, roughly facing the safe house living room window.
Taking a deep breath, he suddenly leaned out, his arm steady as a rock, and fired three rapid shots towards the window!
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The muffled, short gunshots, equipped with a suppressor, were barely audible. Three bullets precisely penetrated the double-layered tempered glass, leaving spiderweb cracks and a clear bullet hole, the bullets entering the room.
After firing, he immediately retracted, pressing against the wall, holding his breath and listening.
The expected sounds of panicked shouts, return fire, or movement... there was nothing.
Inside the room, a deathly silence remained.
It was as if the bullets had entered an empty room, or were absorbed by something soft.
Only the subtle crackling of breaking glass echoed in the corridor, making the atmosphere even more eerie.
Either the opponent had extremely strong psychological fortitude, or... he simply didn't care about this level of harassment.
Johnny's eyes turned cold.
He pulled out the mini flashbang, estimating the distance and angle. He needed this thing to roll near the door and explode, maximizing its effect on any potential guard behind the door.
He quickly peeked out again, swung his arm, and hurled the flashbang along the ground towards the safe house door!
The flashbang rolled with a slight sound, stopping precisely near the door crack.
Johnny immediately pulled back, covered his ears, and opened his mouth, preparing to endure the shockwave and noise.
Boom—!!!
A huge explosion accompanied by a blinding white light erupted in the corridor! Even from around the corner, Johnny could feel the vibration of the air and the pressure on his eardrums.
The sound-activated lights in the corridor instantly flashed on and then off.
In a normal room, after this level of flashbang attack, even trained individuals inside would experience momentary dizziness, ringing in the ears, and disorientation.
Johnny waited a full five seconds, calculating the optimal window for assault.
However... there was still no movement from inside the door!
No exclamations, no coughing, no chaotic footsteps, not even any instinctive sounds caused by the sudden bright light and loud noise!
This was no longer just a matter of good psychological fortitude.
It was almost as if the person inside knew in advance, or... wasn't human at all?
Johnny's heart sank. The opponent's difficulty far exceeded his imagination.
He couldn't waste any more resources; he had to know how many people were inside and how they were positioned.
He quickly took off his jacket, used his dagger to hold it, and suddenly extended it from around the corner, waving it at the doorway, simulating a fake peek-out.
This was a classic feint tactic, designed to draw fire and expose the opponent's position.
However... there was no reaction.
Only the faint sound of his jacket rubbing against the wall echoed in the corridor.
The opponent wasn't falling for it at all, remaining chillingly calm.
Just as Johnny was contemplating his next move, a sound finally came from inside the safe house door.
It wasn't a gunshot, nor a shout, but a calm, low, even slightly lazy and appreciative male voice, clearly audible through the door.
The voice wasn't loud, yet it felt as if it was right next to his ear.
"Standard technique, appropriate rhythm, and skilled use of distraction and feints. Night Owl… if judged by the standards of an ordinary assassin, you have indeed touched the threshold of the elite."
The voice paused slightly, with a hint of imperceptible regret.
"What a pity."
"Only the standard of an ordinary assassin."
"True mastery isn't about standard procedures from a manual or flashy gadgets."
"It's about understanding the 'flow', absolute control over timing, and being able to smell that hint of hesitation and fear in your opponent's soul… even through a door."
"You're not good enough."
As the voice faded, the corridor returned to deathly silence.
Johnny's knuckles, gripping his glock, turned slightly white from exertion. Not from anger, but from a cold, chilling sensation of being completely seen through.
Not only had the opponent easily neutralized all his probes, but he had also precisely critiqued his technique and mindset!
This condescending attitude, like a teacher commenting on a student's homework, and the philosophy of killing revealed in his words, far beyond his current level, made Johnny feel an ineffable... suffocating sensation for the first time.
And that voice... it was very familiar!
He knew he couldn't probe any further; each probe only exposed more of his information and bottom line to the opponent.
The person inside was on a completely different level from any opponent he had encountered before.
The plan to rescue Ding Qing had to change completely.
Or... it might need to be temporarily abandoned.
He slowly retracted the dagger holding his jacket, took one last look at the door, which resembled a dark entrance devouring everything, his eyes becoming incredibly solemn.
He no longer hesitated, turned, and disappeared silently into the darkness of the fire escape at a speed faster than he had arrived.
He had to withdraw first and plan a new strategy!
Inside the safe house, Luka stood behind the door, listening to the almost imperceptible footsteps finally fading away outside, the ethereal smile on his lips deepening.
"Knowing when to advance and when to retreat," he murmured to himself, turning to the desperate Ding Qing, "It seems your bodyguard… made a wiser choice."
Ding Qing, of course, knew what that meant, but he could also understand Johnny's choice; facing an unknown enemy, whether it was a forceful breakthrough or such a probe, it was already meaningful enough.
"Too bad, your life still has to end here tonight."
With that, Luka dragged Ding Qing to the window.
With one elbow, he shattered the glass. Then, he directly hoisted Ding Qing onto his shoulder; no matter how Ding Qing struggled, he remained unmoving.
"Goodbye."
The next second, Ding Qing was thrown directly out of the broken window by Luka.
Bang!
Ding Qing landed squarely on the car roof.
At this moment, Luka's lips curled into a smile, "Finally, a little interesting."
However, Luka had no intention of continuing to entangle with the little guy who had returned behind him; he slowly retreated into the shadows.
On the other side, after a fierce internal struggle, Johnny ultimately chose to return and rescue Ding Qing. Not to mention he was his employer, retreating so embarrassingly would surely affect his reputation.
Bang!
A muffled thud, neither too loud nor too soft, came from downstairs, followed by the sound of a car alarm. Johnny had a bad feeling.
But he had no time to think about that now; retreating without a fight was not his style. When he rushed back in, he found the room empty, with only the broken window.
A sense of unease immediately surged within him. He rushed to the window and saw Ding Qing lying on the car roof below. His heart sank, and he immediately turned and rushed out.
When Ding Qing opened his eyes again, he was already in the hospital. He was covered in various tubes, and his body was immobile; even opening his eyes was an extremely energy-consuming task.
Sitting beside him, however, was Li Zicheng.
"Big Brother! You're awake!"
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"