The blood smell from the first dog's corpse seemed to reach the second one almost at once.
It snapped its head up, nostrils flaring as it caught the scent, and let out a low, threatening growl.
Too late.
Hunter had already fitted another custom bolt into the sniper crossbow.
He took aim and squeezed the trigger.
Whoosh.
Just as the dog lifted its head to bark, the bolt punched cleanly through its neck.
The specially made broadhead shattered the spine instantly, severing its head from its body in one violent stroke.
This was a hunting bolt designed for killing wild beasts.
Hunter liked it enough that he had ordered a batch upgraded with better alloy components.
After taking down the two dogs, he waited a moment and checked the area again.
Only after confirming there were no guards or cameras nearby did he move toward the helicopter.
From his private storage, he pulled out a bomb he had bought from the Continental.
He slapped it onto the belly of the chopper with practiced ease.
It was a remote charge. The receiver range was less than eight hundred meters, but that was enough.
He loaded another bolt into the crossbow, then moved away from the helicopter and kept heading toward the mansion.
He had only gone a short distance when he suddenly stopped.
A few dozen meters ahead, lights were glowing in the dark.
Looking closer, he saw a raised structure standing out sharply against the night.
Hunter immediately pulled out his night-vision binoculars again.
A closer look confirmed it was an old water tower.
It had been there for years, likely built when the estate was first constructed as part of the water system.
After it was abandoned, it had been repurposed.
Now the old tower, more than ten meters tall, had become a lookout post inside the estate.
The light Hunter had noticed was coming from inside it.
He studied it carefully before creeping toward the tower.
The water tower in Willy Bank's desert estate was not small. It was one of those old oval-shaped structures, with a round top that looked almost like a flying saucer had been dropped onto it.
Hunter could not tell how many guards were stationed inside the modified tower, but he figured it would not be many.
Still, it was the highest point on the entire property.
If he could get up there, it would make it much easier to locate and eliminate the night patrols.
Thinking that, he quickened his pace.
But just as he got close, he felt something was off.
He stopped immediately and looked again.
This time he spotted it.
In a patch of shadow on the far side of the tower, less than forty meters away from where he stood, another dog was tethered there.
Once he found it, Hunter raised the sniper crossbow again.
He lined up the shot and fired without hesitation.
Whoosh.
The bolt flew out, followed by a faint whine and a brief struggle.
Hunter shifted slightly to the side, staying alert for a possible second dog.
But after checking again, he confirmed there was only one guarding the tower.
With that done, he moved in under the tower.
The structure had been modified. The lower entrance now had an alloy security door with a keypad lock.
Fortunately, a lock like that was not difficult for him.
He checked the surroundings one more time, then pulled a card from his private space.
Working it into the seam around the lock, he tested the mechanism for a moment before flicking his wrist.
The card slipped past the latch.
The door opened.
"Good. Not locked down tight."
If the bolt had been set just a little deeper, it would have been a pain.
After opening the door, Hunter slipped inside the tower.
A narrow stairway wound upward in a tight spiral.
The steps were not wide enough for more than one person at a time, but they had been reinforced with concrete and fitted with a handrail.
The old pumping equipment below had been removed, and support columns had been added, so he did not have to worry about making noise.
Hunter padded up the stairs quickly and silently.
Soon he reached the top and could already see the glow of light above him.
He slowed down and listened.
Once he confirmed there was only one person breathing up there, he stowed the crossbow.
A suppressed pistol replaced it in his hand.
He climbed the last few steps and entered the modified upper chamber of the tower.
A man in a black suit was slouched in a chair in front of several monitors, resting.
The screens in front of him showed live camera feeds from around the estate.
Clearly, he had grown complacent after too many quiet nights.
It was already after two in the morning, and he had probably decided to close his eyes for a minute.
But retired soldier or not, special operator or not, the man still noticed something the instant Hunter appeared.
His eyes flew open.
Too late.
Pop.
The suppressed pistol fired at close range and punched into his temple.
One shot.
The estate's guard died instantly.
Hunter quickly scanned the room and spotted the ladder leading to the top of the water tower.
He climbed up, stepped onto the roof of the tower, and looked out.
Just as he expected, the entire desert estate lay spread out below him.
"Perfect."
Hunter grinned and brought the sniper crossbow back out.
He reloaded a fresh bolt and began searching the grounds.
Before long, he spotted a dark shape dozens of meters away.
He lined up and fired.
Whoosh.
Another dog dropped beneath the bolt.
He kept scanning and fired again.
A figure carrying a cigarette, standing more than one hundred and seventy meters away, stumbled and went down. The glowing ember in the dark disappeared with him.
After a few more minutes of careful observation, another figure fell at a distance of more than two hundred and forty meters.
Hunter put the crossbow away.
For stealth work, the military crossbow was excellent, but beyond that range, it had already reached its limit.
He retrieved the AR15 semi-automatic rifle he had bought in Boston.
After purchasing it, he had also modified it.
With a high-powered scope, a suppressor, and special ammunition designed for the platform, it had become a very nasty tool.
It still was not a true sniper rifle, but it was accurate enough from three hundred to seven hundred meters and far quieter than a full-sized precision rifle.
He loaded the special rounds, shouldered the rifle, and resumed his search.
Before long, he found two guards sitting by a flowerbed smoking at a distance of more than four hundred meters.
He aimed at the first one and squeezed the trigger.
Then he shifted the barrel and acquired the second.
Bang.
Bang.
Two muted shots.
Neither man had expected an intruder to be inside the estate, let alone one already killing his way across it.
The first guard dropped into the flowerbed before he could react.
His partner jerked in surprise, trying to turn toward the sound.
The next bullet found his chest.
He collapsed beside the flowers and did not move again.
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