As the first bolt of lightning tore through the leaden clouds over Queens, the entire city seemed to tremble beneath this display of nature's might.
The torrential rain, like an out-of-control deep-sea Beast, was frantically clawing at the skin of this steel jungle with billions of sharp talons.
Rainwater gathered into murky streams, surging down the drainage pipes of the Flushing factory district, emitting a chilling, sobbing sound.
The top floor of the Umbrella Biotech second factory.
This was the safe house that Alice had spent a fortune to build.
Sarah Mason stood before the sink, scrubbing her cheeks and hands over and over with cold water, even though her skin had already been rubbed raw and red.
The Beast-like roar of the black SUV's engine.
The teeth-grinding, sharp shattering sound when the large-caliber sniper bullet pierced the bulletproof glass.
And that driver from the Osborn Group, that young man who was smiling and saying what terrible weather it was just a second ago—the next second, his head exploded like a watermelon, and warm, sticky blood splattered onto her freshly pampered cheeks.
That metallic, rusty scent of blood seemed to still be rampaging through her nasal cavity, impossible to wash away no matter how hard she tried.
She looked up at the pale, disheveled woman in the mirror and took a deep, sharp breath.
As an emergency room Nurse, she had seen too many scenes of gore and carnage.
Fear was instinct, but calmness was professional training.
"That driver, that young man, he wasn't married yet, was he? But, Alice, they just killed him like that, like killing a chicken."
"Lawyer Murdock is already handling the aftermath. The Osborn Group will provide his family with the most generous compensation."
Alice looked at the woman before her, who, despite being terrified to the extreme, was still trying to straighten her back to maintain the dignity of an elder, and a flash of heartache crossed her eyes.
"Aunt Sarah, sit down and rest for a while. It's safe here."
"Alice, how can I sleep now?"
Sarah gripped the cup tightly, her fingers trembling slightly.
"This isn't some business intimidation at all, Alice. This is an execution. They are coming for our lives."
She turned her head to look at Alice, her eyes revealing a fierce tenacity peculiar to women from the lower classes.
"Alice, I'll keep watch tonight. You go to sleep."
Sarah said, forcing herself to stay alert.
Alice sighed softly.
It was precisely because she had an aunt like this that she had to clean up that trash.
"Aunt, you're wound too tight. If you collapse, who will help me manage the company?"
Alice walked over, gently pressed down on Sarah's shoulders, and pushed her onto the soft sofa.
"Be good, get some sleep. Leave some things to me to handle."
"But…"
Sarah still wanted to struggle to get up, but a wave of intense drowsiness suddenly hit her like a tide.
Her eyelids became heavy as lead, and her thoughts began to slow down.
"In the milk, you…" Sarah looked at Alice, her gaze somewhat unfocused.
"I added a little bit of Ai Haibara's special B-complex vitamins and a sedative. You need deep sleep to metabolize the adrenaline in your blood, otherwise, your heart won't be able to take it."
Alice's voice was as soft as a lullaby.
"Sleep now. When you wake up, everything will be better."
Sarah ultimately couldn't resist the drug's effect; her hand dropped powerlessly, her head tilted against the cushion, and she began to breathe steadily.
But in her sleep, her brows remained tightly furrowed.
Alice tucked the blanket over her and watched her quietly for a moment.
Then, she straightened her back.
At that very instant, the gentleness on Alice's face vanished without a trace like a receding tide, as if it had never existed.
Under the glow of the fireplace, her eyes took on a glassy, inorganic coldness.
She turned and walked into the dressing room.
The black cocktail dress, stained with the smell of gunpowder and dust, was tossed aside.
In front of the mirror.
Alice changed into a near-jet-black tactical hoodie.
The high-strength Kevlar fiber lining clung to her skin, outlining her slender yet explosive physique, shimmering with a faint matte luster under the lights. On her lower body were multi-functional tactical cargo pants, with the cuffs tucked into lightweight Military combat boots.
Finally, she deftly tied her waist-length hair into a high ponytail, revealing her sharp, angular profile.
"Click."
The Glock 17 on the table emitted a crisp mechanical sound in her hand.
She skillfully ejected the magazine and glanced at the golden bullets inside.
Then, she shook her head and tossed the standard magazine aside.
Opening the drawer, she pulled out an unmarked black plastic box.
Inside the box were twenty specially made 9mm pistol rounds arranged neatly.
The tips of the bullets had distinct, petal-like grooves.
Dum-dum bullets.
Also known as expanding bullets.
This was an inhumane weapon explicitly banned from use in warfare by international conventions.
Because upon entering a human body, it wouldn't pass through like a regular bullet; instead, it would rapidly expand, deform, tumble, and shatter.
It would release all its kinetic energy inside the target's body, turning internal organs into mush and causing a massive cavitation effect.
The victim often wouldn't die immediately, but would watch their own organ fragments spill out in extreme agony.
"For Beasts, one should use a hunting gun."
Alice pressed the dum-dum bullets into the magazine one by one.
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