"It seems we're only half as good as the others."
Jack looked at the chasing vehicles behind them and couldn't help but laugh. Then his gaze drifted over the people in the armoured Hummer. Peach — the market vendor from yesterday — sat tense in the passenger seat. He recognized both Cole Shaw and Yin Yang from before, and from the way Christmas handled the wheel, his strength and precision made it clear the man wasn't ordinary.
Finally, there was the masked man — the one who had nearly killed him.
All four inside the vehicle were dangerous in their own right, and now, just like Jack, they were being hunted. He had no idea what he'd fallen into.
Remembering what Cole said yesterday, Jack couldn't help asking, "You're here for the gold too?"
"Gold?" Peach turned to Cole, her curiosity piqued. After the chase just now, she was less frightened; seeing the attackers' bullets bounce harmlessly off the vehicle had helped.
The word gold was familiar to everyone — rumour had it that a vast Nazi fortune was buried somewhere in the Moroccan desert. Every year, treasure seekers chased it. Most ended up empty-handed — or dead.
"Yes," Cole replied evenly. "Same objective."
Jack smirked. "Then it looks like we could work together. "If they joined forces, he figured, the odds of success would rise.
Cole shot him a glance. "Remember what I told you yesterday — don't get in over your head."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "You want to keep all of it for yourself?"
Cole's voice turned cold. "This gold belongs to me, Jack Chen. I know you're working for the Count. Cross me, and I'll drop you where you sit."
Before Jack could answer, Yin Yang raised his pistol.
A thunderous boom cut through the air.
Simon looked back — their pursuers had just fired an RPG, reloading a second rocket.
Cole's eyes narrowed. "You think I'm made of clay?"
He flicked several switches on the console. Two panels on the sides of the Hummer slid open, revealing rows of compact missile tubes.
On the tactical display, Cole locked onto the approaching vehicles and squeezed the trigger.
Two salvos of micro-missiles screamed free, streaking into the convoy behind them.
BOOM — BOOM — BOOM!
Explosions tore through the line of Chevrolets and bikes, fireballs rolling into the air, casting the street in orange light.
Jack swallowed hard, eyes wide. "Your car… what the hell is this thing?"
He couldn't even process it. Bulletproof plating, micro-missiles — this wasn't a car. It was a war machine.
Cole gave a faint grin. "Want to try it? They're self-guided. Micro-positioning onboard."
Jack waved both hands quickly. "No, no, no — I'm not built for this. I'm lucky to dodge bullets, never mind missiles."
"Then do something useful," Cole said. "Hand over the key."
Jack hesitated, then sighed and reached inside his jacket. From a hidden pocket, he produced a small brass key on a cord and passed it to Cole. Yin Yang's pistol still pointed at his chest — he didn't dare refuse.
"Appreciate the cooperation," Cole said, pocketing the key. "You can walk from here."
He nodded to Christmas. The Hummer slowed, and Jack was ushered out onto the roadside before the vehicle sped away again.
Inside, Peach turned to Cole, unease written across her face. "You wanted me to take you to the tribe… is it because of that gold? Is it buried there?"
It was the only explanation that made sense. She wasn't naïve enough to think her looks had anything to do with why these men kept her close.
Cole nodded lightly. "You guessed right. But don't worry — I'm not going to hurt you."
Peach said nothing more. After what she'd just seen — armoured vehicles, missiles, masked soldiers — silence seemed safest.
Cole didn't press it. Anyone who'd witnessed that firefight would fear him.
He drew the key from his pocket, turning it in the light. Now he had both the location and the key. All that remained was to escort Adolf to the base — and decide when to deal with him.
Truthfully, Cole could have killed Adolf already; the ambush proved the old man had sold them out. But he wasn't sure the system would still issue a reward if he broke contract early.
Better to complete the mission, claim the reward, and then erase Adolf.
⸻⸻
Meanwhile, Jack flagged down a car and raced back toward the Earl's estate.
When he arrived, the Earl hurried down the steps to meet him. "Thank God you're safe. I received word of the attack and sent men after you—I feared the worst."
He had placed great trust in Jack Chen—Flying Eagle, the adventurer he relied on most. The mission to uncover the lost Nazi gold depended on Jack's skill and instinct.
Jack's face darkened. "Count, I'm sorry. The key you gave me… it was taken."
"What?" The Earl's voice rose sharply. "Taken by who?"
A woman in a fitted business suit and gold-rimmed glasses entered just then—Ada, the geologist appointed to assist Jack on the expedition. Hearing his words, she froze in disbelief.
"The key was stolen?" she asked.
Jack raised his hands helplessly. "They had guns in my face. If I hadn't handed it over, I'd be dead."
The Earl's jaw tightened. "Who were they? Agents from another country?"
Jack shook his head. "I don't know. I never caught their names. But others were chasing them too—mercenaries from different outfits. They're all after the same gold. And it seems they already know too much about us."
Ada frowned. "Then it wasn't a coincidence. Someone must have leaked information."
The Earl exhaled, frustration weighing in his tone. "If we can't recover the key, the only lead we have left is this."
He laid out an aged, hand-drawn map of the rumoured military base.
"I've sent people to search before," he admitted, "but they never found anything. Still, it's all we have."
Jack nodded. "All right. I'll try my best."