Paris Continental Hotel, Penthouse.
Caine gently stroked his daughter's hair, savoring the moment.
Then—his phone rang again.
He had a feeling.
Pulling it out, he saw it was the same number—the call from Duggan.
He connected. Just as he was about to speak, Duggan's voice came through, firm and clipped:
"Caine, no time for details. Five seconds. Pick up your daughter and head downstairs. Just keep moving—Alex has made the arrangements. Someone will cover your escape."
And like before, Duggan hung up without waiting for a reply.
Caine didn't hesitate. He stuffed the phone back into his pocket, scooped his daughter into his arms, and began counting silently.
"Five."
"Four."
"…"
"One."
At the last second, he shielded his daughter's eyes with his hand—
Then turned, walking calmly toward the elevator.
Almost instantly—
CRASH!
The penthouse's massive glass window exploded into shards.
Shattered glass rained across the floor.
The High Table enforcers guarding Caine's daughter—and the Harbinger who'd escorted him up here—instinctively dove for cover behind sofas and tables.
For the next ten seconds, chaos reigned.
Every second, a bullet tore through the room.
Chandeliers. Coffee tables. Television. Liquor cabinets.
Anything made of glass or crystal shattered under the barrage.
Only Caine, steady and unflinching, kept walking.
Cradling his daughter, he stepped into the elevator, pressed for the first floor, and let the doors close.
It was only then that the Harbinger realized what had happened.
His eyes darted frantically around the ruined room, searching for Caine—
Until finally, he spotted half of Caine's figure inside the descending elevator.
But he didn't dare move.
Not when a sniper's scope might still be fixed on his back.
He waited. Three, four more seconds.
No more gunshots came.
Cautiously, he raised his head.
Seeing the coast was clear, he bolted for the elevator—
But by then, it was already several floors below.
Rage, panic, humiliation all surged at once.
Face red, he could only roar at the High Table killers around him:
"Follow them! Don't let them escape!"
And as he ran for the stairwell, he pulled out his phone, dialing the Paris Continental's manager.
Whatever it took—he could not allow Caine to leave the hotel with his daughter.
Failure meant punishment from the High Table.
Three minutes earlier.
Two kilometers away.
Duggan lowered his head, peering through the scope.
Bang!
The first bullet ripped through the hotel's glass.
He smoothly adjusted.
Bang!
Another.
His focus was absolute, movements fluid and precise.
Alex's order was simple: create ten seconds of pure chaos inside Caine's suite.
Duggan didn't need to think.
His body, honed by years of lethal instinct, carried out the command flawlessly.
Ten shots, perfectly placed.
Through the scope, he saw Caine carrying his daughter into the elevator.
Mission complete.
Immediately, Duggan packed up.
Rifle disassembled. Case shut. Brass casings pocketed.
He slipped on a flesh-mask disguise and left the empty apartment.
By the time he stepped into the street, he was just another middle-aged salaryman lugging a briefcase.
Three blocks later, he entered a crowded shopping mall.
Five minutes after that, a bespectacled man in a baseball cap and black jacket strolled out of the restroom.
Duggan.
Unrecognizable.
He descended into the parking garage, slid into a plain SUV, and merged into Paris traffic like nothing had happened.
Back at the Continental.
Caine's grip on his cane-sword tightened.
He was ready for the worst.
If anyone blocked his path on the first floor, he'd fight tooth and nail to carve a way out for his daughter.
The elevator chimed.
Ding!
The doors slid open.
But the ambush he feared wasn't there.
Instead—two groups of killers stood off against each other.
On one side, Continental enforcers.
On the other, a squad of heavily armed assassins—ten strong—forming a barrier.
Neither side fired.
In the tense silence, Caine cradled his daughter and strode forward.
The assassins subtly shifted, creating a human wall to block the Continental's line of fire—
And to shield Caine as he walked straight for the doors.
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