Failing to land a hit, she immediately launched a close-quarters attack, wrapping her legs around Zhang Jie's neck and pulling him down sharply.
"Cough!" Zhang Jie's head slammed hard against the floor, and golden stars exploded before his eyes.
The female assassin's weight combined with the impact of the fall nearly made him black out.
Razor stabbed towards his eye again; he barely managed to turn his head, and the blade plunged deep into the floor.
James turned to help but was entangled by two bodyguards who appeared.
The PPK was difficult to use in close combat, so he had no choice but to draw the dagger he had just grabbed to fight.
Zhang Jie seized the opportunity to forcefully knee the female assassin's lower back, while simultaneously drawing his tactical dagger with his right hand and thrusting upwards.
The female assassin twisted her body as nimbly as a cat, and the dagger only grazed her tight-fitting clothes.
She used the momentum to flip backward, clamping Zhang Jie's knife-wielding wrist with her legs and twisting—
Snap!
The excruciating pain of his dislocated wrist almost made Zhang Jie let go, but he gritted his teeth, tightened his grip on the dagger, and used the momentum to roll, flinging the female assassin against the wall.
Both of them simultaneously shattered an antique screen, sending wood splinters and porcelain shards flying everywhere.
The female assassin was the first to get up, her Razor tracing a silver arc.
Zhang Jie barely managed to block, but his dislocated wrist was useless, and the dagger was knocked away.
The female assassin took the chance to kick him in the chest; Zhang Jie crashed into an antique cabinet, and various metal objects rained down on him.
"Mr. Zhang…" The female assassin's voice was like a venomous snake's hiss, "It's only been a few days, and your professional skills have declined significantly."
She removed her mask, revealing the Eastern European face he had seen at the bar, with a scar running across her left eye on her pale, porcelain-like skin.
It was her!
He seemed to have seen her the first time at the bar, and the second time was during the ambush!
Zhang Jie fumbled around in the pile of debris and found a metal object: an old fireplace poker! When the female assassin's Razor lunged again, he swung the iron rod forcefully.
Clang!
The Razor was knocked aside, and the female assassin retreated two steps, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
Zhang Jie seized the opportunity to stand up, holding the rod in his left hand in a defensive stance.
His right wrist was already swollen like a bun, but the pain, paradoxically, made his mind exceptionally clear.
"What kind of grudge do we have?" Zhang Jie moved slowly, looking for an opportunity to counterattack.
The female assassin clearly hadn't expected this outcome. "You scumbag! You've completely forgotten! Then go ask the King of Hell after you die!"
She suddenly changed her move; the Razor was no longer a direct stab but instead sliced towards Zhang Jie's femoral artery at an unusual angle.
Zhang Jie blocked with the iron rod, simultaneously raising his foot to kick her knee forcefully.
The female assassin nimbly leaped back, but the Razor suddenly flew out of her hand; it was a feint!
The real killing blow was the second Razor that sprang from her left hand, aiming directly for Zhang Jie's throat.
In the nick of time, Zhang Jie sidestepped and struck the female assassin's elbow joint with the end of the iron rod.
With a crunching sound, the joint dislocated, and the Razor's trajectory shifted, leaving only a bloodstain on his neck.
"Ah!" The female assassin cried out in pain, but her offensive didn't diminish, her right leg lashing out like a whip towards Zhang Jie's temple.
Zhang Jie ducked, and the iron rod smashed hard onto her supporting leg's knee.
The sound of bone shattering was clearly audible; the female assassin fell to her knees, yet still slashed at Zhang Jie's abdomen with the Razor in her left hand.
"It's over."
Zhang Jie took a step back, and the iron rod struck her on the back of the neck.
The female assassin's body stiffened for a second, then collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.
Zhang Jie directly drew his tactical dagger and delivered a finishing stab to the female assassin's neck.
Now was not the time for questioning; it was better to end it.
Whatever grudges and entanglements the original owner had before were none of his business, and Zhang Jie had no desire to inherit his emotional debts.
On the other side, James had also finished his fight.
One bodyguard had a shattered throat, and the other had a dagger embedded in his temple.
The Englishman elegantly straightened his tie, despite his suit being wrinkled and blood-stained, making him look somewhat disheveled.
"A beautiful joint lock," James said, looking at Zhang Jie's right wrist. "Do you need me to help you reset it?"
"Thanks, no need." Zhang Jie shook his head, grabbed his own wrist with his left hand, took a deep breath, then twisted and pressed it sharply.
"Creak!"
The intense pain made his vision blur and his expression twist, but the joint was back in place.
The price of showing off was a bit high!
But he still had to thank Medical Lv1; it was still somewhat useful.
"Let's go, to the West Wing."
The two continued forward, finally arriving at a heavy oak door, with a faint light seeping from beneath the crack.
James was about to gently push open the door but immediately stopped.
"I'll provide cover, you go in."
James checked the remaining ammunition in his PPK. "Three seconds, then move."
Zhang Jie nodded, taking a deep breath.
Three… two… one!
James suddenly kicked open the door, simultaneously throwing out the last flashbang.
Amidst the blinding light and deafening roar, Zhang Jie sprinted towards the desk like a leopard.
Sure enough, there were gunmen!
The gunman was disoriented by the bright light; his first shot went wide, and the bullet shattered marble fragments at Zhang Jie's feet.
Although the bodyguards were temporarily blinded, they were still well-trained and prepared to counterattack.
Zhang Jie fired continuously while sprinting, two bullets taking down the foremost bodyguard, but the third jammed!
"Damn it!"
Zhang Jie immediately rolled sideways to dodge, bullets chasing him, hitting the floor.
He quickly slapped the bottom of his glock to clear the jam, while James had already entered from the side, his PPK precisely firing, killing two bodyguards.
The sniper finally regained his vision and aimed his second shot at James's back.
Zhang Jie saw the scope's reflection and yelled, "Sniper!"
James instinctively dove forward, the bullet grazing his shoulder and shattering the antique clock behind him.
Zhang Jie took the opportunity to raise his gun, aim at the corridor, hold his breath, and pull the trigger.
Bang!
Blood blossomed on the sniper's forehead, and he tumbled from the corridor.
James knelt behind the table, his PPK continuously firing to suppress the enemies in front.
"Reload!" James shouted.
Zhang Jie rolled behind cover, his glock 34 extending from under his armpit, three rapid shots piercing the throats of two bodyguards.
The arc of ejected shell casings looked like golden rain under the spotlight, and one of them rolled into his collar, scalding his collarbone.
"Reload!"
"Grenade!"
The explosion made his teeth ache.
In the blast wave, he heard James's suppressed grunt of pain.
"Englishman?"
No response.
After a while, he gasped, "I'm fine!"
The hum of a hydraulic door opening came from the end of the corridor. The two exchanged glances and moved along the wall simultaneously.
The banquet hall doors slowly rose, revealing a hellish scene inside:
Three bodies hung from the crystal chandelier, each wearing a waiter's uniform with a numbered badge pinned to their chest.
The long dining table was covered with a white cloth, and instead of food, there was a bloody, unrecognizable mass of… something.
The most chilling sight was the head seat, where an old man sat.
Oriska, dressed in a tuxedo, was using a scalpel to cut the food in front of him, separated by a specially made bulletproof glass.
On the plate in front of him was a piece of still-bleeding meat, its texture eerily similar to… "Human psoas muscle," James whispered. "The texture of top-grade wagyu."
Oriska looked up and smiled, his gold-rimmed glasses reflecting the chandelier's light: "Welcome to dinner, gentlemen."
He raised a remote control and pressed a button.
A metal cage suddenly descended; Zhang Jie, who was already behind James, instinctively performed a quick backflip in a crisis reaction, narrowly dodging the cage.
But James wasn't so lucky and was immediately trapped.
However, the moment James was trapped, he threw something in Zhang Jie's direction.
Zhang Jie caught it and retreated.
Alright, now it's a solo operation!
The situation inside the old castle was complex; the battles between the assassins were still ongoing, and Oriska's hired bodyguards and assassins were adding to the chaos.
Survival was the top priority.
The critical point now was that his gun only had two bullets left!
He had to find a way!
Looking at the watch in his hand, Zhang Jie was a bit speechless. Why did you throw me a watch?
Did I buy a watch last year?
No, it must have a deeper meaning. Never mind, let's break through first!
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
There should be... around 20+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
If you guys wanna check it out.