Zhang Jie lunged forward, his left hand gripping her wrist, and the two of them crashed into the refrigerator simultaneously.
Boom!
The refrigerator door caved in, and Max's shotgun slipped from her grasp. She gritted her teeth, her left elbow striking towards Zhang Jie's temple, but he tilted his head, dodging it.
"You lost."
Zhang Jie's glock 34 was pressed against her chin.
"Oh really?" Max suddenly smiled.
Click.
Zhang Jie's pupils contracted sharply.
At some point, a magazine had appeared in her left hand, and Zhang Jie also felt that the weight of the glock in his hand was off.
"A tie?" Max panted, her red lips slightly upturned, her breath on Zhang Jie's lips.
Zhang Jie suddenly noticed a fresh scratch on her left shoulder: "You're bleeding."
"Same to you." Her gaze shifted to his seeping bandage.
"No way!" Zhang Jie flatly refused.
The fight erupted once more.
Max's elbow strike, carrying the scent of Chanel No. 5, came at him. As Zhang Jie tilted his head, he caught a faint whiff of gunpowder from her wrist.
The two tangled in the narrow corridor, each physical contact sparking dangerous hormones.
"Your gunshot wound hasn't healed, and you still dare to fight me?"
Max's fingernails raked across Zhang Jie's neck, leaving three bloodstains. Her knee violently struck towards his abdomen, but Zhang Jie blocked it with the heel of his palm.
Zhang Jie seized the opportunity to grab her wrist and twist it back: "How can a man say no?"
"Whether you can or can't isn't up to you to say."
Damn! He was looked down upon!
[Pain Tolerance: Lv1 (89/100)]
The entire decorative wall suddenly collapsed; the tripwire Max had set earlier had worked.
The two were forced apart.
Through the dust, Zhang Jie saw her barefoot figure running towards the second floor, her silk pajamas rippling like a blood wave as she moved, picking up a gun along the way.
"Still trying to run?"
Just as he was about to give chase, Max turned around and shot out the fire sprinkler above, causing a downpour.
The two aimed their guns at each other across the curtain of water.
Max's pajamas were soaked and clung to her body, showcasing her figure perfectly, yet it didn't affect her rock-steady Shooting posture in the slightest.
But at this moment, Zhang Jie had no time to appreciate it. Zhang Jie's glock 34's sight was locked on her brow, and he noticed that she was actually smiling.
The two stood in a stalemate, breathing heavily, sweat mixed with blood dripping. The entire first floor was already unrecognizable... The living room sofa had been riddled with shotgun blasts, the coffee table shattered, and red wine soaked the carpet.
The kitchen refrigerator was dented, the marble countertop cracked, and knives were scattered everywhere.
In the dining room, cutlery was stuck in the wall, and the chandelier swayed precariously.
"You trashed my Old Lady's house." Max chuckled softly.
"You fired the shots." Zhang Jie snorted coldly.
The two maintained their standoff, neither daring to relax first.
Suddenly... Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang.
Both of them froze simultaneously.
"Delivery?" Zhang Jie frowned.
"FBI?" Max narrowed her eyes.
"Fuck!"
Both swore under their breath simultaneously, releasing their grip in unspoken understanding and stepping back.
Max quickly straightened her disheveled pajamas, casually picking up a surviving bottle of Lafite from the floor.
"Next time we play, errand boy."
She licked the blood from the corner of her lips and turned to walk towards the stairs.
Play again?
You call this a game?
Zhang Jie stared at her retreating figure, slowly exhaling.
"Crazy woman..."
He looked down at his bleeding bandage, then at the ravaged living room, and smiled helplessly.
After dealing with the delivery at the door, Zhang Jie sighed, "Damn! This woman, she's really something."
"Oh, right, you don't have to pay for the cleaning fee."
Max's voice came from upstairs. For some reason, Zhang Jie actually felt a sense of relief and looked upstairs gratefully, then tidied up and prepared to leave.
But truthfully, Max's overall strength was indeed very formidable. If it weren't for sensing that her killing intent towards him wasn't that strong, their encounter probably wouldn't have just been a superficial brawl; it would have already drawn blood.
One must know, although both of their gunshots were aimed at the head, they both missed. Every knife strike seemed fatal, yet always deviated at the crucial moment. This could be considered a tacit understanding between them.
Zhang Jie called this behavior a test, while Max, that crazy woman, called it a game.
Such a wild game couldn't endure many more rounds of torment.
Fortunately, it was still early morning, and there weren't many people on the road. Plus, Old Lady Schneider's house was a bit secluded, so even such an intense battle didn't attract the attention of the police or passersby.
Of course, in free America, gunfights happen every day; perhaps they had already grown accustomed to it.
But Zhang Jie still had a question in his mind: What was Max's purpose in returning?
She couldn't have specifically fought him just to play a game, could she?
That's illogical.
And Zhang Jie had confirmed her identity; she was a professional assassin. Although she appeared to be an intern lawyer, there was only one reason for her sudden return: to carry out a mission.
"Damn, I hope this mission target isn't me."
Since they were both assassins, it wasn't surprising that she knew about Blackthorn Castle. Given her skills, she was definitely a high-ranking assassin, capable of accessing certain secrets.
Speaking of secrets, Zhang Jie suddenly remembered Veronica, the intelligence dealer.
Well, in terms of beauty, she was no less stunning than Max, and she seemed even more wild and daring. After all, it's rare to find someone who can share intelligence while doing 'that' over the phone.
"She really looks like Ana de Armas. In this world, your name is Veronica, truly a dangerous woman."
So, Zhang Jie took out his phone and found that unfamiliar number. Yes, on his way to Blackthorn Castle, a seductive woman had called him, sharing some tantalizing intelligence.
Beep—
After a few rings, the other end picked up, and a lazy "Hello" came through.
"Don't tell me you just finished your 'business'."
Zhang Jie had a bit of an understanding of this woman's way of doing things.
"Oh, my, it's rare for little brother to actively think of big sister. What, do you want me to provide special home service?"
Veronica's tone was as lazy and provocative as ever.
However, having just experienced that stimulating and alluring battle with Max, Zhang Jie didn't have much desire for that at the moment. Had he entered 'sage mode'?
"Help me investigate someone's information."
Zhang Jie said.
"Whose information do you want to know?"
The tone on the other end of the phone suddenly changed, as if she had entered work mode.
Tsk tsk tsk, look, that's professionalism!
"Max Schneider."
"Hmm?"
Veronica on the other end of the phone paused, then asked with some disbelief.
"Did you get involved with the Ouroboros Family?"
Huh?!
What?
This time it was Zhang Jie's turn to be stunned. What Ouroboros Family?
I just asked for a person's name, wait!
"You mean, Max Schneider is part of the Ouroboros Family?"
"Not stupid. Max is one of the top ten assassins in the Ouroboros Family, codenamed Jing Ji."
Veronica's tone on the other end of the phone became lazy again; she had clearly heard from Zhang Jie's tone that there was no bad blood.
--+--
T/N: Although I'm an inexperienced Editor, I do have a Patreon account! Although it seems like I don't have many supporters right now, my webnovel will be released in full every day, and the advanced chapters will be uploaded to Patreon.
It may not be worth it now, but who knows, it might be different in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/TripleCrown07
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