On the second floor of the building, Alex sat beside Shane Hanner behind one of the tables, barely avoiding the line of fire from the relentless sniper pursuing them.
Alex muttered in frustration, "It seems this day won't pass peacefully. It's like everyone decided to attack me all at once."
Suddenly, he paused, his senses tensing. "What is that? Other sounds?" He closed his eyes, trying to focus on what he was hearing.
"There are four people on the first floor... Their sounds are faint, their movements careful. Professional assassins. The situation is getting worse. If they come up here, we'll be caught between a rock and a hard place, the sniper on one side and those assassins on the other."
He thought quickly, "What to do now?... I could escape on my own, but I have this girl with me... I have no choice but to retreat to the third floor, out of the sniper's range."
He turned to Shane Hanner, who looked terrified, and said in a calm but firm voice, "We need to move. There are others coming here. We're going to the third floor."
Shane Hanner looked at him in astonishment and said, "What? Others?"
He motioned for her to be quiet, saying, "Don't raise your voice. We don't have time to explain."
She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "But what about the sniper?"
Alex smiled slightly and said, "I'm the main target. He'll focus his attention on me. You just need to run toward the stairs as fast as you can, and I'll distract him."
Shane Hanner remained silent, but her eyes were filled with worry. Alex repeated more seriously, "Do you understand? Staying here is a huge risk; it means certain death."
She nodded slowly and said, "Okay... I'll do it." She quickly took off her shoes so they wouldn't slow her down and prepared herself.
Alex scanned the room with his eyes quickly, noticing a nearby sofa that could serve as temporary cover. He said calmly, "Get ready." Then they both moved at the same moment; Alex jumped towards the sofa, while Shane Hanner darted toward the stairs with agility.
<•••>
<•••>
Gunshots echoed through the room, and Alex barely escaped one of them.
The sniper growled in frustration, "Damn it! He got away again."
Shane Hanner reached the third floor, sitting on the ground, breathing heavily, waiting anxiously for Alex. Alex took a deep breath and thought to himself, "Success... at least in one step."
He raced towards the third floor, dodging bullets that whizzed by, but managed to reach safety without significant injury.
**الجزء الثالث:**
---
<•••>×1
<•••>×1
<•••>×1
The sniper, feeling frustrated, muttered, "The target is on the third floor... no windows there, I can't target him."
|Alright, fall back, we'll handle the rest.|
The sniper replied, "Are you sure? He's not an easy target."
|Don't worry, we've got everything under control. You can leave and inform King Shuri that the mission is complete.|
With a relieved sigh, the sniper said, "Alright, I'll do that."
He began packing up his gear and preparing to withdraw.
"Be ready; the target is on the third floor." Three voices responded in unison, "Yes, sir."
On the third floor, Alex approached Shane Hanner, who was sitting and waiting anxiously. He asked calmly, "Are you alright?"
She nodded and replied, "Yes, but... what do we do now?"
Alex moved towards the balcony that overlooked the garden. "Sit here. If something happens to me, jump towards the garden and leave."
She looked at him hesitantly and said, "But... it's too high."
He responded firmly, "A broken bone is better than death. Now do as I say."
He closed the balcony door behind her and turned off the lights, then stood behind the door, alert. "They're close... I have to be ready."
<°°°>
The door suddenly shattered, and a man in black entered, cautiously aiming a handgun. But before he could take another step, Alex swiftly struck him with a kick to his other leg, causing him to lose balance.
The man tried to lift his gun, but a thin needle had already embedded itself in his forehead, paralyzing him. He cursed, "Damn you!"
He fell to the floor, causing confusion among his comrades behind him. Alex seized the opportunity and jumped into the fray to close the distance for hand-to-hand combat.
The three men pushed their fallen friend aside, but before one could react, he received a punch to the face, disorienting him. The others tried to shoot, but Alex grabbed their colleague and used him as a human shield.
<•••>×5
Five shots rang out, hitting their comrade's back directly. One of them shouted in frustration, "Damn you, you..." But he couldn't finish his sentence as Alex threw the body towards them, distracting them momentarily. In a flash, two bullets found their marks in the heads of the other two men.
<•••>×1
<•••>×1
All the assailants lay dead, except for Alex and the paralyzed man. Breathing heavily, Alex muttered, "It's over. But I need to be cautious; the sniper might still be out there."
Quickly, he gathered the bodies and dragged them into the bathroom. He then tied up the lone survivor with a sturdy rope, looking at him coldly, "You'll stay here until I decide what to do with you."
His thoughts immediately turned to Shane Hanner, and he hurried to check on her.
---
**Shane Hanner's POV**
Inside the balcony, Shane Hanner was trembling with fear. The gunfire echoed in her ears, and she thought to herself, "Am I going to die here? Is this the end? Why did fate bring me to this cursed place?"
Clutching her bag, she nervously tried to call the police.
|No signal...|
"What? Why is there no signal?!" she screamed in panic.
Then she heard footsteps approaching. "Is that Alex? Or are they enemies?" She hesitated for a moment, then remembered Alex's words: "A broken bone is better than death..." She made up her mind, "Yes, I'll jump if it's not him."
**End of Shane Hanner's POV**
Alex returned to the balcony, and when he opened the door, he found Shane Hanner attempting to jump. He quickly grabbed her by the shoulder before she could leap.
She screamed in terror, "Let go of me! Let me go!"
He spoke in a soothing tone, "Calm down, it's me."
She stopped resisting, catching her breath, and said, "Alex... I thought I was going to die."
She collapsed into his arms, sobbing. He held her gently, speaking softly, "It's over. You're safe now."
He waited until she calmed down, then asked her kindly, "Do you feel better now?"
She nodded as she wiped away her tears, saying, "Yes... Thank you. What happened to them?"
Alex replied with a faint smile, "Nothing important... Now, can you let go of me?"
Realizing that she was still holding onto him, her face flushed with embarrassment. She pushed him away quickly, saying in a flustered voice, "Idiot! Why didn't you let go?"
He looked at her in surprise, "You were the one holding onto me!"
She snapped back, "You could've avoided taking advantage of the situation!" Then she turned away, pouting in anger.
Alex simply shook his head with a resigned smile, thinking to himself, "Women... truly mysterious creatures."
He then said calmly, "Alright, stay here. I'll check the area, and if everything's clear, you can leave afterward."
She nodded and replied, "Okay."