["Do you want to live?"]
As Merlin heard the voice, his desperate expression froze instantly, and his eyes widened in horror.
"What is that voice? Am I hallucinating?" Merlin wondered, turning his head to scan the surroundings.
"You're not hallucinating. That's my voice." The woman's voice echoed again in his mind, confirming that he was not imagining things.
With shock still evident on his handsome face, he asked nervously, "Who are you? How can you communicate with me without showing yourself? Are you a ghost?"
As a man who upheld common sense, he had never believed in the existence of gods or ghosts. That was then. Now, whether he liked it or not, he had to accept that ghosts really existed!
"I am not a ghost, but an entity far greater than any being in this world," the woman's voice replied calmly. "For now, don't worry about that. I'm speaking to you because I have a choice to offer: Do you want to live? If you agree, I will save you from those who wish to kill you. But if you refuse, you will die."
The words left Merlin stunned, and a look of inner conflict crossed his handsome face.
If asked whether he wanted to live, the answer was clear—he desperately did. He wasn't ready to die at twenty-five, the prime of his life. Yet, he also understood the harsh truth: "There's no such thing as a free lunch."
The mysterious voice's offer was incredibly tempting, but Merlin knew there would be a cost—a price he would have to pay.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Merlin gritted his teeth and asked, "Your offer isn't free, is it? Tell me, what do I have to sacrifice?"
The woman's voice was silent for a moment before a small chuckle broke the quiet. "You're quite sharp, and I like that. Unfortunately, I can't reveal that to you just yet. But I can assure you, whatever it is, it won't harm you. In fact, you might even be grateful for it."
After a brief pause, she continued, "So, what will you choose?"
Merlin fell silent, his thoughts drifting for a moment. His expression gradually calmed as he closed his eyes.
"Alright, I want to live. I don't want to die in a remote place like this, let alone under such miserable circumstances," he replied, his tone cold and firm.
To hell with whatever he had to sacrifice—if he died, everything would be meaningless.
"Hahaha! Excellent! I didn't choose wrong after all. You've certainly pleased me," the woman's voice praised, followed by a burst of laughter.
"Now, let's not waste any more time. Jump off the gorge, and I guarantee you'll survive them all," she continued casually.
Merlin's eyebrows lifted slightly, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Yet, he chose to remain silent, keeping his doubts to himself. He didn't know if the mysterious voice could be trusted, but he had no other choice but to believe it.
Lifting his gaze, Merlin saw the ten hitmen closing in. Slowly, a confident smile spread across his face as he fiddled with the two golden cards between his fingers.
"Do you know," he said calmly, a soft laugh escaping his lips, "inside these cards isn't just fifty million dollars—but actually much more—one hundred million dollars!"
The ten hitmen froze in their tracks, stunned by Merlin's unexpected words. Their expressions shifted dramatically, and some of them couldn't suppress eager gulps.
"One hundred million dollars? Damn! That's an absurdly large sum! We're going to be rich, hahaha!" one of them shouted, laughing with excitement.
He was already picturing the lavish life that awaited them after taking the two gold cards from Merlin, along with the twenty million dollar payout from their clients once the mission was completed.
Though his comrades said nothing, the greed in their sunglasses-covered eyes was difficult to hide.
Overcome with excitement, one of them pointed at Merlin and yelled, "Come on, catch him now! We'll gain glory beyond our wildest dreams once we get him!"
With that, he and his comrades charged toward Merlin like a pack of wolves closing in on a helpless, fat sheep.
Just as they were only a few meters away, Merlin sprang backward, flipping them the middle finger.
"You want these cards? Alas—these two aren't yours, fools! Hahaha!" Merlin taunted, his body vanishing into the dark gorge.
The sight of his sudden leap left the ten hitmen stunned, and they quickly came to a halt.
"Damn it! That guy's crazy enough to kill himself!" one of them exclaimed in disbelief.
They had never anticipated Merlin would choose to jump into the gorge. If they had known, they would have captured him immediately instead of wasting time talking.
"Asshole! If he dies like that, the hundred and twenty million dollars—damn it, we won't even get paid at all!" His comrade shouted, frustration and despair clear in his voice.
At those words, all of them scowled, regret washing over their faces as they realized they should've dealt with Merlin sooner.
"Don't get so worked up. From what I know, there's a river below this gorge that flows into the one on the outskirts of the city. If we follow its current, there's still a chance we'll find his body," one of them said in a calming tone, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Then we can use his body as proof of our success and claim the two golden cards."
His words eased his comrades' tension. They exchanged relieved glances and nodded.
"In that case, let's head upstream and wait for his body to surface," one of them suggested. Without hesitation, they quickly departed.