Chapter 48: One Shot
A bullet crackling with electric sparks left the chamber, effortlessly piercing through the glass window before flying toward the Flower Tree Restaurant.
A blue trail dragged behind the bullet as it penetrated the wall of the Flower Tree Restaurant, heading straight for the head of the mission target, Dubois.
From the moment Bubu Wang detonated the alchemy bomb, the little assistant created chaos, until the bullet pierced the wall, a total of 2.5 seconds had passed. The lightning-attribute bullet flew extremely fast. Only two people in the banquet hall reacted: one was Buck, and the other was a woman with a scarred face.
The scar-faced woman leaped up, lunging toward Dubois. Judging by her speed, she was clearly too slow.
The short axe in Buck's right hand slashed forward, and the ground beneath his feet shattered inch by inch.
Boom!
A crater about three meters in diameter appeared on the ground, with a bottomless hole at its center.
Blood splattered onto the scar-faced woman's face. The familiar smell of blood twisted her expression.
The scar-faced woman tackled Dubois to the ground—or rather, she tackled the lower half of Dubois's body to the ground. As for Dubois's upper body, it had already scattered in a spray around her.
One shot. Dubois's upper body was directly blown apart. Buck had sensed the bullet, but the lightning-attribute bullet was simply too fast.
Bang! Bang!
Two more shots. Two yellow streaks of light flew into the Flower Tree Restaurant.
The yellow light was like a pile driver, emitting a tremor before embedding into the ground. This was earth-attribute ammunition.
The entire outer wall of the Flower Tree Restaurant was covered in cracks, threatening to collapse at any moment.
After the roar, screams erupted from inside the Flower Tree Restaurant. The previously elegant guests instinctively surged outward, women shrieking loudly.
The Flower Tree Restaurant could collapse at any moment. The little assistant had already reached the kitchen. She pulled a black cloth bag from a cabinet—a long, narrow bag containing firearms and explosives.
With a tearing sound, the little assistant ripped off the hem of her black gauze skirt and strapped two holsters with pistols onto her thighs.
"What a delightful banquet."
The little assistant pulled a smoke grenade from the black cloth bag. Just as she was about to pull the pin, the kitchen door was pushed open, and several men and women rushed in.
As these people entered the kitchen, a pistol was aimed at them.
"You..."
Orlando froze for a moment, instinctively stepping back.
The little assistant ignored Orlando. She holstered the pistol back into her thigh holster and pulled the pin on the smoke grenade in her hand.
"Pop!"
The little assistant tossed the smoke grenade toward Orlando and the others. They screamed in panic, though Orlando had decent composure, merely pressing himself against the wall.
Acrid smoke spread out as the little assistant dashed out the back door.
Bang!
The front door of the kitchen was kicked off its hinges. Buck, wielding his double short axes, strode into the kitchen. His gaze swept over the few people inside before he quickly rushed toward the back door.
Buck did not pursue Su Xiao. In other words, he knew he couldn't catch Su Xiao, so he settled for the next best option: chasing the little assistant.
This didn't mean Buck had completely given up on Su Xiao or would let him leave Ambera City. Someone else had already gone after Su Xiao—someone whose frontal combat ability couldn't compare to Buck's, but whose tracking skills ranked among the top ten in the Sun Kingdom.
Two minutes later, in a pitch-black alley.
Boom!
A wall shattered as a figure burst through—it was Buck.
The little assistant stood at the far end of the alley, cornered. Being pursued by a monster as strong as Buck left her with no chance of escape.
Buck stood at the entrance of the alley, his gaze fixed on the little assistant. His steel-like teeth glinted coldly in the moonlight.
"Huff... huff..."
The little assistant gasped for breath. One of her arms hung limply, blood trickling down her pale cheek. Her situation was hopeless—there was no escape.
Four dark figures leaped down from the rooftops, landing in the alley.
With a crack, a wooden stick flew from nowhere and struck Buck on the head. Buck froze for a moment, completely unable to sense where the attack had come from.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out. Buck raised his short axe to block, and the bullet ricocheted off—it was the little assistant firing.
Four ice wolves stood in front of the little assistant. Among them, a scar-eyed ice wolf bared its fangs and silently advanced toward Buck. When an ice wolf truly intended to tear an enemy apart, it wouldn't growl.
Buck touched the spot on his head where he'd been hit. Though it didn't hurt, the attack was far too bizarre.
Buck glanced at the scar-eyed ice wolf. He could handle such polar creatures, but it would take some time.
A red signal flare rose from the eastern side of Ambera City and exploded with a boom.
Buck looked at the little assistant, then stomped the ground and vanished into the night. He had two choices: waste time dealing with the four ice wolves and capture the little assistant alive, or abandon her and pursue the primary culprit. The red signal flare signified a distress call, meaning the group chasing Su Xiao had suffered heavy losses.
Between the little assistant and Su Xiao, Buck didn't need to think twice. He decisively chose to go after Su Xiao. He and Su Xiao still had unfinished business. As for the already-dead Dubois, Buck felt a pang of disappointment on a personal level. He had warned Dubois not to attend this banquet, but Dubois had refused.
If Dubois had actually listened to Buck's advice, killing him would have been extremely difficult for Su Xiao. But once Dubois attended the banquet, with Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and the little assistant working together from inside and out, Dubois was doomed from the start. Without Buck, Su Xiao would have acted the moment Dubois appeared, not waited until now.
Buck disappeared into the night. The little assistant staggered a few steps, severe blood loss making her dizzy.
Bubu Wang, who had been sitting on a trash can, revealed himself. The stick that hit Buck earlier had been his doing. Though the long-range strike hadn't injured Buck, it had certainly made him wary.
Bubu Wang signaled the scar-eyed ice wolf to carry the little assistant. The scar-eyed little brother was reluctant but still hoisted the little assistant onto its back and followed Bubu Wang into the night.
Buck, wielding his short axes, moved through the darkness. Soon, he arrived near the area where the signal flare had been launched.
Several wrecked vintage cars lay scattered across the street, all sliced apart. Sparks had ignited the gasoline, and flames blazed fiercely on the road.
Seeing the smooth cuts on the car wrecks, Buck knew exactly who had done this.
"Buck... Buck..."
A weak female voice called out. Buck quickly rushed into a clothing store by the street. A woman covered in blood leaned against the counter. Her left arm was severed, and her right hand clutched her throat, blood gushing through her fingers. She was the scar-faced woman from before, one of Dubois's guards.
"The... target is, east of the city, follow the Dawn Butterfly."
Light particles emerged from the scar-faced woman's mouth, forming a butterfly. As it flapped its wings, it scattered pure white powder.
Buck nodded and turned to dash out of the clothing store.
"Wait."
The scar-faced woman removed her hand from her throat, and a torrent of blood sprayed out. Her throat was cut a third of the way through.
"Give me a quick end."
She lifted her shirt with her remaining arm, revealing her chest—nearly completely caved in, as if hit by a train.
"Internal organs are completely destroyed. I'm beyond saving. Watch out for that guy's side kick—it hits harder than a tank."
Buck stood silently before the scar-faced woman, then raised his short axe.
Thud!
Blood splattered. Buck walked out of the clothing store, blood still dripping from his axe blade.