There Really Is a Missile!
24: Chapter 24: Damn It!
There Really Is a Missile!
On the other side…
Jack and his two teammates stepped into the gilded elevator.
John pressed the button for the top floor.
The elevator doors slid smoothly shut.
The cab began rising steadily, the acceleration pressing noticeably against their backs.
Melodic, soothing elevator music reverberated inside.
Yet the atmosphere within remained stiflingly tense.
Standing side by side, none of the three uttered a word.
As the elevator climbed floor by floor, the numbers flickered steadily on the floor indicator.
Floor 10…
Floor 20…
Floor 30…
For reasons he couldn’t put his finger on, a sudden wave of unease rushed over John.
He felt as if something was wrong, but he couldn’t say what.
As a secret agent, he refused to believe that absurdity could occur in back-to-back coincidences.
Yet reality insisted otherwise.
How else could anyone explain why Stark’s bodyguard was working as a front desk receptionist down below?
Damn it, just look at the man’s build—shouldn’t he be working security?!
If John ever got promoted to management, he would fire the recruitment team on the spot.
What absolute incompetence!
Finally, John couldn’t hold back his silence any longer.
Glancing at his two teammates, he spoke up, a trace of concern in his voice.
“Guys, don’t you feel like something’s off?” “Tonight’s operation went way too smoothly.
Especially that Happy—why did he happen to be right here at this exact moment?
Even if he got fired, there’s no way it’s such a coincidence.” Hearing their team leader’s doubts, hot-tempered Jack shrugged.
This was their first field mission, and while it had gone a bit too smoothly…
Isn’t that a good thing?!
Still, seeing the grim silence on his teammates’ faces, Jack thought for a moment and added, “Captain, I think it feels a bit weird too.
That fat guy talked way too much, after all.
But no matter what, we’re here to complete the mission, not overthink coincidences.” Jack paused, looked at both of them, then clenched his fist with a confident grin.
“Besides, we have superpowers!” “I mean, look at the power we hold now.
Are we seriously gonna be scared of two drunk trust-fund playboys?
Even if they’ve got bodyguards up there, I could cave their heads in with one punch!” Mark nodded in agreement with Jack.
They were superhumans—why would they fear ordinary people?!
It was laughable!
“Maybe we’re just overthinking things because we want to finish this mission so badly, Captain.” “According to Intelligence’s psychological profiles, the Stark brothers aren’t normal people to begin with.” “They’re arrogant and impulsive.
Firing a long-time bodyguard on the spot over a minor dispute might be impossible for anyone else, but it’s totally in character for them.” “Happy clearly holds a grudge, which is why he was so cooperative with us.” Hearing his teammates’ reasoning, John fell silent for a moment.
They made sense.
In the face of sheer power, schemes and tricks were meaningless.
Perhaps he really was being overly cautious.
What if it really was just a coincidence?!
The three stopped debating the matter.
The elevator was already four floors from the top, about to reach the penthouse level.
Seeing that the other two were still looking solemn, Jack grinned, revealing a cruel smile.
“Relax, Captain.
Failure isn’t an option on this mission!” “With my physical conditioning, unless Tony Stark fires a missile at us, a few handguns won’t do shit to take us down!” “But how could that happen?
Unless he’s God Himself, foreseeing the future and hauling a missile into a hotel corridor to wait for us!” Hearing this, John and Mark broke into laughter as well.
Yeah, that was beyond absurd.
Who puts a missile in a hotel corridor?
Instantly, the tense atmosphere inside the elevator loosened considerably.
Just as their laughter was echoing inside the cab— *Ding!* A crisp chime sounded.
The elevator reached the top floor.
The display froze at the top floor number.
The doors slid open to either side.
The three instantly killed their smiles, their eyes overflowing with murderous intent.
The mission had begun.
Fully prepared and with muscles coiled tight, they primed themselves to spring out and execute the assassination at top speed.
However— The moment they stepped out of the elevator— All three froze on the spot, eyes wide as saucers.
Because…
About ten meters down the corridor in front of them…
Sat a bracket extending out from the wall.
Mounted quietly on the bracket was a miniature, shell-like device!
Stamped on its casing was the logo of Stark Industries.
Beyond any doubt, it was a genuine, miniature high-explosive missile!
At the tip of the missile, a red indicator light was blinking.
And at the exact moment they stepped out and laid eyes on the missile— The digital countdown timer above it ticked down to its final second.
“5…
4…
3…
2…
1…” Zero!
In the next split second— Blazing fire erupted from the miniature missile’s thruster.
*Swoosh!* Screaming with the screech of impending death, the missile detached from its mount and rocketed toward the three men!
The distance was roughly fifty meters, but such a short time was nowhere near enough.
Jack was completely dumbfounded.
His scalp went numb, his blood running cold.
“Holy shit!
There really is a missile!” What kind of maniac was this damned Stark?!
He actually mounted a missile in a hotel hallway!
But right now, there was no time to hesitate, no time to wonder what the hell was happening.
Facing a missile just inches away, human survival instinct instantly flared to life.
John, blessed with super-speed, had the fastest reflexes.
*Whoosh!* His figure vanished instantly into a blur, dashing toward the corner at the end of the corridor.
Mark wasn’t slow either.
He transformed directly into a puddle of water, seeping rapidly into the carpet seams and floorboards.
Relying on their superpowers, both escaped the epicenter of the explosion in the nick of time.
As the saying goes, every man for himself in times of peril.
With the fastest ones gone, only the unlucky bastard remained.
Standing bewildered at the elevator entrance was Jack alone.
His powers were super-strength and invulnerability.
He couldn’t run like lightning, nor could he turn into water.
Damn it!!
They abandoned me!!
In desperation, Jack’s eyes flushed red as he let out a beastly roar.
Summoning every ounce of power, he slammed his fist into the adjacent wall.
*BOOM!* The solid wall crumbled into a gaping crater under his blow.
Jack tore a massive chunk of concrete from the wall and held it in front of himself, hoping to use it as a shield to cushion the impact.
The very next second after he raised the slab— The miniature missile slammed squarely into the concrete shield.
*BOOM!* A deafening roar shattered the hallway!
The explosion detonated instantly!