The high beams suddenly cut through the darkness of the night, reflecting harshly off the trailer's side mirror.
"Dammit!" Sebastian cursed, lightly slapping the dashboard. "What the hell do these idiots want? They've been riding our tail for two kilometers without even trying to overtake us!"
The shrill sound of a military horn blared from behind. One of the CIA's black vehicles pulled alongside the trailer, forcing Sebastian to slow sharply to avoid colliding with the guardrail of the narrow road.
Klara let out a muffled scream, clutching the passenger seat, while Sophie, terrified, grabbed Hanna's sleeve.
"Dad, what's happening?! Are they going to hit us?" Sophie cried, her eyes wide with panic.
Arthur assessed the situation in a fraction of a second. The CIA agents wouldn't open fire on a trailer carrying civilians while it was still moving on an open highway—at least not yet. But the moment Sebastian pulled onto the shoulder, the execution would be swift to eliminate the witnesses.
"Sebastian, don't stop! Keep accelerating. Take the next fork to the left, toward the abandoned quarry!" Arthur ordered, his voice cutting through the chaos with such authority that the middle-aged man was caught completely off guard.
"What? Who do you think you are, ordering me around in my own vehicle?! I'm going to stop and see what these guys want..." Sebastian began turning the wheel toward the shoulder.
"If you stop now, your wife and daughter will die!"
Arthur's voice cracked through the cabin like a whip. His cold, heavy stare made Sebastian instinctively freeze, his hands tightening around the steering wheel.
At that exact moment, the second CIA vehicle swerved into the opposite lane and blocked the trailer's path, forcing Sebastian into a violent brake that threw everyone forward.
The doors of the SUVs flew open simultaneously.
Four men armed with assault rifles equipped with laser sights jumped out, pointing their weapons directly at the windshield.
"Everybody down!" Arthur roared, moving with the speed of a predator.
He shoved the trailer's side door open and leapt onto the asphalt before the agents could fire.
[Combat situation against multiple targets while outnumbered detected.]
[Proficiency gained: +3.]
[100x Talent Multiplier Activated!]
[Proficiency gained: +300!]
[Skill Unlocked: Firearms Mastery (Rank C-) ➔ Evolved to (Rank C)]
The first agent fired a warning burst, but Arthur's enhanced perception transformed the trajectory of the bullets into something almost predictable.
Drawing the pistol he had taken from Camp G, Arthur fired twice in one fluid motion.
Puff. Puff.
The lead agent staggered backward, struck in the protective plate of his vest. The impact knocked the wind out of him, sending him crashing to the ground.
The other three scattered, laying down covering fire against the side of the trailer. Shards of glass flew into the cabin, making Klara and Sophie scream in terror.
Seeing the opening Arthur had created, Hanna leapt through the side door right behind him.
With the feline agility that came so naturally to her, she avoided the line of fire, landed on the hood of the blocking SUV, and neutralized the second agent with a sharp strike to the neck before taking his rifle.
But one of the remaining agents managed to flank Arthur from the dark side of the road, raising his rifle directly toward his chest.
Arthur felt the imminent danger flare through his mind.
He needed to move faster than gravity would allow.
"Watch out!"
Hanna's voice cut through the crossfire.
In a completely instinctive movement—one that was utterly unlike the girl who had always relied solely on herself—Hanna threw herself sideways, using her own body to knock the enemy's rifle barrel off course at the exact millisecond he pulled the trigger.
The shot struck the ground beside Arthur's feet.
But Hanna's counterattack was merciless.
The butt of the rifle slammed into the agent's face with full force, knocking him unconscious instantly.
The last armed man, seeing his companions down and realizing the situation had spiraled completely out of control, dropped his weapon and ran for the second SUV.
He threw it into reverse, accelerated down the road, and disappeared into the cloud of dust.
Silence descended over the scene, broken only by the muffled rumble of the trailer's engine and the heavy breathing of Arthur and Hanna.
Arthur straightened, checking himself for injuries.
None.
But the shock had been real.
He looked toward Hanna, who stood beside him with the rifle in her hands, scanning the dark horizon.
Hanna turned her face toward Arthur.
There was a subtle, almost imperceptible change in the hardness of her blue eyes.
He hadn't run to save himself.
He had taken the risk to protect the civilians and secured her rear.
And she, for the first time since escaping Utrax, had actively chosen to protect his rear from a blind shot.
Neither said a word.
Only a silent nod passed between the two survivors.
Inside the trailer, Sebastian sat behind the wheel with trembling hands and eyes widened by pure terror. He looked into the rearview mirror and finally realized that those "backpackers" were nothing like what they appeared to be.
Without uttering another word of protest, he shifted into reverse, maneuvered around the fallen agents, and accelerated with everything he had toward the secondary road leading directly to the safe haven on the coast.
The road to Europe was open.
And the wolf now had a shadow he could trust.