Amid the screams and curses, the pickup truck sped closer. Before I could figure out what was going on, a dark gun barrel poked out of the window.
My mind went blank, and cold sweat instantly broke out across my forehead. Not caring whether they were aiming at me or not, I took off running for my life.
After the battle aboard the ship, I’d grown a lot bolder. Seeing a gun pointed at me didn’t make my legs go weak, at least—I still had the strength to run.
When they saw me trying to escape, the pickup hit the gas and gave chase. Gunshots rang out at the same time.
Just as Navier had said, they’d killed so many pirates aboard the ship, and now they were holding me responsible for it.
Those damn pirates couldn’t take on the mercenaries, so they took their anger out on me. Was this fucking fair?
Bullets whizzed past me, smashing into the walls and kicking up clouds of dust and cement chips. I ran hunched over, clutching my head. If I’d known it would come to this, I might as well have left with Navier. Every extra day alive was a win, and being a mercenary was better than being dead.
Unfortunately, there was no cure for regret. At this rate, even with the enemy’s terrible aim, they were bound to hit me eventually.
I had no experience and didn’t know where to run. I’d planned to head for a crowded area, but the moment the gunfire started, everyone scattered like birds and beasts. The street had barely been populated to begin with, and now it was completely deserted—not a soul in sight.
Just as the pickup was about to catch up, I turned in desperation and darted into an alley. The truck couldn’t stop in time and barreled right past.
I hadn’t even had time to catch my breath before it backed up and blocked the mouth of the alley. Two Black men wearing headscarves jumped out, each carrying an AK-47.
The moment they saw me, they opened fire without a word.
Luckily, there was a corner in the alley. I pressed myself tightly against the wall behind it.
Bullets rattled into the wall beside me, knocking off chunks of plaster and sending countless bits of stone flying. I covered my face with both hands, but the fragments still left several cuts across the backs of them.
A few seconds later, both men fell silent at the same time. I heard the firing pins click on empty chambers.
This was my only chance to escape. Once they reloaded, another hail of bullets would be waiting for me.
This was the moment I’d been waiting for. Ignoring the pain in my body, I bolted out the instant the gunfire stopped.
The alley was only fifty meters long, but I felt like I’d set a world record running through it.
The enemy had just changed magazines and hadn’t had time to pull the triggers when I reached the other end of the alley. There was another street beyond it. I glanced both ways: the left was more open, while the right had more buildings.
At a time like this, going somewhere open was the same as making myself a sitting duck, so I made a beeline for the buildings on the right.
There were no skyscrapers here, just ordinary residential buildings, no more than three stories high.
The buildings were packed close together, with all kinds of makeshift shelters strung across the rooftops. There were places to hide everywhere, and cars couldn’t get in.
I thought I could lose the enemy here, but I hadn’t run very far before the roar of motorcycles sounded behind me. I looked back to see three bikes chasing after me, their exhaust pipes belching black smoke as their engines roared.
“Fuck, does this ever end?”
When people are driven to the brink, they stop being afraid of anything. I didn’t know where I found the courage, but I grabbed two bricks from the roadside and swung them at the oncoming motorcycles.
One struck an enemy right on the wrist. It hit hard enough to make the guy wobble twice before he and his bike went tumbling. The bumper scraped along the ground, throwing off a trail of sparks.
The other two hadn’t even reacted before I hurled the second brick. Unfortunately, I missed this time.
With a shrill squeal of brakes, the two assassins on motorcycles spun around in place. Their tires ground against the road, kicking up dust, and then they pulled pistols from their waists.
The moment I saw the guns, I lost my nerve. I swung my arms and ran, and before the two assassins could shoot, I’d already ducked into the residential buildings.
The two men held their pistols between their teeth, revved their motorcycles, and chased after me without letting up.
People running for their lives don’t choose their routes carefully, and I didn’t know the area. I ran wherever there was a path, zigzagging this way and that until, sure enough, I wound up in a dead end.
The earthen wall in front of me was a full three meters high. Two-story residential buildings stood on either side, and there was nowhere to get a foothold. I tried twice, but couldn’t climb over.
With no other choice, I could only go back. I’d just poked my head around the corner when a bullet came straight at me. I went completely numb for an instant. Luckily, the assassin wasn’t good at aiming from a moving bike. The bullet grazed my scalp and slammed into the earthen wall behind me with a bang, leaving a hole the size of a fist.
I struggled to swallow. My scalp tingled as if I’d been electrocuted. At that moment, I thought I saw my grandmother.
I didn’t want to die in a foreign land like this, but my legs wouldn’t obey me. The assassins were in front of me, a dead end behind me, and there was nowhere to run.
Two motorcycles stopped in front of me. An assassin raised his pistol and pointed it at my head. Maybe it was because his skin was so dark, but I couldn’t make out his face.
Was this how I died? Was this how my life ended?
I slowly closed my eyes, giving up all hope of survival. No matter how unwilling I was to accept it, there was nothing I could do.
A tear slipped from the corner of my eye. It wasn’t fear. I was mourning my own ordinary, short life.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out. This scene felt strangely familiar.
With my eyes closed, I frowned and reached up to touch my forehead. There was no bullet hole, and no blood.
Was I still alive?
I opened my eyes in disbelief. A familiar figure had appeared before me once again.
Navier held her military knife in a reverse grip, its blade buried deep in the assassin’s heart. The other man had been shot between the eyes and was already dead.
“Hey, don’t just stand there. If we don’t get moving, even God can’t save you.” Navier snatched the assassin’s gun and tossed it to me.
This time, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I caught the pistol and followed close behind her as we ran.
Whatever the reason, I’d survived, and that was more important than anything else.
As soon as we reached the intersection, a black Jeep stopped in front of us. Navier opened the door and climbed in, and I followed her.
The driver hit the gas, and the car shot onto the road like an arrow loosed from a bow.
“What a coincidence—we meet again!” The old soldier, a Smoking Pipe between his lips, smiled at me. Only now, the pipe had been replaced by a cigar.
“Heh, I guess we’re fated to keep meeting!” I sighed, resigned to my fate.
“Don’t read too much into it. We were just passing by. We heard gunshots and went to see what was happening. Saving you was just a bonus.” The young white man in the passenger seat smiled and shrugged.
“Shut up, Demon. Stay alert. There are enemies everywhere around here.” Navier glared at him.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’m looking forward to them showing up!” Demon flicked his wrist, and a military knife appeared from nowhere, twirling between his fingers.
“Come to think of it, I still don’t know your name.” Navier looked at me.
“Tang Feng. I’m Chinese!” I introduced myself.
“Oh, I love China. Your food is delicious.” Demon spoke while keeping his sharp gaze fixed on the window.
“Really? What do you like to eat? Maybe I can make it for you!” Since no one had looked after me when I was young, I’d become a decent cook.
“You can cook? That’s surprising. Isn’t Chinese cuisine really difficult to make?” Navier looked astonished.
“It’s nothing. Combat is just as hard for me.” I glanced at the gun in my hand and gave a bitter smile.
“No, no. I think fighting is much easier than cooking.” Demon shook his head repeatedly.
“Hey, guys, could you stop chatting? I’d love to try some Chinese cuisine, but now’s not the time. We’ve got trouble.”
The burly man driving stared at the rearview mirror, excitement showing in his eyes.