Chapter 72 Tensed Confrontation 3

Chapter 72 Tensed Confrontation 3
Marcus Pov 

The room turned deadly silent. Every gun remained raised, every finger rested on a trigger, yet no one dared to move.

The guard who had rushed in stood in the middle of the room, breathing so hard that his chest rose and fell like he had run for his life.

Across from me, Henry stared at him blankly, and for the first time since I arrived, the man before me truly looked afraid.

I watched him quietly. The aura around me remained calm, my lips held the faintest smile, but my eyes were darker than the night outside.

So… it finally happened. Right on time!

Henry, who was in a daze, finally snapped back to his senses. His face twisted with fury as he grabbed the guard by his collar.

“What the hell do you mean he escaped?!”

The guard trembled. “Major… It’s exactly as I reported! W-We didn’t know what happened either!”

This seemed to make Henry even angrier.

“Then explain!”

His roar shook the room as he lost his composure.

The frightened guard swallowed hard, then began to explain.

“We heard fighting from the underground prison. But by the time we rushed there, the entrance had already been broken open. Many of our men were lying on the ground and…” His voice cracked. “S-Some… some were even dead. Some were badly injured, and none could speak.”

His voice became even weaker as he spoke.

“There was blood everywhere. When we rushed inside to check Dr. Reese… he was already gone.”

Silence settled in the room, and even the air seemed to freeze.

I looked at Henry indifferently. His fist trembled, and the confidence he wore like armor fell apart piece by piece. For a moment, he simply stood there, his mouth opened slightly as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out.

The hand holding the guard slowly loosened. It was as though someone had ripped the ground from beneath his feet.

Suddenly, the corner of my lips lifted slightly.

Good.

It seemed they completed their task so cleanly without disappointing me. A trace of pride flashed in my eyes.

James wasn’t a fighter and if I wanted him out safely, then everything had to happen exactly as planned. But fortunately, my people have never disappointed me.

From the moment I stepped into this estate, I never intended to negotiate. What I needed was time, which I got.

Just then, I looked towards Nexus, who met my eyes for a brief second and gave me an almost invisible nod.

I knew everything was proceeding according to plan.

So, without another word, I stood up. The chair scraped across the floor, and that tiny sound echoed through the room and immediately drew every gaze toward me, but who cared?

Ignoring them, I casually brushed the collar of my robe as though dust had settled there. Though there was nothing, I still smoothed it flat.

I could feel the gaze of the entire room watching my hand.

No one could understand why I could remain this calm, but I don’t think I owed anyone any explanation.

Finished, I finally raised my head and looked towards Henry.

His eyes were bloodshot now, his jaw clenched so tightly that I could see the muscles twitch.

I looked him over from head to toe. Then amusement flickered across my eyes.

“Thanks for hosting me.”

I didn’t say anything else, just those words. But around us, several guards stared at me like they had forgotten how to breathe.

The veins on Henry’s forehead instantly bulged. His breathing became rough and it looked like he wanted to tear me apart on the spot.

I placed one hand in my pocket, then walked towards the open door. Nexus and my other guard followed behind me without hesitation.

Just then—

“Who told you that you could leave?!”

Henry’s furious roar exploded behind me.

“Stop him!”

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly.

Just then, I heard boots pounding across the floor. Men rushed forward from every direction until they completely surrounded us. Several of them blocked the doorway.

Three soldiers stepped directly in front of me and raised their guns until the barrels pointed directly at my face.

My legs paused instantly.

Slowly, I looked at the weapons, then at the men holding them. My expression didn’t change.

Behind me, Henry’s voice rang out again.

“Marcus Stone, it seems someone important to me is now in your hands.” His breathing was heavier than before. “You can only leave… once you return Dr. Reese.”

Darkness gathered in my eyes.

Silence returned to the room. Every person in the room waited, and not even the guards holding guns seemed to blink.

Moments passed… then—

I chuckled.

The sound was low, but it made several soldiers unconsciously tighten their grip on their weapons.

Without hurry, I reached into my pocket, my expression still calm.

Just then, more than one guard stiffened. Their eyes revealed vigilance as they expected me to pull out a weapon. Instead, I removed a pack of cigarettes, then placed one between my lips.

Before anyone could react, Nexus stepped forward, and with a click of a lighter, he calmly lit the cigarette for me before stepping back into position.

The soldiers nearest to us exchanged stunned looks, and even the men pointing guns at my head seemed unsure whether they should keep aiming or simply stare.

As if I didn’t notice the situation in the room, my lips tightened as I bit the cigarette.

Behind me, Henry’s face darkened. His furious voice echoed in the room.

“Marcus!” he exploded. “You really aren’t taking me seriously!”

I drew in a slow breath and allowed the smoke to fill my lungs before drifting back into the air, partly hiding my face.

I never answered Henry. Instead, I looked only at the men blocking my path, my voice quiet.

“If you don’t want to die… scram!”

The three men stiffened. One swallowed, another shifted his feet without even realizing it, and for a split second, fear appeared in their eyes.

Just then, Henry’s furious shout came from behind me.

“This is my private property. Not yours! You should know that there are snipers all around this place, and one wrong move, I won’t show mercy!”

As his words dropped, the soldiers all lifted their guns even higher. The message could not have been clearer.

I smirked, then raised my chin.

“Then stop me if you dare.”

Without even looking at them, I continued walking.

One step.

Two steps.

Then—

A furious growl sounded behind me, then a sharp command followed.

“Release bullets!”

Immediately, three fingers pulled their triggers.

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

The bullets shot straight at me.

But not once did I stop walking.

The aura around me turned dangerous instantly. My eyes sharpened and slowly turned crimson. The world before me slowed, and the spinning bullets reflected clearly inside my gaze.

“Insolent!”

The moment the single word left my lips, icy silver-blue energy gathered around my fingertips. It twisted into a small ice cube, then with a simple flick of my two fingers, I sent it forward.

The energy surged forward and met the incoming bullets.

Then—

Boom!

A violent blast erupted in front of me. The explosion threw one of the soldiers, who couldn’t react fast enough, backward.

“Ahh!!”

A loud cry echoed as his body slammed across the floor and blood sprayed through the air.

The remaining guards instinctively stumbled back. Several of them lowered their guns as they stared at the blood in shock.

I knew no one expected such a result, but I warned them. They just didn’t listen.

The smoke in the room slowly cleared, and with a face so indifferent and calm, I walked past them without slowing down.

My aura sharpened like a knife, and the closer I walked towards them, the faster the surrounding soldiers stepped aside.

No one dared stand in my way anymore. Even Henry remained rooted where he stood.

When I reached the doorway, I suddenly paused.

Without looking back, I spoke calmly.

“The last person who tried this is buried a hundred feet underground.”

Then, without waiting for a response or reaction, I continued walking.

The moment I reached outside, my men who had been waiting outside quickly fell into formation around me as we headed towards the private jet.

The night air brushed across my indifferent face. As we walked quietly, our footsteps echoed in the air.

Then—

Boom!

A deafening explosion suddenly erupted behind us.

The ground shook beneath my feet, and almost immediately, I caught the scent of danger.

I turned around and watched the smoke settle to reveal the shattered entrance of the mansion.

The broken door lay shattered on the ground, then Henry stepped through the dust with a gun in one hand and crimson energy surrounding his body. Behind him, hundreds of armed soldiers followed him.

My eyes grazed across them, and I could immediately see their ranks.

Ranks of S+ Alphas, and most of them were SS+ Alphas. They filled the place, and as they walked towards me, their footsteps echoed together. The ground seemed to tremble beneath their weight.

The pressure from hundreds of powerful Alphas rolled across the estate like a storm.

My eyes moved away from them and finally stopped on Henry.

He looked furious, but I also noticed something—

Desperation.

James was gone. His bargaining chip was gone and the only thing he could use was force.

My lips curled up slightly.

I remained where I was. Though I only had a few dozen men behind me, none of them retreated or even showed fear, and neither did I.

Before I came here, I knew a confrontation like this might happen, but I still chose to come, and that’s because I knew I could handle it.

My eyes swept across the countless weapons in their hands, then at the faces of the Alphas.

Interest flashed in my eyes.

Isn’t this exciting?

What would Old Man Hart feel like if he knew his son had been secretly building his own power?

Just then, Henry finally stopped several meters away from me.

His hoarse, cold voice rang out.

“Marcus. You can leave, but Dr. Reese has to stay behind.”

I looked at him, my eyes cold.

Seconds passed.

Then I chuckled again.

I tilted my head slightly, then exhaled another stream of smoke into the night.

A frightening smile spread across my face.

“And what if I don’t?”

Henry’s expression instantly hardened. He tightened his fingers around the gun until his knuckles turned white. He breathed heavily as his eyes glared straight at me.

“Then… I have no choice.”

Without wasting a second, his voice suddenly thundered across the estate.

“Men! Prepare to open fire, and bring back the target for me!”

Click.

Click.

Click.

Hundreds of guns were raised at once.

Suddenly, the night instantly became filled with killing intent.

(🥰🥰)