Chapter 122 The Fish That Slipped Through the Net
Chapter 122 The Fish That Slipped Through the Net
The masked man with Ethan's hand on his shoulder didn't tremble at that terrifying speed. Instead, from behind that mask came a low, quiet laugh.
"Ethan, I'll admit it — you're fast as hell. Like something out of a nightmare."
His voice was completely calm. "But you don't actually think I'd stand here chatting with you, knowing full well what you're capable of, without being prepared, do you?"
Ethan's brow furrowed slightly. His instincts were screaming at him — something was very wrong.
Without a second's hesitation, he let go and threw himself backwards, vanishing into a dark blur.
A tenth of a second after he cleared the spot —
A blinding blue laser shot down from above without any warning, punching straight through the exact place Ethan had just been standing.
The floor melted into a deep, smoking hole. The edges were still giving off sharp, acrid fumes.
"High-energy laser weapons." Ethan brushed the dust off his clothes and looked up into the surrounding darkness. "You really spared no expense to take me down, did you."
It was obvious now — this abandoned factory was hiding far more than just the few guys he could see. There was no telling how many eyes were watching from the dark.
The masked man quickly stepped back several paces, putting distance between them.
He raised his hand and drew it slowly across his throat.
"Since you've turned down our offer, you have no reason to stay alive." He gave the order in a flat voice. "Kill him. Burn him to ash."
In the next instant, countless laser beams rained down from above, and the air warped and shimmered under the intense heat.
Faced with that wall of firepower, Ethan didn't look the least bit worried. He let out a short laugh and disappeared from where he stood.
He moved so fast he left afterimages.
Lasers that could melt steel in seconds couldn't even catch the hem of his jacket.
"Want to make things interesting? Perfect." Ethan flashed a cold smile as he weaved between the blasts. "Then let's play."
The moment the words left his mouth, he leaned back and melted into the shadows in the corner of the factory. Gone completely.
Every black-robed figure in the room froze. They stood there gripping their weapons, staring at the spot where Ethan had vanished like they'd just seen a ghost.
None of them had expected this — that under such overwhelming firepower, this man could dodge everything so effortlessly and simply disappear.
They were still scanning the room for any sign of him when a bloodcurdling scream tore out of the darkness.
Then a dull thud.
A body came flying out of the shadows and hit the ground at the masked man's feet.
It was one of their snipers — a black-robed figure who'd been hiding in the dark.
His chest was completely caved in. His neck was twisted at a grotesque angle. He was dead before he could even twitch.
"Where the hell is he?"
"Open fire! Shoot into the shadows!"
The black-robed figures started firing wildly in a panic.
The only answer they got was a string of screams.
Bodies kept flying out of the dark corners of the factory, hitting the floor hard one after another.
Some had their arms torn off. Some had their skulls crushed. The smell of blood in the factory grew heavier by the second.
"Damn it — hold it together!" The masked man finally lost his composure. He screamed in fury, "Turn on the lights! All of them! Every floodlight in this place! I want him with nowhere to hide!"
Dozens of industrial-grade floodlights mounted around the factory blazed to life all at once, flooding the entire space with harsh white light. Every shadow was gone. There was nowhere left to hide.
And yet — every single black-robed figure felt their skin crawl.
Even under all that blinding light, there was no sign of Ethan anywhere.
"What is going on? Is he a ghost?" One of them stood there with his gun raised, hands shaking uncontrollably.
Then one of the massive floodlights high above suddenly exploded and went dark. Glass rained down across the floor.
A body came dropping from beside the dead light, hitting the ground and splattering into a broken mess.
Another floodlight went out.
Another body fell.
Every time a light burst, the remaining men's nerves pulled a little tighter.
As the light sources went out one by one, the survivors finally broke.
"I'm done with this! I'm getting out of here!"
Several of them screamed, dropped their weapons, and bolted for the exit.
Ethan had no intention of letting any of them leave.
A dark shape flashed into view. Ethan appeared directly behind the fleeing men.
Two of them had their heads twisted a full hundred and eighty degrees before they dropped.
"Sorry," Ethan said with a cold smirk. "I'm in a hurry."
He was several times faster than any of them. Before the rest could react, his fist was already coming down, caving in their chests with a single punch.
In just a few minutes, the massive abandoned factory went completely silent.
The floor was covered in broken bodies and blood.
Ethan shook the blood off his hand and swept his gaze across the carnage.
But then his relaxed expression shifted. His brow pulled tight.
Something was off.
He walked quickly over to the pile of bodies and flipped over a few masks with the toe of his shoe.
The masked man who had been standing right in front of him — the one who'd tried to recruit him —
His body was gone.