Chapter 182 Let Him Watch Her Humiliation
Round two kicked off.
Just like the first round, there were still three checkpoints. But the difficulty level? Way harder.
When Wentworth stepped into the first room, a huge black bear was waiting for him.
From above, Matilda's heart jumped straight into her throat when she saw that beast standing nearly seven feet tall. Her fists clenched so hard her nails dug into her palms. "Wentworth, Wentworth, don't you dare die!"
Konbu chuckled to his two subordinates. "Wentworth's codename is Black Bear. Now it's bear versus bear—which one's gonna win?" The henchmen couldn't help but laugh. Another good show was about to begin.
...
Wentworth locked eyes with the black bear before him. The bear stared right back.
In the wild, black bears don't typically attack humans unprovoked. But a trained bear? That was a different story. This bear had been trained specifically for this. To prep it for Wentworth, they'd starved it for days and beaten it mercilessly. The bear had learned to hate humans with a vengeance.
The moment it spotted Wentworth, it charged.
Wentworth quickly stripped off his shirt. Blood from his first-round kills still stained the fabric, and bears had an incredibly keen sense of smell.
He hurled the shirt at the bear. The scent of blood sent the animal into a complete frenzy—it tore at the fabric like it was taking revenge on every human who'd tortured it.
Wentworth used the distraction to leap up and grab the window ledge, dangling from the edge. His codename was Black Bear for a reason - he knew everything about their behavior. Bears had terrible eyesight and mostly looked straight ahead. Stay silent, and it wouldn't notice someone hanging above.
Sure enough, after shredding the shirt, the bear prowled around the room searching for its prey.
Wentworth remained perfectly still.
When the bear finally calmed down and wandered beneath the window, Wentworth timed his move perfectly. He dropped down and struck the bear's nose hard. A bear's nose was packed with nerve endings - its most vulnerable point. The blow stunned its senses, causing a moment of complete disorientation.
In that split second, he went for the throat, locking his arms around the bear's neck in a chokehold.
By the time the bear recovered, Wentworth already had it trapped. Unable to breathe, the bear thrashed desperately, its massive paws hammering Wentworth's body blow after brutal blow.
Wentworth held on.
The bear's strength gradually faded. After about fifteen minutes, it stopped moving completly.
Wentworth finally released his grip and wiped the sweat streaming down his face. He was drenched, his entire body feeling like it had been torn apart. The bear's death blows to his leg had nearly crippled it. It took him a long moment before he could even stand.
Above, Matilda finally exhaled.
Konbu tried to light his cigarette but fumbled with the lighter, nearly burning himself. Black Bear—interesting. He'd expected Wentworth to die in the first round. The man had exceeded expectations.
...
Wentworth continued upward, his steps unsteady now. Where the bear had struck him throbbed viciously, like the bone might snap at any moment. Halfway up, he nearly collapsed. But thinking of Matilda, he gritted his teeth and hauled himself up the railing.
On the second level, two international assassins awaited him—a married couple.
The husband-wife team had an almost perfect track record. The wife was stunning, built like Black Widow—she handled seduction and setup while the husband lurked in the shadows, ready to strike at the first opportunity.
The woman took in Wentworth's muscular arms and chest, exposed in his tank top, and gave him a sultry smile. "Nice physique."
"Thanks for noticing," Wentworth said flatly.
The husband bristled with jealousy. "You really can't help yourself around men, can you?"
"Occupational hazard. What can I say?"
"I'm killing him!"
"I'll help!"
They both charged at Wentworth.
They started with knives. Wentworth had no blade, but the abandoned factory had plenty of exposed rebar—some pieces could be yanked free with enough force. He ripped one out and charged forward, ignoring the agony in his leg.
Upstairs, Matilda watched, her chest tight with dread. She could sense the excruciating pain in his leg.
Konbu, cigarette dangling from his lips, allowed himself a small smile. Wentworth wouldn't last much longer. Though he'd been impressively resilient.
Matilda couldn't help calling out, "Wentworth!"
What she wanted to say, she didn't know. He was already strong enough—he didn't need encouragement. If he could save her, he would.
Below, Wentworth seemed to hear her cry—it was like new strength flooded through him. He landed a brutal punch on the husband. The man rolled across the floor, slammed into the wall, and spat blood.
Seeing her husband injured, the wife suddenly pulled out a compact pistol and fired at Wentworth without hesitation.
The bullet hit Wentworth in the abdomen. He collapsed.
Matilda screamed. She couldn't take it anymore—her vision went black.
The husband, still on the ground, stared at his wife. "You used a gun?" That's against the rules.
The woman pouted playfully at her husband. "He hurt you." But it wasn't just about her husband's injury—she valued her own life. Why risk hand-to-hand combat when one bullet could end it?
Wentworth layface down, the bullet's impact sending a shock through his body. He tried to breathe, but bloodspilled from his lips instead.
Konbu dropped his cigarette and yelled down, "Why the hell did you shoot him?"
The woman shouted back up at Konbu. "We don't want to die! Keep your bounty—we're done here!"
Konbu stared at the monitors—he watched as Wentworth bled out while Matilda was unconscious. He ground his cigarette butt under his heel viciously. Wentworth definitely couldn't continue now.
"Wake the woman up and bring her down. Let Wentworth watch her get violated before she dies!"
Two henchmen moved to obey, but sirens suddenly wailed outside.
Konbu narrowed his eyes. "The cops got here this fast?"
"Konbu, what about the woman?"
Konbu glanced at Matilda on the floor. "Kill her."
The henchman aimed his gun at Matilda's head and was about to pull the trigger, but a bullet suddenly struck him first. His finger exploded in a spray of blood, the gun clattering to the floor.
More shots rang out—henchmen dropped one after another. Konbu realized the danger and grabbed one of his men, using him as a human shield.
Downstairs, the assassin couple heard the sirens and abandoned Wentworth, scrambling over the wall to escape.